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XueBiJing is an intravenous five-herb injection used to treat sepsis in China. The study aimed to develop a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)- or liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (LC-UV)-based assay for quality evaluation of XueBiJing. Assay development involved identifying marker constituents to make the assay therapeutically relevant and building a reliable one-point calibrator for monitoring the various analytes in parallel. Nine marker constituents from the five herbs were selected based on XueBiJing's chemical composition, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. A selectivity test (for "similarity of response") was developed to identify and minimize interference by non-target constituents. Then, an intercept test was developed to fulfill "linearity through zero" for each analyte (absolute ratio of intercept to C response,2%). Using the newly developed assays, we analyzed samples from 33 batches of XueBiJing, manufactured over three years, and found small batch-to-batch variability in contents of the marker constituents (4.1%-14.8%), except for senkyunolide I (26.5%).

The waxy cuticle covers a plant’s aerial surface and contributes to environmental adaptation in land plants. Although past decades have seen great advances in understanding wax biosynthesis in model plants, the mechanisms underlying wax biosynthesis in crop plants such as bread wheat remain to be elucidated. In this study, wheat MYB transcription factor TaMYB30 was identified as a transcriptional activator positively regulating wheat wax biosynthesis. The knockdown of TaMYB30 expression using virus-induced gene silencing led to attenuated wax accumulation, increased water loss rates, and enhanced chlorophyll leaching. Furthermore, TaKCS1 and TaECR were isolated as essential components of wax biosynthetic machinery in bread wheat. In addition, silencing TaKCS1 and TaECR resulted in compromised wax biosynthesis and potentiated cuticle permeability. Importantly, we showed that TaMYB30 could directly bind to the promoter regions of TaKCS1 and TaECR genes by recognizing the MBS and Motif 1 cis-elements, and activate their expressions. These results collectively demonstrated that TaMYB30 positively regulates wheat wax biosynthesis presumably via the transcriptional activation of TaKCS1 and TaECR.

A bridge crane is often used in a complex environment and is often subject to the interference of all loads. Some uncertain factors often have an inevitable impact on its swing. So the force situation of the bridge crane during a working cycle is analyzed, and a three-dimensional dynamic mathematical model of the bridge crane is built. Through the simulation analysis of the model under the action of a driving force and wind load, the change law of the swing angle of the bridge crane is studied. Then, the fuzzy control theory is used to determine the control parameter in the anti-sway control process. The position, swing angle deviation, and deviation rate of the bridge crane are taken as the input, and the parameter correction is obtained after the fuzzification by using the center of gravity method. The anti-sway fuzzy control system of the bridge crane is designed and simulated. The research results show that the swing model of the crane is reasonable and the fuzzy PID anti-sway controller can not only improve the adaptability of the control system, but also overcome the large overshoot, quickly restrain the swing, and effectively realize the anti-sway function of the bridge crane.

IntroductionPerilla oil is a natural vegetable oil rich in alpha-linolenic acid extracted from Perilla seeds. Fish oil is a commonly used animal fat containing a large amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Soybean oil is a commonly used vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid. This study aimed to determine whether perilla, fish, or soybean oil can be used as a lipid source in the diet of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus).MethodsThree isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were created by adding 3.0% each of soybean oil (SO), fish oil (FO), and perilla seed oil (PSO). Eight adolescent giant salamanders were fed in rectangular tanks for 98 days with a total of 96 giant salamanders (mean body weight = 75.20g) and were fed an experimental diet until satiation.Results and DiscussionThe viscerosomatic index and crude lipid content of muscle were found to be considerably lower and the muscle crude protein was substantially higher in the PSO group than in the other groups (PA. davidianus muscle tissue (PA. davidianus with respect to growth performance. On the other hand, perilla oil can enhance crude protein content of muscle, increase Immunoglobulin M(IgM) content and Alkaline phosphatase(AKP) enzyme activity, promote lipid metabolism, and maintain the health of the liver and intestine in A. davidianus.

We study the lightest Higgs boson decays h → MZ in the μ from ν supersymmetric standard model (μνSSM), where M is a vector meson (ρ, ω, ϕ, J/Ψ, Υ). Compared to the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), the μνSSM introduces three right-handed neutrino superfields, which lead to the mixing of the Higgs doublets with the right-handed sneutrinos. The mixing affects the lightest Higgs boson mass and the Higgs couplings. In suitable parameter space, the μνSSM can give large new physics (NP) contributions to the signal strengths of h → MZ and h → γγ, which may be detected by a 100 TeV collider or the other future high energy colliders.

A bias-selectable photodetector, which can sense the wavelength of interest by tuning the polarity of applied bias, is useful for target discrimination and identification applications. So far, those detectors are generally based on the back-to-back photodiode configuration via exploiting epitaxial semiconductors as optoelectronic materials, which inevitably lead to high fabrication costs and complex device architectures. Here, we demonstrate that our band-engineered van der Waals heterostructures can be applied as bias-selectable photodetectors. Our first prototypical device is mainly composed of black phosphorus (BP) and MoTe

During 2018-2020, we isolated 32 Eurasian avian-like swine influenza A(H1N1) viruses and their reassortant viruses from pigs in China. Genomic testing identified a novel reassortant H3N1 virus, which emerged in late 2020. Derived from G4 Eurasian H1N1 and H3N2 swine influenza viruses. This virus poses a risk for zoonotic infection.

Polyurethane has excellent impact resistance and chemical resistance, so polyurethane coatings are often selected to protect helicopter rotors. but the impact of rainwater when flying in rainy weather can still cause great damage to the polyurethane coating. In order to effectively improve the working life of the polyurethane coating in the rain erosion environment. This paper introduces the failure mechanism of rainwater erosion. The factors influencing the rain erosion performance of polyurethane coatings were discussed from internal and external factors respectively. And the equipment, test methods and standards of rain erosion were summarized. Finally, the problem that the rotation arm of the equipment cannot reach the rotation speed of the helicopter rotor and the incident angle of water droplets cannot be changed, and the future development direction is prospected.

Extending the operation wavelength of silicon photonics to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) band will significantly benefit critical application areas, including health care, astronomy, and chemical sensing. However, a major hurdle for mid-IR silicon photonics has been the lack of high-speed, high-responsivity, and low noise-equivalent power (NEP) photodetectors. Here, we demonstrate a van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure mid-IR photodetector integrated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide. The detector is composed of vertically stacked black phosphorus (BP)/molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe

Dense glycosylation and the trimeric conformation of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) envelope protein limit the accessibility of some cellular glycan processing enzymes and end up with high-mannose-type

Background/purpose Streptococcus pneumoniae causes pneumonia and other invasive diseases, and is a leading cause of mortality in the elderly population. The present study aimed to provide current antimicrobial resistance and epidemiological profiles of S. pneumoniae infections in Taiwan. Methods A total of 252 nonduplicate S. pneumoniae isolates were collected from patients admitted to 16 hospitals in Taiwan between January 2017 and December 2019, and were analyzed. The minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotics was determined using the Vitek 2 automated system for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Furthermore, epidemiological profiles of S. pneumoniae infections were analyzed. Results Among the strains analyzed, 88% were recognized as invasive pneumococcal strains. According to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria for non-meningitis, the prevalence of penicillin-non-susceptible S. pneumoniae demonstrated a declining trend from 43.6% in 2017 to 17.2% in 2019. However, the rate of penicillin-non-susceptible S. pneumoniae was 85.7% based on the criteria for meningitis. Furthermore, the prevalence of ceftriaxone-non-susceptible S. pneumoniae was 62.7% based on the criteria for meningitis. Isolates demonstrated higher susceptibility toward doripenem and ertapenem than toward meropenem and imipenem. An increased rate of non-susceptibility toward levofloxacin was observed in southern Taiwan (15.1%) and elderly patients (≥65 years; 11.4%). Most isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and linezolid. Conclusion Empirical treatment with ceftriaxone monotherapy for pneumococcal meningitis should be carefully monitored owing to its high non-susceptibility rate. The susceptibility rates of most isolates to penicillin (used for treating non-meningitis pneumococcal diseases), carbapenems (ertapenem and doripenem), respiratory quinolones (moxifloxacin and levofloxacin), vancomycin, and linezolid suggested the potential of these antibiotics in treating pneumococcal diseases in Taiwan.

In this study, a novel adsorbent (SRM-ZnO) was prepared using zinc oxide supported on red mud in a seawater medium and was used for the adsorption of methyl orange (MO). It is expected to solve the recycling of red mud and prepare an economical adsorbent with high efficiency to adsorb dye wastewater. Material composition and morphology analyses showed that hydrotalcite compounds were attached on the surface of SRM-ZnO. The hydrotalcite compounds can increase the surface area of the modified red mud and thus increase the adsorption capacity of MO. The adsorption of MO dye on modified red mud conforms to the Temkin isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption behavior mainly includes physical interaction, supplemented with chemical interactions. Result also found that the adsorption of MO on SRM-ZnO is a spontaneous exothermic process.

Purpose Open pelvic fractures have high mortality rates, and survivors may have ongoing functional deficits from severe trauma and invasive life-saving procedures. However, there are limited reports regarding the functional status evaluation following open pelvic fractures. We aimed to report the treatment experiences and short-term functional outcomes of patients with open pelvic fractures. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the data of 19 consecutive patients with pelvic fractures who underwent treatment at a single institute between January 2014 and June 2018. The resuscitation protocol, osteosynthesis strategy, reduction quality of the pelvic ring, and functional outcomes were analyzed. Results The incidence and mortality rates in patients with open pelvic fractures were 4.9 and 21.6%, respectively. Ten, one, and seven of the open wounds related to the pelvic fractures were located in Faringer zones I, II, and III, respectively. Fractures of four patients were categorized as classes 1 and 2, and those of 11 patients as class 3, according to the Jones–Powell classification. Eleven of 19 (57.9%) and 9 of 19 (47.5%) revealed excellent reduction quality by Matta/Torenetta and Lefaivre criteria, respectively. The Merle d'Aubigné score improved at each evaluation but stagnated after 24 months. The Majeed hip score also improved at the 12-month evaluation but the improvement stopped thereafter. At a 3-year follow-up, the patients with excellent reduction of the pelvic ring showed the highest functional performances. Conclusion Improvements in functional status of patients with open pelvic fractures can be anticipated based on the reduction quality of the pelvis ring.

Pollination niche shifts can drive remarkable floral divergence between closely related plant species. The Leucolirion clade of Lilium contains species with either tepal-recurved or trumpet-shaped flowers. The tepal-recurved flowers are bright orange and might be pollinated by butterflies and/or birds. The trumpet-shaped flowers are mostly pale and strongly fragrant and might permit visitation by a variety of hawkmoths. Lilium leucanthum has trumpet-shaped flowers, and some populations of this species show dark coloration on the floral outer surface, suggesting pollination by mammals. We identified pollinators and examined the dependence of reproduction on pollinators by floral visitor observations, pollen load analysis and pollination experiments. We also analysed floral traits to contrast the two floral syndromes involving different lepidopteran groups. The tepal-recurved lilies are specialized on a group of Papilio butterflies for pollination with pollen predominantly attached to the hindwings. The trumpet-shaped flowers are almost exclusively pollinated by hawkmoths, including diverse species with proboscises of different lengths. No mammal visitation was found to the populations of L. leucanthum with dark outer surfaces of flowers. Self-incompatibility prevails throughout the clade, including the populations in which pollinators were scarce. The butterfly- and hawkmoth-pollinated species display contrasting floral syndromes. Our findings confirmed that the dichotomy in floral syndrome in the Leucolirion clade is associated with Papilio butterfly vs. hawkmoth pollination, whereas intraspecific variation in colour of the floral outer surface of L. leucanthum many need a non-pollinator explanation.

Indium oxide supported nickel catalyst has been experimentally confirmed to be highly active for CO2 hydrogenation towards methanol. In this work, the reaction mechanism for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol has been investigated on a model Ni/In2O3 catalyst, i.e., Ni4/In2O3, via the density functional theory (DFT) study. Three possible reaction pathways, i.e., the formate pathway, CO hydrogenation and the reverse water–gas-shift (RWGS) pathways, have been examined on this model catalyst. It has been demonstrated that the RWGS pathway is the most theoretically-favored for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The complete RWGS pathway follows CO2 + 6H → COOH + 5H → CO + H2O + 4H → HCO + H2O + 3H → H2CO + H2O + 2H → H3CO + H2O + H → H3COH + H2O. Furthermore, it has been also proved that the interfacial oxygen vacancy can serve as the active site for boosting the CO2 adsorption and charge transfer between the nickel species and indium oxide, which synergistically promotes the consecutive CO2 hydrogenation towards methanol.

Objectives Despite sustained viral suppression with effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV-infected patients with suboptimal immune recovery are still at high risk of both non-AIDS-related and AIDS-related events. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants potentially associated with suboptimal CD4 + T cell count recovery during free ART with sustained viral suppression among an HIV-infected Yi ethnicity population in Liangshan Prefecture, an area in China with high HIV prevalence. Methods This retrospective study included HIV-infected Yi adults (≥ 18 years and baseline CD4 + T cell count less than 500 cells/μL) for whom ART supported by National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program was initiated between January 2015 and December 2018 in Zhaojue County, Liangshan Prefecture. Virological suppression (viral load Results There were 140 female and 137 male patients in this study, with a mean age of 36.57 ± 7.63 years. Most of the Yi patients were infected through IDU (48.7%) or heterosexual contact (49.8%), and the anti-HCV antibody prevalence was high (43.7%, 121/277). Of the 277 patients with a mean ART duration of 3.77 ± 1.21 years, complete immune recovery occurred in only 32.9%. The baseline CD4 + T cell count in patients with suboptimal and intermediate immune recovery was 248.64 ± 108.10 and 288.59 ± 108.86 cells/μL, respectively, which was much lower than the baseline 320.02 ± 123.65 cells/μL in patients who achieved complete immune recovery (p Conclusions Our study suggests that for HIV-infected Yi patients in Liangshan Prefecture, prompt ART initiation after diagnosis of HIV infection should be applied, and curative HCV treatment should be given to patients with HCV/HIV coinfection to improve the immunological effectiveness of ART. Trial registration None

Wolbachia and Rickettsia are bacterial endosymbionts that can induce a number of reproductive abnormalities in their arthropod hosts. We screened and established the co-infection of Wolbachia and Rickettsia in Bemisia tabaci and compared the spatial and temporal distribution of Wolbachia and Rickettsia in eggs (3–120 h after spawning), nymphs, and adults of B. tabaci by qPCR quantification and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). The results show that the titer of Wolbachia and Rickettsia in the 3–120 h old eggs showed a “w” patterned fluctuation, while the titers of Wolbachia and Rickettsia had a “descending–ascending descending–ascending” change process. The titers of Rickettsia and Wolbachia nymphal and the adult life stages of Asia II1 B. tabaci generally increased with the development of whiteflies. However, the location of Wolbachia and Rickettsia in the egg changed from egg stalk to egg base, and then from egg base to egg posterior, and finally back to the middle of the egg. These results will provide basic information on the quantity and localization of Wolbachia and Rickettsia within different life stages of B. tabaci. These findings help to understand the dynamics of the vertical transmission of symbiotic bacteria.