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A new circularly polarized (CP) Raman spectrometer is described that demonstrates simultaneous acquisition of all four forms of circular polarization Raman optical activity (ROA). The instrument is a design extension of a commercially available back scattering circular polarization (SCP) ROA spectrometer. Circular polarization of the incident beam is introduced with a quarter-wave plate, and a half-wave plate alternately positioned in and out of the beam controls the modulation between right circular polarization (RCP) or left circular polarization (LCP) states. Combining this modulation with the simultaneous detection of RCP and LCP scattered Raman radiation allows the measurement of incident circular polarization (ICP), SCP, in-phase dual circular polarization(DCPI) and out-of-phase DCPII-ROA. In addition, three different forms of backscattered Raman spectra, namely unpolarized, highly polarized, and depolarized Raman spectra, as well as a degree of circularity spectrum are obtained. The performance of the new all-CP ROA spectrometer is evaluated with neat α-pinene and aqueous hen lysozyme solution. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Price rise/fall asymmetry, which indicates enduring but modest rises and sudden short-term falls, is a ubiquitous phenomenon in stock markets throughout the world. Instead of the widely used time series method, we adopt inverse statistics from turbulence to analyze this asymmetry. To explore its underlying mechanism, we build a multi-agent model with two kinds of investors, which are specifically referred to as fundamentalists and chartists. Inspired by Kahneman and Tversky’s claim regarding peoples’ asymmetric psychological responses to the equivalent levels of gains and losses, we assume that investors take different risk attitudes to gains and losses and adopt different trading strategies. The simulation results of the model developed herein are consistent with empirical work, which may support our conjecture that investors’ asymmetric risk attitudes might be one origin of rise/fall asymmetry.

Self-fulfilling expectations, where people's expectations may enable some ‘pattern’ to arise, and self-destroying expectations, where people's expectations could also induce the arisen ‘pattern’ to disappear, are two attracting phenomena in financial markets. We hold that these two seemingly conflicting phenomena originally arise from the intertemporal payoff structure of investors and build a consolidated model to systemically explore their underlying mechanisms. Based on individuals’ investments, with trend-following and trend-reversing expectation rules, our model exhibits the process in which one expectation rule goes from showing superior performance to being unprofitable, as it is gradually exploited, realized, and taken advantage of. Adding the fundamentalist rule, we find that the fluctuation of fundamentalists’ impacts on prices, driven by individuals’ real payoffs, is the crucial factor that enables their wished ‘pattern’ that prices fluctuate around the supposed fundamental value to arise as well as induces this emerging ‘pattern’ to disappear.

Yuhuangge (玉皇阁) landslide in Wushan (巫山), Chongqing (重庆), is one of the focal monitoring geological hazards in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) and in-place inclinometers were arranged to monitor the deep deformation. Time domain reflectometry is based on transmitting an electromagnetic pulse into a coaxial cable grouted in rock or soil mass and watching for reflections of this transmission due to cable deformity induced by the ground deformation. Comparing the monitoring data of No. 5 Station, in the middle profile of the landslide, from June to December of 2008, the depth of slip surface determined by TDR is −33.58 m, which is consistent with the geological condition of the borehole nearby. The deformation curve trend of the TDR and inclinometer is similar, and it is uniform with the deformation caused by the Three Gorges Reservoir 175 m experimental impoundment. Further, TDR can monitor the tiny deformation accurately. Therefore, TDR is applicable to monitor the Yuhuangge landslide deep deformation and reflect the deformation characteristics well. It is significant to promote the application of TDR in landslide monitoring.

According to behavioral finance theories, in this article we develop a dynamic model with heterogeneous traders, where the asset price is determined by the interaction among four different groups of agents: trend reversers, trend followers, risk averters and risk seekers. The main purpose of the study is centered on modeling and testing how the market efficiency changes along with the changes of agent’s behavior preference without exogenous influence. Combining with the assumption of risk appetite and prospect theory, focusing on analyzing the rules for selecting strategies, we establish a more reliable and comprehensive dynamic mechanism. In particular, our study suggests that diversified trading strategies will help to realize market efficiency.

We present a simple industrial transferring macroeconomic model where credit constrained agents may invest projects of different industries. The feedback effect between agent’s net worth and credit composition among industries with different productivity gives rise to complex aggregation dynamics including unique equilibrium, multiple-equilibrium, cycle and chaos. These dynamics replicate many industry transferring patterns and provide economic implications for industry policy.

Background: We recently detected cell-free seminal RNA (cfsRNA) and set out to study its concentration, integrity, stability in healthy individuals, and mechanisms for its protection from ribonucleases. Methods: We quantified cfsRNA by reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) targeting of the 5′ region of the ACTB (actin, beta) transcript. cfsRNA integrity was analyzed by microcapillary electrophoresis and by amplification of full-length ACTB and DDX4 [DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 4] transcripts, including measurement of the relative amounts of different regions of ACTB and DDX4 transcripts. Stability of cfsRNA was measured by time-course analysis of different regions of ACTB and DDX4 transcripts. To investigate whether cfsRNA was protected in complexed forms, we processed seminal plasma in 2 ways: filtration through pores of different sizes and Triton X-100 treatment before RNA recovery. Results: cfsRNA concentrations varied from 0.87–3.64 mg/L [mean (SD), 1.75 mg/L (0.92 mg/L)]. Most cfsRNA was present in partially degraded forms, with smaller amounts of middle and 3′ amplicons compared with 5′ amplicons. Although the 3′ region of the DDX4 transcript was degraded completely by 90 min, the 5′ regions of ACTB and DDX4 transcripts were stable up to 24 h. Filtration through 0.22-μm pores reduced ACTB and DDX4 mRNA concentrations by 72% and 61%, respectively. Nearly all seminal ACTB and DDX4 mRNA disappeared after Triton X-100 treatment. Conclusions: Although cfsRNA was partially degraded, it represented diverse transcript species and was abundant, fairly stable, and associated with particles in healthy individuals. cfsRNA may represent a potential noninvasive biomarker of the male reproductive system and of germline epigenetics.

We established a quick and reliable method for recovering cell-free seminal DNA (cfsDNA), by using the binding-washing-elution procedure on the DNA purification column. Low variations (below 15%) among the triplicate values of cfsDNA quantity verified the reproducibility of our cfsDNA recovery method. Similar cfsDNA yield and size distribution between seminal plasma acquired by filtration and centrifugation confirmed the presence of cfsDNA. To investigate the general characterization of cfsDNA, the quantitation and size distribution of cfsDNA from normozoospermic and azoospermic semen were analyzed by real-time PCR and electrophoresis, respectively. CfsDNA concentration in semen with normozoospermia (n = 11) was 1.34 +/- 0.65 microg mL(-1), whereas a higher cfsDNA concentration was observed in azoospermia (2.56 +/- 1.43 microg mL(-1), n = 9). The continuous distribution of DNA fragments ranging from approximately 1 kb to 15 kb and a spectrum of multiples of 180-bp fragments were observed in each normozoospermic and azoospermic sample. Distinct characteristic DNA ladder fragmentations in some azoospermic samples implicated that cfsDNA originate partly from apoptotic cells. CfsDNAs of 36 selected azoospermic patients with known information of Y chromosome microdeletion were subjected to the same microdeletion analysis by multiplex PCR and PCR amplification of sY114 (1450 bp). All multiplex PCR reactions with cfsDNA amplified successfully and provided the same result as leukocyte DNA. PCR amplification of sY114 gave a 1450-bp amplicon as expected. Our data suggested the potential use of cfsDNA in search of biomarker or diagnostic procedures.

Epithelial Na(+) channels (ENaCs) are ion channels that play important roles in physiology as well as pathophysiology. Inhibiting ENaCs using amiloride and its derivatives has been suggested in treatment of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. By immunoblotting, we demonstrated the presence of ENaC-alpha protein in the flagellar midpiece of both rat and human sperm. Immunohistochemistry analyses in rat testis localized ENaC-alpha expressed in the Leydig cell, Sertoli cell, Ap spermatogonium, spermatocyte, spermatid and residual body. Importantly, using computer-assisted sperm motility analysis, we first observed that EIPA [5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)-amiloride hydrochloride] inhibition of ENaCs, possibly including ENaC-alpha and ENaC-delta, significantly improved the sperm motility in healthy donors by 14.23% (mean +/- SEM, 68.75 +/- 9.76% vs. 78.53 +/- 6.20%, p < 0.001) and in asthenospermia patients by 115.89% from 9.50 +/- 6.11% to 20.51 +/- 12.13% (mean +/- SEM, p < 0.001). The improved sperm motility by EIPA has important clinical implications in the treatment of asthenospermia and certainly warrants further investigation.

We make an experimental study on vibration frequency response of micro-bend optic-fiber sensor, and single-mode fibers and multi-mode fibers are used as the sensitive optic-fibers. Contrast between the two sensitive fibers is presented. Result shows that the micro-bend optic-fiber sensor has good frequency response characteristics and strong ability to restore the waveform. With the frequency varying in the range of 500-4762 Hz, the vibration sensors using multi-mode optic-fiber as the sensitive fiber is more sensitive than that using single-mode optic-fiber. And the former has better frequency response characteristics and stronger capacity of waveform revivification. But with the frequency in the range of 287-500 Hz, the latter is better.

SummaryInduced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be generated from somatic cells by transduction with several transcription factors in mouse and human. However, direct reprogramming in other species has not been reported. Here, we generated monkey iPS cells by retrovirus-mediated introduction of monkey transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC.

A distinctive feature of the market economies is the short-run fluctuations in output around the trend of long-run growth over time, and we regard this feature is internal to complex economic systems composed of interacting heterogeneous units. To explore such internal mechanisms of macroeconomic fluctuations, we present a multi-agent Keynesian theory-based model, which can provide a good approximation to the key empirical features of the western business cycles in the 20th Century, such as the structure of the autocorrelation function of overall output growth, correlations between the output growth of individual agents over time, the distribution of recessions, etc.

The aim of this study is to investigate the chemotactic effect of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) on mouse spermatozoa. Capillary assays were applied to study the chemotactic activity of ascending and descending gradients of uPA. Firstly, the chemotactic effect of an ascending gradient of uPA on mouse spermatozoa was observed by counting the number of spermatozoa that migrated into the capillary after incubation with uPA for 5, 10, 20, and 30 min, respectively, compared with that after incubation with F10. Twenty minutes was a suitable incubation time to obtain a plateau of sperm accumulation. Meanwhile, to confirm the specific effect of uPA on mouse sperm chemotaxis, uPA inhibitor (PAI-1) and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG were added to the test solution containing 20 U/mL uPA, respectively. To exclude the possibility that PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG may affect sperm accumulation nonspecifically, PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG were added to F10, respectively. It was found that the chemotactic effect of uPA was neutralized completely by PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG. PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG had no neutralizing effect on the sperm chemotactic effect. Lastly, the sperm chemotaxis response to a descending gradient of uPA was also observed. Taken together, the results suggest that uPA can induce sperm chemotaxis in vitro by binding to its receptor on the sperm membrane and may act as a chemoattractant in precontacting sperm-egg communication thereby increasing the chance encounter of spermatozoa and eggs.

In this paper, we focus on the statistical features and time correlation of runs which is defined as a sequence of consecutive gain/loss (rise/fall) stock returns. By studying daily data of the Dow Jones industrial average (DJIA), we get the following points: firstly, the distribution of length and magnitude of stock returns runs both follow an exponential law; secondly, runs length do lack significant time correlation, while runs magnitude exhibit a slow decay of time correlation with long persistence up to several months, which implies existence of volatility clustering. We expect the above properties may add new members to the family of stylized facts about stock returns.

CatSper is a unique sperm cation channel-like protein family exclusively expressed in the testis and plays important roles in sperm functions. The temporal expression profiles of CatSper1 – 4 mRNAs in the mouse testis during post-natal development through adulthood were investigated using real-time RT‐PCR. The CatSper2 transcript was present in the testis of the 8-day-old mice, and was repressed in the adult testis after two sharp up-regulations at day 18 and 35. CatSper1 and CatSper3, 4 mRNAs were detectable in the testis of 18-day and 15-day-old mice, respectively. After sharp up-regulation at day 25 and 35, respectively, they were maximal at the adult testis stage. The differences between the temporal expression profiles of the CatSper transcripts in post-natal mouse testis development suggest different regulation to their transcription, and potentially contribute to the possibility of forming heteromeric channels among these four CatSper family members. CatSper1 –3 transcripts were identified to be present in the human ejaculated spermatozoa by RT‐PCR. Significantly higher levels of CatSper2 and CatSper3 mRNAs revealed by real-time RT‐PCR were observed in the high-motile spermatozoa than in the low-motile fraction and suggests that CatSper2 and CatSper3 transcripts in the human ejaculated spermatozoa could be the potential targets for further study and male infertility screening.

Multilayer gold surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates, which consist of continuous gold films that are separated by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and cast over 430-nm diameter silica nanospheres on a glass slide, have been evaluated as a means of further enhancing the SERS signals produced from conventional metal film over nanostructure substrates. Evaluation of the effect of various SAMs, with different terminal functional groups, on the SERS enhancement factor were measured and compared to conventional single-layer gold film over nanostructure substrates, revealing relative enhancements as great as 22.4-fold in the case of 2-mercapto-ethanol spacer layers. In addition to evaluation of the effect of different terminal functionalities, the effect of spacer length was also investigated, revealing that the shorter chain length alcohols provided the greatest signals. Employing the optimal SERS multilayer geometry, SERS nanoimaging probes were fabricated and the SERS enhancement factor and variability in enhancement factor were measured over the SERS active imaging area, providing absolute enhancements similar to previous silver-based SERS nanoimaging probes (i.e., 1.2×108). Varying the size of the multilayer gold islands that were deposited on the tip of the SERS active nanoimaging probe, it is possible to tune the optimal SERS excitation wavelength accurately and predictably over the range of approximately 450 to 600 nm, without coating the entire surface of the probe and significantly reducing the transmission and resulting signal-to-noise ratio of the images obtained.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several common loci contributing to non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). However, a substantial fraction of NOA heritability remains undefined, especially those low-frequency [defined here as having a minor allele frequency (MAF) between 0.5 and 5%] and rare (MAF below 0.5%) variants. Here, we performed a 3-stage exome-wide association study in Han Chinese men to evaluate the role of low-frequency or rare germline variants in NOA development. The discovery stage included 962 NOA cases and 1348 healthy male controls genotyped by exome chips and was followed by a 2-stage replication with an additional 2168 cases and 5248 controls. We identified three low-frequency variants located at 6p22.2 (rs2298090 in HIST1H1E encoding p.Lys152Arg: OR = 0.30, P = 2.40 × 10(-16)) and 6p21.33 (rs200847762 in FKBPL encoding p.Pro137Leu: OR = 0.11, P = 3.77 × 10(-16); rs11754464 in MSH5: OR = 1.78, P = 3.71 × 10(-7)) associated with NOA risk after Bonferroni correction. In summary, we report an instance of newly identified signals for NOA risk in genes previously undetected through GWAS on 6p22.2-6p21.33 in a Chinese population and highlight the role of low-frequency variants with a large effect in the process of spermatogenesis.

Non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), a severe form of male infertility, is often suspected to be linked to currently undefined genetic abnormalities. To explore the genetic basis of this condition, we successfully sequenced ~650 infertility-related genes in 757 NOA patients and 709 fertile males. We evaluated the contributions of rare variants to the etiology of NOA by identifying individual genes showing nominal associations and testing the genetic burden of a given biological process as a whole. We found a significant excess of rare, non-silent variants in genes that are key epigenetic regulators of spermatogenesis, such as BRWD1, DNMT1, DNMT3B, RNF17, UBR2, USP1 and USP26, in NOA patients (P = 5.5 × 10−7), corresponding to a carrier frequency of 22.5% of patients and 13.7% of controls (P = 1.4 × 10−5). An accumulation of low-frequency variants was also identified in additional epigenetic genes (BRDT and MTHFR). Our study suggested the potential associations of genetic defects in genes that are epigenetic regulators with spermatogenic failure in human.

Cation channel of sperm 1 (CATSPER1) is a unique sperm cation channel protein, and essential for sperm function and male fertility. CATSPER1 exclusively expresses in meiotic and postmeiotic spermatogenic cells, thus belongs to the spermatogenesis-specific antigen that escape central tolerance. We have previously demonstrated the immunocontraceptive potential of its transmembrane domains and pore region, and reported the antifertility effects of its B-cell epitopes on male mice. Aiming to develop DNA vaccine targeting CATSPER1 for male contraception, here the whole open reading frame of mouse Catsper1 was cloned into the plasmid pEGFP-N1 to obtain a DNA vaccine pEGFP-N1-Catsper1. The vaccine was confirmed to be transcribed and translated in mouse N2a cell in vitro and mouse muscle tissue in vivo. Intramuscular injection with the vaccine on male mice induced specific immune reaction and caused significant inhibition on sperm hyperactivated motility and progressive motility (P

Normal neutrosophic numbers (NNNs) are a significant tool of describing theincompleteness, indeterminacy and inconsistency of the decision-making information. In this paper, wefirstly propose the definition and the properties of the NNNs, and the accuracy function, the scorefunction and the operational laws of the NNNs are developed. Then, some operators are presented,including the normal neutrosophic Bonferroni mean (NNBM) operator, the normal neutrosophicweighted Bonferroni mean (NNWBM) operator, the normal neutrosophic geometric Bonferroni mean(NNGBM) operator, the normal neutrosophic weighted geometric Bonferroni mean (NNWGBM)operator. We also study their properties and special cases. Further, we put forward a multiple attributedecision making method which is based on the NNWBM and NNWGBM operators. Finally, anillustrative example is given to verify the practicality and validity of the proposed method.&nbsp

Background The effect of alcohol consumption on prostate health and reproductive hormone profiles has long been investigated and currently, no consensus has been reached. Additionally, large studies focusing on this topic are relatively rare in China. Purpose To investigate the association of alcohol consumption with prostate measurements and reproductive hormone profiles in Chinese population; and to examine the relationship between hormone levels and prostate measurements. Methods This cross-sectional study included 4535 men from four representative provinces of China. Demographic details, family history of prostate disease, tobacco and alcohol consumption, as well as International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) were collected through a questionnaire. Total prostate specific antingen (total PSA), free PSA, free PSA/total PSA ratio (f/tPSA), and reproductive hormones were measured in serum. Multi-variable regression models were used to test for association of alcohol consumption with markers of prostate health, used to test for association of alcohol consumption with reproductive hormones, and reproductive hormones with markers of prostate health. Results Alcohol consumption had no obvious impact on total PSA concentration and I-PSS. Current drinkers had lower level of free PSA (β = -0.11, p = 0.02) and f/tPSA (β = -0.03, p = 0.005), former drinkers also had lower level of free PSA (β = -0.19, p = 0.02) when compared with never drinkers. Lower Luteinizing hormone (LH) (β = -1.05, p = 0.01), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) (β = -4.71, p = 0.01) and higher estradiol (β = 7.81, p = 0.01) was found in current drinkers than never drinkers, whereas higher LH (β = 1.04, p = 0.04) and free testosterone (FT) (β = 0.03, p = 0.02) was detected in former drinkers than never drinkers. Furthermore, LH was positively associated with f/tPSA (β = 0.002, p = 0.006), SHBG was also positively related with free PSA (β = 0.003, p = 0.003) and f/tPSA (β = 0.0004, p = 0.01). Both total testosterone (TT) and FT were inversely related with I-PSS (OR = 0.97, 95% CI, 0.95–0.98; OR = 0.23, 95% CI, 0.11–0.45, respectively). Conclusions Alcohol consumption could affect serum free PSA concentration and also f/tPSA ratio, and also acts as an endocrine disruptor on the male reproductive hormone profiles. LH and SHBG were positively related with fPSA and f/tPSA, and higher level of TT and FT may be helpful for improving participants' subjective symptoms.

We have developed a novel class of gold multilayer, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates that are capable of enhancing SERS signals by 15.3-fold over conventional gold film over nanostructure (GFON) SERS substrates, making them comparable in sensitivity to optimized silver film over nanostructure (SFON) substrates, while providing the long-term stability obtained from gold. They are fabricated by depositing 10 Å thick silver oxide islands on conventional GFON substrates, followed by deposition of a second continuous gold layer. The silver oxide layer acts as a dielectric spacer between the two continuous gold films and produces significantly enhanced SERS signals, as compared to optimized single layer substrates of the same geometry or comparable substrates prepared by deposition of silver islands that are not oxidized. In addition to the enhanced sensitivity of these multilayer substrates, they also exhibit long SERS active shelf-lives (i.e., months), with no measurable degradation in SERS enhancement, and relative standard deviations in SERS enhancement of less than 5.2% across the substrate's surface.

A time series of the Shanghai stock index in China for the 1990s is studied for the possible existence of nonlinear speculative bubbles. Three alternative specifications of fundamentals are estimated using VAR models of domestic and international variables. These are subjected to regime switching tests and rescaled range analysis tests. Nulls of no persistence were mostly rejected, suggesting the strong possibility of bubbles. Nonlinearities beyond ARCH effects using the BDS test could not be rejected. The paper also discusses the special circumstances of the stock market in an emerging transition economy.

This paper studies the income distributions from the view of job match. By numerical simulation, we present different income distributions cases with different degrees of job match. In particular, we analyze the probability distribution of individual income, and we also discuss the economic efficiency and economic equality in different job match cases. Our basic results are that different job matchs can change income distributions, and good job matchs can not only improve economic efficiency but also aggravate economic inequality.

This paper presents a possible explanation for some of the empirical properties of asset returns within a heterogeneous-agents framework. The model turns out, even if we assume the input fundamental value follows an simple Gaussian distribution lacking both fat tails and volatility dependence, these features can show up in the time series of asset returns. In this model, the profit comparison and switching between heterogeneous play key roles, which build a connection between endogenous market and the emergence of stylized facts.

In order to obtain an antiferroelectric material of slim double-hysteresis loop and proper switch electric fields, the effect of lanthanum modifier on the electric hysteresis characteristics of lead zirconate stannate titanate antiferroelectric compounds was studied. The electric hysteresis loops and dielectric constants with temperature variations were measured. The experimental results showed that La addition enhanced the antiferroelectrics of Pb(Zr,Sn,Ti)O 3 compounds. The switch electric fields increased and the electric hysteresis width ΔE = E F - E B narrowed with La content increase. Meanwhile, the dielectric constant was dispersed with frequency and the dielectric peak that related to the transition from antiferroelectric to paraelectric phase was broadened. La was an available modifier to tune the electric hysteresis width and switch fields of Pb(Zr,Sn,Ti)O 3 antiferroelectrics. Finally, an antiferroelectrics of slim double-hysteresis loop and suited switch electric fields was tailored.

Sperm DNA integrity is an essential factor for accurate transmission of genetic information. Human sperm DNA damage is a common cause of male infertility but the exact mechanism remains poorly understood. Considering the vital role of microRNA (miRNA) in multiple pathophysiological processes, we hypothesised that testicular miRNA is involved in sperm DNA damage during spermatogenesis. Infertile patients with high sperm DNA fragment index (DFI; n = 94) were selected from 1090 infertile men and a total of 18 testis-specific seminal miRNAs previously identified from human seminal plasma were chosen and tested. miR-29c and miR-424 were downregulated in men with high DFI. The inhibition of these two miRNAs in mice confirmed the role of miR-424 (murine homologue miR-322) in sperm DNA damage during spermatogenesis; by contrast, miR-29c exhibited a negative result. Thus, miR-424/322 is involved in sperm DNA damage. Furthermore, the dysregulation of this miRNA can induce DNA double-strand breaks during spermatogenesis.

Male factor infertility affects one-sixth of couples worldwide, and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) is one of the most severe forms. Our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified three susceptibility loci for NOA in Han Chinese men. Here we test promising associations in an extended three-stage validation using 3,608 NOA cases and 5,909 controls to identify additional risk loci. We find strong evidence of three NOA susceptibility loci (P5.0 × 10(-8)) at 6p21.32 (rs7194, P=3.76 × 10(-19)), 10q25.3 (rs7099208, P=6.41 × 10(-14)) and 6p12.2 (rs13206743, P=3.69 × 10(-8)), as well as one locus approaching genome-wide significance at 1q42.13 (rs3000811, P=7.26 × 10(-8)). In addition, we investigate the phenotypic effect of the related gene (gek, orthologous to CDC42BPA) at 1q42.13 on male fertility using a Drosophila model. These results advance our understanding of the genetic susceptibility to NOA and provide insights into its pathogenic mechanism.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mechanisms of action of Tripterygium glycosides (TG) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In total, 20 patients with active AS received treatment with 20 mg TG tablet (TGT) 3 times per day for 6 weeks. In addition, 20 healthy age- and gender-matched individuals were recruited as the control group. The efficacy measures included the Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The serum interleukin (IL)-17 levels were measured using ELISA. The expression of CD4+CD25+CD127low regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the peripheral blood was evaluated by flow cytometry. A bivariate correlation analysis was used to determine the association of IL-17 levels with BASDAI, ESR, CRP and CD4+CD25+CD127low Tregs in AS patients. Prior to treatment, the BASDAI, ESR and CRP levels in AS patients were found to be elevated compared to those in healthy controls and were significantly reduced following TGT treatment (P0.05). In addition, prior to treatment, the ratio of CD4+CD25+CD127low Tregs in AS patients was significantly lower compared to that in healthy controls (P

Cell-free seminal mRNA (cfs-mRNA) and microRNA (cfs-miRNA) have been found in human ejaculate and reported as promising noninvasive biomarkers for disorders of male reproductive organs and forensic identification. However, seminal plasma is particularly challenging for RNA extraction due to its complicated composition and high content of protein, DNA, and polysaccharide. Here, we report a novel, simple, and reliable method for the isolation of cfs-mRNA and cfs-miRNA from human semen based on our previous findings of their physical nature. Seminal microvesicles (0.1-0.5 µm in diameter), which contain the majority of cfs-mRNA, were enriched by a microfilter. Protein complexes, which most cfs-miRNA is bound with, were enriched by an ultrafilter. Harvesting the complexes or microvesicles, in which RNAs exist, avoided the influence of other components in human semen, thus favoring RNA isolation and purification. This new method can efficiently isolate cfs-mRNA and cfs-miRNA separately based on their physical nature, with high RNA purity, and low DNA contamination. It may also be applied or modified to isolate cell-free RNAs in other fluids.

With the rapid development of wireless communication and low power embedded techniques, Body Sensor Networks (BSN) technology has opened up new frontiers in the race to conquer healthcare challenges. However, most of the BSN nodes, especially implanted wireless sensor nodes, are battery-operated, and cannot be used indiscriminately because of the limited energy sources. In this paper, we address energy efficient techniques for batteryoperated implanted sensor nodes, including energy-efficient communication and battery friendly task scheduling, which are firstly applied to implanted sensor nodes by us. In the first part, we aim to design an energy-efficient implanted wireless system to minimize energy consumption of wireless communication. Based on the energy-efficient system, we follow the battery behaviors and battery-aware task-scheduling algorithm for implanted sensor nodes is proposed to further extend the lifetime of battery. In the proposed algorithm, tasks in implanted nodes are rescheduled to the battery friendly discharge profile and the battery performance enhanced.

Coulter counters have been an important platform in biological cell detection and enumeration for several decades. Recently, the portable Coulter counter has attracted much attention due to its advantages in point of care diagnostics for on chip detection and enumeration of rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells. In this paper, we present a microfluidic cytometer based on Coulter principle on a SU-8 coated printed circuit board (PCB) substrate, which enables portable and low-cost diagnostics. The electrical current changes induced by the blockage of the microparticles in the sensing aperture of the Coulter counter are numerically analyzed and validated by experimental studies. Hela cells are used to test the performance of the proposed device. The proposed cytometer is built upon the cheap and widely available PCB substrate and show its great potential as a personalized healthcare monitor. ASTAR (Agency for Sci., Tech. and Research, S’pore)

A novel algorithm that is used to lift the vanishing moments of the wavelet from general wavelet, and not only from the Lazy wavelet, is proposed. It is based on the relationship between the vanishing moments of the wavelet and multiple of zeros of z=1 and only needs to solve simple linear equations to obtain the lifting coefficients. Moreover, the shortest lifting scheme and its uniqueness are introduced, from which an iterative algorithm for designing the lifting scheme is presented.

This paper examines the emergence of complex volatility in dynamic asset markets when there are heterogeneous agents. A discrete formulation is studied with two categories of market participants, fundamentalist traders who buy when the asset price is below the fundamental value and sell when it is above and noise traders who use moving average technical trading rules that can lead them to chase trends. Agents switch from one type of strategy to the other according to relative returns. A variety of outcomes are studied using numerical simulation, including variation of market price responsiveness to changes in excess demand, in switching behavior, and the introduction of noise. Bifurcation analysis of certain parameters is presented.

Natural resonance electronic Raman optical activity (ROA) is observed for the first time. Coincidently, the first example of vibrational ROA enhanced by low-lying electronic transition is reported. These new phenomena were measured using the rare-earth complex Eu(tfc)3 (+)-tris[3-trifluoroacetyl-D-camphorato]europium(III), where electronic resonance occurs between the 532-nm laser excitation and the 7F1 5D1 transition of the Eu3+ metal center. Electronic Raman spectra involve the Raman transitions terminating on the low-lying electronic states of Eu(tfc)3. The observed vibrational ROA spectra are enhanced relative to typical ROA spectra by the proximity of vibrational states of Eu(tfc)3 to its low-lying electronic states with significant magnetic-dipole character, whereas the parent vibrational Raman spectra do not appear to be resonance-enhanced since the 532-nm vibrational Raman spectrum has similar relative intensities to the corresponding Raman spectrum measured with 1064-nm laser excitation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The expression of Attractin mRNA and protein in testis and semen of human and male mice was investigated. Human testis and semen samples were all collected from Reproductive Center of Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University in December, 2012. Testis samples were collected from 7 cases of obstructive azoospermias when they were subjected to diagnosed testis biopsy, and 30 normal human semen samples were obtained from those cases of semen analysis. Adult mice testis tissues were obtained from 10 2-month-old male BALB/c mice, and 60 male mice at different ages were classified into 10 groups (day 1, 5, 10, 15, 21, 28, 35, 42, 56, and 120 respectively, n=6 each). The expression of Attractin mRNA and protein in testis was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting respectively. Human semen samples were centrifuged into sperm plasma (SP) and sperm extract (SE), and mice sperm samples were collected from the epididymis of 10 adult male BALB/c mice. Western blotting was used to determine the Attractin protein expression level. Attractin mRNA and protein were expressed in the testis of both patients with obstructive azoospermias and adult Bcl/B mice. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that no Attractin mRNA was detectable in day 1 male BALB/c mice group. The Attractin mRNA and protein levels were low on the day 10, and increased with age until day 56. On the day 120, the expression levels of Attractin were decreased. As for human semen samples, Attractin protein was expressed in both SP and SE, but didn't exist in samples from the epididymis of male BALB/c mice. It was suggested that Attractin acted as a novel active substance and was involved in male reproduction in both human and BALB/c mice, but it exerted a different expression profile in different mammal species.

Objectives Aiming to develop potential noninvasive biomarkers for male infertility, the present study is designed to identify cell-free seminal piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNA), and microRNAs predominately derived from testis and epididymis in human semen, which is secreted from the male accessory reproductive organs. Design and methods The ejaculate of successfully vasectomized men does not contain any secretion from the testis or epididymis. We screened cell-free seminal piRNAs, and microRNAs that predominately derived from testis/epididymis by comparing Solexa sequencing of seminal RNA of normozoospermic donors and vasectomized men, followed by quantitative PCR validation in individuals. Results Totally 84 seminal microRNAs exhibited levels > 4-fold higher in normozoospermic donors than in vasectomized men. Subsequent quantitative PCR validation in individuals confirmed 61 microRNAs predominately secreted from testis/epididymis. Of these miRNAs, the lowest level in normozoospermic donors is ≥ 2-fold (24 miRNAs) or 0–2-fold (37 miRNAs) more than the highest level in vasectomized men. Interestingly, 28 microRNAs, which contain 5 microRNA clusters (18 microRNAs), reside on the X-chromosome. Some microRNAs have been shown or predicted to target important genes in spermatogenesis or sperm maturation. At least 995 seminal piRNAs were identified in normozoospermic donors while were absent in vasectomized men. Conclusions The present study identified cell-free seminal piRNAs, and microRNAs that predominately derived from testis and epididymis. These small noncoding RNAs might be useful noninvasive epigenetic markers for human male infertility researches on revealing the etiology and physiopathological status of impaired sperm production and maturation.