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Background: The pedicle screw placement in scoliosis correction at the apex underlies potential risk for neurological injury. This research is to investigate the relative position of spinal cord at the apex in idiopathic thoracic scoliosis and to explore the risk of spinal cord injury from pedicle screw at the apex.Methods: Thirty-three adolescents with thoracic scoliosis were recruited in this study. The relative position of the spinal cord in the spinal canal was calculated by measuring the distance between the spinal cord and the medial wall of the pedicle on the convex and concave side through the axial plane of the apex in T2 weighted MR image. The distance from the spinal cord to the medial wall of pedicle between concave and convex side was compared respectively. The percentage of patients was calculated according to hypothesized different space (0 mm, less than 1 mm and less than 2 mm) between medial wall of pedicle and spinal cord at the apex.Results: The average distance from the spinal cord to the medial wall of pedicle at the concave side was significantly less than that at the convex side (p = 0.000) of the apex in the major thoracic curves before operation. In the concave side of the apex, the percentage of patients was 39.4, 66.7, 84. 5 % in hypothesized space (0 mm, less than 1 mm and less than 2 mm) between medial wall of pedicle and spinal cord. However, in the convex side of apex, the percentage of cases was 0, 0, 3.0 % in the same hypothesized space respectively.Conclusions: The screw placement is at a higher risk of spinal cord injury on the concave side than that on the convex side of apex in thoracic curve in MRI images. The screw placement in the concave side of apex should be evaluated carefully with MRI before operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiostrepton, a natural peptide macrocycle, is of great interest due to its structural complexity and numerous biological activities, including anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and anti-plasmodial activities. The quinaldic acid (QA) moiety-containing side ring (loop 2) was proven to play an important role in carrying out these functions. Previously, we proposed biosynthetic logic for thiostrepton loop 2 and demonstrated the formation mechanism of QA. Herein, we report the discovery and efficient synthesis of a biologically active alkaloid, that is, a key intermediate involved in the thiostrepton biosynthetic pathway. A chemo-enzymatic method was performed to synthesize the molecule, and a series of analogs were prepared for bioassays, which included the examination of anti-bacterial and anti-tumor activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA has been approved for diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The goal of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the clinical value of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA in the diagnosis of NPC. The PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge, Chinese Wanfang Med Online, and National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched to identify suitable studies. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), negative likelihood ratio (LR−), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA for the diagnosis of NPC were calculated. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves were used to summarize overall test performances. Meta-Disc 1.4 and Stata 12.0 softwares were used to analyze the data. A total of 2,520 patients from ten trials were subjected to meta-analysis. The summary estimates of the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA for NPC diagnosis were as follows: sensitivity 0.69 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.65-0.72), specificity 0.84 (95 % CI = 0.82-0.86), LR + 4.81 (95 % CI = 2.94-7.88), LR − 0.25 (95 % CI = 0.13-0.48), DOR 24.65 (95 % CI = 12.64-48.07), and area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve (AUC) was 0.8979. Our study demonstrates that the serum Epstein-Barr virus DNA could be a useful tumor marker for NPC diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) remains a clinical challenge. Many studies have assessed the diagnostic potential of Zta antibody of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in NPC patients but with controversial results. This study aims to summarize the overall diagnostic performance of EBV Zta antibody in NPC. Based on a comprehensive search of the Pubmed and Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Databases and China Citation Databases, we identified outcome data from all articles estimating diagnostic accuracy of EBV Zta antibody for NPC. A summary estimation for sensitivity, specificity, and other diagnostic indexes were pooled using a bivariate model. The overall measure of accuracy was calculated using summary receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under curve (AUC) was calculated. According to our inclusion criteria, 17 studies with 11,822 subjects (1,645 NPC cases, 10,177 controls) were included. The summary estimates were: sensitivity 0.87 (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 0.86-0.89), specificity 0.94 (95 % CI = 0.93-0.94), positive likelihood ratio 8.05 (95 % CI = 5.59-11.59), negative likelihood ratio 0.16 (95 % CI = 0.12-0.21), diagnostic odds ratio 52.93 (95 % CI = 29.95-93.56), the AUC and Q* index were 0.9352 and 0.8714, respectively. In conclusion, serum EBV Zta had a better diagnostic performance for NPC. Further studies should be performed to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cobalt-salen complex ( C1:[(salen)Co3+(OAc)]; salen= N, N′-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine, OAc=acetate) was found to efficiently promote the hydration of terminal alkynes to give methyl ketones in the presence of the H2SO4 cocatalyst. In addition, the one-pot transformation of alkynes into chiral alcohols through tandem catalysis by catalyst C1 coupled with a ruthenium-TsDPEN complex ( C3: [( R, R-TsDPEN)Ru2+(cymene)]; TsDPEN=(1 R,2 R) -N-( p-toluenesulfonyl)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine, cymene=1-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)benzene) catalyst was realized with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship of bladder cancer with the presence of X-ray cross-complementing group 3(XRCC3) genetic polymorphismThr241Met has been reported with inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the association between this polymorphism and bladder cancer susceptibility. A comprehensive research was conducted through PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science databases up to Aug. 20, 2013. Pooled odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval were calculated using a fixed or random effects model. Statistical analysis was performed with Stata 12.0 software. Of the 18 case-control studies selected for this meta-analysis, a total of 5,667 bladder cancer cases and 7,609 controls were included. The combined results based on all studies suggested that XRCC3 Thr241Met was associated with bladder cancer risk under homozygote and recessive models. When stratifying for ethnicity, significant association was found in Caucasians under homozygote and recessive models. This meta-analysis suggests that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is a risk factor for bladder cancer risk. However, further well-designed studies are required to confirm our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changchun Gas Storage is a strategic project to be constructed to meet the seasonal peak demands in Changchun, Jilin and other cities and also an important part of pipe network in northeast China. The carbon dioxide content of the input gas of gas storage is 2.91%. According to the differential pressure criterion of carbon dioxide, the well head pipe strings are seriously corroded. To define the corrosion degree of downhole pipe strings under such carbon dioxide content and selection criterion of materials of well head pipe strings, in the condition that the carbon dioxide content of the input gas of gas storage is low, the formation water composition, wellbore pressure and temperature are simulated to perform the indoor anticorrosion evaluation tests for AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF well head materials (six types) and J55, N80, P110, 3Cr, 13Cr, 13Cr pipe string materials (six types) by using the high temperature autoclave. The test result shows that well head and pipe string made of low-grade material cannot meet the anti-corrosion requirement of Changchun gas storage where the CO2 content is 2.91%. This research provides basis for the selection of materials of well head and pipe string for construction of Changchun Gas Storage, and also confirms that the low carbon dioxide content also will seriously corrode the well head and pipe string. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Nosiheptide is an archetypical thiopeptide antibiotic with a ribosomal origin. [•] The complexity of thiopeptides arises from post-translational modifications. [•] The biosynthetic logic of thiopeptides remains elusive. [•] Nature combines common and specific decorations to afford thiopeptide molecules. [•] Nosiheptide biosynthesis is a model system for appreciating the nature's strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give necessary and sufficient conditions for various vertex-transitivity of Cayley graphs of the class of completely 0-simple semigroups and its several subclasses. Moreover, the question when the Cayley graphs of completely 0-simple semigroups are undirected is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alloy there matey! The inexpensive and readily prepared magnetic Fe–Ni alloy is employed in the Suzuki reactions of aryl halides with phenylboronic acid. The products are obtained in moderate to excellent yields in the absence of a reducing agent. The magnetic nature of the catalyst is beneficial for the separation of the products, but the recyclability of the catalyst is poor, probably as a result of oxidation and leaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: One important reconstruction procedure following pelvic tumor resection is ipsilateral femoral autograft reconstruction in which the autograft is transposed onto the defect and a conventional total hip replacement is implanted in the autograft. The purpose of this study is to provide anatomical evidence for this reconstruction by measurement of proximal femoral autografts. Methods: The anatomical study of proximal femoral autografts was performed on thirteen fresh-frozen Chinese male cadavers. Four parameters were measured and included the diameter of the femoral head (DFH), the distance from the apex of the greater trochanter perpendicular to the medial cortex edge of the femoral neck (DAM), the length between the apex of the femoral head and the midpoint of osteotomy line under the lesser trochanter (LAM), and the width of the greater trochanter from anterior to posterior (WG). The correlation between height and each of the various parameters was analyzed using the Spearman's correlation. Results: The median (first and third quartile) values of the measurements for the above mentioned parameters were 49 mm (48-52.7 mm), 58.5 mm (54.5-60.9 mm), 102 mm (96-105.2 mm) and 48 mm (46.5-51 mm), respectively. There was a positive correlation between height and each of these four parameters ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: The proximal femoral autograft reconstruction may be a good option after resection of a pelvic tumor because of the provision of biological reconstruction. However, an individual preoperative plan should be carefully performed following evaluating the size of the bone defect after tumor resection and height and width of the remaining greater trochanter prior to conventional hip replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of a magnetically recyclable Fe-Ni alloy in the direct arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl halides. It says that the utility of transition metals in direct functional processes has opened up the potential of developing carbon to carbon bond forming reactions. According to the authors, iron salts can also be used as an alternative to the alloy to perform established transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions.

Our aim is to investigate the properties and structure of the ℘-regular semigroups having regular *-transversals. We first give two kinds of definitions for regular *-transversals and prove that they are equivalent. A condition for two regular *-transversals of a ℘-regular semigroup to be isomorphic is given. The *-congruences on the ℘-regular semigroups having regular *-transversals are characterized by using the *-congruence triples. In particular, we describe the idempotent separating congruences and the group congruences on such ℘-regular semigroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study which examined the characterization of synthesized poly(glutamic acid-co-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PGLG) which is an amphiphilic biodegradable copolymer. The process of synthesis is described, including heating a mixture of lactic-glutamic acid (Glu), glycolic acid and DL-lactic acid with stannous chloride. The study showed a reduced molecular weight resulting from higher Glu content.

A base‐promoted tandem Michael addition of malonates to 2,3‐ bis(diarylphosphinyl)‐1,3‐butadienes was developed for the synthesis of cyclopentyl 1,2‐bisphosphine compounds. This method enables rapid construction of various 1,2‐bis(diarylphosphinyl)cyclopentanes, and features readily accessible reactants, mild conditions and good functional group tolerance. The product could be easily transformed to the corresponding transition metal complexes, which may find broad applications in asymmetric catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time, the development of maritime communication has been restricted by the low data rate, high-latency and high cost of the current communication systems. The upgrade of new generation mobile communication technologies is attracting more and more attention to conduct a shore-based broadband mobile communication network with high-latency and high reliability to serve the maritime industries. This paper presents a solution by means of building a ship-to-infrastructure (S2I) and a ship-to-ship (S2S) wireless communication networks for an offshore region. We characterize the S2I and S2S channels at 5.9 GHz band based on the channel measurements in realistic environments. The channel characteristics, including power delay profile, delay spread, propagation path loss, are extracted and analyzed. In view of the difference between marine and terrestrial communications, we analyze the influencing factors of the offshore water, including effective reflection, divergence and shadowing from the water surface, and diffraction loss caused by the earth curvature. We also predict the power coverage range and the channel capacity for S2I and S2S wireless communications. Finally, the communication performance is evaluated according to the channel measurement and characterization analysis. The research results can be a reference for the construction of maritime communication networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of naringin on the memory impairment of hydrocortisone mice, and to elucidate the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. In the present study, a hydrocortisone model was constructed. Novel object recognition, Morris water maze and step-down tests were performed in order to assess the learning and memory abilities of mice. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe pathological changes in the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructural changes in the hippocampus. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ERα and ERβ. Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of each protein in the relevant system. It was found that naringin can significantly improve cognitive, learning and memory dysfunction in mice with hydrocortisone memory impairment. In addition, naringin can exert neuroprotective effects through a variety of mechanisms, including amyloid β metabolism, Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, acetylcholinergic system, glutamate receptor system, oxidative stress and cell apoptosis. Naringin can also affect the expression of phosphorylated-P38/P38, indicating that the neuroprotective effect of naringin may also involve the MAPK/P38 pathway. The results of the present study concluded that naringin can effectively improve the cognitive abilities of mice with memory impairment and exert neuroprotective effects. Thus, naringin may be a promising target drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic degradation based on semiconductor is a potential technology for water pollution treatment by utilizing light irradiation. As a new p-type semiconductor material, CuBi 2 O 4 is favored by researchers due to its excellent photocatalytic properties. Herein, a group of CuBi 2 O 4 nanospheres were synthesized by simple hydrothermal method, in which the formation and transformation process of CuBi 2 O 4 microsphere structure was studied by adjusting the hydrothermal reaction time. On this basis, a series Z-Scheme heterojunctions with different mass ratios of CuBi 2 O 4 /CdMoO 4 nanocomposites were constructed and the formation mechanism of Z-scheme heterojunction was described detailedly. The results of the study confirmed that CuBi 2 O 4 /CdMoO 4 (10 %) composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity, with a high degradation rate of 95.36 % for MB under visible light irradiation, by comparison with bare CuBi 2 O 4 and CdMoO 4. In order to improve the quantum efficiency, doping CdMoO 4 onto CuBi 2 O 4 greatly improved the surface charge migration rate of CuBi 2 O 4 and reduced the rate of electron-hole pairs recombination. The degradation rate of CuBi 2 O 4 /CdMoO 4 (10 %) remained over 85 % after three times cycling experiments, demonstrating that the heterojunction has good repeatability and stability. The free radical trapping experiments demonstrated that the h+ and O2– were the main substances involved in photocatalytic oxidation-reduction, which match the energy band, and was consistent with the mechanism of Z-Scheme heterojunctions. This study stated that establishment of a novel CuBi 2 O 4 /CdMoO 4 heterojunction composite photocatalyst is a new ideal way to carry out environmental pollution treatment and clean energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Successful preparation of flower-shaped CuBi 2 O 4 nanorods by hydrothermal method. • The degradation efficiency of Methylene blue by Ag/ CuBi 2 O 4 / Ag 2 MoO 4 was greatly improved. • A possible mechanism for the degradation of Methylene blue (MB) was proposed. A novel Ag/ CuBi 2 O 4 / Ag 2 MoO 4 composite was successfully prepared by ion exchange as well as reduction methods. The crystal structure, surface chemical composition and micromorphology characteristics of the samples were determined by a variety of testing methods and the optical properties of all synthesized catalysts were described in detail by PL, UV–Vis DRS and SPS. The ternary Ag/ CuBi 2 O 4 / Ag 2 MoO 4 composites were superior to other samples in visible light catalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), it was mainly attributed to the interaction between CuBi 2 O 4 and Ag 2 MoO 4 and the SPR effect of Ag nanoparticles, which resulted in a significantly higher separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the degradation efficiency of MB was still maintained above 80% by three recycling experiments. Finally, a possible mechanism for photocatalytic degradation was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polylactic acid was synthesized from commercial available cheap aqueous lactic acid (85%–90% w/w) using succinic anhydride and SnCl2·2H2O as catalyst in the absence of organic solvents. As a result, polylactic acid with a molecular weight of 60000 was prepared in 10 h. The new procedure is much simple, cheap and outstanding in that the start material is aqueous lactic acid; the catalytic system is environmentally benign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous genome-wide association study showed that GLDC/IL33 loci were associated with overall survival in patients with osteosarcoma (OS). We performed a replication study to explore whether variants of GLDC/IL33 are associated with the survival of OS patients and to further verify their functional role in the gene expression. A total of 216 patients with OS were enrolled. The overall survival time was calculated from the date of diagnosis till the date of last follow-up or mortality. Two SNPs were genotyped, including rs55933544 and rs74438701. OS specimens were obtained from 72 patients during surgery. The gene expression level of IL33 and GLDC was evaluated by qPCR. Patients were classified into two groups according to the 5-year overall survival (death/survival). The chi-square test was used to analyze difference of genotype frequency. The Student t -test was used to compare the gene expression level between different genotypes. Cumulative survival time was calculated by the Kaplan–Meier method and analyzed by the log-rank test. Genotype TT of rs55933544 was significantly associated with the event of death (0.176 vs. 0.061, p < 0.001). Patients with no risk allele T of rs55933544 showed a 5-year overall survival of 81.4% (110/141), which was significantly higher than an overall survival of 55.0% (29/54) for patients with one risk allele and 44.8% (12/21) for patients with two risk alleles (p < 0.01). Genotype TT of rs55933544 were indicative of remarkably lower expression of IL33 than genotype CC (0.00041 ± 0.00025 vs. 0.00065 ± 0.00031, p = 0.04). Patients with low IL33 expression presented remarkably worse survival as compared with the patients with high IL33 expression (p <.01) Variant rs55933544 was associated with the survival time of OS patients. IL33 may contribute to a poor prognosis of OS. Further investigation into the biological mechanisms by which IL33 influences the overall survival can shed light on the improvement of clinical outcome for OS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sleep quality of patients with osteosarcoma (OS) was poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of sleep dysfunction in adolescent patients with OS using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and to further investigate the psychometric properties of the PSQI in this cohort of patients. Fifty four adolescent patients with OS who underwent chemotherapy treatment in our clinic centre were included. Sleep quality was assessed with the Chinese PSQI. Cronbach's alpha was calculated to evaluate the internal consistency. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the fitness of a two‐factor structure. Sleep disturbance was observed in 57.4% (31/54) of the patients. Patients with the presence of metastasis or more than 2 cycles of chemotherapy were found to have remarkably higher median global score. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.87. The CFA showed an overall comparative fit index of 0.97, a root mean square error of approximation of 0.06 and a standardised root mean square residual of 0.07 respectively. PSQI was a reliable instrument to evaluate the sleep quality of adolescent patients with OS. Over half of the patients may experience sleep disturbance during the treatment. Early psychological interventions were recommended to improve the sleep quality of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: Corrigendum: Manganese Catalysts with C1-Symmetric N4 Ligand for Enantioselective Epoxidation of Olefins In the case of asymmetric epoxidation of -methylstyrene ( B 2t b ), the GC with a CP-Chirasil-Dex CB column did not separate both enantiomers of the epoxide ( B 3t b ). The yield of epoxide can be reduplicated, and even better (82% isolated yield).

[Display omitted] • Cu 2 O@ZnTPP nanosheet heterojunction is prepared for photocatalytic CO 2 RR to CH 4. • Cu 2 O@ZnTPP exhibits ∼ 4 and ∼ 10 times CH 4 evolution rate than ZnTPP and Cu 2 O. • CH 4 selectivity is improved from ∼ 62 % of Cu 2 O and ∼ 90 % of ZnTPP to ∼ 99 %. • Zn-O-Cu bond between Cu 2 O and ZnTPP is proved to be a key for catalytic activity. • The fsTA spectra confirm the photoinduced electron transfer from ZnTPP to Cu 2 O. The application of supermolecular naonostructures in the photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has attracted increasing attentions. However, it still faces significant challenges, such as low selectivity for multi-electron products and poor stability. Here, the cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O)-modified zinc tetraphenylporphyrin ultrathin nanosheets (ZnTPP NSs) are successfully constructed through the aqueous chemical reaction. Comprehensive characterizations confirm the formation of type-II heterojunction between Cu 2 O and ZnTPP in Cu 2 O@ZnTPP, and the electron transfer from Cu 2 O to ZnTPP through the Zn-O-Cu bond under the static contact. Under the visible-light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), the optimized Cu 2 O@ZnTPP sample as catalyst for photocatalytic CO 2 RR exhibits the methane (CH 4) evolution rate of 120.9 μmol/g/h, which is ∼ 4 and ∼ 10 times those of individual ZnTPP NSs (28.0 μmol/g/h) and Cu 2 O (12.8 μmol/g/h), respectively. Meanwhile, the CH 4 selectivity of ∼ 98.7 % and excellent stability can be achieved. Further experiments reveal that Cu 2 O@ZnTPP has higher photocatalytic conversion efficiency than Cu 2 O and ZnTPP NSs, and the photoinduced electron transfer from ZnTPP to Cu 2 O can be identified via the path of ZnTPP→ (ZnTPP•ZnTPP)*→ ZnTPP-→ Zn-O-Cu → Cu 2 O. Consequently, Cu 2 O@ZnTPP exhibits a shorter electron-hole separation lifetime (3.3 vs. 9.3 ps) and a longer recombination lifetime (23.1 vs. 13.4 ps) than individual ZnTPP NSs. This work provides a strategy to construct the organic nanostructures for photocatalytic CO 2 RR to multi-electron products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigated the relationship between the BMPR1A gene and horn type in sheep. The study found that the expression of the BMPR1A gene was significantly higher in the normal horn sheep compared to scurred sheep. This trend was observed in multiple sheep breeds. It was also discovered that there is high expression in the skin of three species: cattle, sheep, and pigs. Importantly, it was found that certain nucleotides in the BMPR1A gene are likely to be crucial in horn size and horn type. Sheep horns are composed of bone and sheaths, and the BMPR1A gene is required for cartilage and osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, the BMPR1A gene may have a function related to the sheep horn, but its relationship with the sheep horn remains unclear. In this study, we first utilized RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data to investigate the expression of the BMPR1A gene in different tissues and breeds of sheep. Second, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data were used to explore the functional sites of the BMPR1A gene. Lastly, the allele-specific expression of the BMPR1A gene was explored. Our results indicate that BMPR1A gene expression is significantly higher in the normal horn groups than in the scurred groups. Importantly, this trend is consistent across several sheep breeds. Therefore, this finding suggests that the BMPR1A gene may be related to horn type. A total of 43 Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (F-statistics > 0.15) and 10 allele-specific expressions (ASEs) exhibited difference between the large and small horn populations. It is probable that these sites significantly impact the size of sheep horns. Compared to other polled species, we discovered ten amino acid sites that could influence horn presence. By combining RNA-seq and WGS functional loci results, we identified a functional site at position 40574836 on chromosome 25 that is both an SNP and exhibits allele-specific expression. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the BMPR1A gene is associated with horn type and identified some important functional sites which can be used as molecular markers in the breeding of sheep horns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to investigate the lattices of group fuzzy congruences and normal fuzzy subsemigroups on E-inversive semigroups. We prove that group fuzzy congruences and normal fuzzy subsemigroups determined each other in E-inversive semigroups. Moreover, we show that the set of group t-fuzzy congruences and the set of normal subsemigroups with tip t in a given E-inversive semigroup form two mutually isomorphic modular lattices for every t ∈ [0,1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Runx2 and type X collagen play important roles in vertebral growth, which has been involved in the development and progression of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Seventy-two specimens of vertebral growth plates were collected at the end and apex vertebrae of the scoliotic spine from 12 AIS patients. Expression of Runx2 and type X collagen were examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. There were significant difference of the total expression of type X collagen, Runx2 protein and Runx2 mRNA between convex side and concave side of the apex vertebral growth plates. The total expression of type X collagen in the concave side of the lower end vertebral growth plates, and that of Runx2 in the concave side in the upper and lower end vertebral growth plate, were higher than those in the same side of apex (P<0.05). The expression of Runx2 per cell in the concave side at the apex was higher than those in the convex side of the apex and in the concave side of the upper and lower end vertebral growth plates (P<0.05). Expression discrepancy of type X collagen and Runx2 between convex and concave sides of the vertebral growth plate implicate a different chondrocytic kinetics, which may be a possible etiological factor or a secondary change in the progression of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A silver‐catalyzed Minisci‐type reaction is reported here. Alkylation of electron‐deficient N‐heterocycles is achieved in aqueous solution through decarboxylative cross‐coupling of aliphatic acids and N‐heteroarenes in open air without external Brønsted acid. Selectfluor is used as a mild oxidant. Different substituents on heterocycles and acids are tolerated. Primary and secondary alkyl could be introduced efficiently into the heteroarenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]