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Rainfall intensity and slope gradient are important factors that affect soil erosion; however, contradictory observations have been made due to different experimental conditions and materials. Colluvial deposits with loose, coarse material and steep slopes are easily erodible, but the erosion mechanism of colluvial deposition remains obscure. This work investigated the effects of heavy and storm rainfall intensity and steep slope gradients on the infiltration, runoff, and soil loss of colluvial soil. The rainfall intensity ranged from 1.00 to 2.33 mm min-1, and the slope gradient ranged from 36 to 84%. The infiltration rates declined sharply in the initial stage, whereas an opposite trend was observed for runoff rates until a steady state was reached after 5 min. Single- and multiple-peak models illustrated the two types of changes for the sediment yield process. The infiltration volume and the coefficient increased with increasing rainfall intensity and decreased with increasing slope, whereas the runoff coefficient decreased with increasing rainfall intensity and increased with increasing slope. Runoff volume and sediment yield increased with increasing rainfall intensity but had a critical slope gradient of 58% and >47%. The sediment concentration increased with increasing rainfall intensity, and first increased and then decreased with increasing slope gradients at rainfall intensities of 1.00 and 1.33 mm min-1 but increased at rainfall intensities of 1.67, 2.00, and 2.33 mm min-1. The findings of this study can be used to clarify the erosion mechanisms in disturbed soils with high coarse particle content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrantly expressed microRNA (miRNA) is frequently associated with a variety of cancers, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this study, we investigated the expression and possible role of miR-217 in PDAC. Data obtained by locked nucleic acid in situ hybridization and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that miR-217 was downregulated in 76.2% (16/21) of PDAC tissues and in all tested PDAC cell lines when compared with the corresponding normal pancreatic tissue. Overexpression of miR-217 in PDAC cells inhibited tumor cell growth and anchorage-independent colony formation and miR-217 decreased tumor cell growth in nude mouse xenografts in vivo. Using in silico predictions, KRAS was defined as a potential direct target of miR-217. Data from the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that KRAS was a direct target of miR-217. Upregulation of miR-217 could decrease KRAS protein levels and reduce the constitutive phosphorylation of downstream AKT. Downregulation of miR-217 expression in PDAC cells could increase cell anchorage-independent colony formation and KRAS protein levels. Furthermore, miR-217 expression was observed to be negatively correlated with KRAS protein expression in PDAC cell lines. We conclude that the frequently downregulated miR-217 can regulate KRAS and function as a tumor suppressor in PDAC. Therefore, miR-217 may serve as a useful therapeutic agent for miRNA-based PDAC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: We propose a simplified model of outflow/jet driven by the Blandford–Payne (BP) process from advection-dominated accretion flows (ADAF) and derive the expressions of the BP power and disk luminosity based on the conservation laws of mass, angular momentum and energy. We fit the 2–10keV luminosity and kinetic power of 15 active galactic nucleus (AGNs) of sub-Eddington luminosity. It is found that there exists an anti-correlation between the accretion rate and the advection parameter, which could be used to explain the correlation between Eddington-scaled kinetic power and bolometric luminosity of the 15 samples. In addition, the Ledlow–Owen relation for FR I/II dichotomy is re-expressed in a parameter space consisting of logarithm of dimensionless accretion rate versus that of the BH mass. It turns out that the FR I/II dichotomy is determined mainly by the dimensionless accretion rate, being insensitive to the BH mass. And the dividing accretion rate is less than the critical accretion rate for ADAFs, suggesting that FR I sources are all in the ADAF state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

AbstractSynthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) such as CpG can stimulate B and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in vertebrate immune systems. Several studies showed that non-CpG ODNs could also induce strong stimulation of B and T cells. PyNTTTTGT ODNs, non-CpG ODNs, can activate and cause immunoglobulin secretion by B cells and proliferation of T cells in vivo. By using PyNTTTTGT ODNs as an adjuvant for a FMDV DNA vaccine, we found that levels of antibody production, T-cell proliferation, and CTL activity were significantly increased compared with the DNA vaccine alone. Compared with the adjuvant effects of CpG ODNs on DNA vaccination, similar levels of antibody production and T-cell proliferation, and higher levels of CTL activity and IFN-γ expression in CD8 T cells were induced by the IMT504 ODNs. On the other hand, RT-PCR results show that IMT504 ODN may activate the DNA sensor of DAI (DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factors) and partially stimulate TLR9. At this point, the PyNTTTTGT prototype IMT504 ODN can reasonably be predicted to be a good adjuvant for FMDV DNA vaccine in small animals, but its efficacy in larger animals remains to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progerin causes Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), but how progerin accelerates aging is still an interesting question. Here, we provide evidence linking nuclear envelope (NE) budding and accelerated aging. Mechanistically, progerin disrupts nuclear lamina to induce NE budding in concert with lamin A/C, resulting in transport of chromatin into the cytoplasm where it is removed via autophagy, whereas emerin antagonizes this process. Primary cells from both HGPS patients and mouse models express progerin and display NE budding and chromatin loss, and ectopically expressing progerin in cells can mimic this process. More excitingly, we screen a NE budding inhibitor chaetocin by high-throughput screening, which can dramatically sequester progerin from the NE and prevent this NE budding through sustaining ERK1/2 activation. Chaetocin alleviates NE budding-induced chromatin loss and ameliorates HGPS defects in cells and mice and significantly extends lifespan of HGPS mice. Collectively, we propose that progerin-induced NE budding participates in the induction of progeria, highlight the roles of chaetocin and sustained ERK1/2 activation in anti-aging, and provide a distinct avenue for treating HGPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron antimonide (FeSb2) has been investigated for decades due to its puzzling electronic properties. It undergoes the temperature-controlled transition from an insulator to an ill-defined metal, with a cross-over from diamagnetism to paramagnetism. Extensive efforts have been made to uncover the underlying mechanism, but a consensus has yet to be reached. While macroscopic transport and magnetic measurements can be explained by different theoretical proposals, the essential spectroscopic evidence required to distinguish the physical origin is missing. In this paper, through the use of X-ray absorption spectroscopy and atomic multiplet simulations, we have observed the mixed spin states of 3d6 configuration in FeSb2. Furthermore, we reveal that the enhancement of the conductivity, whether induced by temperature or doping, is characterized by populating the high-spin state from the low-spin state. Our work constitutes vital spectroscopic evidence that the electrical/magnetical transition in FeSb2 is directly associated with the spin-state excitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstracts are not published in this journal [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So far, most theoretically predicted and experimentally confirmed quantum anomalous Hall effects (QAHEs) are limited in two-dimensional (2D) materials with out-of-plane magnetization. In this Letter, starting from 2D nodal-line semimetal, a general rule for searching QAHE with in-plane magnetization is mapped out. Because of spin-orbital coupling, we found that the magnetization will prefer an in-plane orientation if the orbital of degenerate nodal-line states at the Fermi level have the same absolute value of magnetic quantum number. Moreover, depending on the broken or conserved mirror symmetry, either a QAHE or 2D semimetal can be realized. Based on first principles calculations, we further predict a real material of monolayer LaCl to be an intrinsic QAHE with in-plane magnetization. By tuning the directions of in-plane magnetization, the QAHE in LaCl demonstrates a threefold rotational symmetry with a Chern number of either +1 or -1, and the transition point is characterized by a 2D semimetal phase. All these features are quantitatively reproduced by tight-binding model calculations, revealing the underlying physics clearly. Our results greatly extend the scope for material classes of QAHE and hence stimulate immediate experimental interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is a well-recognized screening tool for bipolar disorder, but its Chinese version needs further validation. This study aims to measure the accuracy of the Chinese version of the MDQ as a screening instrument for bipolar disorder (BPD) in a group of patients with a current major depressive episode. Methods 142 consecutive patients with an initial DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of a major depressive episode were screened for BPD using the Chinese translation of the MDQ and followed up for one year. The final diagnosis, determined by a special committee consisting of three trained senior psychiatrists, was used as a 'gold standard' and ROC was plotted to evaluate the performance of the MDQ. The optimal cut-off was chosen by maximizing the Younden's index. Results Of the 142 patients, 122 (85.9%) finished the one year follow-up. On the basis of a semi-structured clinical interview 48.4% (59/122) received a diagnosis of unipolar depression (UPD), 36.9% (45/122) BPDII and 14.8% (18/122) BPDI. At the end of the one year follow-up,9 moved from UPD to BPD, 2 from BPDII to UPD, 1 from BPDII to BPDI, the overall rate of initial misdiagnosis was 16.4%. MDQ showed a good accuracy for BPD: the optimal cut-off was 4, with a sensitivity of 0.72 and a specificity of 0.73. When BPDII and BPDI were calculated independently, the optimal cut-off for BPDII was 4, with a sensitivity of 0.70 and a specificity of 0.73; while the optimal cut-off for BPDI was 5, with a sensitivity of 0.67 and a specificity of 0.86. Conclusions Our results show that the Chinese version of MDQ is a valid tool for screening BPD in a group of patients with current depressive episode on the Chinese mainland.

Abstract Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) in children and adolescents is a rare type of T/NK cell neoplasms. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinicopathological and genetic features of this rare entity of lymphoma. We evaluated the clinical, histopathological and molecular features of 22 young people with NKTCL, including 15 males and 7 females, with a median age of 15 years. The results revealed that the nasal site was the most involved region while non-nasal sites were observed in 27.3% out of all cases. The tumor cells were composed of small‑sized to large cells and 19 (86.4%) cases exhibited coagulative necrosis. The neoplastic cells in all patients were positive for CD3 and the cytotoxic markers. Nineteen (86.4%) cases were positive for CD56. Reduced expression of CD5 was observed in all available cases. CD30 was heterogeneously expressed in 15 (75.0%) cases. All 22 patients were EBV positive. Seven (36.8%) out of all the 19 patients during the follow-up died of the disease, and the median follow‑up period was 44 months. Moreover, patients treated with radiotherapy/chemotherapy showed significantly inferior OS compared with the untreated patients. High mutation frequencies were detected including KMT2C (5/5), MST1 (5/5), HLA-A (3/5) and BCL11A (3/5), which involved in modifications, tumor suppression and immune surveillance. These results suggest that NKTCL in children and adolescents exhibits histopathological and immunohistochemical features similar to the cases in adults. Active treatment is necessary after the diagnosis of NKTCL is confirmed. Furthermore, genetic analyse may provide a deep understanding of this rare disease.

Previous studies have mainly focused on changes in soil physical and chemical properties to evaluate the reclamation of sodic soils using flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum. However, information on the effects of this reclamation method on microbial-based indicators of soil quality is limited, particularly after many years of FGD gypsum application. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of FGD gypsum on soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrients, microbial biomass and enzyme activity. Data were collected from soils of three exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) classes (i.e., low-, middle- and high-ESP classes of 6.1–20, 20–30 and 30–78.4%, respectively) 17 years after FGD gypsum treatment in Inner Mongolia, China. Averaged across the three ESP classes, FGD gypsum application increased the SOC contents at the 0–20 and 20–40-cm soil depths by 18 and 35%, respectively, and increased available potassium at the 0–20-cm soil depth by 51% compared with the no-gypsum controls. The microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen contents at the 20–40-cm soil depth increased by 69 and 194%, respectively, under FGD gypsum. Except in the high-ESP class, urease activities in the 0–40 cm soil profile were significantly higher in the FGD gypsum treatments than in the controls. A significant increase in alkaline phosphatase activity was concentrated in the 20–40 cm soil layer; few classes showed significant increases in catalase and invertase activities in the 0–20 cm soil layer. Pearson correlation analysis showed that increases in soil fertility and biological activity could be attributed to reductions in electrical conductivity, pH and ESP caused by FGD gypsum application. These results confirm that FGD gypsum application is a viable strategy for reclaiming sodic soils due to its positive effects on soil fertility and biochemistry and that it may contribute to soil ecosystem sustainability.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with a poor overall prognosis. However, curative resection during the early stages of the disease can greatly improve survival rates, highlighting the importance of early screening and detection. Studies of noncoding RNAs, primarily microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), provide important insights into strategies for the early detection of KRAS-driven PDAC. Here, we summarize our studies and review current reports on research investigating KRAS-related miRNAs and lncRNAs, emphasizing their aberrant expression, mechanisms, carcinogenic effects, and prognostic and predictive capacities in PDAC. Keywords: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, KRAS, Noncoding RNAs, microRNAs, Long noncoding RNAs

Salt stress has been increasingly constraining crop productivity in arid lands of the world. In our recent study, salt stress was alleviated and crop productivity was improved remarkably by straw layer burial plus plastic film mulching in a saline soil. However, its impact on the microflora diversity is not well documented. Field micro-plot experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2011 using four tillage methods: (i) deep tillage with plastic film mulching (CK), (ii) straw layer burial at 40 cm (S), (iii) straw layer burial plus surface soil mulching with straw material (S+S), and (iv) plastic film mulching plus buried straw layer (P+S). Culturable microbes and predominant bacterial communities were studied; based on 16S rDNA, bacterial community structure and abundance were characterized using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results showed that P+S was the most favorable for culturable bacteria, actinomyces and fungi and induced the most diverse genera of bacteria compared to other tillage methods. Soil temperature had significant positive correlations with the number of bacteria, actinomyces and fungi (P

Objective: To present pathological and molecular characterizations of a rare case that was diagnosed as nasal-type natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma primarily arising in the cervix. Case report: An Asian woman was admitted to hospital with a hysteromyoma, and laparotomy was performed. A large tumor of the uterus was found, which was limited to the cervix. Pathological examination showed NK/T cell lymphoma, which was supported by histological and immunohistochemical studies and was confirmed by evidence of Epstein–Barr virus infection. Less commonly, this case concerned a cytotoxic T cell phenotype, as molecular studies showed evidence of a clonal T cell receptor γ chain gene rearrangement. Microscopically, prominent and extensive necrosis was the distinctive feature of this case, which reminded us of considering it as a tumor. Conclusion: Primary NK/T lymphoma of the cervix is rare. Our experience in this case provided variable information on both pathological and molecular studies. This case may be of value in the differential diagnosis of lymphoid lesions and other small cell tumors of the cervix.

Induction of Ag-speciflc regulatory T cells (iTregs) by vaccination is a promising strategy for treating autoimmune diseases. We previously demonstrated that DNA and protein covaccination converted naive T cells to Ag-speciflc iTregs by inducing CD11c+ CD40lowIL-10+ regulatory dendritic cells (DCregs). However, it is unclear how coimmunization induces the DCregs. In this paper, we report that the event is initiated by coentry of sequence-matched DNA and protein immunogens into the same DC via caveolae-mediated endocytosis, which leads to inhibition of phosphorylation of caveolin-1 (Cav-1), the main component of caveolae, and upregulation of Tollip. This triggers downstream signaling that upregulates suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 and downregulates NF-kB and STAT-l&agr;. Silencing either Cav-1 or Tollip blocks the negative signaling, leading to upregulated expression of CD40, downregulated production of IL-10, and loss of iTreg-inducing function. We further show that DCregs can be induced in culture from primary DCs and JAWS II DC lines by feeding them sequence-matched DNA and protein immunogens. The in vitro-generated DCregs are effective in ameliorating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in several mouse models. Our study thus suggests that DNA and protein coimmunization induces DCregs through Cav-1- and Tollip-mediated negative signaling. It also describes a novel method for generating therapeutic DCregs in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional (2D) twisted bilayer materials with van der Waals coupling have ignited great research interests, paving a new way to explore the emergent quantum phenomena by twist degree of freedom. Generally, with the decreasing of twist angle, the enhanced interlayer coupling will gradually flatten the low-energy bands and isolate them by two high-energy gaps at zero and full filling, respectively. Although the correlation and topological physics in the low-energy flat bands have been intensively studied, little information is available for these two emerging gaps. In this Letter, we predict a 2D second-order topological insulator (SOTI) for twisted bilayer graphene and twisted bilayer boron nitride in both zero and full filling gaps. Employing a tight-binding Hamiltonian based on first-principles calculations, three unique fingerprints of 2D SOTI are identified, that is, nonzero bulk topological index, gapped topological edge state, and in-gap topological corner state. Most remarkably, the 2D SOTI exists in a wide range of commensurate twist angles, which is robust to microscopic structure disorder and twist center, greatly facilitating the possible experimental measurement. Our results not only extend the higher-order band topology to massless and massive twisted moiré superlattice, but also demonstrate the importance of high-energy bands for fully understanding the nontrivial electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the association between prognosis‑associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs is yet to be reported in multiple myeloma (MM). The aim of the present study was to construct prognostic models with lncRNAs and mRNAs, and to map the interactions between these lncRNAs and mRNAs in MM. LncRNA and mRNA data from 559 patients with MM were acquired from the Genome Expression Omnibus (dataset GSE24080), and their prognostic values were calculated using the survival package in R. Multivariate Cox analysis was used on the top 20 most significant prognosis‑associated mRNAs and lncRNAs to develop prognostic signatures. The performances of these prognostic signatures were tested using the survivalROC package in R, which allows for time‑dependent receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve estimation. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted to investigate the associations between lncRNAs and mRNAs, and a lncRNA‑mRNA network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Univariate Cox regression analysis identified 39 lncRNAs and 1,445 mRNAs that were significantly associated with event‑free survival of MM patients. The top 20 most significant survival‑associated lncRNAs and mRNAs were selected as candidates for analyzing independent MM prognostic factors. Both signatures could be used to separate patients into two groups with distinct outcomes. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.739 for the lncRNA signature and 0.732 for the mRNA signature. In the lncRNA‑mRNA network, a total of 143 mRNAs were positively or negatively associated with 23 prognosis‑associated lncRNAs. NCRNA00201, LOC115110 and RP5‑968J1.1 were the most dominant drivers. The present study constructed a model that predicted prognosis in MM and formed a network with the corresponding prognosis‑associated mRNAs, providing a novel perspective for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of MM, and suggesting novel directions for interpreting the mechanisms underlying the development of MM.

Objective: To explore the roles of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter at an early stage of schizophrenia., Methods: The participants were 20 first-episode, medication-naïve schizophrenics at an early stage (1 - 6 months) and 20 healthy controls adjusted in gender and age during December 2009 and October 2010. They underwent diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging with a single-shot echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence aligned to straight axial plane. The fractional anisotropy (FA) images of two groups underwent two-sample paired t-test with SPM5 software., Results: The schizophrenics at an early stage demonstrated a significant decrease of regional white matter FA values in right anterior cingulated (MNI: x = 12, y = 24, z = -10; cluster = 145) and right middle occipital lobe (MNI: x = 36, y = -76, z = -2; cluster = 135)., Conclusion: The altered white matter DTI in right anterior cingulated and middle occipital lobe may contribute to an early detection of schizophrenia.