Search

Nanocrystalline austenite having fully annealed and equiaxed morphology, grain sizes varying from 400nm to 1.7µm, and a large fraction of high-angle grain boundaries was prepared in Fe­24Ni­0.3C (mass%) alloy by high-pressure torsion and subsequent heat treatment. The nanostructures were formed through reverse transformation of deformation-induced martensite and recovery/recrystallization of retained austenite. The austenitic grain size decreased with increasing shear strain below the strain of 50, while it increased above the shear strain of 50 due to decreased austenite-transformation starting temperature. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2013324]

Interstitial free (IF) steel specimens with different mean grain sizes ranging from 0.4 to 12µm were fabricated by the accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process and subsequent annealing. Tensile tests at room temperature have revealed that by decreasing the mean grain size down to an ultra-fine range, the yielding behavior gradually changes from the continuous yielding to the discontinuous yielding, accompanying a yield drop phenomenon. It has been found that the yield stress of specimens having fine grain sizes shows extra-hardening, deviated from the original Hall­Petch relation for coarse-grained specimens in accordance with the discontinuous yielding. The Hall­Petch analysis also has indicated that the loss in the uniform elongation in the ultrafine grain size range is related to the appearance of the discontinuous yielding behavior. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MA201317]

α-Enolase is a metabolic enzyme in the catabolic glycolytic pathway. In eukaryotic cells, the subcellular compartmentalization of α-enolase as well as its multifaceted functions has been identified. Here, we report that α-enolase is a regulator of cardiac mitochondria; it partially located in the mitochondria of rat cardiomyocytes. Doxorubicin treatment displaced α-enolase from mitochondria, accompanied by activation of mitochondrial cell death pathway. Furthermore, in isolated mitochondria, recombinant α-enolase significantly alleviated Ca(2+)-induced loss of membrane potential, swelling of matrix and permeabilization of membrane. In contrast, mitochondria from α-enolase knockdown H9c2 myoblasts underwent more severe membrane depolarization and swelling after Ca(2+) stimulation. In addition, α-enolase was further identified to interact with voltage dependent anion channel 1 in the outer membrane of mitochondria, which was weakened by doxorubicin. Collectively, the present study indicates that mitochondria-located α-enolase has a beneficial role in stabilizing mitochondrial membrane. In cardiomyocytes, the displacement of α-enolase from mitochondria by doxorubicin may involve in activation of the intrinsic cell death pathway.

Knowing the three-dimensional structural information of materials at the nanometer scale is essential to understanding complex material properties. Electron tomography retrieves three-dimensional structural information using a tilt series of two-dimensional images. In this paper, we report an alternative combination of electron ptychography with the inverse multislice method. We demonstrate depth sectioning of a nanostructured material into slices with 0.34 nm lateral resolution and with a corresponding depth resolution of about 24–30 nm. This three-dimensional imaging method has potential applications for the three-dimensional structure determination of a range of objects, ranging from inorganic nanostructures to biological macromolecules., Three-dimensional ptychographic imaging with electrons has remained a challenge because, unlike X-rays, electrons are easily scattered by atoms. Here, Gao et al. extend multi-slice methods to electrons in the multiple scattering regime, paving the way to nanometer-scale 3D structure determination with electrons.

Advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and its associated instruments have made significant contributions to the characterization of all-solid-state (ASS) Li batteries, as these tools provide localized information on the structure, morphology, chemistry, and electronic state of electrodes, electrolytes, and their interfaces at the nano- and atomic scale. Furthermore, the rapid development of in situ techniques has enabled a deep understanding of interfacial dynamic behavior and heterogeneous characteristics during the cycling process. However, due to the beam-sensitive nature of light elements in the interphases, e.g., Li and O, thorough and reliable studies of the interfacial structure and chemistry at an ultrahigh spatial resolution without beam damage is still a formidable challenge. Herein, the following points are discussed: (1) the recent contributions of advanced STEM to the study of ASS Li batteries; (2) current challenges associated with using this method; and (3) potential opportunities for combining cryo-electron microscopy and the STEM phase contrast imaging techniques.

To date there has been little effort to assess fine-scale soil solution nitrogen (N) dynamics over time and space in response to biochar application within days. Herein we applied microdialysis to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of free amino acids (AA), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and nitrate (NO 3 − ) following biochar application to a column containing sandy loam forest soil. Wood biochar (diameter ≤ 5 mm) was applied either at surface or mixed through the entire soil column. Biochar stimulated localized soluble N diffusive fluxes, and the vertical distribution of AA and NH 4 + hotspots gradually matched the distribution of biochar particles in the soil matrix over time. Increases in soil AA and NH 4 + concentrations were more homogeneous along soil profile when biochar was mixed through the soil core and were more concentrated at the surface when biochar was surface applied. Increases in NO 3 − concentrations were only observed at surface soil layers following biochar addition regardless of the application strategy and generally exhibited a high degree of variation over the course of the experiment. Microdialysis sampling allowed for quantification of ‘hotspots’ of soil soluble N in association with the “charosphere” across time and space.

e13005 Background: Esophageal Carcinoma (EC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in digestive system and is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. To find out the genes related with the occurrence and development of EC can help to elucidate the pathogenesis and molecular mechanism of it. The aim of the present study was to find out differentially expressed genes of EC in different stages(cancerous tissue, paraneoplastic tissue, normal mucosa tissue) by cDNA microarray technique, so that to provide new molecular biomarker and approach for the treatment and diagnosis of EC, and contribute to comprehensively knowing the mechanism of EC occurrence and development. Methods: The whole RNA of 21 cases of EC cancerous tissue, paraneoplastic tissue and normal mucosa tissue were extracted, then using agarose gel electrophoresis to make quality control, Agilent human genome 4*44K gene chip was applied to screen differentially expressed genes. Results: 2659 differential expression genes between cancerous tissue and normal mucosa tissue were screened, included 1328 up-regulated genes and 1331 down-regulated genes; 2505 differential expression genes between cancerous tissue and paraneoplastic tissue were screened, included 1286 up-regulated genes and 1218 down-regulated genes. 48 significant up-regulation genes and 11 significant down-regulation genes were reported in association with EC for the first time. Through GO classification, screened differentially expressed genes mainly were involved in the following function and process: catalytic activity, signal transduction, molecular transport and combination, enzymatic activity regulation, transcription activity regulation, protein transportation function, cell growth and apoptosis, and so on. Conclusions: The screened differential expression genes of EC in different stages may provide experimental basis for further illuminating the occurrence mechanism of esophageal squamous carcinoma.

[1] This study applies the C4.5 algorithm to classify tropical cyclone (TC) intensity change in the western North Pacific. The 24 h change in TC intensity (i.e., intensifying and weakening) is regarded as a binary classification problem. A decision tree, with three variables and five leaf nodes, is built by the C4.5 algorithm. The variables include intensification potential (maximum potential intensity minus current intensity), previous 12 h intensity change, and zonal wind shear. All five rules, discovered from the tree by forming a path from the root node to each leaf node, can be interpreted by theories on TC intensification. Data mining results identify a predictor set (i.e., the mined rules) with high classification accuracy. The present study suggests that this data mining approach can shed some light on investigating TC intensity change processes and therefore has the potential to improve the forecasting of TC intensity.

Trends and variations of Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes (GSSTF) version 2c (GSSTF2c) latent heat flux (LHF) are examined. This version of LHF takes account of the correction in Earth incidence angle. The trend of global mean LHF for GSSTF2c is much reduced relative to GSSTF version 2b Set 1 and Set 2 for the same period 1988-2008. Temporal increase of GSSTF2c LHF in the two decades is 11.0%, in which 3.1%, 5.8%, and 2.1% are attributed to the increase in wind, the increase in sea surface saturated air humidity, and the decrease in near-surface air humidity, respectively. The first empirical orthogonal function of LHF is a conventional El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) mode. However, the trends in LHF are independent of conventional ENSO phenomena. After removing ENSO signal, the pattern of LHF trends is primarily determined by the pattern of air-sea humidity difference trends.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has been reported to play an important role in tissue fibrosis and presents a promising therapeutic target for fibrotic diseases. In heart, inappropriate increase in level of CTGF promotes fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, thereby exacerbating cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent failure. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol found in green tea, possesses multiple protective effects on the cardiovascular system including cardiac fibrosis. However, the molecular mechanism by which EGCG exerts its anti-fibrotic effects has not been well investigated. In this study, we found that EGCG could significantly reduce collagen synthesis, fibronectin (FN) expression and cell proliferation in rat cardiac fibroblasts stimulated with angiotensinII (AngII). It also ameliorated cardiac fibrosis in rats submitted to abdominal aortic constriction (AAC). Moreover, EGCG attenuated the excessive expression of CTGF induced by AAC or AngII, and reduced the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit and degradation of IκB-α. Subsequently, we demonstrated that in cardiac fibroblasts NF-κB inhibition could suppress AngII-induced CTGF expression. Taken together, these findings provide the first evidence that the effect of EGCG against cardiac fibrosis may be attributed to its inhibition on NF-κB activation and subsequent CTGF overexpression, suggesting the therapeutic potential of EGCG on the prevention of cardiac remodeling in patients with pressure overload hypertrophy.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Coriolus versicolor (CV) is a mushroom traditionally used for strengthening the immune system and nowadays used as immunomodulatory adjuvant in anticancer therapy. Breast cancer usually metastasizes to the skeleton, interrupts the normal bone remodeling process and causes osteolytic bone lesions. The aims of the present study were to evaluate its herb-drug interaction with metronomic zoledronate in preventing cancer propagation, metastasis and bone destruction. Materials and methods Mice inoculated with human breast cancer cells tagged with a luciferase (MDA-MB-231-TXSA) in tibia were treated with CV aqueous extract, mZOL, or the combination of both for 4 weeks. Alteration of the luciferase signals in tibia, liver and lung were quantified using the IVIS imaging system. The skeletal response was evaluated using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). In vitro experiments were carried out to confirm the in vivo findings. Results Results showed that combination of CV and mZOL diminished tumor growth without increasing the incidence of lung and liver metastasis in intratibial breast tumor model. The combination therapy also reserved the integrity of bones. In vitro studies demonstrated that combined use of CV and mZOL inhibited cancer cell proliferation and osteoclastogenesis. Conclusions These findings suggested that combination treatment of CV and mZOL attenuated breast tumor propagation, protected against osteolytic bone lesion without significant metastases. This study provides scientific evidences on the beneficial outcome of using CV together with mZOL in the management of breast cancer and metastasis, which may lead to the development of CV as adjuvant health supplement for the control of breast cancer.

Actein is a triterpene glycoside isolated from the rhizomes of Cimicifuga foetida (Chinese herb “shengma”) which could inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Nevertheless, the effect of actein on angiogenesis, which is an essential step for tumor growth and metastasis, has never been reported. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of actein on angiogenesis using human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1), matrigel plug and tumor-bearing mouse models. Our results showed that actein significantly inhibited the proliferation, reduced the migration and motility of endothelial cells, and it could suppress the protein expressions of VEGFR1, pJNK and pERK, suggesting that JNK/ERK pathways were involved. In vivo results showed that oral administration of actein at 10 mg/kg for 7 days inhibited blood vessel formation in the growth factor-containing matrigel plugs. Oral actein treatments (10–15 mg/kg) for 28 days resulted in decreasing mouse 4T1 breast tumor sizes and metastasis to lungs and livers. The apparent reduced angiogenic proteins (CD34 and Factor VIII) expressions and down-regulated metastasis-related VEGFR1 and CXCR4 gene expressions were observed in breast tumors. Our novel findings provide insights into the use of actein for development of anti-angiogenic agents for breast cancer.

Biochar, a solid carbon rich material and by-product of pyrolysis, has been identified as an amendment to improve soil fertility as well as sequester carbon (C). A growing number of studies have been conducted to test the effect of biochar in soil environment within the past ten years requiring frequent updated reviews and mini-reviews to summarize this rapidly growing body of literature. In this paper, we will summarize and review possible mechanisms of biochar effects on soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) transformations, nutrient leaching, and crop yield, providing an outlook of biochar implementation in soil environment for future research.

Consumer food waste has attracted increasing public, academic, and political attention in recent years, due to its adverse resource, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts. The scales and patterns of consumer food waste, especially in developing countries, however, remain poorly understood, which may hinder the global effort of reducing food waste. In this study, based on a direct weighing method and a survey of 3557 tables in 195 restaurants in four case cities, we investigated the amount and patterns of restaurant food waste in China in 2015. Food waste per capita per meal in the four cities was 93 g, consisting mainly of vegetables (29%), rice (14%), aquatic products (11%), wheat (10%), and pork (8%). This equals to approximately 11 kg/cap/year and is not far from that of western countries, although per capita GDP of China is still much lower. We found also that food waste per capita per meal varies considerably by cities (Chengdu and Lhasa higher than Shanghai and Beijing), consumer groups (tourists higher than local residents), restaurant categories (more waste in larger restaurants), and purposes of meals (friends gathering and business banquet higher than working meal and private dining). Our pilot study provides a first, to our best knowledge, empirically determined scales and patterns of restaurant food waste in Chinese cities, and could help set targeted interventions and benchmark national food waste reduction targets.

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial infections in the United States, adding billions of dollars per year to health care costs. A vaccine targeted against the bacterium would be extremely beneficial in decreasing the morbidity and mortality caused by C. difficile-associated disease; a vaccine directed against a colonization factor would hinder the spread of the bacterium as well as prevent disease. Type IV pili (T4Ps) are extracellular appendages composed of protein monomers called pilins. They are involved in adhesion and colonization in a wide variety of bacteria and archaea, and are putative colonization factors in C. difficile. We hypothesized that vaccinating mice with pilins would lead to generation of anti-pilin antibodies, and would protect against C. difficile challenge. We found that immunizing C57Bl/6 mice with various pilins, whether combined or as individual proteins, led to low anti-pilin antibody titers and no protection upon C. difficile challenge. Passive transfer of anti-pilin antibodies led to high serum anti-pilin IgG titers, but to undetectable fecal anti-pilin IgG titers and did not protect against challenge. The low antibody titers observed in these experiments may be due to the particular strain of mice used. Further experiments, possibly with a different animal model of C. difficile infection, are needed to determine if an anti-T4P vaccine would be protective against C. difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial infections in the United States, adding billions of dollars per year to health care costs. A vaccine targeted against the bacterium would be extremely beneficial in decreasing the morbidity and mortality caused by C. difficile-associated disease; a vaccine directed against a colonization factor would hinder the spread of the bacterium as well as prevent disease. Type IV pili (T4Ps) are extracellular appendages composed of protein monomers called pilins. They are involved in adhesion and colonization in a wide variety of bacteria and archaea, and are putative colonization factors in C. difficile. We hypothesized that vaccinating mice with pilins would lead to generation of anti-pilin antibodies, and would protect against C. difficile challenge. We found that immunizing C57Bl/6 mice with various pilins, whether combined or as individual proteins, led to low antipilin antibody titers and no protection upon C. difficile challenge. Passive transfer of anti-pilin antibodies led to high serum anti-pilin IgG titers, but to undetectable fecal anti-pilin IgG titers and did not protect against challenge. The low antibody titers observed in these experiments may be due to the particular strain of mice used. Further experiments, possibly with a different animal model of C. difficile infection, are needed to determine if an anti-T4P vaccine would be protective against C. difficile infection.

Atomic defects are easily created in the single-layer electronic devices of current interest and cause even more severe influence than in the bulk devices since the electronic quantum paths are obviously suppressed in the two-dimensional transport. Here we find a drop of chemical solution can repair the defects in the single-layer MoSe2 field-effect transistors. The devices’ room-temperature electronic mobility increases from 0.1 cm2/Vs to around 30 cm2/Vs and hole mobility over 10 cm2/Vs after the solution processing. The defect dynamics is interpreted by the combined study of the first-principles calculations, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Rich single/double Selenium vacancies are identified by the high-resolution microscopy, which cause some mid-gap impurity states and localize the device carriers. They are found to be repaired by the processing with the result of extended electronic states. Such a picture is confirmed by a 1.5 cm−1 red shift in the Raman spectra. Defects can heavily influence the electrical transport properties of three-dimensional materials. But their impact becomes even more pronounced in low-dimensional systems. Fengqi Song and colleagues use a combination of calculations and experiments to show that a simple drop of a chemical solution can repair the selenium vacancies in field-effect transistors made from single layer molybdenum diselenide. By reducing the number of vacancies, which localize the electronic transport, the authors increased the carrier mobilities to nearly the intrinsic value by 2–3 orders of magnitude. The defect dynamics is visualized by the high resolution electron microscopy and multislice simulations. Such an approach could provide a route for enabling practical devices to be made from these relatively fragile materials.

As one of the core components in any SPN block cipher and hash function, diffusion layers are mainly introduced by matrices with maximal branch number. Surprisingly, the research on optimal binary matrices is rather limited compared with that on MDS matrices. Especially, not many general constructions for binary matrices are known that give the best possible branch number and guarantee the efficient software/hardware implementations as well. In this paper, we propose a new class of binary matrices constructed by Feistel structure with bit permutation as round functions. Through investigating bounds on the branch number our structure can achieve, we construct optimal binary matrices for a series of parameters with the lowest hardware cost upi?źto now. Compared to the best known results, our optimal solutions for size $$16 \times 16$$16×16 and $$32 \times 32$$32×32 can save about $$20\,\%$$20% and $$33.3\,\%$$33.3% gate equivalents respectively. Without loss of hardware efficiency, a list of software-friendly optimal binary matrices can be constructed by Feistel structure with cyclic shift as round functions. The characteristics of this class of matrices are summarized and involutory optimal instances with commonly used dimensions are also provided. In the case of $$8 \times 8$$8×8, we prove that optimal matrices from our structure can not be involutory. Finally, we extend the strategy to Generalized Feistel Structure and present some typical experimental results.

Side channel analysis(SCA) focuses on attacking cryptographic algorithm implementations by collecting leaked information and analyzing the correlation between the leaked and key information in the cryptographic system. Currently, SCA is the main threat to cryptographic implementations, with DPA (differential power analysis) and DFA (differential fault analysis) being two of the most threatening types of SCA. However, the existing countermeasures against DPA and DFA have shortcomings and can hardly protect cipher designs perfectly. Based on a comprehensive analysis of DPA and DFA, this paper proposes a new idea of using an evolutionary cipher (EVOC) against DPAs based on the model proposed by Kocher, and several different new types of DFAs. In fact, an EVOC is a kind of dynamic cipher designing method. Moreover, combined with intelligent searching algorithms and cryptography design policies, EVOCs utilize the dynamic and unpredictable properties of TRNG (a truly random number generator) to ensure cipher design at a high level of security. Therefore, with an EVOC we could design cryptography algorithms with high security to resist mathematical analysis as well as DPAs and DFAs. This paper analyzes and proves the security, efficiency, cost, and original features of EVOCs against DPA and DFA both theoretically and experimentally. Compared with existing countermeasures against SCAs, EVOCs use dynamic non-linear operations to destroy the bases of DPA and DFA. At the algorithm level, EVOCs are more efficient than other resistance methods. Based on the theory and experiments, this paper proposes certain modifications to the EVOC in the AES (advanced encryption standard) algorithm, which can be referenced by other dynamic designs of cryptographic algorithms.

An innovative anti-osteoporosis herbal formula containing Epimedii Herba, Ligustri Lucidi Fructus and Psoraleae Fructus (ELP) has been previously shown its bone protecting effects in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats and also in post-menopausal osteopenic women. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ELP against bone loss during physical inactivity or weightlessness. A hindlimb unloading tail-suspended rat model was used for studying the effects of ELP on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone micro-architecture. For in vitro mechanistic studies, rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and mouse macrophage cells (RAW264.7) were used for studying the effects of ELP on osteogenic/adipogenic differentiations and osteoclastogenesis, respectively. Our data illustrated that ELP had a significant preventive effect against bone loss induced by tail-suspension (TS) at day 28 (p

Side channel attacks (SCAs) on security software and hardware have become major concerns on computer and system security. The existing SCAs generally require the knowledge of the corresponding cryptographic algorithm and implementation adopted in the target; therefore, they are not fully suitable for practical applications. In this paper, we propose a novel SCA—polar differential power attack (polar DPA). We found that DPA peaks have different biases for different cryptographic algorithms and implementations. Based on these biases, we can successfully attack a block cipher, assuming that the cipher algorithm uses a secret key in its first round, without the knowledge of the cipher algorithm or implementation. Other rounds can be treated as a black box. We present a detailed theoretical analysis and experiment to demonstrate the correctness and efficiency of our scheme. Furthermore, our scheme has demonstrated an improvement over the leakage evaluation scheme due to Ichikawa et al. (CHES 2005). Our evaluation method can be used in electronic design automatic (EDA) flows and can help security circuit designers to understand the data leakage due to SCAs.

A statistical–dynamical model has been used for operational guidance for tropical cyclone (TC) intensity prediction. In this study, several multiple linear regression models and neural network (NN) models are developed for the intensity prediction of western North Pacific TCs at 24-, 48-, and 72-h intervals. The multiple linear regression models include a model of climatology and persistence (CLIPER), a model based on the Statistical Typhoon Intensity Prediction System (STIPS), which serves as the base regression model (BASE), and a model of STIPS with additional satellite estimates of surface evaporation (SLHF) and inner-core rain rate (IRR, STIPER model). A revised equation for the TC maximum potential intensity is derived using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager optimally interpolated sea surface temperature data, which have higher temporal and spatial resolutions. Analyses of the resulting models show the marginal improvement of STIPER over BASE. However, IRR and SLHF are found to be significant predictors in the predictor pool. Neural network models using the same predictors as STIPER show reductions of the mean absolute errors of 7%, 11%, and 16% relative to STIPER for 24-, 48-, and 72-h forecasts, respectively. The largest improvement is found for the intensity forecasts of the rapidly intensifying and rapidly decaying TCs.

Antiresorptive drugs, alendronate and raloxifene, are effective in lowering bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal women. However, long-term treatment may be associated with serious side effects. Our research group has recently discovered that a Chinese herbal formula, ELP, could significantly reduce BMD loss in animal and human studies. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potential synergistic bone-protective effects of different herb-drug combinations using ovariectomized rats. To assess the efficacy of different combinations, the total BMD was monitored biweekly in the 8-week course of daily oral treatment. Bone microarchitecture, bone strength, and deoxypyridinoline level were also determined after 8 weeks. From our results, coadministration of ELP and raloxifene increased the total tibial BMD by 5.26% (2.5 mg/kg/day of raloxifene;P=0.014) and 5.94% (0.25 mg/kg/day of raloxifene;P=0.026) when compared with the respective dosage groups with raloxifene alone. Similar synergistic effects were also observed in BMD increase at distal femur (0.25 mg/kg/day;P=0.001) and reduction in urinary deoxypyridinoline crosslink excretion (2.5 and 0.25 mg/kg/day; bothP=0.02). However, such interactions could not be observed in all alendronate-treated groups. Our data provide first evidence that ELP could synergistically enhance the therapeutic effects of raloxifene, so that the clinical dosage of raloxifene could be reduced.

MYB proteins constitute one of the largest transcription factor families in plants and play critical roles in mediating plant adaptation to diverse abiotic stresses. In this study, fourty two of the MYB genes in wheat were subjected to the expression profile and function characterization analysis under phosphorus (Pi) deprivation. The results indicated that twenty-one, eleven, five, two, and one of the wheat MYB genes share homologous partners in B. Distachyon, rice, maize, barley, and Arabidopsis, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the wheat MYB genes have evolved from five evolutionary pathways. Based on a microarray analysis, the wheat MYB genes were found to exhibit different transcripts under normal condition and can be grouped into various categories according to expression level, including those of high (eight members), moderate (ten members), low (ten members), and very low (fourteen members), respectively. Under Pi deprivation, most of the MYB genes showed significantly modified transcripts, in which TaMYB1, TaMYB16, and TaMYB73;1 were upregulated, and TaMYB11, TaMYB12, TaMYB13-2;1, and TaMYB;6 were downregulated. Transgenic analysis of TaMYB1, one of the upregulated genes, confirmed that it played an important role in mediating plant tolerance to Pi deprivation. The transgenic plants overexpressing TaMYB1 displayed higher plant drymass and more P accumulation than wild type under Pi deprivation. Together, our investigation indicates that a subset of wheat MYB genes involves plant response to Pi deficiency in which TaMYB1 plays critical roles in mediating plant tolerance to the Pi-starvation stress.

Differential Power Attack (DPA) is one kind of Side Channel Attacks (SCAs). There are two phases in DPA attacks: sample collection and statistical analysis, which can be utilized to construct different countermeasures against DPAs, such as balancing technologies. We propose a novel methodology to implement a secure DPA resistant crypto processor and we name this as evolutionary cipher(EVOC). EVOC can effectively resist DPA attacks, because it destroys the differential power computation proposed by Kocher. Moreover, EVOC opens up a new idea to design secure cryptographic algorithm to resist both DPA attacks and some other attacks. Designing principles of evolution cipher is useful for other dynamic cryptographic algorithms. We prove that our scheme has theoretically and practically proven security.

This study examines the surface latent heat flux (SLHF) and rainfall associated with rapidly intensifying western North Pacific tropical cyclones (TCs). The mean initial (t = 0 h) SLHF conditions of samples that undergo rapid intensification (RI) are compared with those of the non-RI samples for four categories classified by moving direction over a 24-h period. The results show that RI samples are usually associated with an area of relatively high SLHF on the right-hand side of TC track and with relatively high rainfall within inner-core regions. Student t-tests show statistically significant differences between SLHF of RI and non-RI samples ahead of the TC track, suggesting that SLHF plays an important role in TC rapid intensification. SLHF and inner-core rainfall have the potential to be new predictors for TC intensity forecasting.

e24017Background: Chrysophanol and its derivatives exert a number of biological activities. Especially the anticancer effects of chrysophanol had drawn a lot of attention, with debate on the effect...

Sediment phosphorus (P) fractions and profile distribution at submerged macrophyte growth zone, emergent macrophyte growth zone and open-water zone were studied in Wuliangsuhai Lake, China, as well as the correlations among water content, grain size, and organic matter and P fractions. Among the three surveyed zones, the highest concentrations of most P forms occurred in the surface sediment and the lowest between a depth of 12 and 22 cm, except HCl-P and NaOH-P. Sediment phosphorus was mainly associated to inorganic forms (>50%) in three surveyed areas, and the highest value of inorganic phosphorus (IP) in the surface sediment was obtained from submerged macrophyte growth zone. Submerged and emergent macrophytes increased the IP content by 107 and 44 μg/g, respectively, in the surface sediment compared with open-water zone. Vertical profiles of IP in the three surveyed zones showed that the concentrations decreased from surface to 12 cm depth and then increased. There was a similar trend in the sediment profiles of organic phosphorus (OP) and total phosphorus (TP), but the highest concentration of OP and TP in surface sediment was obtained from the emergent macrophyte growth zone. Compared with open-water zone, the emergent macrophyte increased TP content in surface sediment by 1.73 times to 1,320 μg/g, while submerged macrophyte enhanced TP content in the surface sediment by 1.13 times to 865 μg/g. It was observed that in macrophyte growth zones, a strong linear correlation existed between organic matter and OP (r > 0.98), and the maximum concentrations of OP were present in the areas with maximum concentrations of organic matter. Results show that, although rooted macrophyte could uptake directly P from sediments, it is responsible for increasing the internal P loading especially OP by reducing current velocities, attenuating wave energy and generating organic residue in Wuliangsuhai Lake.

Reduction in autophagy has been reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. However, the molecular pathways leading to impaired autophagy at the presence of hypertrophic stimuli remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the role of sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a sirtuin family member, in regulating cardiomyocyte autophagy, and its implication in prevention of cardiac hypertrophy. Primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) or Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were submitted to isoproterenol (ISO) treatment, and then the hypertrophic responses and changes in autophagy activity were measured. The influence of SIRT6 on autophagy was observed in cultured NRCMs with gain- and loss-of-function approaches to regulate SIRT6 expression, and further confirmed in vivo by intramyocardial delivery of an adenovirus vector encoding SIRT6 cDNA. In addition, the involvement of SIRT6-mediated autophagy in attenuation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by ISO was determined basing on genetic or pharmaceutical disruption of autophagy, and the underlying mechanism was preliminarily explored. ISO-caused cardiac hypertrophy accompanying with a significant decrease in autophagy activity. SIRT6 overexpression enhanced autophagy in NRCMs and in rat hearts, whereas knockdown of SIRT6 by RNA interference led to suppression of cardiomyocyte autophagy. Furthermore, the protective effect of SIRT6 against ISO-stimulated hypertrophy was associated with induction of autophagy. SIRT6 promoted nuclear retention of forkhead box O3 transcription factor possibly via attenuating Akt signaling, which was responsible for autophagy activation. Our findings revealed that SIRT6 positively regulates autophagy in cardiomyocytes, which may help to ameliorate ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

One of the basic assumptions in organic field-effect transistors, the most fundamental device unit in organic electronics, is that charge transport occurs two-dimensionally in the first few molecular layers near the dielectric interface. Although the mobility of bulk organic semiconductors has increased dramatically, direct probing of intrinsic charge transport in the two-dimensional limit has not been possible due to excessive disorders and traps in ultrathin organic thin films. Here, highly ordered mono- to tetra-layer pentacene crystals are realized by van der Waals (vdW) epitaxy on hexagonal BN. We find that the charge transport is dominated by hopping in the first conductive layer, but transforms to band-like in subsequent layers. Such abrupt phase transition is attributed to strong modulation of the molecular packing by interfacial vdW interactions, as corroborated by quantitative structural characterization and density functional theory calculations. The structural modulation becomes negligible beyond the second conductive layer, leading to a mobility saturation thickness of only ~3nm. Highly ordered organic ultrathin films provide a platform for new physics and device structures (such as heterostructures and quantum wells) that are not possible in conventional bulk crystals., Comment: 4 figures

Objectives An anti-osteoporotic herbal formula ELP containing Epimedii Herba (E), Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (L) and Psoraleae Fructus (P) was studied to investigate the herb–herb interaction (or the possible synergistic effect) among each component and to identify the principal herbs in different modes of action. Methods Rat osteoblast-like UMR-106 cells proliferation, rat MSCs-derived osteoblastogenesis and RANKL-induced RAW 264.7 osteoclastogenesis were adopted to investigate the bone-forming activity and bone-degrading activity of the herbal extracts. In the statistical aspect, a modified Tallarida's approach was employed to assess the synergistic effects in herbal combinations. Key findings Psoraleae Fructus is the active herb for stimulating osteoblast proliferation, and mild synergy was detected in the pairwise combinations EL, LP and formula ELP. In osteoblastogenesis assay, E and L are the principal herbs for promoting osteoblast differentiation and significant synergy was detected in the pairwise combination EL. For inhibiting osteoclast formation, L is the active herb and significant synergy was detected in the 3-way combination ELP. Conclusions The presence of E, L and P is essential for ELP formula as a whole to act against osteoporosis via enhancing bone formation and reducing bone reabsorption. An optimal dosage at 150 μg/ml was proposed for ELP based on our findings.

Clostridium difficile toxin A and B (TcdA and TcdB) are the major virulence factors of the bacterium, both of which consist of two enzymatic domains: an effector glucosyltransferase domain (GTD) and a cysteine protease domain (CPD) responsible for autocleavage and release of GTD. Although the CPDs from both toxins share a similar structure and mechanism of hexakisphosphate (InsP6)-induced activation, TcdA is substantially less sensitive to the autocleavage as compared with TcdB. In this study, we provided evidence of inter-domain regulation of CPD activity of TcdA and its autoprocessing. The C-terminus combined repetitive oligo peptides (CROPs) of TcdA reduced the accessibility of TcdB CPD to its substrate in a chimeric toxin TxB-Ar, consequently blocking autoprocessing. Moreover, interference of antibodies with the CROPs of full-length TcdA efficiently enhanced its GTD release. In conclusion, by utilizing chimeric toxins and specific antibodies, we identified that the CROPs of TcdA plays a crucial role in controlling the InsP6-mediated activation of CPD and autocleavage of GTD. Our data provides insights on the molecular mode of action of the C. difficile toxins.

Benzyloxy)-4-chloro-6-methoxyquinazoline (1) was synthesized from methyl 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoate (2) through five steps including substitution, nitration, reduction, cyclization and chlorination.Its structure was confirmed by 1 H NMR and MS spectrum. The total yield of the five steps was 29.2%.

In order to make up for the wind tunnel test equipment of folding reticulated shells restrictions which lead to wind pressure data measured on the surface of structure has a low density. This passage based on the basic principle of RBF neural network, using the programming software MATLAB to predict the wind pressure coefficient under three kinds of condition on the folding reticulated shell when the wind speed 20 m/s and wind direction angle is 0 °, 45 ° and 90 °, respectively. The forecast results are compared with wind tunnel tests, and it was shown a good agreement with the test studies. Results show that using the RBF neural network method to predict the wind pressure on the surface of a structure is feasible. Based on the limited wind tunnel test , neural network method is applied to forecast the unknown point of wind pressure coefficient, improve and rich the wind tunnel test data, and provide an effective method for folding reticulated shell structure wind load forecast and analysis.

Different annulus regions of iris texture have various distribution characteristics. All the previous feature extraction methods are unable to make a difference between relevance of intra-annulus feature and difference of inter-annulus feature. With an analysis of relevance of intra-annulus, this paper proposes a kind of feature extraction method based on texture regions. The method firstly uses 2D-Gabor filter to independently extract and encode texture features from different regions respectively, and then the set of feature vectors are applied to classification and recognition by SVM classifier. The experimental results show that the proposed method has quite high recognition accuracy.

In this study, a higher surface area spherical nanoscale zero valent iron (HNZVI) cluster (80 nm, 54.25 m(2)g(-1)) was synthesized in ethanol-water mixed solvent in the presence of dispersion agent of polyglycol (PEG). At the same time, a lower surface area nanoscale zero valent iron (LNZVI) particle (80 nm, 8.08 m(2)g(-1)) was also prepared with only de-ioned water as reaction media. Their structures, compositions and physical properties were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometer (ICP-AES), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer and the results obtained for these two kinds of nanoscale iron were compared with each other and also with those reported in the literatures. The HNZVI clusters seemed to be accumulated by smaller iron particles (10 nm). At the same time, whiskers were formed in the final produce. Reactivity of the HNZVI was affirmed via denitrification of nitrate. The factors controlling the reduction of nitrate, such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), iron content as well as the initial nitrate concentration were also discussed. Finally, kinetic analysis revealed that chemical reduction of nitrate by HNZVI could not be described by the first- or pseudo-first-order kinetic model.

Cryptotanshinone (CTS) is a major bioactive diterpenoid isolated from Danshen, an eminent medicinal herb that is used to treat cardiovascular disorders in Asian medicine. However, it is not known whether CTS can prevent experimental atherosclerosis. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of CTS on atherosclerosis and its molecular mechanisms of action.Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice, fed an atherogenic diet, were dosed daily with CTS (15, 45 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) by oral gavage. In vitro studies were carried out in oxidized LDL (oxLDL)-stimulated HUVECs treated with or without CTS.CTS significantly attenuated atherosclerotic plaque formation and enhanced plaque stability in ApoE(-/-) mice by inhibiting the expression of lectin-like oxLDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) and MMP-9, as well as inhibiting reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and NF-κB activation. CTS treatment significantly decreased the levels of serum pro-inflammatory mediators without altering the serum lipid profile. In vitro, CTS decreased oxLDL-induced LOX-1 mRNA and protein expression and, thereby, inhibited LOX-1-mediated adhesion of monocytes to HUVECs, by reducing the expression of adhesion molecules (intracellular adhesion molecule 1 and vascular cellular adhesion molecule 1). Furthermore, CTS inhibited NADPH oxidase subunit 4 (NOX4)-mediated ROS generation and consequent activation of NF-κB in HUVECs.CTS was shown to have anti-atherosclerotic activity, which was mediated through inhibition of the LOX-1-mediated signalling pathway. This suggests that CTS is a vasculoprotective drug that has potential therapeutic value for the clinical treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

Specimens of a Fe-24Ni-6Al-0.4C alloy with ultra-fine grained dual phase microstructures composed of FCC austenite and B2 phases were fabricated by cold rolling followed by annealing treatments in the temperature range from 850°C to 1100°C. Tensile tests of these specimens revealed a similar yield stress while the tensile strength was found to vary significantly. The different tensile strength of the samples was considered to be caused by the different volume fractions of the hard B2 phase.