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Background: members of the genus Sarcocystis are intracellular obligate protozoan parasites classified within the phylum Apicomplexa and have an obligate heteroxenous life cycle involving two hosts. A more comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and geographic range of different Sarcocystis species in marine ecosystems is needed globally and nationally. Hence, the objective of this study was to document the incidence of Sarcocystis infection in sharks within the aquarium ecosystem of Egypt and to identify the species through the characterization of the SSU rDNA gene. Methods: All organs of the mako shark specimen underwent macroscopic screening to detect the existence of a Sarcocystis cyst. Ten cysts were collected from the intestine and processed separately to extract the genomic DNA. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was accomplished by amplifying a specific 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene fragment. Subsequently, the resulting amplicons were subjected to purification and sequencing processes. Results: Macroscopic examination of the mako shark intestinal wall sample revealed the presence of Sarcocystis cysts of various sizes and shapes, and sequencing of the amplicons from Sarcocystis DNA revealed a 100% nucleotide identity with the sequence of Sarcocystis tenella recorded from sheep in Iran; The mako shark sequence has been deposited in the GeneBank with the accession number OQ721979. This study presents the first scientific evidence demonstrating the presence of the Sarcocystis parasite in sharks, thereby documenting this specific marine species as a novel intermediate host in the Sarcocystis life cycle. Conclusions: This is the first identification of Sarcocystis infection in sharks, and we anticipate it will be an essential study for future screenings and establishing effective management measures for this disease in aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commuting tolerance constrains people's choice behavior of residential location, workplace location or travel mode. However, the characteristics of tolerance threshold of commuting time (TTCT) and its impact on commuting mode choice have not received enough attention. To reveal the influence of TTCT on commuting mode choice, the semi-compensatory decision-making mechanism was used to modify the commuting utility function. Based on the multinominal logit model (MNL), the constraint characteristic and heterogeneity characteristic of TTCT were considered, therefore, the constrained multinomial logit model (CMNL) and the mixed piecewise logit model (Mixed-PMNL) were established, respectively. The results of an empirical study of 823 commuters in Kunming, China, showed that: Respondents' TTCT is mainly distributed in 30-50 minutes, with a sample mean of 40 minutes. Respondents' commute mode, workplace location, and educational background have a significant impact on their TTCT. The goodness of fit of the CMNL model is higher than that of the MNL model, indicating that integrating TTCT into the commute utility function could help to improve the fitting effect of the commute mode choice model. Furthermore, the goodness of fit of the Mixed-PMNL model is higher than that of the CMNL model, proving that considering the heterogeneity of TTCT into the utility function could help to improve the explanatory power of the commute mode choice model. The utility loss functions of both CMNL and Mixed-PMNL illustrate the penalty effect of TTCT on commuting utility. When the actual commuting time exceeds TTCT, the commuting utility will lose, and the magnitude of the utility loss of different commute modes are different. The utility loss of active commuting is the most severe, while that of car commuting is the least. The more respondents' acceptable commuting cost, the more likely they are to choose cars to go to work. We conclude that it is necessary to consider the impact of the individual commute tolerance on mode choice when formulating the policy to guide car commuters transfer to active modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper proposes an optimized Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM+) model for predicting cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Germany, the UK, Italy, and Japan. The LSTM+ model incorporates two key optimizations: (1) fine-adjustment of parameters and (2) a ‘re-prediction’ process that utilizes the latest prediction results from the previous iteration. The performance of the LSTM+ model is evaluated and compared with that of Backpropagation (BP) and traditional LSTM models. The results demonstrate that the LSTM+ model significantly outperforms both BP and LSTM models, achieving a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of less than 0.6%. Additionally, two illustrative examples employing the LSTM+ model further validate its general applicability and practical performance for predicting cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entangled photon spectroscopy is a nascent field that has important implications for measurement and imaging across chemical, biology, and materials fields. Entangled photon spectroscopy potentially offers improved spatial and temporal-frequency resolutions, increased cross sections for multiphoton and nonlinear measurements, and new abilities in inducing or measuring quantum correlations. A critical step in enabling entangled photon spectroscopies is the creation of high-flux entangled sources that can use conventional detectors as well as provide redundancy for the losses in realistic samples. Here, we report a periodically poled, chirped, lithium tantalate platform that generates entangled photon pairs with ∼10−7 efficiency. For a near watt level diode laser, this results in a near μW-level flux. The single photon per mode limit that is necessary to maintain non-classical photon behavior is still satisfied by distributing this power over up to an octave-spanning bandwidth. The spectral–temporal photon correlations are observed via a Michelson-type interferometer that measures the broadband Hong–Ou–Mandel two-photon interference. A coherence time of 245 fs for a 10 nm bandwidth in the collinear case and a coherence time of 62 fs for a 125 nm bandwidth in the non-collinear case are measured using a CW pump laser and, essentially, collecting the full photon cone. We outline in detail the numerical methods used for designing and tailoring the entangled photons source, such as changing center wavelength or bandwidth, with the ultimate aim of increasing the availability of high-flux UV–Vis entangled photon sources in the optical spectroscopy community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of selective laser melted 316L stainless steel components the effects of laser power and heat treatment methods on the surface morphology and mechanical properties of the formed parts are studied. The research results show that with the increase of the laser power, the surface morphology quality and mechanical properties of the formed parts initially increase and then decrease. When the laser power is 170 W a formed part with better surface morphology and mechanical properties can be obtained. The grain size and elongation can be increased by heat treating the formed part. Among them, the air cooling method can obtain better mechanical properties than the water cooling method. The combination of laser power and heat treatment is a promising method to improve the performance of selected laser melted 316L stainless steel parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In simulated coastal‐industrial atmosphere, the atmospheric corrosion behavior of three different tin content low‐alloy steels has been investigated by indoor wet/dry cyclic corrosion test. The results indicate that in the early stage of atmospheric corrosion, tin addition has beneficial effect on the corrosion resistance improvement, and corrosion resistance increases as tin content increases. However, increased corrosion resistance due to tin addition does not last long. After a large amount of corrosion products are formed on the surface of the sample, the stability and compactness of rust layer are degraded by tin. Therefore, in the long‐term atmospheric corrosion process, the lower the tin content in steel, the better the corrosion resistance of steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) simulations of three-dimensional strongly coupled (SC) complex plasmas (CPs) were employed in the homogeneous external electric field () applied along the x‒y plane. The normalized self-diffusion coefficients (D0||) of dust grains parallel to were investigated by employing the Green–Kubo method. The effects of constant and varying were calculated along with an extensive range of plasma Coulomb coupling (Γ) and the Debye screening (κ) parameters. The plasma D0|| of SC–CPs for fixed system sizes (N = 500) in the limit of varying and constant strength was computed. The EMD simulations outcomes revealed that D0|| increased with increasing of and κ, however, it decreased with an increase of Γ. The obtained results show that the combined effects of and κ give the fair agreement of plasma D0|| at low-intermediate to higher Γ values. The diffusion coefficients are found to follow the temperature scaling law as a function of system temperature at constant = 0.002. It was revealed that the current EMD simulations data enlarged the range of 0.002 ≤ ≤ 1.0 to find the linear regime of CPs systems and reveal the essential nature of electric field linearity of 3D CPs systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of carrying out the installation of large flue, because the thickness of the flue is thin, it is easy to deform when hoisting with wire rope, and too much deformation will affect the subsequent use of the flue, resulting in waste, so in order to reduce the deformation of the flue, the existing conditions are utilized, and the bracket is added inside the flue to play the role of support, and the deformation of the flue is reduced. Using 3D modeling and numerical simulation software, the flue structure before and after adding supports was modeled and numerically analyzed, and the two simulation results were compared, and the deformation of the flue after adding supports was analyzed to be relatively obvious under the action of hoisting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the effect of H1-receptor antagonist olopatadine on the secretory function of cultured rat conjunctival goblet cells (CGC) assessed by enzyme-linked lectin assay employing UEA-I lectin. The level of mRNA for membrane-bound protein MUC16 in histaminestimulated CGC was assayed by reverse transcription PCR in the control and after preliminary application of olopatadine. The intracellular calcium concentration [Ca2+]i was measured by the calcium colorimetric method using GENMED kits. The effects of histamine and olopatadine on p-ERK level were assessed by Western blotting. Histamine up-regulated secretion of mucin MUC5AC and expression of membrane-bound protein MUC16 in CGC. In addition, it increased both [Ca2+]i and the level of phosphorylated ERK. These effects were diminished by preliminary application of olopatadine that probably acted via the ERK signaling pathway. Thus, olopatadine reduced [Ca2+]i and down-regulated ERK phosphorylation by binding to H1-receptors, thereby inhibiting secretion of mucin from histamine-stimulated CGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystalline BiFeO3 (BFO)/Co bilayers were prepared by combined pulsed laser deposition and magnetron sputtering on (001) SrTiO3 substrates. Exchange bias (EB) and accompanying training effect have been studied as a function of temperature (T) between 5K and 300 K. A nonmonotonic exchange field variation with sharp increase below 100K has been observed. In the meanwhile, strong training effect was recorded when T<100K and it weakens monotonically with increasing T up to 300 K. These temperature dependent EB and training effect may be caused by the uncompensated spins in both the interfacial spin-glass (SG) phase at low temperature and the antiferromagnetic BFO layer at higher temperature. The low temperature EB training results can be well fitted by a modified Binek's model considering asymmetric changes of the pinning SG spins at the descending and the ascending branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative measurement of small forces and small displacement using holographic optical tweezers (HOTs) is finding increasing applications due to the features of non-contact and high accuracy manipulation. Although hologram optimization algorithms have been widely reported, the holographic optical trapping performance relying on the algorithms has not been studied systematically. In this paper, we investigated the force measuring the performance of various types of HOTs generated with six different hologram algorithms (GSW, GAA, GS, SR, S, and RM). To do this, we built up a HOT instrument and compared the light fields' intensity distribution, trap stiffness, efficiency, and calculation time of multi-point trap arrays generated by six hologram algorithms with this setup. Our work will provide a better understanding of the performance of different hologram algorithms in HOTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous efforts have been made to improve the electrochemical performance of the lithium-sulfur batteries. However, challenges remain in achieving fast electronic and ionic transport while accommodate the significant cathode volumetric change. On the other hand, the severe capacity decay mainly attributed to polysulfide shuttle also hampers the practical applications. Here, we report a simple, low-cost, and eco-friendly method for the one-step preparation of a binder-free S-C composite cathode by plasma dissociation of CS 2 containing gases at room-temperature. The key issue of polysulfide shuttle effect in Li-S batteries is also effectively resolved just by the introduction of N 2 into the precursor gases. The electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of ~600 mAh/g of the total hybrid of S + C at 100 mA/g after 100 cycles with an excellent initial coulombic efficiency of nearly 100%. The cells also demonstrate along cycle life and an extremely high capacity of ~306 mAh/g even after 300 cycles at 1 A/g with a high coulombic efficiency of about 100%. The proposed method will open the way for the plasma applications in facile preparation of Li-S batteries and the improvement of its electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Recurrence and diffuse infiltration challenge traditional therapeutic strategies for malignant glioma. Immunotherapy appears to be a promising approach to obtain long‐term survival. Dendritic cells (DCs), the most specialized and potent antigen‐presenting cells (APCs), play an important part in initiating and amplifying both the innate and adaptive immune responses against cancer cells. However, cancer cells can escape from immune surveillance by inhibiting maturation of DCs. Until the present, molecular mechanisms of maturation inhibition of DCs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) have not been fully revealed. Our study showed that pretreatment with tumor‐conditioned medium (TCM) collected from supernatant of primary glioma cells significantly suppressed the maturation of DCs. TCM pretreatment significantly changed the morphology of DCs, TCM decreased the expression levels of CD80, CD83, CD86 and interleukin (IL)‐12p70, while it increased the expression levels of IL‐10, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β and IL‐6. RNA‐Seq showed that TCM pretreatment significantly increased the gene expression level of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) in DCs. suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) knock‐down significantly antagonized the maturation inhibition of DCs by TCM, which was demonstrated by the restoration of maturation markers. TCM pretreatment also significantly suppressed T cell viability and T helper type 1 (Th1) response, and SOCS1 knock‐down significantly antagonized this suppressive effect. Further, TCM pretreatment significantly suppressed p65 nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity in DCs, and SOCS1 knock‐down significantly attenuated this suppressive effect. In conclusion, our research demonstrates that TCM up‐regulate SOCS1 to suppress the maturation of DCs via the nuclear factor‐kappa signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear energy storage and dissipation of rocks are common in earthquake, tunnel, and mining engineering. To investigate the nonlinear energy characteristics of rocks, multi-level cyclic loading–unloading triaxial compression (CLTC) tests were performed on early Cretaceous granite and Permian red sandstone. The failure modes of the granite and sandstone specimens under CLTC tests were studied. The energy parameters, such as the input, elastic, and dissipated energy densities (IE, EE, and DE, respectively), of the two types of rocks under different confining pressures were calculated, and the nonlinear interrelations among the three energy parameters were investigated. The results indicated that in the CLTC tests, the failure modes of sandstone were all shear failure. The granite specimens in the CLTC tests failed via splitting. The confining pressure had no effect on the peak strength strain energy storage index at the failure of the rock specimens, which tended to be constant. The nonlinear evolution of the DE of the granite and sandstone with respect to the EE and IE in the CLTC process was divided into three stages: an initial stage, a linear stage, and an accelerated stage. Furthermore, according to the nonlinear energy-conversion mechanism, a self-inhibition energy-conversion model was established in consideration of the confining-pressure effects. Using this nonlinear energy-conversion model, the EE and DE at any strain level can be determined. The peak strength strain energy storage index was calculated to evaluate the rockburst proneness of granite and sandstone. The results agreed well with those of the uniaxial compression test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy conversion in rocks has an important significance for evaluation of the stability and safety of rock engineering. In this paper, some uniaxial compression tests for fifteen different rocks were performed. The evolution characteristics of the total energy, elastic energy, and dissipated energy for the fifteen rocks were studied. The dissipation energy coefficient was introduced to study the evolution characteristics of rock. The evolution of the dissipation energy coefficient for different rocks was investigated. The linear interrelations of the dissipation energy coefficients and the yield strength and peak strength were explored. The method was proposed to determine the strength of rock using the dissipation energy coefficients. The results show that the evolution of the dissipation energy coefficient exhibits significant deformation properties of rock. The dissipation energy coefficients linearly increase with the compaction strength, but decrease with the yield strength and peak strength. Moreover, the dissipation energy coefficient can be used to determine the rock burst proneness and crack propagation in rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Rock quality designation prediction; Rotary drilling energy; Rock mass classification; Standard deviation EN Rock quality designation prediction Rotary drilling energy Rock mass classification Standard deviation 3383 3394 12 07/02/20 20200701 NES 200701 Introduction The rock quality designation (RQD) is widely used around the world as an important index and reference for rock mass quality evaluation (Deere [6]). When the borehole is 8.75 m in depth, the RQD SB I d i sb value with a calculation unit of 3 m in length has an almost linear relationship with the increase in the borehole length, and the results poorly reflect the small-scale broken pieces in segments 1.8-3 m and 4.8-5.4 m in the No. 2 borehole. 6 The standard deviation versus borehole depth in a drilling test. a The standard deviation versus the borehole depth in a drilling test for the No. 1 borehole. b The standard deviation versus the borehole depth in a drilling test for the No. 2 borehole Graph: Fig. The RQD SB I d i sb classification of rock masses is established based on the correlation between the standard deviation and the RQD SB I d i sb , which depends on only the standard deviation data of the rotary drilling energy when using the drilling method to evaluate the RQD SB I d i sb . [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the deformation characteristics of salt rock under different loading conditions. A simple empirical model for the evolution of fatigue deformation is proposed. The results clearly show that the fatigue deformation is strongly dependent on the applied frequency, stress, and loading rate. The higher the loading frequency, loading rate, and stress amplitude, the smaller the proportion of uniform deformation to the whole deformation phase; hence, the fatigue lifetime greatly decreases. The proposed model was validated with experimental results and was shown to be efficient in the prediction of the fatigue deformation tendency of rock salt under different loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bio-orthogonal chemistry-based approach for fluorescent labelling of ribosomal RNA is described. It involves an adenosine analogue modified with trans-cyclooctene and masked 5′-phosphate group using aryl phosphoramidate. The incorporation into rRNA has been confirmed using agarose gel electrophoresis, as well as a highly sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method. Fluorescent labelling of rRNA has been achieved in live HeLa cells via an inverse electron demand Diels–Alder reaction with a tetrazine conjugated to an Oregon Green fluorophore. This communication describes the stepwise approach that led to the development and characterization of the probe. The results demonstrate a new strategy towards development of future fluorescent probes to investigate the biochemistry of nucleic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substrates of Josephson junctions have recently been considered as dielectric resonator antennas in order to increase self-emission power from the junctions. Further investigations and interesting phenomena demonstrating this mechanism are presented in this paper. Junction arrays of the same layout were located on various substrates, and Shapiro steps and self-emission were studied in the course of the experiments and simulations. It is demonstrated that suitable substrates can be utilized to improve the coupling of the junctions to the open space for both irradiation and self-emission at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) showed diffusely enlarged and inhomogeneously enhanced pancreas with a 2-cm high-density tumor in the pancreatic body. Mahvash disease is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms caused by defective glucagon receptor gene (GCGR) in the liver and associated reactive pancreatic -cell hyperplasia. (d) Gastrin immunochemistry of pancreatic lesions was positive. gl Whole-genome sequencing of peripheral blood demonstrated heterozygous mutation of c.1345C>T, which lead to premature termination of translation, and c.922C>T, which lead to arginine replaced by tryptophan. [Extracted from the article]

In FIGO 2018, allowing assessment of retroperitoneal lymph nodes by imaging and/or pathological findings and, if deemed metastatic, the case is designated as stage IIIC (with r and p notations). External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with concurrent chemotherapy followed by brachytherapy is still the standard treatment for stage IIICr of cervical cancer. Patients with lymph node metastases have lower overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and survival after recurrence, especially those who have unresectable macroscopically positive lymph nodes. Retrospective analysis suggests that there may be a benefit to debulk macroscopic nodes that would be otherwise difficult to sterilize with standard doses of radiation therapy. No prospective study reported that resecting macroscopic lymph nodes before CCRT would improve PFS or OS of cervical cancer. The CQGOG0103 study is a national, prospective, multicenter and randomized clinical study evaluating lymph node dissection on stage IIICr (FIGO2018) of cervical cancer. Eligible patients are histologically confirmed cervical squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adeno-squamous cell carcinoma. Stage IIICr (confirmed by CT/MRI/PET/CT) and the short diameter of image-positive lymph node ≥15mm. 452 patients will be equally randomized to receive either CCRT (Pelvic EBRT/Extended-field EBRT + cisplatin (40mg/m2) or carboplatin (AUC=2) every week for 5 cycles + brachytherapy) or Open/minimally invasive pelvic and para-aortic lymph node dissection followed by CCRT. Randomization is stratified by status of para-aortic lymph node. The primary endpoint is PFS. Secondary endpoints are OS and surgical complications. The sample size calculation of 346 patients provides 80% power to detect a difference in survival at the two-sided 5% significance level using the log-rank test, considering a 20% reduction, a total of 452 patients are required. This study began in January 2021 and will be accrued within 4 years. Enrollment is ongoing. Enrollment is ongoing. Enrollment is ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reported a plasma-based modification of the graphite powders as an anode material in lithium ion batteries, resulting in a theoretical-limit exceeded capacity. N 2 +H 2 plasma treatment conducted in a low-frequency inductively coupled plasma source causes significant modifications in the graphite powders, such as the nanostructured surface, more surface defects, and the slightly widened interplanar spacing. Especially, the plasma generated N atoms from N 2 precursor gas were efficiently introduced into the lattice sites of graphite in various configurations of pyridinic N, pyrrolic N and quaterrary N. These modifications lead to a pronounced improvement of electrochemical performance of the graphite powders. The specific reversible capacity is as high as 444 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 for 100 cycles. The higher-rate performance and long-circle stabilities are also significantly improved just by this plasma processing. The charge transfer resistance is consistently reduced in all the cases of N 2 , H 2 , and N 2 +H 2 plasma treatments. The underlying mechanism is analyzed in combination with the plasma diagnostics method of optical emission spectrum. Image 105 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim: To identify the role of astrocyte elevated gene‐1 (AEG‐1) and the mechanism underlying the inflammatory response in dental pulp cells. Methodology: Astrocyte elevated gene‐1 expression was detected at different stages of pulpitis in a rat model using immunohistochemistry. RT‐qPCR and Western blot were used to assess AEG‐1 expression in human dental pulp cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The LPS‐induced expression of inflammatory cytokine genes was quantified by RT‐qPCR in cells transfected with AEG‐1 or negative control (NC) siRNA. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were utilized to evaluate the activation of NF‐κB signalling in AEG‐1 knockdown cells. AEG‐1 expression was also investigated by Western blot in dental pulp cells pre‐treated with inhibitors of NF‐κB and PI‐3K signalling before the addition of LPS. Data were analysed statistically using one‐way anova. Results: The exposure of dental pulp tissue to LPS resulted in acute inflammation with necrosis and AEG‐1 expression in the pulp tissue beneath the perforation. In LPS‐stimulated dental pulp cells, AEG‐1 mRNA and protein were significantly up‐regulated (P < 0 .05) in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner. In AEG‐1 knockdown cells, the synthesis of IL‐1, IL‐6 and TNF‐α mRNA was suppressed significantly (P < 0.05) upon LPS induction. AEG‐1 knockdown also inhibited nuclear translocation of p65. Suppression of NF‐κB and PI‐3K abrogated the LPS‐induced up‐regulation of AEG‐1. Conclusion: Astrocyte elevated gene‐1 participated in inflammatory cytokine synthesis via NF‐κB signalling in the dental pulp. Both NF‐κB and PI‐3K signalling are involved in LPS‐induced AEG‐1 expression in dental pulp cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tetra-butylammonium iodide (TBAI)-mediated oxidative iodocyclization of 2-alkynoates for the synthesis of various 4-iodoisocoumarin is described herein, and the reaction is highly efficient and shows broad functional group tolerance. This newly developed reaction uses a mixture of water and DCE as co-solvent, and avoids the use of iodine as iodine source for the electrophilic halocyclization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which investigated the material properties of amorphous silicon selenium alloy deposited with hydrogen dilution under solar illumination. Experimental procedures; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

Lifting is to use lifting equipment to lift components and install them to the designated position. On the main structure, lifting equipment is used to transport the flue and transport the sectional flue to the designated position. Certain deformation will occur during the lifting operation of the flue due to its force condition, but it is not known whether it is elastic deformation or plastic deformation. Therefore, this paper analyzes the stress and strain of the flue during operation by finite element method, and observes and analyzes the influence of plastic deformation on the whole flue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several studies have indicated that the triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) index is associated with hypertension; however, evidence on the association of change in the TyG index with blood pressure and hypertension is limited. Aims To assess the association of the TyG index with blood pressure and hypertension. Design A cohort study. Methods We included 17 977 individuals with a mean age of 60.5 years from the Dongfeng–Tongji cohort. The TyG index was calculated as ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dl)×fasting glucose (mg/dl)/2]. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, self-reported current use of antihypertensive medication or self-reported physician diagnosis of hypertension. Results In the longitudinal analyses, we found a linear dose–response relationship between changes in the TyG index and change in blood pressure. Each one-unit change in the TyG index was associated with a 1.93 (1.23–2.63) mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a 1.78 (1.42–2.16) mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure (DBP). During a median follow-up of 9.37 years, a total of 3594 individuals were newly diagnosed with hypertension. We also found a linear dose–response relationship between the TyG index and the incidence of hypertension. The hazard ratio (HR) of hypertension for each one-unit increase in the TyG index was 1.21 (1.13–1.29). In addition, the best cut-off point of TyG for predicting hypertension was 8.4797, with sensitivity, and specificity of 57.85% and 55.40%, respectively. Conclusions The TyG index had a positive dose–response relationship with blood pressure and could be used to predict the risk of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hyperechogenic plaque, measuring 9 × 5 mm, was found in the lumen of the intrahepatic umbilical vein at the junction of the left and right portal veins, indicating an embolus (Figure 1a). The irregularly shaped thrombus located at the junction of the intrahepatic segment of the umbilical vein and the portal vein extended into the ductus venosus, obstructing the whole lumen, but could be isolated easily from the venous wall (Figure 2b). [Extracted from the article]

This work is concerned with the multiscale prediction of the transport and sound absorption properties associated with industrial glass wool samples. In the first step, an experimental characterization is performed on various products using optical granulometry and porosity measurements. A morphological analysis, based on scanning electron imaging, is further conducted to identify the probability density functions associated with the fiber angular orientation. The key morphological characterization parameters of the microstructure, which serve as input parameters of the model, include the porosity, the weighted volume diameter accounting for both lengths and diameters of the analyzed fibers (and therefore the specific surface area of the random fibrous material), and the preferred out-of-plane fiber orientation generated by the manufacturing process. A computational framework is subsequently proposed and allows for the reconstruction of an equivalent fibrous network. A fully stochastic microstructural model, parameterized by the probability laws inferred from the database, is also proposed herein. Multiscale simulations are carried out to estimate transport properties and sound absorption. With no adjustable parameter, the results accounting for ten different samples obtained with various processing parameters are finally compared with the experimental data and used to assess the relevance of the reconstruction procedures and the multiscale computations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• K326 and HD represent major tobacco cultivars in China, which required large N fertiliser input but at different application rates. To understand primary components affecting tobacco N use physiology, we adopted these two varieties as valuable genetic material to assess their growth response to N nutrition. • We established a hydroponic culture system to grow plants supplied with different N regimes. Plant biomass, N, ammonium, nitrate, arginine, GS and NR activity, N transfer and use efficiency as well as root uptake were examined. • Our data revealed the preference of K326 and HD to utilise nitrate or ammonium nitrate but not ammonium alone, with 2 mM N supply probably sufficient and economical to achieve good biomass production at the vegetative stage. Moreover, both varieties were very sensitive to ammonium, perhaps due to lack of or abnormal signalling related to nitrate and/or arginine rather than impairment of N acquisition and initial assimilation; this was supported by measurements of the plant content of N, ammonium and activities of GS and NR. Notably, short-term 15N root influx studies identified differential uptake kinetics of K326 and HD, with distinct affinities and transport rates for ammonium and nitrate. • The data suggest that the growth adaptation of K326 or HD to higher or lower N may be ascribed to different competences for effective N uptake/translocation and assimilation. Thus, our work provides valuable information to prompt deeper investigation of the molecular basis controlling plant N use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on previous studies of rock behavior versus rock sample size and various research on rockburst simulation tests, a modified true-triaxial unloading testing machine was utilized to perform rockburst tests on granite specimens with changing heights for size effect investigation. The parameter of the height-to-thickness ratio ( H/T) is proposed to characterize the rock scale, and it varies from 5 to 2 with a fixed thickness of 30 mm and changing heights from 150 to 60 mm. In this study, several testing methods were adopted to study the influence of H/T including non-destructive acoustic emission (AE) technology and high-speed camera recording systems as well as fragment kinetic energy analysis. The experimental results indicated that a size effect does exist during the rockburst simulation process and affects the rock failure strength and fracture mode. It can be seen that rock failure strength has an increasing trend with the decreasing of H/T. And at the higher H/T, extensile and splitting failures are dominant, and then the mixed failure mode including tensile and shear appears with decreasing H/T, until the single-plane shear becomes the main failure mode at the lowest H/T. AE energy release and kinetic energy of ejected fragments are not quite sensitive to sample size for H/T lower than 3. When the ratio of height and width is not lower than 3, the total AE energy during rock failure and kinetic energy of ejected fragments increased with the decreasing of sample size. With a further decrease of the ratio to 2, the total AE energy and kinetic energy of ejected fragments began to decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fractional nonrelativistic potential model, the decomposition of heavy quarkonium in a hot magnetized medium is investigated. The analytical solution of the fractional radial Schrodinger equation for the hot-magnetized ¨ interaction potential is displayed by using the conformable fractional Nikiforov-Uvarov method. Analytical expressions for the energy eigenvalues and the radial wave function are obtained for arbitrary quantum numbers. Next, we study the charmonium and bottmonium binding energies for different values of the magnetic field in the thermal medium. The effect of the fractional parameter on the decomposition temperature is also analyzed for charmonium and bottomonium in the presence of hot magnetized media. We conclude that the dissociation of heavy quarkonium in the fractional nonrelativistic potential model is faster than the classical nonrelativistic potential model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This study aims to investigate the medical expenditure of people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chongqing, China; to explore factors that contribute to the expenditure; and to examine the financial burden placed on households, particularly poor households. Methods A cross sectional survey was conducted with a sample of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in 2014. Of the 664 people eligible, 76% were interviewed. Descriptive statistics and log-linear regression were used to examine respondents' age, sex and level education, location of residence, income and type of health insurance associated with out-of-pocket expenditure on accessing diabetes mellitus care. Results In a year, average out-of-pocket expenditure on the purchase of drugs from pharmacies and having outpatient care were US $333 and US $310, respectively. The average out-of-pocket expenditure on accessing inpatient care was 3.7 times ( US $1159) that of accessing outpatient care. After adjusting for age and sex, out-of-pocket expenditure on diabetes care was significantly higher for people covered by the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance programme and those enrolled in the identified priority diseases reimbursement programme, which provided higher reimbursement rates for outpatient and (or) inpatient care. Out-of-pocket expenditures on the purchase of drugs from pharmacies, having outpatient and inpatient care, respectively, were 9.8%, 16.2% and 62.6% of annual household income in low-income group. Conclusion Even with health insurance coverage, poor people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus suffered from significant financial hardship. This has significant implications for models of care and healthcare financing in China with the growing burden of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SIPI-8294, as an erythromycin derivative, has only weak antibacterial effects on MRSA and MSSA. Interestingly, synergistic effect of SIPI-8294 with oxacillin was observed both in vitro and in vivo. Western blot and RT-PCR results demonstrate that mecA expressions were suppressed by SIPI-8294 in MRSA. Furthermore, the knock out of mecA in ATCC 43300 led to the loss of synergy of the combinations while mecA complemented strain showed almost the same synergistic capability compared to the wild type strain. However, the knock out of mecR1 and mecI in MRSA displayed no impact on the synergy of the combinations and the ability of SIPI-8294 to suppress mecA expression. In summary, our study has demonstrated that SIPI-8294 could dramatically reverse MRSA resistance to β-lactams both in vitro and in vivo owing to inhibiting mecA expression. However, mecR1 and mecI, as the pivotal regulatory genes of mecA, do not participate in SIPI-8294- mecA pathway. The research indicates that it may be a promising strategy for combating MRSA infections with the combinations of SIPI-8294 and β-lactam antibiotics. The research of the mechanism is important for structure modification and new drug development. Significance and Impact of the Study This study is the first report on the mechanism of synergy between SIPI-8294 and β-lactams against MRSA on the molecular level. In this study, SIPI-8294 showed strong synergistic effects on β-lactam antibiotics both in vitro and in vivo owing to inhibiting mecA expression. As pivotal regulatory genes of mecA, mecR1 and mecI do not participate in SIPI-8294- mecA pathway and are not involved in the synergism of SIPI-8294 and β-lactams. The research indicates that it may be a promising strategy for combating MRSA infections with the combinations of SIPI-8294 and β-lactams. The research is important for structure modification and new drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Obesity during pregnancy is associated with a wide spectrum of maternal, fetal and neonatal complications. This study compared placental pathology in women with obesity and normal weight gravidas. Materials and methods This is a retrospective case-control study. The sample was randomly selected from a total of 1000 deliveries of largely Caucasian population in a single institution, recruited for the study of sleep disordered breathing, where the placenta is submitted for pathological examination for clinical indications based on national guidelines. Cases (Body mass index – BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ; n = 47) and controls (BMI < 25 kg/m 2 , n = 45) were selected based on BMI obtained from the first prenatal visit. Placental pathology, clinical parameters and limited outcomes were extracted from medical records. Placental weight range was defined as small for gestational age (SGA) if <10th percentile, large for gestational age (LGA) if >90th percentile. Results Mean BMI was 36.2 ± 5.5 in the group with obesity and 21.7 ± 1.9 in the control group ( p < 0.01). There was a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes in cases compared to controls (14/47 vs. 3/45, p = 0.006) while preterm birth was significantly higher in the control group (9/47 vs. 19/46, p = 0.02). There were more LGA placentas in cases versus controls (12/47 vs. 2/46, p = 0.007; even after adjusting for diabetes). More histological features of inflammation, marginal insertion of the umbilical cord and intervillous thrombi in the parenchyma were also noted in the case group. Conclusions Results from the current study suggest that maternal obesity measured at early pregnancy may have effects on both placental implantation and growth, and further exacerbate the hypercoagulable state in placenta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of basic dye on colour change, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), shear strength (parallel loading), thickness swelling rate and water absorption rate of bamboo-based fibre composites from Phyllostachys pubescens. Oriented bamboo fibre mat was treated with Basic Brown G dye through three dyeing procedures, namely, in water at 20 °C, in water at 90 °C or in ethanol at 75 °C. Samples dyed in ethanol and water at 90 °C had higher exhaustion rates than those dyed in water at 20 °C. The colour change of oriented bamboo fibre mat dyed at 75 °C in ethanol was larger than that of samples dyed in water at both temperatures. Dyeing procedure slightly reduced the MOR, MOE and shear strength of bamboo-based fibre composites. Compared with samples dyed in water, samples dyed in ethanol had reduced shear strength and MOE. Thickness swelling rate and water absorption rate of bamboo-based fibre composites samples increased after dyeing treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pillar burst is one type of rockburst that occurs in underground mines. Simulating the stress change and obtaining insight into the pillar burst phenomenon under laboratory conditions are essential for studying the rock behavior during pillar burst in situ. To study the failure mechanism, a novel experimental technique was proposed and a series of tests were conducted on some granite specimens using a true-triaxial strainburst test system. Acoustic emission (AE) sensors were used to monitor the rock fracturing process. The damage evolution process was investigated using techniques such as macro and micro fracture characteristics observation, AE energy evolution, and b value analysis and fractal dimension analysis of cracks on fragments. The obtained results indicate that stepped loading and unloading simulated the pillar burst phenomenon well. Four deformation stages are divided as initial stress state, unloading step I, unloading step II, and final burst. It is observed that AE energy has a sharp increase at the initial stress state, accumulates slowly at unloading steps I and II, and increases dramatically at peak stress. Meanwhile, the mean b values fluctuate around 3.50 for the first three deformation stages and then decrease to 2.86 at the final stage, indicating the generation of a large amount of macro fractures. Before the test, the fractal dimension values are discrete and mainly vary between 1.10 and 1.25, whereas after failure the values concentrate around 1.25-1.35. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred sixty crossbred steers (538 ± 36 kg BW) were used in an 84-d experiment with a randomized block design to study the effects of wheat or barley grain processed to 2 different indices on growth performance, feeding behavior, carcass characteristics, stress, and temperament of finishing beef cattle. Treatments were a wheat-based diet (88.4% of diet DM; WH) and a barley-based diet (89% of diet DM; BA), processed to an index of either 75% (HI) or 85% (LO) of their original volume weight. Cattle were allocated to 16 feedlot pens (10 animals per pen, 4 pens per treatment), 8 of which were equipped with the GrowSafe system for monitoring feeding behavior. Flight speed, hair, and saliva samples were collected on d 1, 28, 56, and 84 to determine temperament, acute, and chronic stress. All steers were slaughtered at the end of the experiment, and carcass quality was evaluated. Cattle fed WH had a lower (P < 0.05) meal length and frequency of visits per meal and tended (P = 0.10) to have a lower DMI, meal size, and feeding time than those fed BA. The LO processing index increased (P = 0.05) DMI and reduced (P < 0.05) the G:F and the percentage of saleable meat of the carcass compared to HI. There was a trend (P = 0.09) for a grain × processing index interaction, where cattle fed BA-LO had a lower incidence of severe liver abscesses compared with cattle fed other treatments. Cattle fed WH had greater hair cortisol concentrations (P = 0.01) and flight speed (P < 0.01) than those fed BA. There was a trend (P = 0.07) for a grain × processing index interaction, where heifers fed WH-LO had a lower salivary cortisol than those fed other treatments. Results suggest that a LO processing index had a negative effect on feed efficiency and carcass performance and that the WH diet caused a range of effects on feed intake and behavior indicative of steers with greater excitability and chronic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly synthesized erythromycin derivatives were screened for synergy with oxacillin and other β-lactam antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA). MRSA ATCC43300 and some clinically isolated MRSA were used. Several erythromycin derivatives were found to possess high synergism with oxacillin against MRSA. The newly synthesized erythromycin derivatives were also tested for their inhibitory effects against MRSA, either separately or in combination with oxacillin, using serial broth dilution, disc diffusion, Etest strips, growth curves and time-kill curves. A representative derivative, SIPI-8294, could potentiate almost all β-lactam antibiotics tested against the model strain MRSA ATCC43300 from 4 to 128 times and had synergism with oxacillin against 12 of 16 clinical isolates of MRSA under one-fourth of the minimum inhibitory concentration ( MIC) of the compounds. This is the first report on the synergistic activity of these new erythromycin derivatives. These findings provide a new choice for the treatment of infection caused by MRSA and lead us to further study the synergistic mechanism. Significance and Impact of the Study This study is the first report on the synergy of anti-MRSA between new erythromycin derivatives and β-lactam antibiotics in vitro. The results show that although the erythromycin derivatives have poor anti-MRSA effects alone, they possess high synergism with oxacillin against MRSA ATCC43300 and clinically isolated MRSA. These novel compounds can significantly reduce the dosage of β-lactam antibiotics against MRSA, while this synergistic effect is different from the combination of β-lactams and β-lactamase inhibitors. The research may provide a new choice for the treatment of infection caused by MRSA and be useful to the research and development of new combination of medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The micro-pore structure of porous graphite presents remarkable heterogeneity and self-similarity, which is very difficult to be described by Euclidean geometry, but can be accurately characterised by fractal theory. The results show that the volume porosity range from 27·32 to 32·56%; the area fractal dimensions range from 1·683 to 1·829; the volume fractal dimensions range from 2·898 to 2·935; and the fractal dimensions of boundary projection range from 1·09 to 1·23, respectively. The fractal dimensions indicate the heterogeneity of the micro-pore structure. Moreover, the porosity of porous graphite is deduced by fractal theory, and the mercury injection test is developed to verify the fractal expressions. The results show that the experimental data agree well with theoretical values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precipitation of intermetallics in a 26Cr-4Mo-2Ni (Ti + Nb) super ferritic stainless steel during aging at 800°C was investigated. Optical, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopes and X-ray diffractometer were used to characterize the microstructure. Results show that the χ phase formed in 5 min and almost disappeared within 24 h. The σ phase began to form at grain boundaries when aged for 30 min and its amount increased with prolonged aging. After 24 h, the σ phase covered the grain boundaries and grew into the grain interiors. The Laves phase was found to form within 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air intrusion reduced the purity of working gas inside the tube for plasma jet, and thereby, affected the discharge dynamics. In this paper, the effect of using working gas with different purity level (helium purity 99.99999%, 99.99%, 99.9%, and 99%) on photoionization and the chemical reactivity of plasma jet were studied using a 2 dimensional plasma jet model. Photoionization of air species acted as a source of pre-ionization in front of the ionization region, which facilitated the transition from localized discharge to streamers inside the tube. The density of reactive species inside the tube was found to increase with the concentration of working gas impurities. For the highest purity helium (99.99999%), despite a low photoionization rate and the distance between the photoionization region and ionization region inside the tube, by increasing the applied voltage and decreasing the distance between the electrode and nozzle, plasma jets were formed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly selective molecularly imprinted nanocomposites MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 were successfully prepared by surface molecular imprinting technique with rhodamine B (RhB) as template molecule. The prepared MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 coated with a thin imprinted layer could respond to visible light. The static and dynamic binding experiments revealed that MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 possessed strong affinity, high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rate for RhB. The selectivity experiments indicated that MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 had excellent recognition selectivity for RhB. Selective photocatalytic degradation experiments indicated that the apparent rate constant (k) for the photodegradation of RhB over MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 is 0.0158 min-1, being 3.6 times of that over non-imprinted nanocomposites NIP-PPy/TiO2 (0.0044 min-1). Compared with the NIP-PPy/TiO2, MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 showed higher photocatalytic selectivity toward RhB under visible light, which was attributed the introduction of the imprinted cavities on the surface of MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2. Moreover, MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 exhibited high reusability and stability. The results indicate that molecularly imprinted nanocomposites MIPRhB-PPy/TiO2 have a promising perspective in industrial wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommendation systems are a well-established component of business-to-customer (B2C) e-commerce websites. The goal of a recommendation system is to increase sales by accurately predicting additional items that a customer will buy, but has not yet considered, during his or her online shopping session. Some companies, such as Amazon.com, consider the efficacy of their recommendation systems a critical competitive advantage. As competition intensifies, many online retailers seek more effective methods to anticipate customers' needs and desires during their online experience. In this paper, we present a novel approach for increasing the conversion rate from browsing to buying customers. Our method makes a behavior-based inference of a customer's propensity to purchase from a product category, and then executes a dynamic recommendation plan that is conditioned on the propensity levels. The approach uses a hidden Markov model, classic recommendation algorithms, and business rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of adding an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme (FE) on ruminai pH and fermentation, digestibility, and growth performance of feedlot beef cattle fed a finishing diet containing wheat dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). In Exp. 1, 4 ruminally cannulated Angus heifers (average BW of 807 ± 93.9 kg) were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design. Treatments were 1) control (CON; 10% barley silage and 90% barley grain-based concentrate), 2) CON diet substituting 30% wheat DDGS for barley grain (WDG), 3) WDG diet supplemented with low FE (WDGL), and 4) WDG diet supplemented with high FE (WDGH). Heifers fed WDG had less {P = 0.01) total tract DM digestibility than heifers fed CON. Increasing FE linearly (P < 0.05) increased starch digestibility without affecting digestibility of other nutrients. Addition of FE also reduced (P = 0.03) ruminai ammonia-N (NH3-N) concentration but did not affect VFA concentration. Moreover, application of FE to wheat DDGS linearly increased in situ ruminai DM (P <0.01) and NDF (P = 0.02) disappearance after 48 h of incubation. In Exp. 2, 160 yearling steers (initial BW = 495 ± 37.9 kg) were fed the same diets as in Exp. 1. No differences in DMI, final BW, ADG, dietary NEg, or carcass characteristics were observed among diets. However, the steers fed WDG had less (P < 0.05) G:F and greater number of (P <0.01) abscessed livers than steers fed CON. Increasing FE application in wheat DDGS diets did not affect DMI, final BW, or ADG but tended (P < 0.09) to linearly improve feed efficiency and decreased (P = 0.03) the incidence of abscessed livers. These results demonstrated adverse effects of including wheat DDGS in finishing diets on feed digestion, feed efficiency, and animal health. Application of FE in wheat DDGS-based diets potentially improved starch digestion, protein metabolism in the rumen, feed efficiency, and animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fat deposition influences both meat quality and animal productivity. However, it is not clear how fat development is regulated in growing and fattening beef cattle. This study characterized proteomic changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue from steers fed a high-grain diet in an effort to understand the molecular mechanisms of fat development during feedlot production. Eight British-Continental crossbred steers had two subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies at 12 and 15 mo of age. Protein expression in fat samples was profiled using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). During the finishing period, steers increased subcutaneous adipose tissue mass with concomitant changes in the proteome profile, but the nature of these changes varied among steers. The expression of 123 out of 627 identified proteins differed (P < 0.05) between 2 ages. Functional analyses on differentially expressed proteins revealed that 20.2% of them were associated with cellular growth and proliferation of adipose tissue. There were 17 out of 108 differentially expressed proteins associated with lipid metabolism, which were acyl-CoA synthetase mediumchain family member 1 (ACSMl),annexin A 1 (ANXA1), apolipoprotein C-III (APOC3), apolipoprotein H (beta- 2-glycoprotein I; APOH), EH-domain containing 1 (EHD1), coagulation factor II (thrombin; F2), gelsolin (GSN), lamin A/C (LMNA), mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MAP2K1), myosin, heavy chain 9, non-muscle (MYH9), orosomucoid 1 (ORM1), protein disulfide isomerase family A, member 3 (PDIA3), retinol binding protein 4, plasma (RBP4), renin binding protein (RENBP), succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A, flavoprotein (Fp; SDHA), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade C (antithrombin), member 1 (SERPINC1), and serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G (Cl inhibitor), member 1 (SERPING1). Further analysis of the expression levels of proteins associated with lipid metabolism indicated a downregulation in the synthesis of fatty acids at the cellular level at 15 compared to 12 mo of age. These results suggest that even though adipose tissue expanded, fat anabolism was reduced in adipocytes during growth, revealing a coordinated balance between subcutaneous fat mass and the cellular abundance of lipogenic proteins to control the rate of fat deposition in growing beef cattle. The findings observed in this study expand our understanding on how proteome of bovine adipose tissue is regulated during growth, which might help the development in the future of new strategies to manipulate adiposity in beef cattle in a manner that improves meat quality and animal productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HL-3 is a new medium-sized copper conducting tokamak, which is dedicated to the plasma shaping control for plasma high performance and flexible operation, especially the advanced divertor configurations. According to the physics needs of the project, three types of magnetic pickup coils are designed and developed on HL-3 for magnetic field measurements. The coils emphasize different geometry sizes and array layouts. The coils are installed carefully by using high-precision positioning equipment to ensure the measurement accuracy of the system. After calibration, the magnetic field measurements are supplied for real-time equilibrium reconstruction and plasma control, e.g., with snowflake-shaped divertor configuration reconstruction. Mirnov coils satisfy the requirements for physical analysis, including determining the mode number from raw signals and detecting the magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of myoblasts. However, the effect of miR-7 on the apoptosis of chicken primary myoblasts (CPMs) and its mechanism is still unclear. 2. In this study, the expression of apoptosis marker genes (RAF1, Caspase3, Caspase9, Cytc, Fas) in CPMs was significantly increased after transfection of miR-7 mimic. The expression of the apoptosis marker genes in CPMs was significantly reduced after transfection with miR-7 inhibitor. Flow cytometry showed that the late apoptosis rate of the mimic group was significantly higher than the negative control (NC). The viable cells of the mimic group were significantly lower than the NC. In contrast, inhibition of miR-7 had the opposite effect. 3. The dual-luciferase assay showed that the KLF4 was a target gene of miR-7. The rescue experiment showed that the KLF4 gene could attenuate the effect of miR-7 on the expression of apoptosis marker genes in CPMs. 4. Determination of the function the KLF4 gene showed that the expression of the apoptosis marker genes in CPMs decreased significantly compared with the NC after its overexpression. Inhibition of KLF4 gene had the opposite effect. Flow cytometry showed that overexpression of the KLF4 gene inhibited early apoptosis of myoblasts (P ≤ 0.01), while interference with the KLF4 gene could promote early apoptosis of myoblasts (P ≤ 0.001). 5. The results demonstrated, for the first time, that miR-7 promotes apoptosis in chicken primary myoblasts by regulating the expression of the KLF4 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]