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AbstractCopy number variations (CNVs) involving the α-globin gene cluster can lead to an imbalance in the proportion of α- and β-globin chains and consequently cause clinical symptoms of β-thalassemia. In our case, a 6-year-old boy, clinically diagnosed with β thalassemia intermedia, was admitted for further genetic diagnosis with his family. Targeted sequencing and third generation sequencing (TGS) were used to detect the possible variants of the thalassemia genes. Low-pass whole genome sequencing (lpWGS) was conducted to specify the exact location of relevant CNVs across the genome, which was then validated by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.The results revealed that the patient had a heterozygous β0 mutation of Codon17 (A > T) and a full duplication of the α-globin gene cluster, inherited from his mother and father, respectively. Besides, a novel point mutation within the 5′ untranslated region of β-Globin (HBB: c. −175 (G > A) was only detected in the patient. This study suggests that lpWGS seems a powerful alternative to detect large CNVs related to thalassemia with second intention for more information of the breakpoints and a simultaneous genome-scale detection of other pathogenic CNVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantile treatment effects can be important causal estimands in the evaluation of biomedical treatments or interventions for health outcomes such as birthweight and medical cost. However, the existing estimators require either a propensity score model or a conditional density vector model is correctly specified, which is difficult to verify in practice. In this paper, we allow multiple models for propensity score and conditional density vector, then construct a class of calibration estimators based on multiple imputation and inverse probability weighting approaches via empirical likelihood. The resulting estimators multiply robust in the sense that they are consistent if any one of these models is correctly specified. Moreover, we propose another class of ensemble estimators to reduce computational burden while ensuring multiple robustness. Simulations are performed to evaluate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators. Two applications to the birthweight of infants born in the United States and AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 175 data are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During tunnel boring machine (TBM) construction, the rock breaking effect of the disc cutter in complex formations affects the progress and cost of the entire project. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand the rock breaking mechanism of TBM in complex formations. In this study, matrix discrete element method (MatDEM) software is used to study the rock breaking mechanism of the disc cutter at the interface of soil and rock. Based on the theoretical study and analysis of rock breaking process of the disc cutter in the soil-rock composite formations, the three-dimensional dynamic rock breaking process of the disc cutter in soil-rock formations with different rock dip angles (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°) is simulated by using MatDEM, and the simulation results are analyzed from three aspects: the unit force, the fracture number of unit connection, and the system energy. The main conclusions are as follows: when the disc cutter is used to roll and break the rock at the soil-rock interface of composite formations, the unit force and the fracture number of unit connection are positively related to the contact area S of the rock and blade at the front edge of the disc cutter. The energy to break the rock by the disc cutter is mainly affected by the broken rock volume per unit time Vdt. The greater the Vdt is, the more energy the disc cutter needs to break the rock is. The total force P is affected by the contact area S (β, t). The change of the maximum total force is small when β = 15°, 30°, and 45°, and is obviously lower at 60° and 75°, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) based elastomers have witnessed increasing applications in various emerging fields, and the crystallization modification of the PET-based elastomers with functional nanoparticles is considered as the effective strategy for simultaneously improving their processing efficiency, mechanical properties as well as functionalities. Therefore, we herein have synthesized a range of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with different sizes using a high temperature resistance polymer as the surface capping agent. Furthermore, we found that the melt crystallization of a semi-crystallized PET-based elastomer, which was obtained by introducing the flexible polyethylene glycol (PEG1000) segment into PET backbone via condensation polymerization, can be effectively tuned by the synthesized Ag NPs with different sizes. The surface morphology, optical properties, crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of the Ag NPs modified PET-PEG elastomers have been systematically characterized using SEM, optical spectroscopy, DSC, XRD, polarized optical microscope and electromechanical analyzer. The results indicated that the Ag NPs with average size of ~ 60 nm serve as the optimized nucleating agent to not only accelerate the crystallization but also enhance the mechanical properties of PET-PEG elastomers (i.e., tensile strength and modulus were enhanced by 9.6% and 76.6%, respectively). Meanwhile, the intrinsic blue fluorescence emission of PET-PEG elastomers is well preserved after Ag NPs modification. Given the diverse functional properties of Ag NPs, the present work will open the new way for fabrication of multifunctional polyester elastomers with tunable mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a two-stage estimation procedure is proposed to obtain an efficient propensity score (PS) based estimator for the average treatment effect (ATE) with multicollinearity in high-dimensional covariates. In the first stage, we adjust the usual Horvitz–Thompson estimator of the ATE by incorporating instrumental variables in parametric PS models to avoid model misspecification and then propose the generalised regression estimator by utilising the auxiliary information from covariates related to the potential outcomes. In the second stage, we adapt the Elastic-net method to solve the multicollinearity issue and further improve the estimation efficiency based on the selected important covariates. The finite-sample performance of the proposed estimator is studied through simulation, and two applications to HER2 breast cancer and employees' weekly wages are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Adsorption at the top sites is energetically more favorable. • Stronger interaction in the N-head manner than in the S-head manner. • Chemisorptive bonds formed between N atom and Cu surface. • HOMO-1 is responsible for N Cu bond. • S Cu interaction has both σ- and π-character. Abstract In the N-head manner the interaction between the thiazole and the Cu surface is stronger compared to the S-head manner. Chemisorptive bond is formed in the N-head manner while for the S-head manner only physisorptive interaction is observed. In the N-head manner the HOMO-1 plays the most important role in the σ-type bonding between the thiazole and the Cu atom as compared to the weak interaction with both σ- and π-character in the S-head manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Intercalation of hydrogen titanates by dodecylamine and 2-aminomethyl benzimidazole. • Extraction of corrosion inhibitors from hydrogen titanate matrices. • Self-repairing performance of the coatings modified by inhibitor-base titanate matrices. Abstract Two hydrogen titanate matrices, H 2 Ti 4 O 9 (T1) and H x Ti 2- x /4 □ x /4 O 4 (T2), were prepared as the inhibitor reservoirs. In ethanol solutions the inhibitive molecules, dodecylamine (DA) and 2-aminomethyl benzimidazole (ABI), can be stored in the interlayer spaces of the two matrices, respectively, and in aqueous media they are extracted to function as effective inhibitors. In comparison to DA into T1, the intercalation of ABI into T2 is relatively more difficult and the extraction of ABI in aqueous media is also incomplete. The epoxy coatings containing the inhibitor-modified titanate matrices exhibit good self-repairing performance. Electrochemical tests show that the coating containing ABI-modified titanates works better in self-repairing performance than that containing DA-modified titanates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 1 H ‑perimidine (PER) and 1 H ‑perimidin‑2‑amine (NPER) are investigated as corrosion inhibitors of mild steel in acidic media. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and theoretical calculations are used to study the inhibition performance and adsorption mechanism. At a concentration < 0.15 mM, the inhibition efficiencies of these compounds are >90% for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl. Moreover, the inhibitive capability of NPER is slightly higher than that of PER due to the presence of 2-position amino-group. The fusion of large π-bond system with N-containing heterocycles makes the compounds strongly adsorb on iron surfaces in a nearly parallel mode. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • High effectiveness of perimidine derivatives • Presence of amine group enhancing inhibition performance • Perimidine derivatives accepting electrons from iron surfaces • Perimidine derivatives adsorbing on iron surfaces in a planar mode [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-wetting nanofibrous membrane showing anti-microbial feature is considered as a promising candidate to resolve the longstanding fouling issues of emulsified oil/water separation. Herein, we have synthesized a super-engineering polyarylene ether containing pendent nitrile and sulfonate groups (sPEN). Furthermore, the synthesized sPEN has been converted into electrospun nanofibers, on which the silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) of different sizes have been covalently immobilized to prepare the composited Ag@sPEN nanofibrous membranes (NFM). Detailed experimental results indicate that the in-situ growth Ag NPs not only enhances the thermal and mechanical properties of sPEN matrix, but also renders the sPEN-based NFM with desired surface wettability of hydrophilic/underwater super-hydrophobic as well as strong anti-bacterial effects towards both gram-positive and gram-negative strains. As the consequence, the optimized Ag@sPEN NFM exhibits a high flux of 3597 ± 212 L m-2 h-1 under a pressure difference of 0.09 MPa for separation of surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion. More importantly, the emulsion flux and efficiency of optimized NFM remain above 3000 L m-2 h-1 and 99% even after 20 cycles of separation due to its mechanical stability as well as anti-fouling features. Thanks to the facile fabrication and good oil-water separation performance, the current work would open a new way for design of nanofibrous membranes for environmental remediation. [Display omitted] • Sulfonated polyarylene ether nitrile (sPEN) was processed into nanofibrous membrane (NFM). • Silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) were in-situ grown on sPEN matrix to obtain Ag@sPEN NFM. • The Ag@sPEN NFM exhibits super-wettability and anti-microbial features. • The optimized Ag@sPEN NFM has a high emulsion flux of 3597 L m-2 h-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea starch was subjected to industry-scale microfluidization (ISM) treatment at selected pressures (30, 60, 90 and 120 MPa) for one pass, and changes in structure were studied by the analysis of morphology, granule size, damaged starch, internal ordered structure and thermal properties. Also, pasting and rheological properties of ISM-treated PeaS were investigated. ISM treatment caused starch granules swell to a larger size, but retained the granular integrity. In combination with the disrupted long-range crystalline, the disturbed short-range ordered structure and the reduced gelatinization enthalpy of pea starch, it was inferred that ISM-treated PeaS was analogue to partially-gelatinized granular starch. RVA determination indicated that pasting viscosity of ISM-treated PeaS was enhanced, which was attributed to the loosened internal structure of intact granular starch. Viscoelastic modulus and tan δ value of ISM-treated PeaS were respectively increased and diminished, and the extreme values were obtained for ISM-60 PeaS. Additionally, ISM-treated PeaS behaved lower in-shear recovery values, which may be the reason that the reinforced gel network structure of ISM-treated PeaS was more difficult to recover their original state. Considering the simple operation and efficient modification of this technique, ISM could be a good option to applied in producing partially-gelatinized granular pea starch for industrial applications. • A new partially-gelatinized granular pea starch was prepared by industry-scale microfluidization. • ISM made pea starch swell but maintained its integrity of granule. • ISM disrupted crystalline and short-range ordered structure of pea starch. • ISM reduced endothermic enthalpy and induced partially gelatinization of pea starch. • Partially-gelatinized granular starch displayed the enhanced viscosities and mechanical stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel amphiphilic copolymer named polyarylene ether nitrile (amPEN) was synthesized and further employed to encapsulate oleic acid (OA) capped CdSe@CdS QD via one-step microemulsion self-assembling, which contributed to the facile fabrication of water dispersible QD/amPEN core-shell superparticles (SP) showing dual emissive feature. It was found that the obtained QD/amPEN core-shell SP can be employed as the sensitive and selective fluorescent probe for determination of trace concentration of Ag + down to 1 nM via the photo-induced electron transfer. More interestingly, the obtained QD/amPEN core-shell SP can be integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to fabricate robust luminescent solid state films that still demonstrated sensitive detection of Ag + even after placing in water for six days. Furthermore, the QD/amPEN core-shell SP doped PDMS film exhibited the stretching dependent luminescent emission, which implied the composite materials could be also developed as flexible optical strain sensors. Given the facile fabrication and competitive sensing performance both in solution phase and solid state, the present work basically provides a universal strategy for the construction of versatile multifunctional luminescent sensors using QD and polyarylene ethers as building blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heteroplasmy is the presence of more than one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variant within a cell, tissue, or individual. In this study, sequence variation was investigated in the control region (CR) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 135 individuals belonging to five primary domestic Bactrian camel breeds in China and Mongolia. Due to variation of the repeat unit G(T/C)(AC)n, length heteroplasmy was detected within each camel by direct sequencing and fragment analysis. A high occurrence of mtDNA heteroplasmy, up to 100 percentages was observed in five camel populations. Our study provides the first evidence of extensive length heteroplasmy in Bactrian camels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SIRT1 protein deacetylase is reported to have a remarkably wide spectrum of biological functions affecting such varied processes as aging, cancer, metabolism, neurodegeneration and immunity. However, the SIRT1 literature is also full of contradictions. To help establish the role(s) of SIRT1 in these and other biological processes, we set out to create a mouse in which the SIRT1 activity could be toggled between on and off states by fusing the estrogen receptor ligand-binding domain (ER) to the C terminus of the SIRT1 protein. We found that the catalytic activity of the SIRT1-ER fusion protein increased 4–5 fold in cells treated with its ligand, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4OHT). The 4OHT-induced activation of SIRT1-ER was due in large part to a 2 to 4-fold increase in abundance of the SIRT1-ER protein in cells in culture and in tissues in vivo. This increase is reversible and is a consequence of 4OHT-induced stabilization of the SIRT1-ER protein. Since changes in SIRT1 level or activity of 2–4 fold are frequently reported to be sufficient to affect its biological functions, this mouse should be helpful in establishing the causal relationships between SIRT1 and the diseases and processes it affects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cyano-terminated zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc-CN) exhibiting visible near infrared (vis-NIR) emitting around 690 nm in N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent has been synthesized. Furthermore, the peripheral cyano groups of newly synthesized zinc phthalocyanine were hydrolyzed in strong basic solution, leading to water soluble carboxylated zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc-COOH) with completely quenched fluorescence in aqueous solution. Interestingly, we found that the NIR fluorescence of aqueous ZnPc-COOH was dramatically recovered in the presence of gold nanorods (Au NR), which was due to the alternation of ZnPc-COOH molecules self-assembling via electrostatic interaction between cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the surface of Au NR and peripheral carboxyl of ZnPc-COOH. In addition, ZnPc-COOH/Au NR conjugates demonstrated an improved singlet oxygen generation, which could be served as potential bioimaging probe and photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, fluorescent co -polyester was prepared by incorporating polyethylene glycol (PEG) segment into backbone of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The crystalline structures and fluorescence properties of obtained PET-PEG copolymers were systematically studied. It was found that the crystalline behaviour of PET was significantly alternated after incorporation of flexible PEG segment, meanwhile the ultrasmall sized carbon dots with blue emitting luminescence can be obtained from incorporated PEG segment, which contributed to the fluorescence property of resultant PET-PEG co -polyester solution and fiber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four-horned sheep are an ideal animal model for illuminating the genetic basis of horn development. The objective of this study was to locate the genetic region responsible for the four-horned phenotype and to verify a previously reported polled locus in three Chinese breeds. A genome-wide association study ( GWAS) was performed using 34 two-horned and 32 four-horned sheep from three Chinese indigenous breeds: Altay, Mongolian and Sishui Fur sheep. The top two significant single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) associated with the four-horned phenotype were both located in a region spanning positions 132.6 to 132.7 Mb on sheep chromosome 2. Similar locations for the four-horned trait were previously identified in Jacob, Navajo-Churro, Damara and Sishui Fur sheep, suggesting a common genetic component underlying the four-horned phenotype. The two identified SNPs were both downstream of the metaxin 2 ( MTX2) gene and the HOXD gene cluster. For the top SNP- OAR2:g.132619300G>A-the strong associations of the AA and AG genotypes with the four-horned phenotype and the GG genotype with the two-horned phenotype indicated the dominant inheritance of the four-horned trait. No significant SNPs for the polled phenotype were identified in the GWAS analysis, and a PCR analysis for the detection of the 1.8-kb insertion associated with polled sheep in other breeds failed to verify the association with polledness in the three Chinese breeds. This study supports the hypothesis that two different loci are responsible for horn existence and number. This study contributes to the understanding of the molecular regulation of horn development and enriches the knowledge of qualitative traits in domestic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the ability to change properties of XG by industry-scale microfluidization (ISM). XG was treated by ISM for one pass at 30, 60, 90, 120 MPa and two passes at 120 MPa. Flow behavior of ISM-treated XG (FD) was investigated, and structural properties were determined by HPSEC-MALLS, SEM, XRD and FITR analysis. Monosaccharide compositions of ISM-treated XG (FD) after dialysis were determined to investigate the way of disrupting chain. ISM treatment significantly reduced apparent viscosity and molecular weight (Mw) of XG. Viscosity of ISM-treated XG (FD) couldn't be recovered by dissolving in 0.1 M NaCl, implying that treatment induced scission of XG chain in addition to disrupting weak associations between XG. The decrease ratio of Mw reached the maximum (57.19%) after treatment at 120 MPa for one pass, and treatment for two passes did not further reduce Mw of XG, implying that ISM was an effective technology to degrade XG. The change trend of molecular parameters including R g , PDI, ρ and SV g conformed to that of Mw. The alterations of monosaccharide molar ratios for the dialyzed ISM-treated XG (FD) indicated that ISM treatment broke glycosidic bonds in the main and side chains of XG. Additionally, ISM treatment transformed the morphology from smooth sheet-like into banded even fragmented structure and weakened the organization of XG. Similar characteristic peaks of FTIR spectra demonstrated that ISM treatment had no effect on primary structure of XG. Based on the above results, a model was proposed to illustrate the alterations of XG chain induced by ISM treatment. [Display omitted] • Industry-scale microfluidization (ISM) treatment was used to treat XG. • ISM significantly declined viscosity and changed flow behavior of XG. • ISM induced a significant decrease in Mw and change in molecular parameters. • ISM effectively changed viscosity and structure of XG by treatment for one pass. • Glycosidic bonds were broken by ISM in the main and side chains of XG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North Carolina design III (NCIII) is one of the most powerful and widely used mating designs for understanding the genetic basis of heterosis. However, the quantitative trait mapping (QTL) conducted in previous studies with this design was mainly based on analysis of variance (ANOVA), composite interval or multiple interval mapping methods. These methodologies could not investigate all kinds of genetic effects, especially epistatic effects, simultaneously on the whole genome. In this study, with a statistical method for mapping epistatic QTL associated with heterosis using the recombinant inbred line (RIL)-based NCIII design, we conducted QTL mapping for nine agronomic traits of two elite hybrids to characterize the mode of gene action contributing to heterosis on a whole genomewide scale. In total, 23 main-effect QTL (M-QTL) and 23 digenic interactions in IJ ( indica × japonica) hybrids, 11 M-QTL and 82 digenic interactions in II ( indica × indica) hybrid QTLs were identified in the present study. The variation explained by individual M-QTL or interactions ranged from 2.3 to 11.0%. The number of digenic interactions and the total variation explained by interactions of each trait were larger than those of M-QTL. The augmented genetic effect ratio of most M-QTL and digenic interactions in (L -L ) data of two backcross populations (L and L ) showed complete dominance or overdominance, and in (L + L) data showed an additive effect. Our results indicated that the dominance, overdominance and epistatic effect were important in conditioning the genetic basis of heterosis of the two elite hybrids. The relative contributions of the genetic components varied with traits and the genetic basis of the two hybrids was different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the ability to change properties of XG by industry-scale microfluidization (ISM). XG was treated by ISM for one pass at 30, 60, 90, 120 MPa and two passes at 120 MPa. Flow behavior of ISM-treated XG (FD) was investigated, and structural properties were determined by HPSEC-MALLS, SEM, XRD and FITR analysis. Monosaccharide compositions of ISM-treated XG (FD) after dialysis were determined to investigate the way of disrupting chain. ISM treatment significantly reduced apparent viscosity and molecular weight (Mw) of XG. Viscosity of ISM-treated XG (FD) couldn't be recovered by dissolving in 0.1 M NaCl, implying that treatment induced scission of XG chain in addition to disrupting weak associations between XG. The decrease ratio of Mw reached the maximum (57.19%) after treatment at 120 MPa for one pass, and treatment for two passes did not further reduce Mw of XG, implying that ISM was an effective technology to degrade XG. The change trend of molecular parameters including R g , PDI, ρ and SV g conformed to that of Mw. The alterations of monosaccharide molar ratios for the dialyzed ISM-treated XG (FD) indicated that ISM treatment broke glycosidic bonds in the main and side chains of XG. Additionally, ISM treatment transformed the morphology from smooth sheet-like into banded even fragmented structure and weakened the organization of XG. Similar characteristic peaks of FTIR spectra demonstrated that ISM treatment had no effect on primary structure of XG. Based on the above results, a model was proposed to illustrate the alterations of XG chain induced by ISM treatment. [Display omitted] • Industry-scale microfluidization (ISM) treatment was used to treat XG. • ISM significantly declined viscosity and changed flow behavior of XG. • ISM induced a significant decrease in Mw and change in molecular parameters. • ISM effectively changed viscosity and structure of XG by treatment for one pass. • Glycosidic bonds were broken by ISM in the main and side chains of XG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A homo-polyarylene ether nitrile (homo-PEN) was synthesized via polycondensation. • The homo-PEN was converted to microparticles via emulsion confinement self-assembly. • The obtained microparticles can be hydrolyzed to present surface carboxyl groups. • Protein A was modified on the carboxylated microparticles for antibody separation. • QD embedded hybrid microparticles were used for assessment of phagocytosis activity. Polymeric microparticles obtained via the emulsion confinement self-assembly of block copolymers have been used as the effective scaffold for construction of bioactive agents for various biomedicine applications, however the used block copolymers are normally synthesize via the controlled/living polymerization that involves tedious workload. Herein, we have discovered that a homo-polyarylene ether nitrile (abbreviated as homo-PEN), obtained via the industrially scalable step-growth nucleophilic substitution polycondensation, can be transformed into sub-micrometer sized polymeric microparticles via emulsion confined self-assembly. We found that the size of obtained microparticles was dependent on the molecular weight of homo-PEN or added ethanol content during self-assembly. More interestingly, the surface cyano of as-obtained polymeric microparticles can be partially converted into carboxyl groups after hydrolysis in alkaline aqueous solution without any morphology destruction. Consequently, the protein A was further covalently grafted on the carboxylated PEN microparticles to obtain the so-called AP beads that showed comparable antibody enrichment as that of commercial beads. Meanwhile, the co-assembly of homo-PEN with red-emitting fluorescent quantum dots (QD) leads to generation of the Q-beads exhibiting stable fluorescence both in aqueous solution and after internalized into macrophage cells, which can be explored for quantitative evaluation of macrophage phagocytosis activity via flow cytometry. In short, this work opens new way for fabrication of multifunctional bioactive microparticles using easily synthesized polyarylene ethers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosis represents one of the most revolutionary advancements in crop improvement. In the genetic dissection of heterosis, NCIII design is one of the most powerful and widely used mating schemes. However, the methodologies for quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection in the design were mostly based on composite interval mapping. Therefore, in this study, our purpose was to develop a statistical method for mapping epistatic QTL associated with heterosis in the RIL-based NCIII design. First, we derivated the expectations of two classical linear transformations, Z and Z, while a quantitative trait was controlled by two QTL with digenic epistasis and arbitrary linkage under the F and F metric models. Then, we constructed an epistatic genetic model that includes all markers on the whole genome simultaneously, and estimated all the parameters in the model by the empirical Bayes approach. Finally, a series of Monte Carlo simulation experiments was carried out to confirm the proposed approach. The results show that: (1) all the augmented genetic parameters for main-effect QTL could be rightly identified with satisfactory statistical power and precision; (2) the statistical powers in the detection of augmented epistatic effects were substantively affected by the signs of pure epistatic effects; (3) it is more difficult to detect epistatic QTL than to detect main-effect QTL; (4) statistical power is higher in the RIL-based NCIII design than in the F2-based NCIII design, especially in the detection of the augmented epistatic effect that consists of two pure epistatic effects in opposite directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-corrosion properties of calcium hexaluminate (CA6) during the roasting of Li(Ni x Co y Mn z)O 2 (LNCM) materials have been investigated by means of specific experimental setups and test methods to verify its feasibility as an adiabatic insulation material for the roasting kiln of LNCM materials. Mullite insulating firebrick currently in industrial use was coated with CA6 (labelled M-CA6) and corrosion tests were carried out. The corrosion tests were carried out at different additions of corrosion sources, roasting temperatures, number of cycles of corrosion experiments. And the materials before and after corrosion characterized by the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to determine the influence of different corrosion conditions on the interactions between M-CA6 and LNCM materials. In addition, The corrosion resistance of calcium CA6 and the feasibility of its application in practical industry was identified by characterising and comparing the high-temperature creep properties of the materials. The results of the laboratory scale experiments confirmed that M-CA6 was more resistant to LNCM than mullite insulating firebrick, and confirmed the feasibility and superiority of using CA6 as a lining insulation for LNCN kilns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfuric acid corrosion is a non-negligible problem affecting the durability of concrete materials. To explore the mechanism of sulfuric acid corrosion on the fracture performance and microstructure of concrete, three-point bending test was utilized to analyze the evolutionary characteristics of the crack mouth opening displacement and the fracture toughness of concrete corroded by sulfuric acid. Scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectrometer were utilized to analyze the characteristics of microscopic morphology and corrosion products of concrete corroded by sulfuric acid. The result shows that the fracture evolution of concrete can be divided into four stages: nonlinear development stage, linear development stage, deceleration expansion stage, and accelerated expansion stage. In purified water environment, the peak fracture load and fracture toughness of concrete is positively related to corrosion time. In sulfuric acid corrosion environment, the peak fracture load and fracture toughness of concrete are negatively related to corrosion time and concentrations of sulfuric acid solution. Microscopic experiments show that the interior of concrete is less affected by sulfuric acid corrosion, and the structure is relatively dense compared with the surface. The expansion crystal ettringite formed at the fracture surface of the concrete specimen during sulfuric acid corrosion was the main reason for the durability reduction of concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous detection of multiple heavy metal ions (HMI) is of great importance for the environmental monitoring, and the analytical tools based on multiband emissive fluorescent probes have been regarded as one of the most promising candidate for multiple HMI detection. Herein, the rod-coil amphiphilic block copolymer (BCP) with intrinsic blue fluorescence emission has been synthesized and subsequently employed to encapsulate two types of hydrophobic quantum dots (QD) with green and red fluorescence emission via the three dimensionally confined emulsion self-assembly, leading to the generation of white-emitting superparticles showing good colloidal stability and stable aqueous phase fluorescence. Furthermore, it was found that the fluorescence emission intensity of obtained superparticles can be selectively quenched by Ag+, Hg2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions via different mechanisms, and the four metal ions can be further discriminated according to their distinct combinational quenching effects onto three fluorescent bands of white-emitting superparticles. In addition, an analytical model was built to enable the simultaneous detection of Cu2+, Hg2+ and Fe3+ in the real sample. Basically, the current work opens the new way to fabricate fluorescent probes with multiple emission bands, which can be easily adapted to prepare more complicated QD encoded fluorescent probes for high throughput detection. ga1 • Intrinsically fluorescent amphiphilic block copolymers of P-PEN were synthesized. • P-PEN was combined with two types of QD to obtain white-emitting probes of 2QD@P-PEN. • Fluorescence of 2QD@P-PEN can be selectively quenched by Ag+, Hg2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+. • Simultaneous detection of Hg2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+ in tap water was realized. • 2QD@P-PEN based test strip allows naked eye discrimination of Ag+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Fe3+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modification in solubility and structure of pea protein by industry-scale microfluidization (ISM) at varying pressure (30, 60, 90 and 120 MPa) was investigated. ISM treatment significantly enhanced the solubility and turbidity of pea protein, and solubility was increased by 3.78 folds at 120 MPa. Meanwhile, particle size was reduced, and specific surface area was increased with the increase of pressure. Thick block-like structure was remarkably destructed, which was gradually changed to regular thin fragments. After ISM treatment, bathochromic shift and the increased intensity of intrinsic fluorescence were observed for pea protein. Moreover, surface hydrophobicity and free sulfhydryl groups contents were heightened, indicating protein molecular unfolding/denaturation. SDS-PAGE analysis showed the breaking of disulfide bonds, the degradation of protein fractions into small molecular peptides and the transformation of insoluble protein molecules or aggregates into soluble particles. These findings suggested that ISM treatment would be a potential and effective technique to improve solubility of pea protein, and it would be of great significance to develop pea protein-based food systems. Poor solubility of pea protein limited its utilities in food industries. Physical modification has attracted much attention owing to no involve of exogenous substances. One of the greatest challenges of the food industry is to find the feasible physical processing technology which could achieve the aim of industrially improving the solubility of commercial pea protein. An industry-scale microfludizer (ISM) recently designed in our laboratory overcame the drawbacks of small microchannel, low processing capacity and easily been blocked of traditional microfluidizers, which was an industrial scale microfluidizer device. The present research provided information that ISM was a potential and useful industrial technique to improve solubility of pea protein, and pea protein with the enhanced solubility may be beneficial to develop health and nutritional products based on plant protein. Unlabelled Image • Pea protein with low solubility was treated by industry-scale microfluidizer (ISM). • Solubility of pea protein was gradually increased with ISM pressure. • ISM treatment reduced particle size and disrupted thick block-like structure of pea protein. • ISM treatment induced molecular unfolding/denaturation of pea protein. • SDS-PAGE confirmed that ISM treatment had effect on profiles of pea protein fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which provided basic information about culture and consumer behavior with respect to fast food in the People's Republic of China. Marketing mix in the United States and China; Methodology; Results and discussion.

Self-assembly of block copolymer is a well-known methodology to fabricate soft functional nanostructures. Herein, the block copolymers containing both rigid aromatic moieties and flexible ether groups in the backbone, named of co -polyarylene ether nitriles, have been synthesized and further transformed into metal coordination polymeric microspheres (MCPMS) via the Pb2+ mediated self-assembly occurring in confined emulsion droplet. Based on the systematic characterization of SEM, TEM, SAED, XRD and XPS, it is found that the size, morphology, aggregate structure as well as fluorescent properties of obtained MCPMS can be readily modulated by tuning of block copolymer backbone structures and self-assembly parameters. More interestingly, the obtained MCPMS can be further employed as robust templates for in-situ immobilization of silver nanoparticles. Therefore, the metal ions assisted self-assembly of aromatic block copolymer in emulsion droplets reported in this work basically open a new way for fabrication of functional hybrid nanomaterials. Image 1 • Rod-coil amphiphilic block copolymer named of amPEN has been synthesized. • AmPEN has been self-assembled into microspheres via emulsion solvent evaporation. • Crystallized metal coordination polymeric microspheres (MCPMS) are obtained. • MCPMS are fabricated by introducing Pb2+ into emulsion solvent evaporation of amPEN. • MCPMS can be used as robust templates for in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study of Chinese sheep breed polycerate phenotype and genotyped them with the Illumina OvineSNP50 BeadChip array. It adds that GWAS was performed by the use of EMMAX software and all polycerate phenotypes revealed same genome-wide significant Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker.

[Display omitted] • We find two functional mutations driving the finer and denser wool production. • One C/A missense variant of KRT74 drive finer wool production in Chinese fine wool sheep. • The C-KRT74 can activate the KRT74 protein and affect wool fineness. • One T/C SNP in the regulatory region upstream of EDAR drive denser wool production in fine wool sheep. • The C-to-T mutation can upregulate EDAR mRNA expression and potentially affect wool density. Fine-wool sheep are the most common breed used by the wool industry worldwide. Fine-wool sheep have over a three-fold higher follicle density and a 50% smaller fiber diameter than coarse-wool sheep. This study aims to clarify the underlying genetic basis for the denser and finer wool phenotype in fine-wool breeds. Whole-genome sequences of 140 samples, Ovine HD630K SNP array data of 385 samples, including fine, semi-fine, and coarse wool sheep, as well as skin transcriptomes of nine samples were integrated for genomic selection signature analysis. Two loci at keratin 74 (KRT74) and ectodysplasin receptor (EDAR) were revealed. Fine-scale analysis in 250 fine/semi-fine and 198 coarse wool sheep narrowed this association to one C/A missense variant of KRT74 (OAR3:133,486,008, P = 1.02E-67) and one T/C SNP in the regulatory region upstream of EDAR (OAR3:61,927,840, P = 2.50E-43). Cellular over-expression and ovine skin section staining assays confirmed that C-KRT74 activated the KRT74 protein and specifically enlarged cell size at the Huxley's layer of the inner root sheath (P < 0.01). This structure enhancement shapes the growing hair shaft into the finer wool than the wild type. Luciferase assays validated that the C-to-T mutation upregulated EDAR mRNA expression via a newly created SOX2 binding site and potentially led to the formation of more hair placodes. Two functional mutations driving finer and denser wool production were characterized and offered new targets for genetic breeding during wool sheep selection. This study not only provides a theoretical basis for future selection of fine wool sheep breeds but also contributes to improving the value of wool commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a new approach of eddy current methods for determining the size of the coaxial hole in the metallic circular disk. In recent decades, for the air-cored sensor probe, the impedance change due to the presence of an infinite metal plate can be calculated by the Dodd–Deeds model. However, in practical measurements, the sample cannot match with the condition required—“infinite”; thus, the Dodd–Deeds model could not be applied to the disk with finite size and certainly not a coaxial hole in the center. In this article, a dual-constraint analytical method is proposed. That is, the upper and lower limits of the integration are substituted with specific values instead of the original 0 and $\infty $. Besides, it is found that, once the outer radius of the disk is fixed (i.e., the lower limit of integration is fixed), the upper limit reduces linearly as the size of the coaxial hole increases. Both the FEM simulation and experiments have been carried out to validate this method. The radius of the hole can be estimated based on the dual-constraint integration feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at systematically investigating the endophytic communities of dominant plants in the karst ecosystem. Soil and plant materials were collected and after sequencing of the 16 s RNA, the diversity and abundance of the endophytic community structures in leaves were examined. Our results showed that abundant and diverse endogenous bacteria were associated with the leaves of common dominant plants living in the karst ecological environment. Notably, common traits and significant differences in the endophytic community structures were recorded among different plant species with different leaf grown in soils with different calcium contents. These observations implied that plants may adopt different strategies to adapt to the karst ecological environment. In addition, the endophytic bacteria associated with the leaves may be involved in different physiological strategies used by the plants to adapt to the karst ecological environment. These findings provide new avenues for developing microbial agents that could be suitable for the karst ecological environment and will provide sustainable solutions for improving the ability of plants to adapt to karst special adversities, and thus for karst geomorphological environmental protection and agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: We performed a genome-wide association study of 100 sheep genomes to investigate the hereditary basis of the four-horn phenotype (FHP) in sheep. The results revealed that a total of 3 InDels (e.g., CHR2: g.133,742,709delA and g.133,743,215insC) and 14 SNPs (e.g., CHR2: g.133,727,513C > T and CHR16: g.40,351,378G > A) in CHR2 and CHR16 were significantly associated with the four-horn trait. Furthermore, HOXD1 and ADAMTS12 annotated from both CHR sequences were the key candidate gene loci contributing to FHP in sheep. This study provided a novel understanding of the Mendelian genetic basis for four horns in sheep. Horns are an important breeding trait for sheep. However, no widely recognized viewpoint on the regulatory genes and mechanisms of horns is available, and the genetic basis of the four-horn phenotype (FHP) is unclear. This work conducted a genome-wide association study with 100 sheep genomes from multiple breeds to investigate the genetic basis of the FHP. The results revealed three significant associations (corrected as p < 1.64 × 10−8) of the InDels (CHR2: g.133,742,709delA, g.133,743,215insC, and g.133,743,940delT) for FHP in the intergenic sequence (IGS) between the MTX2 and the LOC105609047 of CHR2. Moreover, 14 significant associations (corrected as p < 1.42 × 10−9) of SNPs with the FHP phenotype were identified in CHR2 and CHR16, including five (e.g., CHR16: g.40,351,378G > A and g.40,352,577G > A) located in the intron of the ADAMTS12 gene, eight (e.g., CHR2: g.133,727,513C > T and g.133,732,145T > G) in the IGS between MTX2 and LOC105609047, and only one (CHR2: g.133,930,761A > G) in the IGS between HOXD1 and MTX2. Obvious divergence was also observed in genotype patterns between the FHP and others (two horns and hornless) in the HOXD1 and ADAMTS12 gene regions. An extremely significant linkage also occurred between Loci I and Loci II within 100 individuals (LD = −156.02186, p < 0.00001). In summary, our study indicated that the genomic sequences from CHR2 and CHR16 contributed to the FHP in sheep, specifically the key candidate genes HOXD1 and ADAMTS12. These results improved our understanding of the Mendelian genetic basis of the FHP in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the cleanliness of cathode materials of Li ion batteries (LIBs), it is necessary to develop and apply advanced kiln furniture. Low-impurities Corundum-mullite materials (CMM) with were prepared, and the damage mechanism in LNCM production was studied. Innovatively amplify the corrosion process in the form of prefabricated cracks and explore their interaction mechanism. Based on the corrosion mechanism, Si-Al sol was selected as a binder to replace PVA. The corrosion resistance of CMM with Si-Al sol was significantly improved. With the improvement of calcination temperature and purity requirements of LIBs, the research and development of this advanced CMM kiln furniture has a good application prospect in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel whole peanut butter (PB) was developed using an emerging technology called stirred media mill (SMM). The impact of SMM on the size, microstructure, rheology, nutrient, and flavor of PB was investigated. The SMM treatment significantly decreased the particle size of PB, damaged cell structure, and released the oil body from cells. The apparent viscosity of PB decreased with the grinding process. Visual inspection revealed that the colloidal stability of PB was improved. The fatty acid composition was not affected by the grinding process. However, the tocopherol contents of the extracted oil slightly increased. Electronic nose and GC–MS analysis indicated that SMM could alter the flavor of PB after grinding for 45 min. Overall, SMM was a potential process technology to manufacture stable nut butter with smooth texture and delightful flavor profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize efficient and comprehensive utilization of kyanite tailings (KT) mullite insulating firebrick (M‐IFB) with high strength and low thermal conductivity with spherical‐low connectivity porous were success fully prepared by using KT and alumina as the main raw material. Control of the porosity and properties of mullite insulating firebrick can be easily and accurately achieved by adjusting the heat treatment temperature and the amount of forming agent. The compressive strengths, bulk density, thermal conductivities, liner change, and porosities ranged from 25.86–53.26 MPa,.58–1.61 g/cm3,.236–.599 W/(m·K), −1.01 to −.426 % and 66.89 to 78.63 %, respectively. The creep rate of M‐IFB was compared with that of current insulating bricks after them used in the baking kiln of lithium ion battery cathode materials in the laboratory to simulate the environment. The results show that the M‐IFB corrosion resistance was obviously superior to the current insulation bricks. The high porosity high strength mullite insulating firebrick prepared by this method is expected to be used in thermal insulation system of kiln to realize the comprehensive utilization of solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a new approach to treat the cobalt containing wastewater by in situ co-precipitation of Zn/Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs). LDHs with various metal compositions were characterized by XRD, and their capabilities to remove Co2+ were examined. Zn/Al system was found to be the best Co-removing LDHs system, which could remove Co2+ at the highest efficiency (> 99.99%). Reaction parameters of Zn/Al-LDHs were further optimized. The analysis of products found that Co2+ were removed in the form of Co4.8Zn1.2Al2(OH)16CO3·4H2O. This study suggests that in situ co-precipitation Zn/Al-LDHs provides an effective approach to treat liquid radioactive wastes containing Co2+ from nuclear power plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although soft micro/nanoreactors obtained from amphiphilic block co-polyolefin are intensively used for metallic nanoparticle synthesis, the intricate crosslinking after self-assembling of copolymers is an indispensable step. In this work, an amphiphilic block copolymer made of aromatic macromolecular with rigid backbone structures (i.e. polyarylene ether nitrile, PEN) is explored to formulate a robust micro/nano-reactor for direct silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) synthesis without any crosslinking step. We show that the polymeric micro/nanoreactors can be fabricated in both microemulsion and reverse microemulsion system. More importantly, Ag NPs with modulated morphology and optical properties can be in-situ synthesized using these PEN micro/nanoreactors, which is due to the coordination between Ag+ and pendant cyano/sulfonate groups of PEN. Interestingly, the anisotropic polygonal plate-like hybrid nanostructures are obtained via the optimization of nucleation and growth kinetics of Ag NPs using PEN nanoreactor in the water-in-oil W/O reverse microemulsion. Based on these results, the present work would open the way for the facile fabrication of soft micro/nanoreactors for plasmonic nanostructures synthesis using amphiphilic block-copolymers with rigid molecular structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional refractory materials used for calcining ternary lithium‐ion battery cathode materials, such as mullite, cordierite, and magnesia‐alumina spinel, are vulnerable to attack by Li(NixCoyMn1−x−y)O2 (LNCM) materials and therefore have a short service life. In order to improve the corrosion resistance of refractory materials to LNCM materials, mullite‐Al2TiO5 materials with different contents were synthesized in this paper by using calcined mullite powder, TiO2 powder, and La2O3 powder as raw materials, which were calcined at 1500–1600°C temperature, respectively. In this study, the potential of the materials for the preparation of LNCM materials was investigated in terms of its physical properties, resistance to the corrosion of LNCM materials, and resistance to thermal shock. The results showed that mullite‐Al2TiO5 composites can be successfully synthesized at 1500–1600°C, and the physical properties of the materials met the production requirements. The prepared mullite‐Al2TiO5 composites also exhibited better physical properties, good corrosion resistance, and proper thermal shock resistance compared with mullite refractories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: A unique structure of ruminants, the horn trait is not only closely related to natural and sexual selection but is also an important trait for polled sheep breeding. RXFP2 may be a crucial gene in regulating sheep horn. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms of sheep horn development remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the gene expression profile of the horn buds in sheep fetuses using RNA-seq technology. We identified 68 differentially expressed genes in the horn buds of 105-day-old Altay sheep fetuses, including RXFP2, FOXL2, and TNN. Further, we found that the Wnt signaling pathway may be responsible for horn development. Our study provides new possible marker genes for horn development, which may promote our understanding of the genetic mechanisms of sheep horn formation. Horns, also known as headgear, are a unique structure of ruminants. As ruminants are globally distributed, the study of horn formation is critical not only for increasing our understanding of natural and sexual selection but also for the breeding of polled sheep breeds to facilitate modern sheep farming. Despite this, a significant number of the underlying genetic pathways in sheep horn remain unclear. In this study, to clarify the gene expression profile of horn buds and investigate the key genes in horn bud formation, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was utilized to investigate differential gene expression in the horn buds and adjacent forehead skin of Altay sheep fetuses. There were only 68 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified, consisting of 58 up-regulated genes and 10 down-regulated genes. RXFP2 was differentially up-regulated in the horn buds and had the highest significance (p-value = 7.42 × 10−14). In addition, 32 DEGs were horn-related genes identified in previous studies, such as RXFP2, FOXL2, SFRP4, SFRP2, KRT1, KRT10, WNT7B, and WNT3. Further, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched with regard to growth, development, and cell differentiation. Pathway analysis revealed that the Wnt signaling pathway may be responsible for horn development. Further, through combining the protein–protein interaction networks of the DEGs, it was found that the top five hub genes, namely, ACAN, SFRP2, SFRP4, WNT3, and WNT7B, were also associated with horn development. Our results suggest that only a few key genes, including RXFP2, are involved in bud formation. This study not only validates the expression of candidate genes identified at the transcriptome level in previous studies but also provides new possible marker genes for horn development, which may promote our understanding of the genetic mechanisms of horn formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) are built up on gold substrate. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests show that the NHC-based SAMs exhibit high stability under ultrasonic circumstance, over 90% of NHC molecules being retained at gold surfaces after ultrasonic treatment of 10 min in water. Computations of density functional theory (DFT) demonstrate the preferential adsorption of NHC molecules at atop sites of Au (1 1 1) plane, and the strong interaction between NHC molecules and Au surfaces is attributed to the bonding between 2-position C atoms and Au atoms by the hybridization of the C 2 p orbitals with the Au 5 d and 6 s orbitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1-Benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-yl)methanol (BTM) and (1-(pyridin-4-ylmethyl)-1H-1,2,3- triazole-4-yl)methanol (PTM) were prepared and investigated as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in 1.0 M HCl. It is found that PTM functions as more effective inhibitor than BTM in the concentration range of 0.2 −1.0 mM. Computational chemistry studies show that the triazole derivatives can adsorb on the mild steel surface by sharing the lone pair electrons of N atoms with iron atoms or by accepting electrons from iron surfaces. Due to its strong interaction with the mild steel surface in aqueous system, the pyridine segment should be responsible for the higher inhibition efficiency of PTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides have taken a central role in AD research, the aggregation of Aβ peptide is involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The 35th amino acid was methionine (Met) in Aβ peptides and it's redox state is critical in determining the biological activity of Aβ. It has been suggested that oxidation of Met 35 (Met 35 O) plays a key role in the formation of paranuclei and in the control of oligomerization pathway choice. As an antioxidative selenoenzyme, Selenoprotein R (SelR) plays important roles in reducing the R-form of MetO to Met to maintain intracellular redox balance. However, the relationship between SelR and Aβ was little investigated. Here, we found that SelR can directly interact with Aβ42, and the interaction between SelR and Aβ42 was verified by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), and pull-down assays. SelR is closely related to AD, its biological functions in human brain become a research focus. This work implies that SelR makes it capable of modulating Aβ42 aggregation and provides a novel avenue for further study on the mechanism of SelR in AD prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meanwhile, we integrated the gene sets (Table S3) and compared them with the DEGs identified in this study; these sets included the horn-related genes and proteins of sheep, goats, and cattle horns identified in previous studies [1,3,10,12-15,27-34]. Meanwhile, we integrated the gene sets (Table S3) and compared them with the DEGs identified in this study; these sets included the horn-related genes and proteins of sheep, goats, and cattle horns identified in previous studies [1,3,10,12-15,17,29-35]. The shape of sheep horn buds is similar to that of cattle horn buds [20]. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) serve as the source of myogenic cells and can afford to differentiate into myotubes as well as act as a model for exploring myogenesis in vitro. In this study, the transcriptional profile of ovine skeletal muscle satellite cells was constructed via the RNA-Seq method. A total of 1954 DEGs, 1479 AS, and 253 TFs were detected during the proliferation and differentiation of SMSCs. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the MAPK signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, and Ras signaling pathway were enriched. Together, our study provides novel insights into the transcription regulation of SMSCs during proliferation and differentiation at the transcriptional level, and provides a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanism of myogenesis and muscle development. Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs), which are highly multifunctional muscle-derived stem cells, play an essential role in myogenesis and regeneration. Here, the transcriptional profile of SMSCs during proliferation and differentiation were constructed using the RNA-Seq method. A total of 1954 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1092 differentially alternative splicing genes (DAGs) were identified including 1288 upregulated genes as well as 666 downregulated genes. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the DEGs and DAGs were enriched in the MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway, the PI3K-Akt (phosphatidylinositol-tris-phosphate kinase 3/protein kinase B) signaling pathway, the Wnt signaling pathway, and the Ras signaling pathway. In total, 1479 alternative splice events (AS) were also identified during SMSC proliferation and differentiation. Among them, a unique AS event was the major per-mRNA splicing type, and SE was the predominant splicing pattern. Furthermore, transcription factors with AS were scanned during SMSC differentiation such as myocyte enhancer factor-2C (MEF2C) and the nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 2 (NR4A2). Our results imply that MEF2C and NR4A2 can interact, and we speculate that NR4A2 and MEF2C might regulate the myogenesis of ovine SMSCs through interaction. Together, our study provides useful information on the transcriptional regulation of SMSCs during proliferation and differentiation at the transcriptional level, and provides a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanism of myogenesis and muscle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triacylglycerol (TG) biosynthesis is an important metabolic process for intracellular storage of surplus energy, intestinal dietary fat absorption, attenuation of lipotoxicity, lipid transportation, lactation and signal transduction in mammals. Transmembrane protein 68 (TMEM68) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored acyltransferase family member of unknown function. In the current study we show that overexpression of TMEM68 promotes TG accumulation and lipid droplet (LD) formation in a conserved active sites-dependent manner. Quantitative targeted lipidomic analysis showed that diacylglycerol (DG), free fatty acid (FFA) and TG levels were increased by TMEM68 expression. In addition, TMEM68 overexpression affected the levels of several glycerophospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol, as well as sterol ester contents. TMEM68 exhibited monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activities dependent on the conserved active sites in an in vitro assay. The expression of lipogenesis genes, including DGATs, fatty acid synthesis-related genes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ was upregulated in TMEM68-overexpressing cells. These results together demonstrate for the first time that TMEM68 functions as an acyltransferase and affects lipogenic gene expression, glycerolipid metabolism and TG storage in mammalian cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural changes of macromolecules (starch, dietary fiber and protein) in purple corn flour (PCF) modified by a low temperature impact mill (LTIM) at different air classifier speed (ACS) were investigated. LTIM changed the multi-scale structure of starch, which was characterized by increased starch damage, stronger destruction of relative crystallinity (from 37.85 % to 15.53 %) and short-range ordered structure (R 1047/1022 , from 1.21 to 0.73) with the increased ACS. The structure of dietary fiber was also destroyed on multi-level, including decreased particle size, destructive morphology, and slightly changed crystalline structure. Additionally, LTIM showed high damage on the senior structure (surface hydrophobicity, disulfide bond, secondary structure) of protein. Due to the structure changes modified by LTIM, starch, dietary fiber and protein played different role on hydration property of PCF. Starch had positive effect, while dietary fiber and protein had negative effect. Our experimental results may provide valuable information for further analysis of other quality changes (oil holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, ability to produce high-quality dough or end-out products, etc.) of purple corn flour after LTIM treatment. • LTIM destroyed the multi-scale structure of starch. • The structure of dietary fiber was disrupted after LTIM on multi-level. • LTIM induced the changes of senior structure of protein. • Starch, dietary fiber, protein had different effect on hydration property of PCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) is widely present in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Plant PEBP genes are mainly involved in flowering transition and nutritional growth. These genes have been studied in several plants; however, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have explored them in Brassica juncea var. tumida. This study identified and characterized the entire PEBP gene family of Brassica juncea var. tumida. Results: A total of 21 PEBP genes were identified from Brassica juncea var. tumida. Through phylogenetic analysis, the 21 corresponding proteins were classified into the following four clusters: TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1)-like proteins (n = 8), MOTHER OF FT AND TFL1 (MFT)-like proteins (n = 5), FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)-like proteins (n = 6), and ybhB-like proteins (n = 2). A total of 18 genes contained four exons and had similar gene structures in each subfamily except BjMFT1, BjPYBHB1, and Arabidopsis thaliana CENTRORADIALIS homolog of Brassica juncea var. tumida (BjATC1). In the analysis of conserved motif composition, the BjPEBP genes exhibited similar characteristics, except for BjFT3, BjMFT1, BjPYBHB1, BjPYBHB2, and BjATC1. The BjPEBP promoter includes multiple cis-acting elements such as the G-box and I-box elements that respond to light, ABRE and GARE-motif elements that respond to hormones, and MBSI and CAT-box elements that are associated with plant growth and development. Analysis of RNA-Seq data revealed that the expression of a few BjPEBP genes may be associated with the development of a tumorous stem. The results of qRT–PCR showed that BjTFL1 and BjPYBHB1 were highly expressed in the flower tissue, BjFT1 and BjATC1 were mainly expressed in the root, and BjMFT4 were highly detected in the stem. The results of yeast two-hybrid screening suggested that BjFT interacts with Bj14-3-3. These results indicate that BjFT is involved in flowering regulation. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to perform a genome-wide analysis of PEBP genes family in Brassica juncea var. tumida. The findings of this study may help improve the yield and molecular breeding of Brassica juncea var. tumida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]