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In the shoot meristem, both WUSCHEL (WUS) and SHOOT MERISTEMLESS (STM), two transcription factors with overlapping spatiotemporal expression patterns, are essential for maintaining stem cells in an undifferentiated state. Despite their importance, it remains unclear how these two pathways are integrated to coordinate stem cell development. Here, we show that the WUS and STM pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana converge through direct interaction between the WUS and STM proteins. STM binds to the promoter of CLAVATA3 (CLV3) and enhances the binding of WUS to the same promoter through the WUS-STM interaction. Both the heterodimerization and simultaneous binding of WUS and STM at two sites on the CLV3 promoter are required to regulate CLV3 expression, which in turn maintains a constant number of stem cells. Furthermore, the expression of STM depends on WUS, and this WUS-activated STM expression enhances the WUS-mediated stem cell activity. Our data provide a framework for understanding how spatial expression patterns within the shoot meristem are translated into regulatory units of stem cell homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttranslational modifications are essential for the regulation of urea transporter-A1 (UT-A1), among which ubiquitination is a rather attractive and complex issue. Previously, our group reported that murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is one of the E3 ubiquitin ligases for UT-A1, and, later, we showed that ubiquitination contributes to the subcellular trafficking and stability of UT-A1. In the present study, we discovered that MDM2 interacts with UT-A1 in an AP50 (a component of the clathrin-coated pit)-dependent manner. However, their binding is irrelevant to the phosphorylatory status of UT-A1. Next, our findings indicated that MDM2 decreases the stability of either total or membrane UT-A1. On the cell membrane, MDM2 and ubiquitinated UT-A1 are both distributed in the lipid raft domain, and their linkage is obviously enhanced under forskolin (FSK) stimulation. In line with these results, in the diabetic rat, not only MDM2 but also ubiquitinated UT-A1 are intensified. Also, in vitro high glucose and angiotensin II play similar roles as FSK does on the association of MDM2 with UT-A1. In conclusion, MDM2 binds with UT-A1 and mediates its ubiquitination and degradation in an AP50-dependent manner, and their binding capacity is strengthened under FSK and diabetic milieu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find the suitable alkali recovery process for linter and reed pulping discharges, the physicochemical properties of the black liquor solids from linters pulping and black liquor solids from reed pulping were analyzed. The swelling volume index, calorific value, and pyrolysis characteristics of five samples of mixed black liquor solids were tested. The kinetics of the combustion process of the samples were further studied. The results showed that the calorific value and swelling index of the reed black liquor was higher and its inorganic content was lower. During the combustion period, the droplet undergoes four stages; drying, devolatilisation or pyrolysis, char burning, and smelt reaction. With the increase of reed pulping black liquor solids in the sample, the activation energy decreased, while the frequency factors increased. As a result, the combustion performance of the mixed solids was significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical transmission measurements were performed on CdTe bulk single crystals. It was found that when sliced and polished CdTe wafers were used, a white film started to develop on the sample surface and the wafer became opaque when it was heated above 530 K. Therefore, a bulk crystal of CdTe was first grown in the window area by physical vapor transport. The optical transmission was then measured between 304 and 1067 K and from which the energy band gap was derived. The band gaps of CdTe can fit well as a function of temperature by the Varshni expression. Using the band gap data, the high temperature electron-hole equilibrium was numerically calculated by assuming Kane’s conduction band structure and a light-hole and a heavy-hole parabolic valence bands. The calculated intrinsic carrier concentrations agree well with the experimental data previously reported. The calculated intrinsic Fermi levels between 200 and 1200 K were also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney stone issues in humans have doubled since the early seventies. A variety of morphologies have been observed during stone removal from the kidney. The formation of these morphologies depends on various factors such as pH, temperature, impurities and composition of the nutrients remaining in the kidney after filtration. Growth kinetics, rate and morphology of stones depend strongly on the local concentration of insoluble species and nucleation surface in the kidney. In this paper, we have investigated the effect of pH, sugar (C6H12O6) and magnesium as an excess impurity on the kidney stone growth. At lower pH of the solution fat prism crystals are observed. Whereas at higher pH (>7), long fat needle crystals with large aspect ratio (length to width) are observed. The coarsening experiments showed further growth in different shapes. The impurity enhanced the colorization. The re-melting experiments were performed to understand the dissolution process of stones, revealing that during dissolution the joining material breaks first leaving the large faceted crystals undissolved. In addition, it was also found that the effect of excess sugar caused significant variations in the morphology and produced brown colored stones. Crystals containing sugar also retained significantly higher quantities of potassium compared to undoped stones. Finally, the effect of additional impurities e.g. magnesium on stone formation and morphology were studied demonstrating the ability to produce mushroom and cauliflower type morphologies. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that characteristics of stones with sugar were very different, with dehydration of stones taking continuously as function of temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While rotational dynamics of anisotropic nanoobjects has often been limited in plasmonic and fluorescent nanomaterials, here we demonstrate the capability of a surface plasmon resonance microscopy (SPRM) to determine the orientation of all kinds of anisotropic nanomaterials. By taking CdS nanorods as an example, it was found that two-dimensional Fourier transform of the asymmetrical wave-like SPRM image resulted in a peak in its angular spectrum in k space. Consistency between the peak angle and the geometrical orientation of the nanorod was validated by both in situ scanning electron microscope characterizations and theoretical calculations. Real-time monitoring of the rotational dynamics of single CdS nanorods further revealed the accelerated rotation under appropriate reaction conditions for photocatalyzed hydrogen generation. The driving force was attributed to the asymmetric production of hydrogen molecules as a result of inhomogeneous distribution of reactive sites within the nanorod. The present work not only builds the experimental and theoretical connections between the orientation of anisotropic nanomaterials and its SPRM images; the general suitability of SPRM also sheds light on broad types of nonfluorescent and nonplasmonic anisotropic nanoobjects from semiconductors to bacteria and viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) protects against hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) by inhibiting the proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Under hypoxia, the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α(HIF-1α) inhibits ACE2 indirectly; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we found that exposure to chronic hypoxia stimulated microRNA (miRNA) let-7b expression in rat lung via a HIF-1α-dependent pathway. Let-7b downregulated ACE2 expression by directly targeting the coding sequence of ACE2. Our in vitro and in vivo results revealed that let-7b contributed to the pathogenesis of HPH by inducing PASMCs proliferation and migration. Let-7b knockout mitigated right ventricle hypertrophy and pulmonary vessel remodeling in HPH by restoring ACE2 expression. Overall, we demonstrated that HIF-1α inhibited ACE2 expression via the HIF-1α-let-7b-ACE2 axis, which contributed to the pathogenesis of HPH by stimulating PASMCs proliferation and migration. Since let-7b knockout alleviated the development of HPH, let-7b may serve as a potential clinical target for the treatment of HPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significance: The relationship between lipid disturbances and renal diseases has been studied for several decades and it is well recognized that when the balance of renal lipid uptake, synthesis, oxidation and outflow is disrupted, lipids will undergo oxidation, be sequestrated as lipid droplets, generate toxic metabolites and cause nephrotoxicity in diverse renal diseases. Recent Advances: During renal disorders, redox signaling is a pivotal event promoting or resulting from lipid disorders. Accordingly, a vicious cycle of lipid redox dysregulation could be developed, accelerating the renal damage. Critical Issues: The aim of this concise review is to introduce the connection among redox, lipid abnormalities and kidney damage in various conditions. And we summarized current understanding of the lipid redox loop implicated in acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, metabolic abnormalities, aging and genetic pitfalls. Future Directions: Despite recent advances, further investigations are required to clarify the complicated molecular and regulatory mechanisms among redox, lipid mediators and renal disorders. Moreover, exploring an ideal target for potential therapies should be discussed and studied in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Varying speed machinery condition detection and fault diagnosis are more difficult due to non-stationary machine dynamics and vibration. In this paper, an intelligent fault diagnosis method based on order analysis and extreme learning machine (ELM) is proposed. Order tracking, easily identifying speed-related vibrations, is useful for machine condition monitoring, which could obtain the resampling signal of constant increment angle. Then, the power spectrum (PS) of characteristic orders, as the fault feature vectors, is extracted and normalized from the de-noising signal. Last, in order to diagnose the faults of the gearbox automatically, ELM, provided better generalization performance at a much faster learning speed and with least human intervene, is applied to identify and classify the faults. From the result of experiment, the approach of this paper is effective to judge the fault type under variable speed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-range, nonvolatile magnetization modulation induced by voltage impulses was investigated in the metglas/lead zirconate titanate (PZT) heterostructure at room temperature. The heterostructure was obtained by bonding a square metglas ribbon on the top electrode of the PZT substrate, which contained defect dipoles resulting from acceptor doping. The PZT substrate achieved two strain hysteretic loops with the application of specific voltage impulse excitation modes. Through strainmediated magnetoelectric coupling between the metglas ribbon and the PZT substrate, two strain hysteretic loops led to a dual-range nonvolatile magnetization modulation in the heterostructure. Reversible and stable voltage-impulse-induced nonvolatile modulation in the ferromagnetic resonance field and magnetic hysteresis characteristics were also realized. This method provides a promising approach in reducing energy consumption in magnetization modulation and other related devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flos Chimonanthi Praecocis (FCP) is one of the popular traditional Chinese medicines, which have been widely used in China. Inconspicuous appearance differences are disadvantageous for identification, and it is difficult to evaluate the quality of FCP using the current methods. In this article, a simple method that combined chemometrics and quantitative analysis was established. The samples were obtained from three typical varieties for fingerprint analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. Contents of rutin and quercetin were determined, and then a common pattern with 16 characteristic peaks was applied for principal component analysis, similarity analysis, and the hierarchical cluster analysis heatmap (HCA heatmap) to characterize the similarity and differences among samples for identification. Furthermore, seven characteristics peaks with higher loading values were selected for chemometrics analysis after dimensionality reduction to reduce analytical difficulty, and the new common pattern showed the similar identification effects. Overall, combination with chemometrics and quantitative analysis would provide a useful and simple method for quality control of FCP in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MAD2B, an anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitor and a small subunit of DNA polymerase, is indispensible for mitotic checkpoint control and DNA repair. Previously, we established that MAD2B is expressed in glomerular and tubulointerstitial compartments and participates in high glucose-induced podocyte injury. However, its role in other renal diseases remains elusive. In the present study, we aim to illustrate the potential role of MAD2B in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis. By immunofluorescence and Western blotting, we found MAD2B expression is obviously increased in tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) patients and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice. It is widely accepted that resident fibroblasts are the major source of collagen-producing myofibroblasts during TIF. Therefore, we evaluated the level of MAD2B in fibroblasts (NRK-49F) exposed to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 by immunoblotting and revealed that MAD2B is upregulated in a time-dependent manner. Intriguingly, SnoN, a transcriptional repressor of the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway, is decreased in TGF-β1-treated fibroblasts as well as the kidney cortex from TIF patients and UUO mice. Either in vitro or in vivo, local genetic depletion of MAD2B by lentiviral transfection could preserve SnoN abundance and suppress Smad3 phosphorylation, which finally dampens fibroblast activation, ECM accumulation, and alleviates the severity of TIF. However, the ubiquitin ligase APC/C is not involved in the MAD2B-mediated SnoN decline, although this process is ubiquitination dependent. In conclusion, our observation proposes that besides cell cycle management, MAD2B has a profibrotic role during fibroblast activation and TIF by suppressing SnoN expression. Targeting the MAD2B-SnoN pathway is a promising intervention for TIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse scattering transform for the differential-difference Kadomtsev- Petviashvili equation is presented. The properties of Jost function and scattering data are investigated for the direct problem, which is related to a "DBAR" problem and Fourier transform involving both the discrete variable and the continuous one. The inverse problem is formulated and the time evolution of scattering data is given by using the generalized Cauchy integral formula and the time dependent part of the corresponding Lax pair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of in utero exposure to poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) on thyroid and growth hormone concentrations and growth in 8-year-old children. A total of 56 children (23 boys, 33 girls) were included in the study. All were stratified into high and low PCDD/F + PCB exposure groups based on maternal median indicator PCB and PCDD/F + PCB concentrations during pregnancy. Height, weight, body mass index, and thyroid and growth hormone concentrations were assessed and compared among the different exposure groups. There were no significant effects of indicator PCB or PCDD/F + PCB exposure levels on growth (height, weight, and bone age) among 8-year-old boys or girls. Boys exposed to high PCDD/F + PCB levels had significantly higher thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) concentrations than boys exposed to low levels (P = 0.027). Girls exposed to high PCB levels had significantly lower IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) concentrations than girls exposed to low levels (P = 0.038). Low levels of in utero exposure to PCDD/F+PCB and high indicator PCB levels were significantly associated with reduced serum concentrations of IGFBP-3. High levels of in utero exposure to PCDD/F+PCB plus either high or low indicator PCB levels were significantly associated with increased serum concentrations of growth hormone, T3, T4, and TBG. These findings suggest that the level of in utero exposure to PCBs and dioxins may affect serum concentrations of growth hormone, thyroid hormones, TBG, and IGFBP-3 in 8-year-old children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and Seebeck coefficient of a vaporgrown CdTe and two melt-grown Cd0.8Zn0.2Te crystals, including In-doped CZT-30 and un-doped CZT-34 samples, were measured from room temperature to 780#176;C. The measured thermal conductivity of CdTe was higher than the two CdZnTe samples in the low temperature range and the three sets of data merged together at temperature above 750#176;C. The measured electrical conductivities of CdTe and CZT-30 were close to be intrinsic from 190#176;C to 780#176;C. The CZT-34 sample showed higher electrical conductivity value at 290#176;C and merged with the data of CZT-30 at temperatures above 650#176;C. The measured Seebeck coefficients for all three samples showed high positive values, between 0.9 and 1.1mV/K, in the intermediate temperature range between 350 and 550#176;C and, as temperature increased, decreased slowly and converted to n-type. The Figure of Merit for the thermoelectric application, zT, calculated for the three samples were orders of magnitude lower than the state-of-the-art p-type thermoelectric materials mainly due to the low values of the electrical conductivity. A rough estimate was made on the hole concentration needed to improve the value of zT for CdTe to 1.0 at 500#176;C. A simple interpolation and extrapolation of the present data gives the value of zT for the n-type intrinsic CdTe to be 1.2±0.4 at 1050#176;C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a chromatin regulator highly expressed in mature neurons. Mutations of MECP2 gene cause >90% cases of Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder featured by striking psychomotor dysfunction. In Mecp2-null mice, the motor deficits are associated with reduction of dopamine content in the striatum, the input nucleus of basal ganglia mostly composed of GABAergic neurons. Here we investigated the causal role of MeCP2 in modulation of striatal dopamine content and psychomotor function. We found that mice with selective removal of MeCP2 in forebrain GABAergic neurons, predominantly in the striatum, phenocopied Mecp2-null mice in dopamine deregulation and motor dysfunction. Selective expression of MeCP2 in the striatum preserved dopamine content and psychomotor function in both males and females. Notably, the dopamine deregulation was primarily confined to the rostral striatum, and focal deletion or reactivation of MeCP2 expression in the rostral striatum through adeno-associated virus effectively disrupted or restored dopamine content and locomotor activity, respectively. Together, these findings demonstrate that striatal MeCP2 maintains local dopamine content in a non-cell autonomous manner in the rostral striatum and that is critical for psychomotor control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well documented that mitotic arrest deficiency (MAD)2B can inhibit the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) via cadherin (Cdh)1 and, consequently, can destroy the effective mitotic spindle checkpoint control. Podocytes have been observed to rapidly detach and die when being forced to bypass cell cycle checkpoints. However, the role of MAD2B, a cell cycle regulator, in podocyte impairment of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is unclear. In the present study, we investigated the significance of MAD2B in the pathogenesis of DN in patients, an animal model, and in vitro podocyte cultures. By Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses, we found that MAD2B was evidently upregulated under high glucose milieu in vivo and in vitro, whereas Cdh1 was inhibited with high glucose exposure. Overexpression of MAD2B in podocytes by plasmid DNA transfection suppressed expression of Cdh1 and triggered the accumulation of cyclin B1 and S phase kinase-associated protein (Skp)2, two key molecules involving in cell cycle regulation, and the subsequent podocyte insult. In contrast, MAD2B deletion alleviated the high glucose-induced reduction of Cdh1 as well as the elevation of cyclin B1 and Skp2, which rescued the podocyte from damage. Taken together, our data demonstrate that MAD2B may play an important role in high glucose-mediated podocyte injury of DN via modulation of Cdh1, cyclin B1, and Skp2 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH)-induced cerebral vasospasm and delayed ischemic neurological deficit (DIND) are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with aSAH. The effects of statins-use for patients with aSAH remain controversial. Here,a total of 249 patients from six randomized controlled trials(RCTs) were subjected to meta-analysis. No significant decrease was found in the incidence of vasospasm(RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.54-1.17), with substantial heterogeneity (I2= 49%, P = 0.08), which was verified by the further sensitivity analysis and subgroup meta-analysis. Furthermore, no significant difference was presented in the incidence of poor neurological outcome(RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.77- 1.16), and potential side effects(RR, 2.49; 95% CI, 0.75-8.33). Nevertheless, significant difference was reported in the occurrence of DIND(RR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.37-0.92) and mortality(RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14- 0.64). At present, although statins use in the patients with aSAH should not be considered standard care at present, statins-use may have the potential effects in the prevention of mortality in patients with aSAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of BaCu(B2O5) (BCB) addition on the microstructure, phase formation, and microwave dielectric properties of Ba5Nb4O15−BaWO4 ceramic are investigated. As a sintering aid, BaCu(B2O5) ceramic could effectively lower the sintering temperature of Ba5Nb4O15−BaWO4 ceramic from 1100 °C to 950 °C due to the liquid-phase effect. Meanwhile, BaCu(B2O5) addition effectively improves the densification of Ba5Nb4O15−BaWO4 ceramic and significantly influences the microwave dielectric properties. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that Ba5Nb4O15 and BaWO4 coexist with no crystal phase of BaCu(B2O5) in the sintered ceramics. The Ba5Nb4O15−BaWO4 ceramics with 1.0 wt% BaCu(B2O5) sintered at 950 °C for 2 h presents good microwave dielectric properties of εr = 19.0, high Q×f of 33802 GHz and low τf of 2.5 ppm/°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of urea transporter UT-A1 in the kidney is important for the urinary concentrating mechanism. We previously reported that activation of the cAMP/PKA pathway by forskolin (FSK) leads to UT-A1 ubiquitination, endocytosis, and degradation. In this study, we discovered that FSK-induced UT-A1 ubiquitination is monoubiquitination as judged by immunoblotting with specific ubiquitin antibodies to the different linkages of the ubiquitin chain. UT-A1 monoubiquitination induced by FSK was processed mainly on the cell plasma membrane. Monoubiquitination facilitates UT-A1 endocytosis, and internalized UT-A1 is accumulated in the early endosome. Inhibition of ubiquitination by E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme inhibitor PYR-41 significantly reduced FSK-induced UT-A1 endocytosis and degradation. Interestingly, FSK-stimulated UT-A1 degradation occurs through a lysosomal protein degradation system. We further found that the PKA phosphorylation sites of UT-A1 at Ser486 and Ser499 are required for FSK-induced UT-A1 monoubiquitination. The physiological significance was confirmed using rat kidney inner medullary collecting duct suspensions, which showed that vasopressin treatment promotes UT-A1 ubiquitination. We conclude that unlike under basal conditions in which UT-A1 is subject to polyubiquitination and proteasome-mediated protein degradation, activation of UT-A1 by FSK induces UT-A1 monoubiquitination and protein lysosomal degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of safe and reliable methods to harvest vascular tissue in situ limits the discovery of the underlying genetic and pathophysiological mechanisms of many vascular disorders such as aneurysms. We investigated the feasibility and comparable efficacy of endothelial cell collection using a spectrum of endovascular coils. Nine detachable coils ranging in k coefficient (0.15-0.24), diameter (4.0 mm-16.0 mm), and length (8.0 cm-47.0 cm) were tested in pigs. All coils were deployed and retrieved within the iliac artery of pigs (three coils/pig). Collected coils were evaluated under light microscopy. The total and endothelial cells collected by each coil were quantified. The nucleated cells were identified by Wright-Giemsa and DAPI stains. Endothelial and smooth muscle cells were identified by CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin antibody staining. Coils were deployed and retrieved without technical difficulty. Light microscopy demonstrated sheets of cellular material concentrated within the coil winds. All coils collected cellular material while five of nine (55.6%) coils retrieved endothelial cells. Coils collected mean endothelial cell counts of 89.0±101.6. Regression analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between increasing coil diameter and endothelial cell counts (R2=0.52, p = 0.029). Conventional detachable coils can be used to harvest endothelial cells. The number of endothelial cells collected by a coil positively correlated with its diameter. Given the widespread use of coils and their well-described safety profile their potential as an endovascular biopsy device would expand the availability of tissue for cellular and molecular analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UT-A1 urea transporter plays an important role in the urinary concentration mechanism. However, the molecular mechanisms regarding UT-A1 trafficking, endocytosis, and degradation are still unclear. In this study, we identified the small GTPase Rab14 as a binding partner to the C terminus of UT-A1 in a yeast 2-hybrid assay. Interestingly, UT-A1 binding is preferential for the GDP-bound inactive form of Rab14. Coinjection of Rab14 in Xenopus oocytes results in a decrease of UT-A1 urea transport activity, suggesting that Rab14 acts as a negative regulator of UT-A1. We subsequently found that Rab14 reduces the cell membrane expression of UT-A1, as evidenced by cell surface biotinylation. This effect is blocked by chlorpromazine, an inhibitor of the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway, but not by filipin, an inhibitor of the caveolin-mediated endocytic pathway. In kidney, Rab14 is mainly expressed in IMCD epithelial cells with a pattern identical to UT-A1 expression. Consistent with its role in participating in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, Rab14 localizes in nonlipid raft microdomains and codistributes with Rab5, a marker of the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway. Taken together, our study suggests that Rab14, as a novel UT-A1 partner, may have an important regulatory function for UT-A1 urea transport activity in the kidney inner medulla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of the addition of H3BO3 on the microstructure, phase formation, and microwave dielectric properties of (Zn0.7Mg0.3)TiO3 ceramics sintered at temperatures ranging from 890 °C to 950 °C are investigated. H3BO3 as a sintering agent can effectively lower the sintering temperature of ZMT ceramics below 950 °C due to the liquid-phase effect. The microwave dielectric properties are found to strongly correlate with the amount of H3BO3. With the increase in H3BO3 content, the dielectric constant (εr) monotonically increases, but the quality factor (Q × f) reaches a maximum at 1 wt% H3BO3, and the apparent density of ZMT ceramics with H3BO3 ≥ 1 wt% gradually decreases. At 950 °C, the ZMT ceramics with 1% H3BO3 exhibit excellent microwave dielectric properties: εr = 19.8, and Q × f = 43800 GHz (8.94 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By introducing new definitions of Φ convex and -φ concave quasioperator and v0 quasilower and u0 quasiupper, by means of the monotone iterative techniques without any compactness conditions, we obtain the iterative unique solution of nonlinear mixed monotone Fredholm-type integral equations in Banach spaces. Our results are even new to Φ convex and -φ concave quasi operator, and then we apply these results to the two-point boundary value problem of second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations in the ordered Banach spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adenylyl cyclase stimulator forskolin (FSK) stimulates UT-A1 phosphorylation, membrane trafficking, and urea transport activity. Here, we found that FSK stimulation induces UT-A1 ubiquitination in UT-A1 Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. This suggests that phosphorylation by FSK also triggers the protein degradation machinery for UT-A1. UT-A1-MDCK cells were treated with 100 μg/ml cycloheximide to inhibit protein synthesis, with or without 10 μM FSK. Total UT-A1 protein abundance was significantly reduced after FSK treatment, concomitantly ubiquitinated UT-A1 was increased. We then specifically investigated the effect of FSK on UT-A1 expressed on the cell plasma membrane. FSK treatment accelerated UT-A1 removal from the cell plasma membrane by increasing UT-A1 endocytosis as judged by biotinylation/MesNa treatment and confocal microscopy. We further found that inhibition of the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway, but not the caveolin-mediated endocytic pathway, significantly blocks FSK-stimulated UT-A1 endocytosis. The PKA inhibitor H89 and the proteasome inhibitors MG132 and lactacystin reduced FSK-induced membrane UT-A1 reduction. Our study shows that FSK activates the UT-A1 urea transporter and the activation/ phosphorylation subsequently triggers the downregulation of UT-A1, which represents an important mechanism for the cell to return to the basal conditions after vasopressin stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urea transporters UT-A1 and UT-A3 are both expressed in the kidney inner medulla. However, the function of UT-A3 remains unclear. Here, we found that UT-A3, which comprises only the NH2-terminal half of UT-A1, has a higher urea transport activity than UT-A1 in the oocyte and that this difference was associated with differences in N-glycosylation. Heterologously expressed UT-A3 is fully glycosylated with two glycoforms of 65 and 45 kDa. By contrast, UT-A1 expressed in HEK293 cells and oocytes exhibits only a 97-kDa glycosylation form. We further found that N-glycans of UT-A3 contain a large amount of poly-N-acetyllactosamine. This highly glycosylated UT-A3 is more stable and is enriched in lipid raft domains on the cell membrane. Kifunensine, an inhibitor of α-mannosidase that inhibits N-glycan processing beyond high-mannose-type N-glycans, significantly reduced UT-A3 urea transport activity. We then examined the native UT-A1 and UT-A3 glycosylation states from kidney inner medulla and found the ratio of 65 to 45 kDa in UT-A3 is higher than that of 117 to 97 kDa in UT-A1. The highly stable expression of highly glycosylated UT-A3 on the cell membrane in kidney inner medulla suggests that UT-A3 may have an important function in urea reabsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cytoskeleton participates in many aspects of transporter protein regulation. In this study, by using yeast two-hybrid screening, we identified the cytoskeletal protein actin as a binding partner with the UT-A1 urea transporter. This suggests that actin plays a role in regulating UT-A1 activity. Actin specifically binds to the carboxyl terminus of UT-A1. A serial mutation study shows that actin binding to UT-A1's carboxyl terminus was abolished when serine 918 was mutated to alanine. In polarized UT-A1-MDCK cells, cortical filamentous (F) actin colocalizes with UT-A1 at the apical membrane and the subapical cytoplasm. In the cell surface, both actin and UT-A1 are distributed in the lipid raft microdomains. Disruption of the F-actin cytoskeleton by latrunculin B resulted in UT-A1 accumulation in the cell membrane as measured by biotinylation. This effect was mainly due to inhibition of UT-A1 endocytosis in both clathrin and caveolin-mediated endocytic pathways. In contrast, actin depolymerization facilitated forskolinstimulated UT-A1 trafficking to the cell surface. Functionally, depolymerization of actin by latrunculin B significantly increased UT-A1 urea transport activity in an oocyte expression system. Our study shows that cortical F-actin not only serves as a structural protein, but directly interacts with UT-A1 and plays an important role in controlling UT-A1 cell surface expression by affecting both endocytosis and trafficking, therefore regulating UT-A1 bioactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematical formulation for a quadratic optimal control problem governed by a linear quasiparabolic integrodifferential equation is studied. The control constrains are given in an integral sense: Uad = {u ∈ X; ∫ohm;u u ≥ 0,t ∈ [0,T]}. Then the a posteriori error estimates in L∞(0, T; H1 (...))-norm and L2(0,T;L2(...))-norm for both the state and the control approximation are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the existence of single and multiple positive solutions for a second-order Sturm- Liouville boundary value problem in a Banach space. The sufficient condition for the existence of positive solution is obtained by the fixed point theorem of strict set contraction operators in the frame of the ODE technique. Our results significantly extend and improve many known results including singular and nonsingular cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the existence of positive solutions for the nonlinear four-point singular boundary value problem with higher-order p-Laplacian dynamic delay differential equations on time scales, subject to some boundary conditions. By using the fixed-point index theory, the existence of positive solution and many positive solutions for nonlinear four-point singular boundary value problem with p-Laplacian operator are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let T be a time scale. We study the existence of positive solutions for the nonlinear four-point singular boundary value problem with p-Laplacian dynamic delay differential equations on time scales, subject to some boundary conditions. By using the fixed-point index theory, the existence of positive solution and many positive solutions for nonlinear four-point singular boundary value problem with p-Laplacian operator is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the assumption of two coupled parallel subsuper solutions, the existence of at least six solutions for a kind of second-order m-point differential equations system is obtained using the fixed point index theory. As an application, an example to demonstrate our result is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) patients have lower weight, height, bone age, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, GH levels, fat metabolism and skeletal growth. The association of leptin with GHD characteristics and the effect of gene variants of leptin on GHD are unknown. Our aim was to examine the association of circulating leptin levels and common genetic variants in leptin (LEP) and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes with anthropometric measures, circulating hormone concentrations and GHD. A case control study of 125 GHD cases and 159 control subjects were characterized for bone age, body mass index (BMI), height, weight, leptin, IGF-1, GH and their genotype at the leptin promoter G-2548A, and LEPR variants, K109R and Q223R, at Chung Shan Medical University Hospital. Leptin levels were significantly associated with lower bone age, weight and BMI in GHD patients. Leptin levels were also significantly associated with reduced IGF-1 levels in girls but not boys in both groups. The frequency of LEPR223 [A/G or A/A] genotype was significantly higher than the LEPR223 G/G genotype in the GHD group. The LEPR223 [A/G or A/A] genotype was significantly associated with increased weight and BMI in the control group, but not in the GHD group. In conclusion, the GHD group carried a significantly higher frequency of the LEPR [G/A or A/A] genotype and of the A allele (LEPR223R). The LEPR223R polymorphism affected weight and BMI in control, but not in GHD patients, suggesting that the effect of LEPR223 [A/G or A/A] genotype was counteracted by other factor(s) in GHD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heavy Fermi liquid with short-range antiferromagnetic correlations is carefully considered in the two- dimensional Kondo-Heisenberg lattice model. As the ratio of the local Heisenberg superexchange JH to the Kondo coupling JK increases, the topology of the Fermi surface (FS) of the heavy quasiparticles changes: at JH/JK = 0.1055 a first-order quantum phase transition is identified, where a small FS circle begins to emerge within the large deformed FS circle centered at (π, π). When JH/JK = 0.1425, the two deformed FS circles intersect each other and then decompose into four kidneylike Fermi pockets via a second-order quantum phase transition. As JH/JK increases further, the Fermi pockets are shifted inward along the direction (π, π) to (π/2,π/2), and the resulting FS is consistent with that obtained recently using the cluster dynamic mean-field approach to the Kondo lattice model in the presence of the antiferromagnetic order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neural damage can be mitigated by calcium-channel blockers (CCBs). However, the mechanism of action of CCBs is not yet fully understood. Objective: To investigate the mechanism of action and efficacy of CCB, flunarizine in restoring neural function after crush injury to the nerves Materials and Methods: The sciatic nerves of rats were crushed using pincers to establish the model for crush injury. Two hundred and eighty-eight Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham-operated, saline, and low-dose flunarizine and high-dose flunarizine (FI and FII) groups. The expression of the protein c-fos in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after crush injury to the sciatic nerves was investigated by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. The effect of flunarizine on c-fos expression and its efficacy in restoring neural function was evaluated. Results: The c-fos messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression in FI and FII groups was significantly lower than in the saline group and was the least in the FII group. Nerve-conduction velocity was increased in the order of: saline < FI< FII< sham-operated. There was no significant difference in the nerve-conduction velocity in the sham-operated and FII groups (P>.05). Conclusions: When administered after crush injury to peripheral nerves, flunarizine may protect neurons with lesions from further damage and improve neural function by downregulating c-fos expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vacuum-assisted deliveries are fairly commonly used in obstetrical practice. Most newborns who have a vacuum-assisted delivery undergo extracranial birth traumas that have no residual consequences. Vacuum-assisted deliveries that complicate intracranial vascular infarction are rarely reported. We present 2 cases of intracranial vessel infarction after vacuum-assisted deliveries. One newborn, with scalp erosion, showed an unusual left middle cerebral artery infarct, and the other, with a severe subgaleal hematoma, had a venous thrombosis. Before the diagnosis, made using brain ultrasonography, neither had specific observable neurological symptoms. In conclusion, vacuum-assisted deliveries should be given special attention, especially when they are combined with a severe extracranial birth trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To cope with adverse environments, the majority of indigenous plants in arid regions possess adaptive plasticity after long-term evolution. Leaf-level morphology, anatomy, biochemical properties, diurnal water potential and gas exchange of Salix gordejevii distributed in fixed dunes and lowlands in Hunshandake Sandland, China, were compared. Compared to plants growing in lowlands, individuals of S. gordejevii in fixed dunes displayed much smaller leaf area (0.26 vs 0.70 cm2) and thicker leaves (leaf total thickness 148.59 vs 123.44 μm), together with heavier crust wax, denser hairs, and more compacted epidermal cells. Moreover, those growing in fixed dunes displayed stronger drought-resistance properties as evidenced by higher levels of proline (3.68 vs 0.20 mg g−1 DW) and soluble sugar (17.24 vs 14.49%). Furthermore, S. gordejevii in fixed dunes demonstrated lower water potential and lower light compensation point (28.8 vs 51.9 μmol m−2 s−1). Our findings suggest that morphological and/or anatomical plasticity in leaves has had great adaptive value for Salix in responding to deteriorating environments. The evidence provided here may facilitate the prediction of plant adaptation in community succession in sandy habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The p-moment exponential robust stability for stochastic systems with distributed delays and interval parameters is studied. By constructing the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and employing the decomposition technique of interval matrix and Itô’s formula, the delay-dependent criteria for the p-moment exponential robust stability are obtained. Numerical examples show the validity and practicality of the presented criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new sesquiterpene, (4E)-1-bromo-5-[(1′S*,3′R*)-3′-bromo-2′,2′-dimethyl- 6′-methylenecyclohexyl]-3-methylpent-4-ene-2,3-diol (1), and fifteen known sesquiterpenes, isopalisol (2), luzonensol (3), palisadin B (4), aplysistatin (5), palisadin A (6), 4-hydroxyl-palisudin C (7), 5-acetoxypalisadin B (8), 10-hydroxyaristolan-9-one (9), aristol-8-en-1-one (10), aristolan-9-en-1-one (11), aristolan-1(10)-en-9-one (12), aristolan- 1(10)-en-9-ol (13), aristolan-1(10),8-diene (14), aristolan-1,9-diene (15) and aristofone (16), were isolated from a sample of marine red alga Laurencia similis. Their structures were established by detailed NMR spectroscopic analysis and comparison with literature data. Compounds 2-9, and 16 were isolated for the first time from this species. All these metabolites were submitted for a cytotoxicity assay against the tumor cell line BEL7402 (human liver adenocarcinoma), but all of them were found inactive (IC50 > 10 μg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of fixed point index, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of positive solutions to p-Laplacian difference equations. In particular, the nonlinear term is allowed to change sign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the existence of positive solutions for the following nonlinear m-point boundary value problem for an increasing homeomorphism and homomorphism with sign changing nonlinearity: {(φ(u'(t)))' + a(t)f(t, u(t)) = 0, 0 < t < 1, u'(0) = ∑i=1m-2 aiu'(ξi), u(1) = ∑i=1kbiu(ξi) - ∑i=k+1sbiu(ξi) - ∑i=s+1m-2biu'(ξi), where φ : R → R is an increasing homeomorphism and homomorphism and φ(0) = 0. The nonlinear term f may change sign. As an application, an example to demonstrate our results is given. The conclusions in this paper essentially extend and improve the known results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C25H27CuN5O7, triclinic, P1 (no. 2), a = 9.3812(6) Å, b = 11.3399(6) Å, c = 13.0957(8) Å, α = 81.654(8)°, β = 71.623(6)°, γ = 69.745(6)°, V = 1239.3 Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0361, wRref(F²) = 0.0830, T = 99 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased tissue perfusion promotes capillary dysplasia in the ALK1-deficient mouse brain following VEGF stimulation. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 295: H2250-H2256, 2008. First published October 3, 2008; doi:l0.I 152/ajpheart.00083.2008.- Loss-of-function activin receptor-like kinase 1 gene mutation (ALK1 +1-) is associated with brain arteriovenous malformations (AVM) in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2. Other determinants of the lesional phenotype are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the influence of high vascular flow rates on ALK1~ mice by manipulating cerebral blood flow (CBF) using vasodilators. Adult male ALK1 ~ mice underwent adeno-associated viral-mediated vascular endothelial growth factor (AAVVEGF) or lacZ (AAV- lacZ as a control) gene transfer into the brain. Two weeks after vector injection, hydralazine or nicardipine was infused intraventricularly for another 14 days. CBF was measured to evaluate relative tissue perfusion. We analyzed the number and morphology of capillaries. Results demonstrated that hydralazine or nicardipine infusion in- creased focal brain perfusion in all mice. It was noted that focal CBF increased most in AAVVEGF-injected ALK1 ~` mice following hydralazine or nicardipine infusion (145 ± 23% or 150 ± 11%; P < 0.05). There were more detectable dilated and dysplastic capillaries (2.4 ± 0.3 or 2.0 ± 0.4 dysplasia index; P < 0.01) in the brains of ALK1 ~ mice treated with AAVVEGF and hydralazine or nicardi- pine compared with the mice treated with them individually. We concluded that increased focal tissue perfusion and angiogenic factor VEGF stimulation could have a synergistic effect to promote capillary dysplasia in a genetic deficit animal model, which may have relevance to further studies of AVMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article claims to have established several existence theorems of positive solutions for nonlinear m-point boundary value problem for several dynamic equations on time scales. These equations include (φ(u&Delta))&nabla + α(t) f (t, u(t)) = 0, t ... (0,T), φ(uΔ(0)) = Σ i=1m-2 αiφ(uΔ(...i, u(T) = Σi=1m-2biu(...i, where φ : R &rar; R is an increasing homoemorphism and homomorphism and φ(0) = 0. It provides example calcalations using these equations.

Background: Recent analysis of the mouse transcriptional data has revealed the existence of ~34,000 messenger-like non-coding RNAs (ml-ncRNAs). Whereas the functional properties of these ml-ncRNAs are beginning to be unravelled, no functional information is available for the large majority of these transcripts. Results: A few ml-ncRNA have been shown to have genomic loci that overlap with microRNA loci, leading us to suspect that a fraction of ml-ncRNA may encode microRNAs. We therefore developed an algorithm (PriMir) for specifically detecting potential microRNA-encoding transcripts in the entire set of 34,030 mouse full-length ml-ncRNAs. In combination with mouse-rat sequence conservation, this algorithm detected 97 (80 of them were novel) strong miRNA-encoding candidates, and for 52 of these we obtained experimental evidence for the existence of their corresponding mature microRNA by microarray and stem-loop RT-PCR. Sequence analysis of the microRNA-encoding RNAs revealed an internal motif, whose presence correlates strongly (R² = 0.9, P-value = 2.2 10-16) with the occurrence of stem-loops with characteristics of known premiRNAs, indicating the presence of a larger number microRNA-encoding RNAs (from 300 up to 800) in the ml-ncRNAs population. Conclusion: Our work highlights a unique group of ml-ncRNAs and offers clues to their functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photophysical properties such as absorption and emission spectra, lifetimes, and redox potentials of eight ruthenium complexes, Ru(LL)2(MebpyCOOH)2, where LL represents bpy, phen, Me2bpy, Me4bpy, (MeO)2bpy, (EtO)2bpy, Cl2bpy, and NO2phen, have been measured. The acid dissociation constants of ground and excited states have been determined. The ground-state pKavalues were obtained from the pH dependence of the complex absorbance changes. The excited-state pKavalues were extracted from the emission titration curve and corrected for the excited-state lifetime of both protonated and deprotonated species. The largest pKa, pKa− pKa, found for Ru(Me2bpy)2(MebpyCOOH)2and Ru(Me4bpy)2(MebpyCOOH)2of 1.7 indicate that MebpyCOOH gains most of the MLCT excited-state electron. The big negative pKafound for Ru(Cl2bpy)2(MebpyCOOH)2, −4.2, clearly indicates the metal-to-ligand charge transfer to the Cl2bpy ligands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a simple function for accurately estimating target height for use in evaluating growth and growth-promoting therapies in Taiwanese children. The heights of parents and their adult offspring born in the 1970s were determined in 1,229 healthy families who accompanied another family member to our pediatric clinic. We directly measured the heights of the population-based cohort of adult offspring. The heights of their parents were based on self-report. Both the parents and their offspring were healthy. The increases in height between the two generations were 1.49--3.19 cm for boys and 2.03-2.61 cm for girls. These increases lie between those reported for Chinese children in Hong Kong (4.2-4.8 cm) and children in Sweden (0.7-1.0 cm). Final height was underestimated using the corrected midparental height method and was overestimated using the final parental height model developed from Swedish data. We developed a new linear model by fitting our data: boy height = 79.3 + 0.56(midparental height); girl height = 35.2 + 0.76(midparental height). The intercept and slope of the model are similar to those reported for Swedish girls but not to those reported for Swedish boys. Use of the new equations derived from our data may increase the accuracy of estimates of target height in Taiwanese children. The intermediate position of our fairly representative Taiwanese sample in both final height and generational increases in final height may reflect an intermediate stage between the Swedes and Hong Kong Chinese in the secular trend of heights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the existence of positive solutions for non-linear four-point singular boundary-value problems for higher-order equation with the p-Laplacian operator. Using the fixed-point index theory, we find conditions for the existence of one solution, and of multiple solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Condition monitoring is desirable for increasing machinery availability, reducing consequential damage, and improving operational efficiency. Model-based methods are efficient monitoring systems for providing warning and predicting certain faults at early stages. However, the conventional methods must work with explicit motor models, and cannot be applied effectively for vibration signal diagnosis due to their nonadaptation and the random nature of vibration signal. In this paper, an analytical redundancy method using neural network modeling of the induction motor in vibration spectra is proposed for machine fault detection and diagnosis. The short-time Fourier transform is used to process the quasi-steady vibration signals to continuous spectra for the neural network model training. The faults are detected from changes in the expectation of vibration spectra modeling error. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through experimental results, and it is shown that a robust and automatic induction machine condition monitoring system has been produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]