Search

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a serious acute, highly contagious disease caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). This study aims to establish a qRT-PCR assay with an internal amplification control for the rapid and accurate detection of PPRV. The primers and probes for PPRV N were based on the national standard of the diagnostic techniques for PPR of China, and a pair of primers and TaqMan probes for the internal reference gene of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was designed. Optimisation of the reaction conditions, specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility tests, and clinical sample detection were conducted. The results showed that the optimal primers and probe concentrations of PPRV were 0.4 μmol/l and 0.4 μmol/l, respectively, and were 0.4 μmol/l and 0.2 μmol/l for the reference gene GAPDH, respectively. The established method has no cross-reaction with other viruses. The minimum detection limit was 6.8 copies/µl for PPRV and 190 copies/µl for GAPDH. The coefficients of variation (CV%) of PPRV and GAPDH were both lower than 2%. The results suggest that the PPRV qRT-PCR method containing internal reference genes has strong specificity, high sensitivity, and good reproducibility. The addition of internal reference genes for the sample quality control improves the accuracy of the detection.

ABSTRACT The study aimed to investigate the effect of methionine deficiency on conventional nutrient composition, NO and NOS activity in the liver and kidney, and expression of genes related to the NF-κB signal pathway. One hundred 1-day-old broilers were divided into control and methionine deficiency group, and provided with a standard diet. The methionine-deficient group was fed with a methionine-deficient diet for 42 days. Moisture content, protein content, and crude lipid content were determined by freeze drying, the Kjeldahl method, and the ether extraction method. The concentration of NO was measured using the nitrate reductase method, and the activity of NOS was measured using colorimetry. mRNA expression of related genes in the NF-κB signal pathway was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed the contents of crude protein and crude lipid in the liver and kidney of the methionine-deficient group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p0.05). Methionine deficiency resulted in significantly increased NO concentration and total nitric oxide synthase (TNOS) activities in the liver and kidney (p

Wearable technology has broad market prospects in the military, fire protection, medical and health, sports and other fields under its ability to effectively solve practical application needs. Self-powered energy systems with miniaturized, light-weight, highly flexible, stretchable, bendable, and wearable properties have received extensive attention in the industry as they can meet the needs of new-generation wearable electronic devices. Firstly, the article summarizes the recent progress and existing problems of flexible solar cells, flexible triboelectric nanogenerators, flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators, flexible thermoelectric generators, and energy harvesting devices for sweat power generation. Secondly, the development and challenges of flexible lithium-ion batteries and flexible super capacitors for energy storage devices are summarized. The research progress of energy management strategies is also discussed. Then, the main applications of self-powered systems in wearable electronic devices are introduced, including Individual Soldier Equipment, Protective Clothing Devices and Smart Wearable Electronic Devices. Finally, the future development direction of self-powered energy systems for wearable electronic devices is discussed.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, for which there is no cure. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been used in clinical trials for treating OA due to their unique ability to generate paracrine anti-inflammatory and trophic signals. Interestingly, these studies have shown mainly short-term effects of MSCs in improving pain and joint function, rather than sustained and consistent benefits. This may reflect a change or loss in the therapeutic effects of MSCs after intra-articular injection. The present study aimed to unravel the reasons behind the variable efficacy of MSC injections for OA using an in vitro co-culture model. Osteoarthritic human synovial fibroblasts (OA-HSFs) were co-cultured with MSCs to investigate their reciprocal effects on cell responses and whether a short-term exposure of OA cells to MSCs was sufficient for reducing their diseased characteristics in a sustained manner. Gene expression and histological analyses were performed. OA-HSFs exposed to MSCs showed short-term downregulation of inflammatory markers. However, the MSCs showed upregulation of inflammatory markers and impaired ability to undergo osteogenesis and chondrogenesis in the presence of OA-HSFs. Moreover, short-term exposure of OA-HSFs to MSCs was found to be insufficient for inducing sustained changes to their diseased behaviour. These findings suggested that MSCs may not provide long-term effects in correcting the OA joint environment due to them adopting the diseased phenotype of the surrounding tissues, which has important implications for the future development of effective stem-cell-based OA treatments with long-term therapeutic efficacy.

Abstract HostSeq was launched in April 2020 as a national initiative to integrate whole genome sequencing data from 10,000 Canadians infected with SARS-CoV-2 with clinical information related to their disease experience. The mandate of HostSeq is to support the Canadian and international research communities in their efforts to understand the risk factors for disease and associated health outcomes and support the development of interventions such as vaccines and therapeutics. HostSeq is a collaboration among 13 independent epidemiological studies of SARS-CoV-2 across five provinces in Canada. Aggregated data collected by HostSeq are made available to the public through two data portals: a phenotype portal showing summaries of major variables and their distributions, and a variant search portal enabling queries in a genomic region. Individual-level data is available to the global research community for health research through a Data Access Agreement and Data Access Compliance Office approval. Here we provide an overview of the collective project design along with summary level information for HostSeq. We highlight several statistical considerations for researchers using the HostSeq platform regarding data aggregation, sampling mechanism, covariate adjustment, and X chromosome analysis. In addition to serving as a rich data source, the diversity of study designs, sample sizes, and research objectives among the participating studies provides unique opportunities for the research community.

High-frequency gravitational wave (HFGW) detection is a great challenge, as its signal is significantly weak compared with the relevant background noise in the same frequency bands. Therefore, besides designing and running the feasible installation for the experimental weak-signal detection, developing various effective approaches to process the big detected data for extracting the information about the GWs is also particularly important. In this paper, we focus on the simulated time-domain detected data of the electromagnetic response of the GWs in high-frequency band, typically such as Gigahertz. Specifically, we develop an effective deep learning method to implement the classification of the simulated detection data, which includes the strong electromagnetic background noise in the same frequency band, for the parameter estimations of the HFGWs. The simulatively detected data is generated by the transverse first-order electromagnetic responses of the HFGWs passing through a high stationary magnetic field biased by a high-frequency Gaussian beam. We propose a convolutional neural network model to implement the classification of the simulated detection data, whose accuracy can reach more than 90%. With these data being served as the positive sample datasets, the physical parameters of the simulatively detected HFGWs can be effectively estimated by matching the sample datasets with the noise-free template library one by one. The confidence levels of these extracted parameters can reach 95% in the corresponding confidence interval. Through the multiple data experiments, the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed data processing method are verified. The proposed method could be generalized to big data processing for the detection of experimental HFGWs in the future.

In this study, the strengthening effect of the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheet was studied. Four groups of specimens were designed, each of which has three specimens. The specimens were strengthened with 0 layer of CFRP sheet, one layer of CFRP sheet, two layers of CFRP sheet, and three layers of CFRP sheet, respectively. An experiment was carried out through the third-point loading method. Compared with the unreinforced reinforced concrete (RC) beams, the load of the beams strengthened with CFRP sheet significantly increased. Taking the ultimate load as an example, compared with the RC beams, the RC beams strengthened with one, two and three layers of CFRP sheet increased by 7%, 19%, and 23%, respectively; under the same load level, the mid-span deflection of the beam reduced, and the anti-deformation ability significantly improved. The experimental results show that the CFRP sheet can improve the bearing capacity of beams and can be further applied in practical engineering.

Objective: Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is associated with a higher risk of premature death, but there are factors in certain patients with T1DM that protect them from complications and premature death. These factors had not been identified in no n-Caucasian populations, so we aimed to identify factors that protect against the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in long -standing T1DM in China. Methods: Ninety-five T1DM patients with >30 years’ duration of diabetes were enrolled in this nationwide study. Differences between groups of patients with and without complications were compared, and multivariable regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationships between candidate protective factors and the development of DN or DR. Results: Thirty of the participants did not have DN and the same amount did not have DR. 6/52 of participants without DN were from a rural area, whereas 11/28 of participants with DN had been born in a rural area (P = 0.005). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was higher in participants with DN (135 ± 26 mmHg vs 121 ± 13 mmHg; P = 0.002). In participants without DR, 27/30 were married or cohabitating, and only 3/30 were single, never married, or widowed, but for those with prolifera tive DR (PDR), 13/26 had been married (P = 0.003). A rural or urban origin and SBP were associated with DN in the multivariable analysis. Conclusion: we have shown that higher socioeconomic status, indicated by birth in an urban area, and being married or cohabitating, are accompanied by better blood pressure control and a lower risk of microvascular complications in Chin ese patients with long-standing T1DM. These findings illustrate the importance of improving care for patients with T1DM in China.

Objectives: The combination of lenalidomide + rituximab (R2) has shown complementary clinical activity and is a tolerable regimen in both untreated and relapsed or refractory (R/R) indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), as well as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an uncommon but aggressive form of NHL. The MAGNIFY phase 3 trial previously reported an ORR of 54% in patients with R/R MCL (Sharman J, et al. Hematol Oncol. 2019). Presented here are updated analyses from this trial. Materials and methods: MAGNIFY is a multicenter, phase 3b trial (NCT01996865) in patients with R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) grades 1–3b, transformed FL, marginal zone lymphoma, and MCL. Lenalidomide 20 mg on d 1–21 of a 28-d cycle + rituximab 375 mg/m2/wk cycle 1 and then every 8 wk starting with cycle 3 (R2) is given for 12 cycles followed by 1:1 randomization in patients with stable disease, partial response, or complete response/complete response unconfirmed (CR/CRu) to R2 vs rituximab maintenance for 18 mo. The primary end point is progression-free survival (PFS) by 1999 International Working Group (IWG) criteria. Secondary end points include safety, CR rate, duration of response (DOR), duration of CR (DOCR), time-to-response (TTR), time-to-next antilymphoma therapy, and overall survival. This analysis evaluates the interim primary endpoint of overall response rate (ORR) by 1999 IWG criteria and safety of R2 induction in patients with MCL in the induction intention-to-treat population. Results: As of August 28, 2020, 73 patients with MCL were enrolled (median age, 70.0 y [range, 51–88]); 89% had stage III/IV disease, and 41% had bulky disease (> 7 cm or > 3 cm ×3 lymph nodes). All patients had received prior rituximab-containing therapy, with 25 (34%) rituximab refractory (progression ≤ 6 mo after last rituximab dose). Seven patients (10%) had received prior ibrutinib. Median follow-up was 31.7 mo for patients still alive. ORR was 51%, with 34% CR rate (CR + CRu). Response rates were similar in patients refractory to rituximab (ORR = 48%, CR/CRu = 32%) and patients not refractory to rituximab (ORR = 52%, CR/CRu = 35%). Median DOR was 31.6 mo; median DOCR was not reached; median TTR was 2.8 mo, and median PFS was 28.0 mo, with 1-year PFS rate of 57%. The most common treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) of any grade were neutropenia (51%), fatigue (44%), diarrhea (32%), constipation (28%), cough (28%), dyspnea (26%), and nausea (26%). Grade 3/4 neutropenia was 46%; all other grade 3/4 TEAEs were ≤ 11%. Discussion: R2 is an active and tolerated regimen with durable responses among patients with R/R MCL and mostly naive to Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Conclusions: These results suggest that R2 should be considered as a therapeutic option for patients with R/R MCL.

Objectives: Lenalidomide combined with rituximab (R2) has shown complimentary clinical activity and is a tolerable regimen in both untreated and relapsed or refractory (R/R) patients (pts) with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Pts with advanced age at diagnosis are considered to be high risk, supporting post-hoc subgroup analyses by age, with a focus on pts aged ≥ 70 years from the MAGNIFY study. Materials and methods: MAGNIFY is a multicenter, phase 3b trial (NCT01996865) in pts with R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) grades 1–3b, transformed FL (tFL), marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Lenalidomide 20 mg on d 1–21 of a 28-d cycle + rituximab 375 mg/m2/wk cycle 1 and then every 8 wk starting with cycle 3 (R2) is given for 12 cycles followed by 1:1 randomization in pts with stable disease, partial response, or complete response/complete response unconfirmed (CR/CRu) to R2 vs rituximab maintenance for 18 mo. The primary end point is progression-free survival (PFS) by 1999 International Working Group (IWG) criteria. Secondary end points include safety, CR rate, duration of response DOR, duration of CR DOCR, time-to-response TTR, time-to-next antilymphoma therapy, and overall survival. Data presented here focus on induction R2 in efficacy-evaluable FL grade 1–3a and MZL pts (FL grade 3b, tFL, and MCL not included) receiving ≥ 1 treatment with baseline/postbaseline assessments. Post-hoc analyses were performed by analyzing data from pts aged ≥ 70 years at time of study entry. Results: As of August 28, 2020, 394 pts have enrolled and 152 (39%) were aged ≥ 70 years. Baseline characteristics including histology, disease status, and prior treatments of pts ≥ 70 and the overall population were similar. Median PFS in the ≥ 70 subgroup was 40.1 months (95% CI, 28.6–NR). Overall response rate (ORR) and CR/CRu were 75% and 39%, with a median duration of response that was not reached (95% CI, 29.4–NR). Efficacy results for the overall population were similar; median PFS = 41.2 mo (95% CI, 38.7–NR), ORR = 75%, CR = 44%, and median DOR = NR (95% CI, 38.6–NR). In pts ≥ 70 the most common (≥ 20%) any-grade treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were fatigue (44%), neutropenia (41%), diarrhea (34%), constipation (34%), and nausea (27%). Neutropenia (35%) was the only grade 3/4 TEAE occurring in > 10% of pts (febrile neutropenia occurred in 3 pts [2%]). TEAEs led to lenalidomide dose reduction in 71 pts (47%) and discontinuation in 42 pts (28%). Eighty-two pts ≥ 70 (54%) completed all 12 cycles of induction treatment, and 75 (49%) have entered the maintenance phase. Sixty-two pts ≥ 70 (41%), prematurely discontinued both lenalidomide and rituximab, due to TEAEs (n = 28; 18%), progressive disease (n = 14; 9%), patient withdrawal (n = 12; 8%), death (n = 4; 3%), and other reasons (n = 4; 3%). Neutropenia was the only TEAE leading to discontinuation of lenalidomide in more than 2 pts (n = 10; 7%). Discussion: Similar to findings in the overall population, R2 treatment in advanced-age pts with R/R FL and MZL resulted in encouraging efficacy, and with close attention to dose reduction there is a tolerable safety profile. Conclusions: These results suggest that R2 should be considered as a therapeutic option for advanced-age pts with R/R FL and MZL.

Objectives: Relapse is expected when treating patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), with a shortened response associated with each relapse. Lenalidomide combined with rituximab (R2) has shown enhanced activity, with a recently reported median progression free-survival (PFS) of 39.4 months in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including those with FL and MZL (Augment; J Clin Oncol. 2019;37:1188). Materials and methods: MAGNIFY is a multicenter, phase 3b trial (NCT01996865) in patients with R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) grades 1–3b, transformed FL (tFL), MZL, and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Lenalidomide 20 mg on d 1–21 of a 28-d cycle + rituximab 375 mg/m2/wk cycle 1 and then every 8 wk starting with cycle 3 (R2) is given for 12 cycles followed by 1:1 randomization in patients with stable disease, partial response, or complete response/complete response unconfirmed (CR/CRu) to R2 vs rituximab maintenance for 18 mo. The primary end point is progression-free survival (PFS) by 1999 International Working Group criteria. Secondary end points include safety, CR rate, duration of response (DOR), duration of CR, time-to-response, time-to-next antilymphoma therapy, and overall survival. Data presented here focus on induction R2 in efficacy-evaluable patients with MZL compared with the overall population of FL grades 1–3a+MZL (not including FL grade 3b, tFL, or MCL) receiving ≥ 1 treatment with baseline/post-baseline assessments. Results: As of August 28, 2020, 394 patients with FL grades 1–3a and MZL enrolled; 76 (19%) had MZL. The median age of patients with MZL was 68 years (range, 46–90), 68 (89%) had stage III/IV disease, and 72 (95%) had prior rituximab-containing therapy. Overall response rate in the MZL and overall population was 66% and 75% with 39% and 44% having a CR/CRu. Median DOR was 38.6 months (95% CI, 29.4–not reached [NR]) and NR (95% CI, 38.6–NR). The median PFS was 40.9 months (95% CI, 27.8–NR) and 41.2 months (95% CI, 38.7–NR). In the MZL population, 43 patients (57%) have completed 12 cycles of R2, and 42 (55%) have been randomized and entered maintenance. Twenty-eight patients (37%) prematurely discontinued both lenalidomide and rituximab, primarily due to adverse events (AEs; n = 11; 14%) and progressive disease (n = 6; 8%). The most common (≥ 20%) all-grade AEs were neutropenia (49%), fatigue (43%), diarrhea (37%), thrombocytopenia (24%), constipation (24%), and anemia (22%). Most common (≥ 10%) grade 3/4 AEs were neutropenia (41%; 1 patient [1%] had febrile neutropenia), thrombocytopenia (13%), and leukopenia (13%). Discussion: R2 is active with a tolerable safety profile in patients with R/R MZL. The efficacy and safety profile of R2 in patient with MZL were similar to results observed in the overall MAGNIFY population. Conclusions: These results suggest that R2 should be considered as a therapeutic option for patients with R/R MZL.

C-type lectins (CTLs) are a superfamily of Ca2+ dependent carbohydrate-recognition proteins with diversified functions ranging from embryonic development to immune defense. In the present study, a CTL containing only one CRD domain with new motifs Asp-Pro-Asn (DPN) and Trp-Val-Asp (WVD) in its Ca2+ binding site 2 (designated as AjSJL-1) was identified from sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. The deduced amino acid sequence of AjSJL-1 was homologous to CTLs from other animals with the identities ranging from 19 % to 28.4 %. The mRNA transcripts of AjSJL-1 were detected in all the examined tissues with varied abundance. The expression level of AjSJL-1 mRNA in coelomocyte was up-regulated significantly at 12 h after Vibrio splendidus challenge. The recombinant protein of AjSJL-1 (rAjSJL-1) displayed significant binding activity to lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, mannose and D-galactose in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Moreover, rAjSJL-1 exhibited strong binding capability to V. splendidus but week to Staphylococcus aureus, Bifidobacterium breve, Pichia pastoris and Yarrowia lipolytica in the presence of Ca2+. These results collectively suggested that AjSJL-1 with new DPN/WVD motifs served as a pattern recognition receptor in sea cucumber with the capability to bind broad-spectrum microbes and initiate the immune response against invaders.

Supersymmetry allows one to build a hierarchy of Hamiltonians that share the same spectral properties and which are pairwise connected through common super-potentials. The iso-spectral properties of these Hamiltonians imply that the dynamics and therefore control of different eigenstates are connected through supersymmetric intertwining relations. In this work we explore how this enables one to study general dynamics, shortcuts to adiabaticity and quantum speed limits for distinct states of different supersymmetric partner potentials by using the infinite box as an example.

A representative echinoderm, the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus has a special regeneration mechanism. The sea cucumber has no specific immune tissues or organs. Coelomocytes of sea cucumbers are involved in their cellular and humoral immunity. In this study, expression profiles of the main immune-related factors in sea cucumber coelomocytes were detected during coelomocyte regeneration after evisceration in A. japonicus. Immune-related factors Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), Catalase (CAT), C-type lysozyme (C-LYZ), Cathepsin D (CTSD), Melanotransferrin (MTF), Toll-like receptor (TLR), C-type lectin (C-LCT), Complement 3 (C3), Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MYD88), Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), NF-κB inhibitor (IKB), TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), Peroxiredoxins (PRX), Nitric oxide synthase(NOS), Caspase-2 (CASP-2), Phenoloxidase (PO), and Glutathione Peroxidase(GPX), Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR at different time points during regeneration. The main immune-related genes in sea cucumber coelomocytes were significantly differentially expressed after evisceration, and an upregulation was observed for the majority of the considered genes. In summary, the discharge of viscera had a significant effect on expression of immune-related genes of sea cucumber coelomocytes. The expression level of each gene had a certain correlation with the sea cucumber regeneration process. The results provide reference data for the immune response of coelomocytes during regeneration.

ABSTRACT Adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP) is a fatty acid-binding protein that can promote the absorption of long-chain fatty acids. However, few results have been published regarding its role in Yunnan Native chicken breeds. The aim of this study was to determine ADFP gene tissue-specific expression in Piao chickens (PC) and Wuliangshan black-bone chickens (WBC) by RT-qPCR. The ontogenetic expression levels of the ADFP gene were significantly different during growth and development phases in the subcutaneous fat, liver, and pectoralis muscle of PC, and in the subcutaneous fat, liver, and pectoralis muscle of WBC (p0.05). The results suggest ADFPdifferential expression in the liver and pectoral muscles of PC and WBC during the growth and development phases (p

Temperature and salinity are critical to the reproduction, growth, and survival of shellfish. We investigated the combined effects of temperature (15 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C) and salinity [20, 30, and 40 practical salinity units (PSUs)] on the horse mussel Modiolus modiolus, which inhabits the northern Chinese coast. The specific growth rate of M. modiolus increased with salinity at a low temperature (15 °C). The interaction between temperature and salinity with respect to M. modiolus survival was significant (Two-Way ANOVA; p < 0.01). Across all temperatures tested, M. modiolus specimens kept at low salinity (20 PSU) had narrower gill filament lumens than those kept at moderate salinity (30 PSU); the gill filament lumens of specimens kept at high salinity (40 PSU) were wider than either of these. The combined effects of temperature and salinity on superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the gills of M. modiolus were significant (Two-Way ANOVA; p < 0.05). Our results suggested that temperature and salinity significantly affect the survival, gill morphology, and antioxidant capabilities of M. modiolus. Our findings not only enrich our knowledge of the interactions between temperature and salinity with respect to shellfish but also provide a framework for M. modiolus aquaculture development.

Hemolin, an immunoglobulin-like protein, is involved in the immunity and development of Lepi-doptera, but its exact functions are still unclear. In this work, the quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were used to study the effects of exogenous substances on hemolin transcription and transla-tion in the silkworm midgut. Also, RNA interference was used to examine the effects of hemolin on wing disc development of silkworm. we found that the transcription and expression of hemolin gene could be up-regulated effectively after injection of inactive Escherichia coli and cell wall components (LPS and PGN) into silkworm midgut. However, no any changes in transcription and expression of hemolin were observed by the injection of BmNPV (Bombyx mori nuclear polyhydrosis virus). The protein-protein interaction between hemolin and yippee was verified by Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) in silkworm wing discs. In addition, the silence of hemolin gene by RNA interference could lead to adult wing hy-poplasia in most hatched moths. Our study provides some useful information regarding the functions of hemolin associated with the immune and developmental mechanisms in silkworm.

Laser-driven ion acceleration has been an active research area in the past two decades with the prospects of designing novel and compact ion accelerators. Many potential applications in science and industry require high-quality, energetic ion beams with low divergence and narrow energy spread. Intense laser ion acceleration research strives to meet these challenges and may provide high charge state beams, with some successes for carbon and lighter ions. Here we demonstrate the generation of well collimated, quasi-monoenergetic titanium ions with energies ∼145 and 180 MeV in experiments using the high-contrast (

The wolf spider Lycosa singoriensis is a large and venomous spider distributed throughout northwestern China. Like other spider venoms, the wolf spider venom is a chemical cocktail. Its protein content is 0.659 mg protein/mg crude venom as determined by the Lowry method. MALDI-TOF analysis revealed that the venom peptides are highly diverse and may be divided into three groups characterized by three independent molecular ranges: 2,000 to 2,500 Da, 4,800 to 5,500 Da and 7,000 to 8,000 Da, respectively. This molecular distribution differs substantially from those of most spider venoms studied so far. This wolf spider venom has low neurotoxic action on mice, but it can induce hemolysis of human erythrocytes. Furthermore, the venom shows antimicrobial activity against prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Wood darkening and kiln brown stain (KBS) in kiln drying has caused significant economic loss to the wood processing industry which. Although extensive studies have been performed, feasible drying techniques have not yet been developed to economically produce bright, pale colour wood from commercial drying. The current work research has been conducted to dry radiata pine sapwood in hot air and in modified oxygen-free drying medium, namely, gases A, B and C. Four sets of matched samples were dried at three different temperatures of 50, 70 and 90°C, one set in a tunnel dryer simulating commercial hot air drying and three sets in a newly designed stainless steel cylinder, which was placed in an oven, for tests using the three oxygen-free drying media. The results show that no obvious KBS was detected near the surface of sample boards dried in all of the oxygen-free gases except for one run using gas B at 70°C. However, for hot air drying, the discolouration of wood could only be reduced by drying at the low temperature of 50°C. How kiln drying in air at or above 70°C induces surface darkening and KBS. These results indicate that using an alternative non-oxygen atmosphere to kiln dry wood could reduce surface discolouration and KBS

Transcriptional profiles within discrete human brain regions are likely to reflect structural and functional specialization. Using DNA microarray technology, this study investigates differences in transcriptional profiles of highly divergent brain regions (the cerebellar cortex and the cerebral cortex) as well as differences between two closely related brain structures (the anterior cingulate cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). Replication of this study across three independent laboratories, to address false-positive and false-negative results using microarray technology, is also discussed. We find greater than a thousand transcripts to be differentially expressed between cerebellum and cerebral cortex and very few transcripts to be differentially expressed between the two neocortical regions. We further characterized transcripts that were found to be specifically expressed within brain regions being compared and found that ontological classes representing signal transduction machinery, neurogenesis, synaptic transmission, and transcription factors were most highly represented.

Cavity optomechanics is a tool to study the interaction between light and micromechanical motion. Here we observe optomechanical physics in a truly macroscopic oscillator close to the quantum ground state. As the mechanical system, we use a mm-sized piezoelectric quartz disk oscillator. Its motion is coupled to a charge qubit which translates the piezo-induced charge into an effective radiation–pressure interaction between the disk and a microwave cavity. We measure the thermal motion of the lowest mechanical shear mode at 7 MHz down to 30 mK, corresponding to roughly 10 ^2 quanta in a 20 mg oscillator. We estimate that with realistic parameters, it is possible to utilize the back-action cooling by the qubit in order to control macroscopic motion by a single Cooper pair. The work opens up opportunities for macroscopic quantum experiments.

This study was undertaken to determine the mode of transport of the essential (n-3) fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid 22:6(n-3) and linolenic acid 18:3(n-3). Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats received a mixture of corn oil and [14C]18:3(n-3) or [14C]22:6(n-3) by gavage. At periods of 1 to 4 days after the injection, four rats per time point were killed and samples of blood were taken via heart puncture and the livers and retinas were collected. Blood lipoproteins and plasma proteins were separated by ultracentrifugation and analyzed by HPLC. Lipids were extracted and saponified and the fatty acids were converted to phenacyl esters for separation of individual fatty acids. After 1 and 2 h, radioactivity from 18:3(n-3) and 22:6(n-3) was observed primarily in the chylomicron/very low density lipoprotein fraction. By 4 h, radioactivity in the lipoprotein fraction was greatly decreased, with a small amount of radioactivity associated with albumin in the soluble protein fraction. After 24 h, the total amount of radioactivity associated with lipoprotein was further reduced, with more than half of the remaining label occurring in association with albumin and another unidentified protein. In the liver, 22:6(n-3) was concentrated in triacylglycerols (40.7%) and phospholipids (51.1%), with a maximum specific activity at 4 h. In the rod outer segments (ROS), the specific activity of [14C]22:6(n-3) increased to a maximum at 24 h and maintained a high level even at 4 days. These data suggest that after injection, 18:3(n-3) and 22:6(n-3) are esterified to triglyceride and phospholipid by the intestinal absorptive cells and transported in chylomicrons to the liver. After conversion of 18:3(n-3) to 22:6(n-3) in the liver, the retina accumulates 22:6(n-3) which may be transported from the liver via albumin and another unidentified protein, and is retained by the rod outer segments.

We investigate a general scheme for generating, either dynamically or in the steady state, continuous variable entanglement between two mechanical resonators with different frequencies. We employ an optomechanical system in which a single optical cavity mode driven by a suitably chosen two-tone field is coupled to the two resonators. Significantly large mechanical entanglement can be achieved, which is extremely robust with respect to temperature.

When the level separation of a qubit is modulated periodically across an avoided crossing, tunneling to the excited state—and consequently Landau–Zener–Stückelberg interference—can occur. The types of modulation studied so far correspond to a continuous change of the level separation. Here we study periodic latching modulation, in which the level separation is switched abruptly between two values and is kept constant otherwise. In this case, the conventional approach based on the asymptotic Landau–Zener formula for transition probabilities is not applicable. We develop a novel adiabatic-impulse model for the evolution of the system and derive the resonance conditions. Additionally, we derive analytical results based on the rotating-wave approximation (RWA). The adiabatic-impulse model and the RWA results are compared with those of a full numerical simulation. These theoretical predictions are tested in an experimental setup consisting of a transmon whose flux bias is modulated with a square wave form. A rich spectrum is observed, with distinctive features correspoding to two regimes: slow-modulation and fast-modulation. These experimental results are shown to be in very good agreement with the theoretical models. Also, differences with respect to the well known case of sinusoidal modulation are discussed, both theoretically and experimentally.

The effects of urbanization on ozone levels have been widely investigated over cities primarily located in temperate and/or humid regions. In this study, nested WRF-Chem simulations with a finest grid resolution of 1 km are conducted to investigate ozone concentrations [O _3 ] due to urbanization within cities in arid/semi-arid environments. First, a method based on a shape preserving Monotonic Cubic Interpolation (MCI) is developed and used to downscale anthropogenic emissions from the 4 km resolution 2005 National Emissions Inventory (NEI05) to the finest model resolution of 1 km. Using the rapidly expanding Phoenix metropolitan region as the area of focus, we demonstrate the proposed MCI method achieves ozone simulation results with appreciably improved correspondence to observations relative to the default interpolation method of the WRF-Chem system. Next, two additional sets of experiments are conducted, with the recommended MCI approach, to examine impacts of urbanization on ozone production: (1) the urban land cover is included (i.e., urbanization experiments) and, (2) the urban land cover is replaced with the region’s native shrubland. Impacts due to the presence of the built environment on [O _3 ] are highly heterogeneous across the metropolitan area. Increased near surface [O _3 ] due to urbanization of 10–20 ppb is predominantly a nighttime phenomenon while simulated impacts during daytime are negligible. Urbanization narrows the daily [O _3 ] range (by virtue of increasing nighttime minima), an impact largely due to the region’s urban heat island. Our results demonstrate the importance of the MCI method for accurate representation of the diurnal profile of ozone, and highlight its utility for high-resolution air quality simulations for urban areas.

Abstract The Born cross sections of the processes e + e − → ωπ 0 and e + e − → ωη are measured at center-of-mass energies between 3.773 and 4.701 GeV using a total integrated luminosity of 22.7 fb −1 collected with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider. A simple s −n dependence for the continuum process can describe the measured Born cross sections. No significant contributions from the ψ(4160), Y(4230), Y(4360), ψ(4415), Y(4660) resonances are found, which indicates relative small branching fractions for these resonances into the ωπ 0 and ωη final states.