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Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and Trichomonas gallinae can colonize the alimentary tract of domestic birds. However, little information is available on the epidemiology of the two trichomonad species in domestic free-range poultry in China. In this study, the occurrence and genetic characteristic of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae among free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in Anhui Province, China, were investigated. The 1910 fecal samples collected from 18 free-range poultry farms throughout Anhui Province were examined for the presence of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae by PCR and sequence analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene of T. gallinarum and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequence of T. gallinae. The overall occurrence of T. gallinarum in poultry was 1.2% (22/1910), with infection rates of 2.1% (17/829) in chickens, 0.2% (1/487) in ducks, and 0.7% (4/594) in geese. The constructed phylogeny tree using the concatenated ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region and SSU rRNA indicated the T. gallinarum isolates detected in this study were closely related to previously defined genogroups A, D, and E, respectively. Nine (0.5%) fecal samples were positive for T. gallinae, with infection rates of 0.8% (7/829) in chickens, 0.4% (2/487) in ducks, and 0% (0/594) in geese. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed that four T. gallinae ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences obtained from chicken feces and one duck fecal sample belonged to genotype ITS-OBT-Tg-1. This is the first report of the prevalence and genetic characterization of T. gallinarum and T. gallinae in free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in China.

Free-range chickens might mediate the spread of Cryptosporidium oocysts to humans and other animals. Few studies have evaluated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in domestic free-range poultry in China. Here, we characterized the prevalence and distribution of species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium in domestic free-range chickens, ducks, and geese in Anhui Province, China. A total of 1910 fresh fecal samples from three poultry species were examined from 18 free-range poultry farms by nested PCR and analysis of the Cryptosporidium SSU rRNA gene. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium species was 2.9% (55/1910), with infection rates of 1.3% (11/829) in chickens, 7.3% (36/487) in ducks, and 1.4% (8/594) in geese. C. baileyi (0.6%), C. meleagridis (0.2%), C. galli (0.2%), and C. xiaoi-like genotype (0.2%) were identified in chickens, and only C. baileyi was identified in ducks and geese, with infection rates of 7.4% and 1.3%, respectively. C. baileyi was the most prevalent species. Sequencing of the GP60 gene revealed that the C. meleagridis isolates belonged to the IIIbA26G1R1b subtype. This is the first study to document C. galli and C. xiaoi-like genotype in domestic free-range chickens in China. These findings expand the range of avian hosts known for Cryptosporidium and highlight the need for additional studies to characterize the diversity of Cryptosporidium in avian species.

BACKGROUND: New bladder preserving strategies are needed for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Combined therapy of immune-checkpoint inhibitors and radiation was shown to have synergistic antitumoral effects in preclinical studies. OBJECTIVES: We aim to evaluate whether the sequence of administration of this combined therapy impacts antitumoral response. METHODS: We developed an in-vivo syngeneic MIBC mouse model where murine bladder cancer cells (MB49) were injected subcutaneously in the right flank of C57BL/6 mice. Mice were then randomized to the following treatments: control, anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) alone, radiation alone (XRT) consisting of 6.25 Gy x2 fractions, concurrent anti-PD-L1 with XRT, neoadjuvant anti-PD-L1 followed by XRT, or XRT followed by adjuvant anti-PD-L1 therapy. Tumor growth, survival, and rate of response were analyzed. RESULTS: Total of 60 mice were randomized. One-way analysis of variance showed statistically significant difference in tumor growth rate across the treatment arms (p = 0.029). Importantly, timing of immunotherapy (neoadjuvant, concurrent, or adjuvant) did not alter either tumor growth or survival (p > 0.05). The rate of response was also similar in each combination arm (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combining anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy and radiation therapy offers optimal antitumoral responses. Timing of immunotherapy (neoadjuvant, concurrent, or adjuvant) does not appear to affect outcomes. Whether the toxicity profile differs across various sequential deliveries of combination therapy requires further evaluation.

The trichomonad species Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis have been reported in the bovine digestive tract in only a few studies, and the prevalence and pathogenicity of these two protists in cattle herds remain unknown. In this study, the prevalence of T. buttreyi and P. hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in Anhui Province, China, was determined with a PCR analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. The overall infection rates for T. buttreyi and P. hominis were 8.1% and 5.4%, respectively. Double infections were found in 15 (1.6%) samples from four farms. The prevalence of P. hominis in cattle with abnormal feces was significantly higher than that in cattle with normal feces (χ2 = 13.0, p

To explore the differences between hematological phenotypes of patients with different genotypes in gene mutations and deletion α- thalassemia.By screening the α- thalassemia gene test results in the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University from January 2015 to April 2020, the patients with mutation and deletion α- thalassemia were obtained, then the differences between hematological phenotypes of patients with different genotypes were analyzed.There were 96 patients with mutation combined with deletion α- thalassemia from the results of 24 054 α- thalassemia patients screened out, including 79 patients with non-deletion Hb H disease (αThe hematological phenotype changes caused by α基因突变合并缺失型α-地中海贫血患者血液学表型的回顾性分析.探讨不同基因突变合并缺失型α-地中海贫血患者血液学表型之间的差异。.通过筛查中山大学附属第一医院2015年1月至2020年4月α-地中海贫血基因的检测结果，获取基因突变合并缺失型α-地中海贫血患者，并回顾性分析不同基因型患者血液学表型之间的差异。.通过筛选24 054例α-地中海贫血检测的结果，共得基因突变合并缺失型α-地中海贫血患者96例（发病率为0.42%），其中非缺失型Hb H病（αα

The low-pressure die-casting process (LPDC) is widely used in fabricating aluminum alloy automotive wheels. With good castability and mechanical properties, A356 alloys are important and common materials for LPDC wheels. However, in practical casting process, defects often appear, especially porosities in the wheel thick-walled parts (i.e., spoke) due to inadequate interdendritic feeding, which greatly decreases the mechanical properties. In this investigation, to deal with this problem, local squeeze (LS) was added in conventional LPDC to enhance the interdendritic feeding. The practical A356 alloy wheel castings were fabricated with different LS velocities and times. The quantitative characteristics of α-Al cells, Si particles, and porosities with and without the LS analyzed by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and 3D x-ray computed tomography were compared. Their effects on the tensile and impact properties were discussed. The results have shown that the LS can increase the cooling rate and feed shrinkage of spoke parts, hence resulting in finer grains and denser microstructure. In result, the properties of spoke parts were improved with the LS.

As one of the key boundary conditions during casting solidification process, the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) affects the temperature variation and distribution. Based on the improved nonlinear estimation method (NEM), thermal measurements near both bottom and lateral metal-mold interfaces throughout A356 gravity casting process were carried out and applied to solving the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP). Finite element method (FEM) is employed for modeling transient thermal fields implementing a developed NEM interface program to quantify transient IHTCs. It is found that IHTCs at the lateral interface become stable after the volumetric shrinkage of casting while those of the bottom interface reach the steady period once a surface layer has solidified. The stable value of bottom IHTCs is 750 W/(m2·°C), which is approximately 3 times that at the lateral interface. Further analysis of the interplay between spatial IHTCs and observed surface morphology reveals that spatial heat transfer across casting-mold interfaces is the direct result of different interface evolution during solidification process.

Several Cryptosporidium species that infect reptiles, especially squamates, are well described, but there is limited data about Cryptosporidium species infecting crocodilians. In this study, we assess the occurrence of intestinal parasites using traditional microscopic examination and describe the prevalence and Cryptosporidium species in the captive-bred Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) in eastern China using molecular methods. The results of microscopic examination showed that no intestinal parasites were detected among the 491 fecal samples examined from the Chinese alligators. The overall prevalence for Cryptosporidium was 0.41% (2/491) by PCR detection using the SSU rRNA locus. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA, COWP, and actin genes revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium testudinis, which has been isolated primarily from chelonians. This is the first detection of the specific DNA of C. testudinis in the feces of the Chinese alligator. This study expands our knowledge of the Cryptosporidium species involved in crocodiles, and more extensive studies are necessary to confirm the validity of C. testudinis in crocodiles.

Biothiols including cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) are biological signaling molecules responsible for cell detoxification, cell metabolism and neutralization of reactive oxygen species. Here, we synthesized a long-wavelength fluorescent probe, DCIMA, for lysosome-targeted imaging of Cys and GSH in living cells. DCIMA is consisted of a dicyanoisophorone core modified with an acrylate group for biothiol detection through the Michael addition reaction and a morpholine group as the lysosome-targeting agent. The presence of the electron-donating morpholine group also enhances the intramolecular charge transfer mechanism of the probe, thereby enabling its long-wavelength fluorescence emission (670 nm) and large Stokes shift (180 nm). In concentration range of 0-30 μM, the probe was determined to react quickly with both Cys and GSH with low detection limits (5 min, 35.2 nM for GSH and 34.8 nM for Cys) and achieve the sensitive fluorescence imaging of the biothiols located in the lysosomes of living cells.

During takeoff, high engine thrust and large fuel consumption are required to produce enough power for aircraft lift-off which has more impacts on human health and environment than the other activities. Boeing 737-800 was selected as a typical type in the study. Based on simulation of aircraft performance, air pollution emissions were accurately calculated for different takeoff processes. According to the results, NO

The experimental and simulated results for the proposed antenna are investigated in this article. Moreover, a novel broadband design of a circularly polarized (CP) single square slot antenna fed by a single coplanar waveguide is presented. By appropriately choosing the circumference of the square-loop, the length of the protruded strip, and the gap, this proposed antenna thus owns good CP radiation and good impedance match simultaneously at the frequency of 2.45 GHz. This proposed antenna has the fundamental resonant frequency of 2.5 GHz with the minimum return loss of -39.9 dB. Furthermore, its impedance bandwidth is 460 MHz or 18.4% and 3-dB axial-ratio (AR) bandwidth is 360 MHz or 14.4% at 2.5 GHz.

This research focuses on the development of an intelligent diagnostic system for rotating machinery. The system is composed of a signal processing module and a state inference module. In the signal processing module, the recursive least square (RLS) algorithm and the Kalman filter are exploited to extract the order amplitudes of vibration signals, followed by fault classification using the fuzzy state inference module. The RLS algorithm and Kalman filter provide advantages in order tracking over conventional Fourier-based techniques in that they are insensitive to smearing problems arising from closely spaced orders or crossing orders. On the basis of thus obtained order features, the potential fault types are then deduced with the aid of a state inference engine. Human diagnostic rules are fuzzified for various common faults, including the single fault and double fault situations. This system is implemented on the platform of a floating point digital signal processor, where a photo switch and an accelerometer supply the shaft speed and acceleration signals, respectively. Experiments were carried out for a rotor kit and a practical four-cylinder engine to show the effectiveness of the proposed system in tracking the rotating order with precise inference.

The framework of this paper develops organizational ownership pattern from transaction cost theory and motivation theory on the strength of dynamic circumstances. We will discuss how ownership, management rights, and knowledge power organize and react to their system in different dynamic markets. Resource-based view has told us that a firm exploits and accumulates its resources to create competitive advantages in slow and traditional markets. The focus of ownership pattern moves toward shareholders and ownership gets more concern than others. However, the markets are not still over time, they are dynamic with different changing speed. In order to sustain competitive advantages in moderately dynamic markets, firms need to gather more useful information and enhance their dynamic capacities. It requires managers to set prudent routine and execute those ideas in the best position. Hence, the focus of ownership pattern would incline to move to executive officers and management rights would have more impact than ownership in moderately dynamic markets. In high-velocity markets, a firm's competitive advantages come from consecutive choices, experiments, and rapid feedback. A proper organization structure under high-velocity market is small, organic, and flat. The firm needs to enrich its knowledge to judge and response in no time, so that ownership pattern shifts to knowledge workers and knowledge power. Workers with idiosyncratic knowledge become more influential than ownership and management rights.