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Large earthquakes frequently occur along complex fault systems. Understanding seismic rupture and long-term fault evolution requires constraining the geometric and material properties of fault zone structures. We provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in seismological methods used to study fault zone structures, including seismic tomography, fault zone seismic wave analysis, and seismicity analysis. Observational conditions limit our current ability to fully characterize fault zones, for example, insufficient imaging resolution to discern small-scale anomalies, incomplete capture of crucial fault zone seismic waves, and limited precision in event location accuracy. Dense seismic arrays can overcome these limitations and enable more detailed investigations of fault zone structures. Moreover, we present new insights into the structure of the Anninghe-Xiaojiang fault zone in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau based on data collected from a dense seismic array. We found that utilizing a dense seismic array can identify small-scale features within fault zones, aiding in the interpretation of fault zone geometry and material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between the vascular development of the femoral head and avascular necrosis (AVN) in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) treated by closed reduction (CR). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 78 patients with DDH treated by CR (83 hips). The vascular maturity, number of vessels and perfusion changes of the femoral head were assessed on perfusion MRI (pMRI) before and after CR. Results: The number of vessels (mean 4.2 sd 1.4) of the femoral head and the ratio (36.1%) of mature vessels (type III) on the dislocated side were significantly less than those at contralateral side (mean 6.0 sd 1.2; 82.2%) (p < 0.001). Of the included 83 hips, 39 hips (61.5%) showed decreased perfusion of the femoral head, including partial decreased (Class B, 47.0%) and global decreased (Class C, 14.5%), at the dislocated side, which was significantly more than those at contralateral side (0.0%) (p < 0.001). In total, 32 out of 83 hips (38.5%) developed AVN. The rate of AVN with Class A (18.8%) which perfusion of the femoral head was normal (unchanged or enhanced) was significantly less than those with Class C (66.7%) (p = 0.006). Conclusion: The vascular development and perfusion changes of the femoral head on the dislocated side are significantly worse than those at contralateral side. Immature vascularity of the femoral head before CR and poor perfusion of the femoral head after CR may be risk factors for AVN in patients with DDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut health is critically important for growing neonatal calves, and nutritional technologies are needed to prevent disease and stress challenges. Previous work feeding monensin (MON) in combination with an oregano, prebiotic, and cobaltlactate (EOC) blend had demonstrated improved calf gut health and growth performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance of calves fed MON and EOC alone or in combination. Eighty (80) newborn Holstein (37) female and (43) male calves were randomly assigned to one of four treatments arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial (MON and EOC). Treatments were: 1) Control: without MON or EOC added to the calf starter (CS); 2) MON: 50.8 mg/kg CS (Elanco, Greenfield, IN); 3) EOC: 44.1 mg/kg CS (Rum-A-Fresh, Ralco Inc. Marshall, MN); 4) MON + EOC: MON and EOC added to CS. Calves were fed colostrum followed by whole milk through weaning at 42 d, while CS was fed ad libitum through the 70-d experimental period. The MON by EOC interaction was found to be nonsignificant (P > 0.41) for growth performance. Calves fed without or with MON demonstrated similar (P > 0.70) body weight (BW; 68.7 and 68.9 kg without and with MON, respectively), while calves fed EOC demonstrated greater (P < 0.01) BW (67.3 and 70.4 kg without and with EOC, respectively) compared with calves fed without EOC. Calves fed a CS containing MON were similar (P > 0.47) in average daily gain (ADG; 0.88 and 0.91 kg/d) compared with calves fed without MON; however, feeding calves a CS with EOC increased (P < 0.01) ADG (0.84 and 0.95 kg/d) by 13% through the 70-d experimental period compared with calves not fed EOC. Frame measurements indicated that the greater ADG was due to increased (P < 0.10) frame growth for calves fed essential oils (EO) compared with calves fed without EO. A MON by EOC interaction (P < 0.01) for serum propionate concentration demonstrated calves fed MON + EOC and EOC were greater (P < 0.05) compared with calves fed Control, while calves fed MON were intermediate and different (P < 0.05). Feeding calves a CS with EOC increased (P < 0.04) immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, and immunoglobulin M concentrations compared with calves fed without EOC. A MON by EOC interaction was detected (P < 0.01) for total tract starch digestibility for calves fed EOC or MON + EOC demonstrating greater (P < 0.05) starch digestibilities than Controlfed calves. These data demonstrate that EOC and MON fed in combination was not beneficial for enhancing the growth performance, but that calf growth performance can be improved with EOC compared with MON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify if any correlation between size of the proximal femoral epiphysis and avascular necrosis (AVN) exists. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 111 patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip treated by closed reduction (124 hips). The diameter and height of both femoral head and ossific nucleus were assessed on preoperative MRI. Results The diameter and the height of the femoral head as well as of the ossific nucleus of the contralateral side were significantly greater than the dislocated side. AVN occurred in 21 (16.9%) out of 124 hips. The rate of AVN gradually decreased with age: 30.0% at six to 12 months, 18.2% at 12 to 18 months and 3.7% at 18 to 24 months. Spearman correlation analysis showed that age is negatively correlated with the incidence of AVN (r = -0.274; p = 0.002) and the diameter of the femoral head has a significantly negative association with the incidence of AVN (r = -0.287; p = 0.001). No significant association was observed between the incidence of AVN and height of the femoral head or size of the ossific nucleus. Hips with AVN were significantly smaller than hips without AVN. Conclusions The size of both the femoral head and the ossific nucleus increase with age although the dislocated femoral head is smaller compared with the contralateral side. The diameter of the femoral head and not the size of the ossific nucleus negatively correlate with the risk of AVN, with a bigger femoral head showing lower risk of AVN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate traffic flow prediction is increasingly essential for successful traffic modeling, operation, and management. Traditional data driven traffic flow prediction approaches have largely assumed restrictive (shallow) model architectures and do not leverage the large amount of environmental data available. Inspired by deep learning methods with more complex model architectures and effective data mining capabilities, this paper introduces the deep belief network (DBN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) to predict urban traffic flow considering the impact of rainfall. The rainfall-integrated DBN and LSTMcan learn the features of traffic flow under various rainfall scenarios. Experimental results indicate that, with the consideration of additional rainfall factor, the deep learning predictors have better accuracy than existing predictors and also yield improvements over the original deep learning models without rainfall input. Furthermore, the LSTMcan outperform the DBN to capture the time series characteristics of traffic flow data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely regarded as a promising solution to reduce air pollution in cities and key to a low carbon mobility future. However, their environmental benefits depend on the temporal and spatial context of actual usage (journey energy efficiency) and the rolling out of EVs is complicated by issues such as limited range. This paper explores how the energy efficiency of EVs is affected and shaped by driving behavior, personal driving styles, traffic conditions, and infrastructure design in the real world. Tests have been conducted with a Nissan LEAF under a typical driving cycle on the Beijing road network in order to improve understanding of variations in energy efficiency among drivers under different urban traffic conditions. Energy consumption and operation parameters were recorded in both peak and off-peak hours for a total of 13 drivers. The analysis reported in this paper shows that there are clear patterns in energy consumption along a route that are in part related to differences in infrastructure design, traffic conditions, and personal driving styles. The proposed method for analyzing time series data about energy consumption along routes can be used for research with larger fleets of EVs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing a laser scanning confocal microscope system, the refractive indices of articular cartilage (AC) with mechanical or biochemical degenerations were characterized to investigate whether potential correlations exist between refractive index (RI) and cartilage degeneration. The cartilage samples collected from the medial femoral condyles of kangaroo knees were mechanically degenerated under different loading patterns or digested in trypsin solution with different concentrations. The sequences of RI were then measured from cartilage surface to deep region and the fluctuations of RI were quantified considering combined effects of fluctuating frequency and amplitude. The compositional and microstructural alterations of cartilage samples were assessed with histological methods. Along with the loss of proteoglycans, the average RI of cartilage increased and the local fluctuation of RI became stronger. Short-term high-speed test induced little influence to both the depth fluctuation and overall level of RI. Long-term low-speed test increased the fluctuation of RI but the average RI was barely changed. The results substantially demonstrate that RI of AC varies with both compositional and structural alterations and is potentially an indicator for the degeneration of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-term grazing exclusion has large impacts on grassland vegetation and nutrition. In order to study the effects of the short-term rest on aboveground biomass, forage quality, and soil moisture on alpine pasture of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, cages were used to exclude grazing from July to October on summer pasture used by three typical farms with different stocking rates. The results showed that, within the same month during the forage growth period, the dry weights of the edible forage in the cages were significantly higher than that out of the cages (P < 0.05) under heavy grazing pressure (from 2.47 to 2.48 animal unit equivalent AUE ha-1). Within the same soil depth, soil moisture was significantly different in, and out of, the cages (P < 0.05) and it decreased with depth. The crude protein content for forages in cages was significantly higher than that out of the cages for the farm with a heavy stocking rate and the neutral detergent fiber was significantly lower. This shows that short-term rest periods could effectively increase dry weight and crude protein content of the edible forage for farms with heavy stocking rates. This short-term rest management strategy is recommended for farms with a heavy stocking rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The voltage-gated calcium channel Cav1.1 is engaged in the excitation-contraction coupling of skeletal muscles. The Cav1.1 complex consists of the pore-forming subunit α1 and auxiliary subunits α2δ, β, and γ. We report the structure of the rabbit Cav1.1 complex determined by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The four homologous repeats of the α1 subunit are arranged clockwise in the extracellular view. The γ subunit, whose structure resembles claudins, interacts with the voltage-sensing domain of repeat IV (VSDIV), whereas the cytosolic β subunit is located adjacent to VSDII of α1. The α2 subunit interacts with the extracellular loops of repeats I to III through its VWA and Cache1 domains. The structure reveals the architecture of a prototypical eukaryotic Cav channel and provides a framework for understanding the function and disease mechanisms of Cav and Nav channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two mammalian genes, Kcnt1 and Kcnt2, encode pore-forming subunits of Na+-dependent K+ (KNa) channels. Progress in understanding KNa channels has been hampered by the absence of specific tools and methods for rigorous KNa identification in native cells. Here, we report the genetic disruption of both Kcnt1 and Kcnt2, confirm the loss of Slo2.2 and Slo2.1 protein, respectively, in KO animals, and define tissues enriched in Slo2 expression. Noting the prevalence of Slo2.2 in dorsal root ganglion, we find that KO of Slo2.2, but not Slo2.1, results in enhanced itch and pain responses. In dissociated small diameter DRG neurons, KO of Slo2.2, but not Slo2.1, abolishes KNa current. Utilizing isolectin B4+ neurons, the absence of KNa current results in an increase in action potential (AP) firing and a decrease in AP threshold. Activation of KNa acts as a brake to initiation of the first depolarization-elicited AP with no discernible effect on afterhyperpolarizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforested plantations have substantial effects on terrestrial carbon cycling due to their large coverage area. Although understory plants are important components of reforested plantations, their effects on ecosystem carbon dynamics remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the effects of vegetation removal/understory removal and tree girdling on soil respiration and ecosystem carbon dynamics in Eucalyptus plantations of South China with contrasting ages (2 and 24 years old). We conducted a field manipulation experiment from 2008 to 2009. Understory removal reduced soil respiration in both plantations, whereas tree girdling decreased soil respiration only in the 2-year-old plantations. The net ecosystem production was approximately three times greater in the 2-year-old plantations (13.4 t C ha-1 yr-1) than in the 24-year-old plantations (4.2 t C h-1 yr-1). The biomass increase of understory plants was 12.6 t ha-1 yr-1 in the 2-year-old plantations and 2.9 t ha-1 yr-1 in the 24-year-old plantations, accounting for 33.9% and 14.1% of the net primary production, respectively. Our findings confirm the ecological importance of understory plants in subtropical plantations based on the 2 years of data. These results also indicate that Eucalyptus plantations in China may be an important carbon sink due to the large plantation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a major causative agent of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children. The role of T follicular helper (TFH) cells in EV71-infected children remains unclear in regulating humoral immunity. The frequency of circulating ICOShigh/PD-1high CXCR5+ CD4+ TFH cells in the children with mild and severe EV71 infection and healthy controls (HC) was detected by flow cytometry, respectively. IL-21 and IL-6 mRNA expression and their serum levels, Bcl-6 mRNA expression, and specific neutralizing antibodies against EV71 (NAb-EV71) were measured. In the acute stage of patients with EV71 infection, increased frequencies of circulating TFH cells with ICOShigh and PD-1high expression in the mild and severe patients were observed, and the positive correlations among the frequencies of circulating TFH cells and the serum levels of IL-21, IL-6, and NAb-EV71 titres were detected, respectively. Moreover, the expressions of IL-6 and IL-21 mRNA in PBMCs from patients were also significantly higher than those of HC. However, further analysis did not reveal any significant differences between mild and severe patients. These data indicate a role of TFH cells and associated cytokines in modulating the humoral response during the pathogenesis of EV71 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depth distributions of refractive index (RI) in normal and early degenerated articular cartilage (AC) were measured and correlated to the pathological statuses. Utilizing a confocal microscope, the depth distribution of RI was determined with an interval of 50 µm from the articular surface and approximated as a smooth curve. The fluctuation of RI was quantified with a specially defined coefficient and the proteoglycan (PG) loss was quantified with histological images. The overall RI of the AC collected from the femoral condyles of mature sheep was 1.4444. Significant differences existed in the refractive indices of different cartilage samples or even in the different depths of the same sample. The RI of normal cartilage distributed as a regular ramp or arch curve with depth and peaked in the middle-deep zone. The cartilage samples detected with high PG losses were coupled with severe fluctuations of RI. The fluctuating level was increased with pathological progress. The coefficient of RI fluctuation can distinguish the normal cartilage from the initially degenerated one, which potentially provides an indicator to detect the pathological development of AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of the Rayleigh wave group velocity tomography in North China performed using ambient seismic noise observed at 190 broadband and 10 very broad-band stations of the North China Seismic Array. All available vertical component time-series for the 14 months between 2007 January and 2008 February are cross-correlated to obtain empirical Rayleigh wave Green's functions that are subsequently processed, with the multiple filter method, to isolate the group velocity dispersion curves of the fundamental mode of the Rayleigh wave. Tomographic maps, with a grid spacing of 0.25°× 0.25°, are computed at periods of 4.5, 12, 20 and 28 s. The maps at short periods reveal lateral heterogeneity in the crust of North China, in good agreement with known geological and tectonic features. The North China Basin is imaged as a broad low velocity area, while the Taihangshan and Yanshan uplifts and Ordos block are imaged as high velocity zones, and the Quaternary intermountain basins show up as small low-velocity anomalies. A well-defined low velocity zone in the Beijing–Tianjin–Tangshan region is observed at 28 s period. The low velocity zone may be associated with the upwelling of hot mantle material. The group velocity maps at 4.5, 12 and 20 s are consistent with Bouguer gravity anomalies measured in the area of the Taihangshan fault, that cuts through the lower crust at least. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel, an ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter. CFTR gating is linked to ATP binding and dimerization of its two nucleotide binding domains (NBDs). Channel activation also requires phosphorylation of the R domain by poorly understood mechanisms. Unlike conventional ligand-gated channels, CFTR is an ATPase for which ligand (ATP) release typically involves nucleotide hydrolysis. The extent to which CFTR gating conforms to classic allosteric schemes of ligand activation is unclear. Here, we describe point mutations in the CFTR cytosolic loops that markedly increase ATP-independent (constitutive) channel activity. This finding is consistent with an allosteric gating mechanism in which ligand shifts the equilibrium between inactive and active states but is not essential for channel opening. Constitutive mutations mapped to the putative symmetry axis of CFTR based on the crystal structures of related ABC transporters, a common theme for activating mutations in ligand-gated channels. Furthermore, the ATP sensitivity of channel activation was strongly enhanced by these constitutive mutations, as predicted for an allosteric mechanism (reciprocity between protein activation and ligand occupancy). Introducing constitutive mutations into CFTR channels that cannot open in response to ATP (i.e., the G551D CF mutant and an NBD2-deletion mutant) substantially rescued their activities. Importantly, constitutive mutants that opened without ATP or NBD2 still required R domain phosphorylation for optimal activity. Our results confirm that (i) CFTR gating exhibits features of protein allostery that are shared with conventional ligand-gated channels and (ii) the R domain modulates CFTR activity independent of ATP-induced NBD dimerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horizontal roadway curvature data are essential for roadway safety analysis. However, collecting such data is time-consuming, costly, and dangerous using traditional, manual surveying methods. It is especially difficult to perform such manual measurement when roadways have high traffic volumes. Thus, it would be valuable for transportation agencies if roadway curvature data could be computed from photographic images taken using low-cost digital cameras. This is the first article that develops an algorithm using emerging vision technology to acquire horizontal roadway curvature data from roadway images to perform roadway safety assessment. The proposed algorithm consists of four steps: (1) curve edges image processing, (2) mapping edge positions from an image domain to the real-world domain, (3) calibrating camera parameters, and (4) calculating the curve radius and center from curve points. The proposed algorithm was tested on roadways having various levels of curves and using different image sources to demonstrate its capability. The ground truth curvatures for two cases were also collected to evaluate the error of the proposed algorithm. The test results are very promising, and the computed curvatures are especially accurate for curves of small radii (less than 66 m/200 ft) with less than 1.0% relative errors with respect to the ground truth data. The proposed algorithm can be used as an alternative method that complements the traditional measurement methods used by state DOTs to collect roadway curvature data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn stover was liquefied using an industrial biodiesel glycerol as a liquefying agent at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. It was found that the liquefaction yield increased with increasing glycerol-to-corn stover ratios. Sulfuric acid, added as a catalyst, was found to improve liquefaction yield. The hydroxyl number, moisture content, acid number, pH value, viscosity, density, elemental composition, and higher heating value of the liquefied corn stover samples were determined. The liquefied corn stover showed a high hydroxyl number of 270-310 mg KOH/g. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results revealed the functional groups and confirmed the existence of the OH group in the liquefied corn stover, indicating that the liquefied corn stover is indeed a source of polyols and a potential chemical stock for the synthesis of polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new kind of rigid polyurethane (PU) foam was synthesized from the oil phase of bio-oils from microwave- assisted pyrolysis of corn stover. The recipes for the PU foams consisted of polyol-rich bio-oils, water as blowing agent, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as both polyol donor and plasticizer, diphenylmethane-4,4′-diisocyanate (polymeric MDI) as cross-linking agent, silicon-based surfactant, and tin-based catalyst. The mechanical properties of rigid foams were measured with universal testing machine (Instron4206). The effects of individual ingredients on the physical and mechanical properties of the foams were studied. It was found that water content, bio-oil content, and isocyanate dosage were important variables in making PU foams in terms of mechanical strength, density, and cellular structure. Under optimal conditions, the compression strength of the prepared PU foams reached 1130 kPa with a density of 152.9 g/L. The results show that bio-oils are potential renewable polyol sources for making rigid PU foams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the Chinese economy over the past 30 years has increased demand for passenger and freight transport considerably. Although restrictions on economic development have been alleviated by a major programme of road construction, China has begun to seek more sustainable ways of supporting transport development. Intelligent transport systems (ITS) have been introduced and a series of research has been conducted to take advantage of ITS applications in traffic management and control with significant social, economic and environmental benefits. This paper reviews the current use of ITS in China and presents policies, technologies, typical applications and recent activities in ITS development. The main achievements that reflect the current level of China's ITS development are described, in particular the ITS showcase programme and preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games. Finally, the paper discusses China's future ITS plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study conducted in China regarding the kinetics of renin inhibition through sodium houttuyfonate analogs. The authors discuss the series of chemical analogs of sodium houttuynin and the major constituent in the volatile oil of Houttuynia cordata. Moreover, they concluded that it is difficult to find inhibitors that can be used as antihypertensive agents.

This article presents a two-dimensional (2-D) color, shape, and texture-based stop sign recognition algorithm. The theoretical base of establishing a suitable 2-D correlation coefficient threshold value that can both eliminate nonstop sign objects and minimize the possibility of false-positive identifications is presented. Both the one-dimensional (1-D) algorithm, which has been developed by the authors, and the 2-D algorithm provide a simple and feasible means to automatically extract stop signs from roadway inventory video images with a very competitive computation speed of less than 25 ms for processing a 400 × 300 pixel image. The 2-D algorithm was able to correctly detect all of the images that were correctly detected by the 1-D algorithm. In addition, the 2-D algorithm could correctly detect two of the remaining five images that could not be correctly detected by the 1-D algorithm. The type of images that can be correctly detected by the 2-D algorithm but not the 1-D algorithm is significant because there is a need to recognize the tilted stop signs. The 2-D algorithm can detect stop signs tilted up to 35°. Similarly, the 2-D algorithm can detect a stop sign with its surface being blocked up to 20%. The improved detectability, with only a marginally increased time in the image processing, suggests that the 2-D algorithm is a better algorithm than the 1-D algorithm for processing stop sign images from video logging of roadway inventory. This algorithm can be extended to recognize other signs, such as yield signs, with a slight modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

21 earthquakes recorded by a temporary seismic network in the Changbaishan Tianchi volcanic area in Northeast China operated during the summer of 2002 and 2003 were analyzed to estimate the S coda attenuation. The attenuation quality factor Q c was estimated using the single scattering attenuation model of Sato (1977) in the frequency band from 4 to 24 Hz. All the events studied in this paper occurred at depths from 2 to 6 km with ML of 1.4–2.8. The epicentral distances are less than 25 km. For all events which occurred near the Tianchi Lake (caldera), the Q c patterns obtained at the stations near the lake are similar, and the Q c values are relatively small. At the stations located about 15 km east of the Tianchi Lake, however, the average Q c is significantly higher. For an event which occurred 25km from the lake to the west, Q c patterns derived at the stations near the lake are quite similar to the above mentioned Q c for stations located in the east. Further study shows that Q c value in the north and central areas of the volcano is relatively lower than that in the surrounding area. Compared to other volcanic areas in the world, the average Q c of the Changbaishan Tianchi volcanic area is obviously lower. The deep seismic sounding and teleseismic receiver function studies indicated more than one lower velocity layer in the crust. The MT studies suggested the presence of high conductive bodies beneath the area. We interpret the strong attenuation of coda waves near the Changbaishan Tianchi volcano as being possibly related to high temperature medium caused by shallow magma chambers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the kinetics for the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition of a synthetic version of leucinyl-arginyl-tryptophan (LRW), a peptide inhibitor. The purity of the peptide was measured, and its structure was verified by mass spectrometry. Based on the results, it has been concluded that LRW was found to be an effective ACE-inhibitory peptide with the ability to reduce the in vitro release of angiotensin II up to 1 hour of reaction time.

Layer I of the neocortex comprises axonal processes from widespread regions of the brain and a unique population of GABAergic interneurons. Dopamine is known to directly depolarize layer I interneurons, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Using whole-cell recording techniques in neocortical brain slices, we have examined how dopamine increases excitability of layer I interneurons in postnatal day 7-11 rats. Dopamine (30 µM) caused a 10 mV depolarization of layer I neurons. Paradoxically, neither the D1-like receptor agonist 6-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine hydrobromide (SKF81297) (1-10 µM) nor the D2-like agonist quinpirole (10 µM) produced a significant depolarization. Depolarization was observed when SKF81297 and quinpirole were coapplied. When G-protein βγ subunits were included in the recording pipette, D1 but not D2 agonists depolarized layer I neurons. Bath application of 4-ethylphenylamino-1,2-dimethyl-6-methylaminopyrimidinium chloride, a specific blocker of inwardly rectifying hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) channels, hyperpolarized the neurons and occluded the action of dopamine. Voltage-damp analysis demonstrated that dopamine increased the amplitude and shifted the voltage dependence of activation of Ih. These results indicate that Ih contributes to the resting potential of layer I interneurons and is subject to modulation by dopamine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insulin receptor is a transmembrane protein dimer composed of two αβ monomers held together by inter-α-chain disulfide bonds. In a previous report we described a monomeric insulin receptor obtained by replacing Cys-524, -682, -683, and -685 with serine (Wu, J. J., and Guidotti, G. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 2780927817). The membrane-bound monomeric insulin receptors could be cross-linked to dimers in the presence of insulin, indicating that although covalent interactions had been abolished, noncovalent dimerization could still occur in the membrane. To eliminate noncovalent dimerization, we replaced ail or some of Cys-524, -682, -683, and -685 with arginine or aspartic acid with the expectation that the electrostatic repulsion at these contact sites would prevent noncovalent dimerization. The results indicate that mutant insulin receptors that are able to form covalent dimers are expressed at the wild type level; mutants that can form noncovalent dimers are expressed at half the level of the wild type receptor, whereas insulin receptor mutants that cannot dimerize are expressed at less than 10% of the wild type level. To elucidate the mechanism of the decrease in expression of the mutant insulin receptors, we examined their subcellular localization and biosynthesis. The results suggest that the extent of expression of these mutant receptots is related to their ability to form covalent or noncovalent dimers at the proreceptor stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

KATP channels couple intermediary metabolism to cellular excitability. Such a property relies on the inherent ATP-sensing mechanism known to be located in the Kir6 subunit. However, the molecular basis for the ATP sensitivity remains unclear. Here we showed evidence for protein domains and amino acid residues essential for the channel gating by intracellular ATP. Chimerical channels were constructed using protein domains of Kir6.2 and Kir1.1, expressed in HEK293 cells, and studied in inside-out patches. The N and C termini, although important, were inadequate for channel gating by intracellular ATP. Full ATP sensitivity also required M1 and M2 helices. Cytosolic portions of the M1 and M2 sequences were crucial, in which six amino acid residues were identified, i.e., Thr76, Met77, Ala161, Iso162, Leu164, and Cys166. Site-specific mutation of any of them reduced the ATP sensitivity. Construction of these residues together with the N/C termini produced ATP sensitivity identical to the wild-type channels. The requirement for specific membrane helices suggests that the Kir6.2 gating by ATP is not shared by even two closest relatives in the K+ channel family, although the general gating mechanisms involving membrane helices appear to be conserved in all K+ channels. J. Cell. Physiol. 198: 73–81, 2004. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the role of G protein-coupled inward rectification K[sup +] (GIRK) channels in modulation of synaptic transmission and cellular excitability. Dependence of channel activation on a histidine residue in the M1-H5 linker; Role in neurotransmission; Decrease in the channel open probabilitty with a drop in the single-channel conductance.

Accurate and timely road inventory data is important for supporting the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of a variety of transportation facilities. Road inventory data includes various traffic signs, such as stop signs, speed limit signs, lane numbers, pavement widths, and others. Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is currently developing a real-time road inventory data collection system that uses image processing techniques to improve data quality and operation efficiency for existing road inventory data collection operations. This article presents a simple and feasible image processing technique using a shape- and texture-based one-dimension (1-D) stop sign detection algorithm to provide good detectability and computation time. This algorithm includes three components: color segmentation, Region of Interest (ROI) extraction, and stop sign validation. First, selective color segmentation is used to process stop sign images. Second, a column/row splitting strategy is used to produce a stop sign candidate (ROI) matrix. Finally, two one-dimensional correlation functions are decomposed to speed up the computation of stop sign validation. The algorithm was written with a C program and tested on a Pentium III 1.1 GB computer using the actual stop sign images with an image size of 400 by 300 pixels. The average processing time was 20 ms for each image with a standard deviation less than 3 ms. The results of a test program show that out of 106 images, the program correctly detected 101 images. The computation times for different image sizes are presented and show that this algorithm can provide competitive computation time when image size becomes larger. The results also show that this algorithm is especially good at detecting stop signs that are tilted in all directions or partially occluded because of the use of the shape-and-texture-based 1-D correlation validation algorithm. The characteristics of this algorithm for detecting stop signs are summarized and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This project aimed to evaluate the effects of both different additives and filling methods on nutritive quality, fermentation profile, and in situ digestibility of whole plant corn silage. Methods: Whole plant corn forage harvested at 26.72% dry matter (DM) was chopped and treated with two filling methods, i) fill silos at one time (F1), ii) fill silos at three times (F3), packing samples into one/three silo capacity at the first day, another one/three capacity at the second day, then one/three at the third day, three replicates. For each replicate, samples were treated with three additives, i) control (CTRL, no additive), ii) Sila-Max (MAX, Ralco Nutrition Inc., Marshall, MN, USA), and iii) Sila-Mix (MIX, Ralco Nutrition Inc., USA). With three replicates of each secondary treatment, there were nine silos, 54 silos in total. Each silo had a packing density of 137.61 kg of DM/m3. All silos were weighed and stored in lab at ambient temperature. Results: After 60 d of ensiling, all items showed good silage fermentation under MAX filled one time or three times (p<0.01). Higher silage quality for all additives was obtained at filling one time than that filled three times (p<0.01). The highest DM and lowest DM loss rate (DMLR) occurred to MAX treatment at two filling methods (p<0.01); Digestibility of acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and curde protein had the same results as silage quality (p<0.01). Yield of digestible DM and digestible NDF also showed higher value under MAX especially for filling one time (p<0.05). Conclusion: All corn silages showed good fermentation attributes (pH<4.0). The forage filled one time had higher silage quality than that filled three times (p<0.01). MAX with homofermentative lactic acid bacteria enhanced the lactic acid fermentation, silage quality and nutrient digestibility, and so improved the digestible nutrient yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific goal of the Anninghe seismic array is to investigate the detailed geometry of the Anninghe fault and the velocity structure of the fault zone. This 2D seismic array is composed of 161 stations forming sub-rectangular geometry along the Anninghe fault, which covers 50 km and 150 km in the fault normal and strike directions, respectively, with ~ 5 km intervals. The data were collected between June 2020 and June 2021, with some level of temporal gaps. Two types of instruments, i.e. QS-05A and SmartSolo, are used in this array. Data quality and examples of seismograms are provided in this paper. After the data protection period ends (expected in June 2024), researchers can request a dataset from the National Earthquake Science Data Center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysyl oxidases (LOXs), a type of copper- and lysyl tyrosylquinone (LTQ) -dependent amine oxidase, catalyze the oxidative deamination of lysine residues of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as elastins and collagens and generate aldehyde groups. The oxidative deamination of lysine represents the foundational step for the cross-linking of elastin and collagen and thus is crucial for ECM modeling. Despite their physiological significance, the structure of this important family of enzymes remains elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of human lysyl oxidase-like 2 (hLOXL2) at 2.4-Å resolution. Unexpectedly, the copper-binding site of hLOXL2 is occupied by zinc, which blocks LTQ generation and the enzymatic activity of hLOXL2 in our in vitro assay. Biochemical analysis confirms that copper loading robustly activates hLOXL2 and supports LTQ formation. Furthermore, the LTQ precursor residues in the structure are distanced by 16.6 Å, corroborating the notion that the present structure may represent a precursor state and that pronounced conformational rearrangements would be required for protein activation. The structure presented here establishes an important foundation for understanding the structure-function relationship of LOX proteins and will facilitate LOX-targeting drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet has become a major part of the global communications infrastructure supporting modern-day socio-economic development, social progress and technological innovation. Invented 30 years ago, today the Internet is facing severe challenges. Many countries have funded research projects on the new-generation Internet, such as GENI, FIND, FIRE and CNGI, in an effort to solve these challenges. In addition, over the past few years, the networking research community has engaged in an ongoing conversation about how to move the Internet forward, and there are now two different approaches towards Internet research. The first approach is based on using the existing Internet architecture to solve the major technical challenges--this is called 'evolutionary' research. The other, which is called the 'clean slate', involves the design of an entirely new Internet architecture. In the first part of this paper, the basic features of the next generation Internet and its principal contradictions are analysed. Then a survey of recent progress in the study of the next generation Internet in China is discussed. Finally, the focus and direction for the next step in research are presented as based on fundamental research into the international next generation Internet architecture, and the many new innovative demands placed on Internet architecture in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RyR2 is a high-conductance intracellular calcium (Ca2+) channel that controls the release of Ca2+ from the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum of a variety of cells. Here, we report the structures of RyR2 from porcine heart in both the open and closed states at near-atomic resolutions determined using single-particle electron cryomicroscopy. Structural comparison reveals a breathing motion of the overall cytoplasmic region resulted from the interdomain movements of amino-terminal domains (NTDs), Helical domains, and Handle domains, whereas almost no intradomain shifts are observed in these armadillo repeats–containing domains. Outward rotations of the Central domains, which integrate the conformational changes of the cytoplasmic region, lead to the dilation of the cytoplasmic gate through coupled motions. Our structural and mutational characterizations provide important insights into the gating and disease mechanism of RyRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrogenic NBCs that regulate intracellular pH and contribute to HCO3-transport are regulated by second messenger systems. We used the macropatch technique to study regulation of heterologously expressed rat NBCe1-A in inside-out patches from Xenopus oocytes. Exposing the cytosolic side of patches to a 33-mM HCO3- solution elicited a mean inward NBC current (INBC) of 13±1 pA (n=114) in 83% of patches attached to pipettes (-Vp = -60 mV) containing a low-Na+, nominally HCO3--free solution. INBC was 74±2% smaller in the absence of Na+ (n=15), 79±10% smaller in the presence of 200 µM DIDS (n=6), and absent in patches from H2O-injected oocytes (n=15). INBC usually exhibited a Mg2+-sensitive, time-dependent rundown, possibly due in part to phosphatase-induced hydrolysis of PIP2. Indeed, the PIP2 charge screeners neomycin, spermine, and poly-lysine all reduced INBC. Applying 10 µM PIP2 (diCS) in the presence of HCO3- increased INBC in 77% of patches from NBC-injected, but not H2O-injected oocytes. PIP2-induced NBC stimulation was smaller in patches exhibiting larger initial HCO3--induced INBC. In experiments in which INBC ranged from 0.5 to 20 pA, PIP2 stimulated INBC by 183±12% (n=22). Neomycin inhibited the PIPE-stimulated INBC by 71±7% (n=4). In summary, exogenous and endogenous PIP2 can stimulate NBCe1 activity, and phospholipids are newly discovered regulators of HCO3- transporters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eukaryotic proteasome mediates degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins. Here we report the single-particle cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the endogenous 26S proteasome from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at 4.6- to 6.3-Å resolution. The fine features of the cryo-EM maps allow modeling of 18 subunits in the regulatory particle and 28 in the core particle. The proteasome exhibits two distinct conformational states, designated M1 and M2, which correspond to those reported previously for the proteasome purified in the presence of ATP-γS and ATP, respectively. These conformations also correspond to those of the proteasome in the presence and absence of exogenous substrate. Structure-guided biochemical analysis reveals enhanced deubiquitylating enzyme activity of Rpn11 upon assembly of the lid. Our structures serve as a molecular basis for mechanistic understanding of proteasome function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HBx is a hepatitis B virus protein that is required for viral infectivity and replication. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members are thought to be among the important host targets of HBx. However, the structure and function of HBx are poorly understood and the molecular mechanism of HBx-induced carcinogenesis remains unknown. In this study, we report biochemical and structural characterization of HBx. The recombinant HBx protein contains metal ions, in particular iron and zinc. A BH3-like motif in HBx (residues 110-135) binds Bcl-2 with a dissociation constant of ~193 μM, which is drastically lower than that for a canonical BH3 motif from Bim or Bad. Structural analysis reveals that, similar to other BH3 motifs, the BH3-like motif of HBx adopts an amphipathic α-helix and binds the conserved BH3-binding groove on Bcl-2. Unlike the helical Bim or Bad BH3 motif, the C-terminal portion of the bound HBx BH3-like motif has an extended conformation and makes considerably fewer interactions with Bcl-2. These observations suggest that HBx may modulate Bcl-2 function in a way that is different from that of the classical BH3-only proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow cover plays an essential role in climate change and the hydrological cycle of the Tibetan Plateau. The widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow products have two major issues: massive data gaps due to frequent clouds and relatively low estimate accuracy of snow cover due to complex terrain in this region. Here we generate long-term daily gap-free snow cover products over the Tibetan Plateau at 500 m resolution by applying a Hidden Markov Random Field (HMRF) technique to the original MODIS snow products over the past two decades. The data gaps of the original MODIS snow products were fully filled by optimally integrating spectral, spatiotemporal, and environmental information within HMRF framework. The snow cover estimate accuracy was greatly increased by incorporating the spatiotemporal variations of solar radiation due to surface topography and sun elevation angle as the environmental contextual information in HMRF-based snow cover estimation. We evaluated our snow products, and the accuracy is 98.31% in comparison with in situ observations and 92.44% in comparison with high-resolution snow maps derived from Landsat-8 imagery. Our evaluation also suggests that the incorporation of spatiotemporal solar radiation as the environmental contextual information in HMRF modelling, instead of the simple use of surface elevation as the environmental contextual information, results in the accuracy of the snow products increase by 2.72% and the omission error decrease by 4.59%. The accuracy of our snow products is especially improved during snow transitional period and over complex terrains with high elevation as well as sunny slopes. The new products can provide long-term and spatiotemporally continuous information of snow cover distribution, which is critical for understanding the processes of snow accumulation and melting, analysing its impact on climate change, and facilitating water resource management in Tibetan Plateau. This dataset can be freely accessed from the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center at https://doi.org/10.11888/Cryos.tpdc.272204 (Huang and Xu, 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Treatment of major depression disorder with Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (CTM), during pregnancy effects on the neurological trajectory of the offspring and induces enduring consequences, notably emotional and cognitive impairment. The associations between prenatal exposure to SSRIs and neurological underpinnings of these atypical behaviors in offspring are contentious and poorly understood. Methods: We examined modifications in physiological, morphological, and biochemical characteristics in male and female offspring of C57BL/6 exposed to CTM during the third trimester of gestation. We utilized different behavior procedures to observe depression and anxiety-like behavior in 1~2 month old CTM-exposed mouse offspring. We employed Golgi-Cox staining to examine the neuronal structure of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in CTM-exposed mice following protein expression levels by utilizing biochemical techniques. Results: Our results indicate an impaired behavior such as anxiety and altered locomotion along with the substantial reduction in dendritic length and the number of dendritic branches in CTM-exposed mice. We observed differentially increase c-Fos expression in the mPFC following altered protein expression levels relative to controls. Conclusions: Our finding supports the function of CTM as a prenatal modulator of susceptibility to depressive-like behavior in offspring. We indicate that prenatal CTM exposure elicits a negative impact on the central nervous system, especially those regions involved in cognition and drug reinforcement. Furthermore, genetic, chemo-genetic, and optogenetic methods should be used to explain the function of SSRIs such as CTM during pregnancy in the regulation of mood and emotion-related behaviors in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leftover egg yolk after immunoglobulin Y (IgY) extraction was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with Protease P and Lipase AY30, which resulted in the formation of cream. The extractability and purity of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and total phospholipids (PL) at three levels of moisture content in cream (freeze dried cream, 20% and 45%, w/w) were studied using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction with ethanol addition (8%, mole%) as co-solvent at 48.3 MPa and 70° C. The results were compared to those obtained from fresh yolk and dry yolk. The highest recoveries of PC and total PL were for freeze-dried cream and cream with 20% moisture in which the recovery of PC was about 85% and 65%, respectively, based on the initial mass of yolk used for cream formation and 94% and 106% recovery, respectively, based on the amount of cream used as extraction feed. The highest purity of PC was about 87% obtained from fresh yolk and 84% from cream with 20% moisture content. This study showed th a t enzymatic treatment of the pellet can improve the recovery of PC and PL from egg yolk at moisture contents of up to 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in more than 235 million cases worldwide and 4.8 million deaths (October 2021), with various incidences and mortalities among regions/ethnicities. The coronaviruses SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and HCoV-NL63 utilize the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the receptor to enter cells. We hypothesized that the genetic variability in ACE2 may contribute to the variable clinical outcomes of COVID-19. To test this hypothesis, we first conducted an in silico investigation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of ACE2. We then applied an integrated approach of genetics, biochemistry, and virology to explore the capacity of select ACE2 variants to bind coronavirus spike proteins and mediate viral entry. We identified the ACE2 D355N variant that restricts the spike protein-ACE2 interaction and consequently limits infection both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, ACE2 polymorphisms could modulate susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, which may lead to variable disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer are now he leading causes of morbidity and mortality world wide. Inflammatory processes and oxidative stress underlie the pathogenesis of these pathological conditions. Bioactive peptides derived from food proteins have been evaluated for various beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this review, we summarize the roles of various food-derived bioactive peptides in inflammation and oxidative stress and discuss the potential benefits and limitations of using these compounds against the burden of chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering lateral influence from adjacent lane, an improved car-following model is developed in this paper. Then linear and nonlinear stability analyses are carried out. The modified Korteweg-de Vries (MKdV) equation is derived with the kink-antikink soliton solution. Numerical simulations are implemented and the result shows good consistency with theoretical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, hydroxyterminated polybutadiene-based polyurethaneurea (HTPB-PU) pervaporation membranes were prepared by phase inversion and used for recovering acetone and n-butanol from dilute aqueous solutions. The effects of the operation temperature and feed composition on the pervaporation performance were investigated. The differences of the separation performance between the ternary mixture and binary mixture were also studied through evaluating the permeability coefficient, the swelling degree of the membrane, and the activity coefficient. The results indicated that a complex “coupling effect” occurred in the ternary mixture. The pervaporation performance for the ternary mixture was superior to that for the binary mixture because of the permeant-permeant and permeant-membrane interactions. A high selectivity towards acetone and n-butanol was obtained. Acetone and butanol were condensed from 1.5 to 11.9 wt% and 3.0 to 43.5 wt% at 40°C for the ternary mixtures, respectively. Furthermore, potential of the membrane for separation of organics from fermentation was also studied by testing the pervaporaton performance, and acetone and butanol were condensed from 0.5 to 8.7 wt% and 1.1 to 16.4 wt% at 45°C, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the fourth Asian Network on Climate Science and Technology (ANCST) Workshop on Climate Change and Urban Environment held in China on July 2015. Topics discussed include review of recent research on the changing environment and atmospheric conditions in Asian cities in relation to global climate change, affect of the cities on global climate, and use of technologies, transportation systems and planning to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The pandemic of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a major global health threat. Epidemiological studies suggest that bats (Rhinolophus affinis) are the natural zoonotic reservoir for SARS-CoV-2. However, the host range of SARS-CoV-2 and intermediate hosts that facilitate its transmission to humans remain unknown. The interaction of coronavirus with its host receptor is a key genetic determinant of host range and cross-species transmission. SARS-CoV-2 uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the receptor to enter host cells in a species-dependent manner. In this study, we characterized the ability of ACE2 from diverse species to support viral entry. By analyzing the conservation of five residues in two virus-binding hotspots of ACE2 (hotspot 31Lys and hotspot 353Lys), we predicted 80 ACE2 proteins from mammals that could potentially mediate SARS-CoV-2 entry. We chose 48 ACE2 orthologs among them for functional analysis, and showed that 44 of these orthologs-including domestic animals, pets, livestock, and animals commonly found in zoos and aquaria-could bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and support viral entry. In contrast, New World monkey ACE2 orthologs could not bind the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and support viral entry. We further identified the genetic determinant of New World monkey ACE2 that restricts viral entry using genetic and functional analyses. These findings highlight a potentially broad host tropism of SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that SARS-CoV-2 might be distributed much more widely than previously recognized, underscoring the necessity to monitor susceptible hosts to prevent future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The objective of this study was to explore the predictors for failed reduction in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) managed by arthrogram, closed reduction (CR) and spica cast immobilization. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of patients with DDH treated by CR and cast immobilization (2015- 2020), including age, sex, affected side, presence/absence of an ossific nucleus, International Hip Dysplasia Institute classification, the delineation of labrum and acetabular surface on arthrogram, inverted labrum, acetabular index (AI), hip abduction angle and medial dye pool (MDP) distance. Predictors that potentially predicted failure of CR were evaluated by logistic regression analysis, simple t-test, Fisher's Exact Test and chi-square test. Results In total, 16 out of 187 hips failed to achieve initial CR (8.6%). Gender, age, preoperative AI and poor delineation of arthrogram were candidate predictors for failed CR in children aged six to 24 months with DDH; on the other hand, logistic regression analysis confirmed age and poor delineation of arthrogram significantly predicted failure of CR. Receive operating characteristic curve (ROC) showed MDP less than 6 mm and age higher than 14.5 months significantly increased the failure rate of CR in children aged six to 24 months with DDH. Conclusion Age and poor delineation of labrum and acetabular surface during arthrogram predicted failure of CR in children with DDH. In particular, age > 14.5 months and MDP distance = 6 mm significantly increased the risk of CR failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nighttime light (NTL) satellite data have been widely used to investigate urbanization process. The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program-Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) stable nighttime light data and Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership-Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) nighttime light data are two widely used NTL datasets. However, the difference of their spatial resolutions and sensor design makes these two datasets can not be directly used together for a long-term analysis of urbanization. To solve this issue, an extended time-series (2000-2018) of NPP-VIIRS-like NTL data were proposed in this study through a cross-sensor calibration from DMSP-OLS NTL data (2000-2012) and a composition of monthly NPP-VIIRS NTL data (2013-2018). Compared with the annual composited NPP-VIIRS NTL data in 2012, our product of extended NPP-VIIRS-like NTL data shows a good consistency at the pixel and city levels with R2 of 0.87 and 0.95, respectively. We also found that our product has a good accuracy by comparing with DMSP-OLS radiance calibrated NTL (RNTL) data in 2000, 2004, 2006, and 2010. Generally, our extended NPP-VIIRS-like NTL data (2000-2018) have a good spatial pattern and temporal consistency, which are similar to the composited NPP-VIIRS NTL data. In addition, the resulting product could be easily updated and provide a useful proxy to monitor the dynamics of demographic and socio-economic activities for a longer time period compared to existing products. The extended time-series (2000-2018) of nighttime light data are freely accessible at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/YGIVCD (Chen et al., 2020). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The milk-fed calf has a requirement for amino acids (AA) instead of crude protein (CP); however, most milk replacers (MR) are still formulated for CP concentrations. Previous work has demonstrated that feeding a modified MR (24:20; CP:fat @ 0.64 kg/d) improved calf growth performance compared with standard (20:20 @ 0.57 kg/d) and accelerated MR (26:16 @ 0.78 kg/d). The 56-d study objective was to determine if feeding an MR formulated using synthetic AA to achieve the AA concentrations of a 24:20 MR while reducing CP results in similar or enhanced growth performance and/or reduce cost compared with standard MR formulations. Eighty 3- to 5-d-old Holstein bull calves received in two lots (40) within the same week were blocked by body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of four MR treatments consisting of 20:20 (20), 22:20 (22), 24:20 (24), and a 22:20 having the AA concentrations of the 24, but with reduced CP (22AA). All MR contain decoquinate and were fed at 0.57 kg/calf daily split into 2×/d feeding for 14 d via bucket, increased to 0.85 kg/calf daily in two feedings until 35 d, and then fed 1×/d at 0.41 kg/calf daily with weaning after day 42. Calves were housed in straw-bedded hutches with ad libitum access to water and pelleted calf starter (CS). All data were statistically analyzed as a randomized complete block design with block considered random with week as a repeated measurement. Initial BW was similar (P > 0.10) across all treatments (42.4 ± 2.2 kg). Calves fed 22AA MR demonstrated greater (P < 0.05) BW compared with calves fed the 24 MR, and calves fed the 20 and 22 MR being intermediate and similar (P > 0.10; 78.7, 78.8, 76.5, and 81.8 kg for 20, 22, 24, and 22AA, respectively). CS intake was greater (P < 0.05) for calves fed 22AA (0.74, 0.78, 0.65, and 0.81 kg/d) compared with calves fed the 20 and 24, but similar (P > 0.10) to calves fed 22. Calves fed 24 MR demonstrated the lowest CS intake. This study demonstrates that similar growth performance can be achieved by feeding an AA fortified MR having a lesser CP concentration, which might reduce feed costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Though androgen deprivation therapy is the standard treatment for prostate cancer (PCa), most patients would inevitably progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) which is the main cause of PCa death. Therefore, the identification of novel molecular mechanism regulating cancer progression and achievement of new insight into target therapy would be necessary for improving the benefits of PCa patients. This study aims to study the function and regulatory mechanism of HOTAIR/EZH2/miR-193a feedback loop in PCa progression. Methods: MSKCC and TCGA datasets were used to identify miR-193a expression profile in PCa. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, colony formation, invasion, migration, flow cytometry, a xenograft model and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis were used to detect and analyze the biological function of miR-193a. Then, we assessed the role of HOTAIR and EZH2 in regulation of miR-193a expression by using plasmid, lentivirus and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Luciferase reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed to detect the transcriptional activation of miR-193a by EZH2 and HOTAIR. Further, qRT-PCR and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to examine the regulatory role of miR-193a controlling the HOTAIR expression in PCa. Finally, the correlation between HOTAIR, EZH2 and miR-193a expression were analyzed using In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Results: We found that miR-193a was significantly downregulated in metastatic PCa through mining MSKCC and TCGA datasets. In vitro studies revealed that miR-193a inhibited PCa cell growth, suppressed migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis; in vivo results demonstrated that overexpression of miR-193a mediated by lentivirus dramatically reduced PCa xenograft tumor growth. Importantly, we found EZH2 coupled with HOTAIR to repress miR-193a expression through trimethylation of H3K27 at miR-193a promoter in PC3 and DU145 cells. Interestingly, further evidence illustrated that miR-193a directly targets HOTAIR showing as significantly reduced HOTAIR level in miR-193a overexpressed cells and tissues. The expression level of miR-193a was inversely associated with that of HOTAIR and EZH2 in PCa. Conclusion: This study firstly demonstrated that miR-193a acted as tumor suppressor in CRPC and the autoregulatory feedback loop of HOTAIR/EZH2/miR-193a served an important mechanism in PCa development. Targeting this aberrantly activated feedback loop may provide a potential therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]