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β-1,3 − 1,4-gluconases can specifically hydrolyze the adjacent β-1,4 glycoside bond of β-1,3 in β-glucan, which is widely used in food, brewing and feed industries. Its sources include bacteria, fungi, and plant endosperm cell walls, most β-1,3 − 1,4-glucanases lose their activity when the temperature exceeds 65 ℃. In this study, we selected and modified the β-1,3 − 1,4-glucanase (PlicA) gene from Paenibacillus and expressed it in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Adding disulfide bonds by rational design increased the optimal temperature of the enzyme from 55 ℃ to 80 ℃, and temperature stability was also improved. The optimum pH of the modified β-1,3 − 1,4-gluconanase (Eccsl69) was 9.0–10.0. The enzyme activity in 16.9 U/mL of Eccsl69 was measured at 540 nm with 0.8% gluan as the substrate, and a nickel column purified specific enzyme activity of 320 U/mg was determined. The Km and Vmax values of Eccsl69 using barley β-glucan as substrate were 1.5 mg/ml and 8.3 mol/min·mg. The structure of the β-1,3 − 1,4-glucanase Eccsl69 tended to be stable after molecular dynamics simulation for approximately 20 ns. The enzyme was successfully applied in the pulping and papermaking field for the first time, and the pulp freeness was adjusted from 55.0 °SR to 47 °SR, which enhanced water filtration. This study provides a successful strategy for improving the heat resistance of Eccsl69, which is promising for its application in pulping and paper making industries.

Materials with lifetime-tunable room-temperature phosphorescence are fascinating for multiple encryption-decryption security applications. Herein, by introducing different halogen ions, that is, Cl, Br, and I, together with organic luminescent units to bond to a zinc center, three coordination polymers were hydro(solvo)thermally synthesized. The results show that three coordination polymers present room-temperature phosphorescence with different lifetimes. Furthermore, a multiple encryption-decryption system combining temporal and spatial resolution characteristics was designed.

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have potential applications in anticounterfeiting, biochemistry, and optical recording. It is significant to develop a novel approach to enriching RTP materials. Here two new hybrid RTP solids were obtained by the introduction of organic 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)benzene and halogen atoms to simultaneously coordinate with inorganic moieties. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that Br atoms are oriented toward the adjacent organic molecules that can play an important heavy-atom effect (HAE). Notably, such a HAE realized by orienting the Br atom to the location immediately adjacent to the triplets produced can efficiently facilitate intersystem crossing and results in RTP with intensity similar to that of the fluorescence in steady-state photoluminescence.

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have gained much attention, because of their applications in chemical sensing, optoelectronics, and security systems. Transition-metal complexes, particularly those of IrIII, PtII, RuII, and AuI, have preciously been investigated in the quest for excellent RTP materials. Recently, the pure organic molecules caught the eyes of researchers. Although great achievement has been reached, expanding the available types of RTP materials and hunting for top-performing RTP materials are still significant to promote the development of RTP materials. In this work, we report a series of isostructural hybrid zincophosphite [Zn3(HPO3)2(tib)2]X2 (X- = Cl-, Br-, I-; tib = 1,3,5-tris(1-imidazolyl)-benzene), which feature a cationic host structure and an anionic guest (X-). Because of the restriction of molecular vibrations/rotations of organic luminogens (tib) and the heavy-atom effect of the guest halide ion (X-), the title compounds exhibit almost pure RTP with absolute phosphorescence quantum yields of 5.8%-9.1%. More interestingly, unique excitation-energy-dependent phosphorescence has been observed in these hybrid materials. The phosphorescence origin has also been illustrated by theoretical calculations. Our work provides new insights into the design of RTP materials. Considering the structural diversity together with the rich host-guest chemistry of metal-phosphite/phosphate, we offer a new avenue to explore superior crystalline RTP materials.

Purpose To evaluate retinal segmented layer alterations in optic neuritis (ON) in an AQP4-Ab seropositive (AQP4-Ab+/ON) cohort and in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) with ON eyes (NMO-ON) compared with an AQP4-Ab seronegative ON (AQP4-Ab−/ON) cohort using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods We recruited 109 patients with ON (161 eyes) and 47 healthy controls. All patients with ON were subdivided into three subcohorts: 37 patients (54 eyes) with AQP4-Ab+/ON, 45 patients (65 eyes) with AQP4-Ab−/ON and 27 patients (42 eyes) with NMO-ON. All subjects were evaluated for their peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and inner macular segmented layer using OCT. Results AQP4-Ab+/patients with ON had the same structural injury patterns as patients with NMO-ON, and the injury patterns were distinct from those of AQP4-Ab−/patients with ON. NMO-ON and AQP4-Ab+/ON preferentially damaged the pRNFL (all p=0.000), the macular retinal nerve fibre layer (mRNFL; p=0.000 and 0.032, respectively), and the inner plexiform layer (IPL; p=0.000 and 0.006, respectively) without differences in the retinal ganglion cell layer (p=0.106 and 0.374, respectively) compared with AQP4-Ab−/patients with ON. The thickness of the inner nuclear layer (INL) increased in NMO-ON (p=0.043) compared with that of AQP4-Ab−/ON without a significant difference in AQP4-Ab+/ON versus AQP4-Ab−/ON (p=0.353). When the thickness of the inferior nasal quadrant (NI) of the pRNFL was reduced to ≤46.5 μm (area under the curve 0.772, sensitivity 89.2% and specificity 57.5%) 6 months after ON onset, NMO was considered. Conclusions AQP4-Ab+/ON produced similar structural injury patterns as NMO-ON. The pRNFL, mRNFL and IPL in the two types of ON and the INL in NMO-ON suffered more damage than those in AQP4-Ab−/ON, which could be associated with strong aquaporin-4 expression. The thickness of the NI of the pRNFL could be a potential clue for predicting ON progression to definite NMO.

The aim of this work is to reduce the residual stress in cured SU-8 Photoresist layer by vibration stress relief (VSR) method. The vibration device was designed according to the results of the ANSYS modal simulation, which was used for the thin film VSR. Meanwhile, some important influencing factors, such as the excitation current and the vibration time, have been discussed. The residual stress in the SU-8 layer was measured by profile method, and the values of residual stresses in the SU-8 layer before and after VSR were compared. The experimental results show that residual stress in SU-8 layer can be effectively eliminated or homogenized by VSR if the proper vibration parameters were chosen in the experiment.

The purpose of this work is to study the mechanical characteristics of the silicon nitride(SiNx) thin films prepared by PECVD technique, some researches as follows were carried out. First, the SiNx thin films were deposited on the two different substrates. Then, the atomic force microscope (AFM) was adopted to test the surface quality of the SiNxfilms, and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to test the section morphology of the SiNxthin films. Finally, the rotating beam structures was applied to measure the residual stress in the SiNx films. The SiNxthin films with low stress can be fabricated through PECVD, in which the surface roughness values(Ra) are 1.261 nm and 2.383nm, and the residual stress is 43.5 kPa. Therefore, the SiNxthin films deposited by PECVD are suitable for the preparation of device dielectric films in MEMS.

OBJECTIVE To compare the therapeutic effects of metformin (Met) and laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) in clomiphene and insulin-resistant patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (CIRPCOS). METHODS A total of 110 patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group was administered Met (n = 55), while the other group underwent LOD (n = 55). Rates of ovulation, pregnancy, and abortion were compared between both groups. RESULTS Rates of normal menstruation, ovulation, and pregnancy in the LOD group were higher than in the Met group: 76.4% (42/55) vs. 58.2% (32/55), P < 0.04; 50.8% (11/258) vs. 33.5% (94/281), P < 0.001; 38.2% (21/55) vs. 20.0% (11/55), P < 0.03. The difference in the early abortion rate between both groups was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Although Met can significantly improve a patient's insulin resistance, we found that in patients diagnosed with CIRCPOS, LOD can be much more effective in improving rates of normal menstruation, ovulation, and pregnancy.

This paper analyzed and researched physical education curriculum evaluation system according to the principle of computer evaluation technique. The first part introduced the physical education curriculum evaluation system this thesis designed the function of the system. The second part of the paper established the mathematical model of the teaching model of physical education through a comprehensive fuzzy evaluation theory and introduced comprehensive fuzzy evaluation matrix form. The third part designed B/S and C/S joint framework model of computer evaluation of PE curriculum combined with comprehensive fuzzy evaluation mathematical model. Finally, this paper designed the Java programming language taking the evaluation of the students about physical education course for example and concluded the implementation form of the data structure table and designed the physical training computer evaluation system.

A series of bis-aromatic amides was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as a new class of inhibitors with IC50 values in the micromolar range against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). Among them, compound 15 displayed an IC50 value of 2.34±0.08 μM with 5-fold preference over TCPTP. More importantly, the treatment of CHO/HIR cells with compound 15 resulted in increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR), which suggested extensive cellular activity of compound 15. These results provided novel lead compounds for the design of inhibitors of PTP1B as well as other PTPs.

In the search for a new method of feature tracking of vector field, Theisel and Seidel proposed the concept of feature flow field [, In their paper, a flat time-varying flow field and multi-vortex structure, vortex will automatically extract and track based on the concept of feature flow field. The method used for tracking the vortex core flow line integral, by extracting the vortex areas of flow field to determine the vortex core range, precision tracking vortex core in the three-dimensional feature flow field and recording the specific path of evolution in the integrand flow line. The new algorithm using the flow line can describe the dynamic behavior of characteristics of vector field. The evolution of the flow field is more intuitive to observe the evolution of different periods, which laid the basis for visualization.

In this article, it does a ranking evaluation of 21 prefectural-Level cities in Guangdong province using the factor analysis methods which is based on the statistics on the discharge and treatment of “Three Wastes—industrial wastewater, waste gas and solid wastes” of this 21 cities which is stated in . The research results shows that the compliance rate of “three wastes” and purification degree of industrial smoke and solid wastes play important roles in the evaluation, and the top six cities in this ranking are Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Foshan, Shantou and Jiangmen.

Primary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the breast is extremely rare; only 19 cases have been reported in the English literature. In the present study, we present a case of IMT in a 56-year-old female patient who was admitted to our hospital due to a mass found in her right breast. Mammogram and ultrasound revealed a well-circumscribed mass and surgery was performed. Histopathologically, the lesion was composed of spindle and inflammatory cells, including plasma cells and lymphocytes. Mitotic figures were not observed. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for SM-actin, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and vimentin and focal positive for desmin, but negative for NSE, S-100, CD117, CD34, NF, CD21, CD35 and CD68. Thus, we made a diagnosis of IMT and advised regular follow-up. However, the patient had local recurrence and metastasis to the left groin area 3, 7 and 10 months after the initial surgery. Notably, the histopathological characteristics of the recurrent and metastatic foci were similar to those of the initial specimen, but mitotic figures were clearly observed. Thus, we conclude that IMT shows occasionally malignant biological behavior although it is a neoplasm of intermediate biological potential that frequently recurs and rarely metastasizes. We advise that clinical physicians should regularly follow up patients after focal resection for IMT.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the uterus is a significant path of vertical HCV transmission. Some studies consider vertical HCV transmission in the uterus as the result of maternal blood leakage into infant blood, whereas others theorize that HCV is transmitted by the mother to the infant through cells constituting the placenta barrier. Although trophoblasts play an important role in the placenta barrier, no definitive evidence has been presented to prove that cytotrophoblasts can be infected with HCV. The current study investigated whether or not these can be infected with HCV by conducting an experiment, in which cultured human cytotrophoblasts were infected with HCV in vitro. The results were analyzed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), ultrastructural characteristic changes under an electron microscope, and immunoelectron microscopy. HCV RNA in the supernatant of the cultured medium of the infected group was intermittently detected during the 16-day incubation period using RT-PCR. Under an electron microscope, the ultrastructures of infected human cytotrophoblasts were markedly different from normal cells, demonstrating lysosomal hyperplasia, rough endoplasmic reticulum, decreased lipid droplets, presence of vacuoles, and the appearance of HCV-like particles. Using immunoelectron microscopy, HCV-like particles conjoined with golden granules were also observed. Based on the data, the current study concludes that HCV infects a human cytotrophoblast cultured in vitro; moreover, its ultrastructure changes dramatically upon infection.

Almost all gnathostomes or jawed vertebrates (including osteichthyans, chondrichthyans, ‘acanthodians’ and most placoderms) possess paired pectoral and pelvic fins. To date, it has generally been believed that antiarch placoderms (extinct armoured jawed fishes from the Silurian–Devonian periods) lacked pelvic fins. The putative absence of pelvic fins is a key character bearing on the monophyly or paraphyly of placoderms. It also has far-reaching implications for studying the sequence of origin of pelvic girdles versus that of movable jaws in the course of vertebrate evolution. Parayunnanolepis xitunensis represents the only example of a primitive antiarch with extensive post-thoracic preservation, and its original description has been cited as confirming the primitive lack of pelvic fins in early antiarchs. Here, we present a revised description of Parayunnanolepis and offer the first unambiguous evidence for the presence of pelvic girdles in antiarchs. As antiarchs are placed at the base of the gnathostome radiation in several recent studies, our finding shows that all jawed vertebrates (including antiarch placoderms) primitively possess both pectoral and pelvic fins and that the pelvic fins did not arise within gnathostomes at a point subsequent to the origin of jaws.

A new basal antiarch, Silurolepis platydorsalis n. gen. n. sp., represented by a large-sized trunk armor and a disassociated anterior median dorsal plate (AMD), is described from the Ludlow (Silurian) of Qujing, Yunnan, southwestern China. It is characterized by its AMD overlapping the posterior median dorsal plate, broad anterior margin of the AMD, and crest-shaped dorsolateral ridge of the trunk armor. As the oldest known articulated placoderm fish to date, the new fish provides new insights into the early evolution of antiarchs.

The morphology of the arthrodire placoderm Yujiangolepis liujingensis Wang, Pan & Wang, 1998, from the Lower Devonian of Guangxi is redescribed, and compared to that of the basal arthrodires Antarctaspis White, 1968 from Antarctica, Toombalepis Young & Goujet, 2003 and Wuttagoonaspis Ritchie, 1973 from Australia, and Yiminaspis Dupret, 2008 from south China. A very small plate of the skull roof at the junction of the nuchal, marginal, postorbital, and paranuchal plates is considered as the vestigial homologue of the anterior paranuchal plate in the Petalichthyida and Acanthothoraci. Yujiangolepis is attributed to the family ‘Antarctaspididae’ White, 1968, together with the genera Antarctaspis and Toombalepis. A computerized phylogenetic analysis resolved Yujiangolepis as the most basal arthrodire, and the family ‘Antarctaspididae’ appears paraphyletic, Yujiangolepis being possibly the most basal. The family Wuttagoonaspididae contains the genera Wuttagoonaspis and Yiminaspis, and remains monophyletic. A Chinese origin of the ‘Antarctaspididae’ is proposed, together with a southward dispersal into Gondwana during the Early Emsian.

Introduced the notion of symmetric circulant matrix on skew field, an easy method is given to determine the inverse of symmetric circulant matrix on skew field , with this method , we derived the formula of determine inverse about several special type of symmetric circulant matrix.

The skull roof of the species Szelepis yunnanensis (Liu, 1979) from the Early Devonian of Yunnan is redescribed, as well as other Szelepis material previously published. It appears that only the holotype of S. yunnanensis can be confidently assigned to this genus. The fusion of the preorbital plates into one plate strongly suggests the assignment of Szelepis yunnanensis to the monophyletic family Actinolepididae Gross, 1940, sensu stricto (comprising Actinolepis Agassiz, 1884, and Bollandaspis Schmidt, 1979). This is confirmed by a phylogenetic analysis. Hence, Szelepis constitutes the most ancient occurrence of the family but not the sister group to the remaining members.SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVPCitation for this article: Dupret, V., M. Zhu, and J.-Q. Wang. 2017. Redescription of Szelepis Liu, 1981 (Placodermi, Arthrodira), from the Lower Devonian of China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634....

Xylanases have attracted much attention because of their potential applications. Unfortunately, the commercialization of xylanases is limited by their low catalytic activities. The aim of this study was to improve the activity of a xylanase by optimization of the expression conditions and to investigate its characterization.The activity of recombinant AuXyn11A (reAuXyn11A), a family 11 xylanase from Aspergillus usamii E001 expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115, reached 912.6 U mL⁻¹ under the optimized conditions, which was 2.14 times as high as that expressed using the standard protocol. After the endogenous 18-aa propeptide had been processed in P. pastoris, reAuXyn11A (188-aa mature peptide) was secreted and purified with a specific activity of 22 714 U mg⁻¹. It displayed maximum activity at pH 5 and 50 °C and was stable in the pH range 4-8 and at a temperature of 45 °C or below. Its activity was not significantly affected by most metal ions and EDTA. Xylooligosaccharides ranging from xylobiose (X2) to xylohexaose (X6) were produced from insoluble corncob xylan by reAuXyn11A.Its high specific activity and good enzymatic properties suggest that reAuXyn11A is a potential candidate for applications in industrial processes.

A new dipnorhynchid; Erikia jarviki ; is described from Guangnan; Yunnan; China. The new species is characterized by its very small B bone; anterior parts of I bones not separated by B bone; large; trapezoid J bones; long C bones and short supratemporal series. The occurrence of this dipnorhynchid in southeastern China agrees with the information provided by other groups of early vertebrates indicating the cosmopolitan character of faunas around the world during the Emsian.

Xylanases have attracted much attention owing to their potential applications. The applicability of xylanases, however, was bottlenecked by their low stabilities at high temperature or extreme pH. The purpose of this work was to enhance the thermostability of a mesophilic xylanase by N-terminal replacement.The thermostability of AoXyn11, a mesophilic family 11 xylanase from Aspergillus oryzae, was enhanced by replacing its N-terminal segment with the corresponding one of EvXyn11(TS) , a hyperthermotolerant family 11 xylanase. A hybrid xylanase with high thermostability, NhXyn11⁵⁷, was predicted by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. An NhXyn11⁵⁷-encoding gene, Nhxyn11⁵⁷, was then constructed as designed theoretically, and overexpressed in Pichia pastoris. The temperature optimum of recombinant NhXyn11⁵⁷ (re-NhXyn11⁵⁷) was 75 °C, much higher than that of re-AoXyn11. Both xylanases were thermostable at 65 and 40 °C, respectively. Additionally, the pH optimum and stability of re-NhXyn11⁵⁷ were 5.5 and at a range of 4.0-8.5. Its activity was not significantly affected by metal ions tested and EDTA, but strongly inhibited by Mn²⁺ and Ag⁺.This work obviously enhanced the thermostability of a mesophilic xylanase, making re-NhXyn11⁵⁷ a promising candidate for industrial processes. It also provided an effective technical strategy for improving thermostabilities of other mesophilic enzymes.

In the female population in Asia, systematic investigation concerning alterations in cancer-related genes in breast carcinoma is rare, and the correlation among oncogene or suppressor gene expression with tumor cell apoptosis, cell cycle regulation and tumor cell autophagy remains to be clarified. In this study, a tissue microarray consisting of 360 individual samples from three different breast tissues was generated. By comparing the expression of the tumor-suppressor genes (BRCA1, BECN1, CCND1, PTEN and UVRAG) in ductal breast cancer and normal breast tissues, respectively, we were able to assign changes in the expression of these mRNAs to specific stages and allocate them to define the roles in the multi‑step process of breast carcinogenesis. Tumor-suppressor genes, such as BRCA1 and BECN1, usually had lower signals in the carcinomatous tissues (10.2 and 6.6%) compared to the normal tissues (31 and 32.6%), while stronger positive dots (positive cells >30%) usually existed in the normal tissues. The patients in the oldest age group had the lowest expression rate. Only BECN1 and CCND1 expression showed a significant association with patient age (p=0.030 and p=0.003). A significant association was observed between BRCA1 and BECN1 expression and tumor size (p=0.028 and p=0.021). BECN1 gene expression was positively correlated with UVRAG and PTEN expression (p=0.006 and p=0.000). CCND1 was negatively correlated with PTEN, BECN1 and BRCA1 expression (p=0.011, p=0.000 and p=0.000). Abnormal expression of BRCA1, BECN1, CCND1, PTEN and UVRAG may play a role in human breast carcinogenesis through dysregulated mRNA expression. Overexpressed CCND1 may shorten the G1 phase of the cell cycle, suppress cell apoptosis and contribute to the formation of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC).

The aggregation of α-synuclein (a-Syn) is implicated as a critical factor in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Some short peptides based on the native sequences of amyloid proteins are able to prevent the β sheet-rich aggregation and block the toxicity of the aggregates. In this study, five kind short peptides with delivery peptide R7P1~R7P5 were designed, and α-syn(A53T), a-syn(S129A) and α-Syn(WT) which are mutants of α-syn were used as research objects. Fused α-Syn protein domain upstream to Green Fluorescence Protein (GFP), and bicistronic coexpressed the short peptides with delivery system with α-Syn to form a GFP coexpression fusion system. The corresponding correct expressed clones were obtained in E.Coli. GFP was used as label to make the fold of protein visible. The changes of the fold states of these three mutants caused by the action of the designed short peptides were observed. Results showed that, for α-Syn (A53T) G, α Syn(S129A)G and α-Syn(WT)G, the inhibition aggregation ability of short peptide R7P3 (M(R)7KLMRVGGA VVTGR) increased 43%, 140%, and 117% with ASH (MGGAVVTGR) as control, and increased 47% 64% and 39% with ASI1D (MRRGGAVVTG(R)6) as control. At the same time, for the inhibition aggregation of α-Syn(A53T)G and α-Syn(S129A)G, R7P3 increased 16% and 95% higher than those of without delivery system P3 respectively. Therefore, R7P3 (M(R)7 KLMRVGGAVVTGR) is a promising short peptide with delivery system for the inhibition aggregation of α-Syn G.

Objective To compare the therapeutic effects of metformin (Met) and laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) in clomiphene and insulin-resistant patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (CIRPCOS).

The problem of designing memoryless state feedback Hinfin controller is studied for a class of uncertain systems with time-delay. In terms of the linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques, sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of the Hinfin control, the criteria are dependent on the size of the time delay. Furthermore, a corresponding convex optimization problem is formulated to design the optimal Hinfin controller. Numerical example is presented to illustrate the efficiency of obtained results