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4,5‐DOPA dioxygenase (DODA) is a crucial enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of betalain. Previous studies have shown that DODA is present in plants, fungi and bacteria. Using updated data, here we show that DODA genes (BmDODA) in the domestic silkworm (Bombyx mori) and other lepidopteran insects are most likely to be horizontally transferred from fungi. A synteny analysis indicated that BmDODA1 is orthologous to other lepidopteran DODAs and that BmDODA2 is a paralogous gene. To explore the function of DODA in Lepidoptera, we first examined the expression patterns of BmDODA1. BmDODA1 showed high transcriptional and translational levels in the midgut and head. Then, we exogenously expressed the BmDODA1 gene, detected 4,5‐DOPA ring‐cleaving activity and calculated the kinetic parameters of the recombinant BmDODA1. We found that the transcription levels of BmDODA1 were significantly induced by the pathogens Bacillus bombyseptieus and Escherichia coli. Thus, the horizontal transfer of the BmDODA gene in the silkworm may be involved in dopa metabolism and contribute to antimicrobial activity in this species. Our results provide a documented example of functional horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between fungi and animals and expand our knowledge of HGT amongst eukaryotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel complex [CoII(L)2·CH3OH] with hydrazone derived from protocatechuic acid (HL=C16H14N2O4) is designed and synthesized. The complex is characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c, with unit cell dimensions a = 25.1715(11), b = 9.3518(4), c = 12.8700(6) Å, β = 103.6530(10)°, V = 2943.98(75) Å3, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0612, and wR2 = 0.1439. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new caffeic acid derivative (( E)-3-(2,3-dihydrobenzo[b][1,4]dioxin-6-yl)acrylic acid, HL)) is synthesized from caffeic acid, followed by the preparation of a Cu(II) complex, [Cu(L)DMSO]·2DMSO. The structure is determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and the urease inhibitory activity of the complex is studied. The results show that IC of the complex is 0.56 μmol/L, which is superior to positive control acetohydroxamic acid (AHA, IC was 10.95 μmol/l), i.e., the complex has strong inhibitory activity towards urease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was planned to check the effect of time on dynamics of fermentation, chemical composition and rumen degradation in banana pseudo-stems silage (BPSS). For this purpose banana pseudo-stem (BPS) was ensiled for 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 days in polyethylene bags. Each time point had three replicates. After 0, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 days triplicate polyethylene bags were opened for chemical analysis and fermentation characteristics. Water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) significantly decreased (19.75±0.53, 7.25±0.09 g kg-1 at day 20 and 30 respectively) after ensiling (P<0.05) but consistency was achieved at 50 day of fermentation to onward. After 50 days of fermentation, crude protein (CP) was increased (52.45±0.63 g kg-1 at day 60) significantly (P<0.05). The pH decreased (P<0.05) at day 30 and consistency was achieved on the subsequent days. Ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) showed increasing trend at day 30 and 40 but there was no changing trend on the following days. Lactic acid production was increased (P<0.05) 31.22±0.42and 31.04±0.71 g kg-1 at day 30 and 40 respectively after ensiling and highest lactic acid production was noted at day 80 (51.97±3.09). Only small amounts of butyric acid, isobutyric acid, and propionic acid were detected in the BPS after 50 days. The rumen degradability of banana pseudo-stems (BPS) and BPSS at 80 days of fermentation were studied in sacco in three ruminally cannulated adult Xia'nan cattle (570 ± 23 kg) at 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h of incubation periods. The effective degradability (ED) of BPS, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was higher than that of BPS0. Although the fermentation did not improve ED of DM and CP in BPS, a lower terminal pH, and higher concentration of lactic acid might enhance aerobic stability after opening the silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban road plays an important role in solving the problem of urban traffic. Road reconstruction has good effect on traffic diversion. However, road excavation and reconstruction bring disadvantages to the surrounding ecological environment. To do research on the impact of urban road reconstruction on ecological environment, firstly we should solve the problems of the index system and evaluation criteria. By doing so, we can reduce the damage caused by road reconstruction to the surrounding natural environment as much as possible; and work hard to realize the sound and sustainable development of urban regional economy, ecological environment and social system. This paper attempts to establish evaluation index system of the ecological environment of Chinese road by using the analytic hierarchy process, expert scoring and screening method, and the evaluation index of road ecological environment. Finally this paper applies this index system into the case study of the reconstruction of Chongqing Road in Qingdao. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 8-week feeding trial was carried out using young hybrid sturgeon ( ♀Huso huso × ♂Acipenser schrenckii) to study the effects of dietary phosphorus (P) on growth performance, body composition, liver and serum antioxidant status as well as the effluent P content in the wintertime. Four puffed pellet diets were formulated to contain graded total P levels at 0.63, 1.15, 1.85, and 2.12%, respectively. Triplicate groups of hybrid sturgeon (494.21 ± 18.63 g) were reared in concrete ponds (2.0 × 1.2 × 1.4 m), and fed one of the four diets for 8 weeks. Weight gain and feeding rate significantly decreased with increasing dietary P content, and fish fed the 2.12% P diet had negative growth. With the increase in dietary P, whole body ash and P content significantly increased. There was no inverse relationship between the whole body lipid content and dietary P level in young hybrid sturgeon. Hybrid sturgeon liver exhibited higher superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities in the 0.63 and 1.15% dietary P treatment groups than those in the other two groups. Serum alkaline phosphatase activity increased significantly with increasing dietary P. Discharge of P into the pond increased significantly with increasing dietary P. In conclusion, a dietary P content between 0.63 and 1.15% helped young hybrid sturgeon to activate their antioxidant defense system and eradicate the free radicals, in order to reduce the antioxidant damage, while still keeping total P content in the pond at a relatively low level during the winter months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel procedure based on characteristic modes (CM) and differential evolution (DE) algorithm is proposed for electrically loaded Yagi-Uda antenna synthesis. In this method, optimal Yagi- Uda antenna designs are realized by electrically loading, other than by tuning the sensitive physical dimensions. The traditional fullwave analysis in objective function evaluations is replaced by a simple summation of the CM, thus the optimization efficiency is greatly improved up to 4 orders. Antenna performances are compared to published results to illustrate the effectiveness of the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Detent force in permanent-magnet (PM) linear machines is caused by both end effect and slot effect. Segregation of the detent force into its end-effect and slot-effect components is helpful to better analysis and design. For conventional PM linear machines, the end-effect component of detent force can be easily calculated in a related slotless linear machine model, where the slot effect is eliminated. However, the slotless model is not applicable to permanent-magnet flux-switching (PMFS) linear machines, where the magnets and core teeth are set together on either a same stator or a same mover. This is because the PMFS machines cannot work at all without the teeth or slots. Therefore, a new method for segregating the detent force in the PMFS linear machines is proposed in this paper. Since a linear machine can be considered as a part of a particular rotary machine with large radius, and furthermore, cogging torque in the PM rotary machine is caused by the slot effect only, thereby the slot-effect component of the detent force in the PMFS linear machine can be calculated from the cogging torque in a related rotary machine, while the residual of the detent force is the end-effect component. Both finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental results show that the proposed method works well for the PMFS linear machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in wireless communications and global position system-enabled devices (such as cellular phones, PDAs and car PCs), vehicle route guidance systems gradually become indispensable equipments for more and more automobile drivers because of its great convenience. Conventional route guidance systems are designed to direct a vehicle along the shortest path from the origin to the destination. However, usually, the shortest path does not result in the smallest travel time because of the dynamic traffic conditions on roadways. Therefore the state-of-the-art route guidance systems incorporate real-time traffic information to find better paths. There are two types of approaches to collecting real-time traffic information: infrastructure-based approach and infrastructure-free approach. The authors adopt infrastructure-free approach to develop a real-time route guidance algorithm, called V2R2 (Vehicle-to-Vehicle Real-time Routing). Our simulation results showed that V2R2 algorithm can effectively find better paths with less travel time than the shortest path. In addition, it can bypass void areas (i.e. the areas containing empty roads) when collecting real-time traffic information. The simulation results validate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed V2R2 algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A TiO2/monazite photocatalyst was prepared by embedding TiO2 nanoparticles into a monazite substrate surface. TiCl4 hydrolysis/citric acid chelating procedure under acidic conditions were used to synthesize the nanophase TiO2 particles. The anatase TiO2/monazite photocatalyst surface area, morphology, crystalline and elemental concentrations were characterized using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Monazite contains a large amount of Ce-, La-, Nd- and Th-PO4 compounds; it has been known as a natural mineral material with minor radioactivity. TiO2-CeO2 composite is a kind of radiation sensitive photocatalyst in which the radiations of thorium nuclides give energy to trigger TiO2 and cerium ions which play an energy absorber with charge separator. The result showed that methylene blue and phenol were spontaneously photocatalytic decomposed by TiO2/monazite composite even in a dark environment. A synergistic effect was also examined with applied exterior UV or 60Co irradiation. A hybrid mechanism is proposed; according by the radioluminescence (RL) from excited Ce ion by γ-radiation soliciting CeO2/TiO2 heterojunction (HJ). This seems to be a possible mechanism to explain this self-activated photo-catalytic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species or sub-species including Parazacco spilurus fasciatus, Candidia barbatus, Zacco temminckii, Zacco sieboldii, Zacco platypus, Zacco macrolepis, Zacco pachycephalus, some undetermined Zacco taxa formerly misidentified as Chinese Z. platypus and Opsariichthys uncirostris were sampled, and their mitochondrial cytochrome b genes were sequenced. In the phylogenetic analysis, the genus Parazacco forms the basal taxon for the remaining members of the opsariichthine fishes, which can be divided into two major groups. The first group includes species with one longitudinal stripe on the flanks and contains Z. temminckii, Z. sieboldii and C. barbatus with sequence divergences of 12·7–16·5%. The second group has species with 10 cross bars on the body and includes O. uncirostris, Z. macrolepis, Z. platypus, Z. pachycephalus and five undetermined Zacco spp. (A–E) lineages. The estimated divergence times of mtDNA lineages within the nominal species of Z. pachycephalus and C. barbatus are >2 million years ago. According to geological evidence, this predates the earliest possible time for their arrival in Taiwan Island and indicates that the population differentiations might have been taken place in mainland China before their subsequent dispersal to Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two sequence variants of the aldolase C ( ALDOC) gene were discovered based on comparison of the sequences from an altiplano chicken breed (Tibetan chicken) and two lowland breeds (White Leghorn and ShouGuang). Gel-shift results indicated that one of these variants, L25375:c.310-258G>A, was able to bind hypoxia-induced factor-l (HIF1A), therefore, functioning as a hypoxia response element (HRE). The combined activity of the HRE and HIF1A could increase under the influence of a hypoxic stimulus. Hypoxia leads to increased death rates of chicken embryos, while the L25375:c.310-258G>A described herein is prevalent in healthy embryos grown under hypoxic conditions. Fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR results revealed that HIF1A upregulated the transcript level of the glycolytic enzyme ALDOC in the brain and skeletal muscle of animals subjected to hypoxia. Thus, a large amount of ATP is produced by increased glycolysis, allowing the organism to meet energy metabolism demands. As such, we believe this sequence variant is an adaptation to external anoxic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5′-AMP-activated protein kinase plays an important role in regulating the level of ATP in the presence of metabolic stress. Previous studies revealed that polymorphisms in 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase gamma 3 subunit ( PRKAG3) gene are associated with meat quality in pigs. In the present study, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5′-end and exons of chicken PRKAG3 gene were identified with the method of single-strand conformation polymorphism in Hubbard ISA White broiler, Leghorn layer, and three Chinese indigenous chicken breeds, Tibet Chicken, Shouguang Chicken and Beijing Yellow Chicken. Two SNPs in the 5′-end of the gene and 10 SNPs in exons 3, 4, 9 and 11, of which three caused amino acid substitutions, were identified in the PRKAG3 gene of the five chicken breeds. The results will facilitate further study on the association between the mutations of PRKAG3 and chicken meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploratory experiments have been carried out to investigate the effects of gamma-radiation on iodine aerosols under various chemical conditions. The results indicate that iodide ions (I-) in aerosol can be readily oxidized to I2 and HIO, and some iodide ions may be converted to organic iodine when organic additives are present in the KI solution from which the aerosol is generated. The results also suggest that the chemical transformation of irradiated iodine aerosol depends on the chemical environment both carrier gas and iodide solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors present a new and fast implementation of the field iterative method (FIM) with the fast far-field approximation (FAFFA). The new implementation of FAFFA-FIM can significantly reduce the computational expenses of the FIM. Numerical simulations for scattering from cavities verify the proposed FAFFA-FIM. The memory requirement and CPU time per iteration of the FAFFA-FIM are O(N) and O(N1.5), respectively, and the CPU time per iteration of the FAFFA-FIM can be further reduced to O(N4/3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Replies to the comments of R.C. Acar and G. Dural to the authors' article "A Complete Set of Spatial-Domain Dyadic Green's Function Components for Cylindrically Stratified Media in Fast Computation Form." Typographic errors in the paper; Agreement with the suggested corrections.

In this paper, the authors use the adaptive integral method (AIM) to simulate the electromagnetic scattering from large complex PEC objects. The first problem that we have investigated is the scattering from a dihedral corner reflector that may lead to a better understanding of scattering mechanisms and properties of more complex geometries. The second problem investigated in scattering from a multiplate structure consisting of trapezoidal plates. The third problem investigated is the scattering from a composite PEC sphere and plate structure. The AIM simulation results are compared to the results obtained using the physical optics (PO) technique. In order to test the capability of AIM further, an aircraft model with many patches of flat surfaces has been built for this purpose. This mesh generation and the measurement of the scattering pattern of the aircraft model have been carried out by us. With the mesh and measurement results of the aircraft model, the simulation was carried out using AIM. The numerical results of all the test cases show that the AIM is an efficient method for analyzing electromagnetic scattering from large complex PEC objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical characterizationof electromagnetic waves in cylindrically multilayered structures can be efficiently and rigorously performed by employing the method of moments (MoM) in spatial-domain. Thus the idea of obtaining spatial-domain Greens' functions in closed form or fast computational form was proposed [1] and since then many useful results were obtained for planar layered media. For cylindrically layered media, the closed form Green's functions in spatial-domain were reported in [2], where the spatial-domain Green's function components due to z- and φ-oriented electrical and magnetic sources have been obtained using the generalized pencil of function (GPOF) method. This paper, as a further extension, presents spatial-domain Green's function components in fast computational form due to ρ-oriented electrical source embedded in cylindrically layered media. The Green's function components in approximate but fast computational form are compaerd with the exact Green's function components obtained from direct numerical evaluations of the corresponding integrals, and a good agreement between the fast computational form and the exact form. Furthermore, the spatial-domain Green's function compnents due to z- and φ-oriented electrical and magnetic sources have also been obtained but for all the possible azimuth angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the calculation of the capacitance of monolithic microwave integrated-circuit (MMIC) passive components. The method of moments (MoM) is used to solve the integral equation for the electrostatic problem with the help of the spatial-domain multilayered media Green's function that can be obtained using the discrete complex image method (DCIM). As an application, the capacitance of several MMIC passive components, including capacitors and interconnects, is calculated. The numerical experiments show the efficiency and accuracy of the present method. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 32: 216–219, 2002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biconjugate gradient-fast Fourier transform (BCG–FFT) method is a very efficient and useful technique to analyze microstrip antennas and arrays. In order to increase the efficiency of the BCG–FFT method by reducing the number of iterations, a multilevel BCG–FFT method is constructed using the idea of multigrid methods. The analysis of microstrip antennas and arrays illustrates that the multilevel BCG–FFT method has good accuracy and is much faster than the BCG–FFT method. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 27: 20–23, 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which determined whether uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 in white adipose tissue and UCP-3 in muscle are regulated by neuropeptide Y in the paraventricular nucleus. Methods used in the study; Results; Discussion.

Presents information on a simple and effective method for computing electromagnetic fields in three-dimensional (3-D) inhomogeneous dielectronic bodies. Detailed information on the method; Information on how the discrete system is solved; Multiplication requirements between the transpose of the system matrix and a vector; Details on the numerical results.

The formulation of ramp-flow assignment problem in the operations of controlled expressways during the rush-hour period is presented here. In order to discuss the problem on a quantitative basis, a simple unidirectional expressway system with multiple entrance-ramps has been selected as the model. When the flow through- out the system can be maintained below the bottleneck capacity of the expressway, the condition of steady flow prevails, and the model may be regarded as a dynamic process in the direction of flow. The ramp- flow regulation problem in an expressway system is then formulated as a multistage decision process by considering the ramp-flows as decision variables. Various criteria for selecting the optimum ramp- flow assignment are discussed and their implications in the regulation of rush-hour traffic are illustrated through a simple example. In the example, the technique of dynamic programming was used successfully to determine the optimum policy that minimizes the system congestion period and the results led to the conclusion that the two- switching policy is the best optimum policy with respect to the stated objective for a three-stage process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saccharum spontaneum L. is one of the most important germplasm resources for modern sugarcane breeding. Exploring the cold tolerance of S. spontaneum clones with different ploidy levels and screening for cold‐tolerant material can be helpful in parent selection for breeding cold‐tolerant sugarcane.Morphological indices, leaf ultrastructure and physiological indices were used to evaluate the cold tolerance of 36 S. spontaneum clones with different ploidy levels (2n = 40, 48, 54, 60, 64, 78, 80, 88, 92 and 96).The morphological indices of S. spontaneum clones with different ploidy levels were positively correlated with ploidy. Under low‐temperature stress, the chloroplast and mitochondrial structures of the clones with high ploidy were more severely damaged than were those of clones with low ploidy. A comprehensive evaluation of the physiological indices showed that the 36 S. spontaneum clones could be divided into four categories: strongly cold tolerant, cold tolerant, moderately cold tolerant and cold sensitive. Correlation analysis of the morphological indices and cold tolerance revealed a significant negative correlation between cold tolerance and ploidy. On the basis of the morphological and physiological indices, optimal stepwise regression equations that can be used for the selection of cold‐tolerant S. spontaneum resources were established.The S. spontaneum clones with low ploidy are more cold tolerant than those with high ploidy. Clones 12‐37, 13‐10 and 12‐23 are strongly cold‐tolerant germplasm resources, which suggests these germplasm sources have high potential for use in breeding cold‐tolerant sugarcane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical constituents of the roots of Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. grown in the Funiu mountains in China have been investigated. Four compounds were isolated and identified as β−sitosterol ( 1), pentacosanoic acid ( 2), 19α-H lupeone ( 3), and sucrose ( 4). The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence. 19α-H Lupeone ( 3) was isolated as a single compound and its structure established unambiguously by the spectral method for the first time, and H and C NMR data were assigned wholly by 1D and 2D NMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance of laser selective melted 316L stainless steel products, this paper studies the effect of laser power on the mechanical properties. The results of the study showed that when the laser power is 180 W, the surface morphology and tensile fracture of the specimen are best, and the mechanical properties of formed parts can be improved by laser selective melting of 316L stainless steel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the course of phytochemical investigations of Ligularia vellerea rhizomes, a new naphthoquinone, 2,5-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethylnaphthoquinone ( 1), and a new neolignan, 4-[(3',4'-dihydroxycinnamoyl)-oxy]methyl cinnamate ( 2), have been isolated and characterized on the basis of spectroscopic methods (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 2D NMR, and MS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamond-based photonic devices offer exceptional opportunity to study cavity quantum electrodynamics at room temperature. Here we report fabrication and optical characterization of high quality photonic crystal microcavities based on nanocrystalline diamond. Fundamental modes near the emission wavelength of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centers (637 nm) with quality factors as high as 585 were observed. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations were carried out, having excellent agreement with the experimental results in the values of the mode frequencies. Polarization of the modes was measured; their anomalous behavior provides important insights to scattering loss in these structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline diamond microdisks have been fabricated and characterized. The process conditions were chosen to ensure smooth and vertical sidewalls. Focused ion beam milling was used to create ultrasmooth sidewalls. Whispering gallery modes were observed near the nitrogen-vacancy center emission wavelength (637 nm) by photoluminescence and near ∼1550 nm by evanescent fiber coupling. The cavity quality factors (Q) are about 100 in both experiments. The Q’s for these disks were calculated to be as high as 105 by three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations. The authors believe the Q’s to be limited by absorption and scattering within the nanocrystalline cavity material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the electromagnetic scattering from a perfectly electric conducting target located above or below rough surface for the case of TM polarization, using the method of moments. Use of the rough surface with Gaussian profile to emulate the realistic situation of a statistically-rough surface; Use of the tapered incident wave to reduce the truncation error; Calculation of the angular correlational function.

Presents a study which described an efficient analysis of a microstrip antenna in multilayered media using the method of moments. Formulations; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

The analysis of electromagnetic scattering from cavity structure is very important to many practical applications. The field iterative method (FIM) is one of the promising methods to deal with the cavity problem. In this paper, 3-dimensional (3D) FIM has been implemented using Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis function and an accurate equivalent model of the cavity. Two testing procedures, a newly developed point matching and conventional Galerkin's methods, have been discussed for better and simpler implementation of the 3D FIM. Numerical results show that the accuracy of the 3D implementation of FIM using the newly developed point matching method is the same as that of the conventional Galerkin's method. The numerical results also show that the simpler implementation of 3D FIM using the point matching method converges very fast for all the tested cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of moments (MoM) and the electric field integral equations (EFIEs), for both parallel and perpendicular polarization were applied to simulate scattering from 2D cavity structures. This code employed several matrix equation solvers, such as the LU decomposition, conjugate gradient (CG) method, bi-conjugate gradient (BCG) method, generalized conjugate residual (GCR) method, and generalized minimal residual (GMRES) method. The simulated results can be used for future reference and benchmarking. A comparison on the convergence behavior of the CG, BCG, GCR, and GMRES methods was made for the benchmark geometry, such as offset bend cavity, rectangular waveguide with hub, double-bend S-shaped cavity, etc. Some comments on the performance of the various iterative solvers will be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of pH and heat on the structure and function of milk proteins by comparing goat milk treated under different pH and temperature conditions. The results showed that pH had a significant effect on the thermal stability of goat milk proteins, and the proteins were least thermally stable at pH 7.7. Except for the pH 6.9 goat milk, the surface hydrophobicities of the milk proteins at various pH values reached their maxima at 85°C. The particle size, zeta potential, and content of regular secondary structure also decreased significantly at 85°C, and the turbidity of milk proteins under alkaline pH conditions was lower than that under acidic conditions. It was concluded that alkaline conditions resulted in better emulsion stability and oil-holding capacity, and acidic conditions offered better foaming ability, foam stability, and water-holding capacity for goat milk protein during heat processing. It can also be seen that 85°C was the key temperature for milk proteins after changing the pH of the milk. This paper provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the processing conditions for goat milk and the applications of goat milk proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the genus Aeromonas are opportunistic pathogen of a variety of aquatic animals that exhibits multidrug resistance, phenotypes, virulence genes and virulence. The present study described the species distribution and the potential pathogenicity of Aeromonas isolated from healthy Northern snakehead (Channa argus) in China. Molecular identification revealed that A. veronii biovar veronii (69/167; 41·3%) and A. hydrophila (41/167; 24·6%) were the most common species found in Northern snakehead intestine based on sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and DNA gyrase subunit B protein. The distribution of seven virulence factors including aer (84·4%), act (80·8%), ser (40·1%), Aha (27·5%), lip (23·4%), exu (15·0%) and LuxS (12·6%) were determined exclusively in Aeromonas isolates. All the seven virulence genes were present in 9·6% (16/167), among which 11 strains were identified as A. veronii biovar veronii. For the strains harbouring seven virulence genes, the 50% lethal doses (LD50) of isolates were lower compared to the isolates carrying two virulence genes. The challenge tests revealed that isolate W31 had the lowest lethal dose, causing 50% mortality at 4·5 × 103 colony‐forming units (CFU) per ml. Furthermore, histopathology of Northern snakehead infected with Aeromonas strains showed necrosis and congestion in liver, spleen and kidney and also damage to the intestine. This study confirms that the Aeromonas strains isolated from healthy Northern snakehead may be a cause of concern for public health. Significance and Impact of the Study: Aeromonas species are widely distributed in aquatic environments and have considerable virulence potential. The aim of this study was to identify Aeromonas strains isolated from healthy Northern snakehead, and to investigate if Aeromonas species isolated from healthy fish potential pathogenicity with special reference to virulence and epidemiology studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The GlideScope® videolaryngoscope is widely utilised in the management of the difficult airway. However, complications such as mucosal injury, palatal and tonsillar perforations have been reported with its use. The Shikani optical stylet has shown promise in aiding difficult intubations. This randomised controlled trial evaluates the Shikani optical stylet as an alternative to the GlideScope videolaryngoscope in patients undergoing anaesthesia, with a simulated difficult airway. Sixty patients were randomised to undergo tracheal intubation with either the GlideScope videolaryngoscope (n = 30) or the Shikani optical stylet (n = 30). All patients had rigid cervical collars applied to simulate a difficult airway. Tracheal intubation was successful in all patients, with first attempt success rates of 97% (29/30) the GlideScope group compared with 93% (28/30) in the Shikani group compared with 93% (28/30) in the Shikani group (p = 0.5). The mean (SD) time to intubation was 64 (37) s when using the GlideScope and 58 (26) s in the Shikani group (p = 0.48). A higher incidence of airway mucosal injury was noted in patients intubated with the GlideScope videolaryngoscope, compared with the Shikani optical stylet (5 vs 0, respectively, p = 0.05). This trial suggests that the Shikani optical stylet is a viable alternative to the GlideScope videolaryngoscope in the management of the difficult airway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic alterations leading to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are gradually being discovered. A wide variety of genes have been associated with ESCC development as well as tumor progression. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine; it promotes tumor growth and metastasis in later stages of of cancer development. Variations in the DNA sequence in the TGF-β1 gene may lead to altered TGF-β1 production and/or activity, and so this can modulate an individual’s susceptibility to ESCC. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the association of the TGF-β1 gene −509 C/T and 869 T/C (Leu10Pro) polymorphisms and their haplotypes with the risk of ESCC. 247 patients with ESCC and 260 age- and sex-matched controls were studied using a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism. There were significant differences in the genotype and allele distribution of 869 T/C polymorphism of the TGF-β1 gene among cases and controls. The 869 TC and CC genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of ESCC as compared with the 869 TT genotypes [odds ratio (OR) = 1.882, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.212–2.923, P = 0.005 and OR = 2.099, 95% CI 1.288–3.421, P = 0.003, respectively]. Consistent with the results of the genotyping analyses, the –509 T/869 C haplotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of ESCC as compared with the –509 C/869 T haplotype (OR = 1.463; 95% CI 1.120–1.912; P = 0.005). This study shows for the first time that TGF-β1 gene 869 T/C polymorphism may contribute to a genetic risk factor for ESCC in a Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The femtosecond optical heterodyne detected optical Kerr effect is described in detail. The real and the imaginary parts of complex third-order optical nonlinearity can be effectively separated and their values and signs can be determined. Using this method, we thoroughly investigated the substitution effect by adding different side-groups on the –(–C=N–)– conjugated system, a new class of nonlinear optical material. We discussed the improvement in their third-order susceptibilities. And we found the value of second-order hyperpolarizability depends on the polymerization degree, but the relationship is different for different substituted polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to evaluate the milk protein response when cows were supplied a balanced AA profile and to determine whether a deficiency of Leucine (Leu) or Arginine (Arg) had a negative effect on milk protein. Eight mid-lactation Holstein cows were randomly assigned to 5-day continuous jugular infusions of saline ( CTL), EAA mixture prepared on the profile of casein and supplied (in % of lysine (Lys)) 100% of Lys, 33.3% of methionine (Met), 110.2% of Leu, 43.6% of Arg, 50.8% of threonine (Thr), 81.6% of valine (Val), 69.7% of isoleucine (Ile), 61.4% of phenylalanine (Phe) and 34.2% of histidine (His) ( Casein, 160 g/d), EAA mixture excluding Leu (−Leu, 163 g/d) or EAA mixture excluding Arg (−Arg, 158 g/d) in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with four infusion periods separated by 7-day interval period. The basal diet supplied 1.6 Mcal NEL and 94.4 g MP per 1 kg DM to meet requirements for lactation. The Casein treatment provided a balanced supply (in % of MP) of 10.3% Leu and 5.3% Arg, whereas in the two subsequent −Leu and −Arg treatments, the concentration of Leu and Arg was reduced to 8.4 and 4.6% respectively. Dry matter intake (15.4 kg/day) was not affected by treatments. The Casein treatment increased milk yield (14.9%, p < 0.001), milk protein yield (120 g, p < 0.001) and milk protein efficiency (0.03, p = 0.099) than CTL treatment. However, the −Leu treatment decreased the responses of above-measured parameters by 6.25%, 70 g, 0.05 (p < 0.06) (compared with Casein). These effects of Leu were related to decreased Leu concentration and improved concentration of Ile and Val in plasma. The −Arg treatment decreased the plasma Arg concentration than the Casein treatment, whereby resulted in the decrease of milk yield (5.7%, p = 0.073), milk protein yield (60 g, p = 0.011) and milk protein efficiency (0.04, p = 0.037). In conclusion, supply of EAA profile of casein can increase the lactation production in dairy cows, and 8.6% of Leu in MP partly limits the milk protein response when the requirements of Lys, Met and His were met. The level of Arg at 4.6% MP is not deemed to an ideal profile, as evidenced by decreased milk protein efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report time-dependent photocurrent and transport measurements of sub-bandgap photoexcited carriers in nitrogen-rich (type Ib), single-crystal diamond. Transient carrier dynamics are characteristic of trapping conduction with long charge storage lifetimes of ∼3 hours. By measuring the photoexcited Hall effect, we confirm that the charge carriers are electrons and by varying the excitation energy we observe a strong turn-on in the photoconduction at ∼1.9 eV. These findings shed light on sub-bandgap states in nitrogen-doped single-crystal diamond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of mechanical alloying on Zn-Sb alloy system is investigated with X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser grain size analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) respectively. The results of laser particle size analysis shows that the particle size decreases with increasing of the grinding time between 0 and 24 h. XRD and DSC results indicate that longer the grinding time of Zn-Sb is, the more content of Zn4Sb3 become in the product in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs), in the 5′-flanking and micro RNA (mi RNA) regulatory regions may result in altered gene expression levels and cause diseases. Alpha-2-macroglobulin ( A2 M) has the function of binding host or foreign peptides and particles, and thereby serves as a defense barrier against pathogens in the plasma and tissues of animals. To investigate the functional markers of the A2 M gene associated with mastitis, the promoter was characterized and SNPs that affect promoter activity or binding affinity with the target mi RNA were identified using the luciferase reporter assay and real-time quantitative PCR method. Results showed that the core promoter of A2 M was found between the bases g.-2641 and g.-2479. Four novel SNPs (g.-724A>G, g.-665G>A, g.-535C>G and g.-520_-519ins A) in the promoter region were completely linked. The activity of the mutant haplotype ( GAGA) increased by 177% compared with that of the wild haplotype ( AGC-). Bta-mi R-2898 was upregulated by 6.25-fold in the mammary gland tissues of mastitis-infected cows compared with that of the healthy cows. One SNP (c.4659_4661del C) located in the 3′-untranslated region of the A2 M gene may affect the binding affinity with the target bta-mi R-2898. Five SNPs exhibited tight linkage. Association analysis showed that the milk somatic cell score for cows with the mutant haplotype ( GAGA-) was lower than that for cows with the wild haplotype. Thus, the mutant type can be used as a potential functional marker for a mastitis resistance breeding program in dairy cows. Our findings provided the molecular basis for A2 M transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations. A close relationship between regulatory mutations and mastitis susceptibility of cows also was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The controllable formation of zinc oxide ( ZnO) nanostructures and nanowires by a cheap and environmental friendly fabrication method of simply subjecting metallic zinc films in sodium chloride ( NaCl) solution at 170°C from 3 to 15 h under hydrothermal conditions is demonstrated in this study. Scanning electron microscopy ( SEM) and X-ray diffraction ( XRD) indicate that ZnO films with different morphologies are obtained: from a film with network of circular pores to a film with nanowire-like network with bigger pores. It is observed that heating duration has an effect on its photoluminescence ( PL) properties. Ultraviolet emission is observed for all ZnO films. Green emission surfaces after heating for 6 h, which subsequently disappears after 15 h of heating. It is suggested that the morphology change over different heating durations is responsible for the rise and subsequent decline in green emissions. Lastly, the growth mechanism behind zinc oxidation and morphology change is proposed and investigated with the aid of experimental method. It is verified that pitting corrosion is responsible for the growth mechanism here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films with high transmittance and low resistivity were achieved on low temperature substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a high temperature target. By investigating the effect of target temperature (TG) on electrical and optical properties, the origin of electrical conduction is verified as the effect of the high TG, which enhances crystal quality that provides higher mobility of electrons as well as more effective activation for the Al dopants. The optical bandgap increases from 3.30 eV for insulating ZnO to 3.77 eV for conducting AZO grown at high TG, and is associated with conduction-band filling up to 1.13 eV due to the Burstein-Moss effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permanent-magnet flux-switching (PMFS) machine offers high torque density, impressive flux-weakening capability and mechanical ruggedness because of its distinctive configuration, and is potentially suitable for the application in automotive integrated-starter-generators (ISGs). However, the PMFS machine generally exhibits higher cogging torque compared with other machines commonly used in ISGs. Minimisation of the cogging torque in the PMFS machine for its utility in ISGs is therefore of particular importance. Four rotor topologies are proposed here as cost-effective means to suppress the cogging torque of a PMFS ISG. The validity of the proposed techniques has been confirmed by both two-dimensional finite-element analysis and experimental results. Moreover, the influence on the back electromagnetic force by these techniques is also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-torque and low-speed electrical drives are often employed for applications where mechanical gearing cannot be accommodated. On the other hand, permanent-magnet (PM) gear has drawn significant attention from both academies and industries due to the conspicuous merits, such as reduced acoustic noise, maintenance free, improved reliability, precise peak torque transmission capability, and inherent overload protection. In this paper, a magnetic-geared PM brushless motor is presented. It is a novel low-speed and high-torque motor which merges the advantages of conventional PM brushless motor and PM gear. Its topology and operation principle are introduced. Some techniques are employed to optimize and improve the motor performance, while the validity of the proposed techniques is verified with finite-element analysis. Moreover, an alternative operation condition, which can further reduce the motor speed and increase its output torque, is proposed and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-step factorised sparse approximation inverse and symmetric successive over relaxation preconditioned conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm is proposed to solve the large system of linear equations resulted from the hierarchical implicit time-domain finite-element method (TDFEM). Convergence properties and CPU time of the proposed algorithm are compared with those of other preconditioned CG schemes. Numerical results demonstrate that the present approach is efficient for solving the large sparse system from hierarchical implicit TDFEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]