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Shiyuan Yan,1 Ruyue Deng,1 Yanjie Hou,1 Lin Zhang,1 Wengjing Zhang,1 Jun Yao1,2 1School of Health Policy and Management, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Healthy Jiangsu Development, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jun Yao, School of Health Policy and Management, Institute of Healthy Jiangsu Development, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China, Email yaojun@njmu.edu.cnObjective: This study aimed to identify (1) different types of intergenerational relationships among the elderly migrants, (2) factors influencing each type of relationship, and (3) the types significantly associated with psychological well-being of the elderly migrants.Methods: Data were collected from 654 elderly migrants in Nanjing, China. Incorporating ten solidarity conflict indicators, the latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to classify intergenerational relationships. Logistic regression were used to analyze influencing factors, and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to analyze the relationship of each type of intergenerational relationship with depression and life satisfaction.Results: Three types of intergenerational relationships were classified: tight-knit (65%), conflicting (25%), distant intimate (10%). Gender, marital status, education level, annual income, subjective health, number of children and parentage were influencing factors for the three types. The tight-knit type predicted a healthy mental status.Discussion: Three intergenerational relationships exist between elderly migrants and their children in Nanjing, China. A closer relationship predicts a better mental health in the elderly migrants.Keywords: intergenerational relationship, elderly migrants, latent class analysis

Background Intergenerational relationships profoundly affect older parents’ mental health. However, few studies have shed light on its mechanisms in familistic cultures and migration contexts. The current study aimed to investigate the associations of intergenerational emotional cohesion (IEC) and depression among the Chinese older immigrants, and the mediating roles of loneliness and perceived stress. Methods Obtained from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Nanjing, China, the research data involved 654 older immigrants. Variables were measured using the intergenerational solidarity inventory, 3-item R-UCLA Loneliness Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results There is a negative correlation exists between IEC and depression. Through IEC, three significant mediation pathways were identified that directly affect depression: (1) loneliness (β=-0.063; Ratio = 18.21%), (2) perceived stress (β=-0.085; Ratio = 24.57%), and (3) loneliness and perceived stress (β=-0.033; Ratio = 9.53%). Discussion This study advances our understanding of the mechanism through which IEC influences depression in Chinese older immigrants. A strong IEC can reduce depressive symptoms by relieving loneliness and perceived stress.

Objective: This study aimed to test whether resilience mediates the association between self-rated health and life satisfaction and the moderated effect of upward intergenerational support among elderly migrants in China. Method: We used self-reported data collected from 654 elderly migrants in Nanjing. The regression analysis using bootstrapping methods was conducted to explore the mediating and moderating effects. Results: Resilience mediated the relationship between self-rated health and life satisfaction among elderly migrants in China. The moderated mediation analysis indicated that the upward intergenerational support moderated the path between self-rated health and resilience. Specifically, compared with those with a low level of emotional support, the self-rated health of elderly migrants with a high level of emotional support has a stronger effect on resilience. Moreover, the self-rated health of elderly migrants with a low level of financial support has a stronger effect on resilience than those with a higher level of financial support. Conclusion: Resilience could partially mediate the effect of self-rated health on life satisfaction among elderly migrants in China, and upward intergenerational support moderated the indirect relationship between self-rated health and life satisfaction via resilience.

Background: Grandparenting is a common form of childcare in China. In recent years, the impact of grandparenting on life satisfaction has been widely studied. But we know little about the psychological mechanisms that link them. In addition, few studies have paid attention to elderly migrants who face the dual challenges of aging and migration. Thus, this study aims to examine the relationship between grandparenting and life satisfaction among Chinese elderly migrants, and try to explore the mediating role of loneliness and self-esteem.Methods: All 723 participants were recruited in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. Firstly, we described the demographic characteristics of the participants. Secondly, we used Spearman’s correlation analysis to examine whether there were correlations between grandparenting, loneliness, self-esteem and life satisfaction. Finally, we used the PROCESS Model 6 to complete the mediation analysis.Results: Elderly migrants had a high level of life satisfaction (26.70 ± 5.47). The proportion of grandparenting was 80.4. Grandparenting was positively associated with life satisfaction among elderly migrants (r = 0.223, p < 0.001). The total effect of grandparenting on life satisfaction was 2.965 (p < 0.001). Loneliness and self-esteem mediated the relationship between grandparenting and life satisfaction. The total indirect effect was 1.414 (95%CI: 0.849, 2.014) and the ratio to the total effect was 47.7% (1.414/2.965). The mediating effect contained three paths: Loneliness (B= 0.287; 95%CI: 0.072, 0.563; Ratio= 9.7%); Self-esteem (B= 0.957; 95%CI: 0.516, 0.1.404; Ratio= 32.3%); and Loneliness → Self-esteem (B= 0.170; 95%CI: 0.040, 0.331; Ratio= 5.7%).Conclusion: Grandparenting is a common phenomenon among Chinese elderly migrants, and it is a positive predictor of life satisfaction. Loneliness and self-esteem mediate the relationship between grandparenting and life satisfaction.

Blocking host cell death is an important virulence strategy employed by many bacterial pathogens. We recently reported that Shigella flexneri inhibits host pyroptosis by delivering a type III secretion system (T3SS) effector OspC3 that catalyzes a novel arginine ADP-riboxanation modification on caspase-4/11. Here, we investigated the OspC3 homologue CopC from Chromobacterium violaceum, an opportunistic but sometimes deadly bacterial pathogen. CopC bears the same arginine ADP-riboxanase activity as OspC3, but with a different substrate specificity. Through proteomic analysis, we first identified host calmodulin (CaM) as a binding partner of CopC. The analyses additionally revealed that CopC preferably modifies apoptotic caspases including caspase-7, -8 and -9. This results in suppression of both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis programs in C. violaceum-infected cells. Biochemical reconstitution showed that CopC requires binding to CaM, specifically in the calcium-free state, to achieve efficient ADP-riboxanation of the caspases. We determined crystal structure of the CaM-CopC-CASP7 ternary complex, which illustrates the caspase recognition mechanism and a unique CaM-binding mode in CopC. Structure-directed mutagenesis validated the functional significance of CaM binding for stimulating CopC modification of its caspase substrates. CopC adopts an ADP-ribosyltransferase-like fold with a unique His-Phe-Glu catalytic triad, featuring two acidic residues critical for site-specific arginine ADP-riboxanation. Our study expands and deepens our understanding of the OspC family of ADP-riboxanase effectors.

Laryngeal cancer is one of the most common malignant cancer of the head and neck. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is considered by the NCCN guideline to be the most effective organ protection strategy for locally advanced laryngeal cancer, which can preserve the larynx without reducing the survival rate of patients. Patients with non-T4 (T1-3) and high lymph node burden (N2-3) laryngeal cancer can benefit from concurrent chemoradiotherapy, which are more suitable for concurrent chemoradiotherapy than locally advanced laryngeal cancer with other stages. The indications of concurrent chemoradiotherapy were further discussed in this paper.

In this study, the rheological properties and gelation mechanism of high acyl gellan (HAG) were investigated. The critical overlap concentration (C⁎) of HAG was determined to be 0.045%, and the specific viscosity (ηsp) of HAG solutions linearly varied as the concentration of C1.42 and C3.51 before and after the concentration, respectively. The transition concentration was found to shift toward a lower value (0.045% vs. 0.08%) when compared with the generality of random coil polysaccharide solutions, indicating the occurrence of intermolecular associations. At sufficiently high concentrations (i.e., above 0.125%), HAG molecules associated with each other to form a heterogeneous three-dimensional network, thus leading to gelation. The gelling temperature depended on HAG concentration, and there was no significant thermal hysteresis observed when heating the formed gels. Furthermore, it was found that acyl substituents allowed HAG molecules to form hydrophobic regions during the gelation process, which was attributed to the intermolecular aggregations driven by hydrophobic interactions. Our findings may deepen the understanding on HAG gelation and thus broaden the application of HAG in the food and biomaterial fields.

WRKY transcription factors are widely involved in abiotic stress responses in plants. However, their roles in the abiotic stresses of Malus plants are still not well known. In this study, a WRKY gene is isolated from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh. and designated as MbWRKY5. MbWRKY5 contains two WRKY domains and one Cys2-His2 (C2H2) zinc-finger motif, and was localized in the nucleus. The expression levels of MbWRKY5 were up-regulated by salinity, heat, cold, drought, and abscisic acid treatments in M. baccata seedlings. When MbWRKY5 was introduced into tobacco, an improvement in tolerance to drought and salt was achieved in transgenic plants. Under drought and salt treatments, transgenic plants had higher contents of chlorophyll, proline, glutathione, and ascorbate, and increased activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) than wild-type (WT) tobaccos. Compared with WT plants, overexpression of MbWRKY5 in transgenic tobacco also led to decreased levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under drought and salt stresses. Moreover, the MbWRKY5-OE tobaccos increased the expression levels of stress-related genes involved in oxidative stress response (NtPOD, NtSOD and NtCAT) and membrane protection (NtLEA5, NtERD10D, and NtP5CS), especially under drought and salt stresses. These results suggest that the MbWRKY5 gene plays a positive regulatory role in drought and salt stress responses.

In this study, pomegranate peel pectin was extracted by hot water at 86 °C and pH 1.7 for 80 min. The pectin yield was 8.5%, with the uronic acid content of around 62.0%. Structural characterization suggested that the pectin was high-methylated (DM = 75%) and mainly composed of rhamnose (4.5%), xylose (13.4%), mannose (1.8%), glucose (60.8%) and galactose (19.5%). FTIR analysis indicated that the pectin contained a high amount of ester groups, which is generally considered as one kind of the hydrophobic groups in pectin molecules. The emulsifying property assessments suggested that when the pectin concentration was increased to 2.0% (w/v), a stable emulsion containing 50% oil phase (v/v) can be obtained. Although pH significantly affected the emulsifying properties, the pectin dispersion (1.0%, w/v) still exhibited good emulsifying stability at pH 2.0–6.0. Furthermore, it was found that low Ca2+ concentrations (below 60 mg/g pectin) improved the emulsifying stability by elevating the viscosity of continuous phase, whereas high Ca2+ concentrations was unfavorable to emulsion stabilization. As the Na+ concentration increased from 0 to 200 mg/g pectin, the emulsion stability was observed to be decreased, which may be because Na+ shielded the negative charges in pectin molecules and thus decreased the repulsions between emulsion droplets. Overall, our results indicate that pomegranate peel pectin can act as an effective emulsifier, and the present study may provide relevant reference for searching natural emulsifiers that can be used in the food industry.

WRKY transcription factors are involved in stress responses in plants; however, their roles in abiotic stresses are still not well known in Malus plants. In the present study, a WRKY gene was isolated from Malus baccata (L.) Borkh and designated as MbWRKY1. Subcellular localization revealed that MbWRKY1 was localized in the nucleus. The expression levels of MbWRKY1 were up-regulated by dehydration, salinity, and ABA treatments in M. baccata seedlings. When MbWRKY1 was introduced into tobacco, it improved drought stress tolerance in transgenic plants. Under the drought treatment, transgenic plants had higher contents of chlorophyll, proline, relative water, AsA, and GSH than wild-type (WT) plants. Compared with WT plants, the overexpression of MbWRKY1 in transgenic tobacco also led to decreased levels of H2O2, MDA, and elecrolyte leakage when dealing with drought stress. There were increased activities of POD, CAT, SOD, and APX in transgenic tobaccos, especially when dealing with drought treatment. Moreover, the MbWRKY1 transgenic plants enhanced the expressions of oxidative stress response (NtPOD, NtCAT, NtSOD, and NtAPX) and stress-related genes (NtP5CS and NtLEA5) when dealing with drought stress. These results suggest that the MbWRKY1 gene plays a positive regulatory role in drought stress response.

In this study, NaOH solution was used to adjust the pH of low methoxyl pectin (LMP) dispersions (1%, w/v), and LMP gels were prepared in a wide pH range (3.5–9.5). Then, the effects of pH on LMP gelation mechanism were explored and the rheological properties of the gels were investigated. The results suggested that when the pH was increased from 3.5 to 8.5, the gel strength and gelling rate were increased, due to an increased amount of dissociated carboxylic groups. When the pH was increased to 9.5, however, the decreasing molecular weight of the pectin, caused by β-elimination, resulted in the decrease of the gel strength and gelling rate. Moreover, the incorporation of Ca2+ into the pectin reduced not only the thermal decomposition rate of the pectin but also its crystalline degree. Compared to the other gels, the gel at pH 8.5 had the most compact microstructure and the highest thermal stability, which were indicated by Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) and TG/DTG analyses, respectively. Overall, the investigation for the first time demonstrated the effects of a wide pH range on LMP gelation, especially under alkaline conditions. It may provide an insight into the application of LMP to food and biomedical fields.

High chemical inertness of porous graphitic carbon particles (PGC) makes their surface modification rather difficult. Here a facile way is proposed to prepare a PGC stationary phase with quaternary ammonium-polyvinyl alcohol mixed functional groups for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) by generating a thin layer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (DDAC) copolymer onto PGC particles. The phase shows obvious positively electrostatic character and typical HILIC character, exhibiting different selectivity relative to several HILIC phases and bare PGC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fully pH-stable, quaternary ammonium functionalized HILIC phase. It is much superior to silica-based HILIC phases in terms of wide pH tolerance (2.1–12.7) and low bleeding.

A poly(vinyl alcohol)–cationic cellulose (PVA–CC) copolymer encapsulated SiO2 stationary phase (PVA–CC–Sil) for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is described. It is prepared simply by combining SiO2 with a preformed PVA–CC solution, then filtering and curing thermally, finally generating a thin PVA–CC copolymer coating onto SiO2. The preparation is easy to implement and no organic solvent is involved in. The phase shows obvious positive electrostatic character and typical HILIC character, exhibiting different selectivity relative to twelve commercial HILIC phases. Good running stability and a wide pH tolerance range (at least 10) are observed for PVA–CC–Sil. Excellent separation efficiency is obtained for model analytes (e.g. plate counts are ∼114 000 plates per m and ∼150 000 plates per m for ribose and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, respectively). Good separation performance for saccharides of low or high degrees of polymerization by PVA–CC–Sil is also observed.

The herpesvirus nuclear egress complex (NEC) is composed of two viral proteins. They play key roles in mediating the translocation of capsids from the nucleus to the cytoplasm by facilitating the budding of capsids into the perinuclear space (PNS). The NEC of alphaherpesvirus can induce the formation of virion-like vesicles from the nuclear membrane in the absence of other viral proteins. However, whether the NEC of gammaherpesvirus harbors the ability to do so in mammalian cells remains to be determined. In this study, we first constructed open reading frame 67 (ORF67)-null and ORF69-null mutants of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) and demonstrated that both ORF67 and ORF69 play critical roles in nuclear egress and hence viral lytic replication. Biochemical and bioimaging analyses showed that ORF67 and ORF69 interacted with each other and were sufficient to induce the formation of virion-like vesicles from the nuclear membrane in mammalian cells. Thus, we designated ORF67 and ORF69 components of MHV-68 NEC. Furthermore, we identified amino acids critical for mediating the interaction between ORF67 and ORF69 through homology modeling and verified their function in nuclear egress, providing insights into the molecular basis of NEC formation in gammaherpesviruses. IMPORTANCE Increasing amounts of knowledge indicate that the nuclear egress complex (NEC) is critical for the nuclear egress of herpesvirus capsids, which can be viewed as a vesicle-mediated transport pathway through the nuclear membrane. In this study, we identified open reading frame 67 (ORF67) and ORF69 as components of the NEC in murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) and demonstrated that they efficiently induce virion-like vesicles from the nuclear membrane in mammalian cells. This is the first time that the NEC of a gammaherpesvirus has been found to demonstrate such an essential characteristic. In addition, we identified amino acids critical for mediating the interaction between ORF67 and ORF69 as well as nuclear egress. Notably, these amino acids are conserved in Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), providing a structural basis to design antigammaherpesvirus drugs.

In this study, a series of emulsion gels were prepared by dispersing emulsified oil droplets into alginate (Alg) gel matrix, and the final emulsion gels contained 2% Alg (w/v), 0.5% Tween 80 (v/v) and gradient concentrations of oil phase fractions (5–30%, v/v). Subsequently, the effects of Ca2+ addition, heating, and freeze thawing treatments on the emulsion gels were also investigated by a combination of rheological tests, confocal and scanning electron microscopy techniques. It was found that within the range of 0–30% of oil phase fraction, 0–0.15% of CaCl2 addition (w/v), all the emulsion gels could achieve significant thixotropy and good emulsion stability, without discernible oil droplet coalescence observed after heating and/or freeze thawing treatments. The yield stress value and gel stiffness increased with increasing oil phase fraction and Ca2+ addition, which is attributed to the strengthened gel network cross-links in the emulsion gels, as confirmed by SEM results. Interestingly, after freeze thawing treatment, the gel stiffness was slightly improved, which may be due to the intermolecular self-association of Alg during freezing stage. Overall, these results show the potential application of Alg-stabilized emulsion gels in preparation of low-fat mayonnaise products and other similar emulsion foods.

The thinned-young apple polysaccharides from three varieties were obtained by hot water extraction at 88 C for 120 min. The compositional monosaccharides of the three polysaccharides were shown to be the same (xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose) and the molecular weights of the polysaccharides were in the range of 200–300 kDa. Compared with “Qinyang” and “Pinklady”, the polysaccharide from “Jinshiji” had the highest emulsifying capacity. Moreover, the variations in pH and cation ion concentrations had also a significant effect on the emulsifying properties of the extracted polysaccharides. At pH 2.0–4.0, the prepared emulsion had smaller droplet sizes than at higher pH values. Although the emulsion was stable at low concentrations of Na+ and Ca2+ ions, high concentrations of Na+ and Ca2+ led to significant destabilization of the emulsion. Conclusively, our results demonstrated the potential application of thinned-young apple polysaccharide as a natural polysaccharide emulsifying agent.

The sustained increase in the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection and the difficulty in distinguishing these infections from tuberculosis constitute an urgent need for NTM species-level identification. The MeltPro Myco assay is the first diagnostic system that identifies 19 clinically relevant mycobacteria in a single reaction based on multicolor melting curve analysis run on a real-time PCR platform. The assay was comprehensively evaluated regarding its analytical and clinical performances. The MeltPro Myco assay accurately identified 51 reference mycobacterial strains to the species/genus level and showed no cross-reactivity with 16 nonmycobacterial strains. The limit of detection was 300 bacilli/ml, and 1% of the minor species was detected in the case of mixed infections. Clinical studies using 1,163 isolates collected from five geographically distinct health care units showed that the MeltPro Myco assay correctly identified 1,159 (99.7%) samples. Further testing with 94 smear-positive sputum samples showed that all samples were correctly identified. Additionally, the entire assay can be performed within 3 h. The results of this study confirmed the efficacy of this assay in the reliable identification of mycobacteria, suggesting that it might potentially be used as a screening tool in regions endemic for tuberculosis.

A hyperbranched stationary phase for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) has been prepared by grafting polyethylenimine (PEI) onto silica gel (termed as PEI-Sil). Rich primary, secondary, and tertiary amino groups associated with PEI render its good hydrophility. More importantly, the hyperbranched structure of PEI molecule is greatly helpful in improving interaction with polar analytes. For several kinds of model polar compounds, including organic acids, nucleosides, nucleic acid bases, amino acids, cephalosporins, and non-reducing sugars, PEI-Sil demonstrated excellent separation performance in terms of running stability, reproducibility, and separation efficiency (e.g., plate count ~74,000/m). In addition, PEI-Sil also exhibited much better separation selectivity toward inorganic anions when operated in the mode of ion chromatography relative to a commercial amino propyl-bonded column.

A conventional ion chromatography-capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (IC-C4D) was fabricated. The main parameters, such as the electrode length and gap, tube material and inner diameter, excitation frequency, voltage and waveforms, were optimized. The self-made C4D showed comparable performance to that of a commercial contact conductivity detector. Under the suppressed mode, the limits of detection of common inorganic anions (F-, Cl-, NO2-, Br-, NO3-, and SO42-) were 0.02-0.08 μmol/L. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for the peak area were less than 1.8% (n=6). The linearities of the six common inorganic anions were achieved in the range of 0.1-10 μmol/L with correlation coefficients (R2)>0.9950. The advantages of such a C4D in a relatively conventional mode include simple structure, low fabrication cost and no electrode fouling, and it will help extend the application of IC.

The sustained increase in the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection and the difficulty in distinguishing these infections from tuberculosis constitute an urgent need for NTM species-level identification. The MeltPro Myco assay is the first diagnostic system that identifies 19 clinically relevant mycobacteria in a single reaction based on multicolor melting curve analysis run on a real-time PCR platform. The assay was comprehensively evaluated regarding its analytical and clinical performances. The MeltPro Myco assay accurately identified 51 reference mycobacterial strains to the species/genus level and showed no cross-reactivity with 16 nonmycobacterial strains. The limit of detection was 300 bacilli/ml, and 1% of the minor species was detected in the case of mixed infections. Clinical studies using 1,163 isolates collected from five geographically distinct health care units showed that the MeltPro Myco assay correctly identified 1,159 (99.7%) samples. Further testing with 94 smear-positive sputum samples showed that all samples were correctly identified. Additionally, the entire assay can be performed within 3 h. The results of this study confirmed the efficacy of this assay in the reliable identification of mycobacteria, suggesting that it might potentially be used as a screening tool in regions endemic for tuberculosis.

Nowadays, there is a strong demand for the development of new analytical devices with novel performances to improve the quality of our daily lives. In this context, multisensor systems such as electronic tongues (eTs) have emerged as promising alternatives. Recently, we have developed a new versatile eT system by coupling surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) with cross-reactive sensor arrays. In order to largely simplify the preparation of sensing materials with a great diversity, an innovative combinatorial approach was proposed by combining and mixing a small number of easily accessible molecules displaying different physicochemical properties. The obtained eT was able to generate 2D continuous evolution profile (CEP) and 3D continuous evolution landscape (CEL), which is also called 3D image, with valuable kinetic information, for the discrimination and classification of samples. Here, diverse applications of such a versatile eT have been summarized. It is not only effective for pure protein analysis, capable of differentiating protein isoforms such as chemokines CXCL12α and CXCL12γ, but can also be generalized for the analysis of complex mixtures, such as milk samples, with promising potential for monitoring the deterioration of milk.

Kadsura marmorata has been used in traditional Chinese medicine as one of the major ingredients for the treatment of bronchial asthma, eczema, and acute and chronic infection due to either viruses or bacteria. The purpose of this study was to determine the immunomodulatory activities of the Kadsura polysaccharide (KPS) that was isolated and purified from the fruit of K. marmorata, designated as KPSIII and has a molecular weight of 130,406. The immunomodulatory effects of KPSIII were evaluated in vitro on chicken lymphocytes and macrophages. The results indicated that KPSIII could stimulate the cell proliferation of chicken T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, and peritoneal macrophages and could significantly enhance cytokine secretion. Moreover, KPSIII regulated cytokine expression in T-lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages. This study suggests that KPSIII has potential effects on regulating the immune system and might be an immunotherapeutic agent in treating various immunity-related diseases in chickens.

The problem of designing a crude distillation unit (CDU) is not only a distillation design. It has the added complexity that the properties of crudes are different around the world, sometimes from heavy to light. In this work, we focused our attention on designing a predistillation scheme suitable for heavy crude oils by thermodynamic analysis. The exergy efficiencies and losses were analyzed to evaluate available schemes indicating that the two-preflash-drums case, with the highest exergy efficiencies, lowest exergy losses, and lowest furnace duty, is the best choice for heavy crude oils. In addition, the method of selecting the optimum process for energy saving may benefit the process optimization of other distillation units.

International audience; We have recently developed a novel approach which greatly simplified the design and production of sensing materials for the construction of electronic tongues (eT) by mixing a handful of building blocks (BBs) and allowing the mixtures to self-assemble. This approach has two major advantages: it allows a rapid growth in diversity of the sensing receptors and offers more reliable analysis thanks to its "auto-corrective" behavior. Using only two small molecules, lactose and sulfated lactose, as BBs, an array of combinatorial cross-reactive receptors (CoCRRs) was prepared and combined with an optical detection system, surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi). In this study, the system was used to analyze challenging protein-rich complex samples such as milk. The eT was sensitive and responded differently to tested milk samples that were either animal-based or plant-based. It was able to differentiate and identify them thanks to their continuous recognition patterns and in particular the 3D continuous evolution landscapes. Principal component analysis was performed based on both 2D continuous evolution profiles and 3D continuous evolution landscapes of these samples. A better discrimination and classification was obtained with the 3D landscapes. These results have demonstrated the feasibility of the eT for analysis of protein-rich complex samples and its potential for applications in food and beverage domains. Moreover, we strongly believe that this new approach is promising for the design of cheaper and more reliable electronic noses/tongues.

Cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.19) (CGTase) is an extracellular bacterial enzyme which has the unique capability of forming cyclodextrins from starch. Our previous investigation revealed that a mutant Y195I α-CGTase drastically altered the cyclodextrin specificity by switching toward the synthesis of both β- and γ-CDs (Xie et al., 2013a,b). In this study, we determined one X-ray structure of the mutant Y195I α-CGTase at 2.3A. The overall structure was similar to that of the typical β-CGTase from Bacillus circulans 251, with minor difference in flexible domains since they showed about 70% homogeneity of amino acid sequences. The central site with isoleucine tended to be more flexible than tyrosine thus made the sugar chain, during the cyclization process, form a larger cyclodextrin like β- and γ-CDs surrounding the central site instead of α-CD. Superposition of the structure of Y195I α-CGTase with those of β-CGTase and γ-CGTase showed that residues Lys232, Lys89 and Arg177 at subsites +2, -3 and -7 could form smaller substrate binding cavity. In summary, the crystal structure revealed that moderate increase of mobility of the central site resulted in the switched product specificity from α-CD to β- and γ-CDs of the mutant Y195I α-CGTase. The space differences alongside the active domain may be another factor that impacts the product specificity of the CGTase.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in older individuals and is among the most prevalent and disabling chronic conditions worldwide.We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of celecoxib, a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Studies were pooled, and mean difference (MD), relative risk (RR), and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Fifteen relevant articles were included for this meta-analysis study.We observed that osteoarthritis total score (MD = -4.41, 95% CI -7.27 to -1.55), pain subscale score (MD = -0.86, 95% CI -1.10 to -0.62), and function subscale score (MD = -2.90, 95% CI -5.12 to -0.67) in OA patients treatment with celecoxib was significantly improved than that with placebo. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events (AEs), SAEs, and discontinuations due to AEs; however, the incidence of gastrointestinal AEs in OA patients treatment with celecoxib is significantly higher than that with placebo. For AE, the incidence of abdominal pain in OA patients with celecoxib was significantly higher than that with placebo (RR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.40-3.58; P = 0.839, I = 0%). There was no significant difference in diarrhea, dyspepsia, headache, and nausea.This meta-analysis indicated that celecoxib treatment (200 mg orally once daily) led to significant improvement in the pain and function of osteoarthritis. However, compared with placebo control, celecoxib resulted in greater gastrointestinal AEs, especially abdominal pain after approximately 10 to 13 weeks of treatment. The current study, therefore, provides valuable information to help physicians make treatment decisions for their patients with OA.

In this paper I try to figure out how capital logic caused ecological crises since capitalism developed. Furthermore I attempt to explore the relationship of capital logic and socialist countries. China, being a socialist country, is seriously bothered by ecological crises. I argued wether plan economy or market economy, when the government is deeply influenced by the lure of rapid economy growth, capital logic would dominate society, and ecological crises are inevitable. It is time for China to begin to implement controls on the market to improve ecological outcomes and rethink the concept of socialism. I conclude that ecological crises can be resolved, depending on whether China can move on from its traditional misunderstanding of socialism and make socialism redress the failure of the market. I make some suggestions, including Green GDP, restricted consumerism and narrowing the income gap. These may help to solve the current environmental crisis.

The uncertain parameters and coupling disturbances deteriorate the performance of the systems, so the μ robust control system is proposed for the control of the vehicle’s steering system. To improve the robust performances of the whole system, the μ robust controller of the vehicle steering system is designed based on the front wheel angle. The result of simulation proves that the control system is correct and feasible. It improves the vehicle stability and steering performance.

The purpose of this study was to perform a meta-analysis on the efficacy of ibandronate by evaluating the effect sizes of different dosing regimens.Major electronic databases were searched from 1985 to February 2015. A random effects meta-analysis was performed in STATA.Data from 34 studies

Accurate and timely diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection is essential to initiate early treatment and achieve a favorable outcome. In this study, we used a rabbit model to assess the feasibility of technetium-99m-labeled annexin V for detecting prosthetic joint infection. Right knee arthroplasty was performed on 24 New Zealand rabbits. After surgery, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was intra-articularly injected to create a model of prosthetic joint infection (the infected group, n = 12). Rabbits in the control group were injected with sterile saline (n = 12). Seven and 21 days after surgery, technetium-99m-labeled annexin V imaging was performed in 6 rabbits of each group. Images were acquired 1 and 4 hours after injection of technetium-99m-labeled annexin V (150 MBq). The operated-to-normal-knee activity ratios were calculated for quantitative analysis. Seven days after surgery, increased technetium-99m-labeled annexin V uptake was observed in all cases. However, at 21 days a notable decrease was found in the control group, but not in the infected group. The operated-to-normal-knee activity ratios of the infected group were 1.84 ± 0.29 in the early phase and 2.19 ± 0.34 in the delay phase, both of which were significantly higher than those of the control group (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02). The receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed that the operated-to-normal-knee activity ratios of the delay phase at 21 days was the best indicator, with an accuracy of 80%. In conclusion, technetium-99m-labeled annexin V imaging could effectively distinguish an infected prosthetic joint from an uninfected prosthetic joint in a rabbit model.