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Abstract Background Successfully restoring facial contours continues to pose a significant challenge for surgeons. This study aims to utilize head-mounted display-based augmented reality (AR) navigation technology for facial soft tissue defect reconstruction and to evaluate its accuracy and effectiveness, exploring its feasibility in craniofacial surgery. Methods Hololens 2 was utilized to construct the AR guidance system for facial fat grafting. Twenty artificial cases with facial soft tissue defects were randomly assigned to Group A and Group B, undergoing filling surgeries with the AR guidance system and conventional methods, respectively. All postoperative three-dimensional models were superimposed onto virtual plans to evaluate the accuracy of the system versus conventional filling methods. Additionally, procedure completion time was recorded to assess system efficiency relative to conventional methods. Results The error in facial soft tissue defect reconstruction assisted by the system in Group A was 2.09 ± 0.56 mm, significantly lower than the 3.23 ± 1.15 mm observed with conventional methods in Group B (p

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, and the most prevalent form of dementia. The main hallmarks for the diagnosis of AD are extracellular amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaque deposition and intracellular accumulation of highly hyperphosphorylated Tau protein as neurofibrillary tangles. The brain consumes more oxygen than any other organs, so it is more easily to be affected by hypoxia. Hypoxia has long been recognized as one of the possible causes of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases, but the exact mechanism has not been clarified. In this review, we will elucidate the connection between hypoxia-inducible factors-1α and AD, including its contribution to AD and its possible protective effects. Additionally, we will discuss the relationship between oxidative stress and AD as evidence show that oxidative stress acts on AD-related pathogenic factors such as mitochondrial dysfunction, Aβ deposition, inflammation, etc. Currently, there is no cure for AD. Given the close association between hypoxia, oxidative stress, and AD, along with current research on the protective effects of antioxidants against AD, we speculate that antioxidants could be a potential therapeutic approach for AD and worth further study.

Abstract Inflammasome activity is important for the immune response and is instrumental in numerous clinical conditions. Here we identify a mechanism that modulates the central Caspase-1 and NLR (Nod-like receptor) adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD). We show that the function of ASC in assembling the inflammasome is controlled by its modification with SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) and identify that the nuclear ZBTB16 (zinc-finger and BTB domain-containing protein 16) promotes this SUMOylation. The physiological significance of this activity is demonstrated through the reduction of acute inflammatory pathogenesis caused by a constitutive hyperactive inflammasome by ablating ZBTB16 in a mouse model of Muckle-Wells syndrome. Together our findings identify an further mechanism by which ZBTB16-dependent control of ASC SUMOylation assembles the inflammasome to promote this pro-inflammatory response.

To examine the association between prediabetes/type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hippocampal subfields and to investigate the effects of glycemic control (HbA1c and FBG)/diabetes duration on the volume of hippocampal subfields in T2DM patients. This cross-sectional study included 268 participants from Tianjin Union Medical Center between August 2019 and July 2022. The participants were divided into three groups: T2DM, prediabetes and no diabetes. All participants underwent brain MRI examination on a 3T MRI scanner. FreeSurfer was performed to segment hippocampus automatically based on T1 MPRAGE images. The relationships between glycemic status/glycemic control/diabetes duration and hippocampal subfield volumes were estimated by multiple linear regression analysis/generalized additive modeling (GAM). Among all participants, 76 (28.36%) had prediabetes, and 96 (35.82%) had T2DM. In multi-adjusted linear regression models, those with prediabetes had a significantly lower volume of bilateral parasubiculum (βright = –5.540; βleft = –6.497). Those with diabetes had lower volume of parasubiculum (βleft = –7.868), presubiculum-head (βleft = –6.244) and fimbria (βleft = –7.187). We did not find relationship between diabetes duration and hippocampal subfield volumes. In stratified analysis, long duration with high FBG related with lower volume of right fimbria (βright = –15.583). Long duration with high HbA1c related with lower volume of presubiculum-head (βright = –19.693), subiculum-head (βright = –28.303), subiculum-body (βleft = –38.599), CA1-head (βright = –62.300, βleft = –47.922), CA1-body (βright = –19.043), CA4-body (βright = –14.392), GC-ML-DG-head (βright = –20.521), GC-ML-DG-body (βright = –16.293, βleft = –12.799), molecular_layer_HP-head (βright = –44.202, βleft = –26.071) and molecular_layer_HP-body, (βright = –31.368), hippocampal_tail (βleft = –80.073). Prediabetes related with lower bilateral parasubiculum volume, and T2DM related with lower left parasubiculum, presubiculum-head and fimbria. T2DM with chronic poor glycemic control had lower volume in multiple hippocampal subregions.

Abstract Background ST6GALNAC family members function as sialyltransferases and have been implicated in cancer progression. However, their aberrant expression levels, prognostic values and specific roles in metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) remain largely unclear. Methods Two independent public datasets (TCGA-PRAD and GSE21032), containing 648 PCa samples in total, were employed to comprehensively examine the mRNA expression changes of ST6GALNAC family members in PCa, as well as their associations with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. The dysregulation of ST6GALNAC5 was further validated in a mouse PCa model and human PCa samples from our cohort (n = 64) by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and drug sensitivity analyses were performed to enrich the biological processes most related to ST6GALNAC5. Sulforhodamine B, transwell, luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to examine the PCa cell proliferation, invasion and transcriptional regulation, respectively. Results Systematical investigation of six ST6GALNAC family members in public datasets revealed that ST6GALNAC5 was the only gene consistently and significantly upregulated in metastatic PCa, and ST6GALNAC5 overexpression was also positively associated with Gleason score and predicted poor prognosis in PCa patients. IHC results showed that (1) ST6GALNAC5 protein expression was increased in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and further elevated in PCa from a PbCre;Pten F/F mouse model; (2) overexpressed ST6GALNAC5 protein was confirmed in human PCa samples comparing with benign prostatic hyperplasia samples from our cohort (p

Abstract Background Urinary pan-cancer system is a general term for tumors of the urinary system including renal cell carcinoma (RCC), prostate cancer (PRAD), and bladder cancer (BLCA). Their location, physiological functions, and metabolism are closely related, making the occurrence and outcome of these tumors highly similar. Cuproptosis is a new type of cell death that is different from apoptosis and plays an essential role in tumors. Therefore, it is necessary to study the molecular mechanism of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs to urinary system pan-cancer for the prognosis, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tumors. Method In our study, we identified 35 co-expression cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (CRLs) from the urinary pan-cancer system. 28 CRLs were identified as prognostic-related CRLs by univariate Cox regression analysis. Then 12 CRLs were obtained using lasso regression and multivariate cox analysis to construct a prognostic model. We divided patients into high- and low-risk groups based on the median risk scores. Next, Kaplan–Meier analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), functional rich annotations, and nomogram were used to compare the differences between the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, the prediction of tumor immune dysfunction and rejection, gene mutation, and drug sensitivity were discussed. Conclusion Finally, the candidate molecules of the urinary system pan-cancer were identified. This CRLs risk model may be promising for clinical prediction of prognosis and immunotherapy response in urinary system pan-cancer patients.

Abstract To model the COVID-19 infection and develop effective control measures, this paper proposes an SEIR-type epidemic model considering the impact of face-mask wearing and vaccination. Firstly, the effective reproduction number and the threshold conditions are obtained. Secondly, based on the data of South Korea from January 20, 2022 to March 21, 2022, the model parameters are estimated. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and the numerical study are conducted. The results show that the face-mask wearing is associated with $$83\%$$ 83 % and $$90\%$$ 90 % reductions in the numbers of cumulative cases and newly confirmed cases, respectively, after a period of 60 days, when the face mask wearing rate increases by $$15\%$$ 15 % . Furthermore, the vaccination rate is associated with $$75\%$$ 75 % and $$80\%$$ 80 % reductions in the numbers of cumulative cases and the newly confirmed cases, respectively, after the same period of 60 days when the vaccination rate is increased by $$15\%$$ 15 % . A combined measure involving face-mask wearing and vaccination may be more effective and reasonable in preventing and controlling this infection. It is also suggested that disease control departments should strongly recommended the wearing of face masks s as well as vaccination to prevent the unvaccinated people from becoming infected.

Hydrogen production through water splitting is a promising path to develop renewable green energy. Effective, stable, and low-cost catalysts are the key to water splitting. In the present work, a series of self-supporting nanoporous alloys are prepared by using a dealloying process followed by electrooxidation. Among them, the np-AlFeNiO-4s sample exhibits remarkable activity (10 mA cm−2 at 32 mV for the HER and 278 mV for the OER) and good long-term stability (100 h) in alkaline conditions for both the HER and the OER. It only requires 1.56 V to reach 10 mA cm−2 current density for total water splitting performance. The very short time of electrooxidation can significantly improve the HER performance. Electrooxidation makes the metal and metal oxide sites on the electrode surface effectively coupled, which greatly enhances the kinetic rate of the Volmer and Heyrovsky steps. Appropriate electrooxidation is a rapid and easy way to improve the activity of the electrocatalyst, which has a broad application prospect in electrochemical water splitting.

Microglia are the principal resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS) and play important roles in the development of CNS disorders. In recent years, there have been significant developments in our understanding of microglia, and we now have greater insight into the temporal and spatial patterns of microglia activation in a variety of CNS disorders, as well as the interactions between microglia and neurons. A variety of signaling pathways have been implicated. However, to date, all published clinical trials have failed to demonstrate efficacy over placebo. This review summarizes the results of recent important studies and attempts to provide a mechanistic view of microglia activation, inflammation, tissue repair, and CNS disorders.

In this paper, a generalized delay-induced $ SIRS $ epidemic model with nonlinear incidence rate, latency and relapse is proposed. Our epidemic model is a generalized one, and the published epidemic models are the special cases of ours under some conditions. By using LaSalle's invariance principle and Lyapunovi's direct method, the dynamical behaviors are investigated and the results show that the disease free-equilibrium $ Q_0 $ is globally asymptotically stable if the basic reproduction number $ R_0 < 1 $ for any time delay. However, if the basic reproduction number $ R_0 > 1 $, there exists a unique endemic equilibrium $ Q_* $ which is locally asymptotically stable under some conditions. Moreover, the effects of latency and relapse on the transmission dynamics of the diseases are analyzed by some numerical experiments which conducted based on $ ODE45 $ in Matlab.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of total flavonoids from Cortex Juglandis Mandshuricae (TFC) on preventing alcohol-induced chronic liver injury and regulating gut microbiota in mice. The results showed that oral administration of TFC significantly attenuated alcoholic liver injury in mice. TFC improved lipid accumulation in mice with chronic alcoholic liver injury through activation of the AMPK/PPARα pathway. In addition, TFC maintained the integrity of the intestinal barrier in alcoholic mice, reducing endotoxin leakage from the intestine and further inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway. More importantly, TFC regulated the intestinal microbiota composition and certain bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila, Lactobacillus and others. At the same time, reduced levels of short-chain fatty acids due to alcohol consumption were restored. In summary, TFC upregulated AMPK/PPARα signaling pathway to improve hepatic fat accumulation and oxidative stress; TFC positively regulated intestinal flora composition to reduce intestinal disorders caused by alcohol consumption, and further inhibited alcohol-induced inflammatory responses through the intestinal-liver axis. The above findings may be the mechanism of TFC’s pharmacological effects against alcoholic liver injury.

ObjectivesProtein post-translational modifications (PTMs) are closely associated with tumorigenesis, targeting PTMs of key proteins might be the focus of antitumor drug discovery. This study aimed to analyze the research progress on protein PTMs in tumorigenesis by performing qualitative and quantitative evaluations.MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection was selected as the database, and Science Citation Index Expanded was selected as the citation index. Visualization tools such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, HistCite, and Online Analysis Platform of Bibliometrics were used to deeply explore the information of the retrieved research papers and analyze them in terms of research trends and main aspects of research.ResultsThe search yielded 3777 relevant articles. The results showed that the total number of PTMs related papers in cancer field has been increasing annually, with the largest number of papers published in the United States of America. The co-word cluster analysis showed that the research on PTMs and tumorigenesis was primarily focused on the following four areas, mechanism, histone, P53, key Technologies. Tumor metabolism, autophagy, and protein-protein interaction, histone ubiquitination have become new research topics.ConclusionThis study provides an important reference for the research direction and selection of topics of interest in the PTMs of cancer field.

Heart failure (HF) is the main manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown that various RNA molecules and their complex connections play an essential role in HF’s pathogenesis and pathological progression. This paper aims to mine key RNA molecules associated with HF. We proposed a Prior-knowledge Driven Joint Deep Semi-Negative Matrix Factorization (PD-JDSNMF) model that uses a hierarchical nonlinear feature extraction method that integrates three types of data: mRNA, lncRNA, and miRNA. The PPI information is added to the model as prior knowledge, and the Laplacian constraint is used to help the model resist the noise in the genetic data. We used the PD-JDSNMF algorithm to identify significant co-expression modules. The elements in the module are then subjected to bioinformatics analysis and algorithm performance analysis. The results show that the PD-JDSNMF algorithm can robustly select biomarkers associated with HF. Finally, we built a heart failure diagnostic model based on multiple classifiers and using the Top 13 genes in the significant module, the AUC of the internal test set was up to 0.8714, and the AUC of the external validation set was up to 0.8329, which further confirmed the effectiveness of the PD-JDSNMF algorithm.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been reported to be associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Therefore inhibiting inflammasome activation could be a new approach to treat IBD. Inflammasome inhibitors NLRP3-IN-2, JC124, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-β-nitrostyrene (MNS) were previously reported to exert anti-inflammatory effects in various disease models but not in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)–induced colitis model. Here, we showed that MNS was more efficient in inhibiting the secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) by blocking oligomerization of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) than NLRP3-IN-2 and JC124. To investigate the protective effects of MNS on enteritis, we administered intragastric MNS to DSS-induced colitis mice. The results demonstrated that MNS attenuated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon length shortening, and pathological damage. In addition, MNS inhibited the infiltration of macrophages and inflammatory cells and reduced IL-1β and IL-12p40 pro-inflammatory cytokines but had no significant effect on tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-6. Furthermore, we also found that the differentiation of IL-17A+interferon-γ (IFN-γ)+CD4+ T cell was decreased in the colon after MNS treatment, which might be mediated by IL-1β, etc. cytokine release. Taken together, MNS alleviated DSS-induced intestinal inflammation by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which may function as an effective therapeutic for IBD.

The clinical severity of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) respiratory infection correlates with antibacterial gene signature. S. aureus infection induces the expression of an antibacterial gene, as well as a central stress response gene, thus activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3). ATF3-deficient mice have attenuated protection against lethal S. aureus pneumonia and have a higher bacterial load. We tested the hypothesis that ATF3-related protection is based on the increased function of macrophages. Primary marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) were used in vitro to determine the mechanism through which ATF3 alters the bacterial-killing ability. The expression of ATF3 correlated with the expression of antibacterial genes. Mechanistic studies showed that ATF3 upregulated antibacterial genes, while ATF3-deficient cells and lung tissues had a reduced level of antibacterial genes, which was accompanied by changes in the antibacterial process. We identified multiple ATF3 regulatory elements in the antibacterial gene promoters by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. In addition, Wild type (WT) mice had higher F4/80 macrophage migration in the lungs compared to ATF3-null mice, which may correlate with actin filament severing through ATF3-targeted actin-modifying protein gelsolin (GSN) for the macrophage cellular motility. Furthermore, ATF3 positively regulated inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-12p40 might be able to contribute to the infection resolution. These data demonstrate a mechanism utilized by S. aureus to induce ATF3 to regulate antibacterial genes for antimicrobial processes within the cell, and to specifically regulate the actin cytoskeleton of F4/80 macrophages for their migration.

Dividing wall column (DWC) is an advanced technology which could decrease energy consumption. As the vertical wall inserted in DWC increases the degree of freedom of systems, the control becomes more difficult than the conventional columns. In this study, the mixture glycols (1, 2-propanediol+ 1, 3-butanediol+ 1, 4-butanediol) were taken as feed, an optimized DWC structure was proposed, and three control structures for DWC were tested by ± 10% feed disturbances. The temperature control structure (CS1) was hard to control the system while composition control structure (CS2) and flow rate-composition cascade control structure (CS3) had good performance on controlling the DWC. It showed that CS3 was superior to CS2, as CS3 could stabilize the DWC within 4 hours, and the maximum deviations of the three products, namely 1, 2-propanediol, 1, 3-butanediol and 1, 4-butanediol, were 0.07%, 1.44%, and 0.46% respectively, while CS2 could realize the stability within 7 hours, and the corresponding numbers were 0.35%, 2.78%, and 0.41%, respectively.

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of fucoidan in chronic kidney disease (CKD)-triggered cognitive dysfunction. The adenine-induced ICR strain CKD mice model was applied, and RNA-Seq was performed for differential gene analysis between aged-CKD and normal mice. As a result, fucoidan (100 and 200 mg kg−1) significantly reversed adenine-induced high expression of urea, uric acid in urine, and creatinine in serum, as well as the novel object recognition memory and spatial memory deficits. RNA sequencing analysis indicated that oxidative and inflammatory signaling were involved in adenine-induced kidney injury and cognitive dysfunction; furthermore, fucoidan inhibited oxidative stress via GSK3β-Nrf2-HO-1 signaling and ameliorated inflammatory response through regulation of microglia/macrophage polarization in the kidney and hippocampus of CKD mice. Additionally, we clarified six hallmarks in the hippocampus and four in the kidney, which were correlated with CKD-triggered cognitive dysfunction. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of fucoidan in the treatment of CKD-triggered memory deficits.

Abstract Background Adaptor-related protein complex 2 alpha 2 subunit (AP2A2) gene encodes a protein-a subunit of the AP-2 adaptor protein complex. Evidence has revealed that benzodiazepine receptor-associated protein 1 (BZRAP1) is abundant in the hippocampus with potential effects on brain diseases. Recently, an epidemiological study reported that two variants (rs7396366 and rs2526378) closest to the AP2A2 and BZRAP1 genes are associated with higher plasma lipids and Alzheimer’s disease. Whether the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are actually relevant to coronary artery disease (CAD) and CAD severity remains elusive. Our aim was to assess whether these two SNPs are relevant to CAD and its severity in a Chinese population. Methods Three hundred and thirty-five patients with documented CAD (282 stable CAD, 28 non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, 25 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), and 372 non-CAD controls were included in the study. The participants were divided into two groups according to coronary angiography results. CAD patients were further demarcated into subgroups with one-, two-, or three-vessel stenosis. Genotypes at rs7396366 and rs2526378 were examined using polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction. The association between these two SNPs with CAD and its severity were analyzed. Results The frequency of the rs7396366 TT genotype was significantly higher in CAD patients than in controls (13.7% vs. 7.8%, 95% CI: 1.15–3.07, P = 0.014). Subjects with a variant genotype T allele had an increased risk of CAD compared with G allele carriers (additive model: 95% CI: 1.21–3.35, P = 0.008). After adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, analysis of the dominant models involving rs7396366 also showed that T allele carriers had a significantly higher risk for CAD than G allele carriers had (dominant model: OR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.03–2.14, P = 0.035). Age, sex, type 2 diabetes mellitus, fasting plasma glucose, and the TT genotype in rs7396366 were significantly associated with three-vessel lesions. Despite these significant outcomes of rs7396366, information on rs2526378 showed no significant difference between CAD patients and non-CAD controls. Conclusion Our results show that the T allele and TT genotype in rs7396366, closest to the AP2A2 gene, are linked to an increased risk of CAD and its severity in a Chinese population.

Abstract A generalized eco-epidemiological system with prey refuge is proposed in this paper. The saturation incidence kinetics and a generalized functional response are used to describe the contact process and the predation process, respectively. Based on mathematical issue, the local and global stability properties, Hopf bifurcation, and permanence of the dynamical system are investigated. Based on the ecological aspects, the impact of prey refuge on the dynamical consequences of the eco-epidemiological system and the mechanism of prey refuge are discussed. The results reveal that the stabilizing and destabilizing effects occur under some certain conditions. Based on epidemiological issue, the controlling strategies of the infectious disease are proposed. The results show that the prey refuge can control the spread of disease by the relative level of prey refuge. This study has resolved some basic and interesting issues for an eco-epidemiological system with a generalized response function and the effect of prey refuge.

Abstract Ear height is an important maize morphological trait that influences plant lodging resistance in the field, and is based on the number and length of internodes under the ear. To explore the effect of internodes on ear height, the internodes under the ear were analysed in four commercial hybrids (Jinsai6850, Zhengdan958, Xundan20, and Yuyu22) from different heterotic groups in China. The eighth internode, which is the third aboveground extended internode, exhibited high-parent or over high-parent heterosis and contributed considerably to ear height. Thus, the proteome of the eighth internode was examined. Sixty-six protein spots with >1.5-fold differences in accumulation (P

Abstract In this paper, a predator-prey system with Holling type function response incorporating prey refuge is presented. By applying the analytical approaches, the dynamics behavior of the considered system is investigated, including stability, limit cycle and bifurcation. The results show that the shape of the functional response plays an important role in determining the dynamics of the system. Especially, the interesting conclusion is that the prey refuge has a destabilizing effect under some certain conditions.

In order to study the dynamic change law of the porosity of the compacted broken coal under different axial stress loading, based on the environment of the broken and compacted coal in the gob, aiming at the influence of the porosity on the spontaneous combustion of the coal, combined with the fractal theory, the fractal model of the porosity of the broken coal is established. A self-designed “testing device for permeability evolution and spontaneous combustion characteristics of crushed coal under pressure” is used to carry out axial loading test on selected coal samples in the gob. By comparing and analyzing the calculated results of void dynamic evolution model and experimental data, it is found that the relative error of void dynamic evolution model is between 2.8% and 6.2%, which meets the engineering needs. According to the stress-strain curve, initial accumulation state parameters, fractal dimension of initial crushing, and particle size distribution, the change of porosity under different compacted conditions can be predicted by the model, which has certain significance for identifying the change of compacted broken coal porosity and analyzing the process of coal spontaneous combustion and oxidation.

Taking Pingbao Coal Mine as the engineering background, the stress distribution, surrounding rock displacement, and plastic zone distribution characteristics of a bottom gas extraction roadway are simulated by FLAC3D under multiple disturbances. The mining disturbance due to the overlying coal seam is obtained: the deformation of the roof subsidence and lower rib closure of the bottom gas extraction roadway are larger than the floor heave and upper rib closure, respectively. According to the mechanical analysis of the bottom gas extraction roadway, the equations for calculating the displacement at each point on the surface of the bottom gas extraction roadway and the methods for calculating the maximum displacement, the maximum normal stress, and the maximum shear stress are obtained to reasonably explain the deformation of the bottom gas extraction roadway under multiple disturbances. Then, the bolt-mesh-anchor and ladder beam support mode are designed. After onsite observation of the bottom gas extraction roadway of the 12030 coal mining face of the Pingbao Coal Mine, it is concluded that the deformation characteristics of the bottom gas extraction roadway basically conform to the abovementioned equations and that the support is effective. This paper can provide a reference for the optimization of bottom gas extraction roadway positioning, the determination of support parameters, and the deformation prediction around a bottom gas extraction roadway under similar conditions.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a prominent role in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation and have been involved in various biological and metabolic processes to regulate gene expression. For Brassica napus, improving seed-weight and oil-content is the main breeding goal. In order to better understand the regulation mechanism of miRNAs during seed-weight formation and oil-content accumulation in B. napus, in this study, a high-throughput sequencing technology was used to profile miRNAs expression of Brassica napus immature seeds from one to six weeks after flowering. A total of 1,276 miRNAs, including 1,248 novel and 28 known miRNAs, were obtained from both the high-seed-weight with low-oil-content RNA pool (S03) and the low-seed-weight with high-oil-content RNA pool (S04). Analysis of their expression profiles disclosed that 300 novel and two known miRNAs were differentially expressed between S03 and S04. For degradome analysis, 57 genes with 64 degradation sites were predicted to be targeted for degradation by these miRNAs. Further bioinformatics analysis indicated that these differentially expressed miRNAs might participate in regulation of myriad cellular and molecular processes, during seed development and oil synthesis. Finally, 6 target genes with potential roles in regulation of seed development and 9 other targets in seed oil synthesis, were further confirmed as candidate genes from small RNA and degradome sequencing.

Huazhao Festival is a traditional one that is celebrated in early spring and appeals to both highbrows and lowbrows. Once, it was as significant as Lantern Festival and Mid-autumn Festival. Ever since Tang Dynasty, it has undergone stages of emerging, thriving, declining and restoring. Originally, people only had a spring outing enjoying beautiful flowers at this festival; later, various other folk activities were also carried out on this day, including catching butterflies, picking wild vegetables, offering sacrifices to gods, predicting bumper and poor harvest, fastening strips of red cloth to stems of flowers and trees (shang hong), having competitions on grass, encouraging agriculture, holding and attending banquets, writing articles, paying court and so on. These activities demonstrated such characteristics of the national culture of China as elegance, harmony and life-friendliness. Obviously different from other traditional festivals like Spring Festival, Mid-autumn Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, etc, Huazhao Festival has unique style and value. Despite its fading away from people’s life due to changes in modern society, its cultural glamour and comprehensive value still exist. Along with economic and social development and the increase of people’s spiritual and cultural demands, Huazhao Festival has regained people’s attention. It has been restored and hosted in some regions and identified as an intangible cultural heritage. By means of literature review, the folk customs of Huazhao Festival was re-presented to some extent in this paper. Its modern values in areas including health, culture, ecology and industry were analyzed. This paper is of certain significance, in respect of conserving and inheriting this national festival, promoting its restoration in more regions in a way more approximate to historical tradition and giving play to its unique role to benefit modern society.

To reveal the stress and strain field in rock under abrasive slurry jet (ASJ) impacting, this paper carried out experiments to measure the dynamic rock strain using a novel strain measurement approach, which is the non-contact strain measurement system. Moreover, it was compared with the theoretical analysis of stress propagation in rock. The results showed that dynamic strain will propagate within rock in the form of spherical waves, whose maximum value is proportional to the jet pressure and inversely proportional to the square of the propagation distance. In the process of ASJ impacting rock, strain will increase from zero to a maximum value in milliseconds. Dynamic strain in rock is fluctuates due to the release of internal stress caused by the rock crushing, which can reflect that rock will be broken by ASJ in the form of stepped-failure. The paper reveals the dynamic strain distribution in rock broken by ASJ and provides a new idea and method for studying the rock failure mechanism under ASJ impacting.

Genetic diversity and variation among 11 populations of Chinese fir from Fujian province and Taiwan were assessed using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers to reveal the evolutionary relationship in their distribution range in this report. Analysis of genetic parameters of the different populations showed that populations in Fujian province exhibited a greater level of genetic diversity than did the populations in Taiwan. Compared to Taiwan populations, significant limited gene flow were observed among Fujian populations. An UPGMA cluster analysis showed that the most individuals of Taiwan populations formed a single cluster, whereas 6 discrete clusters were formed by each population from Fujian. All populations were divided into 3 main groups and that all 5 populations from Taiwan were gathered into a subgroup combined with 2 populations, Dehua and Liancheng, formed one of the 3 main groups, which indicated relative stronger relatedness. It is supported by a genetic structure analysis. All those results are suggesting different levels of genetic diversity and variation of Chinese fir between Fujian and Taiwan, and indicating different patterns of evolutionary process and local environmental adaption.

Chinese fir is a tall, fast-growing species that is unique to southern China. In Chinese fir plantations, successive plantings have led to a decline in soil fertility, and aluminum toxicity is thought to be one of the main reasons for this decline. In this study, Non-invasive Micro-test Technology was used to study the effect of aluminum stress on the absorption of 4 different ions in the roots of the Chinese fir clone FS01. The results are as follows: with increased aluminum concentration and longer periods of aluminum stress, the H+ ion flow gradually changed from influx into efflux; there was a large variation in the K+ efflux, which gradually decreased with increasing duration of aluminum stress; and 1 h of aluminum stress uniformly resulted in Ca2+ influx, but it changed from influx to efflux after a longer period of aluminum stress. Changes in the different concentrations of aluminum had the largest influence on Mg2+.

A long period of silk viability is critical for a good seed setting rate in maize (Zea mays L.), especially for inbred lines and hybrids with a long interval between anthesis and silking. To explore the molecular mechanism of silk viability and its heterosis, three inbred lines with different silk viability characteristics (Xun928, Lx9801, and Zong3) and their two hybrids (Xun928×Zong3 and Lx9801×Zong3) were analyzed at different developmental stages by a proteomic method. The differentially accumulated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry and classified into metabolism, protein biosynthesis and folding, signal transduction and hormone homeostasis, stress and defense responses, and cellular processes. Proteins involved in nutrient (methionine) and energy (ATP) supply, which support the pollen tube growth in the silk, were important for silk viability and its heterosis. The additive and dominant effects at a single locus, as well as complex epistatic interactions at two or more loci in metabolic pathways, were the primary contributors for mid-parent heterosis of silk viability. Additionally, the proteins involved in the metabolism of anthocyanins, which indirectly negatively regulate local hormone accumulation, were also important for the mid-parent heterosis of silk viability. These results also might imply the developmental dependence of heterosis, because many of the differentially accumulated proteins made distinct contributions to the heterosis of silk viability at specific developmental stages.

RNA isolation with RNA in a high quantity is a basic analytical method in plant genetics, molecular biology and related physiological investigations. To understand the genetic and molecular biology of Chinese fir, sufficient high-quality total RNA must be obtained for cDNA library construction and other downstream molecular applications. However, extracting RNA from Chinese fir is difficult and often requires the modification of existing protocols. Chinese fir tissues containing large amounts of polysaccharides and polyphenol compounds and are one of the most difficult plant tissues for RNA isolation. Therefore, we developed a simple method for extracting high-quality RNA from Chinese fir tissues. RNA isolations were performed within two hours, RNA quality was measured for yield and purity. Total RNA obtained from this procedure was successfully used for cDNA library construction, RT-PCR and transcriptome sequencing. It was proven that extracted RNA was intact and suitable for downstream molecular applications, including RT-PCR and qPCR, and other downstream molecular applications. Thus, this protocol represents a simple, efficient, and low-cost method.

A new compact design of monopole antenna for triple-band WLAN/WiMAX applications with two band-notches based on broadband antenna is presented. By introducing a stub loaded ground and two new paper clip structures etched on radiation patch, a compact overall dimension 31 mm × 33 mm × 1 mm and three separated operating bands effectively covering 2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN bands and 2.5/3.5/5.5 GHz WiMAX bands can be achieved. Compared with familiar U type slot, the introduced compact paper clip structure can save about 37% of dimension regions, which could effectively improve efficiency of band-notch formation. Simulated and measured results demonstrate that the proposed antenna has good dipole-like radiation characteristics with appreciable gain across the operating bands. Besides, main parameters of the two etched paper clip structures are investigated to control the positions and bandwidths of the two stop-bands, respectively, on basis of which the three working bands can be adjusted independently.

A predator-prey model incorporating individual behavior is presented, where the predator-prey interaction is described by a classical Lotka-Volterra model with self-limiting prey; predators can use the behavioral tactics of rock-paper-scissors to dispute a prey when they meet. The predator behavioral change is described by replicator equations, a game dynamic model at the fast time scale, whereas predator-prey interactions are assumed acting at a relatively slow time scale. Aggregation approach is applied to combine the two time scales into a single one. The analytical results show that predators have an equal probability to adopt three strategies at the stable state of the predator-prey interaction system. The diversification tactics taking by predator population benefits the survival of the predator population itself, more importantly, it also maintains the stability of the predator-prey system. Explicitly, immediate contest behavior of predators can promote density of the predator population and keep the preys at a lower density. However, a large cost of fighting will cause not only the density of predators to be lower but also preys to be higher, which may even lead to extinction of the predator populations.

A dual-band design of monopole antenna with two coupled Y-shaped strips for WLAN/WiMAX applications is presented. By the introduction of dual Y-shaped strips, two separated impedance bandwidths of 22.4% (3.28~4.10 GHz) and 19.2% (4.90~5.94 GHz) can be obtained to meet the specifications of the WLAN/WiMAX communication band applications. The proposed antenna is successfully simulated, designed, and measured, demonstrating the matched impedance and good radiation characteristics with an overall dimension of 17.7×26×1 mm3.

An ecoepidemiological system with prey refuges and disease in prey is proposed. Bilinear incidence and Holling III functional response are used to model the contact process and the predation process, respectively. We will study the stability behavior of the basic system from a local to a global perspective. Permanence of the considered system is also investigated.

ABSTRACT: In this study, a non-destructive, high-throughput, endosperm-based DNA extraction method was developed. To verify the non-destructive nature of this method, a germination test was performed on 288 seeds after sampling their endosperm, which gave a seedling emergence rate that was higher (97.6%) than that of the control group (92%). To confirm the feasibility of the new method, DNA was extracted from plants of a BC1F2 population by two different methods, namely, from endosperm using our rapid, high-throughput method (ER-DNA) and from young leaves emerging from the same sampled seed using the CTAB method (LC-DNA). The ER-DNA was undetectable by agarose gel electrophoresis, but was found to be an adequate replacement for LC-DNA for the amplification and detection of simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Further analysis revealed that ER-DNA was generally suitable for the generation of specific 500-750-bp fragments, but not for the amplification of 1,000-2,000-bp fragments. Our rapid, high-throughput method therefore has no deleterious effects on wheat seeds and yields DNA for SSR genotyping that is a suitable alternative to traditionally obtained DNA.