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In this study, we investigated how the composition and population of rumen microbiota shifted in response to diurnal oscillations under 2 different diets (high grain vs. high forage). Five multiparous Holstein dairy cows with similar BW, DIM, and parity were enrolled in this study. The cows were fed high-grain (HG) diet for 21 d and then shifted to high-forage (HF) diet in the next 21 d (7-d washout and 14-d experimental period). During the experimental period, DMI and rumination activity were recorded, and rumen fluid was collected 8 times postfeeding every 6 h during the last 2 d of each dietary feeding period. The rumen microbial (bacterial, archaeal, and protozoal) population and composition were assessed using quantitative PCR and amplicon sequencing, respectively. The daily dynamic of measurements was assessed using the cosinor model. The associations between microbial taxa and rumen fermentation profiles were assessed using the linear mixed model, in which the cows were termed as random intercept effects. Daily rhythmicity was observed for DMI, rumination activity, and rumen fermentation profiles under both diets. Additionally, rumination time, rumen pH, and acetate/propionate ratio had a higher mesor (the average level of diurnal fluctuations) under HF diet than in HG diet. The amplitude (the distance between the peak and mesor) of DMI, rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen, and total volatile acid concentration were higher under the HG diet than in the HF diet. Although no significant diurnal oscillation was observed for the rumen microbial population, the relative abundance of 14 bacterial genera, 1 protozoal genus, and 2 archaeal species had significant diurnal oscillations under both HF and HG diets. Among them, the bacterial genera Ruminococcus and Colidextribacter had time at peak of rhythm within 0 to 12 h after feeding, which were also negatively associated with the rumen acetate/propionate ratio. The bacterial genus Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group had time at peak of rhythm within 12 to 24 h after feeding, which was also positively associated with the ruminal acetate/propionate ratio. Our study illustrated the daily dynamic on the rumen microbiota population and composition under different diets, and also identified the feeding-responsive rumen microbiota, highlighting that a more targeted approach is needed to manipulate rumen microbiota.

Abstract Purpose The most appropriate time of primary tumor radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) with EGFR-TKIs remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the time factor of primary tumor radiotherapy on long-term overall survival(OS)and provide a theoretical basis for further clinical research. Patients and methods In total, 238 patients with EGFR-TKIs and OS ≥ 12 months were statistically analysed. Patients were grouped: the D group without primary tumor radiotherapy and the R group with it.The R group were divided into three groups according to the interval between the start of EGFR-TKIs and the start of primary tumor radiotherapy: R0 − 30(

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films, known for their role as carrier transport layers in solar cells, can be adversely affected by hydrolysis products from encapsulants. In this study, we explored the morphology, optical-electrical properties, and deterioration mechanisms of In2O3-based TCO films under acetic acid stress. A reduction in film thickness and carrier concentration due to acid-induced corrosion was observed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry analyses revealed that TCOs doped with less-reactive metals exhibited enhanced corrosion resistance. The efficiency of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells with tin-doped indium oxide, titanium-doped indium oxide, and zinc-doped indium oxide films decreased by 10%, 26%, and 100%, respectively, after 200 ​h of corrosion. We also found that tungsten-doped indium oxide could effectively safeguard SHJ solar cells against acetic acid corrosion, which offers a potential option for achieving long-term stability and lower levelized cost of solar cell systems. This research provides essential insights into selecting TCO films for solar cells and highlights the implications of ethylene-vinyl acetate hydrolysis for photovoltaic modules.

Background: The recommended timing for returning to common activities after cervical spine surgery varies widely among physicians based on training background and personal opinion, without clear guidelines or consensus. The purpose of this study was to analyze spine surgeons’ responses about the recommended timing for returning to common activities after different cervical spine procedures. Methods: This was a survey study including 91 spine surgeons. The participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey. Questions regarding their recommended time for returning to regular activities (showering, driving, biking, running, swimming, sedentary work, and nonsedentary work) after anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF), cervical disc replacement (CDR), posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCDF), and laminoplasty were included. Comparisons of recommended times for return to activities after each surgical procedure were made based on surgeons’ years in practice. Results: For ACDF and PCDF, there were no statistically significant differences in recommended times for return to any activity when stratified by years in practice. When considering CDR, return to non-sedentary work differed between surgeons in practice for 10 to 15 years, who recommended return at 3 months, and all other groups of surgeons, who recommended 6 weeks. Laminoplasty surgery yielded the most variability in activity recommendations, with earlier recommended return (6 weeks) to biking, non-sedentary work, and sedentary work in the most experienced surgeon group (>15 years in practice) than in all other surgeon experience groups (3 months). Conclusions: We observed significant variability in surgeon recommendations for return to regular activities after cervical spine surgery.

Abstract Based on the literature on the factors influencing port competitiveness, this paper evaluates the competitiveness of Chinese ports along the Belt and Road based on Porter’s diamond model. The evaluation system includes four primary indicators, including port infrastructure, port operation scale, port hinterland economic level and port development potential, and 13 secondary indicators. Then, based on the entropy-TOPSIS method, an evaluation model of port competitiveness is constructed. Finally, 15 seaports along China’s “Belt and Road” are used to evaluate competitiveness, and a comprehensive ranking of port competitiveness is obtained. The advantages and shortcomings of each port are pointed out according to the evaluation results to provide a reference for the long-term development of the competitiveness of ports along the “Belt and Road” in China.

Abstract Background EGFR‐mutant (EGFR‐M) and ALK‐positive (ALK‐P)are common in malignant pleural effusion (MPE) with metastatic non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (MPE‐NSCLC). The impact of thoracic tumor radiotherapy on survival in such patients remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether thoracic tumor radiotherapy could improve overall survival (OS) in such patients. Methods According to whether or not patients accepted thoracic tumor radiotherapy, 148 patients with EGFR‐M or ALK‐P MPE‐NSCLC treated with targeted therapy were classified into two groups: DT group without thoracic tumor radiotherapy and DRT group with thoracic tumor radiotherapy. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance clinical baseline characteristics. Overall survival was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier, compared by log‐rank test, and evaluated using Cox proportional hazards model. Results Median survival time (MST) was 25 months versus 17 months in the DRT group and DT group. The OS rates at 1, 2, 3, 5 years in the DRT group and DT group were 75.0%, 52.8%, 26.8%, 11.1% and 64.5%, 28.4%, 9.2%, 1.8%, respectively (χ2 = 12.028, p = 0.001). Compared with DT group, the DRT group still had better survival after PSM (p = 0.007). Before and after PSM, factors associated with better OS through multivariable analysis were that thoracic tumor radiotherapy, radiotherapy, N0‐2, and ALK‐TKIs. Grades 4–5 radiation toxicities were not observed in patients; 8 (11.6%) and 7 (10.1%) out of the DRT group suffered from Grade 3 radiation esophagitis and radiation pneumonitis, respectively. Conclusion Our results for EGFR‐M or ALK‐P MPE‐NSCLC showed that thoracic tumor radiotherapy may be crucial factor in improving OS with acceptable toxicities. Potential biases should not be neglected: Further randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm this result.

As urbanization proceeds, urban transportation resilience suffers greater challenges. Covering panel data for 35 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2019, after controlling for other variables that may affect urban residents' transportation volumes, this paper finds that rising houseing prices have a significant positive effect on urban residents' traffic frequency. As frequent traffic trips increase the probability of urban residents experiencing disruptions, rising housing purchase prices would have a negative impact on Chinese urban residents’ transportation resilience. The regional comparison analysis finds that the regression coefficients of coastal and eastern cities with more expensive housing price are significantly higher than those of non-coastal and western cities with lower housing price, further validating the findings of this paper.

The bond–slip behavior of the steel–concrete interface is critical in reinforced concrete (RC) structures since the bond action is the mechanism that ensures the two materials work in co-operation. However, there is little research considering the bond–slip behavior in massive ring-type reinforced concrete (MRRC) structure bearing analyses due to the complexity of modeling the interfacial behavior. Hence, the influence of the bond–slip behavior on the bearing characteristics of MRRC structures remains unclear. Steel-lined reinforced concrete penstock is such an MRRC structure, composed of steel liner and reinforced concrete and commonly used in diversion pipelines. This paper aims to explore the bearing characteristics considering the bond–slip behavior in the composite penstock by using a promising numerical method, the cohesive zone model. Three interface models were proposed to represent the different interaction conditions at the steel–concrete interface. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to study the impact of the bond strength on the bond performance and structural behavior. The simulation results showed that the prediction results (steel stress and crack process) considering the bond–slip behavior were in good agreement with the experimental results. The steel stresses near the cracks were smaller and more uniform after considering the bond–slip behavior, since the stresses were no longer concentrated on the crack but distributed in an area near the crack. However, the steel stress differences in these models were within 10%, which means that the bond performance had a limited effect on the structural safety design. The crack widths were greatly influenced by the bond conditions, and the maximum crack width (0.461 mm) in poor conditions was beyond the limiting value (0.3 mm). Consequently, bond–slip behavior must be paid more attention in durability design.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the application of maternal and child health (MCH) handbook in Guangdong province for providing evidence to local promotion of MCH handbook utilization. MethodsUsing convenient sampling and a question-naire self-designed on the basis of reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework, we conducted an on-site on-line anonymous survey among 2 548 would-be mothers/pregnant women/puerpera visiting MCH institutions at 15 prefectures across Guangdong province and in-depth interviews among professionals responsible for issues about MCH handbook application in 6 MCH institutions at prefecture level during March – April 2021. ResultsOf the 2 384 valid participants completing the questionnaire survey, 82.16%, 67.72%, and 64.48% reported the awareness, registration, and utilization of MCH handbook. Not knowing details of the MCH handbook was reported by 25.58% of the participants being aware of the handbook but not having the registration for the handbook's utilization; not being aware of and not knowing application approach of the handbook were reported by 36.36% and 23.38% of the participants being registered holder of the handbook but not yet using the handbook. There were 92.50% of the participants being registered holder of the handbook completed their registration during pregnancy. Among the participants having used the handbook, 33.27% and 43.68% reported high and moderate satisfaction to the role of the handbook; 92.84% considered that the application of the handbook resulted in a desired effect; while, 33.46% expressed the worry for potential leakage of personal information. Among the participants having used the handbook and with maternal school involvement, 84.01% reported recognizing the significance of the MCH handbook by taking part in programs of maternal school. Impaired and delayed information sharing associated with the handbook utilization among the MCH institutions were reported by professionals undertaking in-depth interviews. In all the MCH handbook registrants, 58.65% were registered for the application of the handbook of both paper and electronic versions. Regional disparity was revealed in responsibilities assigned to the MCH institutions registering the handbook holders. Not knowing application approach of the handbook were reported by 10.09% of the participants having used the handbook. In terms of maintenance in application of the handbook, reading through the handbook, completing all self-documenting content in the handbook, and applying the handbook two times or more in a week were reported by 24.54%, 18.82%, and 36.33% of the participants having used handbook. Impaired interconnection in the information system for MCH handbook application was indicated by the professionals interviewed. ConclusionThe efficacy of MCH handbook application is good in Guangdong province, but publicity of the handbook, unification of MCH institutions′ responsibilities and optimization of information system for MCH handbook utilization still need to be improved. Meanwhile, it is necessary to explore the integration mechanism with maternal systematic management and children systematic management in basic public health service projects.

PurposeActionable mutations are common in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)with malignant pleural effusion(MPE)(MPE-NSCLC). The pattern of failure in MPE-NSCLC treated with targeted therapy after MPE control remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the failure pattern of such patients in a cohort study and explore the possibility of radiotherapy.Patients and methodsComputed tomography scans of 86 patients were reviewed in this study. We classified first pattern of failure after MPE control as initial disease sites only (IF), new distant sites only (NF), or IF and NF detected simultaneously (INF). Patients evaluated suitable for radiotherapy after disease progression were divided into two groups: D group without radiotherapy and RD group with radiotherapy. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used for survival analyses.ResultsDisease progression after MPE control was observed in 42 patients with complete serial imaging. Median time to any progression was 9.5 months. Rate of the IF, NF and INF were 50%, 17% and 33% for all patients,60%,0% and 40% for patients with MPE recurrence (n=10,23.8%) and 47%, 22% and 31% for patients (n=32,76.2%) without MPE recurrence, respectively. Out of 10 patients(23.8%) with MPE recurrence, 7 patients simultaneous underwent primary tumor progression and 5 MPE were cytologically confirmed in 7 patients with examination. The overall survival (OS )rates at 1, 2, 3 years for the RD group and D group were 88.2%, 50.5%, 21.7% and 80.0%, 20.3%, 0%, respectively; the corresponding MST were 26.1 months and 17.5 months, respectively (χ2 = 4.959, p =0.026)ConclusionsOur data indicates that 50% of patients with actionable mutations MPE- NSCLC after MPE control are likely to fail at their initial sites of disease and the use of radiotherapy may bring OS benefits during the course of their disease. Multicenter RCT is necessary to confirm the result in the future.

BackgroundMajor adverse cardiac events (MACE) are more likely to occur when abnormal heart rate recovery (HRR). This study aimed to assess the incremental predictive significance of HRR over exercise stress myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS) results for MACE in individuals with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).MethodsBetween January 2014 and December 2017, we continually gathered data on 595 patients with suspected CAD who received cycling exercise stress MPS. HRR at 1, 2, 3, and 4 min were used as study variables to obtain the optimal cut-off values of HRR for MACE. The difference between the peak heart rate achieved during exercise and the heart rate at 1, 2, 3, and 4 min was used to calculate the HRR, as shown in HRR3. Heart rate variations between two locations in time, such as HRR2 min−1 min, were used to establish the slope of HRR. All patients were followed for a minimum of 4 years, with MACE as the follow-up goal. The associations between HRR and MACE were assessed using Cox proportional hazards analyses.ResultsPatients with MACE were older (P = 0.001), and they also had higher rates of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, abnormal MPS findings (SSS ≥ 5%), medication history (all P

Abstract In this paper, we make a systematical and in-depth study on the chaotic dynamics of the string around the conformal black hole. Depending on the characteristic parameter of the conformal black hole and the initial position of the string, there are three kinds of dynamical behaviors: ordered, chaotic and being captured, chaotic but not being captured. A particular interesting observation is that there is a sharp transition in chaotic dynamics when the black hole horizon disappears, which is independent of the initial position of the string. It provides a possible way to probe the horizon structure of the massive body. We also examine the generalized MSS (Maldacena, Shenker and Stanford) inequality, which is proposed in holographic dual field theory, and find that the generalized MSS inequality holds even in the asymptotically flat black hole background. Especially, as the initial position of the string approaches the black hole horizon, the Lyapunov exponent also approaches the upper bound of the generalized MSS inequality.

Summary: In this study, we propose an inverse design approach based on a neural network for a novel multiport power divider (MP‐PD) with complex geometry. The inverse design approach is obtaining geometry from the desired physical performance to address the challenge of conventional methods. We develop a hybrid neural network model for this inverse design. The backbone architecture incorporates a bidirectional long short‐term memory module, a multihead self‐attention module, and convolutional modules. This hybrid neural network is employed to capture the feature of physical performance and learn the relationship between the geometric structure of the proposed MP‐PD and its corresponding physical performance. Consider the design of the power divider as an end‐to‐end methodology that directly maps design requirements to optimal geometric parameters. The neural network transfers the designed process into multiple‐input‐multiple‐output. We adopt the network model to successfully predict 20 geometric parameters of MP‐PDs for two distinct operating frequencies. The two operating frequencies are those utilized in real engineering applications, which are 3.5 GHz in the 5G band and 2.45 GHz in the trackside communication band. The predicted MP‐PD improves the return loss and bandwidth by 8.05 dB and 0.25 GHz, respectively, over the desired performance. The experiments and comparisons demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our inverse design approach. The efficiency and flexibility of design are also significantly improved by the hybrid neural network model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bamboo leaf extract (BLE) on the production performance, rumen fermentation parameters, and rumen bacterial communities of heat-stressed dairy cows. Methods The experiment comprised a 14-day adaptation period and a 21-day experimental period and was conducted in a high-temperature and humidity environment (daily mean ambient temperature = 33.5°C±1.3°C; daily mean relative humidity = 64.9%±0.8%, daily mean temperature-humidity index = 86.2±0.4). Twelve Holstein dairy cows were randomly allocated into two groups. A total mixed ration supplemented with BLE at 0 (CON) and 1.3 g/kg dry matter (DM) were fed, respectively. Feed intake and milk yield were recorded daily. Milk samples were collected on 1, 11, and 21 d of the experimental period to analyze milk performance. Rumen fluid samples were collected on 21 d of the experimental period to analyze rumen fermentation parameters and rumen bacterial communities. Results Compared with the control group, supplementation of BLE increased milk yield (p

Abstract Background Cognitive deficits are common in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). Abnormal serum total bilirubin (TBIL) levels have been involved in cognitive deficits associated with neuropsychiatric diseases such as mild cognitive impairment and subcortical ischemic vascular disease. However, this relationship has not yet been fully investigated in patients with SCZ. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between the serum TBIL concentration and cognitive deficits in SCZ patients and to determine whether a sex difference exists in the association. Methods A total of 455 participants were eligible and included in this cross-sectional study. Cognition was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Serum TBIL concentration was measured with an automatic biochemistry analyzer according to the routine protocol in the hospital medical laboratory. Results Serum TBIL levels were lower in the cognition impairment group than in the cognition normal group in male patients. In contrast, serum TBIL levels tended to be increased in the cognition impairment group in female patients, although the difference was not significant. Further stepwise multiple regression analysis stratified by sex showed that serum TBIL was independently and positively associated with cognitive function in male patients but not in female patients. Moreover, the association between serum TBIL level and cognitive function was also identified by the propensity score matching (PSM) method in male patients, but not in female patients. Conclusion These findings suggest that lower serum TBIL levels may be associated with cognitive impairment in male SCZ patients.

Abstract Background Our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) on milk fatty acid traits in Chinese Holstein cows revealed, the SNP, BTB-01556197, was significantly associated with C10:0 at genome-wide level (P = 0.0239). It was located in the down-stream of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1B (HTR1B) gene that has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation. Hence, we considered it as a promising candidate gene for milk fatty acids in dairy cattle. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the HTR1B gene had significant genetic effects on milk fatty acid traits. Results We re-sequenced the entire coding region and 3000 bp of 5′ and 3′ flanking regions of HTR1B gene. A total of 13 SNPs was identified, containing one in 5′ flanking region, two in 5′ untranslated region (UTR), two in exon 1, five in 3′ UTR, and three in 3′ flanking region. By performing genotype-phenotype association analysis with SAS9.2 software, we observed that 13 SNPs were significantly associated with medium-chain saturated fatty acids such as C6:0, C8:0 and C10:0 (P T) that reduced amino acid change from alanine to serine, we predicted that it altered the secondary structure of HTR1B protein with SOPMA. In addition, we predicted that three SNPs in promoter region, g.17307103A > T, g.17305206 T > G and g.17303761C > T, altered the binding sites of transcription factors (TFs) HMX2, PAX2, FOXP1ES, MIZ1, CUX2, DREAM, and PPAR-RXR by Genomatix. Of them, luciferase assay experiment further confirmed that the allele T of g.17307103A > T significantly increased the transcriptional activity of HTR1B gene than allele A (P = 0.0007). Conclusions In conclusion, our findings provided first evidence that the HTR1B gene had significant genetic effects on milk fatty acids in dairy cattle.

Two experiments were conducted to identify the optimal dose of zinc proteinate (ZP) in the diet for dairy calves and then to compare early supplementation with the ZP or zinc methionine (ZM) on the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, antioxidant status, and immune function of dairy calves during their first month of life. In Experiment 1, forty newborn female Holstein dairy calves were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10): a control group (without ZP supplementation, ZP0) or groups that received ZP supplementation at 40, 80, and 120 mg zinc/day, respectively (ZP40, ZP80, and ZP120). The experiment lasted 14 days, and the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, and serum zinc concentration were analyzed. In Experiment 2, thirty-six newborn female Holstein dairy calves were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 12): a negative control group (without zinc supplementation, CON), a positive control group (supplemented with 80 mg zinc/day in the form of zinc methionine, ZM), and a ZP group (supplemented with 80 mg zinc/day in the form of ZP). The experiment lasted 28 days, and the growth performance, incidence of diarrhea, serum zinc concentration, serum antioxidant indicators, and concentrations of plasma immunoglobulins and cytokines were determined on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Results showed that in Experiment 1, supplementation with ZP to yield 80 mg zinc/day increased the ADG (P < 0.01) and serum zinc concentration (P < 0.01), and decreased the F/G (P < 0.01) and the incidence of diarrhea (P < 0.05) during days 1–14. In Experiment 2, compared with the CON group, ZP increased the ADG (P < 0.01), serum zinc concentration (P < 0.01), and plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG; P < 0.01) and IgM (P < 0.01) concentrations, but reduced the incidence of diarrhea (P < 0.01), serum malondialdehyde (P < 0.01), and plasma interleukin-1β (P < 0.01) concentrations during days 1–28. Overall, ZP supplementation to yield 80 mg zinc/day improves the growth performance and immune function, and decrease the incidence of diarrhea of dairy calves, which was comparable to the same dose of zinc in the form of ZM.

Existing design models of soil pressure at the top of buried steel pipes are limited to small-diameter pipes. This study aims to investigate the behavior and design model on the soil pressure for large-diameter pipes considering the pipe diameter, diameter-to-thickness ratio, and cover depth. The distribution and size of soil pressure are obtained from finite element models and compared with traditional design models. Sensitivity studies of soil parameters, trench parameters, and friction coefficients are discussed. Furthermore, an innovative design model of soil pressure for large-diameter pipes is proposed. The results indicate that the basic distribution pattern of soil pressure is the “inverted basin”/parabola for large/small-diameter pipes, respectively. Peak soil pressure typically appears in the pleura of pipes with great flexibility and deep cover depth. The modulus and Poisson's ratio of backfill and soil-soil friction coefficient have an influence range of within 10% for soil pressure, while trench parameters have a more significant influence. Prism load is too large at high cover depth, and Marston load is small at low cover depth. The proposed basin model for soil pressure adopts the form of “straight line + parabola” for distribution and “Marston + pleura” load for size, with high accuracy and strong adaptability.

Abstract Background People are paying more attention to the healthy and balanced diet with the improvement of their living standards. Milk fatty acids (FAs) have been reported that they were related to some atherosclerosis and coronary heart diseases in human. In our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) on milk FAs in dairy cattle, 83 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected. Among them, two SNPs, ARS-BFGL-NGS-109493 and BTA-56389-no-rs associated with C18index (P = 0.0459), were located in the upstream of 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 3 (AGPAT3) gene. AGPAT3 is involved in glycerol-lipid, glycerol-phospholipid metabolism and phospholipase D signaling pathways. Hence, it was inferred as a candidate gene for milk FAs. The aim of this study was to further confirm the genetic effects of the AGPAT3 gene on milk FA traits in dairy cattle. Results Through re-sequencing the complete coding region, and 3000 bp of 5′ and 3′ regulatory regions of the AGPAT3 gene, a total of 17 SNPs were identified, including four in 5′ regulatory region, one in 5′ untranslated region (UTR), three in introns, one in 3′ UTR, and eight in 3′ regulatory region. By the linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis with Haploview4.1 software, two haplotype blocks were observed that were formed by four and 12 identified SNPs, respectively. Using SAS9.2, we performed single locus-based and haplotype-based association analysis on 24 milk FAs in 1065 Chinese Holstein cows, and discovered that all the SNPs and the haplotype blocks were significantly associated with C6:0, C8:0 and C10:0 (P A, g.146704373A > G, g.146704618A > G and g.146704699G > A) changed the transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) for transcription factors SMARCA3, REX1, VMYB, BRACH, NKX26, ZBED4, SP1, USF1, ARNT and FOXA1. Out of them, two SNPs were validated to impact transcriptional activity by performing luciferase assay that the alleles A of both SNPs, g.146704373A > G and g.146704618A > G, increased the transcriptional activities of AGPAT3 promoter compared with alleles G (P = 0.0004). Conclusions In conclusion, our findings first demonstrated the significant genetic associations of the AGPAT3 gene with milk FAs in dairy cattle, and two potential causal mutations were detected.

Abstract Local tumor failure remains a major problem after radiation‐based nonsurgical treatment for unresectable locally advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC）and inoperable stage II NSCLC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of simultaneous integrated boost of intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (SIB‐IMRT) to stage II‐III NSCLC with metastatic lymph nodes (ChiCTR 2000029304). Patients were diagnosed by pathology or PET‐CT. PTV was divided into two parts as follows, the PTV of primary tumor (PTVp) and the PTV of metastatic lymph nodes (PTVn). The radiotherapy doses were simultaneously prescripted 78 Gy (BED = 101.48 Gy) for PTVp and 60‐65 Gy (BED = 73.6‐81.25 Gy) for PTVn, 26f/5.2 weeks. Response was scored according to WHO criteria. Radiotherapy toxicity was scored according to RTOG criteria. Hematology and gastrointestinal toxicity were scored according to CTCAE1.0 criteria. A total of 20 patients were enrolled. Seventeen patients were diagnosed by pathology and three patients were diagnosed by PET‐CT. All patients were treated with SIB‐IMRT. The objective response rate (ORR) was 90%, with CR 25%, PR 65%, NC 10%, and PD 0%. Although radiotherapy toxicity was common, there were no grade ≥3, with radiation pneumonitis (10 cases), esophagitis (17 cases), and dermatitis (12 cases). The local control rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 85%, 75%, and 70%, respectively. The overall survival（OS）and local progression‐free survival (LPFS) rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 90%, 42.6%, and 35.5% and 84.4%, 35.5%, and 28.4%, respectively. SIB‐IMRT can significantly improve ORR and survival for stage II‐III NSCLC with metastatic lymph nodes, with high safety, and satisfactory efficacy. However, due to the limitation of small sample, these findings are needed to confirm by future trials with a larger sample size.

Abstract Background Rs4977574 (A > G) and Rs1333045 (C > T) are both single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related with coronary artery disease, locating on chromosome 9p21.3. The study aimed to identify the correlation between rs4977574 and rs1333045 polymorphism genotypes and coronary heart disease (CHD) in a Chinese population. Methods Blood samples were collected from 855 subjects. A case-control study was used in this experiment, and 598 cases in the CHD group and 257 subjects in the control group were enrolled. Genotyping was identified by the Agena MassARRAY system. Statistical analysis was conducted by SPSS (Ver 16.0) and plink (Ver. 1.07, Shaun Purcell). Haplotype analysis was performed using Haploview software. Results Association analysis by plink indicated a significant difference in the allele distribution for single nucleotide polymorphisms between cases and controls (rs4977574 P = 0.003, rs1333045 P = 0.035). Fisher’s exact test by plink proved that allele G may be associated with a higher risk of CHD (P = 0.003, odds ratio (OR) = 1.371) and the T allele was likely to reduce the risk of coronary events (P = 0.035, OR = 0.798). The serum levels of apolipoprotein A (ApoA) were higher in subjects with the AG + AA genotype of rs4977574 compared to those with the GG genotype (P = 0.028). In the dominant model of rs1333045, the levels of ApoA were higher and LDL levels were lower in the TC + TT genotype than in the CC genotype. Conclusions The present study examined the association between the 9p21 chromosome rs4977574 and rs1333045 polymorphism genotypes and CHD in a population of Chinese patients. The G allele of rs4977574 and the C allele of rs1333045 are the susceptibility sites of CHD.

Abstract By fast Lyapunov indicator (FLI), we study the chaotic dynamics of closed string around charged black brane with hyperscaling violation (HV). The Hawking temperature, Lifshitz dynamical exponent and HV exponent together affect the chaotic dynamics of this system. The temperature plays the role of driving the closed string to escape to infinity. There is a threshold value z ∗ = 2, below which the string is captured by the black brane no matter where the string is placed at the beginning. However, when z > 2, the string escapes to infinity if it is placed near the black brane at the beginning, but if the initial position of string is far away from the black brane, it oscillates around the black brane till eternity, which is a quasi-periodic motion. HV exponent plays the role of driving the string falling into the black brane. With the increase of HV exponent θ, the falling velocity becomes faster. We find that when we heat the system with large HV exponent, the chaotic system does not essentially changes. It indicates that the HV exponent plays a very important role in determining the state of the chaotic system. Also we study the effect from the winding number of the string. The study indicates that the chaotic dynamics of the string is insensitive to the winding number.

In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of mixed-process methods on the ruminal degradability of whole cottonseed (WCS) both in situ and in vitro, and the effect on the production performance of dairy cows. Eight WCS process methods were tested on the ruminal digestibility, including crush-alkali 1 (CA1), crush-alkali 2 (CA2), crush-alkali 3 (CA3), alkali 1-crush (A1C), alkali 2-crush (A2C), alkali 3-crush (A3C), crush-only (CO), and non-processed. Alkali 1, 2, and 3 indicate the supplementation of alkali to WCS at the dose of 4% on dry matter (DM) base as followed: 4% NaOH, 2% NaOH + 2% CaO, and 2% NaOH + 2% CaCl2 alkaline, respectively. Among all treatments, CA2 showed the highest WCS ruminal degradation in situ and the highest intestinal digestibility of WCS in vitro. Furthermore, an animal experiment was conducted for 60 days on 30 Holstein dairy cows, using a diet without WCS (CON group), a diet containing 8% non-processed WCS (NP group), and a diet containing 8% CA2-treated WCS (CA2 group). The results indicated that the dry matter intake, 4% fat-corrected milk production, milk protein, milk fat, and content of short-chain saturated fatty acid of milk in the CA2 group were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than CON group. Furthermore, DMI, the CLA was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the CA2 group than the other groups. Additionally, the free gossypol concentration in serum or milk was under safety level in the three groups. Overall, crush and alkalization (NaOH: CaO = 1:1) treatment could improve the utilization of WCS in dairy farms.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the reasonable timing of radiotherapy for stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR-positive mutations during targeted therapy based on tumour volume change (TVC).Patients and MethodsSimulation Computed Tomography Scan (SCTS) measurements were taken to test TVC in patients with stage IV NSCLC during targeted therapy at intervals of 10 days. The SCTS measurement was terminated when the tumour volume shrinkage rate in the latter simulation compared with the previous simulation was ≤5% or when the time after treatment was 90 days. Then, primary tumour radiotherapy was performed. Related parameters of the radiotherapy plan were compared between the implementation and simulation plans.ResultsTwenty-seven patients were enrolled in the analysis. After treatment, shrinkage of the primary tumour was observed in all patients, but the rate and speed were inconsistent. The average tumour volume decreased obviously within 40 days and was significantly different every 10 days (P ≤ 0.001). The average volume decreased slowly and tended to be stable (P>0.05) after 40 days. After the termination of SCTSs, 21 patients accepted primary tumour radiotherapy. No patients experienced grade 3+ acute radiation toxicity. The implementation radiotherapy plan was significantly better than that before treatment (all P0.05).ConclusionsTo obtain a high radiation dose and control radiation toxicity, the 40th day after targeted therapy may be a reasonable time to start radiotherapy for stage IV NSCLC with EGFR-positive mutations.Clinical Trial Registrationhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03258671, identifier, NCT03258671.

Eight dyads (N = 16) residing in Western Canada participated in this investigation of how young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their parents jointly construct, articulate, and act on goals pertinent to the young adults' transition to adulthood. Using the action-project method to collect and analyze conversations and video recall data, cases were grouped representing the ways goal-directed projects brought relationship (n = 4), planning (n = 3) or both (n = 1) to the foreground as joint projects. Resources internal to the dyad such as emotional resources, and external to the dyad, facilitated formulation and pursuit of projects. Lack of external supports and limited parental knowledge about IDD hindered joint project formulation.

Introduction: Parents have found the transition to adulthood for their sons or daughters with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) particularly challenging. The literature has not examined how parents work together and with others in face of this transition nor has it highlighted parental goals in this process. This study used a perspective based on joint, goal-direct action to describe the projects that Canadian parents engaged in together and with others relative to this transition. Methods: Using the qualitative action-project method, joint projects between parents and with others were identified from their conversations and followed for 6 months. Findings: Three groups of projects were described: equipping the young adult for adult life, connecting for personal support and managing day-to-day while planning for the future. Conclusions: Parents act together and with others relative to the transition to adulthood of their young adult children with IDD. These projects are complex and differ in goals, steps, resources and emotional regulation and motivation.

Abstract Background To evaluate the early growth (weight and length) of HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children from the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) program in Guangdong Province, China. Methods A total of 731 HEU children were longitudinally followed up at 7 time points, with anthropometric measurement conducted of weight and length (supine) in the first 18 months. Z scores were calculated, with and without adjustment for gestational age. Results A total of 708 HEU children were included in the final follow-up cohort, and 105 (14.83%) children completed all 7 follow-up visits. The mean of adjusted weight-for-age Z scores in these children was above zero and showed a decreasing trend in 18 months. The mean of adjusted length-for-age Z scores showed a decreasing trend and was above zero in the first 12 months; this declined to under zero at age 18 months. The proportion of underweight was 0.28–2.19% and that of stunting was 0.71–4.63% at each follow-up month-age. Slower growth in HEU children was associated with no sustained food subside after 6 month, mothers’ hemoglobin content less than 100 g/L during pregnancy, preterm birth, and low birth weight (p

Abstract Background Our initial genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 20 promising candidate genes for milk fatty acid (FA) traits in a Chinese Holstein population, including PRLR, MOGAT1, MINPP1 and CHUK genes. In this study, we performed whether they had significant genetic effects on milk FA traits in Chinese Holstein. Results We re-sequenced the entire exons and 3000 bp of the 5′ and 3′ flanking regions, and identified 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), containing four in PRLR, two in MOGAT1, two in MINPP1, and three in CHUK. The SNP-based association analyses showed that all the 11 SNPs were significantly associated with at least one milk FA trait (P = 0.0456 ~ 0.05). By the linkage disequilibrium (LD) analyses, we found two, one, one, and one haplotype blocks in PRLR, MOGAT1, MINPP1, and CHUK, respectively, and each haplotype block was significantly associated with at least one milk FA trait (P = 0.0456 ~ A in PRLR, and g.111599360A > G and g.111601747 T > A in MOGAT1 were predicted to alter the transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs). A missense mutation, g.39115344G > A, could change the PRLR protein structure. The g.20966385C > G of CHUK varied the binding sequences for microRNAs. Therefore, we deduced the five SNPs as the potential functional mutations. Conclusion In summary, we first detected the genetic effects of PRLR, MOGAT1, MINPP1 and CHUK genes on milk FA traits, and researched the potential functional mutations. These data provided the basis for further investigation on function validation of the four genes in Chinese Holstein.

Abstract Background We previously conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) strategy for milk fatty acids in Chinese Holstein, and identified 83 genome-wide significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 314 suggestive significant SNPs. Among them, two SNPs, BTB-01077939 and BTA-11275-no-rs associated with C10:0, C12:0, and C14 index (P = 0.000014 ~ 0.000024), were within and close to (0.85 Mb) protein kinase, cGMP-dependent, type І (PRKG1) gene on BTA26, respectively. PRKG1 gene plays a key role in lipolysis to release fatty acids and glycerol through the hydrolysis of triacyglycerol in adipocytes. We herein considered it as a promising candidate for milk fatty acids. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether PRKG1 had effects on milk fatty acids. Results By direct sequencing the PCR products of pooled DNA, we identified a total of six SNPs, including one in 5′ flanking region, four in 3′ untranslated region (UTR), and one in 3′ flanking region. The single-locus association analysis was carried out, and showed that the six SNPs mainly had significant associations with C6:0, C8:0 and C17:1 (P A and g.6904047G > T with Haploview 4.1, and it was strongly associated with C8:0, C10:0, C16:1, C17:1, C20:0 and C16 index (P = T, was predicted to alter the binding site (BS) of transcription factor (TF) GAGA box with Genomatix software, and the subsequent luciferase assay verified that it really changed the transcriptional activity of PRKG1 gene (P = 0.0009). Conclusion In conclusion, to our best of knowledge, we are the first who identified the significant effects of PRKG1 on milk fatty acids in dairy cattle.

PurposeThe role of radiotherapy, in addition to chemotherapy, has not been thoroughly determined in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of the study was to investigate the prognostic factors and to establish a model for the prediction of overall survival (OS) in metastatic NSCLC patients who received chemotherapy combined with the radiation therapy to the primary tumor.MethodsThe study retrospectively reviewed 243 patients with metastatic NSCLC in two prospective studies. A prognostic model was established based on the results of the Cox regression analysis.ResultsMultivariate analysis showed that being male, Karnofsky Performance Status score < 80, the number of chemotherapy cycles

Massive reinforced concrete (MRC) structures are utilized in a variety of applications where both mechanical and thermal properties are of concern. A 1:2 large-scale test model of the steel-lined reinforced concrete penstock (a kind of MRC) and a coupled thermomechanical numerical analysis are both implemented to investigate the thermomechanical effects on structural behavior. Three different temperature fields and eight temperature gradients are selected to explore how the temperature affects the crack width, steel stress, and deformation. The results show that the numerical simulation results are consistent with the experimental results and that this method can be applied to other similar MRC structure analysis. The thermal effect can cause 10−3~10−2 mm thermal crack width and ±45 MPa thermal stress and this may lead the total crack width to exceed the limited value and the reinforcement stress beyond the yield strength. Consequently, the influence of the thermomechanical loads cannot be ignored and the corresponding temperature control measures must be taken to ensure structural safety and durability.

Abstract Background Following a social defeat, the balanced establishment and extinction of aversive information is a beneficial strategy for individual survival. Abnormal establishment or extinction is implicated in the development of mental disorders. This study investigated the time course of the establishment and extinction of aversive information from acute social defeat and the temporal responsiveness of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in this process. Methods Mouse models of acute social defeat were established by using the resident–intruder paradigm. To evaluate the engram of social defeat, the intruder mice were placed into the novel context at designated time to test the social behavior. Furthermore, responses of BLA, vHIP and mPFC were investigated by analyzing the expression of immediate early genes, such as zif268, arc, and c-fos. Results The results showed after an aggressive attack, aversive memory was maintained for approximately 7 days before gradually diminishing. The establishment and maintenance of aversive stimulation were consistently accompanied by BLA activity. By contrast, vHIP and mPFC response was inhibited from this process. Additionally, injecting muscimol (Mus), a GABA receptor agonist, into the BLA alleviated the freezing behavior and social fear and avoidance. Simultaneously, Mus treatment decreased the zif268 and arc expression in BLA, but it increased their expression in vHIP. Conclusion Our data support and extend earlier findings that implicate BLA, vHIP and mPFC in social defeat. The time courses of the establishment and extinction of social defeat are particularly consistent with the contrasting BLA and vHIP responses involved in this process.