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The topmouth culter (Culter alburnus) is at the top of the food chain and plays an important role in the maintenance of freshwater ecosystem stability. It is also a commercially important aquaculture fish species in China. To establish conservation strategies and breeding programs, a total of 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from transcriptome-derived sequences of C. alburnus. Characterization of these loci was assessed against 1 wild and 3 cultured populations in Huzhou, China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 10 with an average of 5.25. A bottleneck effect was observed in all 4 populations; The ChangXing population showed moderate genetic differentiation when compared with other populations (FST values, 0.0695--0.0788). The microsatellite loci would be useful for further studies on population genetic diversity, genetic structure, and assessments of the artificial propagation release effect of C. alburnus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topmouth culter (Culter alburnus) is an economically important freshwater fish with high nutritional value. However, its potential genetic advantages have not been fully exploited. Therefore, we aimed to determine the genome sequence of C. alburnus and examine quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to major economic traits. The results showed that 24 pseudochromosomes were anchored by 914.74 Mb of the C. alburnus genome sequence. De novo sequencing identified 31,279 protein-coding genes with an average length of 8507 bp and average coding sequ ence of 1115 bp. In addition, a high-density genetic linkage map consisting of 24 linkage groups was constructed based on 353,532 highquality single nucleotide polymorphisms and 4,710 bin markers. A total of 28 QTLs corresponding to 11 genes, 26 QTLs corresponding to 11 genes, and 12 QTLs corresponding to 5 genes were identified for sex, intermuscular spine number and body weight traits, respectively. In this study, we assembled an accurate and nearly complete genome of C. alburnus by combining Illumina, PacBio, and highthroughput Chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) technologies. In addition, we identified QTLs that explained variances in intermuscular spine number, body weight, and sex differences in C. alburnus. These genetic markers or candidate genes associated with growth traits provide a basis for marker-assisted selection in C. alburnus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time-domain airborne electromagnetic (AEM) system can do fast electromagnetic (EM) surveys over mountainous areas by carrying its detection equipment on an airplane. Due to the dense sampling of the AEM method, it generates a huge amount of data. As a result, resistivity imaging methods have become the first choice for data interpretation because they are fast. However, the traditional imaging methods do not fully consider the influence of the transmitting waveform. When they are used to deal with the AEM data with complex current waveform, the imaging results are seriously affected. Therefore, we develop a universal full-field apparent resistivity imaging method for AEM data with arbitrary transmitting waveform. Firstly, we calculate the convolution of the time derivative of the current waveform and step response to obtain the time-domain AEM response of the arbitrary transmitting waveform. Then the full-field apparent resistivity imaging method based on the inverse function theorem is used to complete the rapid imaging of AEM data with complex waveform. Finally, we apply our imaging code to both synthetic and field data to verify its correctness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To report a case of da Vinci robotic-assisted radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. This case is shared to discuss the techniques, methods and ideas for the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: The patient was diagnosed with hilar cholangiocarcinoma type II through preoperative examination, and surgical planning was performed after 3D reconstruction. After adequate preoperative preparation, a roboticassisted Taj Mahal procedure was performed to radically resect the hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and then perihilar resection, hilar cholangioplasty and digestive tract reconstruction were completed (Informed consent was obtained from the patient). Results: The surgical procedure went smoothly and the postoperative recovery was good, with no tumor recurrence at 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion: The da Vinci robotic-assisted Taj Mahal for hilar cholangiocarcinoma was performed safely and effectively on patients with common hepatic duct nodule and dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Meanwhile, robotic-assisted systems have a broad application prospect and are bound to give a great impetus to surgical treatment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient signal control at isolated intersections is vital for relieving congestion, accidents, and environmental pollution caused by increasing numbers of vehicles. However, most of the existing studies not only ignore the constraint of the limited computing resources available at isolated intersections but also the matching degree between the signal timing and the traffic demand, leading to high complexity and reduced learning efficiency. In this article, we propose a traffic signal control method based on reinforcement learning with state reduction. First, a reinforcement learning model is established based on historical traffic flow data, and we propose a dual-objective reward function that can reduce vehicle delay and improve the matching degree between signal time allocation and traffic demand, allowing the agent to learn the optimal signal timing strategy quickly. Second, the state and action spaces of the model are preliminarily reduced by selecting a proper control phase combination; then, the state space is further reduced by eliminating rare or nonexistent states based on the historical traffic flow. Finally, a simplified Q-table is generated and used to optimize the complexity of the control algorithm. The results of simulation experiments show that our proposed control algorithm effectively improves the capacity of isolated intersections while reducing the time and space costs of the signal control algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, novel Cu-Co bimetal/reduce graphene oxide nanostructures with excellent catalytic activity were prepared by embedding Cu-Co bimetallic nanospheres into the interlayer of graphene. The composite materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) etc. The characterisation results indicated that the diameters of the bimetallic nanospheres were controlled within ~60 nm, which embedded uniformly in graphene. A series of electrochemical tests were carried out and the composites were found to exhibit excellent oxygen evolution properties under alkaline conditions. The excellent catalytic activity and stability make the composite have great potential for wide application and provide a basis for its industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioresistance represents a major obstacle in cancer treatment, the underlying mechanism of which is complex and not well understood. miR-148b has been reported to be implicated regulating radioresistance in lymphoma cells. However, this function has not been investigated in lung cancer cells. Microarray analysis was performed in A549 cells 48 h after exposure to 8 Gy of γ -irradiation or sham irradiation to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. miR-148b mimic and inhibitor were transfected, followed by clonogenic survival assay to examine response to irradiation in A549 cells. Western Blot and luciferase assay were performed to investigate the direct target of miR-148b. Xenograft mouse models were used to examine in vivo function of miR-148b. Our data showed that expression of miR-148b was significantly down-regulated in both serum and cancerous tissues of radioresistant lung cancer patients compared with radiosensitive patients. Overexpression of miR-148b reversed radioresistance in A549 cells. MutL homologue 1 (MLH1) is the direct target of miR-148b which is required for the regulatory role of miR-148b in radioresistance. miR-148b mimic sensitized A549 xenografts to irradiation in vivo. Our study demonstrated that miR-148b regulates radioresistance of lung cancer cells by modulating MLH1 expression level. miR-148b may represent a new therapeutic target for the intervention of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]