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Warmed‐over flavor (WOF) is an off‐flavor in surimi gels. Yeast extract (YE) could improve the aroma properties of food. However, the effect of YE on the WOF in surimi gels and its mechanism was still unclear. In this study, aroma profiles, the composition of aroma compounds and aroma precursors, concentrations of WOF compounds, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of surimi gels with different amounts of YE were investigated by molecular sensory science and chromatographic techniques. Moreover, the effect of pyrazines and esters introduced by YE on WOF was also tested by sensory analysis. The addition of no less than 1% YE to surimi gels significantly weakened WOF. However, YE did not decrease the concentrations of WOF compounds and did not change the fatty acid composition and TBARS in surimi gels. Conversely, the addition of YE significantly increased the contents of free amino acids, N‐containing compounds, and esters in surimi gels. The contents of total free amino acids, 2,6‐dimethylpyrazine, and ethyl acetate in surimi gels with 2.5% YE were 1.5, 21, and 2.1 times higher than those in the control, respectively. Additionally, the sensory results of the spiked aroma models containing WOF compounds, 2,6‐dimethylpyrazine, and esters showed that more than 9.4 µg/kg of 2,6‐dimethylpyrazine with a baked‐potato note and more than 6.1 µg/kg of ethyl acetate and 11.2 µg/kg of butyl acetate with a fruity note could significantly mask WOF. In conclusion, WOF in surimi gels could be masked by YE due to the high concentrations of pyrazines and esters. Practical Application: Yeast extracts could decrease the warmed‐over flavor (WOF) due to the high concentrations of pyrazines (baked‐potato note) and esters (fruity note). This finding extends the application of yeast extracts in the food industry. On the other hand, this study presents a reasonable solution for the reduction of WOF in surimi products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedback shift registers (FSRs) are pivotal in generating pseudorandom sequences for stream ciphers and play a crucial role in error detection and code correction. This paper investigates the resilience of grain-like cascade FSRs (GLC-FSRs) against two types of fault attacks: hard and soft. First, we introduce a new criterion for assessing the nonsingularity of GLC-FSRs using the structure matrices of feedback functions, which enable the measurement of the number of nonsingular GLC-FSRs. Second, we demonstrate that GLC-FSRs subject to hard fault attacks become singular as determined by this new criterion. Ultimately, by constructing a soft fault bit set, we discuss the resilience of GLC-FSRs to soft fault attacks. Results demonstrate that singular GLC-FSRs remain singular after being injected by soft fault attacks. Conversely, for nonsingular GLC-FSRs, suitable soft fault attacks are designed to maintain their nonsingular status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li metal is recognized as one of the most promising anode candidates for next‐generation high specific energy batteries. However, the fragile solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and heterogeneous Li plating/stripping in carbonate electrolyte severely encumber its practical application. Here, the heptafluorobutyramide (HFT) and lithium nitrate (LiNO3) are proposed to synergistically construct a robust SEI layer with excellent Li+ transport kinetics. The HFT can promote the dissolution of LiNO3 in carbonate electrolyte due to the strong cooperation. The results of theoretical calculations, in situ Raman and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy with deep Ar‐ion etching demonstrate that HFT and NO3− will be preferentially reduced to a Li3N/LiF‐rich composite structure on the surface of Li metal. Particularly, after the addition of additives, the first solvent shell is converted from solvent‐dominated to anion‐dominated structure, and thus a significantly lower Li‐ion desolvation barrier is presented. Consequently, the Coulombic efficiency (CE) of Li||Cu half cells using the designed carbonate electrolyte can reach 97.1%. The full cells matched with LiFePO4 and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM 811) can deliver high‐capacity retention over 100% at −20°C. This work provides an effective strategy for the regulation of solvation structure and the construction of high‐performance Li metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ATP-BF-P(HEC-AA-AMPS) composite highly absorbent polymer was copolymerized with acrylic acid (AA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) using an aqueous solution method with attapulgite (ATP) and attapulgite (ATP) as a matrix. The prepared ATP-BF-P(HEC-AA-AMPS) was characterized in terms of microstructure and tested for its water absorption capacity, water retention properties, and pH dynamic sensing ability. The results showed that the synthesized ATP-BF-P(HEC-AA-AMPS) had a rough and porous surface and a high water absorption capacity and rate, almost reaching the maximum water absorption around 20 min, and demonstrated excellent water retention performance at low and medium temperatures. ATP-BF-P(HEC-AA-AMPS) has a sensitive dynamic sensing ability in different pH solutions, with a high swelling capacity between pH 6.0 and 10.0. When the pH value exceeded 10.0, the swelling rate decreased rapidly. Additionally, the thermal stability and mechanical strength of the highly absorbent polymers were significantly improved after blending with ATP and BF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐rich manganese‐based layered oxides (LMLOs) are considered to be one type of the most promising materials for next‐generation cathodes of lithium batteries due to their distinctive anionic redox processes contributing ultrahigh capacity and energy density. Unfortunately, their practical applications are still plagued by several challenges such as undesirable interfacial reactions and structural evolution, as well as voltage hysteresis/recession, in which irreversible anionic redox behavior bears the brunt as the primacy factor. Undoubtedly, a deep understanding of anionic redox reaction mechanisms and irreversible behavior of oxygen species is crucial in order to provide essential guidance for modification strategies for LMLOs. In this paper, the fundamental understanding of intricate anionic redox reaction mechanisms from thermodynamics models to kinetic anionic redox reaction pathways is comprehensively reviewed, and the existing challenges of LMLOs related with irreversible oxygen reaction behavior are analyzed. Furthermore, numerous representative modification strategies for overcoming these challenges, coupled with their underlying mechanisms for regulating anionic redox reversibility are summarized. In addition, the aspects of multi‐scale structural modifications, integration of interdisciplinary technologies, and application in quasi‐/all‐solid‐state battery systems are given some emphasis in terms of further improvement of LMLOs‐based cathode materials for advanced lithium batteries‐based energy storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asynchronous behavior is significant for real biological systems. This paper explores the impact of state‐dependent asynchronous updating rule (SDAUR) on the set reachability and set stability of Boolean networks (BNs). First, a set of state‐dependent control variables is introduced to describe the SDAUR. Second, a new asynchronous set reachablity matrix is constructed based on an auxiliary input and semi‐tensor product. Third, using the asynchronous set reachablity matrix, several necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for the set reachablity and set stability of BNs with SDAUR. Finally, the new results proposed in this paper are verified through the immunomic network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide sheep population comprises more than 1000 breeds. Together, these exhibit a considerable morphological diversity, which has not been extensively investigated at the molecular level. Here, we analyze whole-genome sequencing individuals of 1,098 domestic sheep from 154 breeds, and 69 wild sheep from seven Ovis species. On average, we detected 6.8%, 1.0% and 0.2% introgressed sequence in domestic sheep originating from Iranian mouflon, urial and argali, respectively, with rare introgressions from other wild species. Interestingly, several introgressed haplotypes contributed to the morphological differentiations across sheep breeds, such as a RXFP2 haplotype from Iranian mouflon conferring the spiral horn trait, a MSRB3 haplotype from argali strongly associated with ear morphology, and a VPS13B haplotype probably originating from urial and mouflon possibly associated with facial traits. Our results reveal that introgression events from wild Ovis species contributed to the high rate of morphological differentiation in sheep breeds, but also to individual variation within breeds. We propose that long divergent haplotypes are a ubiquitous source of phenotypic variation that allows adaptation to a variable environment, and that these remain intact in the receiving population probably due to reduced recombination. Author summary: Introgression, introducing beneficial alleles from wild relatives, has been repeatedly proved to play important roles in adaptation to various environments during animal domestication and subsequent breeds formation. Several adaptive introgressions have been reported in domestic sheep, however, the systemic exploration is still lacking. Using a collection of more than 1000 individuals including 154 domestic breeds and seven wild relatives, we describe the genomic introgression spectrum across worldwide domestic sheep. Interestingly, we found several functional genes associated with morphological traits located in the introgressed regions. Besides, the frequency of highly divergent haplotypes in numerous introgressed regions are quite different among domestic breeds, indicating selection acted on these fragments. We speculated that the introgressed fragments contribute to the fast morphological differentiation of ~1,400 distinct domestic breeds. Deciphering the phenotypic variations in response to different introgressed haplotypes can reflect underlying breeding mechanisms. Overall, our work proves the important effect of introgression on sheep breeding, and shows how introgression, selection and recombination shape the genetic and phenotypic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the high-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (HTVSR) insulator, the alicyclic epoxy resin insulator has higher hardness and better bonding between the core and the sheath. This makes the latter very promising in the coastal area of Southern China. Outdoor insulators are often subjected to high intensity of ultraviolet (UV)-A radiation. The influence of UV-A radiation is significant for alicyclic epoxy resin insulators. To help address the concern, the surface of two kinds of samples, namely the alicyclic epoxy resin insulator and HTVSR insulator, with UV-A aging time was characterized by tests of scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The operation properties (mechanical properties, hydrophobicity) for outdoor insulators were also analyzed. It was found that the appearance color of the alicyclic epoxy resin has changed greatly, and there is a certain degree of fading. The mechanical properties of the alicyclic epoxy resin are maintained well and, the hydrophobicity decreases gradually. For silicone rubber, the appearance color change of silicone rubber is smaller, and the mechanical properties of silicone rubber decreased greatly. In addition, although the hydrophobicity of silicone rubber decreased gradually, it is still better than that of alicyclic epoxy resin. Both materials have broken chemical bonds, but the degree is relatively light, which meets the requirements of insulators for outdoor operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytosine base editors (CBEs) and CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated HDR method both have the ability to introduce nucleotide substitution into genomes, which exhibit great potential for improving economically important traits in livestock species. The FecGH mutation (g. C1184T, p. S395F) of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) gene increases prolificacy in Cambridge sheep and Belclare sheep. In the present study, we aimed to compare the efficiency and precision of BE4‐Gam and CRISPR/Cas9 systems on generating FecGH mutation in ovine genome. First, the microinjection of BE4‐Gam mRNA had no adverse effects on development rate after cleavage, and the efficiencies of total mutants and targeted mutants were 8.9% and 7.1%, respectively. Then, the total mutation and targeted mutation rates were improved from 8.5% to 22.5% (p <.01), and 6.4% to 16.3%, respectively, by adjusting the injection time of BE4‐Gam mRNA from 14 to 12 hr post‐insemination (hpi). Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated HDR method introduced the FecGH mutation at the efficiency of 16.1%, which was comparable to BE4‐Gam system (16.3%). There was no bystander editing event happened in edited embryos caused by CRISPR/Cas9, but the bystander editing efficiency was as high as 15.0% in BE4‐Gam‐edited embryos. In summary, our findings demonstrated that CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated HDR method was more accurate than BE4‐Gam system in introducing FecGH into ovine genome, and highlight the potential of the former strategy to modify economically important trait‐associated SNPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lithium–fluorinated carbon (Li/CFx) battery possesses the highest energy density (2180 Wh kg−1) among all the primary lithium batteries. However, the poor electronic conductivity of the fluorinated carbon (CFx) material sets a limit on its rate discharge capability, confining its practical application. In this article, a doping strategy at a mild anneal condition is developed to synthesize the phosphorus species‐doped CFx materials (P‐CFx) for Li/CFx batteries. Compared to the commonly used methods, this eco‐friendly, and simple doping method does not involve washing, centrifugation, and filtration processes. Characterization using X‐Ray diffraction, high‐resolution transmission electron microscope, and X‐Ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the successful doping and the structure of the P‐CFx. Density functional theory calculations and characterization results demonstrate that phosphorus species doping can alter microstructure and induce charge redistribution to improve electronic and ionic conductivity. Therefore, the Li/P‐CFx battery possesses a high specific capacity and an excellent rate capability, shown by a high discharge capacity of 810 mAh g−1 with a voltage plateau of 2.53 V at 0.1 C. Extraordinarily, a discharge capacity of 597 mAh g−1 with a voltage plateau of 1.90 V at 20 C has been achieved as well as a high power density of 34 048 W kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous electrolytes show the potential of application for high‐performance supercapacitors. However, their limited operating voltages set limits for widespread applications. Herein, the feasibility of applying the sulfolane (SL)‐saturated 3 m LiTFSI aqueous electrolytes for supercapacitors is shown. These electrolytes possess high conductivities and wide electrochemical stable windows (ESWs), demonstrating the potential applications in high‐voltage supercapacitors. Activated carbon//3 m LiTFSI SL/Water //activated carbon supercapacitor is assembled to possess a high voltage of 2.5 V and outstanding capacitive performance (106 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, >10 000 cycles). Also, a high areal capacitance up to 1.52 F cm−2 is obtained by applying a high mass loading electrode (13.06 mg cm−2). Furthermore, a flexible symmetric semi‐solid‐state supercapacitor (2.5 V) is fabricated. Impressive performance can be obtained. Thus, the finding suggests a promising electrolyte design for high‐voltage aqueous supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si/carbon and SiOx/carbon composites have been widely studied to meet the increasing demand for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, it is challenging to seek a balance between high specific capacity and good-mechanical-structure stability. Herein, a micro-level SiOx–TiO2/Si/CNTs composite sphere is prepared as a novel anode material. First, the liquid-phase co-deposition method is used to synthesize SiO2–TiO2 composite uniformly distributed at the primary particle level. Then, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and a certain amount of Si nanoparticles are added to conduct high-energy ball milling, during which lithium-inactive SiO2 phase converts into active SiOx with partial reduction and oxygen loss. Benefiting from the multi-dimensional electronic and ionic conductive networks provided by cross-linked CNTs and evenly mixed nano-sized TiO2, as well as an optimized balance between high-specific-capacity nano-Si and good-mechanical-structure-stability SiOx, the obtained SiOx–TiO2/Si/CNTs composite microspheres demonstrate a promising cycle stability when used as a negative material (~ 800 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g−1). This work offers a facile strategy for large-scale production of novel SiOx-based composite anode in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copy number variation (CNV) is the most prevalent type of genetic structural variation that has been recognized as an important source of phenotypic variation in humans, animals and plants. However, the mechanisms underlying the evolution of CNVs and their function in natural or artificial selection remain unknown. Here, we generated CNV region (CNVR) datasets which were diverged or shared among cattle, goat, and sheep, including 886 individuals from 171 diverse populations. Using 9 environmental factors for genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified a series of candidate CNVRs, including genes relating to immunity, tick resistance, multi-drug resistance, and muscle development. The number of CNVRs shared between species is significantly higher than expected (P<0.00001), and these CNVRs may be more persist than the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) shared between species. We also identified genomic regions under long-term balancing selection and uncovered the potential diversity of the selected CNVRs close to the important functional genes. This study provides the evidence that balancing selection might be more common in mammals than previously considered, and might play an important role in the daily activities of these ruminant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diagnosing Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) involves damages to multiple joints and carries variable clinical symptoms, posing great challenge to the diagnosis of KBD for clinical practitioners. However, it is still unclear which clinical features of KBD are more informative for the diagnosis of Kashin-Beck disease among adolescent.Methods: We first manually extracted 26 possible features including clinical manifestations, and pathological changes of X-ray images from 400 KBD and 400 non-KBD adolescents. With such features, we performed four classification methods, i.e., random forest algorithms (RFA), artificial neural networks (ANNs), support vector machines (SVMs) and linear regression (LR) with four feature selection methods, i.e., RFA, minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR), support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) and Relief. The performance of diagnosis of KBD with respect to different classification models were evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC).Results: Our results demonstrated that the 10 out of 26 discriminative features were displayed more powerful performance, regardless of the chosen of classification models and feature selection methods. These ten discriminative features were distal end of phalanges alterations, metaphysis alterations and carpals alterations and clinical manifestations of ankle joint movement limitation, enlarged finger joints, flexion of the distal part of fingers, elbow joint movement limitation, squatting limitation, deformed finger joints, wrist joint movement limitation.Conclusions: The selected ten discriminative features could provide a fast, effective diagnostic standard for KBD adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Y chromosome plays key roles in male fertility and reflects the evolutionary history of paternal lineages. Here, we present a de novo genome assembly of the Hu sheep with the first draft assembly of ovine Y chromosome (oMSY), using nanopore sequencing and Hi-C technologies. The oMSY that we generated spans 10.6 Mb from which 775 Y-SNPs were identified by applying a large panel of whole genome sequences from worldwide sheep and wild Iranian mouflons. Three major paternal lineages (HY1a, HY1b and HY2) were defined across domestic sheep, of which HY2 was newly detected. Surprisingly, HY2 forms a monophyletic clade with the Iranian mouflons and is highly divergent from both HY1a and HY1b. Demographic analysis of Y chromosomes, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes confirmed that HY2 and the maternal counterpart of lineage C represented a distinct wild mouflon population in Iran that diverge from the direct ancestor of domestic sheep, the wild mouflons in Southeastern Anatolia. Our results suggest that wild Iranian mouflons had introgressed into domestic sheep and thereby introduced this Iranian mouflon specific lineage carrying HY2 to both East Asian and Africa sheep populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductor on round core (CORC) cables with the features of flexibility and a high engineering current density have been a potential candidate for high magnetic field magnets and accelerator magnets. In these applications, reducing the magnetization loss generated in superconductors is essential in the process of design. CORC cables fabricated by multifilament-coated conductor (CC) tapes have been proved to have a low magnetization loss. However, the degradation of the critical current (Ic) and additional coupling losses significantly affects the performance of CORC cables. In this article, ultraviolet laser cutting technology is used to scribe both the superconducting layer and copper stabilization layers into narrow filaments. First, the magnetization loss of a single tape with different numbers of filaments was measured by a calibration-free method. Then, based on the testing results of a single tape, two typical CORC cables are wound by 10-mm-wide and 4-mm-wide CC tapes. The magnetization loss of cables made of striated tapes was discussed by both experimental and numerical methods. It is found that the magnetization loss significantly decreases with an increasing number of filaments under a high background magnetic field. The magnetization losses decrease in CORC cables made of striated CC tape. Due to the reduced coupling loss and attenuated shielding effect, there is not much difference between the two values of the magnetization loss reduction rates in CORC cables and single tapes. The conclusions obtained in this article will be instructive for the future design of CORC cables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With excellent mechanical properties and electromagnetic properties, compact superconducting cables are considered as potential candidates for large capacity power applications and fusion magnets. In this paper, the concept of a novel compact cable, conductors in tube (CIT) cable is introduced from the aspect of design, fabrication, and performance evaluation, respectively. The principal advantages of CIT cables are that the cable can release the residual stress created from the fabrication process, and the outer former of the cable can be used as both the supporter as well as the container of refrigerant liquid. Firstly, the topological structure and the detailed fabrication process of a CIT cable are presented. Then, a typical CIT cable is manufactured. The feasibility of this new structure is verified by its critical current test. Moreover, bending characteristics of CIT cables are evaluated and compared with Conductors on Round Core (CORC) cables from the aspect of both simulation and experiments. The superior bending performance enables it to be potential in the future compact magnet application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li[Ni0.80Co0.15Al0.05]O2 is considered as a promising cathode material due to its high specific capacity. Nevertheless, the irreversible formation of electrochemically inactive NiO phase on the surface of the particles would significantly deduce impedance rise and power decrease during cycling. Herein, a thin-layer AlF3-coated Li[Ni0.80Co0.15Al0.05]O2 has been synthesized via a facile solution method, and the optimized coating content has been confirmed. Compared with the pristine sample, the 0.5% AlF3−coated Li[Ni0.80Co0.15Al0.05]O2 composite exhibits significantly improved cycling stability and high-temperature performance. The improved electrochemical properties can be attributed to that the thin AlF3 layer can stabilize the surface structure of active material and a LiAlO2 phase with high ionic conductivity is formed on the surface of the particles during cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetization loss of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires is usually considered as a critical issue in power applications. In order to reduce magnetization loss, a narrow soldered-stacked-square (3S) HTS wire with 1 mm width is firstly proposed by our group. And as a novel HTS wire type, its magnetization loss should be significantly understood before applied in further application. In this study, we fabricate the 1-mm-wide 3S wires with 2+4c, 4+2c, and 6+0c structures, and evaluate their magnetization loss experimentally and numerically. In the fabrication process of the 3S wires, a newly suggested technology, laser cutting, is adopted. The results show that the magnetization loss in (4+2c)-wire is independent of the frequency under perpendicular field but dependent on the frequency under parallel field. This may be considered that both eddy current loss and coupling loss are contained in the case of parallel field, besides hysteresis loss. Moreover, the different structures of the 3S wires will not affect the magnetization loss under perpendicular fields, but influence the magnetization loss under parallel fields. And these numerical results for parallel field have larger deviations compared with measured magnetization loss because only hysteresis loss is considered in the numerical model. Finally, a considerable reduction of the magnetization loss in the 3S wire is observed in the comparison with that in the original tape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of linkage disequilibrium (LD) is important for effective genome-wide association studies and accurate genomic prediction. Chinese Merino (Xinjiang type) is well-known fine wool sheep breed. However, the extent of LD across the genome remains unexplored. In this study, we calculated autosomal LD based on genome-wide SNPs of 635 Chinese Merino (Xinjiang type) sheep by Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip. A moderate level of LD ( r ≥ 0.25) across the whole genome was observed at short distances of 0-10 kb. Further, the ancestral effective population size ( N ) was analyzed by extent of LD and found that N increased with the increase of generations and declined rapidly within the most recent 50 generations, which is consistent with the history of Chinese Merino sheep breeding, initiated in 1971. We also noted that even when the effective population size was estimated across different single chromosomes, N only ranged from 140.36 to 183.33 at five generations in the past, exhibiting a rapid decrease compared with that at ten generations in the past. These results indicated that the genetic diversity in Chinese Merino sheep recently decreased and proper protective measures should be taken to maintain the diversity. Our datasets provided essential genetic information to track molecular variations which potentially contribute to phenotypic variation in Chinese Merino sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), a particular type of osteoarthritis (OA), and an endemic disease with articular cartilage damage and chondrocytes apoptosis, can affect many joints, and the most commonly affected joints are the knee, ankle, and hand. KBD has traditionally been classified as a non-inflammatory OA. However, recent studies have shown that inflammation has played an important role in the development of KBD. Nowadays, clinical KBD is not only an endemic disease, but also a combined result of many other non-endemic factors, which contains age, altered biomechanics, joint trauma and secondary OA. The characteristics of the developmental joint failure of advanced KBD, because of the biochemical and mechanical processes, are tightly linked with the interaction of joint damage and its immune response, as well as the subsequent state of chronic inflammation leading to KBD progression. In this review, we focus on the epidemiology, pathology, imaging, cytokines and transduction pathways investigating the association of inflammation with KBD; meanwhile, a wide range of data will be discussed to elicit our current hypotheses considering the role of inflammation and immune activation in KBD development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myostatin (MSTN), is a known negative regulator of myogenesis. Silencing of the function of MSTN could result in increasing muscle mass in mice. To determine the function of endogenous MSTN expression on proliferation of sheep myoblasts, a short-hairpin RNA-targeting sheep MSTN was constructed into lentiviral vector to silence endogenous MSTN expression. We demonstrated that silencing of endogenous MSTN gene with up to approximately 73.3% reduction by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) resulted in significant increase (overall 28.3%) of proliferation of primary ovine myoblasts. The upregulation of proliferation was accompanied by the decrease expression of MyoD (−37.6%, p = 0.025), myogenin (−33.1%, p = 0.049), p21 (−49.3%, p = 0.046), and Smad3 (−50.0%, p = 0.007). Silencing of myostatin using shRNA may provide a feasible approach to improve meat productivity in farm animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been proposed that the production planning in semiconductor manufacturing is facing great challenges with the hundreds kinds of product mix and the shorter life cycle for a single product, which means that only limited historical data of a single product can be used to support the decision-making. In order to research the demand forecasting for production planning decision-making of product mix with shorter life cycle, a demand forecasting system for production planning decision-making support based on clustering is proposed first in this article, which includes four parts: clustering, pattern recognition, interval estimation and forecasting. Second, a new optimised fuzzy short time-series (FSTS) clustering method is developed to group the hundreds kinds of single products into a few product families by quantifying the interactions of the product mix, where fuzzy subtractive clustering is introduced to identify the categories numbers, while genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to confirm the initialisation of fuzzy central matrix, and weight-FSTS clustering is employed for better trend description. After the product mix is clustered into several product family, for a certain product family, the useful historical data are much more than a single product when production planning decision-making. Finally, statistical pattern recognition and nonparametric density estimate have been employed for the proposed demand forecasting procedure to support production planning decision-making. Numerical experimental data in a semiconductor manufacturing factory show the feasibility and effectiveness of the new optimised FSTS clustering method and proposed demand forecasting system for production planning decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Molecular imaging is a rapidly advancing field that allows cancer biologists to look deeper into the complex inner workings of tumor cells, or whole tumors, in a non-invasive manner. In this review, we will summarize some recent advances that enable investigators to study various important biological processes in tumors in vivo. We will discuss novel imaging approaches that allow investigators to visualize and quantify molecular pathways, such as receptor tyrosine kinase activation, hypoxia signal transduction, apoptosis, and DNA double-strand breaks. Select examples of these applications will be discussed. Because of the limited scope of this review, we will only focus on natural reporters, such as bioluminescence and fluorescent proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study aims to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in the TLR2 gene, and analyze the association of SNPs or haplotypes and somatic cell scores in 151 Xinjiang Brown cattle and 138 Holsteins to evaluate the role of TLR2 during intramammary infections. TLR2 coding region was amplified by PCR and screened for SNP sequencing. Genotypes and frequencies of SNPs were identified. Finally, the associations of genotypes or haplotypes and somatic cell scores (SCS) were analyzed. The results showed that: (i) 15 SNPs (E+653, E+945, E+978, E+1010, E+1250, E+1688, E+1707, E+1779, E+1782, E+1891, E+1995, E+2025, E+2055, E+2214 and E+2295) were observed and detected from 289 cows; (ii) distribution of the 14 SNPs were significantly different from Xinjiang Brown cattle and Holstein ( P < 0.001) except for the E+945 ( P > 0.05); (iii) in 11 SNPs (E+945, E+978, E+1010, E+1688, E+1707, E+1779, E+1782, E+1995, E+2025, E+2055 and E+2214), the SCS of AB genotype was lower than AA ( P < 0.05) in Xinjiang Brown cattle; and (iv) haplotypes composed of the above-mentioned 11 SNPs were constructed. The SCS of cattle with Hap5 was lower than that of Hap3 ( P < 0.05). This suggests that Hap5 might play an important role in sub-mastitis resistance in Xinjiang Brown cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the molecular mechanism of cellular EGFR activation during hyperthermia treatment. Materials and methods: EGR activities in tumour cells were quantified through the use of a recently developed split-luciferase-based EGFR reporter system which allowed us to monitor EGFR activation in  vitro as well as in  vivo in a non-invasive manner. Results: We found that hyperthermia treatment of MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells resulted in a strong induction of EGFR activity in tissue culture as well as in xenograft tumours. Furthermore, we found that this induction is mediated by the heat shock protein Hsp90. Administration of the specific Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin as well as RNAi directed against HSP90 effectively inhibited EGFR activation, suggesting an essential role for Hsp90 in hyperthermia-induced EGFR activation. In addition, cells treated with geldanamycin were sensitised to heat treatment, suggesting that adding Hsp90 inhibitors to hyperthermia regimens might have a beneficial effect for cancer treatment. Conclusions: Our bioluminescent imaging reporter provided a powerful tool to examine hyperthermia-induced EGFR activation in  vitro as well as in  vivo. Hsp90 was found to be a key factor mediating heat-induced EGFR activation in tumour cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a SNP (BIEC2-808543) was demonstrated to be associated with equine body size in horses. In this study, we genotyped BIEC2-808543 SNPs in 314 Yili horses in order to evaluate the association between genotype and body composition traits, such as body weight, withers height, chest circumference, and cannon circumference. Results indicate significant associations between polymorphisms of this SNP and body conformation in Yili horse populations. Based on these results, we hypothesize that BIEC2-808543 is strongly related to body conformation of Yili horses and has the potential to be used for marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to determine the biological function and associated regulatory mechanism of small nucleolar RNA host gene 14 (SNHG14) in childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). SNHG14 expression was measured via RT-qPCR in bone marrow tissues from 57 patients with AML and 57 healthy donors. The clinicopathological features of AML patients with low and high SNHG14 expression were analysed. AML cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using MTT and flow cytometry analyses. The starBase online database, and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase reporter gene assays were employed to analyse the interactions among SNHG14, microRNA (miR)-193b-3p and MCL1 apoptosis regulator BCL2 family member (MCL1). SNHG14 was found to be overexpressed in the bone marrow tissues of patients with AML. The French-American-British classification and cytogenetics were significantly different between patients with high and low expression of SNHG14. Silencing SNHG14 decreased AML cell proliferation and facilitated apoptosis. SNHG14 functioned as a sponge for miR-193b-3p, and miR-193b-3p decreased the viability and accelerated the apoptosis rate of AML cells. In addition, miR-193b-3p targeted MCL1. Furthermore, silencing SNHG14 resulted in the sponging of miR-193b-3p to regulate cell viability, apoptosis, and MCL1 expression in AML. SNHG14 silencing decreased the viability and promoted apoptosis of AML cells by modulating the miR-193b-3p/MCL1 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The morphogenesis hair follicles begins in the embryonic stage. The first follicles formed are the primary wool follicles (PF), followed by secondary wool follicles (SF), and then secondary-derived follicles that branch from the SF in Merino sheep. The morphogenesis and development of SF in sheep determine wool yield and quality. At present, the mechanism of SF development and branching is still unclear. In this study, hair follicle morphogenesis and development were inhibited through nutritional restrictions during pregnancy, and transcriptome sequencing was performed to screen for differentially expressed genes related to the SF development in the fetus. Our findings are helpful to understand the mechanisms of SF development and branching of Merino sheep. The high concentration of secondary branched wool follicles is a distinctive feature of the Merino sheep. At present, the molecular control of the development and branching of secondary wool follicles (SF) remains elusive. To reveal the potential genes associated with the development of hair follicles, we investigated the characteristics of prenatal and postnatal development of wool follicles, and the transcriptional expression profile in fetuses/lambs from dams under either maternal maintenance or sub-maintenance (75% maintenance) nutrition. The density of SF and the ratio of SF to primary wool follicles (PF) were reduced (p < 0.05) in fetuses from day 105 to 135 of gestation under sub-maintenance nutrition. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in the binding, single-organism process, cellular process, cell and cell part Gene Ontology (GO) functional categories and metabolism, apoptosis, and ribosome pathways. Four candidate genes, SFRP4, PITX1, BAMBI, and KRT16, which were involved in secondary wool follicles branching and development, were identified. Our results indicate that nutritional intervention imposed on pregnant ewes by short-term sub-maintenance nutrition could provide a strategy for the study of wool follicle development. Overall insight into the global gene expression associated with SF development can be used to investigate the underlying mechanisms of SF branching in Merino sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are commonly used to estimate inbreeding coefficients and identify selection signatures in livestock population. The present study determined ROH patterns, estimated the inbreeding levels, and identified the genome regions with high ROH frequency (ROH hotspots) in Chinese Merino. Our results showed that the genome of Chinese Merino harbored lower ROH abundance. Moreover, the inbreeding levels were relatively low. Thirteen ROH hotspots consisting of 190 genes were identified. The ROH hotspots overlapped the selective signatures might be associated with body size, horn traits, immune traits and environment adaption. These findings could contribute to an optimum breeding program by identifying the candidate genes related to economically traits in Chinese Merino. In this study, we estimated the number, length, and frequency of runs of homozygosity (ROH) in 635 Chinese Merino and identified genomic regions with high ROH frequency using the OvineSNP50 whole-genome genotyping array. A total of 6039 ROH exceeding 1 Mb were detected in 634 animals. The average number of ROH in each animal was 9.23 and the average length was 5.87 Mb. Most of the ROH were less than 10 Mb, accounting for 88.77% of the total number of detected ROH. In addition, Ovies aries chromosome (OAR) 21 and OAR3 exhibited the highest and lowest coverage of chromosomes by ROH, respectively. OAR1 displayed the highest number of ROH, while the lowest number of ROH was found on OAR24. An inbreeding coefficient of 0.023 was calculated from ROH greater than 1 Mb. Thirteen regions on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 16 were found to contain ROH hotspots. Within the genome regions of OAR6 and OAR11, NCAPG/LCORL, FGF11 and TP53 were identified as the candidate genes related to body size, while the genome region of OAR10 harbored RXFP2 gene responsible for the horn trait. These findings indicate the adaptive to directional trait selection in Chinese Merino. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the capacity of the power grid continues to expand, high-level fault currents might be caused during a contingency, and the problem of short-circuit current over-limitation is imminent. The high-temperature superconducting (HTS) fault current limiter (FCL) is an effective method to solve this problem. In this paper, a transient numerical model for the process of limiting current in the inductive FCL is proposed. The model is based on the coupling of multiphysics finite element simulation and a circuit model. The voltage source is used as input, which can simulate the macroscopic characteristics in the process of limiting current, such as the voltage and current waveforms, and can also simulate microscopic characteristics, such as temperature, magnetic field, and electrodynamic force distribution. The short-circuit experimental data of an air core inductive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) prototype was compared with the simulation results to verify the reliability of the simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]