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Introduction This study aims to investigate the correlation between the postoperative changes in serum amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and the prognosis of patients with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods The patients were divided into two groups according to the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) value of their cardiac ultrasound 48 h after surgery: the study group, those with early postoperative cardiac dysfunction (LVEF ≤45%, 36 cases), and the control group, those without early postoperative cardiac dysfunction (LVEF >45%, 60 cases). The serum NT-proBNP levels at 24 h and 48 h after surgery and before discharge were measured in the two groups, and any major postoperative adverse events were observed to analyze the relationship between the NT-proBNP levels and early postoperative cardiac dysfunction and prognosis. Results The serum NT-proBNP levels in the study group were significantly higher than in the control group at 24 h and 48 h after surgery (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the serum NT-proBNP levels before discharge (p > 0.05). The main adverse events of the study group during hospitalization were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). The area under the curve of NT-proBNP in predicting early postoperative cardiac dysfunction was 0.850 (95% CI: 0.826–0.903) (p < 0.001). The best diagnostic value was 5653.95 pg/ml, the sensitivity was 87.8%, and the specificity was 83.6%. Conclusion The postoperative NT-proBNP level is closely related to early cardiac dysfunction and major adverse events after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veterinary drugs, including antibiotics, antiparasitics, and growth promoters, are widely used in animal husbandry. Veterinary drug residues are key issues of food safety because they arouse public concern and can seriously endanger the health of consumers. To assess the risk of veterinary drug residues in pork sold in the People’s Republic of China, the potential veterinary drug residue risks in imported and domestic pork were analyzed based on regulatory differences and veterinary drug residue safety incidents. For imported pork, a risk assessment model was established based on the differences in veterinary drug residue limits for the People’s Republic of China, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Thailand, and Russia combined with comprehensive evaluation methods. The potential risk of veterinary drug residues in U.S. pork was the highest, and that in Brazilian pork was the lowest. For domestic pork, the distribution and aggregation of veterinary drug residue safety incidents in the People’s Republic of China was analyzed from 2015 to 2019 with a geographic information system. This study provides new insights into the safety of pork on the Chinese market and a scientific basis for formulating targeted supervision and early warning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Maoershi Sn polymetallic deposit was closely related to Indosinian granitic magmatism. • The W–Sn polymetallic deposit in the Dupangling region formed in an extensional tectonic setting after late Indosinian collision. Nanling is located in central South China and contains the most important area of W–Sn polymetallic deposits worldwide. However, a lack of geochronological data hinders our understanding of the timing and mechanisms of W–Sn mineralization in the Dupangling area of western Nanling. The Maoershi Sn polymetallic deposit is located in the western body of Dupangling complex pluton, and is a significant hydrothermal vein deposit. Cassiterite U–Pb dating shows that the Maoershi Sn mineralization occurred during the Late Triassic (206.2 ± 2.6 Ma). This age is different from the age of granite in the western Dupangling pluton and similar to the age of the eastern Dupangling pluton. The cassiterite is enriched in Sc (4.5105–18.4049 ppm), V (37.2267–88.9671 ppm), Nb (62.0104–194.1846 ppm), Ta (11.1965–85.6881 ppm), Hf (22.0511–30.7650 ppm), U (2.8870–17.9187 ppm), Th (0.0005–0.0908 ppm), Ti (3873–6170 ppm), and other high-field-strength elements. Based on Nb/Ta and Y/Ho ratios, and the W–Fe discriminant diagram, Sn and the other mineralizing materials were mainly derived from hidden Indosinian granitic rocks. Tungsten–Sn mineralization in the Dupangling pluton exhibits a clear spatial–temporal relationship with Indosinian granitic magmatism, and occurred in an extensional setting after the continent–continent collision that marked the late Indosinian Orogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meiosis, which produces haploid progeny, is critical to ensuring both faithful genome transmission and genetic diversity. Proteasomes play critical roles at various stages of spermatogenesis, including meiosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The atypical proteasomes, which contain the activator PA200, catalyze the acetylationdependent degradation of the core histones in elongated spermatids and DNA repair in somatic cells. We show here that the testis-specific proteasome subunit a4s/PSMA8 is essential for male fertility by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes, which harbor both PA200 and constitutive catalytic subunits. Immunostaining of a spermatocyte marker, SYCP3, indicated that meiosis was halted at the stage of spermatocytes in the a4s-deficient testes. a4s stimulated the in vitro degradation of the acetylated core histones, instead of nonacetylated histones, by the PA200-proteasome. Deletion of a4s blocked degradation of the core histones at DNA damage loci in spermatocytes, leading to meiotic arrest at metaphase I. Thus, a4s is required for histone degradation at meiotic DNA damage loci, proper progression of meiosis, and fertility in males by promoting proper formation of spermatoproteasomes. These results are important for understanding male infertility and might provide potential targets for male contraception or treatment of male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning has achieved great success in many areas today, but the forecast effect of machine learning often depends on the specific problem. An ensemble learning forecasts results by combining multiple base classifiers. Therefore, its ability to adapt to various scenarios is strong, and the classification accuracy is high. In response to the low classification accuracy of the darkest source magnitude set of stars/galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a star/galaxy classification algorithm based on the stacking ensemble learning is proposed in this paper. The complete photometric data set is obtained from the SDSS Data Release (DR) 7, and divided into the bright source magnitude set, dark source magnitude set, and darkest source magnitude set according to the stellar magnitude. Firstly, the 10-fold nested cross-validation method is used for the darkest source magnitude set, then the Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms are used to establish the base-classifier model; the Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) is used as the meta-classifier model. Finally, based on the classification accuracy of galaxies and other indicators, the classification results are analyzed and compared with the results obtained by the Function Tree (FT), SVM, RF, GBDT, Stacked Denoising Autoencoders (SDAE), Deep Belief Nets (DBN), and Deep Perception Decision Tree (DPDT) models. The experimental results show that the stacking ensemble learning model has improved the classification accuracy of galaxies in the darkest source magnitude set by nearly 10% compared to the function tree algorithm. Compared with other traditional machine learning algorithm, stronger lifting algorithm, and deep learning algorithm, the stacking ensemble learning model also has different degrees of improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been several genome-wide association study (GWAS) reported for carcass, growth, andmeat traits in chickens.Most of these studies have been based on single SNPsGWAS. In contrast, haplotype-based GWAS reports have been limited. In the present study, 2 Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF) and genotyped with the chicken 60K SNP chip were used to perform a haplotype-based GWAS. The lean and fat chicken lines were selected for abdominal fat content for 11 yr. Abdominal fat weight was significantly different between the 2 lines; however, there was no difference for body weight between the lean and fat lines. A total of 132 haplotype windows were significantly associated with abdominal fat weight. These significantly associated haplotype windows were primarily located on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 10, and 26. Seven candidate genes, including SHH, LMBR1, FGF7, IL16, PLIN1, IGF1R, and SLC16A1, were located within these associated regions. These genes may play important roles in the control of abdominal fat content. Two regions on chromosomes 3 and 10 were significantly associated with testis weight. These 2 regions were previously detected by the single SNP GWAS using this same resource population. TCF21 on chromosome 3 was identified as a potentially important candidate gene for testis growth and development based on gene expression analysis and the reported function of this gene. TCF12, which was previously detected in our SNP by SNP interaction analysis, was located in a region on chromosome 10 that was significantly associated with testis weight. Six candidate genes, including TNFRSF1B, PLOD1, NPPC, MTHFR, EPHB2, and SLC35A3, on chromosome 21 may play important roles in bone development based on the known function of these genes. In addition, several regions were significantly associated with other carcass and growth traits, but no candidate geneswere identified.The results of the present study may be helpful in understanding the genetic mechanisms of carcass and growth traits in chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning has achieved great success in many areas today. The lifting algorithm has a strong ability to adapt to various scenarios with a high accuracy, and has played a great role in many fields. But in astronomy, the application of lifting algorithms is still rare. In response to the low classification accuracy of the dark star/galaxy source set in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), a new research result of machine learning, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), has been introduced. The complete photometric data set is obtained from the SDSS-DR7, and divided into a bright source set and a dark source set according to the star magnitude. Firstly, the ten-fold cross-validation method is used for the bright source set and the dark source set respectively, and the XGBoost algorithm is used to establish the star/galaxy classification model. Then, the grid search and other methods are used to adjust the XGBoost parameters. Finally, based on the galaxy classification accuracy and other indicators, the classification results are analyzed, by comparing with the models of function tree (FT), Adaptive boosting (Adaboost), Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT), Stacked Denoising AutoEncoders (SDAE), and Deep Belief Nets (DBN). The experimental results show that, the XGBoost improves the classification accuracy of galaxies in the dark source classification by nearly 10% as compared to the function tree algorithm, and improves the classification accuracy of sources with the darkest magnitudes in the dark source set by nearly 5% as compared to the function tree algorithm. Compared with other traditional machine learning algorithms and deep neural networks, the XGBoost also has different degrees of improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mammalian STE20-like protein kinase 1 (MST1)--MOB kinase activator 1 (MOB1) complex has been shown to suppress the oncogenic activity of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in the mammalian Hippo pathway, which is involved in the development of multiple tumors, including pancreatic cancer (PC). However, it remains unclear whether other MST--MOB complexes are also involved in regulating Hippo--YAP signaling and have potential roles in PC. Here, we report that mammalian STE20-like kinase 4 (MST4), a distantly related ortholog of the MST1 kinase, forms a complex with MOB4 in a phosphorylation- dependent manner. We found that the overall structure of the MST4--MOB4 complex resembles that of the MST1--MOB1 complex, even though the two complexes exhibited opposite biological functions in PC. In contrast to the tumor-suppressor effect of the MST1--MOB1 complex, the MST4--MOB4 complex promoted growth and migration of PANC-1 cells. Moreover, expression levels of MST4 and MOB4 were elevated in PC and were positively correlated with each other, whereas MST1 expression was down-regulated. Because of divergent evolution of key interface residues,MST4andMOB4could disrupt assembly of the MST1--MOB1 complex through alternative pairing and thereby increased YAP activity. Collectively, these findings identify the MST4--MOB4complex as a noncanonical regulator of the Hippo--YAP pathway with an oncogenic role in PC. Our findings highlight that although MST--MOB complexes display some structural conservation, they functionally diverged during their evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sirtuin 2 (SIRT2) is a sirtuin family deacetylase, which maintains genome integrity and prevents tumorigenesis. Although Sirt2 deficiency in mice leads to tumorigenesis, the functional significance of somatic SIRT2 mutations in human tumors is unclear. Using structural insight combined with bioinformatics and functional analyses, we show that naturally occurring cancer-associated SIRT2 mutations at evolutionarily conserved sites disrupt its deacetylation of DNA-damage response proteins by impairing SIRT2 catalytic activity or protein levels but not its localization or binding with substrate. We observed that these SIRT2 mutant proteins fail to restore the replication stress sensitivity, impairment in recovery from replication stress, and impairment in ATR-interacting protein (ATRIP) focus accumulation of SIRT2 deficiency. Moreover, the SIRT2 mutant proteins failed to rescue the spontaneous induction of DNA damage and micronuclei of SIRT2 deficiency in cancer cells. Our findings support a model for SIRT2's tumor-suppressive function in which somatic mutations in SIRT2 contribute to genomic instability by impairing its deacetylase activity or diminishing its protein levels in the DNA-damage response. In conclusion, our work provides a mechanistic basis for understanding the biological and clinical significance of SIRT2 mutations in genome maintenance and tumor suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly crystalline LaBxO3 (B = Co, Mn) perovskites are produced through a simple non-aqueous benzyl alcohol (BA) route. Textural properties of BA-derived materials were compared to those obtained for solids of comparable composition, prepared by classical citric acid complexation method. Oxygen mobility in synthesized materials was evaluated by oxygen isotopic (18O) exchange (OIE). Perovskites obtained with the BA route shows much larger specific surface area, smaller crystallite size and superior oxygen mobility. Such improvement in properties is in favor of low temperature catalytic oxidation, as evaluated by CO oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that hepatic insulin resistance, a disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism, plays a vital role in type 2 diabetes (T2D). To clarify the function of Dapper1 in glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver, we investigated the relationships between Dapper1 and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)- and Ca2+-mediated activation of PI3K/Akt. We observed a reduction in hepatic Dapper1 in db/db (mice that are homozygous for a spontaneous diabetes mutation) and HFD-induced diabetic mice with T2D. Hepatic overexpression of Dapper1 improved hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and fatty liver. It also increased Akt (pAkt) signaling and repressed both gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis. Conversely, Ad-shDapper1-induced knockdown of hepatic Dapper1 promoted gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis. Furthermore, Dapper1 activated PI3K p110α/Akt in an insulin-independent manner by inducing ATP production and secretion in vitro. Blockade of P2 ATP receptors, the downstream phospholipase C (PLC), or the inositol triphosphate receptor (IP3R all reduced the Dapper1-induced increase in cytosolic free calcium and Dapper1-mediated PI3K/Akt activation, as did removal of calcium in the medium. In conclusion, Dapper1 attenuates hepatic gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis in T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potentially hazardous iron-containing sludge from the Fenton process requires proper treatment and disposal, which often results in high treatment cost. In this study, a novel method for the reuse of Fenton sludge as an iron source for the synthesis of nickel ferrite particles (NiFe2O4) is proposed. Through a co-precipitation method followed by sintering at 800°C, magnetic NiFe2O4 particles were successfully synthesized, which was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The synthesized NiFe2O4 could be used as an efficient catalyst in the heterogeneous Fenton process. In phenol degradation with H2O2 or NiFe2O4 alone, the phenol removal efficiencies within the reaction time of 330 min were as low as 5.9% ± 0.1% and 13.5% ± 0.4%, respectively. However, in the presence of both NiFe2O4 and H2O2, phenol removal efficiency as high as 95% ± 3.4% could be achieved, indicating the excellent catalytic performance of NiFe2O4 in the heterogeneous Fenton process. Notably, a rapid electron exchange between NiII and FeIII ions in the NiFe2O4 structure could be beneficial for the Fenton reaction. In addition, the magnetic catalyst was relatively stable, highly active and recoverable, and has potential applications in the Fenton process for organic pollutant removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are essential components for mRNA translation. Two sets of aaRSs are required for cytoplasmic and mitochondrial translation in vertebrates. Interestingly, TARSL2 is a recently evolved duplicated gene of TARS1 (encoding cytoplasmic threonyl-tRNA synthetase) and represents the only duplicated aaRS gene in vertebrates. Although TARSL2 retains the canonical aminoacylation and editing activities in vitro, whether it is a true tRNA synthetase for mRNA translation in vivo is unclear. In this study, we showed that Tars1 is an essential gene since homozygous Tars1 KO mice were lethal. In contrast, when Tarsl2 was deleted in mice and zebrafish, neither the abundance nor the charging levels of tRNAThrs were changed, indicating that cells relied on Tars1 but not on Tarsl2 for mRNA translation. Furthermore, Tarsl2 deletion did not influence the integrity of the multiple tRNA synthetase complex, suggesting that Tarsl2 is a peripheral member of the multiple tRNA synthetase complex. Finally, we observed that Tarsl2-deleted mice exhibited severe developmental retardation, elevated metabolic capacity, and abnormal bone and muscle development after 3 weeks. Collectively, these data suggest that, despite its intrinsic activity, loss of Tarsl2 has little influence on protein synthesis but does affect mouse development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We report an extremely rare case of sudden death due to acute necrotizing encephalopathy(ANE) caused by influena A infection. • The expression of influenza A virus antigen in the brain by immuno-histochemistry is helpful for diagnosis of ANE due to influenza virus A virus. • The present case emphasizes the neuropathological features of ANE. Influenza occasionally causes central nervous system disorders. Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) is one of the most severe influenza-associated complications, predominantly affecting infants and young children under 5 years of age. We present this case as it involves a very rare complication of influenza infection that is known to have a high rate of mortality. A 5-year-old girl presented with a high fever and convulsions. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she died within 24 h. Autopsy revealed extensive brain edema, multifocal perivascular hemorrhage, and necrosis of neurons without inflammatory cell infiltration in the pons and bilateral thalamus. Tests for influenza virus A and antibodies to it were positive. The girl's death was attributed to ANE associated with influenza A infection based on the clinical presentation, the postmortem neuropathology, and identification of the virus. The goal of this report is to draw attention to the potentially serious complications of influenza A infection. We hope that the lethal outcome of this disease will be fully recognized by medical personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al-Mg-Si alloy overhead conductor was prepared by horizontal continuous casting and subsequent continuous extrusion forming. The mechanical properties, electrical conductivity and microstructural evolution of the processed conductor were characterized. It was indicated that improved combined mechanical and electrical conductivity properties were obtained for the processed alloy wires when compared with previously reported results. The enhanced properties were associated with the continuous in-line solution treatment and the refined and homogeneous (sub)grains during horizontal continuous casting and subsequence continuous extrusion forming, as well as a high density of dislocations and finer Mg2Si precipitates formed after drawn and followed by aging at 155 °C for 3 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of pH and ionic strength on gel formation and gel properties of cottonseed protein isolation (CPI) was studied using dynamic oscillatory rheometer, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The gelation temperature was influenced by ionic strength; salt had a stabilization effect, which inhibited CPI denaturation at higher salt concentrations resulting in higher gelling points. The strongest gel stiffness was made with 0.2 M NaCl. The pH also altered the denaturation temperature of the CPI; higher pH values resulted in higher denaturation temperatures. Maximum gel stiffness occurred at pH 3.8 in 0.5 M NaCl; higher or lower pH values resulted in reduced gel stiffness. The pH and NaCl also played a major role in the structure of gel networks formed by CPI. Lower pH and higher salt concentrations resulted in dense networks. These results are helpful to improve understanding of cottonseed protein, to control aggregation behavior, to improve the quality of cottonseed protein products, and to provide a theoretical base for its development and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Acquired haemophilia A (AHA) is an autoimmune disease that potentially leads to severe bleeding and has a high rate of mortality. This collaborative study aimed to assess the efficacy of the co-administration of FVIII and low-dose rFVIIa in patients with AHA. Materials and Methods This study retrospectively compared the combined FVIII/low-dose rFVIIa therapy (initial dose range of 25-55 μg/Kg) with the combined FVIII/PCC therapy and low-dose rFVIIa monotherapy. Adverse drug reactions and recurrent bleeding episodes were also monitored. Crude comparisons and the exact conditional logistic regression were performed to compare the outcomes between three treatment groups. Results First bleeding episodes of 56 consecutive patients from 5 centres were analyzed, and 37 bleeding episodes (66.1%) were determined to be severe. Specifically, the rate of bleeding control was significantly higher with the FVIII/low-dose rFVIIa therapy compared to that of the low-dose rFVIIa alone therapy or the FVIII/PCC therapy (58.3% vs. 41.7% vs. 95.0%, respectively). Analyzing of total 236 bleeding episodes showed a clear positive association between the early initiation of haemostatic treatment and efficacy. No therapy-related adverse events in which thrombosis predominated were reported. Conclusions The combination of FVIII and low-dose rFVIIa offers an ideal haemostatic cover and may be promoted as a feasible and safe therapy protocol for patients with AHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective MTDH/AEG-1 could act as an oncogene by regulating cellular transformation, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. This study aims to explore the mechanism by which MTDH/AEG-1 inhibits cancer growth and metastasis and enhances chemosensitivity. Methods Mouse model was established using orally immunized mice exposed to attenuated Salmonella containing vectors carrying full length MTDH/AEG-1 gene, and we were able to enhance the immune response and inhibit the growth and metastasis of prostate cancer through activation of cellular and humoral immunities and induction of CD8+ T cells. Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL assay, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell analysis by flow cytometry, HE staining, RT-PCR analysis, Western-blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed. Results The MTDH/AEG-1 gene vaccine induced the anti-tumor function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD8+ T cells and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis of prostate cancer. In the therapy model, the MTDH/AEG-1 gene vaccine significantly enhanced chemosensitivity to paclitaxel, inhibited tumor growth, promoted tumor cell apoptosis, and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice without any apparent side effects. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that MTDH/AEG-1-based DNA vaccines could used for the treatment of prostate cancer in terms of the inhibition of tumor growth, the lifespan of tumor-bearing animals. Combined with chemotherapy, MTDH/AEG-1-based DNA vaccines may produce highly favorable outcomes in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer, suggesting the immune efficacy of MTDH/AEG-1-based DNA should be further analyzed in other cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth arrest is one of the essential features of cellular senescence. At present, the precise mechanisms responsible for the establishment of the senescence-associated arrested phenotype are still incompletely understood. Given that ERK1/2 is one of the major kinases controlling cell growth and proliferation, we examined the possible implication of ERK1/2. Exposure of normal rat epithelial cells to etoposide caused cellular senescence, as manifested by enlarged cell size, a flattened cell body, reduced cell proliferation, enhanced β-galactosidase activity, and elevated p53 and p21. Senescent cells displayed a blunted response to growth factor-induced cell proliferation, which was preceded by impaired ERK1/2 activation. Further analysis revealed that senescent cells expressed a significantly higher level of mitogen-activated protein phosphatase 3 (MKP-3, a cytosolic ERK1/2-targeted phosphatase), which was suppressed by blocking the transcriptional activity of the tumor suppressor p53 with pifithrin-α. Inhibition of MKP-3 activity with a specific inhibitor or siRNA enhanced basal ERK1/2 phosphorylation and promoted cell proliferation. Apart from its role in growth arrest, impairment of ERK1/2 also contributed to the resistance of senescent cells to oxidant-elicited cell injury. These results therefore indicate that p53-mediated up-regulation of MKP-3 contributes to the establishment of the senescent cellular phenotype through dephosphorylating ERK1/2. Impairment of ERK1/2 activation could be an important mechanism by which p53 controls cellular senescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamical process and stellar evolution, as well as their mutual interaction will make important influences on the evolution of a globular cluster. As the matallicity may affect the track of stellar evolution, the associated variation of stellar mass loss rate will make influence on the dynamical process of the globular cluster as well. A series of N-body simulations are performed to study the effects of matallicity on the mass loss rate and radius of a globular cluster, and the reasons are analyzed. At the same time, the effects of large-mass stars and the cluster's initial number density distribution are also studied. In the simulations, the adopted initial number of member stars in the globular cluster model is N =50000, they move in the Galaxy-like gravitational potential, and their evolutions are also taken into consideration. The results indicate that because the low-matallicity stars have a faster evolutionary timescale, so in the early period the metal-poor globular cluster will have a higher mass loss, but at the same time its core collapse will be obviously delayed in time, hence after the core collapse its mass loss will be overtaken by the metal-rich globular cluster. In addition, as the evolution of large-mass star causes a larger mass loss, hence the existence of large-mass stars will make the matallicity even significantly influence on the early period expansion of the globular cluster, and the succeeding process of core collapse, besides, the influence of the cluster's initial number density distribution is also not negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of state dimension reduction and quantizer design under communication constraints is discussed for state estimation in quantized linear systems. Subject to the limited signal power, number and bandwidth of the parallel channels, a differential pulse code modulation (DPCM)-like structure is adopted to generate the quantized innovations as the transmitted signals, and the multi-level quantized Kalman filter (MLQ-KF) is used to serve as the pre- and post-filters. The dimension reduction matrix and quantizer are designed jointly under the MMSE criterion of estimation at the channel receiver. To demonstrate the validity of state estimation under the adopted framework, the state estimability based on quantized innovations is analyzed by using information theoretic method. This leads to a sufficient and necessary condition of a certain estimability Gramian matrix having full rank. The quantized Gramian is proved to converge to that of the original unquantized system when the quantization intervals turn to zero. Our work also provides an auxiliary analytic support for the estimation under 1-bit quantization. Simulations show that under communication constraints, the estimation performance is satisfactory when the designed dimension reduction method and quantizer are applied. The analytic conclusion of estimability is also verified by illustrative simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of different addition of Cr on microstructure and properties (especially the corrosion resistance) of cladding layers were investigated by means of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), potentio-dynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed that Fe-Ti-V-C alloy powders with different addition of Cr formed good cladding layers without defects such as cracking and porosity. Phases of the cladding layers were α-Fe, γ-Fe, TiC, VC and TiVC2. A certain amount of long strip Cr3C2 synthesized while the addition of Cr was 12.0% or more. Microhardness and corrosion resistance of cladding layer both improved greatly with a moderate amount of Cr. The cladding layer with 3.0% Cr showed a highest microhardness 1090HV0.2, and the variation tendency of the hardness is not a linearly relationship with increasing the chromium addition. The cladding layer with 12.0% Cr addition showed the best corrosion resistance, which was about 4.5 times than that of the cladding layer without Cr. EIS spectrum of the cladding layer without Cr was composed of an inductive arc at low frequency and a capacitive arc at high frequency. However, the inductive arc at low frequency transformed into a capacitive arc gradually with the addition of Cr increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible photoluminescence (PL) switches based on a complex of gold nanoclusters and electrochromic poly(methylene blue) (PMB) were realized. The gold nanoclusters PL of hybrid device can be modulated reversibly under electrochemical stimulation. Such an electrochromic device presents several advantages, such as large fluorescence contrast under reduction and oxidation potentials, good reversibility and excellent long-time stability. This simple protocol is anticipated to offer important hints for other nanoclusters and electrochromic materials in the field of photoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to investigate the relationship of polymorphisms in ABCB1 and the predictive value of thromboelastography (TEG) on bleeding risk in clopidogrel-treated patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods 467 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were enrolled. Twenty tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected from ABCB1 gene and CYP2C19*2, *3, *17 were detected by the ligase detection reaction. Platelet reactivity was assessed by TEG. The follow-up period was 12months. Results By receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the TEG platelet mapping assay value of ADP inhibition had the best predictive value of bleeding academic research consortium definition (BARC) ≥ 3b bleedings, yielding an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.707 (95% CI 0.662-0.749, p=0.009; cut-off value 93.4%). ADP inhibition can also predict BARC≥3 bleedings with an AUC of 0.594 (95% CI 0.546-0.640, p=0.05; cut-off value 92.5%). After adjustment for established risk factors of bleeding including the gain of function CYP2C19*17 allele, age, female gender, renal function, the multivariable logistic regression model demonstrated that ADP inhibition>92.5% (OR 2.247, 95%CI 1.082-4.665, P=0.03), carriage of rs1045642 (OR 2.943, 95%CI 1.195-7.247, P=0.019) and rs7779562 (OR 0.453, 95%CI 0.219-0.936, P=0.032) were independent predictors of BARC≥3 bleedings. These associations were validated in a second cohort of 504 STEMI patients. Conclusions In STEMI patients treated with clopidogrel after PCI, the ABCB1 tag SNP rs1045642 is associated with higher risk of bleedings while rs7779562 is associated with lower bleeding risk, and ADP inhibition in TEG has a predictive value of bleedings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surfaces of wool fibers are modified with N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles by treating the fibers with tetrabutyl titanate and ammonium chloride under low temperature hydrothermal conditions to obtain wool fibers with photocatalytic functions in the visible light spectrum. The effects of nitrogen and sulfur in amino acids in keratin on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 particle coated wool fibers are investigated. Changes of various fiber properties such as tensile strength, photocatalytic activity, and self-cleaning performance of untreated, TiO2 coated and N-doped TiO2 coated wool fibers are studied. It is found that N-doped anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with an average grain size of 11.2 nm are synthesized and simultaneously grafted onto the wool fibers. After treatments, the crystallization index of the wool fibers is slightly reduced. The capability to protect against ultraviolet radiation is much enhanced. The performances of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye and self-cleaning of red wine under both UV and visible light irradiation are endowed. It is also found that wool fibers coated with TiO2 particles without being doped by nitrogen still have apparent photocatalytic reactions and self-cleaning effects under visible light irradiation due to the formation of C-Ti3+, O-Ti3+, and N-Ti3+ bonds between TiO2 and wool keratin on the wool fiber surfaces. Thus wool fabrics might not need to be coated with N-doped TiO2 nanoparticles to realize its self-cleaning effect under visible light. Such important conclusions would provide wool materials with wide applications in clothing and technical products such as wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a low cost and simple method to prepare a paper-based supercapacitor in this study. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were dispersed with a pectin solution under an ultrasonic homogenizer. Carbon nanotube suspension was prepared using a centrifuge to eliminate impurities. The dispersed MWCNTs suspension was dropped and dried onto the shallow surface of commercial copy paper. A paper-based conductive paper was formed as the electrodes. The electrical conductivity and dispersed morphology of the paper-based conductive paper were examined by four probes, atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The solid-state electrolyte was prepared by casting a solution of phosphoric acid and polyvinyl alcohol onto a glass plate. The paper-based supercapacitor was constructed with one solid-state electrolyte inserted between two electrodes, which were assembled into a sandwich structure by hot press. The specific capacitance and cycle-life stability of the paper-based supercapacitor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that deregulate and/or decrease the expression of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which specifically contribute to complex diseases. In our study, we reanalyzed an integrated data to promote classification performance by rebuilding miRNA-mRNA modules, in which a group of deregulated miRNAs cooperatively regulated a group of significant mRNAs. In five-fold cross validation, the multiple processes flow considered the biological and statistical significant correlations. First, of statistical significant miRNAs, 6 were identified as core miRNAs. Second, in the 13 significant pathways enriched by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), 705 deregulated mRNAs were found. Based on the union of predicted sets and correlation sets, 6 modules were built. Finally, after verified by test sets, three indexes, including area under the ROC curve (AUC), Accuracy and Matthews correlation coefficients (MCCs), indicated only 4 modules (miR-106b-CIT-KPNA2-miR-93, miR-106b-POLQ-miR-93, miR-107-BTRC-UBR3-miR-16 and miR-200c-miR-16-EIF2B5-miR-15b) had discriminated ability and their classification performance were prior to that of the single molecules. By applying this flow to different subtypes, Module 1 was the consistent module across subtypes, but some different modules were still specific to each subtype. Taken together, this method gives new insight to building modules related to complex diseases and simultaneously can give a supplement to explain the mechanism of breast cancer (BC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MutS2 homologues have been found widespread in most prokaryotes, which are involved in DNA repair and reactive oxygen species detoxification. The C-terminal small mutS-related (Smr) domain is critical for its endonucleolytic activity. However, the detailed catalytic mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we first investigated the in vivo role of drMutS2 in Deinococcus radiodurans, the most radiation-resistant organism exhibits the remarkable DNA repair capacity. mutS2 and recA mutS2 double knockout mutants were constructed because the phenotype was strongly masked by the predominant homologous recombination DNA repair pathway in this bacterium. Compared with the recA mutant, cells devoid of both genes showed increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation and oxidative agents, suggesting that drMutS2 is involved in RecA-independent mechanisms that enhance cellular resistance to oxidative stress-induced DNA damage. Moreover, the basal level of reductase activity and thiamine biosynthesis was induced in the absence of mutS2. To characterize its catalytic residues, the Smr domain was crystallized and soaked in buffer containing manganese ions. In contrast to native crystals, the space group of manganese-derivative crystals transformed from monoclinic to orthorhombic unexpectedly. This type of crystals showed improved diffraction resolution to 1.2 Å, which has the highest resolution of currently known Smr structures. Structural comparison revealed that three acidic amino-acid residues, which are all located in the α1 helix, changed the rotamer states after metal soaking. Mutational analysis of conserved residue glutamic acid 710 to alanine yielded a drMutS2 variant with impaired nuclease activity, and could only partially rescue the radiosensitive phenotype of the mutS2 null strain, indicating that glutamic acid 710 is the catalytic residue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present our work on electrochemical reduction of CO 2 under ambient conditions using a high-surface-area bismuth (HSA-Bi) catalyst, which is fabricated by electrochemical reduction of BiOCl nanosheets. This HSA-Bi catalyst exhibits surprising selectivity towards reduction of CO 2 to formate with a high Faradic efficiency (~ 92%). In addition, the activity of this catalyst remains stable during long-time electrolysis and maximum current density of ~ 3.7 mA mg - 1 could be obtained. The high activity is attributed to the special nanostructure of catalyst, as indicated by lower overpotential of CO 2 reduction on HSA-Bi than that on commercial Bi powder. The HSA-Bi catalyst is believed to be a promising catalyst for further application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) regulates autoimmunity and self-antigen expression, such as acetylcholine receptor (AchR), in the thymus. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can down-regulate autoimmunity, but also promote tumor growth. The objective of this study was to examine the levels of AIRE, AchR, and Foxp3 expression in thymomas. Methods The relative levels of AIRE, AchR, and Foxp3 mRNA transcripts and the frequency of AIRE+, AchR+, and Foxp3+ cells were determined by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in 79 thymoma tissue samples from 21 patients with simple thymoma (the Tm group), 39 patients with myasthenia gravis (the MG group) and 19 patients with myasthenia gravis and one other autoimmune disease (the AD group). The numbers of peripheral blood CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs were determined by flow cytometry analysis. Results The relative levels of AIRE and AchR mRNA transcripts in the MG group were significantly lower than that in the Tm group (p = 0.04, p = 0.03), but higher than that in the AD group (p = 0.03, p = 0.04). The relative levels of Foxp3 mRNA transcripts in the Tm group were significantly higher than that in the MG and AD groups (p = 0.03 for both). A similar pattern of the percentages of AIRE+, AchR+, and Foxp3+ cells in the thymoma tissues and the numbers of peripheral blood Tregs were detected in these patients. The levels of AIRE mRNA transcripts were correlated positively with that of the AchR and Foxp3 in this population. The levels of AIRE and AchR mRNA transcripts in the A/AB/B1 types of thymomas were significantly higher than that in the B2/B3/C types of thymomas in this population. Conclusion Significantly lower levels of AIRE, AchR, and Foxp3 expression are associated with the development of thymoma-related autoimmune diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decolorization of C. I. Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in aqueous solution by Fe3O4 activated peroxydisulfate (PDS) oxidation in an electrochemical reactor (EC/Fe3O4/PDS process) was performed in this study. Various parameters were investigated to optimize the process, including initial pH, current density, PDS concentration and Fe3O4 dosage. The stability of Fe3O4 particles was observed by recycle experiments. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to investigate the surface properties of Fe3O4 before and after reaction. GC-MS analysis was employed to identify the intermediate products and a plausible degradation pathway of AO7 was proposed. The change of acute toxicity during the treatment was investigated by activated sludge inhibition test. The TOC removal efficiency was 30.0% in a 90min reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac malformations due to aberrant development of the atrioventricular (AV) valves are among the most common forms of congenital heart diseases. Normally, heart valve mesenchyme is formed from an endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of endothelial cells of the endocardial cushions. Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) has been reported to regulate EMT in vitro, in addition to its known role as a major regulator of organ size and cell proliferation in vertebrates, leading us to hypothesize that YAP1 is required for heart valve development. We tested this hypothesis by conditional inactivation of YAP1 in endothelial cells and their derivatives. This resulted in markedly hypocellular endocardial cushions due to impaired formation of heart valve mesenchyme by EMT and to reduced endocardial cell proliferation. In endothelial cells, TGFβ induces nuclear localization of Smad2/3/4 complex, which activates expression of Snail, Twist1, and Slug, key transcription factors required for EMT. YAP1 interacts with this complex, and loss of YAP1 disrupts TGFβ-induced up-regulation of Snail, Twist1, and Slug. Together, ourresultsidentifyaroleofYAP1inregulatingEMTthroughmodulation of TGFβ-Smad signaling and through proliferative activity during cardiac cushion development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of different concentrations of NaCl in tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) developer on the electron beam lithography resolution of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) resist were studied, using original development model based on the three-dimensional (3D) energy deposition distributions (EDDs) and the experimental developing behaviors. The development behaviors of HSQ resist developed in 2.3 wt.% TMAH, 2.3 wt.% TMAH with 2 wt.% NaCl and 2.3 wt.% TMAH with 4 wt.% NaCl developer were measured, respectively, to provide the solubility rates at different exposure dosages for the simulation. On the basis of the solubility rates and 3D-EDDs, the optimal EDD regions were determined for achieving sharp nanodot patterns. The optimal resist profiles of the three different developers were compared, showing that the 2.3 wt.% TMAH with 4 wt.% NaCl developer is suitable to form 7-nm-sized, 15-nm-pitched nanodots with sufficient height. The simulations were demonstrated to be useful for estimating the pattern resolutions with different solubility rates of developers, especially for sub-10 nm nanodot fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fructose is widely used as a sweetener in the production of many foods, yet the relation between fructose intake and cholesterol remains uncertain. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of human, controlled, feeding trials involving isocaloric fructose exchange for other carbohydrates to quantify the effects of fructose on serum total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) in adult humans. Weighted mean differences were calculated to determine changes from baseline cholesterol concentrations by means of generic, inverse variance, random-effect models. The Heyland Methodological Quality was used to assess the quality of the study. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore the possible influences of study characteristics. Twenty-four trials (with a total of 474 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. In an overall pooled estimate, it was shown that fructose exerted no effect on HDL-C. Meta-regression analysis indicated that fructose dose was positively correlated with the effect sizes of TC and LDL-C. Subgroup analyses showed that isocaloric fructose exchange for carbohydrates increased TC by 13.0 mg/dL [(95% CI: 4.7, 21.3); P = 0.002] and LDL-C by 11.6 mg/dL [(95% CI: 4.4, 18.9); P = 0.002] at >100 g fructose/d. However, no effect was shown on TC or LDL-C when the fructose intake was ≤ 100 g/d. In conclusion, it was shown that very high fructose intake (>100 g/d)increases serum LDL-C and TC concentrations. Larger, longer, and higher-quality human, controlled, feeding trials are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streptococcus suis, a major pathogen of pigs, is an emerging zoonotic agent that causes meningitis and septic shock. cbp40 is a putative virulent gene that has been identified using suppression subtractive hybridization performed on the virulent S. suis serotype 2 strain HA9801 and the avirulent S. suis serotype 2 strain T15. Based on predicted protein features showing a shared conserved domain with the collagen-binding protein Cna of Staphylococcus aureus, Cbp40 is likely to function as a direct mediator of collagen adhesion. Here, the cbp40 gene was cloned and the recombinant protein purified. Western blotting using swine convalescent sera confirmed its role as an immunogenic protein. Collagen binding activity could be detected by western affinity blot and ELISA. Conversely, deletion of the cbp40 gene reduced bacterial adhesion to HEp-2 cells, capacity for biofilm formation, and virulence in a zebrafish infection model. The response of the bEnd.3 cell line to infection with the S. suis serotype 2 strain ZY05719 and the cbp40-knockout strain was evaluated using gene expression arrays. The differentially expressed genes were involved in inflammatory and immune responses, leukocyte adhesion and heterophilic cell adhesion. Collectively, these data suggest that Cbp40 plays an important role as an extracellular matrix adhesion protein that interacts with host cells during infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hippo signaling pathway plays an essential role in organ size control and tumorigenesis. Loss of Hippo signal and hyper-activation of the downstream oncogenic YAP signaling are commonly observed in various types of cancers. We previously identified STRN3-containing PP2A phosphatase as a negative regulator of MST1/2 kinases (i.e., Hippo) in gastric cancer (GC), opening the possibility of selectively targeting the PP2Aa–STRN3–MST1/2 axis to recover Hippo signaling against cancer. Here, we further discovered 1) disulfiram (DSF), an FDA-approved drug, which can similarly block the binding of STRN3 to PP2A core enzyme and 2) CX-6258 (CX), a chemical inhibitor, that can disrupt the interaction between STRN3 and MST1/2, both allowing reactivation of Hippo activity to inhibit GC. More importantly, we found these two compounds, via an MST1/2 kinase-dependent manner, inhibit DNA repair to sensitize GC towards chemotherapy. In addition, we identified thiram, a structural analog of DSF, can function similarly to inhibit cancer cell proliferation or enhance chemotherapy sensitivity. Interestingly, inclusion of copper ion enhanced such effects of DSF and thiram on GC treatment. Overall, this work demonstrated that pharmacological targeting of the PP2Aa–STRN3–MST1/2 axis by drug compounds can potently recover Hippo signal for tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of bi-functional hybrid catalyst of Pd-decorated CNT-promoted Cu-ZrO2 admixed with HZSM-5 zeolite was developed, and displayed excellent performance for the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from CO2/H2 via CH3OH in a single fixed-bed continuous flow reactor. Over a CuZr–PdCNTs/HZSM-5 hybrid catalyst under reaction conditions of 5.0 MPa, 523 K, V(H2)/V(CO2)/V(N2) = 69/23/8, GHSV = 25,000 mLSTP/(h g-hydr. catal.), the observed specific rate of CO2 hydrogenation-conversion reached 0.39 μmol/(s m2-Cu0-SA), which was 1.22 times that of the corresponding Pd/CNTs-free counterpart CuZr/HZSM-5. The addition of a minor amount of the Pd-decorated CNTs into the CuZr/HZSM-5 host catalyst caused little change in the apparent activation energy for CO2 hydrogenation, but led to an increase of metal Cu exposed area (catalytically active Cu surface-sites closely associated with the CO2 hydrogenation to methanol) and marked improvement of adsorption performance of the catalyst for H2 and CO2. The latter would help generate a micro-environment with higher concentration of active H and CO2 adspecies at the surface of the functioning catalyst, thus increasing the rate of the surface hydrogenation reactions. The present study also demonstrated that combining the methanol-synthesis and methanol-dehydration-to-DME processes in heterogeneous “one-pot” reactions by using the bi-functional hybrid catalyst could indeed enhance the driving force for CO2 hydrogenation conversion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The unlubricated friction and wear behaviors of Al2O3/TiC ceramic tool materials were evaluated in ambient air at temperature up to 800°C by high temperature tribological tests. The friction coefficient and wear rates were measured. The microstructural changes and the wear surface features of the ceramics were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the temperature had an important effect on the friction and wear behaviors of this Al2O3 based ceramic. The friction coefficient decreased with the increase of temperature, and the Al2O3/TiC ceramics exhibited the lowest friction coefficient in the case of 800°C sliding operation. The wear rates increased with the increase of temperature. During sliding at temperature above 600°C, oxidation of the TiC is to be expected, and the formation of lubricious oxide film on the wear track is beneficial to the reduction of friction coefficient. The wear mechanism of the composites at temperature less than 400°C was primary abrasive wear, and the mechanisms of oxidative wear dominated in the case of 800°C sliding operation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background and purpose: Studies have shown that the administration of Taxol, an anti-cancer drug, inhibited scar formation, promoted axonal elongation and improved locomotor recovery in rats after spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesized that combining Taxol with another promising therapy, transplantation of human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs), might further improve the degree of locomotor recovery. The present study examined whether Taxol combined with transplantation of hUCMSCs would produce synergistic effects on recovery and which mechanisms were involved in the effect. Methods: A total of 32 rats subjected to SCI procedures were assigned to one of the following four treatment groups: phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, control), hUCMSCs, Taxol, or Taxol+hUCMSCs. Immediately after injury, hUCMSCs were transplanted into the injury site and Taxol was administered intrathecally for 4 weeks. Locomotor recovery was evaluated using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan locomotor (BBB) rating scale. Survival of the transplanted human cells and the host glial reaction in the injured spinal cord were studied by immunohistochemistry. Results: Treatment with Taxol, hUCMSCs or Taxol+hUCMSCs reduced the extent of astrocytic activation, increased axonal preservation and decreased the number of caspase-3+ and ED-1+ cells, but these effects were more pronounced in the Taxol+hUCMSCs group. Behavioral analyses showed that rats in the Taxol+hUCMSCs group showed better motor performance than rats treated with hUCMSCs or Taxol only. Conclusions: The combination of Taxol and hUCMSCs produced beneficial effects in rats with regard to functional recovery following SCI through the enhancement of anti-inflammatory, anti-astrogliosis, anti-apoptotic and axonal preservation effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nutt. (CR), known as black cohosh, has been used in Europe as a medicinal plant for more than a century and its roots have been widely used for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Remifemin, the main ingredient in liquid or tablet medications prepared from isopropyl alcohol extracts of black cohosh rhizome, has also been evaluated in clinical studies. Objectives: To observe changes in the expression of the c-Fos protein in the hypothalamic nuclei of four groups of rats—sham-operated group (SHAM), ovariectomized (OVX) group, ovariectomized group treated with estrogen(OVX+E), and ovariectomized group treated with the isopropanol extract of Cimicifuga racemosa (OVX+ICR)—and to investigate the mechanisms of black cohosh and estrogen that take place in the hypothalamic nuclei of ovariectomized rats. Methods: Fifty rats were assigned to each of the four groups and placed in incubators at 4°C, 10°C, 25°C, 33°C, or 38°C for 2h. They were then anesthetized, and their brains were removed after heart perfusion. c-Fos expression in the hypothalamic nuclei was evaluated using immunohistochemical methods. Results: In the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), ventromedial preoptic nucleus (VMPO), and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCh) of the SHAM group, in the anterior hypothalamic area (AH) and supraoptic nucleus (SO) of all four groups, and in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the SHAM, OVX and OVX+E groups, the c-Fos-positive cell densities all changed in a similar manner: the cell density decreased when the temperature was less than 25°C and the density increased when the temperature was greater than 25°C, demonstrating a V-type curve. The c-Fos density was lowest at 25°C. The other nuclei demonstrated irregular changes. The positive cell densities in the MnPO, AH, and PVN of the SHAM, OVX+E, and OVX+ICR groups were greater than the densities measured in the OVX group at all temperatures, except 25°C. Positive cell densities in the SHAM, OVX+E, and OVX+ICR groups were greater than the densities measured in the OVX groups in the MPA at 25°C, in the VMPO at 4°C, 33°C, and 38°C, in the SO at 4°C, 10°C, and 38°C, and in the SCh at 33°C. Conclusion: Regardless of the temperature, positive cell densities were lower in the MnPO, MPA, VMPO, AH, SCh, SO, and PVN of the OVX groups in comparison with the densities measured in the same sites in the SHAM group. Following the administration of black cohosh and estrogen, the positive cell densities in the OVX groups increased and became closer to, or exceeded, those measured in the SHAM group, suggesting that both drugs may act on the hypothalamic nuclei and have therapeutic effects on menopausal symptoms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The friction and wear behaviors of WC/Co cemented carbide tool materials with average WC grain sizes ranging from 0.6 to 2.2μm were evaluated in ambient air at temperatures up to 600°C using a ball-on-disk high temperature tribometer. The friction coefficient and wear rate were measured. The microstructural changes and the wear surface features of the WC/Co cemented carbides were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that the friction coefficient of WC/Co cemented carbides decreased with the increase of test temperature. All the tested samples showed the highest friction coefficient when sliding at 200°C, and exhibited the lowest friction coefficient in the case of 600°C. The wear rate of WC/Co cemented carbides increased with the increase of test temperature. The cemented carbide with the smallest WC grain size showed improved wear resistance at temperature up to 600°C, which corresponds to its higher value of hardness. The difference of the worn surface features of the WC/Co cemented carbide after sliding at different temperature is related to the chemical transformation during sliding wear tests. Abrasion and grain cracking seemed to be the main wear types at temperature less than 200°C, the wear owing to binder removal by plastic deformation and grain pull out were suggested to be the main wear mechanism at intermediate temperature, while the mechanism of oxidative wear dominated at 600°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In mammalian cells, canonical histone H3 (H3.1) and H3 variant (H3.3) differ by five amino acids and are assembled, along with histone H4, into nucleosomes via distinct nucleosome assembly pathways. H3.1-H4 molecules are assembled by histone chaperone CAF-1 in a replication-coupled process, whereas H3.3-H4 are assembled via HIRA in a replication-independent pathway. Newly synthesized histone H4 is acetylated at lysine 5 and 12 (H4K5,12) by histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1). However, it remains unclear whether HAT1 and H4K5,12ac differentially regulate these two nucleosome assembly processes. Here, we show that HAT1 binds and acetylates H4 in H3.1-H4 molecules preferentially over H4 in H3.3-H4. Depletion of Hat1, the catalytic subunit of HAT1 complex, results in reduced H3.1 occupancy at H3.1-enriched genes and reduced association of Importin 4 with H3.1, but not H3.3. Finally, depletion of Hat1 or CAF-1p150 leads to changes in expression of a H3.1-enriched gene. These results indicate that HAT1 differentially impacts nucleosome assembly of H3.1-H4 and H3.3-H4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The performance and temporal variation of four hybrid, intermittent loading, pilot-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were tested for treating domestic wastewater of three different C/N ratios (2.5:1, 5:1, and 10:1, respectively). Two hybrid systems each consisted of the two identical VFCWs in-series, with up–up or down–down flow. The other two hybrid systems consisted of the first VFCWs (up or down flow) followed by a second VFCWs (down or up flow, respectively). The effects of combination mode, season, load level, and interactions on nutrient removal were studied in synthetic wastewater in the two-stage VFCW systems. With varying C/N ratios for influent water (from 2.5:1, 5:1 to 10:1) average removal efficiencies for the two-bed two-stage systems were as follows: COD 73–93%, TN 46–87%, TP 75–90%, and TOC 40–66%, respectively. All two-bed hybrid VFCWs were efficient in removing organics and total phosphorus, and reached the highest removal rates when the C/N ratios were 10 and 5, respectively. The hybrid systems for different flow direction beds had significantly higher performance (P <0.05) during the wetlands operational period. Compared to the four types of hybrid VFCWs, the two-stage combination with different flow directions achieved significantly higher TN and TOC reductions (P <0.05). The highest total nitrogen (P <0.05) and total phosphorus reductions in down–up flow VFCWs were observed at C/N 5:1. However, for organic matter and total organic carbon, the highest COD and TOC removal rates occurred when C/N ratios were 5–10 for the down–up flow VFCWs. With appropriate control of combined mechanisms in series, the concentrations of carbon and nitrogen sources in the influent can achieve the optimal effects of nutrient removal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The friction and wear behavior of the polycrystalline diamond (PCD) were evaluated in ambient air at temperatures up to 700°C using a ball-on-disk high temperature tribometer. The wear surface features of the PCD were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition. XRD experiments were performed to study the crystal structure of the PCD specimens at different temperatures. Results showed that the friction coefficient of the PCD is different depending on the temperature, and decreases with the increase of temperature. The PCD exhibited the lowest friction coefficient of approximately 0.16 in the case of 700°C sliding operation. The difference of the worn surface features of the PCD after sliding at different temperatures is related to the chemical transformation during sliding wear tests. The surface damage of the PCD appears to happen around 600°C accompanied by extensive Co phase extrusion out of PCD. Numerous micro-cracks both at the grain boundaries and in the grains are observed with the increase of temperature to 700°C. At this temperature, surface graphitization of diamond is to be expected, and the formation of graphite on the wear track is beneficial to the reduction of friction coefficient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Niemann-Pick Cl-like 1 (NPC1L1) is a multitransmembrane protein playing a crucial role in dietary and biliary cholesterol absorption. Cholesterol promotes the formation and endocytosis of NPC1L1-flotillin-cholesterol membrane microdomains, which is an early step in cholesterol uptake. How cholesterol is sensed in this step is unknown. Here, we find that the N-terminal domain (NTD) of NPC1L1 binds cholesterol. Mutation of residue Leu-216 in NPC1L1-NTD eliminates cholesterol binding, decreases the formation of NPC1L1-flotillin-cholesterol membrane microdomains, and prevents NPC1L1-mediated cholesterol uptake in culture cells and mice livers. NPC1L1- NTD specifically binds cholesterol but not plant sterols, which may account for the selective cholesterol absorption in intestine. Furthermore, 25- or 27-hydroxycholesterol competes with cholesterol to bind NPC1L1-NTD and inhibits the cholesterol induced endocytosis of NPC1L1. Together, these results demonstrate that plasma membrane-localized NPC1L1 binds exogenous cholesterol via its NTD, and facilitates the formation of NPC1L1-flotillin-cholesterol membrane microdomains that are then internalized into cells through the clathrin-AP2 pathway. Our study uncovers the mechanism of cholesterol sensing by NPC1L1 and proposes a mechanism for selective cholesterol absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present work has investigated the influence of direct aging treatment on the precipitation sequence and properties of the Cu–15Ni–8Sn alloy coatings prepared by laser cladding. The experimental results show that the tendency of Sn segregation in the conventional Cu–15Ni–8Sn solidification microstructure is effectively relieved. Before aging, there are only two phases in the coating: the α-Cu solid solution dendrites with 7wt.% Sn solubility, and a small fraction of Sn-enriched δ-phase at the interdendrites in rapid solidified microstructure. After the coating was directly aged at 370°C without traditional solution pretreatment, the α-Cu solid solution dendrites experience precipitations in the order of pure spinodal decomposition, DO22-ordered structure and discontinue γ-DO3. The microhardness of the coating treated by direct aging reached 390 HV 0.5, which was higher than that treated by conventional solution and aging process owing to the solidified fine grains and hardening effect of spinodal decomposition. In addition, the Sn-enriched δ-phase at the interdendrites also decomposes to laminar discontinuous precipitated γ-DO3 phase after aging. Precipitation sequence and properties of the clad coatings change obviously during the direct aging treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporters play important roles in maintaining cellular ion homeostasis and mediating the transport of Na+ out of the cytosol and into the vacuole. Vacuolar antiporters have been shown to play significant roles in salt tolerance; however the relatively low Vmax of the Na+/H+ exchange of the Na+/H+ antiporters identified could limit its application in the molecular breeding of salt tolerant crops. In this study, we applied DNA shuffling methodology to generate and recombine the mutations of Arabidopsis thaliana vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter gene AtNHX1. Screening using a large scale yeast complementation system identified AtNHXS1, a novel Na+/H+ antiporter. Expression of AtNHXS1 in yeast showed that the antiporter localized to the vacuolar membrane and that its expression improved the tolerance of yeast to NaCl, KCl, LiCl, and hygromycin B. Measurements of the ion transport activity across the intact yeast vacuole demonstrated that the AtNHXS1 protein showed higher Na+/H+ exchange activity and a slightly improved K+/H+ exchange activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paddy soil samples taken from different sites in an old primitive electronic-waste (e-waste) processing region were examined for eco-toxicity and metal contamination. Using the environmental quality standard for soils (China, Grade II) as reference, soil samples of two sites were weakly contaminated with trace metal, but site G was heavily contaminated with Cd (6.37mgkg−1), and weakly contaminated with Cu (256.36mgkg−1) and Zn (209.85mgkg−1). Zn appeared to be strongly bound in the residual fraction (72.24–77.86%), no matter the soil was metal contaminated or not. However, more than 9% Cd and 16% Cu was present in the non-residual fraction in the metal contaminated soils than in the uncontaminated soil, especially for site G and site F. Compared with that of the control soil, the micronucleus rates of site G and site F soil treatments increased by 2.7-fold and 1.7-fold, respectively. Low germination rates were observed in site C (50%) and site G (50%) soil extraction treated rice seeds. The shortest root length (0.2377cm) was observed in site G soil treated groups, which is only 37.57% of that of the control soil treated groups. All of the micronucleus ratio of Vicia faba root cells, rice germination rate and root length after treatment of soil extraction indicate the eco-toxicity in site F and G soils although the three indexes are different in sensitivity to soil metal contamination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]