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Abstract: A spore-forming bacterium strain 4J5T was isolated from rice field mud. When co-cultured with Methanobacterium formicicum DSM 1535T, strain 4J5T could syntrophically degrade saturated fatty acids with 4–8 carbon atoms, including 2-methylbutyrate. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene similarity showed that strain 4J5T was most closely related to Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. wolfei DSM 2245T (98.9% sequence similarity); however, it differed from the latter in the substrates utilized and its genetic characteristics. Therefore, a new subspecies Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. methylbutyratica is proposed. The type strain is 4J5T (=CGMCC 1.5051T=JCM 14075T). Furthermore, based on 16S rRNA sequence divergence and substrate utilization, we propose the assignment of Syntrophomonas wolfei subsp. saponavida DSM 4212T to Syntrophomonas saponavida sp. nov. comb. nov. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two obligate anaerobic bacterial strains (5-3-ZT and Y4-1) were isolated from river sediment and rice field mud, respectively. They degraded straight-chain fatty acids with 4–8 carbon atoms in syntrophic association with methanogens, however, neither tested branch-chain fatty acids nor could benzoate be degraded. The strains formed spores when cocultured with methanogens on butyrate, or when grew on butyrate plus dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in pure culture. The cells were slightly curved rods with Gram-negative cell wall structure, and contained small amount of poly β-hydroxyalkanoate. The strains could not degrade butyrate alone, nor could use fumarate, sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfur or nitrate as electron acceptors except DMSO for butyrate degradation. The generation time of strain 5-3-ZT was about 12h when growing on crotonate at 37°C. The growth of the new strains occurred in the range of pH 5.5–8.4, and of temperature 20–48°C, and at NaCl concentration of 0–700mM. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain 5-3-ZT was 40.6mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene similarity showed the two strains to be a member of species Syntrophomonas erecta (98.4–98.9% sequence similarity), however they differed from the existing strains in both phenotypic and genetic characteristics. Therefore, a new subspecies of S. erecta, S. erecta subsp. sporosyntropha was proposed. The type strain was 5-3-ZT (=CGMCC1.5032T=JCM13344T). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In Caenorhabditis elegans , ROS generated in response to intestinal infection induces SKN-1, a protective transcription factor homologous to nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 1 or 2 (NRF1/2) in mammals. Many factors regulate SKN-1, including the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade that activates SKN-1 by phosphorylation. In this work, another positive regulator of SKN-1 is identified: NIPI-3, a Tribbles pseudokinase. NIPI-3 has been reported to protect against intestinal infection by negatively regulating the CCAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) bZIP transcription factor CEBP-1. Here we demonstrate that CEBP-1 positively regulates the vhp-1 transcript, which encodes a phosphatase that dephosphorylates the p38 MAPK called PMK-1. The increased levels of VHP-1 caused by CEBP-1 transcriptional enhancement result in less PMK-1 phosphorylation, affecting SKN-1 activity and intestinal resistance to the pathogen. The data support a model in which NIPI-3's negative regulation of CEBP-1 decreases VHP-1 phosphatase activity, allowing increased stimulation of SKN-1 activity by the p38 MAPK phosphorylation cascade in the intestine. [Display omitted] • NIPI-3 and SKN-1 both affect C. elegans intestinal innate immunity • NIPI-3 negatively regulates CEBP-1, an enhancer of vhp-1 and cebp-1 expression • VHP-1 dephosphorylates the MAPK called PMK-1, reducing activation of SKN-1 • Thus, NIPI-3 and SKN-1 are in a common genetic pathway affecting immunity Both NIPI-3 and SKN-1 are known to play a role in intestinal innate immunity, and Wu et al. connect these two factors in a common pathway. NIPI-3 negatively regulates the enhancer binding protein CEBP-1, decreasing VHP-1 phosphatase activity and allowing increased stimulation of SKN-1 activity by p38 MAPK phosphorylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cantonese-speaking children with ASD manifested impaired speech perception. • Cantonese children with ASD did not show the advantage in non-speech perception. • Language background (i.e., Cantonese) might shape the perceptive abilities. The present study compared how Cantonese-speaking children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their typically developing counterparts perceived speech pitch and non-speech pitch information using ERP measurements. Sixteen children with ASD (mean age = 10.42 years, SD = 2.12 years) and sixteen normal controls (mean age = 9.48 years, SD =.86 years) participated in two experiments, in which Cantonese lexical tone contrasts and non-speech pitch variations were presented to children following an oddball paradigm when they watched a silent movie. The results showed that: 1) When processing speech pitch contour, the two groups did not differ in the amplitude of mismatch response (p-MMR), while typically developing controls showed larger mismatch negativity (MMN) responses than children with ASD. In the processing of speech pitch height, more positive p-MMR was observed among children with ASD than among normal controls and stronger MMN was found for typically developing children than for children with ASD. 2) For the processing of non-speech pitch, MMN rather than p-MMR was observed and the two groups did not differ significantly with each other in the amplitudes of MMN. These results indicated that Cantonese-speaking children with ASD manifested impaired ability when processing speech pitch information (i.e., lexical tone), which was in line with previous research. However, they did not show the advantage in processing non-speech or auditory pitch information, which was not in agreement with the previous studies. Results were discussed from the perspective of how language background (i.e., Cantonese) might shape the perceptive abilities of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies found that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were less sensitive to the variations of lexical stress in their native language than typically developing controls. However, no study has been conducted to explore the perception of lexical stress in the second language among individuals with ASD. Using ERPs (event-related potentials) measurement with an oddball paradigm, the current study examined and compared the neural responses by Chinese-English bilingual children with ASD and typically developing controls in the processing of English lexical stress. The results showed that when compared with typically developing controls, children with ASD manifested reduced MMN (mismatch negativity) amplitude at the left temporal-parietal and parietal sites, indicating that they were less sensitive to lexical stress. However, a more negative MMN response was found for ASD group than for typically developing group at the right central-parietal, temporal-parietal, and temporal sites. In addition, the right hemisphere was more activated than the left hemisphere for ASD group, which might be derived from the reversed asymmetry of brain activation for individuals with ASD when processing language-related stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PUS-based DFOS monitoring system is adaptable to various PUS components. • PUS-based DFOS monitoring system accurately reflects the component performance. • A hierarchical performance assessment framework is proposed for PUS. • PUS-CIMAM highlights the key process and regions for the large-span components. • PUS-CIMAM reveals the impact of adjacent ring construction disturbances. Mechanical performance of prefabricated structural components during construction is critical for ensuring long-term safety and durability of prefabricated underground stations (PUS). This study aims to address the issues of structure mechanical performance of large-scale prefabricated components during assembling process. First, a strain transfer model for five-layered armored fiber optic is proposed and validated experimentally through test. Second a PUS-based distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOS) monitoring system was established. Third, a PUS based hierarchical performance assessment framework was constructed. Finally, a PUS based theoretical Construction Intelligent Monitoring Assessment Model (CIMAM) was established to quantitively assess structure safety level. A case study of Shenzhen Metro PUS was performed, and the results showed that: (a) PUS-based DFOS monitoring system presents high accuracy and high resolution, (b) The monitoring system reflects the PUS reactions during the whole construction process with good adaptability and intelligence, (c) PUS-CIMAM results show that the assembly process of components is a significant control link, particularly the performance of large-span roof during assembling process is a key controlling component, and (d) PUS-CIMAM reveals the adjacent ring construction has a disturbing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders are psychiatric disorders that have a significant negative impact on a person's physical and mental health. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been hypothesized to be negatively associated with disordered eating behaviors, however previous research on this hypothesis has shown contradictory results. Therefore, the current meta-analysis aimed at exploring the relationship between EI and disordered eating behaviors based on previous studies. Analysis of 20 studies using a three-level random-effects meta-analysis model revealed an overall negative association between EI and eating disorders, r = −0.17 (95% CI: −0.25, −0.08; p <.001), with a small effect size. Furthermore, subsequent moderator analyses revealed that the type of emotional intelligence (trait EI versus ability EI) helped explain the heterogeneity of the previous findings, with the association between trait EI and disordered eating (r = −0.23; 95% CI: −0.33, −0.13; p <.001) being significantly greater than the association between ability EI and disordered eating (r = −0.12; 95% CI: −0.22,. -0.03; p =.010), indicating that trait EI was more closely associated with disordered eating than ability EI. Overall, this study confirms the relationship between EI and disordered eating behaviors, suggesting that individuals with higher EI are less likely to have disordered eating behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dual-camera computer vision monitoring system is proposed and applied in displacement monitoring of an underground prefabricated subway station for 5 months during construction and post-construction phases. • Field calibration experiment is carried out using movable targets equipped with spiral micrometers and the measurement errors are discussed. • The potential correlation between uneven displacement and some minor structural defects, as well as the temperature-induced deformation fluctuations are investigated. The increasing applications and structural vulnerability of prefabricated metro stations have resulted in a growing demand for monitoring their displacements during the construction and post-construction phases. This paper proposes a dual-camera computer vision monitoring system consisting of a dual-camera base station, a series of monitoring prisms and two reference prisms. The displacement and rotation of the camera station are considered to reduce measurement errors caused by camera motion. The system has been applied in the displacement monitoring of the 164 m assembly section of an underground station in Shenzhen during the construction and post-construction periods. A movable target equipped with a spiral micrometer is used for field calibration experiments, and the results show that the average measurement deviation is 0.01 mm and the standard deviation is 0.068 mm. During the 5-month monitoring, displacement caused by backfilling, rainfall, and other construction conditions are precisely reflected, which shows a potential correlation between uneven displacement and some minor structural defects. At the post-construction period, settlement variance is relatively small, and the temperature effect causes horizontal convergence to fluctuate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We reviewed adverse events of live attenuated Japanese encephalitis vaccine. [•] The adverse event rate was 61.24 per million doses. [•] Most adverse events are relatively mild, with relatively rare neurologic events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Objective: To evaluate the impact of the universal infant hepatitis B vaccination program on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Guangdong Province, China. Methods: In 2006, a serosurvey was conducted in Guangdong Province among children aged <15 years, 14 years after the introduction of universal infant hepatitis B vaccination. The participants were selected by stratified, multi-stage random sampling. Demographic characteristics and hepatitis B vaccination history were collected by a questionnaire and a review of the vaccination records, and serum specimens were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) by ELISA. The prevalence rate of HBV serological markers and the rate of immunization coverage in this survey were compared with those of the 1992 and 2002 surveys. Results: A total of 1967 children aged <15 years participated in 2006. The prevalence rate of HBsAg decreased from 19.86% in the 1992 survey to 4.91% in the 2006 survey. The rates of three-dose and timely birth dose coverage of hepatitis B vaccine were 92.40% and 70.84%, respectively, among children born during the period 2002–2005. The prevalence of HBsAg was significantly lower among fully immunized children (1.99%) than among unvaccinated children (5.56%). Conclusions: Guangdong Province has successfully integrated the hepatitis B vaccine into routine immunization programs and this has had a very significant impact on decreasing the HBsAg carrier rate among children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Protein kinase CK2 exhibits oncogenic activity in mice and is over-expressed in a number of tumors or leukemic cells. On the basis of its amino acid sequence and a wealth of experimental information, CK2 has traditionally been classified as a protein serine/threonine kinase. In contrast to this traditional view of CK2, recent evidence has shown that CK2 can also phosphorylate tyrosine residues under some circumstances in vitro and in yeast. In this study, we provide definitive evidence demonstrating that CK2 also exhibits tyrosine kinase activity in mammalian cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation of CK2 in cells and in CK2 immunoprecipitates is dependent on CK2 activity and is inhibited by the CK2 selective inhibitor 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole. Examination of phosphotyrosine profiles in cells reveals a number of proteins, including CK2 itself, which exhibit increased tyrosine phosphorylation when CK2 levels are increased. Peptide arrays to evaluate the specificity determinants for tyrosine phosphorylation by CK2 reveal that its specificity for tyrosine phosphorylation is distinct from its specificity for serine/threonine phosphorylation. Of particular note is the requirement for an aspartic acid immediately C-terminal to the phosphorylatable tyrosine residue. Collectively, these data provide conclusive evidence that CK2 catalyzes the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in mammalian cells, a finding that adds a new level of complexity to the challenge of elucidating its cellular functions. Furthermore, these results raise the possibility that increased CK2 levels that frequently accompany transformation may contribute to the increased tyrosine phosphorylation that occurs in transformed cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]