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The Eimeria tenella Yulin strain (EtYL), which is sensitive to most anti-coccidial drugs, was isolated in the Yulin area of Guangxi, China. Then, Eimeria tenella Yulin precocious line (pEtYL), a precocious line with a prepatent period of 108 h, was obtained through early selection. The biological characteristics of pEtYL, including its morphology, purity, oocyst excretion curve, reproductive capacity, pathogenicity, immunogenicity, and preservation time, were comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that the isolated precocious line of E. tenella exhibited high purity, relatively weak pathogenicity, and good immunogenicity and can be used as a live vaccine line for chicken coccidiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new generation of communication systems requires radio frequency (RF) filters with better performance indicators, and traditional RF filters can no longer satisfy the requirements of increasingly sophisticated wireless communication equipment. Piezoelectric Film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) have gradually become a focus of communication system research. In this study, the temperature effect was considered in the FBAR electrical model. SiO2 with a positive temperature coefficient was placed under the bottom electrode to perform temperature compensation. COMSOL software was used to study the shape of the electrode of the FBAR unit, the irregular shape of the electrode could obtain a smoother resonant frequency curve, and the common cavity and back erosion structure of the FBAR unit were studied, to extract the corresponding dielectric loss and mechanical loss of the piezoelectric layer, and to optimize the one-dimensional electrical model further. The optimized electrical model was used to design an FBAR filter. The center frequency was 3.52 GHz, the bandwidth was 115 MHz, the insertion loss was 0.87 dB, the in-band ripple was 1.32 dB, the out-of-band rejection was better than − 40 dB, and the absolute value of temperature coefficient of frequency was 7.09 ppm/°C, basically achieving the expected performance, which can be applied to the design of RF filters in mobile phones and other wireless terminals where the temperature requirement is harsh, and provides a solution for frequency selection and control in the field of high frequency communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intermittent controller for robotic manipulator in task space was developed in this paper. In task space, for given a desired time-varying trajectory, the robot end-effector can track the desired target under the designed intermittent controller. Different from most of the existing works on control of robotic manipulator, the intermittent control for robotic manipulator is discussed in task space instead of joint space. Besides, the desired trajectory can be time-varying and not limited to constant. As a direct application, the authors implemented the proposed controller on tracking of a two-link robotic manipulator in task space. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed intermittent control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find a new preservation solution for avian coccidial oocysts that can replace potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) solution, Eimeria tenella oocysts were preserved in 0.1 to 10% potassium sorbate (C6H7KO2) solution in this study. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the sporulation rate of E. tenella oocysts preserved in 0.1 to 10% C6H7KO2 solution and in 2.5% K2Cr2O7 solution (p > 0.05). The 0.5 to 10% C6H7KO2 solution could also effectively inhibit the growth of bacterial microorganisms. E. tenella oocysts preserved in 1% C6H7KO2 solution at 4 °C for 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, with the oocyst production of E. tenella oocysts being 1.3-, 1.2-, 1.6-, and 1.3-fold higher than that of oocysts stored in 2.5% K2Cr2O7 solution (p < 0.05). In conclusion, C6H7KO2 could replace K2Cr2O7 as the preservation solution of avian coccidial oocysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-domain antibody (sdAb) or nanobody possesses specific features non-accessible for conventional antibodies that make them suitable for research and biotechnological applications. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes lethal diarrhea in piglets, resulting in great economic losses all over the world. To detect and isolate PEDV rapidly and accurately is important for the control and further research of the clinical PEDV strains. In this study, four sdAb fragments (sdAb-Mc19/29/30/37) targeting the membrane (M) protein of PEDV were selected from sdAb library that was constructed through M protein-immunized Camelus bactrianus. The selected sdAb-Mcs were solubly expressed in Escherichia coli. The functional characteristics analysis revealed that the recombinant sdAb-Mcs have excellent binding activity and specificity to M protein but have no neutralizing activity to PEDV. For further application, sdAb-Mc37 was conjugated with quantum dots to synthesize a nanoprobe for imaging PEDV in vero cells. The observed fluorescence in vero cells clearly reflects that PEDV virions can be reliably recognized and labeled by the nanoprobe. Furthermore, the sdAb-Mc29 was conjugated with superparamagnetic nanobeads to construct immunomagnetic nanobeads (IMNBs) used to isolate PEDV. One PEDV strain was successfully isolated from clinical fecal sample, suggesting IMNBs as a novel and efficient tool suitable for PEDV isolation from clinical samples. This study provided a novel application and substantiated the suitability of sdAb as a specific binder for the isolation of viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation of physically based deformable models is a hot topic in computer graphics. Most of the existing models focus on isotropic materials and some on transversely isotropic materials. We propose a modeling method for orthotropic materials, which exhibits different mechanical behaviors along three orthogonal directions. First, constraints for the strain energy density in linear elastic models are analyzed, and a positive-definite elasticity tensor is derived for an orthotropic material. Second, an orthotropic deformation controlling frame-field is conceptualized and a frame construction tool is developed for users to define the desired material properties. A quaternion Laplacian smoothing algorithm is proposed, and several user-defined rotation minimizing frames are propagated into the entire body of the deformable object, which forms a smooth frame-field. Third, the corotational linear FEM model coupled with the orthonormal frame-field is formulated to realize a dynamics system, which can deal with large deformations. All the algorithms have been implemented in a comprehensive modeling and simulation system, and a GUI is provided to design the orthotropic model. Experiments on real-time deformation simulation and analytical comparisons are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, synchronization of master-slave Lagrangian systems via intermittent control was developed. Based on the intermittent control, some algebraic criteria are derived to make the slave Lagrangian system synchronize to a master one. Different from the most existing results on control problems of Lagrangian systems, the controller proposed here is not continuous-time control input and is not relied on the knowledge of system models. As a direct application, the obtained results are applied to a typical two-link revolute jointed robot (robot manipulator). Subsequently, numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the criteria and the robustness of the control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, little is known about cytosine methylation in the genomic DNA of apicomplexan parasites, although it has been confirmed that this important epigenetic modification exists in many lower eukaryotes, plants, and animals. In the present study, ELISA-based detection demonstrated that low levels of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) are present in Eimeria spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Cryptosporidium spp., and Neospora caninum. The proportions of 5-mC in genomic DNA were 0.18 ± 0.02% in E tenella sporulated oocysts, 0.19 ± 0.01% in E. tenella second-generation merozoites, 0.22 ± 0.04% in T. gondii tachyzoites, 0.28 ± 0.03% in N. caninum tachyzoites, and 0.06 ± 0.01, 0.11 ± 0.01, and 0.09 ± 0.01% in C. andersoni, C. baileyi, and C. parvum sporulated oocysts, respectively. In addition, we found that the percentages of 5-mC in E. tenella varied considerably at different life stages, with sporozoites having the highest percentage of 5-mC (0.78 ± 0.10%). Similar stage differences in 5-mC were also found in E. maxima, E. necatrix, and E. acervulina, the levels of 5-mC in their sporozoites being 4.3-, 1.8-, 2.5-, and 2.0-fold higher than that of sporulated oocysts, respectively ( p < 0.01). Furthermore, a total DNA methyltransferase-like activity was detected in whole cell extracts prepared from E. tenella sporozoites. In conclusion, genomic DNA methylation is present in these apicomplexan parasites and may play a role in the stage conversion of Eimeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hemangeol, approved for the treatment of proliferative infantile hemangiomas requiring systemic therapy, is metabolized by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6), which is a highly polymorphic enzyme that metabolizes a large number of drugs. More than 100 CYP2D6 allelic variants have been reported so far, including 22 novel variants that discovered in our lab in the Chinese population. Our study aimed to probe the enzymatic activity of these variants toward hemangeol in vitro with recombinant microsomes that expressed in sf21 insect cells using a baculovirus-mediated expression system. Methods: The wild-type CYP2D6.1 and other variants (CYP2D6.2, CYP2D6.10 and 22 novel CYP2D6 variants) were incubated with 1-200 μM hemangeol for 50 min at 37 °C. Then the products were extracted, and signal detection was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector. Results: All of the variants exhibited changed apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) or maximum velocity of the reaction (V ) values compared with that of wild-type protein. The intrinsic clearances ( V /Km) were significantly decreased by 0.37 to 42.74 %. However, CYP2D6.92 and CYP2D6.96 showed no or minimal enzymatic activity as no concentration of 4′-hydroxypropranolol was detected. Conclusions: The comprehensive in vitro assessment of CYP2D6 variants provides significant insights into allele-specific activity towards hemangeol in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexokinase (HK) is one of the key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway that catalyzes the phosphorylation of glucose. In the present study, we cloned the HK gene from the coccidian Eimeria tenella ( EtHK), expressed EtHK as a His-tagged fusion protein, and characterized its primary biochemical features. Mutagenesis confirmed that residues S159, N216, and D217 are essential or important to the EtHK catalytic activity. EtHK exhibited high affinity for d-glucose ( Km = 0.67 to 0.79 mM), but was also able to utilize 2-deoxy- d-glucose ( Km = 5.66 mM), d-fructose ( Km = 13.76 mM), and d-mannose ( Km = 25.41 mM). We also observed that quercetin and mangiferin could inhibit the EtHK enzyme activity (IC values = 6.52 and 85.82 μM, respectively). Among the two inhibitors, mangiferin also inhibited the growth of E. tenella in vitro (MIC = 0.12 μM). These observations suggest that EtHK may be explored as potential drug target, and mangiferin and its analogs may be explored for developing anti-coccidial therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite with a broad range of hosts, and it causes severe toxoplasmasis in both humans and animals. It is well known that the progression and severity of a disease depend on the immunological status of the host. Immunological studies on antigens indicate that antigens do not exert their functions through the entire protein molecule, but instead, specific epitopes are responsible for the immune response. Protein antigens not only contain epitope structures used by B, T, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), and NK cells to mediate immunological responses but can also contain structures that are unfavorable for protective immunity. Therefore, the study of antigenic epitopes from T. gondii has not only enhanced our understanding of the structure and function of antigens, the reactions between antigens and antibodies, and many other aspects of immunology but it also plays a significant role in the development of new diagnostic reagents and vaccines. In this review, we summarized the immune mechanisms induced by antigen epitopes and the latest advances in identifying T. gondii antigen epitopes. Particular attention was paid to the potential clinical usefulness of epitopes in this context. Through a critical analysis of the current state of knowledge, we elucidated the latest data concerning the biological effects of epitopes and the immune results aimed at the development of future epitope-based applications, such as vaccines and diagnostic reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a specific antibody conjugated with nanobeads, forming immunomagnetic nanobeads (IMNBs), has been demonstrated to be useful for the capture and detection of viruses. In this study, IMNBs functionalized with a single-domain antibody against the capsid protein (Cap) of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), hereafter denoted as psdAb, were evaluated and used to capture PCV2. Quantum dots (QDs) conjugated with psdAb were used as a fluorescence probe to visualize PCV2 captured by IMNBs. The specificity and sensitivity of this method were further evaluated using common pathogens of pig viral disease and PCV2. To assess its practicality, clinical samples were tested in this study. The results showed that 2.57 ± 0.13 mg Cap or 0.97 ± 0.064 × 10 copies of PCV2 particles could be captured by 1 mg of IMNBs in 30 min. This suggests that the IMNBs have the ability to efficiently capture PCV2 with good specificity, as there was no cross-reaction with other pathogens, and with strong sensitivity, with a detection limit as low as 10 copies/ml of PCV2 particles. Moreover, PCV2 in inguinal lymph node, lung, spleen, serum, and fecal samples was successfully detected by IMNBs. The results demonstrate that this method is promising for the rapid and effective detection of PCV2 in complex clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1), a novel tumor-associated gene, was found overexpressed in many tumors. Therefore, our purpose is to estimate whether AEG-1 overexpression is a novel predictor of prognostic marker in metastatic ovarian tumors. Immunohistochemistry was used to estimate AEG-1 overexpression in metastatic ovarian tumors from 102 samples. The association between AEG-1 expression and prognosis was estimated by univariate and multivariate survival analyses with Cox regression. The log-rank test was used to identify any differences in the prognosis between the two groups. The median overall and progression-free survival rates of patients with tumors from gastrointestinal tract origin were 0.97 and 0.51 years, respectively. Similarly, survival rates of patients with tumors of breast origin were 2.68 and 1.96 years ( P < 0.0001). Of 102 patients, 77 had high expression, and AEG-1 overexpression had a significant link of prognosis in metastatic ovarian patients ( P < 0.01). On the other hand, medians of overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with tumors of gastrointestinal tract origin were significantly lower than those of patients with tumors of breast origin ( P < 0.0001). Patients with metastatic ovarian tumors of breast origin had significantly better prognosis than those with the tumors from gastrointestinal tract primary malignancies. It is suggested that AEG-1 overexpression might be an independent prognostic marker of metastatic ovarian tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some criteria for achieving the finite-time synchronization of a class of autonomous chaotic systems are derived by the finite-time stability theory and Gerschgorin disc theorem. Numerical simulations are shown to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tapeworms (Cestoda) cause neglected diseases that can be fatal and are difficult to treat, owing to inefficient drugs. Here we present an analysis of tapeworm genome sequences using the human-infective species Echinococcus multilocularis, E. granulosus, Taenia solium and the laboratory model Hymenolepis microstoma as examples. The 115- to 141-megabase genomes offer insights into the evolution of parasitism. Synteny is maintained with distantly related blood flukes but we find extreme losses of genes and pathways that are ubiquitous in other animals, including 34 homeobox families and several determinants of stem cell fate. Tapeworms have specialized detoxification pathways, metabolism that is finely tuned to rely on nutrients scavenged from their hosts, and species-specific expansions of non-canonical heat shock proteins and families of known antigens. We identify new potential drug targets, including some on which existing pharmaceuticals may act. The genomes provide a rich resource to underpin the development of urgently needed treatments and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with robust practical synchronization for general second-order nonautonomous systems with parameter mismatch. Some simple yet general algebraic criteria are derived based on practical stability theory of nonautonomous dynamical systems. A distinctive feature of this work is that the parameter mismatch cannot only be existed in system parameters, but also in external excitation ones. Furthermore, the obtained results are applied to a typical horizontal platform system and the representative forced Van der Pol oscillator. Subsequently, numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the criteria and the robustness of the control technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goals Of Work: Nowadays China has the largest population in the world. A recent epidemiology investigation has shown that cancer is the main cause of mortality, ahead of heart and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the information from Chinese newspaper reports on cancer is not completely clear. The present study is, therefore, designed to investigate the number and content of published news stories focused on cancers from 2000 to 2007 in China main newspapers.Methods: A content analysis was performed on cancer articles in a database of important Chinese newspapers, with "cancer" or "leukemia" in title taken as keywords.Main Results: The total 7,643 of 7,903,117 articles were about cancer from 2000 to 2007. The number of published articles related to cancer every year increased on the whole. Women's cancers, such as breast cancer and cervical cancer, garner more attention than other carcinomas. Prevention and treatment were always the main points in cancer-related articles.Conclusions: In the past eight years, Chinese main newspapers have significantly increased the number of cancer-related reports and paid more attention to women's cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]