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Clarifying the underlying mechanisms that govern ordering transitions in condensed matter systems is crucial for comprehending emergent properties and phenomena. While transitions are often classified as electronically driven or lattice-driven, we present a departure from this conventional picture in the case of the double perovskite Ba2MgReO6. Leveraging resonant and non-resonant elastic x-ray scattering techniques, we unveil the simultaneous ordering of structural distortions and charge quadrupoles at a critical temperature of Tq ~ 33 K. Using a variety of complementary first-principles-based computational techniques, we demonstrate that, while electronic interactions drive the ordering at Tq, it is ultimately the lattice distortions that dictate the specific ground state that emerges. Our findings highlight the crucial interplay between electronic and lattice degrees of freedom, providing a unified framework to understand and predict unconventional emergent phenomena in quantum materials. Charge quadrupole order was predicted in several 5d1 and 5d2 double perovskite systems, but experimental verification has been challenging. Here the authors provide experimental and theoretical evidence of simultaneous charge quadrupole order and local structural distortions in Ba2MgReO6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Magnetic topological insulators and semimetals are a class of crystalline solids whose properties are strongly influenced by the coupling between non-trivial electronic topology and magnetic spin configurations. Such materials can host exotic electromagnetic responses. Among these are topological insulators with certain types of antiferromagnetic order which are predicted to realize axion electrodynamics. Here we investigate the highly unusual helimagnetic phases recently reported in EuIn2As2, which has been identified as a candidate for an axion insulator. Using resonant elastic x-ray scattering we show that the two types of magnetic order observed in EuIn2As2 are spatially uniform phases with commensurate chiral magnetic structures, ruling out a possible phase-separation scenario, and we propose that entropy associated with low energy spin fluctuations plays a significant role in driving the phase transition between them. Our results establish that the magnetic order in EuIn2As2 satisfies the symmetry requirements for an axion insulator. EuIn2As2 is a candidate as an axion insulator, a material that can host axion-like quasi-particles, in direct analogy with the axion proposed in particle physics to resolve the so called "strong CP problem". Here Soh et al., perform resonant elastic X-Ray scattering on EuIn2As2 and show that the magnetic order consists of commensurate chiral magnetic structures, satisfying the symmetry requirements for EuIn2As2 to be an axion insulator.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of magnetization and electric polarization is attractive in relation to tailoring materials for data storage and devices such as sensors or antennae. In magnetoelectric materials, these degrees of freedom are closely coupled, allowing polarization to be controlled by a magnetic field, and magnetization by an electric field, but the magnitude of the effect remains a challenge in the case of single-phase magnetoelectrics for applications. We demonstrate that the magnetoelectric properties of the mixed-anisotropy antiferromagnet LiNi1−xFexPO4 are profoundly affected by partial substitution of Ni2+ ions with Fe2+ on the transition metal site. This introduces random site-dependent single-ion anisotropy energies and causes a lowering of the magnetic symmetry of the system. In turn, magnetoelectric couplings that are symmetry-forbidden in the parent compounds, LiNiPO4 and LiFePO4, are unlocked and the dominant coupling is enhanced by almost two orders of magnitude. Our results demonstrate the potential of mixed-anisotropy magnets for tuning magnetoelectric properties. In magnetoelectric materials, the magnetization can be controlled by the application of an electric field, making it comparatively easy to switch magnetization, which is attractive for data storage and other proposed devices. Unfortunately, the effect in single-phase materials is typically fairly weak. Here Fogh et al. demonstrate a two orders of magnitude enhancement of the magnetoelectric coupling in LiNi0.8Fe0.2PO4 compared to the parent compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive and precise definition of the pluripotency gene regulatory network (PGRN) is crucial for clarifying the regulatory mechanisms in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here, after a CRISPR/Cas9-based functional genomics screen and integrative analysis with other functional genomes, transcriptomes, proteomes and epigenome data, an expanded pluripotency-associated gene set is obtained, and a new PGRN with nine sub-classes is constructed. By integrating the DNA binding, epigenetic modification, chromatin conformation, and RNA expression profiles, the PGRN is resolved to six functionally independent transcriptional modules (CORE, MYC, PAF, PRC, PCGF and TBX). Spatiotemporal transcriptomics reveal activated CORE/MYC/PAF module activity and repressed PRC/PCGF/TBX module activity in both mouse ESCs (mESCs) and pluripotent cells of early embryos. Moreover, this module activity pattern is found to be shared by human ESCs (hESCs) and cancers. Thus, our results provide novel insights into elucidating the molecular basis of ESC pluripotency. An extended pluripotency gene regulatory network in mouse embryonic stem cells was proposed based on the integrative analysis of CRISPR/Cas9-based functional genomics screens and multi-omics data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-related cataract (ARC) is one of the most common chronic diseases. Circular RNA (circ)_HIPK3 is reported to be involved in the advancement of ARC, but its molecular mechanism has not been clarified. Our study provides a new perspective on the clinical treatment of ARC. Our data showed that the expression levels of circ_HIPK3 and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) were downregulated, while microRNA (miR)-495-3p level was increased in ARC tissues and H2O2-induced SRA01/04 cells. Functional experiments showed that circ_HIPK3 and HDAC4 overexpression could inhibit H2O2-induced lens epithelial cell apoptosis and fibrosis. In terms of mechanism, we found that circ_HIPK3 could sponge miR-495-3p, miR-495-3p could target HDAC4. Besides, we confirmed that circ_HIPK3 sponged miR-495-3p to positively regulate HDAC4. Additionally, miR-495-3p overexpression or HDAC4 knockdown reversed the inhibition effect of circ_HIPK3 on H2O2-induced lens epithelial cell injury. In conclusion, our data showed that circ_HIPK3 suppressed H2O2-induced lens epithelial cell injury by regulating miR-495-3p/HDAC4 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The model wine system was established in this paper to explore the changing mechanism on the production of xanthylium cation pigments derived from (+)-catechin dimers linked by carboxymethyl bridge under microwave irradiation. The results showed that four xanthylium cation pigments in the visible region at 440 nm were obtained at low power, short time, and multiple microwave treatments. More xanthylium cation pigments could be produced by adding iron cations and glyoxylic acid under low power, short time, and multiple microwave treatment, and the formation of the xanthylium cation pigments was inhibited by mannitol; the implications of these observations highlighted the mechanism of the free radicals induced by microwave irradiation in wine aging. This study would provide a theoretical basis for rapidly improving the properties of the wine color under microwave irradiation and a microwave was expected to improve the sensory characteristics of wine by regulating the formation of yellow pigments during wine aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcribed pervasively in the genome and act to regulate chromatin remodeling and gene expression. Dysregulated lncRNA expression has been reported in many cancers, but the role of lncRNAs in esophageal cancer (EC) has so far remained poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to understand the effect of lncRNA LINC01234 on EC development through competitively binding to microRNA-193a-5p (miR-193a-5p). Methods: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used for microarray-based EC expression profiling. Gain- and loss-of-function analyses were carried out in human EC-derived Eca-109 and EC9706 cells. Expression analyses of miR-193a-5p, LINC01234, CCNE1, caspase-3, p21, Bax, cyclinD1 and Bcl-2 were performed using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation, colony formation and apoptosis analyses were carried out using MTT, Hoechst 33258 and flow cytometry assays. A xenograft EC model in nude mice was used to evaluate in vivo tumor growth and CCNE1 expression. Results: Microarray-based analyses revealed that LINC01234 expression was increased in primary EC samples, whereas that of miR-193a-5p was decreased. We found that CCNE1 was a target of miR-193a-5p and that LINC01234, in turn, sponges miR-193a-5p. After treatment with si-LINC01234 or miR-193a-5p mimic, EC cells (Eca-109 and EC9706) exhibited cyclinD1 and Bcl-2 downregulation, and caspase-3, p21, Bax and cleaved caspase-3 upregulation. LINC01234 silencing or miR-193a-5p upregulation resulted in decreased proliferation and colony formation, and increased apoptosis of EC cells. In addition, LINC01234 silencing or miR-193a-5p upregulation resulted in reduced in vivo EC tumor growth and CCNE1 expression in nude mice. Conclusions: We found that silencing of LINC01234 suppresses EC development by inhibiting CCNE1 through competitively binding to miR-193a-5p, which suggests that LINC01234 may represent a novel target for EC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habronematid nematodes were collected from the stomachs of donkeys, Equus asinus L., in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. After examination by light and scanning electron microscopy, Habronema muscae (Carter, 1861) and H. majus (Creplin, 1849) were identified. The morphology of our specimens representing H. muscae (Carter, 1861) agreed well with previous redescriptions in the shape of the lateral lips, origin of the lateral alae, ratio of left and right spicules, and number and arrangement of caudal papillae. However, H. majus (Creplin, 1849) differs from H. microstoma (Schneider, 1866) in the arrangement of the caudal papillae in the male. Moreover, molecular analysis also showed interspecific differences of 26.2-28.2% in ITS2 and 8.6-8.9% in cox1 between H. majus and H. microstoma, a divergence much higher than the known intraspecific variation of Habronema spp. (6.6-8.7% in ITS2; 0.2-2.2% in cox1). The results indicate that both H. microstoma (Schneider, 1866) and H. majus (Creplin, 1849) are valid species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal dose of warfarin depends on polymorphisms in the VKORC1 (the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit (1) and CYP2C9 (cytochrome P450 2C9) genes. To minimize the risk of adverse reactions, warfarin dosages should be adjusted according to results from rapid and simple monitoring methods. However, there are few pharmacogenetic-guided warfarin dosing algorithms that are based on large cohorts from the Chinese population, especially patients with atrial fibrillation. This study aimed to validate a pharmacogenetic-guided warfarin dosing algorithm based on results from a new rapid electrochemical detection method used in a multicenter study. Three SNPs ( CYP2C9 *2, *3 and VKORC1 c.-1639G > A) were genotyped by electrochemical detection using a sandwich-type format that included a 3′ short thiol capture probe and a 5′ ferrocene-labeled signal probe. A total of 1285 samples from four clinical hospitals were evaluated. Concordance rates between the results from the electrochemical DNA biosensor and the sequencing test were 99.8%. The results for gene distribution showed that most Chinese patients had higher warfarin susceptibility because mutant-type and heterozygotes were present in the majority of subjects (99.4%) at locus c.-1639G > A. When the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium algorithm was used to estimate therapeutic dosages for 362 patients with AF and the values were compared with their actual dosages, the results revealed that 56.9% were similar to actual dosages (within the 20% range). A novel electrochemical detection method of CYP2C9 *2, *3and VKORC1 c.-1639G > A alleles was evaluated. The warfarin dosing algorithm based on data gathered from a large patient cohort can facilitate the reasonable and effective use of warfarin in Chinese patients with AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metro passenger flow control problem is studied under given total inbound demand in this work, which considers passenger demand control and train capacity supply. Relevant connotations are analyzed and a mathematical model is developed. The decision variables are boarding limiting and stop-skipping strategies and the objective is the maximal passenger profit. And a passenger original station choice model based on utility theory is built to modify the inbound passenger distribution among stations. Algorithm of metro passenger flow control scheme is designed, where two key technologies of stopping-station choice and headway adjustment are given and boarding limiting and train stopping-station scheme are optimized. Finally, a real case of Beijing metro is taken for example to verify validity. The results show that in the three scenarios with different ratios of normal trains to stop-skipping trains, the total limited passenger volume is the smallest and the systematic profit is the largest in scenario 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the study the organic/inorganic chemical leaching and enrichment technology were used for selective extraction of the dolomite which co-existed in the Zhijin low-grade phosphate ore for beneficiation phosphorous and rare earths (RE) by using citric acid as leaching agent. The effects of acid concentration, reaction time, reaction temperature, liquid/solid ratio, and particle size on PO and rare earths grade and the recovery ratio of them were investigated. The results show that under the optimized experimental conditions (acid concentration 9%, reaction time 240 min, reaction temperature 40°C, liquid/solid ratio 50: 1, and ore particle size 0.18-0.125 mm) the PO grade can be increased from 15.47 to 34.82%, and PO recovery rate comes up to 88.02%. The rare earths are mainly enriched in the leaching residues. Meanwhile, the recovery rate of rare earths is 72.08%. ΣREO grade can be increased from 978.06 × 10 to 1998 × 10%. In addition, the reaction kinetics of the chemical reaction between citric acid and dolomite are also discussed, the results show that the leaching process is controlled by chemical reaction. The activation energy for leaching was found to be 36.6337 KJ mol and k was 3.67×104 s, and the rate of the leaching based on the chemical reaction-controlled process could be expressed as 1-(1- a) = 3.67 × 10e. Compare to the conventional process, the method provided in this study not only has advantages including higher phosphate concentration and rare earth grade, and higher recovery rate, but also using less amount of chemicals. Meanwhile, the citric acid can be recycled, avoiding discharge wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isothermal compression tests of Ti-6Al-2Zr-2Sn-2Mo-1.5Cr-2Nb alloy were conducted at a Gleeble-1500 simulator in deformation temperature range of 1103-1243 K, strain rate range of 0.01-5.00 s and height reduction range of 50 %-70 %. The effects of processing parameters on morphology, grain size and contents of α and β phases were discussed based on the quantitative microstructure examination, and the detailed explanation was shown. The results show that β transformed matrix will obviously grow up at higher deformation temperature or lower strain rate because of low grain growth activation energies. The content of α phase will decrease at higher deformation temperature or higher strain rate due to the phase transformation. Some elongated α or β grains exist at higher strain rate, implying that the dominant softening mechanism is dynamic recovery. The effect of height reduction on β transformed matrix is negligible, but the height reduction has some effects on the morphology of primary α phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new strain of Bacillus coagulans CGMCC 9551, which has a broad range of antibacterial activities against six main pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli O8, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar enteritidis, Streptococcus suis, Listeria monocytogenes and Pasteurella multocida, was isolated from healthy piglet feces. In adhesion assay, the isolate exhibited a stronger adhesion to pig intestinal mucus than that of B. subtilis JT143 and L. acidophilus LY24 respectively isolated from BioPlus2B and FloraFIT Probiotics ( P < 0.05 ). The adhesion activity reached 44.5 ± 3.2, 48.9 ± 2.6, 42.6 ± 3.3 and 37.6 ± 2.4 % to jejunum, ileum, transverse colon and sigmoid colon, separately. The survival rate of B. coagulans CGMCC 9551 was reduced by only 20 % at 4 h exposure under 0.9 % w/v bile salt. The strain was fully resistant to pH 2 for 2 h with 90.1 ± 3.5 % survival and susceptible to 15 antibiotics commonly used in veterinary medicine. Additionally, the bacteria showed amylase, protease and cellulase activities. The safety assessment demonstrated the lack of toxicity potential in B. coagulans CGMCC 9551 by ligated rabbit ileal loop assay, acute and subchronic toxicity test. These results implied that that the new strain of B. coagulans CGMCC 9951 isolated from healthy piglet feces has promising probiotic characteristics and offers desirable opportunities for its successful commercialization as one excellent candidate probiotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim:7,8-Dihydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2H-chromen-2-one (DW532) is one of simplified analogues of hematoxylin that has shown broad-spectrum inhibition on tyrosine kinases and in vitro anti-cancer activities. The aim of this study was to identify DW532 as a agent targeting both kinases and tubulin, and to investigate its anti-cancer and anti-angiogenesis activities.Methods:In vitro tyrosine kinases activity was examined with ELISA, and tyrosine kinases activity in cells was evaluated with Western blot analysis. Tubulin turbidity assay, surface plasmon resonance and immunofluorescence technique were used to characterize the tubulin inhibitory activity. Cell proliferation was examined with SRB assay, and cell apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed with Annexin-V/PI staining and flow cytometry. Tube formation, aortic ring and chick chorioallantoic membrane assays were used to evaluate the anti-angiogenesis efficacy.Results:DW532 inhibited EGFR and VEGFR2 in vitro kinase activity (the IC50 values were 4.9 and 5.5 μmol/L, respectively), and suppressed their downstream signaling. DW532 dose-dependently inhibited tubulin polymerization via direct binding to tubulin, thus disrupting the mitotic spindle assembly and leading to abnormal cell division. In a panel of human cancer cells, DW532 (1 and 10 μmol/L) induced G2/M phase arrest and cell apoptosis, which subsequently resulted in cytotoxicity. Knockdown of BubR1 or Mps1, the two core proteins of the spindle assembly checkpoint dramatically decreased DW532-induced cell cycle arrest in MDA-MB-468 cells. Moreover, treatment with DW532 potently and dose-dependently suppressed angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion:DW532 is a dual inhibitor against tubulin and tyrosine kinases, and deserves further development as a novel anti-cancer agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless sensor networks, a clustering scheme is helpful in reducing the energy consumption by aggregating data at intermediate sensors. This paper discusses the important issue of energy optimization in hierarchically-clustered wireless sensor networks to minimize the total energy consumption required to collect data. We propose a comprehensive energy consumption model for multi-tier clustered sensor networks, in which all the energy consumptions not only in the phase of data transmissions but also in the phase of cluster head rotations are taken into account. By using this new model, we are able to obtain the solutions of optimal tier number and the resulted optimal clustering scheme on how to group all the sensors into tiers by the suggested numerical method. This then enables us to propose an energy-efficiency optimized distributed multi-tier clustering algorithm for wireless sensor networks. This algorithm is theoretically analyzed in terms of time complexity. Simulation results are provided to show that, the theoretically calculated energy consumption by the new model matches very well with the simulation results, and the energy consumption is indeed minimized at the optimal number of tiers in the multi-tier clustered wireless sensor networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis inhibitors have long been considered desirable anticancer agents. However, it was found that many tumors could develop resistance to antiangiogenesis inhibitors. Antiangiogenic therapy results in metabolic stress. Autophagy is an important survival mechanism in cancer cells under metabolic stress; however, it remains unknown if autophagy contributes to antiangiogenesis resistance. In this study, we reported that bevacizumab treatment reduced the development of new blood vessels and inhibited cell growth in xenografts of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. Bevacizumab treatment also upregulated expression of the autophagy-related genes (Beclin1 and LC3) and increased autophagosome formation. Our in vitro studies demonstrated that autophagy inhibition significantly increased apoptosis of HCC cells during nutrient starvation or hypoxia. In addition, the combined treatment of an autophagy inhibitor and bevacizumab markedly inhibited the tumor growth of HCC xenografts, led to enhanced apoptosis, and impaired the proliferation of tumor cells compared with treatment with either drug alone. Furthermore, autophagy inhibition led to enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in HCC cells exposed to nutrient starvation or hypoxia in vitro and increased DNA oxidative damage in vivo. Antioxidants reduced nutrient starvation or the hypoxia-induced cell death of HCC cells after autophagy inhibition. Our results suggest that autophagy modulates ROS generation and contributes to cell survival under metabolic stress. Therefore, autophagy inhibition may be a novel way of increasing the efficicacy of antiangiogenic agents in the treatment of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power saving is one of the key issues in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks (MANETs). It can be realized in Medium Access Control (MAC) layer and network layer. However, previous attentions were mainly paid to MAC layer or network layer with the aim of improving the channel utilization by adopting variable-range transmission power control. In this paper we focus on the power saving in both MAC layer and network layer, and propose a Power Adjusting Algorithm (PAA). In the presence of host's mobility, PAA is designed to conserve energy by adjusting the transmission power to maintain the route's connectivity and restarting the route discovery periodically to find a new route with better energy efficiency dynamically. After analyzing the operations of PAA, we find that the length of route discovery restarting period is a critical argument which will affect power saving, and an energy consumption model is abstracted to find the optimal value of the restarting period by analyzing the energy consumption of this algorithm. PAA can handle the mobility of MANET by adjusting the transmission power and in the meantime save energy by restarting route discovery periodically to balance the energy consumption on route discovery and packet delivering. Simulation results show that, PAA saves nearly 40% energy compared with Dynamic Source Routing protocol when the maximum speed of mobile hosts is larger than 8 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of electrode configuration on mass transfer rate in a tubular electrochemical reactor was investigated with the limiting-current method. The expression of mass transfer enhancement factor was derived from the dimensionless equations for different electrode configurations. Furthermore, the local velocity distribution in the tubular electrochemical reactor was simulated by computational fluid dynamics technology. These simulation results explained the reason of mass transfer enhancement for mesh electrode: the rotation of the solution is induced by high rates of shear, and small eddies are formed. The local velocity distributions in bulk for X-dimension get flatter because of the lateral momentum transfer. Due to the impact and obstruction of electrode holes, the turbulence of the electrolyte gets drastic and the mass transfer performance in the tubular electrochemical reactor is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein1(Blimp-1) and B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) are essential factors in the development and survival of plasma cells. However, whether Blimp-1 could regulate the expression of BCMA is unknown. We found that the BCMA promoter region did not have typical 'TATA' and 'CAAT' box, but contained several potential binding sites of transcription factors, including the consensus sequences for Blimp-1, located in the '−31 to −21' and '−46 to −36' from the potential transcription initiation site of the mouse BCMA gene, respectively. Furthermore, induction of Blimp-1 over-expression significantly up-regulated the expression of BCMA and increased the BCMA promoter activity in mouse J558L plasma cells. In parallel, knockdown of Blimp-1 expression by the Blimp-1-specific shRNA significantly reduced the BCMA mRNA transcription and protein expression in J558L cells in vitro. Substitution mutation of the '−38 to −42' sequence, but not the '−23 to −27', in the BCMA promoter abolished the regulatory effect of Blimp-1 on the expression of BCMA. Importantly, Blimp-1 bound to the 'GAAAC', but not its mutant 'GATTC', contained BCMA promoter, as determined by competitive electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Therefore, our data clearly suggest that Blimp-s a positive regulator of the expression of BCMA gene in mouse plasma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FTIR spectroscopy in combination with a diamond tipped attenuated total reflectance (ATR) immersion probe was utilized to study in situ the copolymerization of butadiene (Bd) and isoprene (Ip) with neodymium-based catalyst in hexane. The relationship between the signal intensity of monomer and its concentration was investigated. The kinetic study of copolymerization of Bd and Ip was further conducted, and the monomer reactivity ratios were determined via in situ ATR FTIR. The signal band at 1010 cm was assigned to wagging vibration of Bd and its intensity was proportional to Bd concentration ([Bd]) in the range of 0.46-3.88 mol·L. The signal bands at 890 and 989 cm were assigned to wagging vibration of Ip and the signal intensity was also proportional to Ip concentration ([Ip]) in the range of 0.08-4.73 mol·L at 890 cm and 0.08−7.49 mol·L at 989 cm, respectively. Thus the signal band at 1010 cm was chosen to monitor Bd concentration and bands at 989 and 890 cm to monitor Ip concentration during the copolymerization, respectively. It was demonstrated that the conversions of Bd and Ip calculated from FTIR data agreed very well with those obtained gravimetrically. The polymerization rates were first order with respect to both [Bd] and [Ip], respectively at different polymerization temperatures. The apparent propagation activation energy for Bd and Ip could be determined to be 54.4 kJ·mol and 57.7 kJ·mol, respectively. The monomer reactivity ratios were calculated to be 1.08 for Bd ( r) and 0.48 for IP ( r) based on FTIR data. The Bd-Ip copolymer products with random sequence could be obtained with only one glass transition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Neuroscience Bulletin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recirculating frequency shifter (RFS) can generate stable multi-carrier, but the carrier-to-noise-ratio (CNR) is limited because noise is accumulated round by round in the recirculation loop structure. A modified RFS with a delay interferometer (DI) is proposed in this paper. The DI can suppress the accumulated noise, and enhance the CNR of multi-carrier. The principle of the generation of high quality multi-carrier based on an RFS with DI is analyzed theoretically. 50 stable carriers with spacing of 10.7 GHz are successfully generated. The flatness of 50 stable carriers is 3 dB, and the CNR is 43 dB which is increased by 3 dB compared with the structure without DI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study where adipocyte-specific miRNA knockout mice was generated by crossing mice with loxp-flanked locus of Dicer containing the Cre recombinase gene under fatty acid binding protein 4 (Fabp4) to test whether miRNAs are involved in the adipocyte development and function in vivo. It reveals that the deletion of Fabp4-Cre-mediated Dicer causes mouse embryonic lethality in the late-stage gestation. The different stages of developmental lethality are also tackled.