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Callosobruchus maculatus is one of the most competitive stored grain pests, which causes a great loss to agricultural economy. However, due to an inadequacy of high-quality reference genome, the molecular mechanisms for olfactory and hypoxic adaptations to stored environments are unknown and require to be revealed urgently, which will contribute to the detection and prevention of the invasive pests C. maculatus. Here, we presented a high-quality chromosome-level genome of C. maculatus based on Illumina, Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing data. The total size was 1.2 Gb, and 65.17% (797.47 Mb) of it was identified to be repeat sequences. Among assembled chromosomes, chromosome 10 was considered the X chromosome according to the evidence of reads coverage and homologous genes among species. The current version of high-quality genome provides preferable data resources for the adaptive evolution research of C. maculatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Claudin18.2 is a tight junction protein, highly selective, generally expressed only in normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells, which can effectively maintain the polarity of epithelial and endothelial cells, thus effectively regulating the permeability and conductance of the paracellular pathway. Abnormal expression of Claudin18.2 can occur in various primary malignant tumors, especially gastrointestinal tumors, and even in metastatic foci. It regulates its expression by activating the aPKC/MAPK/AP-1 pathway, and therefore, the Claudin18.2 protein is a pan-cancer target expressed in primary and metastatic lesions in human cancer types. Zolbetuximab (IMAB362), an antibody specific for Claudin18.2, has been successfully tested in a phase III clinical trial, and the results of the study showed that combining Zolbetuximab with chemotherapy notably extends patients' survival and is expected to be a potential first-line treatment for patients with Claudin18.2(+)/HER-2(−) gastric cancer. Here, we systematically describe the biological properties and oncogenic effects of Claudin18.2, centering on its clinical-pathological aspects and the progress of drug studies in gastric cancer, which can help to further explore its clinical value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinosolenaia oleivora (Bivalve, Unionida, Unionidae), is a near-endangered edible mussel. In 2022, it was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as a top-ten aquatic germplasm resource, with potential for industrial development. Using Illumina, PacBio, and Hi-C technology, a high-quality chromosome-level genome of S. oleivora was assembled. The assembled S. oleivora genome spanned 2052.29 Mb with a contig N50 size of 20.36 Mb and a scaffold N50 size of 103.57 Mb. The 302 contigs, accounting for 98.41% of the total assembled genome, were anchored into 19 chromosomes using Hi-C scaffolding. A total of 1171.78 Mb repeat sequences were annotated and 22,971 protein-coding genes were predicted. Compared with the nearest ancestor, a total of 603 expanded and 1767 contracted gene families were found. This study provides important genomic resources for conservation, evolutionary research, and genetic improvements of many economic traits like growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation is the most powerful computational and analysis tool for a large variety of engineering and physical problems. For a complex problem relating to multi-field, multi-process and multiscale, different computing tools have to be developed so as to solve particular fields at different scales and for different processes. Therefore, the integration of different types of software is inevitable. However, it is difficult to perform the transfer of the meshes and simulated results among software packages because of the lack of shared data formats or encrypted data formats. An image processing based method for three-dimensional model reconstruction for numerical simulation was proposed, which presents a solution to the integration problem by a series of slice or projection images obtained by the post-processing modules of the numerical simulation software. By means of mapping image pixels to meshes of either finite difference or finite element models, the geometry contour can be extracted to export the stereolithography model. The values of results, represented by color, can be deduced and assigned to the meshes. All the models with data can be directly or indirectly integrated into other software as a continued or new numerical simulation. The three-dimensional reconstruction method has been validated in numerical simulation of castings and case studies were provided in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi entropy is a measure to characterize the indeterminacy of the uncertain random variable considering the values of the uncertain random variable which are lower than the mean. As important roles of semi entropy in finance, this paper presents the concept of semi entropy for uncertain random variables. In order to compute semi entropy for uncertain random variables, Monte-Carlo approach is provided. As an application of semi entropy, portfolio selection problems are optimized based on mean-semi entropy mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semiconductor chip usually has thousands test parameters in order to guaranteed its quality. Hence, a batch of chips' test data set include thousands of float data. The primary goal of dealing with this test data is to obtain the fault parameter distribution and judge the chip's quality. It is a challenge due to the large scale and complex relationship of the test data set. This paper presents a novel method to analyze the test data set by meshing the quality theory and scientific data visualization. First, transfer the test data set to a quality classifier matrix Q: a series of quality region is defined based on quality theory, which is the baseline to classify the test data set into different group and mark them with various number. Second, form a quality-spectrum: define a color rule based on the RGB color model and color the quality classifier matrix Q. Hence chip's quality distribution could be observed through the quality-spectrum. Furthermore, by analyzing the quality-spectrum, the chip's quality could be quantitative and fault diagnose has a data basic. One case is included to illustrate appropriateness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kapitza resistance is of fundamental importance for the thermal stability of the interface between the ceramic top coat and the thermal growth oxide layer in the thermal barrier coating structure, which is widely used to protect high-temperature components in current gas turbine engines. The top coat typically consists of the ZrO 2 partially stabilized by 8% Y 2 O 3 (YSZ), and the main component of the thermal growth oxide is α -Al 2 O 3 . In this work, the Kapitza resistance is found to be a small value of 0.69 m 2 · K/GW for the YSZ/ α -Al 2 O 3 interface based on the heat dissipation simulation method. It indicates that the localization of thermal energy is rather weak, which is beneficial for the thermal stability of the YSZ/ α -Al 2 O 3 interface. This Kapitza resistance can be further reduced to 0.50 m 2 · K/GW by a mechanical or thermal compressive strain of 8%. To explore the underlying mechanism for this strain effect, we analyze the phonon vibration and the microscopic deformation in the interface region. It is revealed that the interface becomes denser through the compression-induced twisting of some Al-O Zr and Al-O Al chemical bonds in the interface region, which is responsible for the reduction in the Kapitza resistance. The temperature effect and crystal size effect on the Kapitza resistance of the YSZ/ α -Al 2 O 3 interface are also systematically studied. These findings shall provide valuable information for further understanding of the thermal conductivity and thermal stability of the thermal barrier coating structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argonaute is the primary mediator of metazoan miRNA targeting (MT). Among the currently identified >1,500 human RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), there are only a handful of RBPs known to enhance MT and several others reported to suppress MT, leaving the global impact of RBPs on MT elusive. In this study, we have systematically analyzed transcriptome-wide binding sites for 150 human RBPs and evaluated the quantitative effect of individual RBPs on MT efficacy. In contrast to previous studies, we show that most RBPs significantly affect MT and that all of those MT-regulating RBPs function as MT enhancers rather than suppressors, by making the local secondary structure of the target site accessible to Argonaute. Our findings illuminate the unappreciated regulatory impact of human RBPs on MT, and as these RBPs may play key roles in the gene regulatory network governed by metazoan miRNAs, MT should be understood in the context of co-regulating RBPs. miRNAs are loaded into Argonaute protein and repress complementary mRNA targets. Here the authors show the unappreciated role of RNA binding proteins for efficient miRNA targeting and expand the current understanding of miRNA targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firefly adult bioluminescence functions as signal communication between sexes. How sympatric sibling species with similar glow pattern recognize their conspecific mates remains largely unknown. To better understand the role of the luciferases of sympatric fireflies in recognizing mates, we cloned the luciferase genes of three sympatric forest dwelling fireflies (Diaphanes nubilus, Diaphanes pectinealis, and Diaphanes sp2) and evaluated their enzyme characteristics. Our data show that the amino acid (AA) sequences of all three luciferases are highly conserved, including the identities (D. nubilus vs D. pectinealis: 99%; D. nubilus vs Diaphanes sp2: 98.5%; D. pectinealis vs Diaphanes sp2: 99.4%) and the protein structures. Three recombinant luciferases produced in vitro all possess significant luminescence activity at pH 7.8, and similar maximum emission spectrum (D. nubilus: 562 nm; D. pectinealis and Diaphanes sp2: 564 nm). They show the highest activity at 10 °C (D. pectinealis, Diaphanes sp2) and 15 °C (D. nubilus), and completely inactivation at 45 °C. Their KM for d-luciferin and ATP were 2.7 μM and 92 μM (D. nubilus), 3.7 μM and 49 μM (D. pectinealis), 3.5 μM and 46 μM (Diaphanes sp2). Phylogenetic analyses support that D. nubilus is sister to D. pectinealis with Diaphanes sp2 at their base, which further cluster with Pyrocoelia. All combined data indicate that sympatric Diaphanes species have similar luciferase characteristics, suggesting that other strategies (e.g., pheromone, active time, etc.) may be adopted to recognize mates. Our data provide new insights into Diaphanes luciferases and their evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconia has many important phases with Zr coordination varying from six-fold in the orthorhombic phase to eight-fold in the cubic and tetragonal phases. Development of empirical potentials to describe these zirconia phases is an important but long-standing challenge, and it is a bottleneck for theoretical investigation of large zirconia structures. Here, instead of using the standard core—shell model, we developed a new potential for zirconia by combining the long-range Coulomb interaction and bond-order Tersoff model. The bond-order characteristic of the Tersoff potential enables it to be well suited to describe the zirconia phases with different coordination numbers. In particular, the complex monoclinic phase with two inequivalent oxygen atoms, which is difficult to describe with most existing empirical potentials, is well described by this newly developed potential. This potential provides reasonable predictions of most of the static and dynamic properties of various zirconia phases. Besides its clear physical essence, this potential is at least one order of magnitude faster than core—shell based potentials in molecular dynamics simulation. This is because it does not include an ultralight shell that requires an extremely small time step. We also provide potential scripts for the widely used simulation packages GULP and LAMMPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune class in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been shown to possess immunogenic power; however, how preestablished immune landscapes in premalignant and early HCC stages impact the clinical outcomes of HCC patients remains unexplored. We sequenced bulk transcriptomes for 62 malignant tumor samples from a Korean HCC cohort in which 38 patients underwent total hepatectomy, as well as for 15 normal and 47 adjacent nontumor samples. Using in silico deconvolution of expression mixtures, 22 immune cell fractions for each sample were inferred, and validated with immune cell counting by immunohistochemistry. Cell type-specific immune signatures dynamically shifted from premalignant stages to the late HCC stage. Total hepatectomy patients displayed elevated immune infiltration and prolonged disease-free survival compared to the partial hepatectomy patients. However, patients who exhibited an infiltration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) during the pretransplantation period displayed a high risk of tumor relapse with suppressed immune responses, and pretreatment was a potential driver of Treg infiltration in the total hepatectomy group. Treg infiltration appeared to be independent of molecular classifications based on transcriptomic data. Our study provides not only comprehensive immune signatures in adjacent nontumor lesions and early malignant HCC stages but also clinical guidance for HCC patients who will undergo liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooling control of the melt during the casting process is of great significance. A comprehensive closed-loop cooling control of castings by adopting a skeletal sand mold design was proposed. The skeletal sand mold consisting of an adaptive shell, functional cavities and a support was designed and created based on the finite difference meshes of a casting. It was applied to a round wall test casting. Two kinds of skeletal sand molds, one with lattice support and the other with enforcing ribs for this casting were designed and printed out by the 3D printing (3DP) method. Aluminum alloy A356 was cast by using these two sand molds. The first mold was cooled by natural convection, the other one by water spray cooling. Two sound castings were obtained. The sand mold temperature, cooling curves, microstructures, mechanical properties, residual stress and deformation were measured, compared and discussed. Water spray cooling hastened the cooling rate by 62%, increased the content of Mg and Cu in the a-Al matrix, improved the mechanical properties, and altered the surface residual stress state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance change under mechanical stimuli arouses mass operational heat, damaging the performance, lifetime, and reliability of stretchable electronic devices, therefore rapid thermal heat dissipating is necessary. Here we report a stretchable strain sensor with outstanding thermal management. Besides a high stretchability and sensitivity testified by human motion monitoring, as well as long-term durability, an enhanced thermal conductivity from the casted thermoplastic polyurethane-boron nitride nanosheets layer helps rapid heat transmission to the environments, while the porous electrospun fibrous thermoplastic polyurethane membrane leads to thermal insulation. A 32% drop of the real time saturated temperature is achieved. For the first time we in-situ investigated the dynamic operational temperature fluctuation of stretchable electronics under repeating stretching-releasing processes. Finally, cytotoxicity test confirms that the nanofillers are tightly restricted in the nanocomposites, making it harmless to human health. All the results prove it an excellent candidate for the next-generation of wearable devices. Though stretchable strain sensors are attractive for next-generation applications due to their high sensitivity, heat generated in these devices limits their reliability. Here, the authors report boron nitride nanosheet-based stretchable strain sensors with enhanced thermal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supersolid phase is a phase of matter that is characterized by the combination of the off-diagonal long-range order of superfluid and the diagonal long-range order of solid. Cold atoms with spin–orbit-coupling, contact interaction and long-range interaction can provide systems for the research of supersolid phase. Under the effect of spin-dependent potential and spin–orbit-coupling, hard-core ultra-cold atoms with contact interaction can be shown to construct supersolid phase. The combination of soft-core long-range interaction and spin–orbit coupling can establish exotic supersolid phase with spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry. The optical Bragg scattering of cold atoms in optical lattices can be used to detect supersolid phase. The study of supersolid phase will be helpful to the researches of matter phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) is a progressive life-threatening disease characterized by the deposition of transthyretin (TTR) amyloid fibrils. Several pathogenic variants have been shown to destabilize TTR tetramers, leading to aggregation of misfolded TTR fibrils. However, factors that underlie the differential age of disease onset amongst amyloidogenic TTR variants remain elusive. Here, we examined the biological properties of various TTR mutations and found that the cellular secretory pattern of the wild-type (WT) TTR was similar to those of the late-onset mutant (Ala97Ser, p. Ala117Ser), stable mutant (Thr119Met, p. Thr139Met), early-onset mutant (Val30Met, p. Val50Met), but not in the unstable mutant (Asp18Gly, p. Asp38Gly). Cytotoxicity assays revealed their toxicities in the order of Val30Met > Ala97Ser > WT > Thr119Met in neuroblastoma cells. Surprisingly, while early-onset amyloidogenic TTR monomers (M-TTRs) are retained by the endoplasmic reticulum quality control (ERQC), late-onset amyloidogenic M-TTRs can be secreted extracellularly. Treatment of thapsigargin (Tg) to activate the unfolded protein response (UPR) alleviates Ala97Ser M-TTR secretion. Interestingly, Ala97Ser TTR overexpression in Drosophila causes late-onset fast neurodegeneration and a relatively short lifespan, recapitulating human disease progression. Our study demonstrates that the escape of TTR monomers from the ERQC may underlie late-onset amyloidogenesis in patients and suggests that targeting ERQC could mitigate late-onset ATTR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful discovery and isolation of graphene in 2004, and the subsequent synthesis of layered semiconductors and heterostructures beyond graphene have led to the exploding field of two-dimensional (2D) materials that explore their growth, new atomic-scale physics, and potential device applications. This review aims to provide an overview of theoretical, computational, and machine learning methods and tools at multiple length and time scales, and discuss how they can be utilized to assist/guide the design and synthesis of 2D materials beyond graphene. We focus on three methods at different length and time scales as follows: (i) nanoscale atomistic simulations including density functional theory (DFT) calculations and molecular dynamics simulations employing empirical and reactive interatomic potentials; (ii) mesoscale methods such as phase-field method; and (iii) macroscale continuum approaches by coupling thermal and chemical transport equations. We discuss how machine learning can be combined with computation and experiments to understand the correlations between structures and properties of 2D materials, and to guide the discovery of new 2D materials. We will also provide an outlook for the applications of computational approaches to 2D materials synthesis and growth in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good access to traffic information provides enormous potential for automotive powertrain control. We propose a logical control approach for the gearshift strategy, aimed at improving the fuel efficiency of vehicles. The driver power demand in a specific position usually exhibits stochastic features and can be statistically analyzed in accordance with historical driving data and instant traffic conditions; therefore, it offers opportunities for the design of a gearshift control scheme. Due to the discrete characteristics of a gearshift, the control design of the gearshift strategy can be formulated under a logic system framework. To this end, vehicle dynamics are discretized with several logic states, and then modeled as a logic system with the Markov process model. The fuel optimization problem is constructed as a receding-horizon optimal control problem under the logic system framework, and a dynamic programming algorithm with algebraic operations is applied to determine the optimal strategy online. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed control design has better potential for fuel efficiency improvement than the conventional method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead is a known risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the results of studies exploring the relationship between lead exposure and the occurrence of ALS are inconsistent. To clarify this issue, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant published articles on the relationship between lead exposure and the occurrence of ALS. We searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Science Direct databases for relevant publications. The quality of the articles was judged according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, and the meta-analysis was conducted using a random effect model. A total of 583 items were retrieved of which 11 case-control studies were selected. The ratio of maximal/minimal lead exposure yielded a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-1.83) with moderate heterogeneity (I2 = 51.8%; p = 0.019). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses showed stable results. There was evidence of publication bias, but the recalculated OR after employing the "fill and trim" method was 1.28 (95% CI 1.02-1.63). These results indicated that environmental/occupational lead exposure was positively proportional to the risk of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in RAB18, a member of small G protein, cause Warburg micro syndrome (WARBM), whose clinical features include vision impairment, postnatal microcephaly, and lower limb spasticity. Previously, our Rab18−/− mice exhibited hind limb weakness and spasticity as well as signs of axonal degeneration in the spinal cord and lumbar spinal nerves. However, the cellular and molecular function of RAB18 and its roles in the pathogenesis of WARBM are still not fully understood. Using immunofluorescence staining and expression of Rab18 and organelle markers, we find that Rab18 associates with lysosomes and actively traffics along neurites in cultured neurons. Interestingly, Rab18−/− neurons exhibit impaired lysosomal transport. Using autophagosome marker LC3-II, we show that Rab18 dysfunction leads to aberrant autophagy activities in neurons. Electron microscopy further reveals accumulation of lipofuscin-like granules in the dorsal root ganglion of Rab18−/− mice. Surprisingly, Rab18 colocalizes, cofractionates, and coprecipitates with the lysosomal regulator Rab7, mutations of which cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy type 2B. Moreover, Rab7 is upregulated in Rab18-deficient neurons, suggesting a compensatory effect. Together, our results suggest that the functions of RAB18 and RAB7 in lysosomal and autophagic activities may constitute an overlapping mechanism underlying WARBM and CMT pathogenesis in the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have revealed the existence of distinct regimes of DL-stable and unstable turbulent flames, depending on whether the DL instability could be minimized or not. The mechanism of how mixture composition, flame macroscale and turbulence intensity, etc. act on DL instability has been extensively studied. Even though, the role played by turbulent length scale on DL instability is still unclear. The present study has been experimentally focused on the effect of turbulent integral scale on DL instability of premixed turbulent Bunsen flames. Flame fronts of C3H8/air mixture (ϕ = 0.8) under different turbulence conditions are captured by OH-PLIF technique. It is observed that the DL-unstable flames, obtained at relatively large integral scale and with cusps observed on the flame fronts, transform to be DL-stable flames with planar or disorderly wrinkled flame fronts as the integral scale decreases, indicating the indispensable role of integral scale on DL instability. These cusps on DL-unstable flame fronts decrease flame surface density while enlarge flame volume. Turbulent burning velocities of DL-unstable flames are augmented compared to DL-stable flames, leading to a similar dual-propagation model as observed in literatures. The threshold where turbulence shadows DL instability is analyzed by upgrading a previous model of [Phys. Rev. E 84 (2011) 026322]. The modified model is more reliable to demonstrate the DL-stable and unstable regimes in the Peters-Borghi's diagram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the misfit strain-induced buckling of the transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) lateral heterostructures, denoted by the seamless epitaxial growth of different TMDs along the in-plane direction. The Stillinger-Weber potential is utilized to describe both the interaction for each TMD and the coupling between different TMDs, i.e., MX2 (with M=Mo, W and X=S, Se, Te). It is found that the misfit strain can induce strong buckling of the freestanding TMD lateral heterostructures of large area, resulting from the TMDs' atomic-thick nature. The buckling phenomenon occurs in a variety of TMD lateral heterostructures of different compositions and in various patterns. Our findings raise a fundamental mechanical challenge for the structural stability of the freestanding TMD lateral heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem that the current traditional English classroom teaching in large classes has higher teaching efficiency, but it is difficult to take care of every student, and it is difficult to meet the needs of students’ personalized learning, this paper combines user interest modeling and collaborative filtering algorithms to propose a knowledge-oriented learning resource recommendation method. Moreover, this paper proposes an algorithm based on user interest model. In addition, on the basis of obtaining the user’s historical interest model, this paper combines user behavior information to obtain the user interest model and calculates the similarity between the candidate items and the user, and makes TOP-N recommendation based on the similarity calculation result. Finally, this paper conducts experiments on the news dataset and compares the results with the benchmark algorithm to prove the effectiveness of the algorithm. The results show that this paper has achieved certain results in the research of combining multi-data source user interest modeling and recommendation and has contributed to the research of interest modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a typical marine shale reservoir in the Jiaoshiba area, Sichuan Basin of China, P-impedance is sensitive for identifying lithology but not suitable for indicating good shale reservoirs. In comparison, density is an important quantity, which is sensitive for identifying the organic-rich mud shale from non-organic-rich mud shale. Due to the poor data quality and incidence angle range, density cannot be easily inverted by directly solving the ill-posed pre-stack seismic inversion in this area. Meanwhile, the traditional density regularizations implemented by directly using the more robust P-impedance inversion tend to be inaccurate for recovering density for this shale reservoir. In this paper, we combine the P-impedance and the minus uranium to construct the pseudo-P-impedance (PIp) at well locations. The PIp is observed to be sensitive for identifying organic-rich mud shale and has a good correlation with density in this area. We employ the PIp-density relation into the pre-stack inversion framework to estimate density. Three types of regularization are tested on both numerical and field data: These are no regularization, traditional regularization and the proposed approach. It is observed that the proposed method is better for recovering the density of organic-rich mud shale in the Jiaoshiba area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermodynamics for reduction of molybdenum oxides by aluminum and silicon were calculated, and the results show that reduction reaction is feasible at a certain temperature region. Compared to the presence of CaO or CaCO3, reduction products of molybdenum trioxide with aluminum and silicon at various temperatures were detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results show that molybdenum trioxide is reduced by aluminum or silicon step by step, and the intermediate product is MoO2. At 1000 °C, molybdenum trioxide could be reduced to metal Mo by aluminum, and in the presence of CaO, metal Mo as the reduction product appears even at 800 °C. In contrast, silicon could barely reduce molybdenum trioxide to metal Mo even at 1200 °C. In the presence of CaO or CaCO3, reducibility of silicon increases significantly, and the reduction products are metal Mo and MoSi2. Altogether, CaO or CaCO3 performs two major roles in reduction process: restraining sublimation of MoO3 and decreasing the temperature of reducing MoO3 to metal Mo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in genes involved in the production, migration, or differentiation of cortical neurons often lead to malformations of cortical development (MCDs). However, many genetic mutations involved in MCD pathogenesis remain unidentified. Here we developed a genetic screening paradigm based on transposon-mediated somatic mutagenesis by in utero electroporation and the inability of mutant neuronal precursors to migrate to the cortex and identified 33 candidate MCD genes. Consistent with the screen, several genes have already been implicated in neural development and disorders. Functional disruption of the candidate genes by RNAi or CRISPR/Cas9 causes altered neuronal distributions that resemble human cortical dysplasia. To verify potential clinical relevance of these candidate genes, we analyzed somatic mutations in brain tissue from patients with focal cortical dysplasia and found that mutations are enriched in these candidate genes. These results demonstrate that this approach is able to identify potential mouse genes involved in cortical development and MCD pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D printing technology has been used for sand molding and core printing, but they simply substitute the traditional molding and core making method without changing the shape or size of the sand mold (core) and their dense structure. In this study, a new type of hollow mold based on 3D printing is presented. The new type of mold is a rib reinforced thickness-varying shell mold. This mold design can realize the controlled cooling of castings, i.e., different cooling rates at different areas, and improve the temperature uniformity of a casting after its solidification. Therefore, the performance of castings can be improved and their residual stress and deformation can be reduced. This kind of new mold was applied to a stress frame of A356 aluminum alloy. The 3D printed rib reinforced thickness-varying shell mold was compared with the traditional dense mold, and the castings obtained by these two kinds of molds were also compared. The experimental results showed that the rib reinforced shell mold increased the cooling rate of the casting by 30%, tensile strength by 17%, yield strength by 11%, elongation by 67%, and decreased its deformation by 43%, while sand consumption was greatly reduced by 90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We established an improved method for in vitro culture of glochidia in freshwater mussel Cristaria plicata and compared the transformation percentage in L-15 basic medium supplemented with different plasma from host fish or two non-host fish species. The results showed that the metamorphosis rate of glochidia cultured with host fish plasma and non-host fish plasma was all above 96%. High-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly lower in host fish plasma than in non-host fish plasma (P < 0.05), suggesting that LDL may be an important nutrient for glochidia metamorphosis. There were no significant differences in the 15-day survival and growth of juvenile mussels obtained from groups with non-host fish plasma under 1100/dish (C5) and a high concentration of antibiotics (D7), as compared with the control (A4) (P > 0.05). The method developed herein not only provides a simplified in vitro culture method for glochidia at a reduced cost, but it also improves the culture efficiency. The method and medium composition may be further improved in studies investigating the long-term growth of juvenile mussels, and it would greatly benefit artificial breeding and germplasm resource preservation for this important species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel multifunctional carbazole-aminoquinoline dimer PZ001 was designed, synthesized, and evaluated. The results indicated that PZ001 possessed selective copper chelation, and inhibited copper-induced Aβ1-42 aggregation. Furthermore, PZ001 exerted powerful neuroprotection against glutamate-induced HT22 cell death. These results suggest that PZ001 may be a promising multifunctional anti-AD compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insulation effect of the air cavity surrounding the riser in a 3D printed sand mold was studied. The influence of the air cavity on heat flux was theoretically analyzed. The results demonstrated that the heat flux of the air cavity in the 3D printed sand mold was significantly less than that of resin-bonded sand. The insulation effect of the air cavity in sand molds for a cylinder casting and a stress-frame casting were simulated using software COMSOL. The results illustrated that the air cavity could be used to insulate the riser and it was more suitable for a lower melting point metal casting. An air cavity with 10-15 mm width and 5-10 mm away from the riser can significantly prolong the solidification of the riser by over 10%. Meanwhile, the sand mold for the stressframe was made by 3D printing technology and poured with aluminum alloy A356 melt. The experiment results showed that the presence of the air cavity led to a 12.5% increase of the solidification time of its riser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation mechanism of engineered municipal construction waste (EMCW) is complicated and different from that of the traditional soil. A series of field tests and field measurements were performed on the piled mountain project to investigate the deformation characteristics of EMCW during the construction waste accumulation. Experimental studies revealed that EMCW was defined as a kind of heterogeneous soil with well-graded soil. The coefficients of uniformity were all greater than 10, while the coefficients of curvature were between 1 and 3. The permeability had approximately the same performance as the sandy gravel did. The field test results showed EMCW had the characteristics of small deformation and the time effect of loading. The p-s curves indicated that the bearing capacity of construction waste improved after 1 year's filling. These phenomena were mostly caused by the complexity, diversity, and inhomogeneity of EMCW. According to the proposed control standards of settlement and lateral deformation, as a method of foundation treatment, EMCW was an effective way to build a large piled mountain on soft soil foundation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single-layer black phosphorus is characterized by its puckered configuration that possesses the hinge-like behavior, which leads to the highly anisotropic in-plane Poisson's ratios and the negative out-of-plane Poisson's ratio. We demonstrate that the hinge-like mechanism can be described by the angle–angle cross interaction, which, combined with the bond stretching and angle bending interactions, is able to provide a good description for the mechanical properties of single-layer black phosphorus. We also propose a nonlinear angle–angle cross interaction, which follows the form of Stillinger–Weber potential and can be advantageous for molecular dynamics simulations of single-layer black phosphorus under large deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D printing is such a magical technology that it extends into almost every sector relating to manufacturing, not to mention casting production. In this paper, the past, present and future of 3D printing in the foundry sector are profoundly reviewed. 3D printing has the potential to supplement or partially replace the casting method. Today, some castings can be directly printed by metal powders, for example, titanium alloys, nickel alloys and steel parts. Meanwhile, 3D printing has found an unique position in other casting aspects as well, such as printing the wax pattern, ceramic shell, sand core, sand mould, etc. Most importantly, 3D printing is not just a manufacturing method, it will also revolutionize the design of products, assemblies and parts, such as castings, patterns, cores, moulds and shells in casting production. The solid structure of castings and moulds will be redesigned in future into truss or spatially open and skeleton structures. This kind of revolution is just sprouting, but it will bring unimaginable impact on manufacturing including casting production. Nobody doubts the potential of 3D printing technologies in manufacturing, but they do have limitations and drawbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping is frequently used to understand the genetic architecture of quantitative traits. Herein, we performed a genome scan for QTL affecting the morphometric characters in eight full-sib families containing 522 individuals using different statistical methods (Sib-pair and half-sib model). A total of 194 QTLs were detected in 25 different regions on 10 linkage groups (LGs). Among them, 37 QTLs on five LGs (eight, 13, 24, 40 and 45) were significant (5% genome-wide level), while the remaining 40 (1% chromosome-wide level) and 117 (5% chromosome-wide level) indicated suggestive effect on those traits. Heritabilities for most morphometric traits were moderate to high, ranging from 0.21 to 0.66, with generally strong phenotypic and genetic correlations between the traits. A large number of QTLs for morphometric traits were co-located, consistent with their high correlations, and may reflect pleiotropic effect on the same genes. Biological pathways were mapped for possible candidate genes on QTL regions. One significantly enriched pathway was identified on LG45, which had a P-value of 0.04 and corresponded to the 'regulation of actin cytoskeleton pathway'. The results are expected to be useful in marker-assisted selection (MAS) and provide valuable information for the study of gene pathway for morphometric and growth traits of the common carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is aimed to study the effect of compressive loading on the chloride diffusion coefficient of recycled aggregate concrete. A compression loading setup was both designed and fabricated. And chloride diffusion coefficient of recycled aggregate concrete was tested by the rapid chloride ion migration method. It was found that the chloride diffusion coefficient presents a trend of firstly decreasing and then increasing as the compressive stress ratio increases. Chloride diffusion coefficient and compressive stress ratio show a good correlation for recycled aggregate concrete. Regression analysis on test data is made and the empirical formula between compressive stress ratio and chloride diffusion coefficient is put forward to forecast the chloride diffusion coefficient of recycled aggregate concrete under different compressive stress ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Published literature on the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was retrieved from the PubMed and Embase databases. Two authors independently extracted the data. The quality of the identified studies was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed and publication bias was assessed. Five articles, including one cohort study and seven case-control studies, and a total of 431,943 participants, were identified. The odds ratio for the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was 0.57 (95 % confidence interval 0.51-0.64). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed the result. Evidence for publication bias was detected. Alcohol consumption reduced the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared with non-drinking. Alcohol, therefore, has a potentially neuroprotective effect on the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) porous Zn(OH)2 nanosheets (PNs) were fabricated by means of one-dimensional Cu nanowires as backbones. The PNs have thickness of approximately 3.8 nm and pore size of 4-10 nm. To form "smart" porous nanosheets, DNA aptamers were covalently conjugated to the surface of PNs. These ultrathin nanosheets show good biocompatibility, efficient cellular uptake, and promising pH-stimulated drug release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Trionyx sinensis) is endemic to China and is one of the most abundant edible turtle in Southeast Asia. The genetic resources of the species sharply degraded for arbitrary artificial propagation and farming and overfishing wild population. As a result, the turtle has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In this study, 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized in a stock through biotinylated probes for hybridization and library screening. The number of alleles varies between 7 and 18, and the observed and expected heterozygosity at the population level ranged from 0.2220 to 0.8333 and 0.7635 to 0.9431, respectively, and only a single locus deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P < 0.01). These microsatellite markers could prove useful for genetic identification and population management of Chinese soft-shelled turtle for natural resources recovery in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to explore the potential mechanism underlying albino in Takifugu obscurus. The transcriptome sequencing of the skin samples from normal T. obscurus and albino ones was conducted in this paper. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in albino fish compared with controls were assayed. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed to explore the differentially expressed gene (DEG)-related functions and pathways. A total of 32 genes were found to be differentially expressed, including eight upregulated ones and 24 downregulated ones. Five GO terms were significantly enriched such as hemoglobin complex and oxygen transporter activity. The significantly enriched pathways contained linoleic acid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism. Hemoglobin complex, linoleic, and arachidonic acid metabolism may dysregulated in albino fugu. Dietary control of the linoleic acid and arachidonic acid may be an effective management for mediating albino in T. obscurus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene and MoS are two well-known quasi two-dimensional materials. This review presents a comparative survey of the complementary lattice dynamical and mechanical properties of graphene and MoS, which facilitates the study of graphene/MoS heterostructures. These hybrid heterostructures are expected to mitigate the negative properties of each individual constituent and have attracted intense academic and industrial research interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation has been studied to be a method of prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis by activating the calf muscle pump. However, there is little evidence of the effects of different stimulating parameters on hemodynamics and comfort levels. The objective of this paper is to compare the effects of different stimulating parameters (current amplitude, pulse-width) on hemodynamic alterations of the popliteal vein and the comfort levels in a group of fourteen healthy subjects. Doppler ultrasound detection of peak venous velocity and blood volume were taken from baseline, twelve sequential electrical stimulations and foot dorsiflexion for each subject. A visual analogue scale was used to assess the subjects' pain perception of neuromuscular electrical stimulation. The results showed that peak venous velocity and blood volume augmented as current amplitude and pulse-width increased while pain level also increased. A compromise was reached that parameters consisting of an amplitude of 10mA and a pulse-width of 500 μs would obtain a high-peak venous velocity and blood flow volume with a relatively comfortable perception. In addition, parameters consisting of an amplitude of 20mA and a pulse-width of 300 μs were also shown to be a promising choice. However, further studies need to be done to validate and enrich these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]