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Recent studies have shown a correlation between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults, but their relationship is unclear in adolescents. This study aimed to explore whether a correlation existed between them among adolescents aged 12–19. Data analyzed in our study was fetched from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database 2011–2018. The relationship between HDL-C level and total BMD value was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression models, fitted smoothing curves, and generalized additive models. 3770 participants participated in this analysis. After adjusting for all relevant covariates involved in this study, we found a negative correlation between HDL-C levels and total bone density in male adolescents.Furthermore, the stratified analysis showed that all covariables-adjusted models retained the negative correlation excepting female, black, or Mexican American subgroups. An inverted U-shaped curve represented the correlation of HDL-C and total BMD among adolescents aged 16 to 19, and the turning point was 1.06 mmol/L. After adjusting for all relevant covariates involved in this study, the study found a negative correlation between HDL-C levels and total BMD in male adolescents aged 12 to 19, particularly among those of races other than Black and Mexican. There was a saturation effect between HDL-C level and total BMD in 16–19-year-old adolescents. The turning point was 1.06 mmol/L. Therefore, HDL-C might be a biomarker to detect bone health and further perform a more detailed examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel complexes, {[L1Ni(ipa)(H2O)]2(DMF)}n (1) and {[L1Zn(pa)]4(H2O)}n (2), (L1 = bis(4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)methanone, H2ipa = isophthalic acid, H2pa = phthalic acid) were obtained and structurally characterized. Treatment of M(OAc)2 (M = Ni, Zn) with a dicarboxylic acid and L1 under solvothermal conditions gave the title complexes in moderate yields. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 represents 1D chains along the b axis, and complex 2 shows 2D network with the point symbol {44⋅62}. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a theoretical examination of the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of the tetragonal structure of Y7Ru4InGe12 by using the generalized gradient approximation of the density functional theory and the plane wave ab initio pseudopotential method. We have mainly studied the electronic properties of the compound. The calculated results of the band structure show that the addition of rare earth elements has a greater effect on Fermi levels. By studying density of states, it is found that Y, Ge, and Ru atoms contribute most to Fermi levels. At the same time, we also studied the partial density of states of Y and Ge atoms in different positions. By calculating the value of B (bulk modulus)/G (shear modulus), Poisson's ratio and Cauchy's pressure found that the compound exhibited ductility. Poisson's ratio can also be used to define the bonding properties of compounds. The results of the calculations show that the superconductivity of Y7Ru4InGe12 is due to significant metallic bonding. The calculated elastic constants show that the compound is mechanically stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscapes play an important role in many areas of biology, in which biological lives are deeply entangled. Here we discuss a form of landscape in evolutionary biology which takes into account (1) initial growth rates, (2) mutation rates, (3) resource consumption by organisms, and (4) cyclic changes in the resources with time. The long-term equilibrium number of surviving organisms as a function of these four parameters forms what we call a success landscape, a landscape we would claim is qualitatively different from fitness landscapes which commonly do not include mutations or resource consumption/changes in mapping genomes to the final number of survivors. Although our analysis is purely theoretical, we believe the results have possibly strong connections to how we might treat diseases such as cancer in the future with a deeper understanding of the interplay between resource degradation, mutation, and uncontrolled cell growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inertial underdamped collisions preserve the memory of physical parameters that existed before the collision, leading to phenomena usually unseen in overdamped systems. Here we probe the less studied inertial chiral matter with spinners on an air table. We show here the emergence of high levels of spin for a minority of (+) handed spinners in the presence of a majority of (−) handed spinners (vice versa). This deep violation of equipartition occurs due to the inertial (memory preserving) nature of elastic collisions between underdamped translating and rotating objects. Underdamped spinners of the same spin sign annihilate their spins when they elastically collide, transferring their spin angular momentum into orbital angular momentum, while oppositely handed spinners tend to preserve their individual spin levels, leading to the pumping of minority spinners to high spin levels. Entropy production and the flow of entropy in this underdamped system are also counter-intuitive, showing dramatic oscillations in time. By studying inertial spinners on an air table with different ratios between counterclockwise and clockwise species, the authors found that underdamped chiral spinners display phenomena usually unseen in overdamped chiral spinners. These include higher energy pumped into the minority species and oscillatory entropy when one species dominates the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and bone mineral density (BMD) have shown a controversial link in some studies. This research aims to study their association in males over 50 and postmenopausal females using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Postmenopausal females and males over 50 were included in the study. MetS was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. BMD values were measured at the thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and pelvis as the primary outcome. Weighted multivariate general linear models have been employed to explore the status of BMD in patients with MetS. Additionally, interaction tests and subgroup analyses were conducted. Utilizing the NHANES database from 2003 to 2006 and 2011–2018, we included 1924 participants, with 1029 males and 895 females. In postmenopausal women, after adjusting for covariates, we found a positive correlation between MetS and pelvic (β: 0.030 [95%CI 0.003, 0.06]) and thoracic (β: 0.030 [95%CI 0.01, 0.06]) BMD, though not for lumbar spine BMD (β: 0.020 [95%CI − 0.01, 0.05]). In males over 50 years old, MetS was positively correlated with BMD in both Model 1 (without adjusting for covariates) and Model 2 (considering age and ethnicity). Specifically, Model 2 revealed a positive correlation between MetS and BMD at the pelvis (β: 0.046 [95%CI 0.02, 0.07]), thoracic spine (β: 0.047 [95%CI 0.02, 0.07]), and lumbar spine (β: 0.040 [95%CI 0.02, 0.06]). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the relationship between MetS and BMD remained consistent in all strata, underscoring the stability of the findings. In postmenopausal women, after adjusting for all covariates, a significant positive correlation was observed between MetS and BMD in the pelvis and thoracic spine, whereas this correlation was not significant for lumbar spine BMD. Conversely, in males, positive correlations between MetS and BMD at the lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and pelvis were identified in Model 2, which adjusted for age and ethnicity; however, these correlations disappeared after fully adjusting for all covariates. These findings highlight the potential moderating role of gender in the impact of MetS on BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghost imaging is usually based on the optoelectronic process and electronic computing. A new ghost imaging approach is put forward in the paper that avoids any optoelectronic or electronic process. Instead, the proposed scheme exploits all-optical correlation and the vision persistence effect to generate images observed by naked eyes. To realize high contrast naked-eye ghost imaging, a special pattern-scanning architecture on a low-speed light-modulation disk is designed, which also enables high-resolution imaging with lower-order Hadamard vectors and boosts the imaging speed. With this approach, we realize high-contrast real-time naked-eye ghost imaging for moving colored objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A nickel coordination polymer with V-shaped ligands, {[(L1)2Ni(H2O)2] · 2(C8H5O4)}n, (L1 = 4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)methanone) has been synthesized under the solvothermal conditions. The structure has been determined by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and characterized by the infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The crystal is crystallized in the monoclinic sp. gr. P21/c with the unit cell parameters a = 15.6387(3) Å, b = 8.0526(2) Å, c = 24.4791(6) Å, and β = 129.2350(10)°, Z = 2. The adjacent [Ni(H2O)2] units are linked by two bridging L1 ligands to form 1D looped chains, which are extended by the hydrogen bonds to yield a 3D framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A copper complex with V-shaped ligands, [( L )CuCl] ( 1), ( L1 = 4-(1 H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl) methanone) has been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and singlecrystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal of 1 is monoclinic, sp. gr. C2/ with the unit cell parameters a = 17.9496(13), b = 15.3440(13), c = 7.2983(7) Å, and β = 112.875(6)°, Z = 4, R = 0.0681, and wR = 0.1736 ( I > 2 σ). The solid state structure of 1 consists of 2D metal aromatic chloride layers, which are propagating along the bc plane to form a 3D network through hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) make it possible to directly sequence genomes and exomes of individuals with Mendelian diseases and screen sequence data for causal variants. With the reduction in cost of NGS, DNA samples from entire families can be sequenced and linkage analysis can be performed directly using NGS data. Inspired by 'burden' tests, which are used for complex trait rare variant association studies, we developed the collapsed haplotype pattern (CHP) method for linkage analysis. Using data from several deafness genes we demonstrate that the CHP method is substantially more powerful than analyzing individual variants. Unlike applying NGS data filtering approaches, the CHP method provides statistical evidence of a gene's involvement in disease etiology and is also less likely to exclude causal variants in the presence of phenocopies and/or reduced penetrance. The CHP method was implemented in the SEQLinkage software package, which can perform linkage analysis on NGS data or can generate data compatible with many linkage analysis programs, reviving them for use in NGS era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

microRNA-200c-3p (miR-200c-3p) has emerged as an important tumor growth regulator. However, its function in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is poorly understood. This study was conducted to investigate the role of miR-200c-3p in the progression of human PTC. The miR-200c-3p expression in human PTC tissues and cell lines was evaluated. The target relationship between miR-200c-3p and candidate genes was predicted through bioinformatic analysis and confirmed with a luciferase reporter assay. miRNA or gene expression was altered using transfection, and cell behavior was analyzed using CCK-8, wound healing, Transwell, and colony formation assays. The tumor-promoting effects of miR-200c-3p were evaluated by xenografting tumors with K1 cells in nude mice. The expression level of miR-200c-3p in human PTC tissues and cell lines markedly increased, and this increased expression was significantly associated with a worse overall survival. When inactivated, miR-200c-3p suppressed K1 cells' malignant behaviors, including decreasing proliferation and attenuating colony formation, migration, and invasion. Its inactivation also attenuated the development of xenografted K1 cells in nude mice. The effects of miR-200c-3p mimics on promoting the malignant behaviors of PTC cells were remarkably reversed by the overexpression of ATP2A2, as a downstream target of miR-200c-3p. miR-200c-3p acts as an oncogenic gene and promotes the malignant biological behaviors of human PTC cells, thereby directly targeting ATP2A2. This regulated axis may be used as a potential therapy of PTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dactylogyrus intermedius is one of the most pathogenic monogenean parasites on the gills of captive fish and can cause serious problem in aquaculture. To attempt controlling this parasite and explore novel potential antiparasitic agents, the present study was designed to investigate the anthelmintic activity of Dioscorea zingiberensis C. H. Wright against D. intermedius in goldfish under in vivo conditions. Bioactivity-guided fractionation and isolation of the compounds responsible for anthelmintic activity was carried out with the ethanolic extract yielding two bioactive compounds. Using MS, H NMR, C NMR spectroscopic analyses, the two compounds were identified as trillin and gracillin. The results of in vivo anthelmintic efficacy assay showed that the 48-h median effective concentrations (EC) are 26.48 mg L for trillin and 0.18 mg L for gracillin. The 48-h acute toxicity tests (LD) of trillin and gracillin were found to be 73.11 and 1.40 mg L for goldfish, respectively. The resulting therapeutic indices for the two active compounds are 2.76 and 7.78, respectively. These data confirmed that both trillin and gracillin are effective against D. intermedius, and the gracillin exhibits more interesting perspectives for the development of a candidate antiparasitic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES:Standard therapies for antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) have limited efficacy. Probiotic prophylaxis is a promising alternative for reduction of AAD and CDAD incidence.METHODS:In this single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose-ranging study, we randomized 255 adult inpatients to one of three groups: two probiotic capsules per day (Pro-2, n=86), one probiotic capsule and one placebo capsule per day (Pro-1, n=85), or two placebo capsules per day (n=84). Each probiotic capsule contained 50 billion c.f.u. of live organisms (Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285® +Lactobacillus casei LBC80R® Bio-K+ CL1285). Probiotic prophylaxis began within 36 h of initial antibiotic administration, continued for 5 days after the last antibiotic dose, and patients were followed for an additional 21 days.RESULTS:Pro-2 (15.5%) had a lower AAD incidence vs. Pro-1 (28.2%). Each probiotic group had a lower AAD incidence vs. placebo (44.1%). In patients who acquired AAD, Pro-2 (2.8 days) and Pro-1 (4.1 days) had shorter symptom duration vs. placebo (6.4 days). Similarly, Pro-2 (1.2%) had a lower CDAD incidence vs. Pro-1 (9.4%). Each treatment group had a lower CDAD incidence vs. placebo (23.8%). Gastrointestinal symptoms were less common in the treatment groups vs. placebo and in Pro-2 vs. Pro-1.CONCLUSIONS:The proprietary probiotic blend used in this study was well tolerated and effective for reducing risk of AAD and, in particular, CDAD in hospitalized patients on antibiotics. A dose-ranging effect was shown with 100 billion c.f.u., yielding superior outcomes and fewer gastrointestinal events compared to 50 billion c.f.u. (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00958308). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ignition of methane/air mixture by the passage of a shock wave is an important issue for understanding more details of its gaseous detonation. The experiments of shock-induced ignition of stoichiometric methane/air mixture were conducted on a shock tube platform. The reaction zone structure in weak and strong ignition cases were investigated by digital chemiluminescence imaging and planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) techniques. Due to smaller gradients in induced time in weak ignition, which provided more time to nonlinear chemical reaction process, the results show that the reaction structures are highly nonuniform in those weak ignition cases, which become more regular while induced shock waves become stronger. In strong ignition case, it gives a typical detonation structure. The characteristics of reaction zone released by single-pulsed OH PLIF technique agreed well with other experimental measurements in this paper and were also in accord with the conclusions of previous researches. The successful implementation of the PLIF system has explored a new high temporally and spatially resolved method for the study of interaction between shock wave and gaseous matter in shock tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas production of offshore gas well testing is generally large, and sand production is inevitable, which will cause erosion risk of testing pipeline. In this research, surface process structure in deepwater gas well testing has been analyzed and the potential risk points of the process have been pointed out. According to the analysis results of elbow structure characteristics in potential risk points, material properties, natural gas production, solid phase change law, and material sampling of field elbow in testing surface process, combined with modified erosion testing system, the erosion of samples with different erosion times, erosion angles, fluid velocities and particle concentrations were studied. The results showed that the erosion number of particles on pipe samples was larger in the first 2 h. The erosion number of samples was rapidly increased with the increase in fluid velocity and sand concentration. When the angle between particle movement direction and sample wall plane was about 30°, erosion amount reached its maximum value. Impact forces between particles and solid materials change in vertical and horizontal components, affecting the morphology of erosion pits. Based on erosion experiment results and considering fluid flow theory, sand movement theory and OKA erosion model, numerical simulations of elbow erosion under different fluid velocities, particle concentrations and particle sizes were carried out and the erosion law of elbow was further explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the addition of rhodium (Rh), rhenium (Re), tungsten (W), gold (Au), and platinum (Pt) on the shear modulus of face-centered cubic iridium (Ir) was investigated using an ab initio method. The shear modulus was calculated using the second derivative of the strain energy with respect to strain. It was found that both the bulk modulus (G) and the ratio (G/B) between bulk and shear modulus decreased with the addition of elements to the Ir, which meant that all five of these alloy elements lowered the brittleness of the bulk Ir. The decreased shear modulus was the main factor for the lowered brittleness. And the decreasing order of shear modulus in the [112] and [100] crystalline directions was Ir > Rh > Pt > W = Au > Re and Ir > W > Rh > Pt > Au > Re respectively. The reason for the order was both the atomic distance and the bond strength between alloy atoms and Ir atoms. The larger bond strength meant the larger shear modulus, and the smaller atomic distance meant the smaller shear modulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS) lobectomy has been gradually applied for the surgical treatment of resectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purposes of this study were to analyze the learning curve of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy for the treatment of resectable non-small-cell lung cancer and discuss the clinical application value. We retrospectively evaluated 160 consecutive patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who underwent intended uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy by a single surgical team in our ward between May 2016 and April 2017. The patients were divided into four groups in chronological order. The general clinical date, perioperative data, and postoperative complications were individually compared and analyzed among the four groups. The four groups were similar in terms of incision length, chest tube duration, total number of dissected lymph nodes, and nodal stations and postoperative length of stay. The differences of operative time (185.9 SD 17.9 versus 139.9 SD 10.7 versus 128.7 SD 7.8 versus 124.0 SD 9.3 min), intraoperative blood loss (233.9SD135.8 versus 126.8SD18.1 versus 116.4 SD 22.6 versus 112.8 SD 25.3 ml), conversion rate (17.5% versus 7.5% versus 5.0% versus 5.0%), and postoperative complications rate (27.5% versus 10.0% versus 10.0% versus 7.5%) were significant among the four groups (p < 0.05). Compared with group A, the operative time and intraoperative blood loss were significantly decreased in groups B, C, and D, with significant differences (p < 0.05). Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy can be safely and feasibly performed on resectable non-small-cell lung cancer; the learning curve of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy is approximately 40 cases. The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, and conversion rates can be used as the main measure indexes for surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cobalt coordination polymer, {[Co(L1)2(H2O)2] · (HCOO)2 · H2O}n, where L1 is a bis(4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)methanone, has been synthesized and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal crystallizes in the triclinic sp. gr. with the unit cell parameters a = 7.9504(6), b = 10.0231(7), c = 13.3129(8) Å, and α = 88.399(5)°, β = 75.310(6)°, γ = 79.179(6)°, Z = 1. The Co2+ ion has a distorted octahedral environment with two O atoms from two water molecules and four N atoms from four L1 ligands. A thermal stability of polymer has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We thought that the shear modulus was the main factor for the brittleness of Ir, compared with the bulk modulus. Introduction Iridium (Ir) is a metal with a very high melting point and good corrosion resistance and, as such, has been used in sensors, crucibles, and wire. [Extracted from the article]

Polyaniline (PANI) doped with p-toluene sulfonic acid (PTSA) was synthesized by chemical oxidation method under the condition of conventional magnetic stirring (PTSA-PANI) and ultrasonic vibration (uPTSA-PANI) separately. Acrylic resin elastomer (ArE) was synthesized via radical polymerization. Novel all-organic dielectric elastomer composites (refer to the resultant composites herein as ArE/PTSA-PANI and ArE/uPTSA-PANI) were obtained by solution casting method. Chemical and microstructure characterization of the two kinds of resultant composites suggested that uPTSA-PANI possessed larger crystalline domain than that of PTSA-PANI and a unique branched structure. The dielectric properties of composites were measured in a wide frequency range, and the results demonstrated that both ArE/2.0% PTSA-PANI and ArE/2.0% uPTSA-PANI owned a high dielectric constant of more than 30 at 100 Hz, representing ten times increase with respect to neat ArE matrix (≈ 3). Moreover, it was found that ArE/2.0%uPTSA-PANI held better comprehensive dielectric properties at high frequency than that of ArE/2.0% PTSA-PANI composite; that was to say, ArE/2.0% uPTSA-PANI composite possessed not only high dielectric constant but also low dielectric loss. In addition, the thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the composite possessed better thermal stability than that of neat ArE. In addition, the elastic modulus of ArE/2.0% uPTSA-PANI composite was lower than 5 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyrotaxane, owing to the special topological interlocked structure, has attracted more and more attention from researchers. In this paper, a new polyrotaxane derivative has been synthesized based on the polyrotaxane end capped by 2, 4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). And through cross-linking the polyrotaxane derivative meanwhile adding graphene filler, high dielectric constant elastomeric nanocomposite is fabricated according to percolation theory. SEM images show that the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) improves the dispersibility of graphene in the cross-linked matrix. The percolation threshold of composite with PVP-modified graphene is 2.45 vol.% and for unmodified composite it is 2.20 vol.%. Besides, the dielectric constant of composite with PVP-modified graphene increases sharply to 289.8 with graphene content of 2.35 vol.% which is 25 times higher than that of matrix. However, the dielectric loss of composite is just 0.46. What is more, the thermal stability of composites shows an obvious enhancement compared to the polymer matrix. And the composite films still exhibit great flexibility at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, CHCuFNOS ( 1), was synthesized by the reaction of Cu( tta) and L, ( L = ( E)-2-(4-(1 H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)benzylidene)-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2 H)-one) in the dichloromethane solution. It crystallizes in the monoclinic, space group P2/ c with a = 33.8388(5), b = 9.3874(2), c = 21.8194(4) Å, β = 95.522(2), V = 6898.9(2) Å, Z = 8, D = 1.554 Mg/m, F(000) = 3272, µ = 0.834 mm, R = 0.0639, wR = 0.1637. The copper(II) ion of 1 is in a distorted square-pyramidal environment with four O atoms of the two tta ligands and one N atom of triazole ligand L. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction data revealed that the hydrogen bonds, weak C-H···π and π···π interactions in the crystals link the coordination units to form 3D supramolecular structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central region coarse grains and centerline segregation are common defects in aluminum ingots fabricated by direct chill (DC) casting. A double cooling field was introduced into the DC casting process to reduce these defects, whereby the external cooling was supplied by the mold and water jets, and intercooling was achieved by inserting a rod of the same alloy into the molten pool along the central axis of the ingot. Rather than forming a good metallurgical interface during solid-liquid compound casting, in the present work, the purpose of inserting the rod is to enforce internal cooling and consequently decrease the sump depth. Moreover, the insertion provides more nucleation sites with the unmolten á-Al particles. The structure and the macrosegregation of 2024 Al alloy ingots prepared by DC casting with and without the inserts were investigated. Results show that when the inserting position is 50 mm above the upper edge of the graphite ring, significant grain refinement in the central region of the ingot and a reduced centerline segregation are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-situ stress has great influence on blasting damage during deep tunnel excavation. However, the effects of in-situ stress on the blasting damage during tunnel excavation are deficient, and its mechanism is not clear. Therefore, theoretical analyses and numerical simulations are adopted to study the rock excavation damage under the coupling effect of in-situ stress and blasting load. The results indicate that the damage extent has obvious correlation with in-situ stress level. The damage extent decreases first and then increases as the stress level rises. In the decreasing part, blasting load is the dominant factor and mainly causes tensile-shear damage. The rising of in-situ stress here raises the tensile-shear yield limit of surrounding rock, which leads to the reduction of damage extent. When it comes to increasing part, the secondary stress field induced by excavation takes place of blasting load while mainly causing compress-shear damage. The damage extent rises up with the in-situ stress level increasing continuously. For the circular tunnel in this paper, the turning point where the trend of damage extent turns to increasing from decreasing is in-situ stress of 12.5 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient three-step excitation scheme is proposed to achieve the strong molecular orientation. By taking the CO molecule for example, via the Raman excitation by the femtosecond pulse L and subsequently resonant excitations by a single-cycle THz pulse L, the high degree of the field-free orientation of |⟨ cos θ ⟩ | = 0.8921 can be obtained at the rotational temperature T = 0 K. An additional single-cycle THz pulse L is introduced to further regulate the population distribution on rotational states and decrease the reduction of the orientation originating from the offset phase. With the increase of the central frequency ω of L, the optimal |⟨ cos θ ⟩ | increases monotonically. When ω = 1.0 THz, the degree of the field-free orientation reaches |⟨ cos θ ⟩ | = 0.9401. Moreover, our scheme is robust against the rotational temperature. Although the molecular orientation weakens with the rise of rotational temperature, |⟨ ⟨ cos θ ⟩ ⟩ | > 0.5 is still obtained until T = 22.8 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel metal–organic compounds have been prepared via altering metal ions under the hydrothermal conditions, i.e. [Zn(HL)(4,4′-bipy)(H2O)2]n (1) and [Cd(HL)(4,4′-bipy)]n (2) (4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine and H3L = 5-(4-carboxyphenoxy)-isophthalic acid). Moreover, the luminescent performances and stabilities of the two compounds were also investigated. For the prevention and treatment evaluation of compounds 1 and 2 in this present research, serious of biological experiments were performed in this study. Firstly, the non-invasive blood pressure monitoring was used for blood pressure determination. In addition to this, the real time RT-PCR assay was conducted in this study for the assessment of the α receptor expression on the vascular endothelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is an important freshwater teleost pathogen that can infect most species of freshwater fish worldwide and often leads to significant economic losses to the aquaculture industry. Potassium ferrate(VI), as a potential therapeutic agent for external protozoan parasite infections, has been proven to kill I. multifiliis theronts effectively; however, no information is available on effects of potassium ferrate(VI) exposure to I. multifiliis tomonts. This study evaluated the effects of potassium ferrate(VI) on the survival and reproduction of I. multifiliis tomonts. The results of experiment 1 showed that potassium ferrate(VI) at concentrations of 2.4, 4.8, 9.6, and 19.2 mg/L resulted in tomont survival rates of 82.2%, 34.2%, 14.6%, and 0, respectively, and significant differences were noted in tomont reproduction between the treatments and the control ( P < 0.05). Additionally, this study was designed to determine the effect of potassium ferrate(VI) toxicity on age of the tomont. The results indicated that encysted I. multifiliis was more resistant to potassium ferrate(VI) treatments. In addition, this study was designed to investigate I. multifiliis tomont survival and reproduction when collected from infested goldfish in potassium ferrate(VI) solutions at different concentrations (0, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6, and 19.2 mg/L) for 30 min. It was found that the tomont survivals in the treatments were significantly lower than those in the control ( P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that a bath with potassium ferrate(VI) possibly was an effective method to treat ichthyophthiriasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In search of a natural antiparasitic, in vivo anthelmintic activity of petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous extracts of Angelica pubescens roots ( Radix angelicae pubescentis), Brucea javanica fruits ( Fructus bruceae), Spatholobus suberectus stems ( Caulis spatholobi), Aesculus chinensis Bge. seeds ( Semen aesculi), and Pharbitis purpurea (L.) Voigt seeds ( Semen pharbitidis) were tested against Dactylogyrus intermedius (Monogenea) in goldfish ( Carassius auratus). Among the extracts tested, the methanolic and aqueous extracts of S. aesculi were observed to be more efficient than the other plant extracts with EC50 and EC90 values of 5.23 and 7.33 mg/L and 6.48 and 12.29 mg/L after 48 h, respectively, followed by methanolic extracts of Fructus bruceae, Radix angelicae pubescentis, Caulis spatholobi, and Semen pharbitidis with EC50 49.96, 57.45, 64.92, and 309.47 mg/L. The methanolic and aqueous extracts of S. aesculi exhibited potential results and can be exploited as a preferred natural antiparasitic for the control of D. intermedius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the diseased liver, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) transdifferentiate into "activated" myofibroblasts that then drive fibrogenesis by promoting the net deposition of extracellular matrix. This regulatory function requires stimulation of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor (5-HT2B) on HSCs by serotonin (5-HT), which activates extracellular regulated protein kinases and the transcription factor JunD. However, the regulation mechanisms of 5-HT on microRNAs in the activation of HSCs need a thorough study. In this study, our data show that the expression of miR-221/222 increases with the stimulation of 5-HT and is correlated with the expression levels of alpha 1 type I collagen and α-smooth muscle actin in HSCs. Silencing against 5-HT2B attenuates miR-221/222 expression. Stimulation of stellate cells with 5-HT significantly upregulated miR-221/222 expression, while knockdown of JunD or treatment with the ERK inhibitor PD98059 significantly reduced miR-221/222 expression. miR-221 and miR-222 are potential targets in the quest for a cure for human liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to make full use of the impact of internal and external factors on the performance of title catalyst for ethyl benzene oxidation, the key internal influencing factors on the catalytic performance were modulated by coordinating and grafting manganese porphyrin to mesoporous and macroporous chitosan, and the important external factors (i.e. oxidation reaction conditions) were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. Under the Response Surface Methodology optimized oxidation reaction conditions (176.56 °C, 0.59 MPa, and 0.25 mg amount of manganese porphyrin), the catalyst could be used at least five times. The ethyl benzene conversion, catalyst turnover numbers, and yields reached up to 51.2%, 4.37 × 106 and 36.4% in average, respectively. Compared with the other optimized oxidation reaction conditions, the corresponding values increased 17%, 26% and 53%. Relative to the manganese porphyrin, the catalytic performance and efficiency of the immobilized catalyst had notably increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central concept underpinning the operation of the micro-gyroscope is the detection of the weak Coriolis force. We describe in detail the working principle of an optical micro-gyroscope based on nano-grating detection. A double-layer reflective metal nano-grating is used to detect the Coriolis force acting on the gyroscope. To analyze its structural sensitivity, a simulation model of the gyroscope is configured, results from which show that the structure achieves good modal matching and a structural sensitivity of 6.402 nm/°/s. Furthermore, the structure of the nano-grating is analyzed in an optical simulation, and a tolerance analysis is performed of several structural parameters to gain insight into realizing an actual device. Finally, a model of the gyroscope system was implemented in the SIMULINK environment. Using parameter values obtained from calculations, simulations of the nano-grating gyroscope gave a total sensitivity of 3.03 mv/°/s, along with a theoretical noise floor of 5.95 × 10−5°/s/√Hz. This confirms that the proposed optical micro-gyroscope performs well as designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire poses a significant risk to the safety, health, and property of people around the world. However, traditional ‘‘point sensor’’ fire detection techniques for indoor buildings based on air particles, air temperatures, and smoke have a low sensitivity, long response time, and poor stability. Therefore, video-based fire detection has become a particularly efficient and important method for detecting the early signs of a fire. Due to image blur, low illumination, flame-like interference and other factors, there is a certain error rate of fire recognition using video flame recognition methods. According to our previous study of a multi-feature flame recognition algorithm, a novel flame recognition algorithm based on free radical emission spectroscopy during combustion is investigated in this paper. First, multiple features are extracted from the video images by employing our proposed processing scheme. Then, the features are post-processed by a temporal smoothing algorithm to eliminate the error recognition rate, which is caused by the similar characteristics of objects between flame-like and real flame areas. In the temporal smoothing experiments, the proposed method achieves the true positive rates of 0.965 and 0.937 for butane flames and forest fire, respectively. Additionally, the spectral signals of OH, CH, C2 and other free radicals in the combustion objects were acquired by the spectrometer. The vibrational temperature and rotational temperature are calculated after identification of the A2Δ → X2Π transition of the CH (410-440 nm). The flames-like are completely rejected by the proposed method in the validation experiment. In the subsequent butane combustion experiment, the vibrational temperature of the butane was 4896 K, and the rotational temperature was 2290 K. The experimental results show that real fires can be precisely recognized and that the combustion temperature can be determined from the CH emission spectroscopy. This novel method provides a new viewpoint for fire detection and recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Sucrose signaling pathways were rapidly induced in response to early iron deficiency in rice plants, and the change of sucrose contents in plants was essential for the activation of iron deficiency responses.Abstract: Sucrose is the main product of photosynthesis in plants, and it functions not only as an energy metabolite but also a signal molecule. However, a few studies have examined the involvement of sucrose in mediating iron deficiency responses in rice. In this study, we found that the decrease in photosynthesis and total chlorophyll concentration (SPAD values) in leaves occurred at a very early stage under iron deficiency. In addition, the sucrose was increased in leaves but decreased in roots of rice plants under iron deficiency, and also the sucrose transporter (SUT) encoded genes’ expression levels in leaves were all inhibited, including OsSUT1, OsSUT2, OsSUT3, OsSUT4, and OsSUT5. The carbohydrate distribution was changed under iron deficiency and sucrose might be involved in the iron deficiency responses of rice plants. Furthermore, exogenous application of sucrose or dark treatment experiments were used to test the hypothesis; we found that the increased endogenous sucrose would cause the repression of iron acquisition-related genes in roots, while further stimulated iron transport-related genes in leaves. Compared to the exogenous application of sucrose, the dark treatment had the opposite effects. All the above results highlighted the important role of sucrose in regulating the responses of rice plants to iron deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of exomes and genomes has accelerated the identification of genes involved in Mendelian phenotypes. However, many NGS studies fall short of identifying causal variants, with estimates for success rates as low as 25% for uncovering the pathological variant underlying disease etiology. An important reason for such failures is familial locus heterogeneity, where within a single pedigree causal variants in two or more genes underlie Mendelian trait etiology. As examples of intra- and inter-sibship familial locus heterogeneity, we present 10 consanguineous Pakistani families segregating hearing impairment due to homozygous variants in two different hearing impairment genes and a European-American pedigree in which hearing impairment is caused by four variants in three different genes. We have identified 41 additional pedigrees with syndromic and nonsyndromic hearing impairment for which a single previously reported hearing impairment gene has been identified but only segregates with the phenotype in a subset of affected pedigree members. We estimate that locus heterogeneity occurs in 15.3% (95% confidence interval: 11.9%, 19.9%) of the families in our collection. We demonstrate novel approaches to apply linkage analysis and homozygosity mapping (for autosomal recessive consanguineous pedigrees), which can be used to detect locus heterogeneity using either NGS or SNP array data. Results from linkage analysis and homozygosity mapping can also be used to group sibships or individuals most likely to be segregating the same causal variants and thereby increase the success rate of gene identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A duplication variant within the middle ear-specific gene A2ML1 cosegregates with otitis media in an indigenous Filipino pedigree (LOD score = 7.5 at reduced penetrance) and lies within a founder haplotype that is also shared by 3 otitis-prone European-American and Hispanic-American children but is absent in non-otitis-prone children and >62,000 next-generation sequences. We identified seven additional A2ML1 variants in six otitis-prone children. Collectively, our studies support a role for A2ML1 in the pathophysiology of otitis media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural plant agents are considered promising sources to control harmful algal blooms. The primary purpose of this study was to isolate the algicidal compounds from Ginkgo biloba exocarp against the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and determine the potential inhibition mechanisms. Bioassay-guided fractionation of petroleum ether extract yielded ginkgolic acids, which were identified by spectral analysis (infrared and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry). Bioassays showed ginkgolic acids inhibited M. aeruginosa growth effectively with the 3- and 7-day median effective concentration (EC, EC) of 3.26 and 2.03 mg L, respectively. For the potential inhibition mechanisms, cellular morphology, physiological changes, and genes expression during 12-96 h of exposure were investigated. Ginkgolic acids caused morphologic damage or lysis of cells. They induced oxidative damage by increasing malondialdehyde content and decreasing total antioxidant and superoxide dismutase activities. Transcription of three photosynthetic genes ( psaB, psbD, and rbcL) and two nutrient uptake related genes ( ntcA and phoU) were also found to be inhibited. Additionally, ginkgolic acids also affected the microcystin contents and the transcription of microcystin-related genes. The results suggested that ginkgolic acids isolated from G. biloba exocarp have the potential to inhibit M. aeruginosa growth effectively by causing pleiotropic effects on several physiological and biochemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aim of finding natural anthelmintic agents against Dactylogyrus intermedius (Monogenea) in goldfish ( Carassius auratus), 26 plants were screened for antiparasitic properties using in vivo anthelmintic efficacy assay. The results showed that Caesalpinia sappan, Lysima chiachristinae, Cuscuta chinensis, Artemisia argyi, and Eupatorium fortunei were found to have 100 % anthelmintic efficacy at 125, 150, 225, 300, and 500 mg L −1 after 48 h of exposure. Crude extract of the five plants were further partitioned with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water to obtain anthelmintically active fractions with various polarity. Among these fractions tested, the ethyl acetate extract of L. chiachristinae was found to be the most effective with a 50 % effective concentration (EC 50) value of 5.1 mg/L after 48 h of exposure. This was followed by ethyl acetate extract of C. chinensis (48 h-EC 50 = 8.5 mg L −1), chloroform extracts of C. sappan (48 h-EC 50 = 15.6 mg L −1), methanol extract of C. chinensis (48 h-EC 50 = 15.9 mg L −1), and chloroform and petroleum ether extract of L. chiachristinae (EC 50 values of 17.2 and 21.1 mg/L, respectively), suggesting that these plants, as well as the active fractions, provide potential sources of botanic drugs for the control of D. intermedius in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to assess the anthelmintic property of plant-derived polyphenolic compounds extracted and isolated from Dryopteris crassirhizoma against Dactylogyrus intermedius in goldfish. The active ethyl acetate extract was loaded on an open silica gel column and eluted with chloroform–methanol. According to 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13C-NMR, and mass spectral data, the structures of three purified compounds were identified as protocatechuic acid, sutchuenoside A, and kaempferitrin. Among these compounds, sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin were observed to be effective with median effective concentration (EC 50) of 3.01 and 2.71 mg L −1, respectively. The alterations in the tegument of the parasites treated with isolated compound were examined using scanning electron microscopes. Ultrastructural micrographs revealed shrinkage of body surface, dense tegumental folds, and disheveled protuberances. The structural deformities in the treated parasites were indicative of an efficient anthelmintic activity of the isolated compound kaempferitrin. In addition, the 48-h median lethal concentration for sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin against goldfish were 12.03- and 11.98-fold higher than corresponding EC 50. The present results showed that ethyl acetate extract of D. crassirhizoma may be considered as a potent source, and sutchuenoside A and kaempferitrin as new natural parasitic agents against D. intermedius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichthyophthiriasis is a widespread disease in aquaculture and causes mass mortalities of fish. The development of new antiprotozoal agents for the treatment of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis infections is of increasing interest. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of 30 medicinal plants against I. multifiliis. The results showed that the methanol extracts of Magnolia officinalis and Sophora alopecuroides displayed the highest antiprotozoal activity against theronts, with 4-h LC values estimated to be 2.45 and 3.43 mg L, respectively. Concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 mg L of M. officinalis extracts resulted in tomont mortality of 9.7, 43.7, 91.3, and 100 % at 20 h, respectively. From 40 to 320 mg L of S. alopecuroides extracts, tomont mortality increased from 29.7 to 100 %. Antiprotozoal efficacy against settled tomonts (2 and 10 h) was also applied; the results indicated that encysted I. multifiliis tomonts were less susceptible to these plant extract treatments. In vivo experiments demonstrated that high concentrations of M. officinalis and S. alopecuroides extracts could kill tomonts, and M. officinalis significantly reduced its reproduction ( P < 0.05). These results suggested that the methanol extracts of M. officinalis and S. alopecuroides have the potential to be used as an eco-friendly approach for the control of I. multifiliis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is an important fish ectoparasite that often results in significant economic losses to freshwater aquaculture. The search of alternative substances to control infections of I. multifiliis became stringent after malachite green, an effective and widely used chemotherapeutant, is banned on fish farms because of its carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. In this study, the effects of the aqueous extract of Capsicum frutescens, which is readily available and affordable, were evaluated under in vitro and in vivo conditions. The results in the in vitro conditions showed that the aqueous extracts of C. frutescens with the ratios ( V/ V- V, the volume of stock solution; V, the volume of total solution) of 1:32 and 1:64 led to more than 70 % mortality of I. multifiliis theronts during 4 h of exposure and significantly reduced the survival of the tomonts and the total number of theronts released by the tomonts within 22 h ( P < 0.05). A 96-h bioassay was carried out to determine the acute toxicity of the aqueous extract of C. frutescens to goldfish. No visible effect was observed in the treatments with the aqueous extracts of C. frutescens with the ratios ( V/ V) of 1:32, 1:64 and 1:128, while in the other treatments, the erratic behaviour of fish was noted. In addition, in vitro tests demonstrated that the aqueous extract of C. frutescens had an adverse effect on I. multifiliis trophonts in situ. Fish treated with the aqueous extracts of C. frutescens in ratios V/ V of 1:32 and 1:64 carried significantly fewer parasites than the control and the other treatments ( P < 0.05). These results suggest, therefore, that aqueous extracts of C. frutescens have potential for the control of ichthyophthiriasis in the aquaculture industry, though further phytochemical studies will need to be performed for isolation and identification of the active compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In search of a botanical algicide, 40 traditional medicinal plants were screened for antialgal activity against the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa using coexistence culture system assay. The results of the coexistence assay showed that significant inhibition of the algae at 800 mg L were observed for methanolic extracts of the root of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae), rhizome of Acorus tatarinowii (Rhizoma Acori), rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum (Rhizoma Polygoni), cortex of Phellodendron amurense (Cortex Phellodendri), and fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida (Fructus Crataegi). Methanol extract of these plants were further partitioned with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and acetone to obtain allelopathically active fractions with various polarity. Among these fractions tested, the ethyl acetate extract of S. miltiorrhiza was observed to be more efficient than the other plant extracts with the inhibitory rate (IR) of 91.3% at 800 mg L and 50% effective concentrations (EC) values 98.9 mg L after 7 days, followed by chloroform extracts of A. tatarinowii, S. miltiorrhiza, and P. cuspidatum, and the petroleum ether extracts of A. tatarinowii with EC 102.5, 111.5, 122.9, and 130.0 mg L, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, methanol extracts of 42 traditional medicinal plants with potent anthelmintic activity against Dactylogyrus intermedius (Monogenea) in goldfish ( Carassius auratus) were investigated. Cinnamomum cassia, Lindera aggregata, and Pseudolarix kaempferi exhibited 100% activity and were selected for further evaluation by applying five solvents (petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water) for the extraction of the samples, followed by the in vivo bioassay. Among the extracts tested, water and methanol extracts of C. cassia showed the highest efficacies with EC values of 13.2 and 12.3 mg L, showing 100% efficacy against D. intermedius at 30.0 and 40.0 mg L, followed by methanol extract of L. aggregata which demonstrated 100% efficacy at 60.0 mg L with EC value of 17.1 mg L after 48 h of exposure. Methanol and ethyl acetate extract of P. kaempferi, which exhibited a 100% efficacy against D. intermedius at 60.0 and 50.0 mg L, revealed similar activity with EC values of 23.5 and 23.3 mg L, respectively. Acute toxicity of these active extracts was investigated on goldfish for 48 h and the corresponding median lethal concentrations (LC) of 56.9, 31.3, 88.7, 168.2, and 165.7 mg L, respectively. These findings indicated that these extracts of the three plants can be developed as preferred natural antiparasitic agents for the treatment of D. intermedius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find natural agents against Dactylogyrus intermedius in goldfish, petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol extracts of three medicinal plants ( Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Kochia scoparia, and Polygala tenuifolia) were screened for antiparasitic properties using in vivo anthelmintic efficacy assay. Among these extracts investigated, methanolic extract of D. crassirhizoma was observed the most effective with EC value of 22.97 mg L after 48 h of exposure, which exhibited a 100% efficacy against D. intermedius at 60.00 mg L, followed by the methanolic extracts of K. scoparia and P. tenuifolia with EC values of 31.28 and 154.79 mg L, showing 100% efficacy against D. intermedius at 60.00 and 500.00 mg L, respectively. In addition, acute toxicity assay indicated that 48-h LC values of methanolic extracts of D. crassirhizoma, K. scoparia, and P. tenuifolia were 4.10-, 2.27-, and 5.00-fold higher than the corresponding EC. The obtained results demonstrated that methanolic extracts of D. crassirhizoma, K. scoparia, and P. tenuifolia have the potential for the development of novel therapy for the control of D. intermedius in aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is one of the most pathogenic parasites of fish maintained in captivity. In this study, effects of crude extracts, fractions, and compounds from the leaves of Macleaya cordata against I. multifiliis were investigated under in vitro conditions by bioactivity-guided isolation method. The dried ethanol extract of M. cordata was extracted successively in a separating funnel with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, chloroform and n-butanol. Among them, only the chloroform extract showed promising activity and therefore, was subjected to further separation and purification using various chromatographic techniques. Four compounds were isolated from chloroform extract, but only one compound showed potent activity. The structure of the active compound was elucidated as sanguinarine by hydrogen, carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum and electron ionization mass spectrometry. In vitro antiparasitic efficacy tests exhibited that sanguinarine was 100% effective against I. multifiliis at a concentration of 0.7 mg l, with LC and LC values of 0.437 and 0.853 mg l after 4 h of exposure. In vivo antiparasitic efficacy tests showed that the number of I. multifiliis on the gills in the treatment group (in 0.9 mg l sanguinarine) was reduced by 96.8%, in comparison to untreated group at 25°C for 48 h. Mortality of fish did not occur in the treatment group during the trail, although 40% of untreated fish died. Our results indicate that the studied plant extracts, as well as sanguinarine might be potential sources of new antiparasitic drug for the control of I. multifiliis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusicoccane diterpenoids usually possess a fused 5-8-5 tricyclic ring system, which are biogenetically generated from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGDP). In our report, three novel diterpenoid alkaloids with fusicoccane skeleton, pericolactines A-C (1-3), were isolated from Periconia sp.. Their structures with absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic analyses and quantum chemical ECD calculation. Pericolactines A-C (1-3) are a new class of diterpenoid alkaloids with an unusual fused 5-5-8-5 tetracyclic ring system, which derive from a geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGDP) and serine conjugated biosynthesis. They belong to the atypical diterpenoid alkaloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]