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This study aimed to evaluate the rates of euploidy, aneuploidy, and mosaicism in preimplantation genetic testing for structural rearrangements (PGT-SR) cycles from chromosomal inversion carriers. In addition, this work also focused on assessing the impact of some contributors on the incidence of parental originating aneuploidy and mosaicism.This retrospective review enrolled chromosomal inversion carrier couples of whom the females were under 38 years old undergoing PGT-SR at a single academic reproductive center. Subgroups were divided according to the gender of carriers, the inversion type, and the semen parameters of male carriers (male factor infertility (MF) or non-MF). Patient demographics, cycle characteristics, and PGT-SR outcomes were compared among subgroups.A total of 71 PGT-SR cycles from 57 inversion carrier couples were included for analysis. Among the 283 blastocysts, 48.4% were identified as euploidy, 27.9% as aneuploidy, and the remaining 23.7% as mosaicism. Only 32.9% of aneuploid embryos and 1.5% of mosaic embryos involved the parental inversion chromosomes. Notably, the female inversion carriers seemed to produce more parental originating aneuploid embryos than male inversion carriers (45.5% vs 23.9%, p = 0.044).The type of inversion and sperm parameters of male chromosomal inversion carriers did not affect the ploidy status of embryos. The incidence of parental originating aneuploidy in inversion carrier couples is lower than expected. For male chromosomal inversion carriers with normal sperm condition whose female partners are under 38 years old, natural conception combined with prenatal diagnosis could be provided as an option during fertility counseling.

Disturbed inhibitory synaptic transmission has functional impacts on neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. An essential mechanism for modulating inhibitory synaptic transmission is alteration of the postsynaptic abundance of GABAARs, which are stabilized by postsynaptic scaffold proteins and recruited by presynaptic signals. However, how GABAergic neurons trigger signals to transsynaptically recruit GABAARs remains elusive. Here, we show that UNC-43/CaMKII functions at GABAergic neurons to recruit GABAARs and modulate inhibitory synaptic transmission at C. elegans neuromuscular junctions. We demonstrate that UNC-43 promotes presynaptic MADD-4B/Punctin secretion and NRX-1α/Neurexin surface delivery. Together, MADD-4B and NRX-1α recruit postsynaptic NLG-1/Neuroligin and stabilize GABAARs. Further, the excitation of GABAergic neurons potentiates the recruitment of NLG-1-stabilized-GABAARs, which depends on UNC-43, MADD-4B, and NRX-1. These data all support that UNC-43 triggers MADD-4B and NRX-1α, which act as anterograde signals to recruit postsynaptic GABAARs. Thus, our findings elucidate a mechanism for pre- and postsynaptic communication and inhibitory synaptic transmission and plasticity.

PURPOSE: Aneuploidy is one genetic factor leading to the failure of embryo implantation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the day of embryo blastulation and the ploidy status of embryo, to aid in selecting embryos with the most likelihood of of being euploid in a noninvasive way. METHODS: This retrospective study recruited women undergoing preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) for aneuploidy (PGT-A) with trophectoderm biopsy from January 2019 to December 2020. The ploidy status of embryos was determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: Altogether, 2531 blastocysts from 839 PGT-A cycles were evaluated. The euploid rate of day 5 blastocysts was significantly higher than that of day 6 blastocysts, either from the same ovarian stimulation (OS) cycles (49.9% vs 35.7%, P

Background Hematogenous disseminated tuberculosis predisposes to concurrent tuberculous meningitis (TBM), the most devastating and disabling form of tuberculosis. However, children often have atypical clinical symptoms, difficulty in specimen collection, low specimen content, and an increasing incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Thus, the accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of childhood tuberculosis face monumental challenges. Case presentation The 14-year-old female presented to the hospital with intermittent fever, headache, and blurred vision. Her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed a lymphocytic pleocytosis, an elevated protein level, and a decreased chloride level. And her CSF tested positive for TB-RNA. Xpert MTB/RIF detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis in her CSF, but the rifampin resistance test was unknown. Subsequently, her CSF culture was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The drug sensitivity test (DST) revealed resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, and fluoroquinolones. A computed tomography (CT) of the chest showed diffuse miliary nodules in both lungs. Intracranial enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed “multiple intensified images of the brain parenchyma, cisterns, and part of the meninges.” The final diagnosis is miliary pulmonary tuberculosis and pre-extensive drug-resistant TBM. After 19 months of an oral, individualized antituberculosis treatment, she recovered with no significant neurological sequelae. Conclusion For patients with miliary pulmonary tuberculosis, especially children, even if there are no typical clinical symptoms, it is necessary to know whether there is TBM and other conditions. Always look for the relevant aetiological basis to clarify whether it is drug-resistant tuberculosis. Only a rapid and accurate diagnosis and timely and effective treatment can improve the prognosis and reduce mortality and disability rates.

Nuclear receptor coactivator (NCOA) family gene fusions have been increasingly discovered in diverse mesenchymal neoplasms, while PRRX1-NCOA-fused fibroblastic tumors still remain insufficiently characterized. We herein present two additional PRRX1-NOCA1-positive cases sharing lobulated hypocellular growth of innocuous spindle-to-stellate cells in a fibromyxoid stroma enriched with polymorphous vessels. A constellation of low cellularity, alternating myxocollagenous matrix, bland cytomorphology, and, especially, unusual collagenous rosettes in one case were morphologically reminiscent of low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma. In both cases, immunoprofiles were similarly nondescript and negative for all diagnostic markers, including MUC4, emphasizing the diagnostic value of molecular testing. Review of published and current cases highlights a striking predominance of PRRX1-NCOA1, unusual collagenous rosettes, and favorable behavior in this emerging fibroblastic tumor type.

Background The non-local module has been primarily used in literature to capturing long-range dependencies. However, it suffers from prohibitive computational complexity and lacks the interactions among positions across the channels. Methods We present a deformed non-local neural network (DNL-Net) for medical image segmentation, which has two prominent components; deformed non-local module (DNL) and multi-scale feature fusion. The former optimizes the structure of the non-local block (NL), hence, reduces the problem of excessive computation and memory usage, significantly. The latter is derived from the attention mechanisms to fuse the features of different levels and improve the ability to exchange information across channels. In addition, we introduce a residual squeeze and excitation pyramid pooling (RSEP) module that is like spatial pyramid pooling to effectively resample the features at different scales and improve the network receptive field. Results The proposed method achieved 96.63% and 92.93% for Dice coefficient and mean intersection over union, respectively, on the intracranial blood vessel dataset. Also, DNL-Net attained 86.64%, 96.10%, and 98.37% for sensitivity, accuracy and area under receiver operation characteristic curve, respectively, on the DRIVE dataset. Conclusions The overall performance of DNL-Net outperforms other current state-of-the-art vessel segmentation methods, which indicates that the proposed network is more suitable for blood vessel segmentation, and is of great clinical significance.

Focusing of biological particles has important applications in the fields of biology, medicine, chemistry and environment. The emergence of microfluidic technology has brought new opportunities for the manipulation of biological particles. However, existing methods generally produce a relatively large shear stress or thermal effect on biological particles, which may cause negative biological effects during manipulation, especially for sensitive bioparticles. Herein, we propose a novel strategy for microfluidic focusing of microparticles based on negative magnetophoresis and oscillatory flow. A simple and efficient simulation model is first developed to calculate the motion of particles under magnetic field and fluid field. The non-monotonic size dependence of particle focusing is then revealed and elaborately analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of oscillatory flow field and magnetic field on particle focusing are quantitatively investigated and the particle size range for effective focusing in our proposed chip is provided. The proposed strategy of microfluidic focusing can guide the real applications such as enrichment and separation of sensitive biological particles.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had higher incidences of sarcopenia, falls, osteoporosis, and vertebral osteoporotic fractures (VOPF). Sarcopenia was associated with longer disease duration, higher disease activity, and more severe RA. The interactive effect of sarcopenia and falls was associated with a higher risk of VOPF in patients with RA. Whether sarcopenia and falls are a risk factor for vertebral fracture in RA patients has not been demonstrated. This study aimed to explore the incidence of vertebral osteoporotic fracture (VOPF) and its relationship with sarcopenia and falls in RA patients. A total of 474 RA patients and 156 controls were enrolled in this study. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray examinations of the vertebral column (T4-L4) were used for the semiquantitative assessment of VOPF. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Skeletal muscle mass was measured by direct segmental multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA method). RA patients had an increased risk of sarcopenia (62.4% vs 9.0%, x2 = 47.478, P

A novel ionic liquid 1-ethoxyethyl-3-methylimidazolium glycine ([C2OC2mim][Gly]) was prepared and characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The density, surface tension and refractive index of [C2OC2mim][Gly] were measured in T = (288.15–328.15) K using the standard addition method. Based on experimental data, physicochemical properties molar volume, parachor, surface tension, the molar surface Gibbs energy, the molar vaporization enthalpy, thermal expansion coefficients, molar refraction and refractive index of the homologues [CnOC2mim][Gly] (n = 1–5) were predicted using semiempirical methods. The predicted values were in good agreement within an order of magnitude with the experimental ones.

To explore the prevalence and risk factors of osteoporosis (OP) and vertebral osteoporotic fracture (VOPF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray examination of the vertebral column (T4-L4) was used for the semi-quantitative assessment of VOPF. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Of 865 RA patients, the prevalence of OP and VOPF was 33.6% and 20.2%, respectively. Patients with OP or VOPF were older, and had longer term use and a larger daily amount and cumulative dose of glucocorticoids (GCs), longer disease duration, and higher Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores and Sharp scores than patients without OP or VOPF (P

The amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) [Cnmim][Thr](n = 3, 5) were prepared, and their structures were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and element analysis. The evaporation enthalpy of AAILs [Cnmim][Thr](n = 3, 5) and the sublimation enthalpy of benzoic acid were determined by the isothermogravimetrical analysis at their average temperature, respectively. Using Verevkin’s method, the difference of heat capacities between the vapor phase and the liquid phase, $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} C_{\text{p}} ^{\text{o}} {}_{\text{m}}$$ , for AAILs [Cnmim][Thr](n = 3, 5) was calculated and in terms of $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} C_{\text{p}}^{\text{o}} {}_{\text{m}}$$ , $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} H^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}} \left({T_{\text{av}}} \right)$$ can be transformed into $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} H^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}} \left(T \right)$$ at different temperatures, T, where the evaporation enthalpy, $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} H^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}}$$ (298.15), at 298.15 K was included. The difference between the value of $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} H^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}}$$ (298.15) and the corresponding one predicted by Tong’s model is less than the experimental error of 3.0 kJ mol−1, so that it is shown that the model has some reasonableness. According to Rebelo et al., the hypothetical normal boiling point, Tb, was estimated so that the vaporization entropy, $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} S$$ (Tb) was estimated also. In terms of $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} C_{\text{p}}^{\text{o}} {}_{\text{m}}$$ , the vaporization entropy, $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} S\left(T \right)$$ and the evaporation Gibbs free energy, $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} G^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}} \left(T \right)$$ , of the AAILs were determined at different temperatures. The results show that $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} G^{\text{o}} _{\text{m}} \left(T \right)$$ decreases with the temperature rise until the boiling point temperature is zero, and $$\Delta^{\text{g}} _{\text{l}} S\left(T \right)$$ increases with the temperature rise until Tb is the maximum so that this indicted that the vaporization entropy is the driving force of the evaporation process of AAIL [Cnmim][Thr](n = 3, 5).

Low-temperature heat capacities of the 1-heptyl-3-methyl imidazolium perrhenate ionic liquids have been measured by a high-precision automated adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 78 to 400 K. In this report, the standard molar heat capacity was determined to be 679.438 J K−1 mol−1. The melting temperature at 207.873 ± 0.374 K has been discovered by the heat-capacity curve. The experimental values of molar heat capacities were fitted to two polynomial equations of heat capacities (Cp,m) by least square method. Meanwhile, the thermodynamic functions (HT − H298.15), (ST − S298.15), and (GT − G298.15) were also calculated in the temperature range from 298.15 to 400 K with the interval of 5 K.

We review the latest aeromagnetic geological data of continental China. We discuss the latest achievements in geological mapping and the newly detected features based on aeromagnetic data. Using aeromagnetic data collected for more than 50 years, a series of 1:5000000 and 1:1000000 aeromagnetic maps of continental China were compiled using state-of-the-art digital technology, and data processing and transformation. Guided by plate tectonics and continental dynamics, rock physical properties, and magnetic anomalies, we compiled maps of the depth of the magnetic basement of continental China and the major geotectonic units, and presented newly detected geological structures based on the aeromagnetic data.

The propionate acid ionic liquids, 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium propionate [C4mim][Pro] and [C6mim][Pro] were prepared by the neutralization method and characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The values of density and surface tension of aqueous [C4mim][Pro] and [C6mim][Pro] with various molalities were determined at different temperatures, and the coefficient of thermal expansion, the apparent molar volume and the parachor for these solutions were calculated. The values of the apparent molar expansibility of the solute obtained from data of the apparent molar volume are in good agreement with the values calculated by the Harned–Owen equation. An empirical equation for prediction of surface tension for aqueous [C4mim][Pro] and [C6mim][Pro] was put forward and the values of the surface tension predicted by the empirical equation are very similar and highly correlated with the corresponding experimental values and the results predicted by the parachor semi-empirical method for solutions.

Background Chronic muscle injury is characteristics of fatty infiltration and fibrosis. Recently, fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) were found to be indispensable for muscular regeneration while were also responsible for fibrosis and fatty infiltration in muscle injury. Many myokines have been proven to regulate the adipose or cell proliferation. Because the fate of FAPs is largely dependent on microenvironment and the regulation of myokines on FAPs is still unclear. We screened the potential myokines and found Interleukin-15 (IL-15) may regulate the fatty infiltration in muscle injury. In this study, we investigated how IL-15 regulated FAPs in muscle injury and the effect on muscle regeneration. Methods Cell proliferation assay, western blots, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometric analysis were performed to investigate the effect of IL-15 on proliferation and adipogensis of FAPs. Acute muscle injury was induced by injection of glycerol or cardiotoxin to analyze how IL-15 effected on FAPs in vivo and its function on fatty infiltration or muscle regeneration. Results We identified that the expression of IL-15 in injured muscle was negatively associated with fatty infiltration. IL-15 can stimulate the proliferation of FAPs and prevent the adipogenesis of FAPs in vitro and in vivo. The growth of FAPs caused by IL-15 was mediated through JAK-STAT pathway. In addition, desert hedgehog pathway may participate in IL-15 inhibiting adipogenesis of FAPs. Our study showed IL-15 can cause the fibrosis after muscle damage and promote the myofiber regeneration. Finally, the expression of IL-15 was positively associated with severity of fibrosis and number of FAPs in patients with chronic rotator cuff tear. Conclusions These findings supported the potential role of IL-15 as a modulator on fate of FAPs in injured muscle and as a novel therapy for chronic muscle injury. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-018-0251-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper presents a novel approach for creating self-moving objects using hollow-face illusion. Given a clip of character animation, our approach generates a static object. Looking at the object at different views, a similar deformation can be observed. To accomplish this challenging mission, we give qualitative and quantitative analysis of hollow-face illusion. Methodology in computer vision and human perception are utilized to design the algorithm. A static object is first generated to satisfy the relative motion illusion constraints. The illusion is then strengthened by back projecting the object to the 3D face space. Considering both "bottom-up" visual signal and "top-down" knowledge, the intended illusion can be generated. Experiments have shown the effectiveness of our algorithm. For example, expression varying illusion on an oil painting can be created by our method. The self-moving objects can be used in applications such as design, entertainment, advertisement, and public safety.

Background Several studies on the association of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) polymorphisms with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) risk have reported conflicting results. The present meta-analysis was conducted to provide a more precise estimation of these relationships and to investigate the real association between TNF-α polymorphisms and RPL. Methods An extensive eligible literature search for relevant studies was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library from their inceptions to May 12, 2015. Specific inclusion criteria were used to evaluate articles. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations. Statistical analyses were performed by the STATA12.0 software. Results 10 case–control studies including 1430 RPL patients and 1727 healthy controls were identified. Meta-analysis indicated that TNF-α-308G/A (rs1800629) polymorphism in the TNF-α gene correlated with elevated RPL risk whereas no significant association was observed between TNF-α-238G/A (rs361625) and RPL. Conclusions The current meta-analysis demonstrates that TNF-α-308G/A polymorphism in the TNF-α gene is associated with susceptibility to RPL.

The amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) [C3mim][Gly] (1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium glycine) and [C4mim][Gly] (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium glycine) have been prepared by the neutralization method and characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The values of their density, surface tension and refractive index were measured at (298.15 ± 0.05) K. Since the AAILs can form strong hydrogen bonds with water, small amounts of water are difficult to remove from the AAILs by common methods. In order to eliminate the effect of the impurity water, the standard addition method (SAM) was applied to these measurements. A new concept which is called the ionic parachor has been put forward. The [C n mim]+ cations were treated as a group of reference ions and the individual values of their ionic parachor were evaluated in terms of an extrathermodynamic assumption. Then, using the values of the ionic parachor of reference ions, the parachor, surface tension γ and refractive index n D of the ionic liquids investigated in this work were estimated. The estimated values correlate quite well with the corresponding experimental values.

The properties of the terahertz resonant surface plasmons wave on the carbon nanotube film and dielectric interface have been investigated. As a first step towards engineering terahertz SPPs-like surface modes, we present a computer experiment to demonstrate that the carbon nanotube film surface can also be employed to concentrate and guide the terahertz SPPs wave. The carbon nanotube film is modeled in an experimentally realizable geometry. It is shown that a unique electromagnetic surface mode in terahertz region can be supported along the carbon nanotube film/dielectric interface when the free-space broadband terahertz pulse is incident on the carbon nanotube film with subwavelength gratings. Comparing with noble metals, plasmonic nano-structure materials based on carbon nanotube film offer a potentially more versatile approach to engineering tightly confined surface modes in the THz regime.

An ionic liquid (IL) based on lactate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium lactate ([C4mim][Lact]), has been prepared and characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Since the IL can form strong hydrogen bonds with water, trace water is a problematic impurity in the IL. Using the standard addition method (SAM), the density, refractive index and surface tension of [C4mim][Lact] were measured in the temperature range (308.15 to 343.15 ± 0.05) K. On the basis of the experimental data, the parachor and molar volume for [C4mim][Lact], and the molecular volume Vm, surface tension γ, molar enthalpy of vaporization ΔlgHm0, refractive index nD, and the thermal expansion coefficients α, for the homologues [Cnmim][Lact] (n = 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) were estimated using semi-empirical methods. The estimated values are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Telomeres are eukaryotic protein-DNA complexes found at the ends of linear chromosomes that are essential for maintaining genome integrity and are implicated in cellular aging and cancer. The guanine (G)-rich strand of telomeric DNA, usually elongated by the telomerase reverse transcriptase, can form a higher-order structure known as a G-quadruplex in vitro and in vivo. Several factors that promote or resolve G-quadruplexes have been identified, but the functional importance of these structures for telomere maintenance is not well understood. Here we show that the yeast telomerase subunit Est1p, known to be involved in telomerase recruitment to telomeres, can convert single-stranded telomeric G-rich DNA into a G-quadruplex structure in vitro in a Mg(2+)-dependent manner. Cells carrying Est1p mutants deficient in G-quadruplex formation in vitro showed gradual telomere shortening and cellular senescence, indicating a positive regulatory role for G-quadruplex in the maintenance of telomere length.

The molar enthalpies of solution of an alanine-based ionic liquid (IL) [C4mim][Ala], 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium alanine, containing various amount of water and various molalities Δsol H m(wc), were measured with a solution-reaction isoperibol calorimeter at (298.15±0.01) K, where wc denotes water content. According to Archer’s method, the standard molar enthalpies of solution of [C4mim][Ala] containing known amounts of water, $\Delta_{\mathrm{sol}}H_{\mathrm{m}}^{\mathrm{o}}(\mathrm{wc})$ , were obtained. In order to eliminate the effect of the small amount of residual water in the source [C4mim][Ala], a linear fitting of $\Delta_{\mathrm{sol}}H_{\mathrm{m}}^{\mathrm{o}}(\mathrm{wc})$ against water content was carried out, yielding a good straight line where the intercept is the standard molar enthalpy of solution of anhydrous [C4mim][Ala], $\Delta_{\mathrm{sol}}H_{\mathrm{m}}^{\mathrm{o}}(\mathrm{pure}\ \mathrm{IL})=-(61.42\pm 0.08)$ kJ⋅mol−1. The hydration enthalpy of the alanine anion [Ala]− was estimated using Glasser’s lattice energy theory.

Quantum dot (Qdot) nanocrystals have been increasingly used as fluorescence labels in fluoroimmunoassays recently because of their excellent optical characteristics. In this paper, a new monoclonal antibody (MAb) against sulfamethazine (SMZ) was successfully produced and linked to Qdot nanocrystals by covalent coupling. The Qdot-MAb conjugates were characterized by SDS-PAGE and high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was utilized to evaluate the antigen-antibody binding affinity and then a novel direct competitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (cFLISA) for the detection of SMZ in milk by using Qdots as fluorescent labels was evaluated. The results showed that the 50% inhibition values (IC50) of the cFLISA were 4.3 ng/mL in milk and 5.2 ng/mL in PBS, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 0.6 ng/mL in milk and 0.4 ng/mL in PBS, respectively. The recoveries of SMZ from spiked milk samples at levels of 10-100 ng/mL ranged from 94 to 106%, with coefficients of variation (CVs) of 2.1-9.2%.

This paper reports the densities of aqueous solutions of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-methyl-3-pentylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([pmim][BF4]) that were measured from 278.15 to 343.15 K, at intervals of 5 K, using an Anton Parr model DMA 4500 oscillating U-tube densitometer. The apparent molar volume, φVB, and the partial molar volume of [pmim][BF4], \(\bar{V}_{\mathrm{B}}\) , were calculated. The values of the apparent molar volume, φVB, were fitted to Pitzer’s model for volumetric properties by the method of least-squares, which allowed the partial molar volume of the IL at infinite dilution, \(\bar{V}_{\mathrm{B}}^{\mathrm{o}}\) , and Pitzer’s parameters, βM,X(0)V and βM,X(1)V, to be obtained. The small standard deviations of the fits show that Pitzer’s model is also appropriate for representing the volumetric properties of aqueous solutions of the ionic liquid [pmim][BF4].

Several studies have indicated that a caloric restriction mimetic or treatment for type 2 diabetes may reverse brain aging. Therefore, we investigated the effect of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), an alkaloid acting as an inhibitor of α-glucosidase, on age-related behavioral and biochemical changes. SAMP8 mice were randomly assigned to a control group labeled "old" or to the 10- or 20-mg/kg/day DNJ groups. The mice in the DNJ groups were administered DNJ orally from 3 to 9 months of age, and then, a "young" control group was added to analyze the age effect. The old controls exhibited significant declines in sensorimotor ability, open-field anxiety, spatial and nonspatial memory abilities, and age-related biochemical changes, including decreased serum insulin level; increased levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, presynaptic protein synaptotagmin-1, and astrocyte activation; and decreased levels of insulin receptor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, presynaptic protein syntaxin-1, and acetylation of histones H4 at lysine 8 in the dorsal hippocampus. Significant correlations exist between the age-related behavioral deficits and the serological and histochemical data. Chronic DNJ treatment alleviated these age-related changes, and the 20-mg/kg/day DNJ group showed more significant improvement. Thus, DNJ may have the potential to maintain successful brain aging.

Protein sequence alignment is essential for a variety of tasks such as homology modeling and active site prediction. Alignment errors remain the main cause of low-quality structure models. A bioinformatics tool to refine alignments is needed to make protein alignments more accurate. We developed the SFESA web server to refine pairwise protein sequence alignments. Compared to the previous version of SFESA, which required a set of 3D coordinates for a protein, the new server will search a sequence database for the closest homolog with an available 3D structure to be used as a template. For each alignment block defined by secondary structure elements in the template, SFESA evaluates alignment variants generated by local shifts and selects the best-scoring alignment variant. A scoring function that combines the sequence score of profile-profile comparison and the structure score of template-derived contact energy is used for evaluation of alignments. PROMALS pairwise alignments refined by SFESA are more accurate than those produced by current advanced alignment methods such as HHpred and CNFpred. In addition, SFESA also improves alignments generated by other software. SFESA is a web-based tool for alignment refinement, designed for researchers to compute, refine, and evaluate pairwise alignments with a combined sequence and structure scoring of alignment blocks. To our knowledge, the SFESA web server is the only tool that refines alignments by evaluating local shifts of secondary structure elements. The SFESA web server is available at http://prodata.swmed.edu/sfesa .

A new ionic liquid, PMIInCl4, was prepared by mixing 1-methyl-3-pentylimidazolium chloride (PMIC) with InCl3. The molar enthalpies of solution of PMIC and PMIInCl4 in water to form solutions at various molalities were determined at 298.15 K using an isoperibol calorimeter. Using Pitzer's electrolyte solution model, the molar enthalpies of solution of PMIC and PMIInCl4 at infinite dilution, Δsol H^m, and Pitzer's ion-interaction parameters βMX(0)L, βMX(1)L and CMXϕL, were derived. The values of the apparent relative molar enthalpy L and relative partial molar enthalpy of the solutes (PMIC and PMIInCl4), \(\bar{L}_{2}\), were subsequently calculated. Using the values of Δsol H^m of PMIC, PMIInCl4 and InCl3, the enthalpy change, Δr

In order to test the mole-fraction composition-based models as applied to aqueous solutions of an ionic liquid, the densities of aqueous 1-methyl-3-butylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMIBF4) were measured using a Westphal balance in the concentration range of about 0.2 to 0.85 mole fraction at temperatures from 283.2 to 323.2 K. Values of the apparent molar volumes of concentrated aqueous BMIBF4 solutions were calculated from these densities and were represented with the Pitzer–Simomson and the Pitzer–Simomson–Clegg equations. The values of Pitzer–Simomson parameters and Pitzer–Simomson–Clegg parameters were obtained by fitting to experimental data with small standard deviations.

In this paper, in order to implement the share and exchange of the ship product data, a new kind of global function model is established. By researching on the development and trend of the application of ship STEP (standard for the exchange of product model data) standards, the AIM (application interpreted model) of AP216 is developed and improved as an example, aiming at the characteristics and practical engineering of ship industry in our country. The data exchange interfaces are formed based on STEP in the CAD/CAM for the ship by all function modules and shared databases under the global function model. The share and exchange of all information and data are solved in the design, manufacture and all life-cycle of ship products among different computer application systems. The research work makes foundation for the ship industry informatization.