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A magnetic covalent organic framework Fe

In recent years, the postponement of childbearing has become a critical social issue. Male fertility is negatively associated with age because of testis aging. Spermatogenesis is impaired with age, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown. The dynamic posttranslational modification O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), which is a type of monosaccharide modification, has been shown to drive the process of aging in various systems, but it has not yet been investigated in the testis and male reproductive aging. Thus, this study aims to investigate the alteration of O-GlcNAc with aging and explore the role of O-GlcNAc in spermatogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the decline in spermatogenesis in aged mice is associated with elevation of O-GlcNAc. O-GlcNAc is specifically localized in differentiating spermatogonia and spermatocytes, indicating its crucial role in meiotic initiation and progression. Mimicking the age-related elevation of O-GlcNAc in young mice by disabling O-GlcNAcase (OGA) using the chemical inhibitor Thiamet-G can recapitulate the impairment of spermatogenesis in aged mice. Mechanistically, the elevation of O-GlcNAc in the testis leads to meiotic pachytene arrest due to defects in synapsis and recombination. Furthermore, decreasing O-GlcNAc in aged testes using an O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) inhibitor can partially rescue the age-related impairment of spermatogenesis. Our results highlight that O-GlcNAc, as a novel posttranslational modification, participates in meiotic progression and drives the impairment of spermatogenesis during aging.

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) is an important G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that regulates a variety of functions by binding to ghrelin. It has been shown that the dimerization of GHS-R1a with other receptors also affects ingestion, energy metabolism, learning and memory. Dopamine type 2 receptor (D2R) is a GPCR mainly distributed in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), substantia nigra (SN), striatum and other brain regions. In this study we investigated the existence and function of GHS-R1a/D2R heterodimers in nigral dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease (PD) models in vitro and in vivo. By conducting immunofluorescence staining, FRET and BRET analyses, we confirmed that GHS-R1a and D2R could form heterodimers in PC-12 cells and in the nigral dopaminergic neurons of wild-type mice. This process was inhibited by MPP+ or MPTP treatment. Application of QNP (10 μM) alone significantly increased the viability of MPP+-treated PC-12 cells, and administration of quinpirole (QNP, 1 mg/kg, i.p. once before and twice after MPTP injection) significantly alleviated motor deficits in MPTP-induced PD mice model; the beneficial effects of QNP were abolished by GHS-R1a knockdown. We revealed that the GHS-R1a/D2R heterodimers could increase the protein levels of tyrosine hydroxylase in the SN of MPTP-induced PD mice model through the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway, ultimately promoting dopamine synthesis and release. These results demonstrate a protective role for GHS-R1a/D2R heterodimers in dopaminergic neurons, providing evidence for the involvement of GHS-R1a in PD pathogenesis independent of ghrelin.

The ecology of soil fungi is poorly understood, and recent comprehensive reports on Trichoderma are unavailable for any region, including the Zoige alpine wetland ecological region in China. One hundred soil samples were collected from different soil types and soil layers in Zoige alpine wetland ecological regions. Using the traditional suspension plating method, 80 Trichoderma strains were chosen to analyze species diversity. After a preliminary classification of morphological characteristics and the genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd), 57 representative strains were selected and eventually identified as seven species via phylogenetic analyses of multilocus sequences based on the genes transcription elongation factor 1 alpha (tef1), encoding RNA polymerase II subunit B (rpb2) and ATP citrate lyase (acl1). Among them, T. harzianum was the dominant species isolated from five soil layers and four soil types, and had the highest isolation frequency (23%) in this zone, while T. polysporum and T. pyramidale were rare species, with isolation frequencies of less than 1%. Our detailed morphological observation and molecular phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of Trichoderma zoigense was described for the first time as a new species, while T. atrobrunneum as a new record for China was found. Our results will be used as a reference for a greater understanding of soil microbial resources, ecological rehabilitation and reconstructions in the Zoige alpine wetland.

Lateral roots (LRs) are critical for plant stress tolerance and productivity. Understanding how hormones and genes interact in a fluctuating environment to coordinate LR development is a major challenge. Abscisic acid (ABA) is the primary stress-responsive hormone and mediates LR development in various plant species. However, the effect of exogenous ABA on LR development has not been elucidated in apple. In this study, ‘Qingzhen 1’ was treated with exogenous 5 µM ABA for 20 days to investigate the regulation mechanism of ABA on LR development. Morphological observations advocated that ABA inhibited both LR and shoot development in ‘Qingzhen 1’ apple plants, where the root number was 16.94%, the root length was 30.32%, the plant height was 10.88%, and the stem thickness was 8.08% lower than those in the control plants. Meanwhile, the endogenous ABA concentration was significantly increased, but the indole-3-acetic acid, zeatin riboside, and jasmonic acid concentrations were significantly decreased with ABA treatment. Furthermore, the expression levels of ABA-related genes (MdCYP707A2, MdABI1, MdAREB2, and MdABF3) were significantly upregulated, while the expression levels of auxin-related genes (MdYUCCA3, MdYUCCA8, MdPIN1, MdPIN2, MdPIN3, and MdARF19), root development-related genes (MdWOX5 and MdWOX11), and cell cycle-related genes (MdCYCD1;1 and MdCYCD3;1) were significantly downregulated at the early stage of ABA treatment, which act together on the inhibition of LR development. Taken together, the changes in hormone levels and gene expression resulted in inhibited LR development of apple plants in response to ABA. This study revealed the mechanism that exogenous ABA application inhibits the LR development of ‘Qinzhen 1’ apple rootstock by affecting the auxin signaling and the expression of growth-related genes.

In our research, a type of cyclodextrin-based polycarboxylic acid polymer (BTCA-β-CD) was prepared by cross-linking β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) with a green and facile methods, and the adsorption performance of radionuclides such as U(VI) and Eu(III) were systematically studied through batch testing. The results revealed that the obtained maximum adsorption values of BTCA-β-CD for U(VI) and Eu(III) ions were 175.6 and 165.4 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption kinetics on both adsorbents followed pseudo-second-order model. A plausible adsorption mechanism was explored by related characterization, verifying the carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of the polymer work together as adsorption sites.

Thermo-mechanical wear widely exists in various mechanical components. This paper improves the elastic finite element wear method to solve sliding wear problems with friction heat and elastoplastic behaviors. Especially, the thermo-mechanical wear method is illustrated in details, and the wear problems with full coupled thermal and plastic behaviors are numerically simulated for the first time based on the integration of power hardening law with Archard wear model. The local contact parameters are applied to solve the change of surface geometry and wear profiles based on the proposed wear model. After validation in ball-on-flat experiments, the comparing analysis indicate that friction heat and plasticity have great influence on wear evolution, the proposed method is more accurate than the elastic simulation method. The wear profiles, contact pressure, and temperature can be predicted effectively to help the designer further understand the wear process.

Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb with diverse properties that is cultivated in a narrow ecological range because of its sensitivity to high temperatures. Endophytic bacteria play a prominent role in plant response to climate warming. However, the endophytic bacterial structures in P. notoginseng at high temperatures are yet unclear. In the present study, the diversity and composition of the endophytic bacterial community, and their relationships with two P. notoginseng plants with different heat tolerance capacities were compared using the full-length 16S rRNA PacBio sequencing system. The results revealed that the diversity and richness of endophytic bacteria were negatively associated with the heat tolerance of P. notoginseng. Beneficial Cyanobacteria, Rhodanobacter and Sphingomonas may be recruited positively by heat-tolerant plants, while higher amounts of adverse Proteobacteria such as Cellvibrio fibrivorans derived from soil destructed the cellular protective barriers of heat-sensitive plants and caused influx of pathogenic bacteria Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Harmonious and conflicting bacterial community was observed in heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive P. notoginseng, respectively, based on the co-occurrence network. Using functional gene prediction of metabolism, endophytic bacteria have been proposed to be symbiotic with host plants; the bacteria improved primary metabolic pathways and secondary metabolite production of plants, incorporated beneficial endophytes, and combated adverse endophytes to prompt the adaptation of P. notoginseng to a warming environment. These findings provided a new perspective on the function of endophytes in P. notoginseng adaptation to high temperatures, and could pave the way for expanding the cultivable range of P. notoginseng.

In view of that most of the current community discovery methods in social network do not consider node self-transfer and node bias, so that it is not possible to extract the graph features effectively, which leads to the ineffective problem by the community discovery, this paper proposes a novel social network community discovery algorithm (Local Distance Laplace, LDL). First, a Laplace matrix decomposition model is constructed based on the principle of matrix decomposition. Secondly, considering the high cost of global social network information acquisition and calculation, a community discovery model based on local distance is proposed. Finally, the optimal community structure is selected by using the NRO (Node Rank Optimization) function. A comprehensive comparative analysis is made on eleven real and synthetic networks. At the same time, validation analysis is conducted on eleven different social networks (Karate, Dolphins, Lemis, Public book, Football, Celegansnertal, Email, Public blogs, Netscience, Power, Hep_th). The experimental simulation results show that: in the real network, the proposed LDL algorithm improved the overall performance by nearly 7% compared with the seven state of art optimal methods (CoVeC, EDBC, JNMF, EADP, LPANNI, LSA, SCFS). The novel algorithm is reasonable and effective and it can also be extended to multi-scale community discovery.

As a disease closely related to the metabolic syndrome, diabetes has become a public health issue that severely affects many people’s quality of life. The search for novel anti-diabetic agents remains the cornerstone to control this challenging disease. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a negative regulator of insulin and leptin signaling pathways, has turned out to be a potential target of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. In recent years, the development of novel anti-diabetic drugs based on PTP1B inhibitors has captured the attention of many researchers. Thiazole, a five-membered heterocycle containing sulfur and nitrogen atoms, has been considered as an essential core skeleton for various active compounds. Furthermore, thiazolidines, representing a series of compounds with saturated thiazole rings, widely exist in natural products and synthetic compounds with a variety of pharmacological activities. Here, we focus on the emphasis of PTP1B in diabetes and the development of PTP1B inhibitors based on thiazole and thiazolidine derivatives in the past decade. Many PTP1B inhibitors and their chemical structures, selectivity, potency, and structure-activity relationship have been elaborated. The great majority of PTP1B inhibitors containing thiazole and thiazolidine moieties described in this review exhibit preferable activities, which would be of importance for the rational design and efficient application of PTP1B inhibitors with anti-diabetes activity.

Smarcd1 is a component of an evolutionary conserved chromatin remodeling complex—SWI/SNF, which is involved in transcription factor recruitment, DNA replication, recombination, and repair. Suppression of the SWI/SNF complex required for cellular differentiation and gene regulation may be inducible for cell proliferation and tumorigenicity. However, the inhibitory role of Smarcd1 in human glioblastoma cells has not been well illustrated. Both U87 and U251 human glioblastoma cell lines were employed in the present study. The lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown and overexpression approach was conducted to determine the function of Smarcd1. The protein levels were tested by western blot, and the relative mRNA contents were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Cell viability was tested by CCK-8 and colony-forming assay. Transwell assays were utilized to evaluate the motility and invasive ability. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze cell cycle and apoptosis. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. Low expression of Smarcd1 was observed in glioblastoma cell lines and in patients with high-grade glioma. Importantly, the depletion of Smarcd1 promoted cell proliferation, invasion, and chemoresistance, whereas enhanced expression of Smarcd1 inhibited tumor-malignant phenotypes. Mechanistic research demonstrated that overexpression of Smarcd1 decreased the expression of Notch1, while knockdown of Notch1 increased the expression of Smarcd1 through Hes1 suppression. Hence, the crosstalk between Smarcd1 and Notch1, which formed a feedback loop, was crucial in regulation of glioblastoma malignant phenotypes. Furthermore, targeting Smarcd1 could be a potential strategy for human glioblastoma treatment.

When the metal film becomes far thinner than the electron mean free path (EMFP) in their bulk counterpart, many exotic optical properties accompanied with numbers of novel applications may emerge. Herein, the photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) occurring on the surface of one-dimensional photonic crystal consisting of ultrathin Au films, monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), and one defective layer is investigated. The Au film thickness ranges from 2.4 to 40 nm which covers the thickness range below the EMFP (37.7 nm) in bulk Au. Results show that ultrathin Au films are more competent to enhance the PSHE than bulk Au film. In particular, the maximum spin-dependent transverse displacement (37.94 times of the incident wavelength) at the Au film thickness of 4.4 nm is more than 12-fold higher than that at the bulk Au film with thickness of 40 nm. Besides it may be due to the coupling between the short-range surface plasmon polaritons and the B excitonic resonance in monolayer WS2, among four monolayer TMDCs (i.e., MoS2, MoSe2, WS2, WSe2), the photonic crystal with monolayer WS2 gives the strongest PSHE. Additionally, evolutions of photonic spin Hall shifts with the refractive index of defective layer, incident wavelength, and incident angle are also studied in detail. These findings shed light on the superiority of ultrathin metal films for light manipulation in spinoptics and may provide new routes to tailor the optical helicity in nanophotonic devices.

Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges (CDNS) are a novel kind of polymers belonged to cross-linked derivatives of cyclodextrins, and they are safe, biodegradable materials with appreciable toxicity to the environment. In this work, CDNS were fabricated in one-step solvothermal method by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and diphenyl carbonate (DPC), for the removal of dyestuffs from wastewater using two of the familiar dyes as the model contaminant. It was systematically investigated by the influence of the amount of adsorbent, the molar ratio of β-CD and DPC, pH, time, and initial concentration. Experimental results showed the maximum adsorption capacities of Basic red 46 and Rhodamine B were 101.43 mg/g and 52.33 mg/g, the adsorption behavior of two contaminants followed pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir monolayer adsorption models. The differences in adsorption capacities on two model contaminants might due to the influence of dye structure. In conclusion, cyclodextrin-based nanosponges are a promising kind of environment-friendly materials in water treatment.

In this paper, a green synthesized citric acid-crosslinked β-cyclodextrin polymer (CA-β-CD) was applied in removing uranium from aqueous solutions. Citric acid acts not only as cross-linker but also as functional groups for providing adsorption sites. The adsorption properties by varying experimental conditions were carried out by batch tests. The maximum adsorption capacity could reach 150 mg g−1. Adsorption process was fitted better with the pseudo-second-order and Freundlich model. Thermodynamic studies proved that adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. More significantly, the polymer showed high selectivity for uranium and excellent reusability, demonstrating that CA-β-CD can be utilized as a promising adsorbent for uranium.

Background Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and sleep disturbances have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The influence of vitamin A (VA) levels on sleep regulation and sleep disturbances in ASD has garnered concern. The present study aimed to characterize the association of VA levels with sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Methods This cross-sectional study compared children with ASD (n = 856) to typically developing children (TDC; n = 316). We used the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire to assess sleep disturbances, Childhood Autism Rating Scale to evaluate the severity of autism symptoms, and Autism Behavior Checklist and Social Responsiveness Scale to assess autism behaviors. Serum VA levels were estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariable linear regression and two-way analysis of variance were performed to investigate if VAD was related to sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Results Children with ASD had lower serum VA levels and a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances than TDC did. The incidence of VAD in ASD children with sleep disturbances was higher, and the symptoms more severe than those without sleep disturbances and TDC. Interestingly, the interaction between VAD and sleep disturbances was associated with the severity of autism symptoms. Conclusion VAD and sleep disturbances are associated with the core symptoms of ASD in children. Regular monitoring of sleep and VA levels may be beneficial for children with ASD. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registration number: ChiCTR-ROC-14005442, registration date: December 9th 2014.

The selection of a suitable reference gene is an important prerequisite for the precise analysis of target gene expression by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). The present study aims to explore the expression pattern of the Macrobrachium nipponense (M. nipponense) β-actin gene under Aeromonas hydrophila bacterial infection conditions. The complete sequence of the β-actin gene from M. nipponense was cloned by PCR. Identified and named β-actin genes were searched in the NCBI database, and the characteristics of the β-actin gene were analyzed using bioinformatics methods. The expression profiles of β-actin under stresses challenged by bacteria after 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h were investigated by measuring Ct values by qPCR. The prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a-actin was constructed by PCR and recombinant DNA techniques. Fused protein was induced by IPTG in the transformed Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Recombinant rActin was purified by nickel column. The bioinformatics analysis result revealed that the deduced protein encoded by the β-actin gene from M. nipponense had the highest homology with other prawns in the homologous assay (99%). The phylogenetic tree indicates that the β-actin from M. nipponense and other crustaceans have a single cluster. The qPCR results revealed that a stable expression of β-actin was observed in response to the A. hydrophila challenge for 3-48 h, and the Ct value was 22 ± 1.5. β-actin was ranked as a stable gene after the bacterial challenge, which was selected as the appropriate reference gene in M. nipponense.

Non-coding RNAs do not encode proteins and regulate various oncological processes. They are also important potential cancer diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Bioinformatics and translation omics have begun to elucidate the roles and modes of action of the functional peptides encoded by ncRNA. Here, recent advances in long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA)-encoded small peptides are compiled and synthesized. We introduce both the computational and analytical methods used to forecast prospective ncRNAs encoding oncologically functional oligopeptides. We also present numerous specific lncRNA and circRNA-encoded proteins and their cancer-promoting or cancer-inhibiting molecular mechanisms. This information may expedite the discovery, development, and optimization of novel and efficacious cancer diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic protein-based tools derived from non-coding RNAs. The role of ncRNA-encoding functional peptides has promising application perspectives and potential challenges in cancer research. The aim of this review is to provide a theoretical basis and relevant references, which may promote the discovery of more functional peptides encoded by ncRNAs, and further develop novel anticancer therapeutic targets, as well as diagnostic and prognostic cancer markers.

Background Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a leading cause of childhood viral encephalitis both at global level and in China. Vaccination is recommended as a key strategy to control JE. In China most JE cases have been reported in southwest provinces, which include Yunnan. In this study, we quantify the epidemiological shift of JE in Yunnan Province from 2005 to 2017, covering before and after the introduction of JE vaccination into routine Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 2007. Methods We used routinely collected data in the case-based JE surveillance system from 2005 through 2017 in Yunnan. Cases were reported from hospital and county-level Centers for Disease Control in line with the National JE Surveillance Guideline. Epidemiological data were extracted, analysed and presented in appropriate ways. Immunization coverage was estimated from actual JE doses administered and new births for each year. Results A total 4780 JE cases (3077 laboratory-confirmed, 1266 clinical and 437 suspected) were reported in the study period. Incidence of JE (per 100 000 population) increased from 0.95 in 2005 to 1.69 in 2007. With increase in vaccination coverage, incidence rates decreased steadily from 1.16 in 2009 to 0.17 in 2017. However, seasonality remained similar across the years, peaking in June–September. Banna (bordering Myanmar and Laos), Dehong (bordering Myanmar), and Zhaotong (an inland prefecture) had the highest incidence rates of 2.3, 1.9, and 1.6, respectively. 97% of all cases were among local residents. As vaccination coverage increased (and incidence decreased), proportion of JE cases among children Conclusions The 13-year JE surveillance data in Yunnan Province showed dramatic decrease of total incidence and a shift from children to adults. Improving vaccination coverage, including access to adults at risk, and strengthening the JE surveillance system is needed to further control or eliminate JE in the province.

Human Nestin (hNestin) has been found to express in melanoma, and its expression is positively correlated with the advanced stage of melanoma. However, the precise role of hNestin in the development of melanoma has not been fully understood. The present study aimed to explore the role of hNestin in the proliferation and invasion of melanoma cells. The lentivirus vector carrying a short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting hNestin (hNestin-shRNA-LV) was stably infected into human melanoma cells UACC903, which expressed high levels of hNestin. The effects of hNestin knockdown on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration of melanoma cells and the related signaling pathways were investigated by immunofluorence, Western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. The results showed that hNestin was expressed in most melanoma specimens and the melanoma cells studied. Knockdown of hNestin expression significantly inhibited the proliferation of melanoma cells, blocked the formation of cell colony, arrested cell cycle at G1/S stage and suppressed the activation of Akt and GSK3β. hNestin-silent cells also showed a sheet-like appearance with tight cell-cell adhesion, decreased membrane expression of N-cadherin and β-catenin, and attenuated migration. Furthermore, hNestin silence resulted in the inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Our study indicates that hNestin knockdown suppresses the proliferation of melanoma cells, which might be through affecting Akt-GSK3β-Rb pathway-mediated G1/S arrest, and hNestin silence inhibits the migration by selectively modulating the expression of cell adhesion molecules in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate to osteocytes under suitable conditions. In recent years, micro-nucleotides have been progressively used to modulate gene expression in cells due to the consideration of safety. Our present study aimed to investigate whether co-delivery of Noggin-siRNA and antimiR-138 enhances the osteogenic effect of MSCs. Using a murine MSC line, C3H/10T1/2 cells, the delivery efficiency of Noggin-siRNA and antimiR-138 into MSCs was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell phenotype and proliferation capacity was assessed by flow cytometry and MTT assay respectively. The osteogenesis of MSCs was tested by Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) staining, qRT-PCR, and western blot analyses. Our results demonstrated that the expression of Noggin and miR-138 were significantly silenced in MSCs by Noggin-siRNA and/or antimiR-138 delivery, while the phenotype and proliferation capacity of MSCs were not affected. Down-regulation of Noggin and miR-138 cooperatively promoted osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The ALP positive cells reached about 83.57 ± 10.18%. Compared with single delivery, the expression of osteogenic related genes, such as Alp, Col-1, Bmp2, Ocn and Runx2, were the highest in cells with co-delivery of the two oligonucleotides. Moreover, the protein level of RUNX2, and the ratios of pSMAD1/5/SMAD1/5 and pERK1/2/ERK1/2 were significantly increased. The activation of Smad, Erk signaling may constitute the underlying mechanism of the enhanced osteogenesis process. Taken together, our study provides a safe strategy for the clinical rehabilitation application of MSCs in skeletal deficiency.

Copper nanoclusters (Cu-NCs) were prepared by reducing CuCl2 with ascorbic acid in the presence of the short peptide template Cys-Cys-Cys-Asp-Leu. They were characterized by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Cu-NCs have a size of ~2 nm, can be well dispersed in water and are photostable. Their fluorescence (peaking at 425 nm under 365-nm excitation) is quenched by Fe(III) ions. Based on this finding, a sensitive and selective fluorescence assay for the detection of Fe(III) was developed. Under optimized conditions and a pH value of 2.0, the assay displays a linear response in the 0.05 to 30 μM Fe(III) concentration range, with a detection limit of 20 nM based on an S/N ratio of 3. The assay was successfully applied to the determination of Fe(III) in spiked human serum where is gave recoveries that ranged from 96.2 % to 98.3 %.

Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme subunits p75, p45 and p19 form a subcomplex (7–4–1) peripheral to the catalytic core. We report structures of p45 and p19 and reveal them as the Stn1 and Ten1 subunits of the CST complex, which stimulates telomerase complementary-strand synthesis. 7–4–1 binds telomeric single-stranded DNA, and mutant p19 overexpression causes telomere 3′-overhang elongation. We propose that telomerase-tethered Tetrahymena CST coordinates telomere G-strand and C-strand synthesis.

The performance of multilayered thin steel plates subjected to close-range air blasts has been experimentally studied and compared with that of monolithic plates made of the same material and having equal mass. In present experiments, multilayered plates are in-contact four-layered thin steel plates and two types of deformation/failure modes were observed for them. Comparisons concerning deformation/failure modes, strain distributions and energy absorptions between the multilayered plate and its monolithic counterpart were conducted. It is found that the multilayered plate is much superior to its monolithic counterpart in the ability to deform against blast loading. Furthermore, under intense airblast loading, the multilayered plate can not only absorb much more energy but also effectively reduce the secondary destruction ability of structural fragments in comparison with its monolithic counterpart.

Though sparse representation (Wagner et al. in IEEE Trans Pattern Anal Mach Intell 34(2):372–386, 2012, CVPR 597–604, 2009) can perform very well in face recognition (FR), it still can be improved. To improve the performance of FR, a novel sparse representation method based on virtual samples is proposed in this paper. The proposed method first extends the training samples to form a new training set by adding random noise to them and then performs FR. As the testing samples can be represented better with the new training set, the ultimate classification obtained using the proposed method is more accurate than the classification based on the original training samples. A number of FR experiments show that the classification accuracy obtained using our method is usually 2–5 % greater than that obtained using the method mentioned in Xu and Zhu (Neural Comput Appl, 2012).

The 70-kD heat shock proteins (Hsp70s) are highly conserved molecular chaperones that play essential roles in cellular processes including abiotic stress responses. Physcomitrella patens serves as a representative of the first terrestrial plants and can recover from serious dehydration. To assess the possible relationship between P. patens Hsp70s and dehydration tolerance, we analyzed the P. patens genome and found at least 21 genes encoding Hsp70s. Gene structure and motif composition were relatively conserved in each subfamily. The intron-exon structure of PpcpHsp70-2 was different from that of other PpcpHsp70s; this gene exhibits several forms of intron retention, indicating that introns may play important roles in regulating gene expression. We observed expansion of Hsp70s in P. patens, which may reflect adaptations related to development and dehydration tolerance and results mainly from tandem and segmental duplications. Expression profiles of rice, Arabidopsis and P. patens Hsp70 genes revealed that more than half of the Hsp70 genes were responsive to ABA, salt and drought. The presence of overrepresented cis-elements (DOFCOREZM and GCCCORE) among stress-responsive Hsp70s suggests that they share a common regulatory pathway. Moss plants overexpressing PpcpHsp70-2 showed salt and dehydration tolerance, further supporting a role in adaptation to land. This work highlights directions for future functional analyses of Hsp70s.

Abnormalities in signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling, especially STAT3 and STAT5, are involved in the oncogenesis of several human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the downstream targets of STAT3 and STAT5 are not fully identified, and the precise roles and the prognostic value of STAT3 and STAT5 in GC have not been fully characterized. In this study, we used ChIP-on-chip to identify STAT3 and STAT5 target genes on a whole genome scale in AGS cells, a human GC cell line. A total of 2,514 and 1,314 genes were identified as STAT3 and STAT5 target genes, which were mainly related to cell growth, metabolism, differentiation, adhesion, immune response, and stress response. Furthermore, we depleted STAT3 and STAT5 with a small interfering RNA, respectively. Our results demonstrate that STAT3, but not STAT5, is involved in GC cell growth and cell cycle progression through regulation of gene expression, such as Bcl-2, p16(ink4a) and p21(waf1/cip1). Moreover, expression of pSTAT3(Tyr705) correlates with TNM stage, differentiation and survival, and is a significant prognostic factor in GC. Therefore, our findings provide novel evidence that STAT3 may be a potential therapeutic target for GC treatment and pSTAT3(Tyr705) expression can predict prognosis in GC.

Shortcut nitrification-denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX), and methanogenesis have been successfully coupled in an Expanded Granular Sludge Bed-Biological Aerated Filter (EGSB-BAF) integrated system. As fed different synthetic wastewater with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 300–1200 mg·L−1 and NH4+-N of 30–120 mg·L−1 at the outer recycle ratio of 200%, the influence of influent on ANAMMOX in the integrated system was investigated in this paper. The experimental results showed that higher COD concentration caused an increase in denitrification and methanogenesis but a decrease in ANAMMOX; however, when an influent with the low concentration of COD was used, the opposite changes could be observed. Higher influent NH4+-N concentration favored ANAMMOX when the COD concentration of influent was fixed. Therefore, low COD =NH4+-N ratio would decrease competition for nitrite between ANAMMOX and denitrification, which was favorable for reducing the negative effect of organic COD on ANAMMOX. The good performance of the integrated system indicated that the bacterial community of denitrification, ANAMMOX, and methanogenesis could be dynamically maintained in the sludge of EGSB reactor for a certain range of influent.

The effects of various toxic carbonyls such as malondialdehyde (MDA), a secondary product of lipid peroxidation, and other aldehydes on rheological parameters and their relationship with aging-associated alterations were studied. Both MDA and glutaraldehyde (Glu) in different concentrations significantly increase viscosity, plastic viscosity and yield stress of human plasma and erythrocyte suspensions. MDA (20 mmol/L) reduces sharply the typical fluorescence of proteins (excitation 280 nm/emission 350 nm), and produces age pigment-like fluorescence with a strong emission peak at 460 nm when excites at 395 nm by only being incubated for some hours. In contrast, Glu decreases merely the fluorescence of proteins without producing age pigment-like fluorescence. These data suggest interestingly that the MDA-induced gradual protein cross linking seems to form from different mechanisms compared to the fast rheological changes of blood materials which may take place either in acute and chronic diseases or during aging. On the other hand, MDA induces various deleterious alterations of erythrocytes whereas glutathione (GSH) inhibits the MDA-related carbonyl stress in a concentration-dependent manner. The results indicate that carbonyl-amino reaction exists in the blood widely and GSH has the ability to interrupt or reverse this reaction in a certain way. It implies that carbonyl stress may be one of the important factors in blood stasis and suggests a theoretical and practical approach in anti-stresses and anti-aging.

The effect of chronic immobilization stress (CIS) on the biochemical parameters has been one of the hot topics in neuroscience. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CIS on the levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in brains of rats. The rats were randomly divided into stressed and control groups. The stressed group was given CIS 3 h a day for 21 days continuously. GR of rats' hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) were detected by immunohistochemistry method. In addition, the CRF mRNA and POMC mRNA of rats' brain regions (hypothalamus, pituitary, hippocampus, and PFC) were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). After exposure to CIS for 21 days, the GR immuno staining (the gray values) of the stressed group was less than that of the control group in hippocampal CA(1), dentate gyrus, and PFC (P < 0.01). Quantitative analysis indicated the presence of CRF mRNA in hypothalamus and pituitary, while POMC mRNA in PFC, hippocampus and pituitary of the stressed group was less than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The decreased levels of GR, CRF mRNA, and POMC mRNA in different brain regions may contribute to explanation of the CIS induced mechanism.

This paper discusses the methods on how to develop students’ motiation in tuina exercises, as a result, to improve the teaching quality of Manipulation of Tuina. For tuina exercises in Manipulation of Tuina, multiple sensory, apprentice, multimedia and practice teaching methods are comprehensively employed to relieve students’ physical and mental fatigue resulting from tuina exercising and to develop their motivation in tuina exercises. Comprehensive use of these several pedagogies can enliven classroom atmosphere, enhance the students’ initiative in tuina exercises, broaden their horizons and consequently achieve good teaching results.

Although diversity within the HLA-DRB region is predominantly focused in the DRB1 gene, the second expressed DRB loci, DRB3, DRB4, and DRB5, also exhibit variation. Within DRB1(*)15 or DRB1(*)16 haplotypes, four new variants were identified: 1) two new DRB5 alleles, DRB5*0104 and DRB5*0204, 2) a haplotype carrying a DRB1(*)15 or *16 allele without the usual accompanying DRB5 allele, and 3) a haplotype carrying a DRB5(*)0101 allele without a DRB1(*)15 or *16 allele. The evolutionary origins of these haplotypes were postulated based on their associations with the DRB6 pseudogene. Within HLA haplotypes which carry DRB3, a new DRB3(*)0205 allele and one unusual DRB3 association were identified. Finally, two new null DRB4 alleles are described: DRB4(*)0201N, which exhibits a deletion in the second exon, and a second allele, DRB4(*)null, which lacks the second exon completely. Gene conversion-like events and variation in the number of functional genes through reciprocal recombination and inactivation contribute to the diversity observed in the second expressed HLA-DRB loci.