Search

Pulmonary invasive fungal infection in immunocompromised hosts is difficult to diagnose, and current tools for diagnosis or monitoring of response to antifungal treatments have inherent limitations. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) has emerged as a promising tool for pulmonary pathogen detection with high sensitivity. This study presents a novel ddPCR panel for rapid and sensitive identification of pulmonary fungal pathogens. First, a ddPCR method for detecting three fungal genera, including Pneumocystis, Aspergillus, and Cryptococcus, was established and evaluated. Then, the clinical validation performance of ddPCR was compared with that of qPCR using 170 specimens, and the 6 specimens with inconsistent results were further verified by metagenomics next-generation sequencing, which yielded results consistent with the ddPCR findings. Finally, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the efficiency of ddPCR. While the qPCR identified 16 (9.41%) cases of Aspergillus and 6 (3.53%) cases of Pneumocystis, ddPCR detected 20 (11.76%) Aspergillus cases and 8 (4.71%) Pneumocystis cases. The AUC for Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, and Pneumocystis was 0.974, 0.998, and 0.975, respectively. These findings demonstrated that the ddPCR assay is a highly sensitive method for identifying pathogens responsible for invasive fungal pulmonary infections, and is a promising tool for early diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, it has become obvious that simultaneous backfill grouting is of great significance to the design of the tunnel lining and process control of shield construction. It is essential to know the grout pressure distribution around the tunnel lining. The purpose of this study is to seek an alternative method to simulate the grout diffusion process and obtain pressure distribution of different time during simultaneous backfill grouting of tunnel construction. A lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based free surface flow model is introduced and modified, and a Smagorinsky large-eddy simulation model serves to deal with the small-scale turbulent problem, which is a challenge for LBM to simulate the large-scale real-world engineering. The simulation results obtain the grout filling state with time and pressure distribution around the tunnel lining. Additionally, the grout pressures on site are measured at a ring in line 8 of Chengdu Rail tunnel, and the measurement results are also compared with ones taken from numerical simulation, it is showed that the numerical results are consistent with that of measurement on the whole. Through simulating different grouting strategies, it is concluded that for four-holes grouting schemes, the grouting pressures of upper holes are significant for the grout pressure distribution and should be paid most attention in construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood trauma and empathy deficits have been found to be related to borderline personality disorder (BPD), but the mechanisms of action remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of empathy in male offenders with BPD tendencies and to test its mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Two hundred and fifty-seven male offenders and 43 male nonoffender controls completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short From (CTQ-SF), the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) and the Chinese version of the computerized Yoni Task. ANOVA, Mixed-model ANOVAs and the PROCESS macro were used to analyze the inventory data and task performances. Compared to male offenders without BPD tendencies and nonoffender controls, offenders with BPD tendencies showed more severe childhood abuse, lower cognitive empathy and poorer task performances in second-order cognitive and second-order affective theory of mind. Furthermore, cognitive empathy was found to play a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD tendencies. Our findings indicate the effects of childhood trauma and empathy impairments on BPD and suggest the possible application value of the precision empathy ability training in the intervention of offenders with BPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reductholaspis Emberson is rediagnosed with the description of a new species, Reductholaspis longicorniculussp. nov. Shen & Yi from southwestern China. This is the first report of the genus Reductholaspis from the Oriental Region and the first described male for the genus. Reductholaspis longicorniculussp. nov. is distinguished from R. analis Hyatt & Emberson by the dorsal shield with 28 pairs of setae, posterior margin of the sternal shield with deep hollows lateral to iv2, latigynal sclerites well developed, metasternal plates ovate, all setae on coxae I–IV pilose, tarsus I with proximal pilose setae, and three pairs of lightly sclerotized platelets between the epigynal shield and anal shield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five species of Unionicola Haldeman, 1842 (Acari: Hydrachnidia: Unionicolidae) were collected between 2018 and 2019. Notably, Unionicola (Armatax) armata Walter, 1929, previously unrecorded in China, is now documented for the first time in the country. Additionally, Unionicola newsumi Wiles, 1999 has been reclassified and assigned to the new subgenus Vespicola within the genus Unionicola Haldeman, 1842. These findings also led to the establishment of three new subgenera: Micronodusgen. nov., Vespicolagen. nov., and Lingshuiataxgen. nov. including four species: Unionicola soluplatussp. nov. U. jinisp. nov. U. caudipessp. nov. and U. armatallasp. nov. This marks the first description and documentation of these subgenera and species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide scientific data for clinical practice in making strategies for accelerating corneal endothelial wound healing, we investigated the impact of UVA on the corneal endothelial wound healing process and the underlying mechanism using an in vitro cell model. An in vitro cell model for corneal endothelial wound healing was established by scratching the in vitro cultured human corneal endothelial cell (HCEnC) confluent layer. Then, we investigated the impacts of UVA irradiation and Ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (Asc-2p) on the wound healing process of the in vitro HCEnC model by examining wound-healing index, F-actin+ rate, Ki-67+ rate, and ROS production. After scratching, the Ki-67+ and F-actin+ HCEnCs occupied the scratching gap. Furthermore, the F-actin+ rates were significantly higher than Ki-67+ rates in the wound closure area. After irradiated with UVA, the wound-healing indexes, Ki-67+ rates and F-actin+ rates of the wound-healing model significantly reduced, whereas the ROS production significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with Asc-2p significantly reduced the ROS production as well as increased the wound-healing indexes, Ki-67+rates and F-actin+ rates of the UVA irradiated wound-healing model. The migration of HCEnC plays a major role in the wound healing process of the established cell model, which is like the wound healing process in vivo. UVA decreases the wound closure of the in vitro HCEnC model dose-dependently, while antioxidant Asc-2p can attenuate the damage to UVA to HCEnCs probably via reducing ROS to improve their migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a sampled-data adaptive output feedback controller is proposed for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with unmeasured states, unknown dynamics and unknown time-varying external disturbances. To approximate uncertain nonlinear functions, radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are employed. The state observer and the disturbance observer (DO) are constructed to estimate the unmeasured state and the external disturbance, respectively. Then, the sampled-data adaptive output feedback controller and adaptive laws are designed by using the backstepping design technique. The allowable sampling period T is derived to guarantee that all states of the resulting closed-loop system are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded. Finally, two simulation examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of Ganoderma lucidum-derived polysaccharides (GLP) to coix oil-based microemulsion on pharmaceutical performance and anti-lung cancer treatment. GLP-integrated coix oil-based microemulsion (MEs(PS-GLP)) exhibited a clear spherical shape, small particle size, and good hydrodynamics similar to the coix oil-based microemulsion, but showed a lower zeta potential and a better stability. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis presented that GLP was integrated with microemulsion as a single system. Notably, the average molecular distance between polysaccharide and microemulsion was approximately 1.7 nm. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of MEs(PS-GLP) against A549 cells was about 119 μg/mL. In vivo imaging studies showed that introduction of GLP promoted the tumor-specific accumulation of microemulsion in comparison with controls. In vivo, antitumor results showed that MEs(PS-GLP) markedly inhibited the tumor growth of A549-bearing xenograft nude mice and obviously improve the serum immune index. Collectively, this study demonstrates the potential mechanism of spatial relation between polysaccharides and microemulsion and validates the significances of GLP on tumoral accumulation and antitumor efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore the influence of Ganoderma lucidum-derived polysaccharides (GLP) to coix oil-based microemulsion on pharmaceutical performance and anti-lung cancer treatment. GLP-integrated coix oil-based microemulsion (MEs(PS-GLP)) exhibited a clear spherical shape, small particle size, and good hydrodynamics similar to the coix oil-based microemulsion, but showed a lower zeta potential and a better stability. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis presented that GLP was integrated with microemulsion as a single system. Notably, the average molecular distance between polysaccharide and microemulsion was approximately 1.7 nm. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of MEs(PS-GLP) against A549 cells was about 119 μg/mL. In vivo imaging studies showed that introduction of GLP promoted the tumor-specific accumulation of microemulsion in comparison with controls. In vivo, antitumor results showed that MEs(PS-GLP) markedly inhibited the tumor growth of A549-bearing xenograft nude mice and obviously improve the serum immune index. Collectively, this study demonstrates the potential mechanism of spatial relation between polysaccharides and microemulsion and validates the significances of GLP on tumoral accumulation and antitumor efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of heterogeneity on mechanical and acoustic emission (AE) behaviours of stratified rock specimens under uniaxial compression using a digital image processing (DIP)-based finite difference method (FDM). In the DIP, a developed image segmentation algorithm based on seeded region growing (SRG) is proposed to fully acquire the mesostructure of stratified rock specimens, instead of the traditional threshold value method. To sufficiently capture the heterogeneity of stratified rock, Weibull statistical manner is adopted to describe mechanical properties of each material component. Three schemes are adopted to study the effect of heterogeneity with different homogeneity index and different mesostructure under two compression loading conditions. The results show that heterogeneity has a great influence on the mechanical and AE behaviours of stratified rock. As the homogeneity of material components increases, the peak strength and brittleness of rocks increase, and the macro elastic modulus improves as well. Simultaneously, the AE modes change from swarm shock to main shock. Under the same component content, the macro-property is better while the component distribution is concentrative relatively, especially to the property of strength. For the coupling effect of mesostructure and heterogeneity arising from material components, mesostructure is considered to cause the visible increase of AE counts. And the numerical results agree well with the previously numerical results and experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ prepared hydrophobic CuO nanoparticles, about 84.3 nm in mean diameter, was synthesized and used to catalyze heavy oil low-temperature oxidation (LTO) reaction. Experimental results showed the average oxygen consumption rate with CuO nanoparticles addition increased by 1.4 times, and the residue oxygen content in tail gas in autoclave was decreased from 8.76% to 3.9% compared to the blank experiment (without CuO nanoparticles). In addition, the CuO nanoparticles could facilitate the cleavage reaction during LTO. This study can provide guidelines to improve effectively the safety of air flooding technology in the heavy oil. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Air-assisted steam flooding is a new promoting technique for enhanced oil recovery compared to the other traditional thermal recovery methods. In this study, five experiments, including one steam flooding experiment, three combined steam–air flooding experiments, and one combined steam–N2flooding experiment were studied, under the conditions of 180 °C and back-pressure valve of 8 MPa, with sand-packed model. The volume fraction of mixed gas in these four combined steam–air (or N2) flooding experiments were 80% steam+20% air, 60% steam+40% air, 40% steam+60% air, and 60% steam+40% N2, respectively. The experimental results showed that air-assisted steam flooding could enhance the oil displacement efficiency when the volume fraction of air and steam was in a certain number, and the optimal condition is 60% steam+40% air. Furthermore, water cut curves and saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene (SARA) analysis results also demonstrate that the low-temperature oxidation reaction in air-assisted steam flooding process advantageous to profile control of generating high viscosity “PLUG” to seal high-permeability channel in reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel nitronyl nitroxide NIT-thien-3-Py (2-(3-(m-pyridyl)-2-thienyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) and its Mn(II) complex [Mn(hfac)2(NIT-thien-3-Py)]2 (hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate) have been obtained. X-ray analysis indicates that the Mn(II) complex possesses a cyclic dimer structure in which two radical ligands link two Mn(II) ions through their NO groups and pyridine rings. The study of the magnetic data indicates that the manganese(II) ion strongly and antiferromagnetically interacts with the directly bonding NO group and there is weak ferromagnetic coupling between two Mn–NO pairs through the thiophene and pyridine rings of the radical ligand in agreement with a spin polarization mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. ETX0914 is a novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitor that has a novel mode-of-inhibition and is in clinical development for the treatment of infections caused byNeisseria gonorrhoeae. 2. Thein vitrobiotransformation studies of ETX0914 using mouse, rat, dog and human hepatocytes showed moderate intrinsic clearance in mouse and rat and low intrinsic clearance in dog and human. 3. Following intravenous administration of [14C]-ETX0914 in rats, the mean recovery of administered dose in urine, bile and feces was approximately 15%, 55% and 24%, respectively. Unchanged ETX0914 recovered in urine and bile was less than 5% of the dose, indicating that ETX0914 underwent extensive metabolism in rats. Metabolites M1, M2, M4, M6 and M12 detected in both rat and mouse urine samples were not detected in mouse urine when predosed with 1-aminobenzotriazole, indicating that these metabolites were cytochrome P450 mediated products. The major fecal metabolites observed in rats were not formed when ETX0914 was incubated with fresh feces from germ free rats under sterile condition or in incubations with rat intestinal microsome and cytosol, suggesting that most likely ETX0914 was directly excreted into gut lumen where metabolites were formed as intestinal microflora-mediated products. The major sites of metabolism by CYP enzymes were in the morpholine and oxazolidinone rings while it was benzisoxazole reduction with the gut microflora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Negamycin exerts its antimicrobial activity by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis and is efficacious in animal models of infection. In order to optimize negamycin exposure for therapeutic purposes, its pharmacokinetics in pre-clinical species were determined. 2. Negamycin has a dipeptide-like structure with log D7.4 < −1, causing low permeation into Caco-2 cells, low-oral bioavailability in rats of 6% and low-plasma protein binding of 10% in mouse, rat, dog and human plasma. Negamycin degradation rates in microsomes and hepatocytes predicted low-hepatic intrinsic clearance in pre-clinical species, which was confirmed in vivo where clearance varied between 3.4 and 11.5 mL/min/kg and virtually all negamycin was cleared unchanged renally. The similar behavior in multiple animal species allowed for the prediction of systemic clearance and volume of distribution in humans using multiple-scaling methods and physiological-based pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation. 3. Only 0.05-0.25% (mol/mol) of administered negamycin was recovered as 2-(1-methylhydrazinyl)acetic acid, a potential reactive metabolite, from rat and dog urine, respectively. 4. In summary, negamycin is a very polar molecule with low-plasma protein binding and low-oral bioavailability that is slowly and exclusively cleared into the urine. Its physicochemical properties make intravenous or intramuscular administration, or a derivative thereof, for therapeutic purposes most likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. (1 S)-1-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethanamine (lanicemine; AZD6765) is a low-trapping N-methyl- d-aspartate (NMDA) channel blocker that has been studied as an adjunctive treatment in major depressive disorder. The metabolism and disposition of lanicemine was determined in six healthy male subjects after a single intravenous infusion dose of 150 mg [14C]-lanicemine. 2. Blood, urine and feces were collected from all subjects. The ratios of Cmax and AUC(0-∞) of lanicemine to plasma total radioactivity were 84 and 66%, respectively, indicating that lanicemine was the major circulating component with T1/2 at 16 h. The plasma clearance of lanicemine was 8.3 L/h, revealing that lanicemine is a low-clearance compound. The mean recovery of radioactivity from urine was 93.8% of radioactive dose. 3. In urine samples, 10 metabolites of lanicemine were identified. Among which, an O-glucuronide conjugate (M1) was the most abundant metabolite (∼11% of the dose in excreta). In plasma, the circulatory metabolites were identified as a para-hydroxylated metabolite (M1), an O-glucuronide (M2), an N-carbamoyl glucuronide (M3) and an N-acetylated metabolite (M6). The average amount of each of metabolite was less than 4% of total radioactivity detected in plasma or urine. 4. In conclusion, lanicemine is a low-clearance compound. The unchanged drug and metabolites are predominantly eliminated via urinary excretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. (2 R,4 S,4a S)-11-Fluoro-2,4-dimethyl-8-(( S)-4-methyl-2-oxooxazolidin-3-yl)-2,4,4a,6-tetrahydro-1H,1'H-spiro [isoxazolo[4,5-g][1,4]oxazino[4,3-a]quinoline-5,5′-pyrimidine]-2′,4′,6′(3′H)-trione (AZ11) is a novel mode-of-inhibition bacterial topoisomerase inhibitor that entered preclinical development for the treatment of Gram-positive bacteria infection. 2. The in vitro biotransformation studies of AZ11 using mouse, rat, dog and human hepatocytes showed low-intrinsic clearance in all species attributed to microsomal metabolism. 3. After a single intravenous administration of [14C]AZ11 in bile duct cannulated rats, the mean percentage of dose recovered in rat urine, bile and feces was approximately 18, 36 and 42%, respectively. Unchanged AZ11 recovered in rat urine and bile was less than 9% of the dose, indicating that AZ11 underwent extensive metabolism in rats. 4. The most abundant in vivo metabolite detected in urine and bile was M1 formed via ring opening on the piperidine and morpholine rings accounting for 20% of the administered dose. The major fecal metabolite was M5, which accounted for approximately 32% of administered dose. M5 was not formed when AZ11 incubated with rat intestinal microsomes and cytosol but was formed when incubated with fresh rat feces, suggesting that unchanged AZ11 was directly excreted into gut lumen where M5 formed as an intestinal microflora-mediated product. This process could have significant impact on bioavailability or exposure of AZ11 in rat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers a graphical model for ordinal variables, where it is assumed that the data are generated by discretizing the marginal distributions of a latent multivariate Gaussian distribution. The relationships between these ordinal variables are then described by the underlying Gaussian graphical model and can be inferred by estimating the corresponding concentration matrix. Direct estimation of the model is computationally expensive, but an approximate EM-like algorithm is developed to provide an accurate estimate of the parameters at a fraction of the computational cost. Numerical evidence based on simulation studies shows the strong performance of the algorithm, which is also illustrated on datasets on movie ratings and an educational survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the best ratio of females to males of an insect's natural enemy is important for maximising population increase and promoting population establishment of a natural enemy. In this study, copulation behaviour, fecundity, progeny fitness and rate of population increase for the flea beetle,Agasicles hygrophilaSelman & Vogt (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were compared at different female percentage treatments (i.e., 80%, 66.7%, 50%, 33.3% and 20% females). The results showed that the copulation frequency and duration in males decreased, whereas those in females increased as the number of males increased. At 20%, 33.3% and 66.7% females, the rates of population increase were 3.4-, 2.17- and 0.79-fold higher than that at 50% females. Females at 20% and 33.3% were found to be optimal for mass rearing of the beetle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiro(fluorene-9,9′-xanthene)-based polymeric monodisperse spheres have been prepared through a surfactant-free Suzuki coupling polymerization in a single-phase. The polymer (PSFX) exhibits permanent microporous nature with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area up to 610 m2g−1. Its hydrogen storage can reach to 1.20 wt% (1.0 bar and 77 K) and the uptake capacity for carbon dioxide is 11.8 wt% (1.0 bar and 273 K).PSFXis a highly hydrophobic material with good sorption capacity for toluene (887 mg g−1at saturated vapor pressure and room temperature), which makes it show potential use in elimination of harmful small aromatic molecules in the environment. Interestingly,PSFXexhibits a remarkable fluorescent emission property in the suspension. Fluorescence detection of explosive chemical (TNT) was performed through a series of spectrofluorometric titration using the suspension ofPSFXas the probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering intrinsic properties of conjugated polyfluorenes and special functions of porous polymers, synthesis of fluorinated porous poly(spirobifluorene) via direct C−H arylation polycondensation is explored. Owing to the contorted structure and cross-linking nature, the obtained polymerFPSBFshows permanent porosities with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific surface area up to 700 m2g−1and exhibits a narrow pore size distribution with the dominant pore size at about 0.63 nm, which is more suitable for adsorption of small gas molecules. Based on the measured gas physisorption isotherms with pressure up to 1.13 bar, the obtained polymer shows good uptaking capacities for hydrogen (1.30 wt% at 1.0 bar and 77 K) and methane (4.80 wt% 1.0 bar and 273 K). Moreover,FPSBFhas significant adsorption selectivity for CH4against N2and the estimated ideal adsorption selectivity ratio is up to 30/1 at 1.0 bar and 273 K, which makes the material possess potential application in gas separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene-supported vinyl sulfone reagent has been developed and used for solid-phase organic synthesis of 3-monosubstituted isoxazoles by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction with nitrile oxides and subsequent cleavage from the polymer support through an elimination reaction in the presence of potassiumtert-butoxide. The advantages of this method include straightforward operation, good yield, and high purity of the crude products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brief introduction of Chinese Hygrobatidae taxonomy is reviewed. A new species, Sinibates xinyaoae Li, Smit & Guo sp. nov. from Hainan province is described representing a new genus Sinibates Li, Smit & Guo gen. nov. A second species, Hygrobates (Minibates) cf. dobriyali Pešić & Smit, 2019, from Hunan province represents a new subgenus, Minibates Li, Smit & Guo subgen. nov. in Hygrobates. The other new species, Mixobates neoamurensis Li & Guo sp. nov. from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region adds a newly recorded genus, Mixobates Thor, 1905 from China.Text: LSIDhttps://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3EF1A166-30A4-4761-A133-E00F40B68007Genus: Sinibates Li, Smit & Guo gen. nov.: LSID https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D4F94642-D47C-4200-B36B-C695A54166B4Species: Sinibates xinyaoae Li, Smit & Guo sp. nov.: LSID https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:23C6986A-128D-4906-9027-926891B2C138Subgenus: Minibates Li, Smit & Guo subgen. nov.: LSID https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:142B5C42-140C-4E6A-B38E-180F8C442B1BSpecies: Mixobates neoamurensis Li & Guo sp. nov.: LSID https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9B494E8C-81F7-4859-8DC3-88392DCDB67A [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a method is established for the evaluation of bromate residues in flour and flour products. Water is used to extract bromate from the bulk product. To remove the co-extractives that hinder Ion Chromatography (IC) and deteriorate the IC column, successive steps were taken. Bromate was separated using an IonPac AS19 column with NaOH gradient elution and detected after post-column reaction to form triiodide and UV absorbance. The investigations on the samples validate the recoveries of spiked standard as 63.2–105.0%, limit of detection (LOD) 0.5 µg/L, and relative standard deviations (RSD) <9.2%. Consequently, the assay can be applied to determine bromate in flour and flour products at trace contamination levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze is an alien species that is highly invasive in Hebei Province. An assessment of the influence of F. bidentis leaf residues on the growth of cotton (Gossypium herbaceum L.) seedlings and on soil fertility was carried out under controlled environmental conditions. Also, the concentrations of phenolics were determined in both F. bidentis residues and residue-amended soil. The results showed that the residues could significantly reduce height, root length and weight of cotton seedlings. The inhibitory effects increased gradually with increases in residue concentration. Peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity, as well as the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), also increased. POD and SOD activity were not significantly increased by 10 g kg−1 of residues, but the differences were significant at 20 g kg−1 of residues. Available K increased with increasing concentration of residues, whereas available P decreased, but the concentration of hydrolyzed N did not change in the soil. The concentration of phenolics also increased with increases in the residue concentration. It is concluded that F. bidentis residues adversely affect the early growth of cotton and have an impact on soil fertility by releasing water-soluble allelochemicals into the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flaveria bidentis (L.) Kuntze, an invasive plant, poses a serious threat to the structure and function of the native ecosystem in Hebei Provience, China. However, little is known about the allelopathic activity of the residues of this plant species. In this study, the impact of the phytotoxicity of unburnt (UR) and burnt (BR) residues of the exotic invasive weed on the growth of wheat (Triticum aestivvm L.) was assessed. Extracts prepared from both UR and BR reduced the shoot length, root length and dry weight of wheat significantly compared with the control, thereby indicating the presence of some water-soluble allelochemicals in F. bidentis residues. Growth studies conducted in soil amended with UR and BR extracts or residues also revealed phytotoxic effects towards wheat. A significant amount of phenolics was detected in the residue extracts and in residue-incorporated soil. The phenolic content rose with increasing residue concentration, thereby showing their direct involvement in the observed growth inhibition. The inhibition of wheat growth by the burnt residue and its water extracts was similar to that of unburnt residue, so burning it is not a good way to eliminate the allelopathic effects of the residue of F. bidentis on native plants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ophraella communa is a biological control agent of invasive common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. To understand the mate choice tactic of the beetle and improve mass-rearing of high-quality populations, the effects of morphological traits, age and copulation experience on mate choice in this beetle were studied in the laboratory. The results showed thatmate choice of male or female was related to certain adult morphological traits. Wing length, black streak width of frons and metaleg femur length of males were central to female mate choice. Females with longer wing length, black streak width of frons, pronotum width and foreleg tibia length were more attractive to males than those with the smaller ones. The chosen rate of older males was significantly higher than those of younger ones, and the chosen rate of females reached a maximum value on the 8th day after eclosion. The newly copulated females were less attractive to males than virgins, but females that have copulated in the distant past were more attractive than or were similar to virgins. The chosen rates of virgin males were significantly higher than those of newly copulated and 8 days past copulated ones, but no difference between virgin males and 3, 5 or 12 days past copulated ones in O. communa. The results of our study have added much needed empirical data regarding the significance of morphological traits, age and copulation experience as a source of variation in insect copulation signals. In addition, the results provide valuable information for mass-rearing of high-quality populations of O. communa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nanosilica particles were dispersed into polymer diols by high pressure shearing homogenizer (HPSH), then polyurethane nanocomposites were prepared via in-situ polymerization of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and polymer diols. FTIR analysis indicated that the -NCO groups of MDI had reacted with the hydroxy on the surface of nanosilica during in-situ polymerization. TGA suggested that polyurethane/nanosilica composites obtained by in-situ polymerization had better thermal stability than pure polyurethane. Meanwhile, the tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of the samples prepared by HPSH were superior to those by directly ultrasonic dispersing nanosilica, accompanied by more homogeneous dispersion of nanosilica particles in the polymer matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since insects are ectothermic, they are highly vulnerable to the sudden increase of temperature. Indeed, it has been hypothesized that the survival, development, fecundity, and even population expansion of insects are all affected significantly by extremely high temperature. We studied the effect of short-term high temperature stress on the survival and development of different stages, adult longevity and fecundity of Ophraella communa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a biological control agent of the invasive plant, the common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asterales: Asteraceae) in the laboratory. The results showed that egg, larval, pupal and adult survival rates were significantly affected after 2 hour-short-stress at high temperatures (35 to 47°C) when compared to the 28°C control. With the exceptions of the control and 35°C stress, survival rate of females was significantly higher than that of males after short-stress at any high temperature. Short-term high temperature stress also significantly impacted longevity and fecundity of adult beetles. Except for control, female longevity was significantly longer than male's after short-stress at any high temperature. The survival rates of different stages, and adult longevity and fecundity of the beetle decreased significantly with the increase of short-term stress temperature. Based on the results of the present study, we conclude that the development and population expansion of O. communa may be significantly affected when they are exposed to a high temperature stage in a summer day in the areas invaded by common ragweed, in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

4-Amino-8-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-propylcinnoline-3-carboxamide (AZD6280) is a selective GABA-Aα2/3 receptor modulator under development for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorders. Absorption, metabolism, and excretion of [14C]-AZD6280 was studied in rats following a single oral (7 mg/kg) or intravenous (i.v., 1 mg/kg) administration of [14C]-AZD6280. The results from the bile duct-cannulated study revealed that AZD6280 was well-absorbed in rats. The pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted using unlabelled parent drug that was rapidly absorbed (plasma Tmax ~1 h) and exhibited a mean apparent terminal half-life of ~4.2 h. The overall mean recoveries in the excreta were 98.6% and 100.3% after oral and i.v. administration of [14C]-AZD6280, respectively. The major route for elimination of [14C]-AZD6280 and its metabolites was through faeces. The radiochromatographic analysis of the excreta demonstrated that AZD6280 underwent extensive biotransformation. A total of 28 metabolites of AZD6280 were detected and profiled in urine, bile, and faeces in this study. The structures of metabolites were elucidated by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Similar metabolite profiles were observed in rats given AZD6280 orally or intravenously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a new method for principal component analysis (PCA), whose main objective is to capture natural 'blocking' structures in the variables. Further, the method, beyond selecting different variables for different components, also encourages the loadings of highly correlated variables to have the same magnitude. These two features often help in interpreting the principal components. To achieve these goals, a fusion penalty is introduced and the resulting optimization problem solved by an alternating block optimization algorithm. The method is applied to a number of simulated and real datasets and it is shown that it achieves the stated objectives. The supplemental materials for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meandering channel flows are simulated using two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann models (LBM) for the shallow water equations. A boundary approach is designed for curved boundary treatment, which is applicable to no-slip, semi-slip and slip boundaries at a second-order accuracy. The large eddy simulation model is added in the lattice Boltzmann model, so that the turbulence can be taken into account and modelled efficiently. The model is verified by three numerical tests: the first two involve flows in meandering channels with 60° and 90° consecutive bends; the third is a 180° sharply curved channel. The numerical results are compared with available experimental data, showing good agreement. This provides a second-order accurate scheme for the LBM to simulate complex flows with curved boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although garlic has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for its medical properties for thousands of years, investigations into its mode of action are relatively recent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anti-fungal efficacy of the active principle of garlic, pure allicin and polybutylcyanoacrylate (PBCA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with allicin. Pure allicin was prepared by reacting synthetic alliin with a stabilized process of the garlic enzyme alliinase. PBCA NPs were prepared by emulsion polymerization method and pure allicin was wrapped into it. The in vitro efficacy of pure allicin and PBCA-allicin NPs to Candida albicans, Cryputococcus neoformans, Trichophyton rubum, Microsporum gypseum, M. canis and Epidermophyton floccosum was examined and evaluated by MIC and MFC. The MIC of PBCA-allicin NPs to C. albicans (2.93 × 10-2mg/ml), T. rubum (1.46 × 10-2mg/ml) and E. floccosum (1.46 × 10-2mg/ml) was significantly lower than that of pure allicin (5.86 × 10-2mg/ml, 2.93 × 10-2mg/ml, 2.93 × 10-2mg/ml, respectively); accordingly, the MFC of PBCA-allicin NPs to C. albicans (5.86 × 10-2mg/ml), T. rubum (2.93 × 10-2mg/ml), E. floccosum (2.93 × 10-2mg/ml) and M. canis (2.93 × 10-2mg/ml) also decreased dramatically. These favourable results indicated that pure allicin has stronger in vitro anti-fungal efficacy to six tested fungi than alliinase and alliin. Moreover, it has improved significantly after pure allicin being wrapped into PBCA NP, which may be due to the NP's good prolonged release effect and nano-scale dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) is a detrimental factor in developing glucose intolerance, obesity, and islet dysfunction. However, the effect of artemisinin on maternal HFD and whether it is related to the alterations of islet function is seldom studied since artemisinin treatments not only attenuate insulin resistance (IR) and restore islet ß cell function in Diabetes mellitus type 2. Female rats were randomly fed a HFD (45% kcal from fat), HFD + artemisinin, or a regular chow diet (RCD) before pregnancy and during gestation. Glucose metabolism and the β cell phenotypes were assessed. Maternal HFD increased islet load in female rats, proliferation of pancreatic β cells, increased insulinogen, and decreased insulin secretion response to high glucose stimulation with delayed insulin release, increased fasting glucose, and glucose area under the curve compared with the general diet group. HFD inhibited expression of Foxo1 and PAX6 in female rats. Under the effect of both HFD and pregnancy, islet load was further increased, insulinogen was further increased, and fasting insulin level and fasting glucose were higher than RCD fed general-pregnancy group. ALDH1a3 transdifferentiation and PAX6, Foxo1, and PDX1 expression were increased in islets of high-fat pregnant rats. When adding artemisinin in HFD treated pregnant rats, islet function was significantly improved. Intervention with artemisinin in maternal HFD resulted in reduced islet size, decreased number of β-cells and improved islet microcirculation, insulin processing shear process, decreased insulinogen/insulin ratio, and restored islet function through increased expression of PC1/3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species, Momonides neolandbergi Li & Guo sp. nov. is described in detail, which is the fifth species all over the world in Momonidinae Lundblad, 1941, Momoniidae K. Viets, 1926. The family and subfamily are newly recorded for Chinese fauna. The new species are recorded by camera, optical microscope, and scanning electron microscope. Publication:New species: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is focussed to quantify IGF1 by electroanalytical analysis on InterDigitated electrode surface and characterized by the microscopic observations. For the detection, antibody and aptamer were used to analyze the level of IGF1. The sandwich pattern (aptamer-IGF1-antibody) was designed on the chemically modified IDE surface and reached the limit of detection to 10 fM with 100 folds enhancement in the sensitivity. Different control experiments (absence of IGF1, binding with IGF2 and with non-complementary aptamer) were failed to show the current changes, discriminated the specific detection. A good detection strategy is to complement the currently following imaging systems for AAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Cryptococcus and non-albicans Candida (NAC) have emerged as health-threatening pathogens for clinical fungal infections. Due to their increased resistance to existing antifungal drugs, novel antifungals are urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal effect of VT-1161 and its comparators itraconazole and fluconazole against common fluconazole-sensitive or -resistant Cryptococcus and NAC strains. The tested strains were obtained from Chinese patients by the Invasive Fungal Infection Group within the past 2 years. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of VT-1161 and other triazoles were measured according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M27-Ed4 guidelines. We found that VT-1161 exhibited strong in vitro activity against Cryptococcus spp.. VT-1161 (geometric mean MIC = 0.024 μg/mL) was 21.7-fold and 104.5-fold more potent than itraconazole and fluconazole, respectively. Against the seven Cryptococcus neoformans isolates with higher fluconazole MICs (≥8 μg/mL based on the MIC90 value of this azole), VT-1161 maintained potent activities, with MICs ranging between 0.031 and 0.5 μg/mL. For NAC spp., VT-1161 (geometric mean MIC = 0.099 μg/mL) was 6.0-fold and 11.4-fold more effective than itraconazole and fluconazole, respectively. There is a positive correlation of the MICs between VT-1161 and itraconazole/fluconazole. The MIC values of VT-1161 against Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis were significantly lower than those of fluconazole, whereas for Candida parapsilosis the differences in the MIC values between VT-1161 and fluconazole were not statistically significant. The results showed that tetrazole VT-1161 might be a promising candidate for treating Cryptococcus and NAC infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semen cuscutae is commonly used to treat male infertility (MI), and semen cuscutae flavonoid (SCF) is the main active component of semen cuscutae. The therapeutic mechanism of SCF on MI is still unclear. To clarify the mechanisms of SCF against MI. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict the potential pathways of SCF against MI. Primary Sertoli cells (SCs) were extracted from testis of 60-day-old rats and divided into Control, Model, and 3 treatment groups. The Control and Model groups were given normal medium, the treatment groups were treated with various concentrations of SCF-containing medium (200, 400, and 800 μg/mL). After 24 h, the Model and treatment groups were exposed to heat stress at 43 °C for 15 min. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of targets. Network pharmacology indicated that the treatment of SCF on MI was closely related to PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. The in vitro experiments showed that SCF could up-regulated the expression of AKT, AR, occludin, and Ki67, and down-regulated the expression of CK-18 in SCs after heat stress. The AKT inhibitor could block this process. SCF can treat MI by regulating the proliferation and differentiation of SCs and the integrity of the blood-testis barrier. The study could provide experimental basis for clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abrolophus diaoluoensis Xu & Jin sp. nov. with a comb-like seta and palpfemur with a distinct projection is described and illustrated based on larvae from arbours of Hainan Province, China. The genus Abrolophus is new for the fauna of Hainan Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The female and male of Parasitus quadrichaetus Ma & Cui, 1999 are described for the first time. They show that this species is correctly placed in Parasitus sensu lato and not Coprocarpais Hrúzová & Fenďa, 2018. The deutonymph is also redescribed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dambullaeus hainanensis Xu & Jin sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on larvae ectoparasitic on Delphacidae (Hemiptera) from Hainan Island, China. A modified generic diagnosis of larval Dambullaeus is provided and a key to the species of larval Dambullaeus is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aromatic compound phenylacetic acid (PAA) is present in the environment, and released in the catabolism of phenylalanine, 2-phenylethylamine, or environmental contaminants such as ethylbenzene and styrene. PAA was also proposed to be involved in human chronic kidney disease development. Several bacteria and fungi utilize these aromatic acids as sole carbon source either during aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The aromatic structure of PAA makes this compound resistant toward oxidation or reduction, because the stabilizing resonance energy of the aromatic ring system is difficult to overcome. In the case of bacteria that utilize aromatic compounds as growth substrates, the aromatic ring system limits survival due to a lack of carbon source. Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 isolated from Lake Taihu was found to be beneficial in bioremediation of aromatic compounds. This study thus aimed to examine the influence of environmental factors such as temperature, PAA concentration, and pH on the effectiveness of Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 to degrade aromatic compounds using PAA as model compound. Data showed the highest PAA-degrading rate of strain Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 was 7.6 mg/L·h under the condition of 20°C, pH 9 with a 1000 μg/ml concentration of PAA. Evidence indicates that PAA-degrading ability of strain Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 appears to be primarily influenced by the concentration of PAA, followed by temperature and pH. PAA-degrading gene PAAase was identified in this strain using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. These results illustrate that the bacteria Sphingopyxis sp. YF1 removes PAA effectively at certain environmental conditions and this proves beneficial in bioremediation of aromatic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Safe cochlear implantation (CI) is challenging in patients with a canal wall down (CWD) mastoidectomy cavity. Objectives: We reviewed the outcomes of CI and proposed surgical management principles according to the presentation status of CWD mastoidectomy cavity. Material and methods: The cases of eight patients (nine ears) with CWD mastoidectomy cavity who underwent CI were retrospectively reviewed. The basis of the surgical decision, postoperative complications, and postimplant auditory performance were analysed. Results: In seven patients (eight ears), implantation was performed in a single stage; in six ears, the external auditory canal (EAC) was oversewn. In two patients with ossification, the electrode array was inserted into the scala tympani by drilling of the basal turn or in the second turn of the cochlea through a drill-out procedure. Seven patients had a follow-up of 12-50 months and one patient was lost to follow-up. None of the followed-up seven patients suffered complications. Conclusions: CI is safe and effective in patients with profound hearing loss after radical mastoidectomy. In patients with CWD mastoidectomy cavity, CI does not cause a higher rate of postoperative complications relative to standard CI procedures. The outcome is excellent and comparable to that in the general CI population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with two new species, Atractides (Atractides) bitergumus Zhang & Guo sp. nov. and Atractides (Tympanomegapus) tergumus Zhang & Guo sp. nov., and a new record of a species, Atractides (Atractides) incertus, from Hainan Province, P. R. China. These species are described and illustrated in detail. Article: Atractides (Atractides) bitergumus: Atractides (Tympanomegapus) tergumus: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the stabilisation problem for positive switched T-S fuzzy delayed systems under standard L1 and L∞ performance is addressed. First, by proposing a time-scheduled multiple linear copositive Lyapunov function which is time-varying during the mode-dependent minimum dwell-time interval, sufficient conditions of asymptotical stability for positive switched T-S fuzzy delayed system under dwell-time switching are derived for the first time. Then, sufficient conditions for the underlying system to be asymptotically stable with standard L1 and L∞ performance are obtained, respectively. Based on the obtained results, a fuzzy state-feedback controller scheme is designed to stabilise the positive switched T-S fuzzy delayed system, while guaranteeing the positivity and asymptotical stability with standard L1 performance in closed loop. Furthermore, the stabilisation problem under standard L∞ performance is also solved. All the results are presented in the linear programming form. Finally, two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcystins (MC) produced by species of cyanobacteria includingMicrocystis, Anabaena, andAphanizomenonare a group of monocyclic hepatotoxins posing serious threat to public health. Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is the most toxic and frequently encountered microcystin variant in the environment, and thus removal of this toxin using bacteria was shown to be a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective method that avoids utilization of chemicals that may produce potentially harmful by-products. The aim of this study was to determine whether a novel indigenous bacterial community designated YFMCD1 was effective in destroying MC. In addition, the influence of environmental factors such as temperature, MC concentration, and pH was examined on the effectiveness of YFMCD1 to degrade MC-LR. MC-degradation products were identified by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with an ultra-high resolution LTQ Orbitrap Velos Pro ETD mass spectrometry equipped with electrospray ionization interface (HPLC-ESI-MS). MC-LR underwent maximal degradation at rate of 0.5 µg/ml/hr with YFMCD1 containingKlebsiellasp. termed YFMCD1-1 orStenotrophomonassp. termed YFMCD1-2. Moreover, Adda (3-amino-9-methoxy-2, 6, 8-trimethyl-10-phenyldeca-4, 6-dienoic acid) is a constituent within the MC-LR molecule found to be responsible for biological activity expression and critical for MC-induced toxicity, which is also degraded by YFMCD1. The results showed that YFMCD1 effectively degraded MC-LR. The degradation rate was significantly affected by temperature, pH, and MC-LR concentrations. Data indicate that this bacterial community may prove beneficial in bioremediation of lakes containing MC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The genus Dyneogamasus is transferred to the subfamily Pergamasinae, and the generic diagnosis is revised. A new mite species, Dyneogamasus serratus Yao & Jin sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on females from Fujian province, China. A key to the known species of the genus is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the problem of global adaptive finite-time stabilisation for a class of switched nonlinearly parameterised systems. Without requiring that each subsystem is globally adaptively finite-time stabilisable, a switched adaptive finite-time control scheme is developed by exploiting the multiple Lyapunov functions method and adding a power integrator technique. By using the parameter separation technique, the unknown parameters are separated from nonlinear functions. On the basis of finite-time Lyapunov stability theory, it is proved that the proposed controller can guarantee that the state of the resulting closed-loop system converges to the origin in finite time. Finally, an example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling on the interaction between mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and retinal microglia.Methods: Supernatants of homogenized retina were harvested from light-damaged SD rats (ISHR) to stimulated retinal microglia. Stimulated microglia were cocultured with MSCs, CX3CL1 over-expressing MSCs (CX3CL1-MSCs) or CX3CL1-blocked MSCs (anti-CX3CL1-MSCs) for 24 hours, and their molecular and functional changes were examined. Moreover, soluble CX3CL1 was directly added to microglia cultures.Results: ISHR stimulation activated retinal microglia. MSCs coculture inhibited the protein expression of pro-inflammatory factors by activated microglia, increased the protein expression of neurotrophic factors, and was accompanied with upregulation of CX3CR1. Meanwhile, MSCs suppressed proliferative and migratory function of activated microglia, but promoted the phagocytic capability. These effects were strengthened by CX3CL1- MSCs, and reversed by anti-CX3CL1-MSCs. Soluble CX3CL1 could enhanced microglial migration.Conclusions: MSCs might restore homeostatic functions of retinal microglia responded to light damage mainly through CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]