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AbstractArea detectors have been widely used in X-ray diffraction (XRD) to improve the acquisition speed and data quality. Here, an accurate, high efficiency, low distortion approach with a large angle range for collecting powder X-ray diffraction data is developed which is carried out by rotating a small area detector on the detector arm of the diffractometer. A series of collected images are spliced and converted into one 1D XRD pattern. The calculation of the 2θ value and intensity corresponding to every pixel are shown in detail. The calibration of the detector and experimental geometry was carried out. Finally, the reliability of this method has been demonstrated by the X-ray diffraction measurements of a standard LaB6 powder and Rietveld refinement results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Shen-Shi-Jiang-Zhuo formula (SSJZF) exhibits a definite curative effect in the clinical treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Objective: To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of SSJZF on NAFLD. Materials and methods: Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control, NAFLD, positive drug (12mg/kg/day), SSJZF high-dose (200mg/kg/day), SSJZF middle-dose (100 mg/kg/day), and SSJZF lowdose (50mg/kg/day) groups. After daily intragastric administration of NAFLD rats for 8 weeks, lipid metabolism and hepatic fibrosis were evaluated by biochemical indices and histopathology. Then we uncovered the main active compounds and mechanism of SSJZF against NAFLD by integrating RNA-sequencing and network pharmacology, and PI3K/AKT pathway activity was verified by western blot. Results: High dose SSJZF had the best inhibitory effect on hepatic lipid accumulation and fibrosis in rats with NAFLD, which significantly down-regulated total triglycerides (58%), cholesterol (62%), aspartate aminotransferase (57%), alanine aminotransferase (41%) andc-glutamyl transpeptidase (36%), as well as the expression of ACC (5.3-fold), FAS (12.1-fold), SREBP1C (2.3-fold), and CD36 (4.4-fold), and significantly reduced collagen deposition (67%). Then we identified 23 compounds of SSJZF that acted on 25 key therapeutic targets of NAFLD by integrating RNA-sequencing and network pharmacology. Finally, we also confirmed that high dose SSJZF increased p-PI3K/PI3K (1.6-fold) and p-AKT/AKT (1.6-fold) in NAFLD rats. Discussion and conclusion: We found for first time that SSJZF improved NAFLD in rats by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway. These findings provide scientific support for SSJZF in the clinical treatment of NAFLD and contribute to the development of new NAFLD drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disembodiment of cognitive science has resulted in curricula with disembodied concepts and practice. The emergence of the embodied cognitive science provoked public reflections on the nature of the curriculum. This has elevated the body from the ‘peripheral’ position to the ‘central’ position, acting as the subject in action and becoming the bridge to experience transformations. Meanwhile, the nurturing role of the environment for the mind is attracting increasingly more attention, and the environment, the body, and the mind jointly constitute a dynamic system that prompts the transformation and restructuring of learners’ experience. The reshaping of the relationship between the body and education and the integration of physical experience and mind-building have led us to examine curriculum from a completely new perspective, and curriculum construction is thus transformed to the dynamic generation of interaction among the body, the mind, and the environment based on group experiences. To be precise, there are three basic dimensions in the construction of an embodied curriculum: (1) returning to the life-world and promoting the integration of the curriculum narrative framework and the student’s learning trajectory; (2) introducing the embodied experience and realizing the continuous interactions among the learner’s body, mind, and environment; and (3) integrating the functions of technologies to provide a powerful mediating tool for the construction of embodied curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The muon spin relaxation (μSR), which uses spin-polarized muons to probe tiny local field in matters, is a useful tool for studying spin-related phenomena in magnets, superconductors and semiconductors, etc. Here we report a first successful application to ferroelectrics. We utilized μSR to detect a ferroelectric transition in a newly-identified ferroelectric material Co2(OD)3Cl. The deuteriums in Co2(OD)3Cl were found to be rapidly fluctuating in the paraelectric phase at high temperatures, then they drastically slowed down toward the ferroelectric transition at= 229 K, and eventually became quasi-static at around 160 K. Our study reveals that Co2(OD)3Cl is a deuterium-order ferroelectric material, and detailed analysis suggests that it can be viewed as new type of multiferroic material. The present study demonstrates that the conventional μSR can be an effective and powerful tool for ferroelectrics study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three new supramolecular coordination polymers based on 2,2′-bipyridyl-3,3′-dicarboxylic acid (H2BPDC) and Mn(II), Fe(II), and Zn(II) were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized with single-crystallographic X-ray analysis and IR spectrum. Complex 1 exhibits a 1-D, chain-like structure, which is further connected to 2-D supramolecular layer structure through hydrogen bonds. Complex 2 exhibits a 3-D supramolecular structure constructed from 1-D chains through hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. Like 1, 3 also shows 2-D supramolecular layer structure based on 1-D chains. Furthermore, the fluorescence of 3 was studied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

cDNA encoding pituitary (PRL) of giant panda was obtained using RT-PCR and expressed in E. coli . The results revealed that panda PRL cDNA encodes a precursor protein of 229 amino acids including a putative signal peptide of 30 amino acids and a mature protein of 199 residues with one potential N-glycosylation site. Sequence comparison indicated that panda PRL shares a high degree of identity to other known PRL sequences ranging from 98% with mink PRL to about 50% with rodent PRL. Six cysteine residues and 29 conserved residues distributed in four domains (PD1, PD2, PD3, and PD4) of PRL were observed through multiple sequence alignment. Fourteen key residues of binding sites 1 and 2 involved in receptor binding are conserved in panda PRL. GST fused recombinant panda PRL protein was efficiently expressed with the form of insoluble inclusion bodies in E. coli BL21 transformed with a pGEX-4T-1 expression vector containing the DNA sequence encoding mature panda PRL. Western blot analysis indicated that GST-panda PRL recombinant protein could be recognized by antibody against human PRL. Our results would contribute to further elucidating the structural and functional characteristics of pituitary PRL and provide a basis for the production of recombinant panda prolactin for future use in the breeding of giant panda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an integrated linear and nonlinear control for a unified power flow controller (UPFC). Three Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) parameters of the UPFC are controlled by Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) laws, and an analytic expression of the nonlinear control law for the UPFC phase angle ρ 2 is obtained by a feedback linearization method. This combined linear and nonlinear control strategy enables the UPFC to improve power system transient stability and dynamic performance effectively. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the developed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The copper complex {[Cu(2,2′-bpy)(azpy)(H 2 O)(ClO 4 )} n 1 (2,2′-bpy=2,2′bipyridine, azpy=4,4′-azopyridine), has been synthesized and characterized. X-ray analysis reveals that copper is coordinated by two N atoms of 2,2′-bpy, two N atoms from two bridging azpy ligands, one O atom of coordinated water and O atom from $\rm {ClO}_4^-$ and has a distorted octahedral coordination environment in complex 1 . Copper ions are linked to each other through bridging azpy ligands to form a one-dimensional chain. Stacking the one-dimensional chains results in the formation of rhombic channels with ca . 6 Å × 6 Å. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies show that there is a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the copper ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand but uncertain supply makes the sustainability of the coffee industry a shared concern for all participants along the coffee supply chain. This study proposed a decision-making model that comprises the cultivation management, including shade management and annual agriculture management, and the supply chain logistics. A two-stage stochastic program is presented and used within a rolling horizon scheme that periodically updates input data information to deal with uncertainty associated with future climate scenarios. The program minimizes the total expected cost of the entire supply chain of arabica coffee. The study applied the model to the real case study of arabica coffee bean supply to the U.S. market, trying to answer whether arabica coffee supply can meet the U.S. demand from 2022 to 2050 and how to best mitigate any shortage through corporate-farmer partnerships. The results show that the coffee supply will have a 3% shortage in the future; medium-level shade management and more irrigation and fertilization are possible mitigation strategies. These results demonstrate the need for all participants to adopt suitable technologies for the sustainability of global coffee supply chains together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smc5/6, like cohesin and condensin, is a structural maintenance of chromosomes complex crucial for genome stability. Unlike cohesin and condensin, Smc5/ 6 carries an essential Nse2 subunit with SUMO E3 ligase activity. While screening for new DNA replication checkpoint mutants in fission yeast, we have identified two previously uncharacterized mutants in Smc5/6. Characterization of the mutants and a series of previously reported Smc5/6 mutants uncovered that sumoylation of the RecQ helicase Rqh1 by Nse2 facilitates the checkpoint signaling at the replication fork. We found that mutations that eliminate the sumoylation sites or the helicase activity of Rqh1 compromised the checkpoint signaling similar to a nse2 mutant lacking the ligase activity. Surprisingly, introducing a sumoylation site mutation to a helicaseinactive rqh1 mutant promoted cell survival under stress. These findings, together with other genetic data, support a mechanism that sumoylation of Rqh1 by Smc5/6-Nse2 recruits Rqh1 or modulates its helicase activity at the fork to facilitate the checkpoint signaling. Since the Smc5/6 complex, Rqh1, and the replication checkpoint are conserved in eukaryotes, a similar checkpoint mechanism may be operating in human cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PSMB1 (proteasome subunit beta type 1) is a core component of the 20S proteasome, and based on its structure, it might have a crucial function in the transcription of certain genes. Rheb (Ras homolog enriched in brain) is a Ras-like small GTPase that acts as an upstream positive regulator of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway. We cloned and characterizedPSMB1(KY310590.1) to determine its function in cell cycle progression and proliferation of goat fetal fibroblasts (GFbs). Further, by yeast two-hybrid screen and coimmunoprecipitation, we conformed that PSMB1 interacts directly with Rheb. An siRNA was designed and expressed targetingPSMB1mRNA in GFbs and inducing cell cycle arrest.Rheboverexpression in GFbs significantly increased the number of S phase cells and growth efficiency compared with control cells. These data indicate thatPSMB1andRhebhave important functions in the cell cycle and proliferation of GFbs, indicating that their interaction governs many processes in GFbs. Abbreviations:GFbs: Cashmere goat fetal fibroblasts; mTOR: The mechanistic target of rapamycin; PSMB1: proteasome subunit beta type 1; Rheb: Ras homolog enriched in brain [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T1N6_22, a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase family protein, was identified as a positive regulator inArabidopsis thalianaresistance againstBotrytis cinereaandAlternaria brassicaein our preliminary study. In this study, we found that the expression levels of theT1N6_22gene were induced and up-regulated inA. thalianaecotype Columbia (Col-0) afterB. cinereaandPseudomonas syringaepv. tomato DC3000 inoculation. Compared with the Col-0 andt1n6_22/T1N6_22plants, the expression ofPAL,PR4,PPO,SODandCATgenes were down-regulated in thet1n6_22plants. In Col-0 plants treated with salicylic acid (SA) and the SA analogue benzo(1,2,3)thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S-methyl ester (BTH), the expression levels ofT1N6_22were significantly enhanced, whereas the expression levels ofT1N6_22were reduced by jasmonic acid treatment. Meanwhile, thet1n6_22mutant exhibited enhanced resistance, whereas the wild-type Col-0 and complemented plants (t1n6_22/T1N6_22) showed susceptibility toPstDC3000. After inoculation withB. cinereaandPstDC3000, the expression levels of defence-related genesPR1,PR3,PR5,NPR1andPDF1.2int1n6_22were significantly different from those in Col-0 andt1n6_22/T1N6_22plants. Taken together, theT1N6_22gene played a negative role inArabidopsisresistance toPstDC3000. TheT1N6_22gene may be involved in the regulation of salicylic acid and jasmonic-acid–signalling pathways to affect the resistance ofArabidopsistoB. cinereaandPstDC3000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Here we aimed to examine the expression status of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) and p27KIP1, and assess the significance of Skp2 plus p27KIP1 expression in patients with intraductal proliferative lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH). Skp2 and p27KIP1 mRNA levels in DCIS, ADH, flat epithelial atypia, and usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH) were evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and protein expression was evaluated immunohistochemically in 60 fresh tissues and 120 paraffin-embedded tissues from patients with the four subtypes above. We found that the protein and mRNA level of Skp2 were significantly increased in DCIS and ADH as compared with that in UDH. In contrast, p27KIP1 protein and mRNA levels were reduced. Based on the above findings, abnormal levels of Skp2 and p27KIP1 have probably been involved in the pathogenesis of ADH and DCIS. Thus, Skp2 and p27KIP1 may serve as important diagnosis markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syphacia obvelata is a rodent nematode with high prevalence in laboratory mice. In the present study, we examined the genetic variability of S. obvelata from naturally infected laboratory mice in four different provinces, China. Five mitochondrial (mt) DNA regions, namely cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (p cox1), cytochrome b (p cytb), large subunit ribosomal RNA (p rrnL) and NADH dehydrogenase subunits 1 and 5 (p nad1 and p nad5), were amplified separately from individual nematodes by PCR, and then sequenced directly. The size of the sequences of p cox1, p cytb, p rrnL, p nad1 and p nad5 was 628 bp, 555 bp, 548 bp, 548 bp and 561 bp, respectively. While the intra-specific sequence variations within S. obvelata were 0-1.0% for p cox1, 0-1.6% for p cytb, 0-2.8% for p rrnL, 0-2.0% for p nad1 and 0-1.8% for p nad5, the inter-specific sequence differences among members of the Oxyuridae were significantly higher, being 14.0-17.5% for p cox1, 27.5-32.9% for p cytb, 35.8-37.2% for p rrnL, 22.2-26.8% for p nad1 and 22.3-25.2% for p nad5, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses based on combined sequences of four mt protein-coding genes, using Bayesian inference (BI), maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP) methods, indicated that all of the S. obvelata samples grouped together with high statistical support, but samples from the same geographical origin did not always cluster together. These findings demonstrated the existence of low-level intra-specific variation in five mtDNA sequences among S. obvelata isolates from laboratory mice, but no obvious geographical distinction among S. obvelata isolates from laboratory mice in different geographic regions in China. These results provide basic information for further studies of systematics and population genetics of S. obvelata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence variability in three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) regions, namely portions of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (p cox1), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (p nad1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (p nad4), for Toxocara canis. Baylisacaris transfuga. Ascaris suum and Parascaris equorum from Canis lupus. Ursus thibetanus. Sus scrofa and Equus burchelli in China were examined. The lengths of the sequences of p cox1, p nad1 and p nad4 were 711 bp, 648 bp and 666 bp, respectively. No intra-species differences were detected in p cox1 for the four examined ascarid species, in p nad1 for T. canis. A. suum and P. equorum, and in p nad4 for B. transfuga and P. equorum. Sequence differences in p nad4 for six roundworm samples of T. canis and P. equorum were 0-0.1% and 0-0.3%, respectively, and were 0-0.3% in p nad1 for six roundworm samples isolate of B. transfuga. The inter-specific sequence differences among four species were 8.7-12.4% for p cox1, 13.9-17.7% for p nad1, and 14.0-25.7% for p nad4. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that the three mtDNA fragments could be used to identify ascarid species in families Ascaridiae and Toxocaridae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a proliferative disorder of monoclonal plasma cells which accumulate in human bone marrow, and myeloma cells proliferate in response to a cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6). We recently found that MPC-1[SUP-]CD49e[SUP-]immature myeloma cells expressing CD45 form a proliferating population in MM. IL-6 activates at least two intracellular pathways including signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase ½ (ERK½) following the activation of Janus kinases (JAKs) via its receptor complexes composed of the IL-6 receptor a chain and gp130. Although the roles of CD45 have been extensively studied for antigen receptors in B and T cells, its physiological consequences in other hematopoietic cells remain largely unknown. Myeloma cells expressing CD45 antigens which contain the activation of src family protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs) independent of IL-6 stimulation proliferate in response to IL-6, whereas the proliferation of CD45[SUP-]cells which lack a considerable activity of the src family PTKs is not promoted by IL-6. The STAT3 and ERK½ pathways are similarly activated by IL-6 in both cells either expressing or not expressing CD45. In this review, we argue a novel mechanism of proliferation of myeloma cells, in that the activation of both STAT3 and ERK½ is not sufficient for IL-6-induced proliferation which further requires IL-6-independent activation of the src family kinases associated with CD45 phosphatase. We propose that the cellular context, such as CD45 expression and src family kinase activation, is crucial for myeloma cells to proliferate in response to IL-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex [Cu(tn) 2 ] 2 [Co(CN) 6 ](ClO 4 )ċ2H 2 O (tn = trimethylenediamine) has been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, electronic and electronic spin resonance spectra and magnetic properties. The x-ray structure analysis shows that each [Co(CN) 6 ] 3- ion coordinates to four [Cu(tn) 2 ] 2+ cations through four cyano nitrogen atoms in the same plane, providing a two-dimensional square network structure, formed from Co-CN-Cu(tn) 2 -NC-Co linkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-dimensional supramolecular compound [Mn(N 3 ) 2 (H 2 O) 3 (hmt)] n , where hmt stands for hexamethylenetetramine, was synthesized and characterized by IR, crystal structure and magnetic susceptibility. The compound [Mn(N 3 ) 2 (H 2 O) 3 (hmt)] n , crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group P n 2 1 a , with a = 6.5201(9), b = 9.322(2), c = 22.192(3) Å, β = 90° and Z = 2. The Mn atom is coordinated in an octahedral arrangement by three nitrogen atoms from three azido ions, and three oxygen atoms from three water molecules, respectively. The azide ligand bridges Mn atoms in µ-1,3 fashion, forming a zigzag chain. Hmt connected with the zigzag chain by hydrogen bonds, to form a three-dimensional supramolecular structure. The magnetic susceptibility data show that there is an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction in the title compound. The data were modeled using an infinite chain model leading to J = - 4.8 cm -1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heterometallic assembly, [Mn(salen)] 2 [Ni(CN) 4 ]·1/2H 2 O (where salen=N, N′-ethylene-bis(salicylideneiminato)-dianion), has been prepared from the reaction of [Mn(salen)H 2 O]ClO 4 ·H 2 O with K 2 [Ni(CN) 4 ]·H 2 O in methanol/water. The compound crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P 4/ncc with the cell dimensions of a =14.604(2) Å, c =16.949(3) Å, and Z=4. The compound assumes a two-dimensional distorted square network structure, formed from ${\rm Ni}{{\hskip -1pt -\!\!\!- \hskip-.5pt}}{\rm CN}{{\hskip -1pt -\!\!\!- \hskip-.5pt}}{\rm Mn(salen)}{{\hskip -1pt -\!\!\!- \hskip-.5pt}}{\rm NC}{{\hskip -1pt -\!\!\!- \hskip-.5pt}}{\rm Ni}$ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]