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The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of different doses of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) on reproductive performance synchronized with prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) in Chinese Holstein dairy cows. The study was conducted on one hundred cyclic dairy cows. Cows were equally divided into five treatment groups. Each group (n=20) was administered with an injection of PMSG (Serum Gonadotrophin for Injection, SanSheng Pharmaceutical, China) at dose rate of 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, or 4 IU/kg BW, followed by an injection of PGF2α (Cloprostenol Sodium for Injection, SanSheng Pharmaceutical, China) 48 h later. Estrus was detected by a teaser bull three times daily after PGF2α administration. The cows were artificially inseminated 12 and 20 h after standing heat. On day 30 after artificial insemination, pregnancy rate was confirmed by transrectal ultrasonography while calving rate and multiple calvings were added up after successful parturition. There were no significant difference (P>0.05) in estrus response among all treatment groups. Similarly, interval from PMSG administration to estrus was decreased non-significantly (P>0.05) with the different doses of PMSG. Pregnancy rate was significantly lower (P0.05) among different regimens. The effects of PMSG dose on multiple calving was found to be statistically significant (P2.5 IU/kg) than in the lowest treatment group (2 IU/kg), however, later pregnancy rate was non-significant (P>0.05) in all groups. In summary, PMSG administration could successfully induce estrus and improve fertility of a dairy herd. Furthermore, low doses of PMSG aid in quick return of non-pregnant cows to subsequent next estrus.

Breast cancer is known as the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and has an undeniable negative impact on public health, both physically, and mentally. This study aims to investigate the effects of toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene silencing on proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cells to explore for a new theoretical basis for its treatment. TLR4 small interference RNA (siRNA) fragment recombinant plasmids were constructed, including TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3. Human breast cancer MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells were assigned into blank, negative control (NC), TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups. MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell growth was detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were determined by flow cytometry. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the expression of TLR4, CDK4, cyclin D1, Livin, Bcl‐2, p53, c‐FLIP, and caspase‐3. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, the TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups showed decreased the expression of TLR4, inhibited proliferation of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells and promoted MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cell apoptosis, and the cells were blocked in G1 phase. In comparison with the NC and blank groups, in the TLR4 siRNA‐1, TLR4 siRNA‐2, and TLR4 siRNA‐3 groups, siRNA‐TLR4 significantly increased expression of p53 and caspase‐3 in MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells, while it decreased the expressions of CDK4, cyclinD1, Livin, Bal‐2, and c‐FLIP. The study demonstrates that TLR4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. TLR4 gene silencing inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DNA binding of amphiphilic iron(III) 2,17-bis(sulfonato)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole complex (Fe-SC) was studied using spectroscopic methods and viscosity measurements. Its nuclease-like activity was examined by using pBR322 DNA as a target. The interaction of Fe-SC with human serum albumin (HSA) in vitro was also examined using multispectroscopic techniques. Experimental results revealed that Fe-SC binds to ct-DNA via an outside binding mode with a binding constant of 1.25 × 104 M-1. This iron corrole also displays good activity during oxidative DNA cleavage by hydrogen peroxide or tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidants, and high-valent (oxo)iron(V,VI) corrole intermediates may play an important role in DNA cleavage. Fe-SC exhibits much stronger binding affinity to site II than site I of HSA, indicating a selective binding tendency to HSA site II. The HSA conformational change induced by Fe-SC was confirmed by UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cationic meso(4- N-methylpyridyl)-based metallocorroles, μ-oxo iron corrole dimer ( 1b) and manganese corrole monomer ( 2b), were synthesized and characterized. The interactions of these two metal corrole complexes with CT-DNA were studied by UV-visible, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopic methods, as well as by viscosity measurements. The results revealed that 1b interacts with CT-DNA in a difunctional binding mode, i.e. non-classical intercalation and outside groove binding with H-aggregation, while 2b can interact with CT-DNA via an outside groove binding mode only. The binding constants Kb of 1b and 2b were 4.71 × 105 m−1 and 2.17 × 105 m−1, respectively, indicating that 1b can bind more tightly to CT-DNA than 2b. Furthermore, both complexes may cleave the supercoiled plasmid DNA efficiently in the presence of or tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), albeit 1b exhibited a little higher efficiency. The inhibitor tests suggested that singlet oxygen and high-valent (oxo)iron(VI) corrole or (oxo)manganese(V) corrole might be the active intermediates responsible for the oxidative DNA scission. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiative and Auger decay processes of K-shell ionized Np ions are studied theoretically using the flexible atomic code (FAC). Relativistic effects, Breit interaction, QED corrections and nuclear finite mass and volume effects are considered systematically. The resulting calculated K x-rays and Auger spectra of Np are compared with the measured spectra emitted after the electron-capture (EC)-decay of mass-separated 237Pu. The general consistency between theory and experiment is good; the relative intensities and relative positions of the peaks in the measured spectra are reproduced with good accuracy, in spite of the existence of different ways to produce the primary K-shell vacancy, enabling identification of the observed structure in the experimental spectra. We find that most of the radiative transition rates are greater than the Auger transition rates, and the latter decrease rapidly with the transfer of initial vacancies to the outer shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Economic reforms in China were implemented approximately 30 years ago. Since then, people's nutrition, living conditions and overall health have continually improved, but there has been an imbalance between the progresses in urban vs rural areas. Height and body mass index (BMI) are regarded as two important indicators of nutritional status and overall health. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in height and BMI between Chinese youths of rural vs urban areas and further, to determine whether these differences have changed over time (1990s vs 2000s). Subject and methods: 24 194 urban youths and 7130 rural youths were recruited in Hunan province of China. In each gender group, the subjects were divided into eight subsets according to age, geographic area residence, and decade when the youths were measured. Independent t-tests were used to test the differences of height and BMI between the studied groups. Results: Both male and female youths from urban areas were significantly taller than youths from rural areas in both the 1990s and 2000s (all p<0.001), with the exception of the 1990s female 15–18 years subset ( p=0.21). The height of youths was significantly greater in the 2000s compared to the corresponding gender and geographic subset in the 1990s ( p<0.001), except for the female 15–18 years subset from rural areas ( p=0.10). Similar results were obtained for BMI. Conclusion: There are significant differences in height and BMI between youths raised in urban vs rural areas, and positive growth trends of height and BMI over time (1990s vs 2000s) in youths in Hunan Province of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We systematically study the decay properties of the K-shell excited F-like ions with 10≤ Z ≤36 based on the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method. The Breit interaction, the QED corrections and the nuclear finite mass effects are also considered as perturbation. Auger transition rates, radiative, Auger and natural widths, as well as fluorescence and Auger yields for K-shell excited F-like ions are presented. It is shown by means of concrete figures that the decay properties change significantly with the increase of the atomic number Z; the Auger rate is overtaken at Z = 30 by the radiative decay rate. Several fitting formulae for the radiative and Auger widths and the fluorescence yields have been evaluated which is expected to be useful in plasma analysis and plasma modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the harmonic signal extraction from chaotic interference, a harmonic signal extraction method is proposed based on synchrosqueezed wavelet transform (SWT). First, the mixed signal of chaotic signal, harmonic signal, and noise is decomposed into a series of intrinsic mode-type functions by synchrosqueezed wavelet transform (SWT) then the instantaneous frequency of intrinsic mode-type functions is analyzed by using of Hilbert transform, and the harmonic extraction is realized. In experiments of harmonic signal extraction, the Duffing and Lorenz chaotic signals are selected as interference signal, and the mixed signal of chaotic signal and harmonic signal is added by Gauss white noises of different intensities. The experimental results show that when the white noise intensity is in a certain range, the extracting harmonic signals measured by the proposed SWT method have higher precision, the harmonic signal extraction effect is obviously superior to the classical empirical mode decomposition method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium isotopes are becoming an important paleoenvironmental proxy. However, few studies have focused on the behavior of Se isotopes during oxidative weathering. In this paper, a comprehensive set of Se isotopic composition and concentration data were collected from the weathering profiles of Se-rich shales of the Permian Maokou Formation in Yutangba and Shadi, China to investigate Se isotopic fractionation and Se enrichment during weathering processes. The δ82/76Se in fresh shales (148±118mg/kg Se, 1SD, n =40) from Shadi and Yutangba drill cores varies from −1.69‰ to 1.74‰ with an average of 0.40±0.71‰ (1SD, n =40), consistent with the range in other Phanerozoic shales, suggesting that Se isotopes are not strongly fractionated during Se sequestration in the primary sedimentary environment. However, the strongly weathered Se-rich shales from Shadi and Yutangba profiles are isotopically lighter with average δ82/76Se values of −1.96±1.08‰ (1SD, n =5) and −1.08±1.83‰ (1SD, n =23), respectively. These data suggest that Se isotopes can be fractionated during oxidation and reduction processes associated with weathering, with heavier isotopes removed preferentially during oxidative weathering of shales. Such a shift, if found to be a global phenomenon, would have implications for models of the global Se cycle and interpretation of Se isotope data from past biogeochemical regimes. Locally altered shales exposed in a quarry at Yutangba are extremely enriched in Se with 1642±1505mg/kg (1SD, n =45), approximately 10 times greater than that in unaltered drill core samples. These rocks display very strong variation in δ82/76Se over short distances, with a single 60cm transect showing the most strongly negative and positive δ82/76Se values (−14.20‰ to +11.37‰) observed to date in natural samples. This suggests that Se has undergone multiple cycles of oxidation, mobilization, and re-reduction, resulting in a Se-rich redox front that has migrated downward through the organic-rich shales over time. δ82/76Se values vary sharply over distances as small as 10cm, indicating that Se redox conditions change strongly with position and are controlled by fractures and rock layering. Our data and a simple conceptual model suggest that zones of increased permeability that are accessed first by infiltrating waters are isotopically light, whereas less accessible zones are heavy. Repeated redox cycling accentuates this pattern. Furthermore, the average δ82/76Se in Se-rich shales at the Yutangba weathering system is 0.45±5.77‰ (1SD, n =39), identical with that (0.40±0.71‰) in fresh shales from same locality, implying that Se released by weathering accumulates in the redox front with little loss. The strong Se isotopic fractionation occurring in the redox front implies that Se isotopes can be extensively used in tracing geochemical processes of Se in groundwater system, especially related to fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to automatically identify fatty acids in plant seed oils, a method was developed to search all saturated fatty acid methyl esters in the sample, subsequently calculate the ECL value of each fatty acid, and finally identify the molecular structure for each component by comparing the ECL of the interest and that in the customised database. Our method was applied to analyse the fatty acid composition of Eucommia ulmoides seed oil. The results show that major polyunsaturated fatty acids are α-linolenic acid (56.5093% of total fatty acids, TFAs) and linolelaidic acid (12.6563% of TFAs). Meanwhile, the main monounsaturated fatty acid is oleic acid whose percentage in the TFAs is 15.8008. Palmitic acid and steartic acid are the dominant saturated fatty acids representing 9.8165% and 2.5942% of TFAs, respectively. The UFA/SFA ratio (6.57) is higher than the recommended value (3) by nutritionists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three new phenothiazine-corrole dyads were prepared by the reaction of phenothiazine-10-carbonyl chloride and mono-hydroxyl triaryl corrole in the presence of DBU. As compared to corrole monomer, these phenothiazine-corrole dyads exhibit significant enhanced DNA photocleavage activity as compared to corrole monomer precursors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]