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This paper proposes an efficient method for quantifying the stratigraphic uncertainties and modeling the geological formations based on boreholes. Two Markov chains are used to describe the soil transitions along different directions, and the transition probability matrices (TPMs) of the Markov chains are analytically expressed by copulas. This copula expression is efficient since it can represent a large TPM by a few unknown parameters. Due to the analytical expression of the TPMs, the likelihood function of the Markov chain model is given in an explicit form. The estimation of the TPMs is then re-casted as a multi-objective constrained optimization problem that aims to maximize the likelihoods of two independent Markov chains subject to a set of parameter constraints. Unlike the method which determines the TPMs by counting the number of transitions between soil types, the proposed method is more statistically sound. Moreover, a random path sampling method is presented to avoid the directional effect problem in simulations. The soil type at a location is inferred from its nearest known neighbors along the cardinal directions. A general form of the conditional probability, based on Pickard's theorem and Bayes rule, is presented for the soil type generation. The proposed stratigraphic characterization and simulation method is applied to real borehole data collected from a construction site in Wuhan, China. It is illustrated that the proposed method is accurate in prediction and does not show an inclination during simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" is an essential national strategy, and the geological storage and utilization of CO2 is a hot issue today. However, due to the scarcity of pure CO2 gas sources in China and the high cost of CO2 capture, CO2-rich industrial waste gas (CO2-rich IWG) is gradually emerging into the public's gaze. CO2 has good adsorption properties on shale surfaces, but acidic gases can react with shale, so the mechanism of the CO2-rich IWGewatereshale reaction and the change in reservoir properties will determine the stability of geological storage. Therefore, based on the mineral composition of the Longmaxi Formation shale, this study constructs a thermodynamic equilibrium model of watererock reactions and simulates the regularity of reactions between CO2-rich IWG and shale minerals. The results indicate that CO2 consumed 12% after reaction, and impurity gases in the CO2-rich IWG can be dissolved entirely, thus demonstrating the feasibility of treating IWG through watererock reactions. Since IWG inhibits the dissolution of CO2, the optimal composition of CO2-rich IWG is 95% CO2 and 5% IWG when CO2 geological storage is the main goal. In contrast, when the main goal is the geological storage of total CO2-rich IWG or impurity gas, the optimal CO2-rich IWG composition is 50% CO2 and 50% IWG. In the CO2-rich IWGewatereshale reaction, temperature has less influence on the watererock reaction, while pressure is the most important parameter. SO2 has the greatest impact on watererock reaction in gas. For minerals, clay minerals such as illite and montmorillonite had a significant effect on watererock reaction. The overall reaction is dominated by precipitation and the volume of the rock skeleton has increased by 0.74 cm3, resulting in a decrease in shale porosity, which enhances the stability of CO2 geological storage to some extent. During the reaction between CO2-rich IWGewatereshale at simulated temperatures and pressures, precipitation is the main reaction, and shale porosity decreases. However, as the reservoir water content increases, the reaction will first dissolve and then precipitate before dissolving again. When the water content is less than 0.0005 kg or greater than 0.4 kg, it will lead to an increase in reservoir porosity, which ultimately reduces the long-term geological storage stability of CO2-rich IWG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the cognitive processing mechanism of rule violation is required as the basis for preventing rule violation and promoting rule compliance. Here, we review the cognitive processing of rule violations. After reviewing the theories and evidence on the cognitive processes involved in rule violations, a new model is proposed. The model decomposes the cognitive processes of rule violation into three: activation, conflict, and inhibition. Specifically, when individuals encounter a situation in which a rule violation is possible or tasks that require violating the rules, the rule-based and violation responses are successively and simultaneously activated in the mind. The simultaneous activation of the two responses causes individuals to experience a response-selection conflict during the initiation phase and a motor-execution conflict during the execution phase. After the individual decides whether to violate the rules, the activation of the two responses is inhibited to a varying degree. Currently, the understanding of the cognitive processing of rule violation is limited and worth of further investigation. Therefore, future research should improve the existing paradigm of rule violation, enhance the ecological validity of experimental designs, and explore irrational, cognitive, and social factors in the cognitive processing of rule violation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weeping forsythia (Forsythia suspensa, Oleaceae) is a deciduous broad-leaved tree species distributed in the warm temperate zone of China. However, the species still lacks a chromosome-level genome. In this study, the former draft genome (Accession No. WIPI00000000) of weeping forsythia was assembled into 14 chromosomes with a 712.9 Mb genome size. Weeping forsythia underwent a and b whole-genome duplication events. After the divergence between weeping forsythia and Olea europaea, 1 453 gene families had a significant expansion, and 1 146 gene families had a significant contraction. The enrichment pathways and ontologies of expanded genes suggested that the tillering, photosynthesis and growth capacity of weeping forsythia were enhanced after the divergence of weeping forsythia and O. europaea. The contracted genes suggested that the resistance of weeping forsythia to cold and drought was weakened. The last glacial period led to a significant decline in the effective population size of weeping forsythia. Forty-six candidate genes were identified for the synthesis of the forsythin and forsythoside A by genomic and transcriptomic data. In this study, we improved the previous draft genome of weeping forsythia. Our genome will provide genomic resources for the subsequent evolution and breeding research of weeping forsythia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying dynamic spatiotemporal patterns of early brain development in macaque monkeys is critical for understanding the cortical organization and evolution in humans, given the phylogenetic closeness between humans and macaques. However, due to huge challenges in the analysis of early brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data typically with extremely low contrast and dynamic imaging appearances, our knowledge of the early macaque cortical development remains scarce. To fill this critical gap, this paper characterizes the early developmental patterns of cortical thickness and surface area in rhesus macaques by leveraging advanced computing tools tailored for early developing brains based on a densely sampled longitudinal dataset with 140 rhesus macaque MRI scans seamlessly covering from birth to 36 mo of age. The average cortical thickness exhibits an inverted U-shaped trajectory with peak thickness at around 4.3 mo of age, which is remarkably in line with the age of peak thickness at 14 mo in humans, considering the around 3:1 age ratio of human to macaque. The total cortical surface area in macaques increases monotonically but with relatively lower expansions than in humans. The spatial distributions of thicker and thinner regions are quite consistent during development, with gyri having a thicker cortex than sulci. By 4 mo of age, over 81% of cortical vertices have reached their peaks in thickness, except for the insula and medial temporal cortices, while most cortical vertices keep expanding in surface area, except for the occipital cortex. These findings provide important insights into early brain development and evolution in primates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the prediction of ground surface settlement induced by shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum. Based on the stochastic medium theory, an analytical solution to predict the surface settlement is developed considering the difference between soil and tunnel volume loss. Then, the effects of tunnel geometries, influence angle and volume loss on the characteristics of surface settlement are discussed. Through back analysis, a total of 103 groups of field monitoring data of surface settlement induced by shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum are examined to investigate the statistical characteristics of the maximum settlement, settlement trough width and volume loss. An empirical prediction is presented based on the results of back analysis. Finally, the analytical solution and empirical expression are validated by the comparisons with the results of model tests and field monitoring. Results show that the soil at ground surface has an overall dilative response for most of the shield tunnelling in sandy cobble stratum. In addition, the developed analytical solution is applicable and reasonable for surface settlement prediction. Meanwhile, the proposed empirical formula also shows good performance in some cases, providing an approach or a reference for engineering designers to preliminarily evaluate the surface settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat waves and air pollution extremes exert compounding effects on human health and food security and may worsen under future climate change. On the basis of reconstructed daily O3 levels in China and meteorological reanalysis, we found that the interannual variability of the frequency of summertime co-occurrence of heat wave and O3 pollution in China is regulated mainly by a combination of springtime warming in the western Pacific Ocean, western Indian Ocean, and Ross Sea. These sea surface temperature anomalies impose influences on precipitation, radiation, etc., to modulate the co-occurrence, which were also confirmed with coupled chemistry-climate numerical experiments. We thus built a multivariable regression model to predict co-occurrence a season in advance, and correlation coefficient could reach 0.81 (P < 0.01) for the North China Plain. Our results provide useful information for the government to take actions in advance to mitigate damage from these synergistic costressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defensive behaviors are critical for animal's survival. Both the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) have been shown to be involved in defensive behaviors. However, whether there are direct connections between them to mediate defensive behaviors remains unclear. Here, by retrograde and anterograde tracing, we uncover that cholecystokinin (CCK)-expressing neurons in the lateral PBN (LPBCCK) directly project to the PVN. By in vivo fiber photometry recording, we find that LPBCCK neurons actively respond to various threat stimuli. Selective photoactivation of LPBCCK neurons promotes aversion and defensive behaviors. Conversely, photoinhibition of LPBCCK neurons attenuates rat or looming stimuli-induced flight responses. Optogenetic activation of LPBCCK axon terminals within the PVN or PVN glutamatergic neurons promotes defensive behaviors. Whereas chemogenetic and pharmacological inhibition of local PVN neurons prevent LPBCCK-PVN pathway activation-driven flight responses. These data suggest that LPBCCK neurons recruit downstream PVN neurons to actively engage in flight responses. Our study identifies a previously unrecognized role for the LPBCCK-PVN pathway in controlling defensive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitoids are important insects that are commonly released into the environment to reduce the population sizes of pest species. The lifetime reproductive success of parasitoids mainly depends on host availability and the availability of mature eggs. Consequently, it is predicted that female wasps must balance the risk of egg or host (time) limitation with maximized lifetime fecundity. Typically, synovigenic females, which continue to mature eggs throughout their lifetime, have been shown to adjust their egg production rate in response to environmental variations in host availability to reduce the risk of egg limitation. In this study, we found that in a synovigenic egg parasitoid, Anastatus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), the oviposition experience of Ana. japonicus females significantly enhanced the egg load and increased the rate of mature egg production. However, in contrast to other studies, the experience of contact with a host did not significantly affect the egg load in females. This result suggests that the overall oviposition experience might induce an adjustment and accelerate egg maturation in Ana. japonicus and is likely more important in egg maturation than transitory host contract. In addition to affecting the egg load, oviposition experience influenced Ana. japonicus female reproductive behaviour, which shifted virgin female behavioural preferences from mating to oviposition and laying more eggs per clutch. Our study provides an optimal strategy for the post-oviposition release of Ana. japonicus, an egg parasitoid of several lepidopteran forest pests, to improve biocontrol effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a g-oncogenic herpesvirus, and both lytic and latent infections play important roles in its pathogenesis and tumorigenic properties. Multiple cellular pathways and diverse mediators are hijacked by viral proteins and are used to support KSHV lytic replication. In previous studies, we revealed that KSHV ORF45 promoted KSHV transcription and translation by inducing sustained p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) activation and the phosphorylation of its substrates c-Fos and eIF4B. However, the cellular mediators required for lytic replication remain largely unknown. Here, we reveal that ORF45 activates eIF2a phosphorylation and ATF4 translation and then upregulates the expression of lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3) in an ATF4-dependent manner during KSHV lytic replication. Consequently, LAMP3 promotes Akt and ERK activation and then facilitates lytic gene expression and virion production. Furthermore, ATF4 enhances lytic replication through LAMP3, and LAMP3 acts in an ATF4-independent manner. Our findings suggest that the ATF4-LAMP3 axis is upregulated by ORF45 through ER stress activation during the KSHV lytic life cycle and, in turn, facilitates optimal lytic replication. IMPORTANCE The lytic replication of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) reprograms cellular transcription and translation to generate viral proteins and virion particles. Here, we show that the mediator of ER stress ATF4 and the expression of the downstream gene LAMP3 are upregulated by ORF45 during lytic replication. Consequently, increased LAMP3 expression activates Akt and ERK and promotes lytic replication. Although several UPR transcription factors are able to promote KSHV lytic replication, the proviral effect of ATF4 on lytic replication is attenuated by LAMP3 silencing, whereas the effect of LAMP3 does not directly require ATF4 expression, indicating that LAMP3 primarily exerts effects on KSHV lytic replication downstream of ATF4 and ER stress. Taken together, our findings suggest that the ORF45-upregulated ATF4-LAMP3 axis plays an essential role in KSHV lytic replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To complement our previous discovery of the young snake-like structure in the solar neighbourhood and reveal the structure's full extent, we build two samples of stars within the Snake and its surrounding territory from Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3). With the friends-of-friends algorithm, we identify 2694 and 9052 Snake member candidates from the two samples. 13 open clusters are embedded in these member candidates. By combining the spectroscopic data from multiple surveys, we investigate the comprehensive properties of the candidates and find that they are very likely to belong to one sizable structure, since most of the components are well bridged in their spatial distributions, and follow a single stellar population with an age of 30–40 Myr and solar metallicity. This sizable structure is best explained as hierarchically primordial, and probably formed from a filamentary giant molecular cloud with unique formation history in localized regions. To analyse the dynamics of the Snake, we divide the structure into four groups according to their tangential velocities. We detect anisotropic expansion rates of the groups along different axes, and find that the average expansion age (⁠|$\bar{\tau }\simeq 33$|  Myr) is highly consistent with the age of the Snake along the length of the structure (X -direction). With over 10 000 member stars, the Snake is an ideal laboratory to study nearby coeval stellar formation, stellar physics, and environmental evolution over a large spatial extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accompanied by the continuous declines of PM2.5, O3 pollution has become increasingly prominent and has been targeted by the Government of China to protect climate, ecosystem, and human health. Although satellite retrievals of column O3 have been operated for decades and nationwide monitoring of ground-level O3 has been offered since 2013 in China, climatological variability of ground-level O3 remains unknown, which impedes understanding of the long-term driver and impacts of O3 pollution in China. Here we develop an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model integrating high-resolution meteorological data, satellite retrievals of trace gases, etc. to provide reconstructed daily ground-level O3 over 2005-2021 in China. Model validation confirms the robustness of this dataset, with R² of 0.89 for sample-based crossvalidation. The accuracy of the long-term variations has also been confirmed with independent historical observations covering the same period from urban, rural and background sites. Our dataset covers the long time period of 2005-2021 with 0.1°×0.1° gap-free grids, which can facilitate climatological, ecological, and health research. The dataset is freely available at Zenodo (https://zenodo.org/record/6507706#.Yo8hKujP13g; Zhou, 2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vesicular trafficking plays critical roles in cell expansion in yeast and mammals, but information linking vesicular trafficking and cell expansion in plants is limited. Here, we isolated and characterized a rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, decreased plant height 1-1 (dph1-1), which exhibited a wide spectrum of developmental phenotypes, including reduced plant height and smaller panicles and grains. Cytological analysis revealed that limited cell expansion was responsible for the dph1-1 mutant phenotype compared to the wild-type. Map-based cloning revealed that DPH1 encodes a plant-specific protein, OsSCD2, which is homologous to Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) STOMATAL CYTOKINESIS DEFECTIVE2 (SCD2). Subcellular localization revealed that OsSCD2 is associated with clathrin. Confocal microscopy showed that the dph1-1 mutant has defective endocytosis and post-Golgi trafficking. Biochemical and confocal data indicated that OsSCD2 physically interacts with OsSCD1 and that they are associated with intracellular structures that colocalize with microtubules. Furthermore, we found that cellulose synthesis was affected in the dph1-1 mutant, evidenced by reduced cellulose synthase gene accumulation at the transcript and protein levels, most likely resulting from an impaired localization pattern. Our results suggest that OsSCD2 is involved in clathrin-related vesicular trafficking with an important role in maintaining plant growth in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

D-Alanine belongs to nonessential amino acids that have diverse applications in the fields of food and health care. (R)-transaminase [(R)-TA]-catalyzed asymmetric amination of pyruvate is a feasible alternative for the synthesis of D-alanine, but low catalytic efficiency and thermostability limit enzymatic utilization. In this work, several potential (R)-TAs were discovered using NCBI database mining synchronously with enzymatic structure-function analysis, among which Capronia epimyces TA (CeTA) showed the highest activity for amination of pyruvate using (R)-α-methylbenzylamine as the donor. Furthermore, enzymatic residues surrounding a large catalysis pocket were subjected to saturation and combinatorial mutagenesis, and positive mutant F113T showed dramatic improvement in activity and thermostability. Molecular modeling indicated that the substitution of phenylalanine with threonine afforded alleviation of steric hindrance in the pocket and induced formation of additional hydrogen bonds with neighboring residues. Finally, using recombinant cells containing F113T as a biocatalyst, the conversion yield of amination of 100 mM pyruvate to D-alanine achieved up to 95.2%, which seemed to be the highest level in the literature regarding synthesis of D-alanine using TAs. The inherent characteristics rendered CeTA F113T a promising platform for efficient preparation of D-alanine operating with high productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional connectome fingerprint is a cluster of individualized brain functional connectivity patterns that are capable of distinguishing one individual from others. Although its existence has been demonstrated in adolescents and adults, whether such individualized patterns exist during infancy is barely investigated despite its importance in identifying the origin of the intrinsic connectome patterns that potentially mirror distinct behavioral phenotypes. To fill this knowledge gap, capitalizing on a longitudinal high-resolution structural and resting-state functional MRI dataset with 104 human infants (53 females) with 806 longitudinal scans (age, 16-876 d) and infant-specific functional parcellation maps, we observe that the brain functional connectome fingerprint may exist since infancy and keeps stable over months during early brain development. Specifically, we achieve an; 78% individual identification rate by using; 5% selected functional connections, compared with the best identification rate of 60% without connection selection. The frontoparietal networks recognized as the most contributive networks in adult functional connectome fingerprinting retain their superiority in infants despite being widely acknowledged as rapidly developing systems during childhood. The existence and stability of the functional connectome fingerprint are further validated on adjacent age groups. Moreover, we show that the infant frontoparietal networks can reach similar accuracy in predicting individual early learning composite scores as the whole-brain connectome, again resembling the observations in adults and highlighting the relevance of functional connectome fingerprint to cognitive performance. For the first time, these results suggest that each individual may retain a unique and stable marker of functional connectome during early brain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterized the stationary points along the nucleophilic substitution (SN2), oxidative insertion (OI), halogen abstraction (XA), and proton transfer (PT) product channels of M− + CH3X (M = Cu, Ag, Au; X = F, Cl, Br, I) reactions using the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. In general, the reaction energies follow the order of PT> XA > SN2 > OI. The OI channel that results in oxidative insertion complex [CH3–M–X]− is most exothermic, and can be formed through a front-side attack of M on the C-X bond via a high transition state OxTS or through a SN2-mediated halogen rearrangement path via a much lower transition state invTS. The order of OxTS > invTS is inverted when changing M− to Pd, a d10 metal, because the symmetry of their HOMO orbital is different. The back-side attack SN2 pathway proceeds via typical Walden-inversion transition state that connects to pre- and post-reaction complexes. For X = Cl/Br/I, the invSN2-TS’s are, in general, submerged. The shape of this M− + CH3X SN2 PES is flatter as compared to that of a main-group base like F− + CH3X, whose PES has a double-well shape. When X = Br/I, a linear halogen-bonded complex [CH3−X∙··M]− can be formed as an intermediate upon the front-side attachment of M on the halogen atom X, and it either dissociates to CH3 + MX− through halogen abstraction or bends the C-X-M angle to continue the back-side SN2 path. Natural bond orbital analysis shows a polar covalent M−X bond is formed within oxidative insertion complex [CH3–M–X]−, whereas a noncovalent M–X halogen-bond interaction exists for the [CH3–X∙··M]− complex. This work explores competing channels of the M− + CH3X reaction in the gas phase and the potential energy surface is useful in understanding the dynamic behavior of the title and analogous reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An aging population is one of the key drivers reshaping health care systems. In China, the complex needs of its huge aging population require integration across the health and care sectors. Policies and progress: Over the past decade, the central government of China promulgated a series of policies to promote the establishment of aftercare facilities, specify approaches to integrate health and care service delivery at institutional and community levels, pilot long-term care insurance (LTCI) as a funding mechanism, and reform administrative structures in favor of integration. Progress has been made towards organizational and clinical integration of service delivery both at institutional and community levels. LTCI has been introduced as the financing mechanism covering long term care services. Discussions and Conclusions: The experiences of China in the integration of health and care could be summarized as a top-down approach in policy formulation and implementation, the significant employment of pilots and demonstrations, and the activation of market forces. However, China is still in the initial stage of integrating health and care and is faced with system-level challenges in its financing, management, and workforce, and faces technical challenges, such as a lack of tools, and standards. In the future, these issues need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An aging population is one of the key drivers reshaping health care systems. In China, the complex needs of its huge aging population require integration across the health and care sectors. Policies and progress: Over the past decade, the central government of China promulgated a series of policies to promote the establishment of aftercare facilities, specify approaches to integrate health and care service delivery at institutional and community levels, pilot long-term care insurance (LTCI) as a funding mechanism, and reform administrative structures in favor of integration. Progress has been made towards organizational and clinical integration of service delivery both at institutional and community levels. LTCI has been introduced as the financing mechanism covering long term care services. Discussions and Conclusions: The experiences of China in the integration of health and care could be summarized as a top-down approach in policy formulation and implementation, the significant employment of pilots and demonstrations, and the activation of market forces. However, China is still in the initial stage of integrating health and care and is faced with system-level challenges in its financing, management, and workforce, and faces technical challenges, such as a lack of tools, and standards. In the future, these issues need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupling between networks is widely prevalent in real systems and has dramatic effects on their resilience and functional properties. However, current theoretical models tend to assume homogeneous coupling where all the various subcomponents interact with one another, whereas real-world systems tend to have various different coupling patterns. We develop two frameworks to explore the resilience of such modular networks, including specific deterministic coupling patterns and coupling patterns where specific subnetworks are connected randomly. We find both analytically and numerically that the location of the percolation phase transition varies nonmonotonically with the fraction of interconnected nodes when the total number of interconnecting links remains fixed. Furthermore, there exists an optimal fraction r of interconnected nodes where the system becomes optimally resilient and is able to withstand more damage. Our results suggest that, although the exact location of the optimal r varies based on the coupling patterns, for all coupling patterns, there exists such an optimal point. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of network resilience and show how networks can be optimized based on their specific coupling patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, dynamic response of a typical umbrella membrane structure under heavy rainfall load is studied by experimental and numerical methods. In the experiment, heavy rainfalls of three rainfall intensities are applied to a typical umbrella membrane structure under five different tensile force levels. The dynamic responses of feature points and tensile force of cables are monitored by laser displacement sensors and digital tensimeters, respectively, during the experiment. In the numerical simulation, the membrane structural model is established in ANSYS by form-finding analysis, and the rainfall load that is calculated by the analytical formula is applied to dynamic analysis. The results of the numerical simulation and the experiment are in good agreement. According to the research results, the dynamic response laws of the umbrella membrane structure under rainstorm were obtained, and the influence of rainstorm load on the umbrella membrane structure was analyzed. Suggestions for safety and structural stability of the membrane structure are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses virtual reality and augmented reality have revolutionary technologies, aiming at creating virtual environments allow human to obtain various feelings like real experiences in the physical world. Topics include tactile sensation plays important roles in virtual reality and augmented reality systems; and a self-powered, painless, and highly sensitive electro-tactile system for achieving virtual tactile experiences has proposed on the basis of triboelectric nanogenerator.

In order to simplify the dynamic equation of tank and design the controller conveniently, the barrel is often regarded as a rigid body in the previous tank barrel model. However, the barrel whose structure is a long straight pipe, is a typical flexible body in practice, it will affect the controller performance if it is directly treated as a rigid body. In this paper, we consider the flexibility of barrel and design a backstepping controller firstly. Then, Matlab and RecurDyn co-simulation were combined to compare the tracking performance of the method under different road excitation. The results show that backstepping control can adjust the muzzle angle of the flexible barrel in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary eyewall formation (SEF) could be considered as the aggregation of a convective-ring coupling with a tangential wind maximum outside the primary eyewall of a tropical cyclone (TC). The dynamics of SEF are investigated using idealized simulations based on a set of triplet experiments, whose differences are only in the initial outer-core wind speed. The triplet experiments indicate that the unbalanced boundary layer (BL) process driven by outer rainbands (ORBs) is essential for the canonical SEF. The developments of a secondary tangential wind maximum and a secondary convective ring are governed by two different pathways, which are well coupled in the canonical SEF. Compared with inner/suppressed rainbands, the downwind stratiform sectors of ORBs drive significant stronger BL convergence at its radially inward side, which fastens up the SEF region and links the two pathways. In the wind-maximum formation pathway, the positive feedback among the BL convergence, supergradient force, and relative vorticity within the BL dominates the spinup of a secondary tangential wind maximum. In the convective-ring formation pathway, the BL convergence contributes to the ascending motion through the frictional-forced updraft and accelerated outflow associated with the supergradient force above the BL. Driven only by inner rainbands, the simulated vortex develops a fake SEF with only the secondary convective ring since the rainband-driven BL convergence is less enhanced and thus fails to maintain the BL positive feedback in the wind-maximum pathway. Therefore, only ORBs can promote the canonical SEF. It also infers that any environmental/physical conditions favorable for the development of ORBs will ultimately contribute to SEF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although face processing has been studied extensively, the dynamics of how faceselective cortical areas are engaged remains unclear. Here, we uncovered the timing of activation in core face-selective regions using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetoencephalography in humans. Processing of normal faces started in the posterior occipital areas and then proceeded to anterior regions. This bottom-up processing sequence was also observed even when internal facial features were misarranged. However, processing of two-tone Mooney faces lacking explicit prototypical facial features engaged top-down projection from the right posterior fusiform face area to right occipital face area. Further, face-specific responses elicited by contextual cues alone emerged simultaneously in the right ventral face-selective regions, suggesting parallel contextual facilitation. Together, our findings chronicle the precise timing of bottom-up, top-down, as well as context-facilitated processing sequences in the occipital-temporal face network, highlighting the importance of the top-down operations especially when faced with incomplete or ambiguous input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first 2 postnatal years, cortical thickness of the human brain develops dynamically and spatially heterogeneously and likely peaks between 1 and 2 y of age. The striking development renders this period critical for later cognitive outcomes and vulnerable to early neurodevelopmental disorders. However, due to the difficulties in longitudinal infant brain MRI acquisition and processing, our knowledge still remains limited on the dynamic changes, peak age, and spatial heterogeneities of cortical thickness during infancy. To fill this knowledge gap, in this study, we discover the developmental regionalization of cortical thickness, i.e., developmentally distinct regions, each of which is composed of a set of codeveloping cortical vertices, for better understanding of the spatiotemporal heterogeneities of cortical thickness development. We leverage an infant-dedicated computational pipeline, an advanced multivariate analysis method (i.e., nonnegative matrix factorization), and a densely sampled longitudinal dataset with 210 serial MRI scans from 43 healthy infants, with each infant being scheduled to have 7 longitudinal scans at around 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 mo of age. Our results suggest that, during the first 2 y, the whole-brain average cortical thickness increases rapidly and reaches a plateau at about 14 mo of age and then decreases at a slow pace thereafter. More importantly, each discovered region is structurally and functionally meaningful and exhibits a distinctive developmental pattern, with several regions peaking at varied ages while others keep increasing in the first 2 postnatal years. Our findings provide valuable references and insights for early brain development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the characteristics of water use efficiency (WUE) could enhance our understanding of the integrated response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change. In this study, the vegetation photosynthesis model (VPM) and the revised remote sensing-Penman Monteith (RRS-PM) model were used to characterize the spatial-temporal dynamics of gross primary productivity (GPP) and evapotranspiration (ET) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region. Our predicted GPP and ET results were in the range of those reported by other models. To be specific, the RRS-PM model could explain 85% of the variability in ET at the Anji site, China. The root mean square error between the simulation value and the measured ET was 8.543 mm month-1. For the evergreen broadleaf forest, deciduous needle leaf forest and deciduous broadleaf forest, GPP decreased and ET increased, thus the WUE = (GPP/ET) inevitably decreased. The increase in WUE in grassland was due to the decreased ET, for which the rate of decrease was greater than for GPP. For the spatial distribution of WUE, the maximum value occurred in the southern and northeastern parts of the YRD region, while the minimum value was distributed in the middle and northwest. This is likely due to the different land-cover types. In the south, there is more forest, while in the north the land-cover type is almost entirely cropland. In our study, GPP increased with increasing LAI across all of the plant function types. However, ET only increased with LAI when LAI was less than 2 m2 m-2 across all of the plant function types, once LAI was larger than 2 m2 m-2, ET did not continue to increase with LAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Results from recent molecular epidemiologic studies suggest that the timeless genes play a role in tumorigenesis, possibly by influencing cell cycle or other pathways relevant to cancer.Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the expression level of the timeless gene in human glioma.Subjects and Methods: Using immunohistochemical staining, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction techniques, we examined the expression of the timeless gene in 94 gliomas.Statistical Analysis Used: The association between tumor grade and expression of the investigated proteins was assessed using the Spearman, Chi-square test, and two-sample t-test, included in the Statistical Package for the Social Science, version 13.0.Results: The expression levels of timeless mRNA in high-grade glioma were significantly different from the surrounding nontumor tissues (P < 0.01). The difference in the expression of timeless in low-grade gliomas and the surrounding nonglioma tissues was insignificant (P > 0.05). The intensity of immunoactivity for TIMELESS in high-grade gliomas was significantly higher than that of low-grade gliomas (r = -0.403, P = 0.012 < 0.05), nontumor tissues around high-grade gliomas (r = -0.376, P = 0.027 < 0.05), whereas there was no difference in the intensity of immunoactivity for TIMELESS between low-grade gliomas and the surrounding nontumor tissues (P > 0.05).Conclusions: The expression of timeless in high-grade gliomas was significantly higher than that of the low-grade gliomas and nonglioma. Therefore, we suggest that disturbances in timeless expression may result in the disruption of the control of normal circadian rhythm, thus benefiting the survival of glioma cells and promoting carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The FOXO1 transcription factor plays an essential role in the regulation of proliferation and survival programs at early stages of B-cell differentiation. Here, we show that tightly regulated FOXO1 activity is essential for maintenance of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Genetic and pharmacological inactivation of FOXO1 in BCP-ALL cell lines produced a strong antileukemic effect associated with CCND3 downregulation. Moreover, we demonstrated that CCND3 expression is critical for BCP-ALL survival and that overexpression of CCND3 protected BCP-ALL cell lines from growth arrest and apoptosis induced by FOXO1 inactivation. Most importantly, pharmacological inhibition of FOXO1 showed antileukemia activity on several primary, patient-derived, pediatric ALL xenografts with effective leukemia reduction in the hematopoietic, lymphoid, and central nervous system organ compartments, ultimately leading to prolonged survival without leukemia reoccurrence in a preclinical in vivo model of BCP-ALL. These results suggest that repression of FOXO1 might be a feasible approach for the treatment of BCP-ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present both an innovative theoretical model and an experimental validation of a molecular gas optically pumped far-infrared (OPFIR) laser at 0.25 THz that exhibits 10x greater efficiency (39% of the Manley-Rowe limit) and 1,000x smaller volume than comparable commercial lasers. Unlike previous OPFIR-laser models involving only a few energy levels that failed even qualitatively to match experiments at high pressures, our ab initio theory matches experiments quantitatively, within experimental uncertainties with no free parameters, by accurately capturing the interplay of millions of degrees of freedom in the laser. We show that previous OPFIR lasers were inefficient simply by being too large and that high powers favor high pressures and small cavities. We believe that these results will revive interest in OPFIR laser as a powerful and compact source of terahertz radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), the vector of Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV), is one of the major pests of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. lycopersicum), potentially causing up to 100% yield loss. The purpose of this research was to effectively reduce intrusion by B. tabaci and control damage from ToCV in protected cultivations. The treatments included the use of a regular solar greenhouse as a control (CK); greenhouses I and II with 60- and 80-mesh insect-proof nets, respectively, that were installed in both houses at the front and upper ventilations; and greenhouse III with the addition of not only the 80-mesh insect-proof net as in greenhouse II but also a ventilating pipeline to the back wall. The effects of mesh size and back wall ventilation on the greenhouse temperature and humidity, number of B. tabaci, and level of ToCV infection were studied. Under all conditions tested (from 2014- 2016), the temperature of greenhouse III with installed netting was reduced by drilling holes through the back wall and nonsignificant difference existed in the average relative humidity between greenhouses II and III. Importantly, the number of B. tabaci and ToCV infection rate were effectively controlled in greenhouse III, ranging from 0.03 to 0.33 adults per sampled plant and from 0% to 6.67% of virus incidence. Thus, installing 80-mesh insect-proof netting at the front and upper ventilation areas as well as adding a ventilating pipeline to the back wall could effectively reduce the number of B. tabaci and prevent ToCV damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruskey and Savage asked the following question: Does every matching in a hypercube Qn for n ≥ 2 extend to a Hamiltonian cycle of Qn? Fink confirmed that every perfect matching can be extended to a Hamiltonian cycle of Qn, thus solved Kreweras' conjecture. Also, Fink pointed out that every matching can be extended to a Hamiltonian cycle of Qn for n ∊ {2, 3, 4}. In this paper, we prove that every matching in Q5 can be extended to a Hamiltonian cycle of Q5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an advanced near-net shape technology, squeeze casting is an excellent method for producing high integrity castings. Numerical simulation is a very effective method to optimize squeeze casting process, and the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) is an important boundary condition in numerical simulation. Therefore, the study of the IHTC is of great significance. In the present study, experiments were conducted and a "plate shape" aluminum alloy casting was cast in H13 steel die. In order to obtain accurate temperature readings inside the die, a special temperature sensor units (TSU) was designed. Six 1 mm wide and 1 mm deep grooves were machined in the sensor unit for the placement of the thermocouples whose tips were welded to the end wall. Each groove was machined to terminate at a particular distance (1, 3, and 6 mm) from the front end of the sensor unit. Based on the temperature measurements inside the die, the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) at the metal-die interface was determined by applying an inverse approach. The acquired data were processed by a low pass filtering method based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The feature of the IHTC at the metal-die interface was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multigene universal stress protein (USP) family is evolutionarily conserved. Members play indispensable roles in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses. Although relatively well-characterized in model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, this family has not been investigated in Salvia miltiorrhiza, an important herbal plant for which yields can be limited by various abiotic stresses. Here, we identified 32 USP family members in the S. miltiorrhiza genome, and used phylogenetic analysis to sort these SmUSPs into four groups. Groups A and B belong to the ATP-binding class whereas Groups C and D are in the non-ATP-binding class. Motif analysis and multiple sequence alignment hinted that members of group A and B were able to bind ATP. Our qRT-PCR data from different tissues/organs and under salt and heat stresses provided an overall expression pattern for those genes. Three SmUSPs (SmUSP1, SmUSP8, and SmUSP27) were cloned from S. miltiorrhiza and functionally characterized in Escherichia coli. Compared with the control cells, those that expressed SmUSPs exhibited enhanced tolerance to salt, heat, and a combination of the two. This suggested that the protein has a protective role in cells when exposed to single-stress and multiple-stress conditions. Our findings provide valuable information that helps improve our understanding of the evolutionary and functional conservation and diversity associated with the USP gene family in S. miltiorrhiza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining reliable excitation energies of the isoelectronic series, UO22+, NUO+, and UN2, is a challenge in quantum chemistry calculations due to importance of electron correlation and spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Vertical spin-free and spin-orbit coupled excitation energies of these molecules are calculated in this work using equation-of-motion coupled-cluster approach at the CC singles and doubles level (EOM-CCSD). SOC is included in post-SCF calculations and this treatment has been shown to provide SOC effects with high accuracy for heavy elements. Excitation energies for UO22+ with the present approach are in good agreement with previous results using linear response CCSD, multiconfiguration perturbation theory (CASPT2), and multireference configuration interaction (MRCI). As for NUO+ and UN2, excitation energies with CASPT2 from two previous calculations differ significantly and the present results usually lie between these two sets of CASPT2 results. On the other hand, excitation energies with intermediate Hamiltonian Fock space CC method (IHFSCC) are generally too small compared with our results. This work provides new estimates on excitation energies of these molecules and it could be helpful in investigating spectroscopic and luminescence properties of larger uranium complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eddy covariance technique was used to measure the gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and water use efficiency (WUE) during the 2011 - 2014 period over a moso bamboo forest at a site in Anji (AJ), China. WUE declined during the severe summer drought of 2013 when the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was above 15 hPa, and was significantly higher than the average value. At AJ the average annual GPP, ET, and WUE were 1522 ± 73 C m-2 year-1, 693 ± 41 kg H2O m-2year-1, and 2.21 ± 0.23 g C kg-1 H2O, respectively. GPP and ET were closely correlated at AJ, with R2 equal to 0.64. The monthly GPP and ET showed strong positive linear, exponential or quadratic polynomial correlations to meteorological variables, including air temperature (Ta), net radiation (Rn), and VPD. WUE was negatively correlated to VPD, with 36.3% of the variation in WUE explained by VPD. This study contributes to the understanding of the carbon and water cycle response mechanisms in forest ecosystems in the climate change context and is significant in relation to forest carbon sequestration management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a highly curable hematologic malignancy, and ~70% of cases can be cured with combination chemotherapy with or without radiation. However, patients with primary resistant disease have a cure rate of <30%. For such patients, high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is considered to be the standard treatment. If patients fail to respond to ASCT or relapse soon thereafter, they usually receive another ASCT, allogeneic stem cell transplantation or treatment with novel agents. This case report presents the case of a 54-year-old patient with primary resistant HL who received single-agent treatment, brentuximab vedotin, after ASCT relapse. Despite treatment with brentuximab vedotin, the disease continued to progress. In patients with such highly resistant disease, the treatment options are limited. Depending on the physical condition and the willingness of the patient, pembrolizumab, a programmed cell death protein-1 inhibitor, can be given as salvage therapy. But, out of our expectation, the patient achieved a very good partial response after four cycles of pembrolizumab. No serious adverse events were observed with pembrolizumab treatment. This case provides support for a new and effective strategy for treating primary resistant Hodgkin lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal models of pancreatitis are useful for elucidating the pathogenesis of pancreatitis and developing and testing novel interventions. In this review, we aim to summarize the most commonly used animal models, overview their pathophysiology, and discuss their strengths and limitations. We will also briefly describe common animal study procedures and refer readers to more detailed protocols in the literature. Although animal models include pigs, dogs, opossums, and other animals, we will mainly focus on rodent models because of their popularity. Autoimmune pancreatitis and genetically engineered animal models will be reviewed elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ADTRP gene encodes the androgen-dependent TFPI-regulating protein and is a susceptibility gene for contrary artery disease (CAD). We performed global gene expression profiling for ADTRP knock-down using microarrays in human HepG2 cells. Follow-up real-time RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that ADTRP knock-down regulates a diverse set of genes, including upregulation of seven histone genes, downregulation of multiple cell cycle genes (CCND1, CDK4, and CDKN1A), and upregulation of apoptosis genes (CASP7 and PDCD2) in HepG2 cells and endothelial cells. Consistently, ADTRP increases the number of S phase cells during cell cycle, promotes cell proliferation, and inhibits apoptosis. Our study provides novel insights into the function of ADTRP and biological pathways involving ADTRP, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction PACE organizations (POs) uniquely integrate all Medicare, Medicaid and medically necessary services and are considered the gold standard of person-centered, team-based care model. POs aim to optimize clinical and functional outcomes for the frail dually eligible older adult participants they serve resulting in fewer ER visits, hospitalizations and adverse outcomes. Recent surveys indicate that 97% of participants and their caregivers are highly satisfied with their care, 94% of whom live in non-institutional community-based. The National PACE Association (NPA) is undertaking efforts to expand access to PACE through its PACE 2.0 initiative. In this workshop, we will • Provide an overview of PACE and discussion of its integrated operating and financial elements • Describe PACE guiding principles, outcomes and benefits for high-cost and high-need older adults • Discuss the evolution of PACE, and strategies for expanding access to a proven model of care. Background PACE was created by On-Lok in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco in 1971 as a community-based model of care for frail older adults. On-Lok received authorization for a federal demonstration in 1979, after which Congress approved a replication demonstration to ascertain the viability of the PACE. After a successful evaluation, the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 established PACE as a permanent Medicare benefit and a Medicaid state plan option. Today, there are 134 PACE sponsoring organizations, operating 272 PACE Centers that serve 54,000 culturally diverse frail older adults. With the support of the John A. Hartford, the Gary and Mary West and the Weinberg Foundations, the NPA launched the PACE 2.0 growth initiative to increase both the number of participants served by PACE. The goal of PACE 2.0 is to increase the number of people served by PACE organizations from 100,000 in 2021 to 200,000 by 2028. Aims and Objectives • To inform audience of the organization, operations and benefits of PACE • Outline how PACE addresses social determinants of care of PACE participants • Encourage and support the adoption of integrated care strategies for high-cost and highneed older adults • Describe strategies to expand access to PACE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Between 2015 and 2050, the number of people aged 60 years and over will more than double from 222 million to 480 million in China. The complex needs of its huge aging population require the integration of care across health and long-term care sectors. The provision and financing of health and care were separated in China which posed challenge for care integration. Description of policy context and objective To meet rapidly growing and complex demands, the State Council initiated opinions in 2013 to accelerate development of long-term care services and proposed to integrate health and long-term care. In 2015, the integration of health and long-term care was formally introduced as an independent policy and national pilots were established with various models. In 2016, integrated health and care was included as a critical part of the "Healthy China 2030" strategies. In the same year, long-term care insurance (LTCI) national demonstration was launched. Targeted population More than 42 million disabled elderly and 29 million elderly over 80 years old in mainland China, accounts for 30% of total elderly population. 2018 Annual Report on Elderly Health indicates expenditure on healthcare, pensions and other services for senior citizens will rise from 7.33% of GDP in 2015 to 26.24% in 2050. There were 180 million older people with at least one chronic disease in 2018, which was 75% of the total older population. Highlights Policy group of Peking Union Medical College, School of Health Policy and Management has conducted policy review tracking on care integration since 2016 with formulated analyses from the perspectives of service delivery and financing. National demonstration information is also collected to summarize on targeted population, intervention and outcomes. In this presentation, we will review policy evolvement since 2013 and summarize major policies, progress made and national initiatives and impacts created. Comments on transfer-ability The integration of health and long-term care remains a global challenge, Chinese government chose to take a top-level design and decentralized implementation approach, structure health insurance and LTCI under one administrative authority, explore models through local government supported demonstrations and engage private sectors in demonstration lowering market entry barriers, etc. are unique experiences to explore and adopt. Conclusions In addition to success and progress made, there are still issues to be or being addressed, such as lacking of value-driven financing incentives, population targeting and stratification mechanisms, standardized assessment and performance evaluation, overall economic impacts and considerations, and workforce development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the leading cause of mortality in diabetes. As the number of cases of diabetes continues to rise, it is urgent to develop new strategies to protect against DCM, which is characterized by cardiac hypertrophy, increased apoptosis, fibrosis, and altered insulin metabolism. The E3 ubiquitin ligases (E3s), one component of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, play vital roles in all of the features of DCM listed above. They also modulate the activity of several transcription factors involved in the pathogenesis of DCM. In addition, the E3s degrade both insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrates and also regulate insulin gene transcription, leading to insulin resistance and insulin deficiency. Therefore, the E3s may be a driving force for DCM. This review summarizes currently available studies to analyze the roles of the E3s in DCM, enriches our knowledge of how DCM develops, and provides a novel strategy to protect heart from diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play a critical role in the development and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Although accumulating studies have been performed on the molecular mechanisms of NPC, the miRNA regulatory networks in cancer progression remain largely unknown. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) and deep sequencing are powerful tools that can help us to detect the integrated view of miRNA-target network. Methods: Illumina Hiseq2000 deep sequencing was used to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in laser-microdessected biopsies between 12 NPC and 8 chronic nasopharyngitis patients. The result was validated by real-time PCR on 201 NPC and 25 chronic nasopharyngitis patients. The potential candidate target genes of the miRNAs were predicted using published target prediction softwares (RNAhybrid, TargetScan, Miranda, PITA), and the overlay part was analyzed in Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) biological process. The miRNA regulatory network analysis was performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Results: Eight differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between NPC and chronic nasopharyngitis patients by deep sequencing. Further qRT-PCR assays confirmed 3 down-regulated miRNAs (miR-34c-5p, miR-375 and miR-449c-5p), 4 up-regulated miRNAs (miR-205-5p, miR-92a-3p, miR-193b-3p and miR-27a-5p). Additionally, the low level of miR-34c-5p (miR-34c) was significantly correlated with advanced TNM stage. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that 914 target genes were involved in cell cycle, cytokine secretion and tumor immunology, and so on. IPA revealed that cancer was the top disease associated with those dysregulated miRNAs, and the genes regulated by miR-34c were in the center of miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, including TP53, CCND1, CDK6, MET and BCL2, and the PI3K/AKT/ mTOR signaling was regarded as a significant function pathway in this network. Conclusion: Our study presents the current knowledge of miRNA regulatory network in NPC with combination of bioinformatics analysis and literature research. The hypothesis of miR-34c regulatory pathway may be beneficial in guiding further studies on the molecular mechanism of NPC tumorigenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MODEM is a comprehensive database of maize multidimensional omics data, including genomic, transcriptomic, metabolic and phenotypic information from the cellular to individual plant level. This initial release contains approximately 1.06 M high quality SNPs for 508 diverse inbred lines obtained by combining variations from RNA sequencing on whole kernels (15 days after pollination) of 368 lines and a 50 K array for all 508 individuals. As all of these data were derived from the same diverse panel of lines, the database also allows various types of genetic mapping (including characterization of phenotypic QTLs, pQTLs; expression QTLs, eQTLs and metabolic QTLs, mQTLs). MODEM is thus designed to promote a better understanding of maize genetic architecture and deep functional annotation of the complex maize genome (and potentially those of other crop plants) and to explore the genotype-phenotype relationships and regulation of maize kernel development at multiple scales, which is also comprehensive for developing novel methods. MODEM is additionally designed to link with other databases to make full use of current resources, and it provides visualization tools for easy browsing. All of the original data and the related mapping results are freely available for easy query and download. This platform also provides helpful tools for general analyses and will be continually updated with additional materials, features and public data related to maize genetics or regulation as they become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to explore the mechanism underlying the effects of a selective liver nitric oxide (NO) donor, O2-vinyl1-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (V-PYRRO/NO), on the gene expression of leukotriene C4 synthase (LTC4S) during hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: Sham (control), I/R and V-PYRRO/NO + I/R groups. The liver was subjected to 1 h of partial hepatic ischemia followed by 5 h of reperfusion, saline or V-PYRRO/NO (1.06 μmol/kg/h) administered intravenously. The mRNA expression levels of LTC4S in rat liver tissue were examined by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method, the protein expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65, p50 and IκBα in liver cell lysates and nuclear extracts were detected by western blot analysis. Hepatic mRNA expression of LTC4S was lower in V-PYRRO/NO + I/R group compared to the I/R group. In addition, the protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 and p50 in the nucleus extract were lower in the V-PYRRO/NO + I/R group when compared with the I/R group. However, the IκBα protein in the 3 groups was not changed. Immunohistochemistry staining revealed that the I/R liver exhibited strong cytoplasmic and nuclear staining for NF-κB p65; however, the V-PYRRO/NO + I/R group liver presented slight cytoplasmic and nuclear staining. In conclusion, V-PYRRO/NO may downregulate LTC4S mRNA expression by inhibiting NF-κB activation independent of IκBα during hepatic I/R injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation myelitis is a rather rare but devastating complication following therapeutic irradiation to neoplasms when the spinal cord is included within the radiation field. Symptoms of radiation myelitis with the therapeutic doses of radiation commonly employed are usually delayed and most often appear about 6 to 24 months following irradiation. So far, no treatment has proved satisfactory. Transplantation of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells has been a promising therapy strategy for many disorders in the central nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, and autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The cell-base therapy has shown to act to limit inflammation of central nervous system, stimulate neurogenesis, protect axons and promote remyelination. But it has not been established as a therapeutic option for radiation myelitis. In this report, we describe the outcome of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in a patient with laryngeal carcinoma who developed radiation-induced myelitis of his spinal cord with characteristic magnetic resonance imaging changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WC −10Co4Cr−5% B4C, −10% B4C, and −15% B4C coatings were fabricated on Cr12MoV steel by laser cladding (LC) to improve its wear resistance. The effect of B4C mass fraction on the phases, morphologies, and chemical elements of obtained coatings were investigated using an X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively, and the tribological performance was evaluated using a ball–on–disk tester. The results show that the average COFs and wear rates of WC−10Co4Cr−5% B4C, −10% B4C, and −15% B4C coatings are increased with the increase in B4C mass fraction, and the WC−10Co4Cr−5% B4C coating has the best wear resistance among the three kinds of coatings, which is attributed to the effects of grain refinement and solid solution strengthening. The excessive B4C particles cause a large decomposition of WC, and the coating microstructure becomes coarse when the B4C mass fraction exceeds 5%, which results in the tribological performance decreasing. Moreover, the wear mechanism of WC−10Co4Cr−5% B4C and −10% B4C coatings is abrasive wear, while that of WC−10Co4Cr−15% B4C coating is abrasive wear and adhesive wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To optimize the extraction technology of polysaccharides from Cynomorium songaricum Rupr by ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE). Methods: Four parameters including ultrasonic power, ratio of raw material to water, extraction temperature, and extraction time were optimized by orthogonal design. The effects of the factors on the yield of polysaccharides were also studied. The hydroxyl and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities were determined in vitro by spectrophotometry. Results: The optimal conditions were as follows: 1:30 as ratio of raw material to water, extraction for 70 min at 80 °C with ultrasonic power being 420 W. Under these conditions, the yield of polysaccharides was up to 4.51 %, which was significantly higher than that obtained under the initial conditions (3.82 %). DPPH radical scavenging activity reached 64.82 % at 0.012 mg/mL, while hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was 18.36 % at 0.5 mg/mL. Conclusion: Ultrasonic-assisted extraction technology is a useful tool for the extraction of bioactive components from biological materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates group decisionmaking problems in which the criterion values take the form of interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic numbers (IIULNs). First, some additive operational laws of IIULNs are defined. Subsequently, some new arithmetic aggregation operators, such as the interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic weighted averaging (IIULWA) operator, interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic ordered weighted averaging (IIULOWA) operator and interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic hybrid aggregation (IIULHA) operator, are proposed which are based on the operational laws. Furthermore, an approach to group decision making with interval-valued intuitionistic uncertain linguistic information is developed, which is based on the IIULWA and IIULHA operators. Finally, an illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]