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Bacteria play important roles in mineral weathering, soil formation, and the cycling of elements. However, little is known regarding the interactions between silicate minerals and Burkholderia strains. In this study, mineral-weathering bacteria Burkholderia metallica F22 and B. phytofirmans G34 isolated from the rhizosphere soil of a dominant grass ( Deyeuxia arundinacea L. Beauv) grown on mineral-rich and nutrient-poor soil were compared for their potash feldspar weathering and metabolic activities during the mineral weathering process. Although the two strains showed similar mobilization of Si, strain F22 demonstrated significantly higher Al (ranging from 41% to 143%) and Fe (ranging from 47% to 4.8-fold) mobilization from the mineral compared to strain G34. In addition, strain F22 produced higher gluconic acid (ranging from 68% to 24-fold) and exopolysaccharides (ranging from 57% to 2.2-fold) than strain G34. Significantly lower pH (ranging from 2.61 to 3.45) and higher dehydrogenase activity (ranging from 24% to 19-fold) were observed in the presence of strain F22 than in the presence of strain G34 during the mineral weathering process. Redundancy analysis illustrated strong positive correlations between the concentrations of gluconic acid and exopolysaccharides and the dissolved Al and Fe. These results demonstrated that the two mineral-weathering Burkholderia strains behaved differently with respect to mineral weathering and in their metabolic activities. The results also suggested that Burkholderia metallica F22 promoted potash feldspar weathering by increasing mineral weathering-related metabolic activities during the weathering process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a unified assessment standard in both seismic analysis and progressive collapse analysis, a benchmark model with joint substructure for concrete-filled steel tube composite frame is developed and studied by alternative path method. The effects of failure period on dynamic response of the model and two types of dynamic increased factor are analyzed. Demand–capacity ratio is used to evaluate the progressive collapse behavior of the model. The results show that beyond 0.5 time of natural vibration period, the failure period has almost no effect on the dynamic response of the model. The peak moment–nominal moment capacity ratio of the beams connected to the removed column indicates that the closer the column gets to side column with pin connections, the more potential it has to trigger collapse. The bending stiffness of beam has little effect on the dynamic response of the model when it is greater than the doubled value. Displacement-based dynamic increased factor in linear static analysis is almost identical to load-based dynamic increased factor in linear static analysis in each case of column removal. Compared with the value of load-based dynamic increased factor, the value of displacement-based dynamic increased factor in nonlinear analysis is closer to the recommended value of 2.0 in GSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Catalase‐peroxidases (KatGs) are a superfamily of reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐degrading enzymes believed to have been horizontally acquired by ancient Ascomycota from bacteria. Subsequent gene duplication resulted in two KatG paralogues in ascomycetes: the widely distributed intracellular KatG1 group and the phytopathogen‐dominated extracellular KatG2 group. To functionally characterize FvCP01 (KatG1) and FvCP02 (KatG2) in the maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides, single and double gene deletion mutants were examined in response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Both ΔFvCP01 and ΔFvCP02 were more sensitive to H2O2 than the wild‐type in vitro, although their sensitivity differed depending on the type of inoculum. Inoculations using mycelial agar plugs demonstrated an additive effect of the mutants, with the ΔFvCP01/ΔFvCP02 double deletion being the most sensitive to H2O2. In general, conidia were much more sensitive than agar plugs to H2O2, and conidial inoculations indicated that FvCP01 conferred more H2O2 tolerance than FvCP02. Transcriptional analysis showed the induction of FvCP01, but decreased expression of FvCP02, in both mycelia and spores in the wild‐type after H2O2 exposure, but this trend was reversed when the fungus was grown on germinating maize seeds. This interaction with the plant increased the expression of FvCP02, but not FvCP01, indicating that FvCP02 may be responsive to plant‐derived H2O2. Yet, FvCP01 was induced more than three‐fold in the ΔFvCP02 mutant grown on germlings, suggesting that FvCP01 can compensate for the loss of FvCP02. Given the differential responses of these two F. verticillioides genes to in vitro versus in planta challenges, a model is proposed to illustrate the differing roles of FvCP01 and FvCP02 in protective responses against H2O2‐derived oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article re-examines Schrödinger’s charge density hypothesis, according to which the charge of an electron is distributed in the whole space, and the charge density in each position is proportional to the modulus squared of the wave function of the electron there. It is shown that the charge distribution of a quantum system can be measured by protective measurements as expectation values of certain observables, and the results as predicted by quantum mechanics confirm Schrödinger’s original hypothesis. Moreover, the physical origin of the charge distribution is also investigated. It is argued that the charge distribution of a quantum system is effective, that is, it is formed by the ergodic motion of a localized particle with the charge of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since environmental ethics research started in China in the 1980s, it has been deeply influenced by environmental ethics theory in the United States. Some Chinese environmental philosophers have adopted the key concept of intrinsic value to construct Chinese environmental ethics. However, in recent decades, the concept of intrinsic value has been criticized by scholars in both the United States and China. Many Chinese have found that environmental ethics in the United States that is founded on the concept of intrinsic value is incompatible with Chinese philosophy and culture. They have begun a new effort that is aimed at developing a localized environmental ethics based on traditional Chinese philosophy. However, the Chinese scholars' theoretical effort neglects the important concept of wilderness that is emerging from preservation and conservation practices in China. In this context, the emotion of wonder and its interrelationship with intrinsic value is the new paradigm for constructing a Chinese environmental ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, by using heterogeneous esterification reaction and UV photo-induced technology, dendritic polyacrylic acid (PAA) was successfully grafted on to the surface of pinewood sawdust (PSD) particles to be used as an adsorbent and recovery medium for Ce 3+ from wastewater. 18 alkyl acid (stearic acid, SA), as a pre-modifier, was grafted onto the PSD surface. The outcome was the replacement of hydroxyl groups by hydrocarbon chains. Therefore, rich hydrogen atoms of the hydrocarbon chains on the PSD particles became sites whom can be taken away by photosensitizer molecules to form surface radicals. Acrylic molecules can be initiated polymerization by these radicals, PAA chains were grafted on to PSD surface via “grafting from” method, forming dendritic functional polymer layers around the PSD particles. The end product (PSD- g -PAA) have a good adsorption performance for Ce 3+ (adsorption capacity reached 153.90 mg/g), can be used as a carrier to recycle the Cerium oxide. And desorption and reusability experiment suggested that the adsorption capacity was virtually unchanged after five cycles and the desorption rate is almost 100% in every cycle. The adsorption achieves equilibrium after about 120 min. The kinetic and thermodynamic investigations as well as isotherm analysis were also undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of structure against progressive collapse has tended towards more quantitative design where utilizing catenary action becomes essential. In this paper, a single internal column removal test was conducted for a 1/3 scale 4-bay steel frame with concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns. The anti-collapse mechanism of the frame under the scenario of column loss is discussed. Both FE model and simplified analytical model are developed to investigate the behavior of steel frame with CFST columns in resisting progressive collapse. The accuracy of the two models is verified through the experimental results. The anti-collapse measures of the proposed model are sensitive to the modeling techniques used to simulate the CFST columns. A method based on the energy equivalence is used to evaluate the dynamic behavior of the frame. The results show that the DAF (dynamic amplification factor) value of 2.0 which is recommended by DoD provision in linear static analysis is reasonable. However the mobilization of “catenary action” which is not considered in DoD provision would increase the DAF value as currently given in DoD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparison of accuracy and ease of operation was made between voltammetry and digital bridge method for electrical resistance measurement in Populus davidiana wood specimens and the factors influencing voltammetry were examined. The results showed that current types, waveforms, voltages and frequency had different effects on the resistance values of voltammetry. The measured DC resistance decreased with the increasing voltage. DC resistance presented a turning point at the voltage of 8 V, while AC impedance remained constant over the entire voltage range. The effects of waveform on resistance was minor. No remarkable difference in resistances was found between the two methods above fiber saturated point (FSP) and voltammetry was relatively stable below FSP. The relationship between MC and resistances confirmed the previous findings from other scholars. Compared to the digital bridge, the voltammetry of AC with 1000 Hz sine waves was found to be the superior method for wood resistance measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methanol oxidation is a very important reaction in diret methanol fuel cells. Developing stable and efficient Pt-based catalysts with a convenient method has been on the stage recently. Herein, we employed a convenient one-pot method to synthesize Pt nanoparticles encapsulated by polyoxometalates (POMs) spreading on a few layers of graphene oxide with a nickel foam as a conductive substrate. Four kinds of samples with different Pt loadings were finally obtained by adjusting the H2PtCl6 concentration, named as PPGN-n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4). The microscopic structure of the sample was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. It was proved that small-sized Pt nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 2.47 nm spreaded on graphene oxide (GO) with the nickle foam support were successfully synthesized. The synthesized electrocatalysts exhibited higher electrocatalytic activities than commercial Pt/C for methanol oxidation in electrocatalytic tests. The mass activity of PPGN-1 of 250.6 mA mg−1 can be achieved. During the synthesis, POM was used as a bifunctional reagent; as a reductant for reducing chloroplatinic acid and a stabilizer for the regulation of the Pt nanoparticle size simultaneously. POM cooperated rapid synthesis of Pt nanoparticles can offer a new route for designing and synthesising electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As 3D printing technology emerge, there is increasing demand for a more customizable implant in the repair of chest-wall bony defects. This article aims to present a custom design and fabrication method for repairing bony defects of the chest wall following tumour resection, which utilizes three-dimensional (3D) printing and rapid-prototyping technology.Methods: A 3D model of the bony defect was generated after acquiring helical CT data. A customized prosthesis was then designed using computer-aided design (CAD) and mirroring technology, and fabricated using titanium-alloy powder. The mechanical properties of the printed prosthesis were investigated using ANSYS software.Results: The yield strength of the titanium-alloy prosthesis was 950 ± 14 MPa (mean ± SD), and its ultimate strength was 1005 ± 26 MPa. The 3D finite element analyses revealed that the equivalent stress distribution of each prosthesis was unifrom. The symmetry and reconstruction quality contour of the repaired chest wall was satisfactory. No rejection or infection occurred during the 6-month follow-up period.Conclusion: Chest-wall reconstruction with a customized titanium-alloy prosthesis is a reliable technique for repairing bony defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we established a general framework to use PacBio full-length transcriptome sequencing for the investigation of mitochondrial RNAs. As a result, we produced the first full-length human mitochondrial transcriptome using public PacBio data and characterized the human mitochondrial genome with more comprehensive and accurate information. Other results included determination of the H-strand primary transcript, identification of the ND5/ND6AS/tRNA Glu AS transcript, discovery of palindrome small RNAs (psRNAs) and construction of the “mitochondrial cleavage” model, etc . These results reported for the first time in this study fundamentally changed annotations of human mitochondrial genome and enriched knowledge in the field of animal mitochondrial studies. The most important finding was two novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) of MDL1 and MDL1AS exist ubiquitously in animal mitochondrial genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the application of nerve stimulator-guided thoracic paravertebral nerve block (TPVB) plus general anesthesia (GA) in small-incision lung cancer surgery.Methods: Forty patients scheduled for small-incision lung cancer surgery, the American Society of Anesthesiologists Grade I-II, were randomized into a TPVB-GA group (Group P) and a GA group (Group G), with 20 cases in each group. The dosage of general anesthetic, mean arterial pressure (MAP) at each time point, and heart rate (HR) of the two groups were recorded. The postoperative respiration recovery time, extubation time, incidence of adverse reactions, and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores of the two groups were also observed.Results: Group P showed stable hemodynamics, and lower MAP and HR at each time point than Group G (P < 0.05). The intraoperative dosage of general anesthetic in Group P was lower than that in Group G (P < 0.05). The respiration recovery time and extubation time in Group P were significantly shorter than those in Group G (P < 0.05); the incidence of agitation was significantly lower than that in Group G (P < 0.05). The VAS scores of Group P under quiet and cough status were also better than Group G (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Nerve stimulator-guided TPVB-GA is suitable for small-incision lung cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its highly efficient homologous recombination ability and unusual evolutionary position, the moss Physcomitrella patens has begun to attract more attention in genetic and evolutionary studies. Protonema, the filament stage of the gametophyte, is of great significance in P. patens protoplast isolation. Moreover, protonema is widely used in genetic engineering. However, difficulties in the induction and state maintenance of protonema restrict its wider application. In this work, protonema was induced efficiently in a diluted seawater medium, and the filamentous state was maintained without further cell differentiation. The developmental process of the protonema resumed, progressing to bud assembly and gametophore formation after transfer to freshwater medium. In addition, a transcriptome analysis showed that plant hormone signal transduction pathways were downregulated when protonema was grown in diluted seawater medium. Consistent with the transcriptome results, the protonema failed to respond to the addition of indole-3-acetic acid and 6-benzylaminopurine to the diluted seawater medium. Based on these results, we concluded that diluted seawater medium blocks the differentiation of protonema. This result could provide a novel insight to benefit future protonema production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the scenario of column loss, joints would be subjected to bending moment combined with a tensile force due to large vertical displacement, where tensile force plays a critical role in resisting progressive collapse of structure by providing the catenary force. In order to study the effect of tensile force on the behavior of semi-rigid composite joints in structures in the case of column loss, six semi-rigid flush endplate connections tests were conducted, which include pure flexural tests, pure tensile tests and combined flexural and tensile tests. The experimental results indicate that under pure bending moment condition, the semi-rigid composite joint displays sufficient rotation capacity for forming “catenary action”. It is characteristic of the semi-rigid composite joint that its moment capacity decreases in a linear manner together with the increase of tensile load. Also, the capacity of semi-rigid composite joints is compared with that of the full-welded rigid composite joints. The tensile strength of high-strength bolts would not exert any effect on the initial stiffness of semi-rigid joint, but bring about decline in the moment resistance and tensile resistance of semi-rigid joint. The joints tend to fail at “catenary phase” under tensile force. A simplified M - N correlation formula for composite joint is proposed to describe the behavior of joint in structures under column loss. The finite element model with material failure criterion can predict the fracture of bolt in semi-rigid composite joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking multiple persons is a challenging task when persons move in groups and occlude each other. Existing group-based methods have extensively investigated how to make group division more accurately in a tracking-by-detection framework; however, few of them quantify the group dynamics from the perspective of targets’ spatial topology or consider the group in a dynamic view. Inspired by the sociological properties of pedestrians, we propose a novel socio-topology model with a topology-energy function to factor the group dynamics of moving persons and groups. In this model, minimizing the topology-energy-variance in a two-level energy form is expected to produce smooth topology transitions, stable group tracking, and accurate target association. To search for the strong minimum in energy variation, we design the discrete group-tracklet jump moves embedded in the gradient descent method, which ensures that the moves reduce the energy variation of group and trajectory alternately in the varying topology dimension. Experimental results on both RGB and RGB-D data sets show the superiority of our proposed model for multiple person tracking in crowd scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of starch synthase (SS) has been extensively analysed in the model plant rice, but there have been few detailed studies directed towards exploring the intron splicing variant effect on the divergence of theSSgene. We report here an example that the alternative splicing of a GC-AG intron induced a new splicing isoform ofSSII-1expressed inOryza sativa japonicacultivar Zhonghua-15. In addition, a GT-AG intron flanking the alternative splicing GC-AG intron was simultaneously spliced at an incorrect position, inducing another intron fragment gained in matureSSII-1RNA. Moreover, when a GT-AG intron fromSSII-3was artificially mutated into the GC-AG intron, a 28 bp fragment from the intron added to the mature RNA could be observed in transgenic rice. In this study, the alternative intron splicing of the GC-AG intron might offer more variants for genetic divergence of the starch synthase gene family in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective To evaluate the value of enhanced T2 star-weighted angiography (ESWAN) in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of prostate cancer by comparing the multiple indices of ESWAN in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostate cancer (PCa) and the normal peripheral zone (PZ). Methods Traditional MRI and ESWAN were performed on forty-nine clinically-diagnosed PCa patients, sixty BPH patients, and forty-six normal adult males. The ESWAN indices (magnitude value, phase value, R2* value and T2* value) measured on different regions of interest (ROIs) were analyzed. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to obtain the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cut-off points of PCa and BPH, PCa and PZ respectively. Results The magnitude value, phase value, R2* value and T2* value of PZ were 1529.43 ± 254.43, 0.0689 ± 0.1619, 16.57 ± 8.11, 82.75 ± 53.87, respectively; the magnitude value, phase value, R2* value, and T2* value of PCa were 1540.18 ± 338.62, − 0.0176 ± 0.0919, 26.93 ± 11.31, and 45.99 ± 17.43, respectively; the magnitude value, phase value, R2* value, and T2* value of BPH were 1579.49 ± 285.28, 0.0209 ± 0.0839, 20.69 ± 3.95, and 51.56 ± 8.90, respectively. Compared with normal PZ, phase value of PCa was lower ( t = − 3.302, P = 0.001), R2* value higher ( t = 5.326, P = 0.000), and T2* value lower ( t = − 4.570, P = 0.000); compared with BPH, phase value of PCa was lower ( t = − 2.261, P = 0.026), R2* value higher ( t = 3.988, P = 0.000), and T2* value lower ( t = − 2.155, P = 0.033). When PCa and PZ were distinguished, the AUC of magnitude value, phase value, R2* value, and T2* value were respectively 0.539 ( P = 0.510), 0.679 ( P = 0.0007), 0.811 ( P < 0.0001), and 0.762 ( P < 0.0001); the diagnosis efficiency of R2* value was higher than that of T2* value ( P = 0.037), while the diagnosis efficiency of T2* value was equivalent to phase value ( P = 0.256). When PCa was differentiated from BPH, the AUC of magnitude value, phase value, R2* value, and T2* value were 0.518 ( P = 0.752), 0.612 ( P = 0.039), 0.705 ( P = 0.0001), and 0.685 ( P = 0.0006), respectively; there was no statistical difference in the diagnostic efficiency of phase value, R2* value, and T2* value. Conclusions The phase value, R2* value and T2* value can distinguish PCa and normal PZ, PCa and BPH, so they are valuable for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PCa, moreover, the diagnostic efficiency of R2* value is better than other indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we construct overconvergent Eichler-Shimura isomorphisms over Shimura curves over . More precisely, for a prime and a wide open disk in the weight space, we construct a Hecke-Galois-equivariant morphism from the space of families of overconvergent modular symbols over to the space of families of overconvergent modular forms over . In addition, for all but finitely many weights , this morphism provides a description of the finite slope part of the space of overconvergent modular symbols of weight in terms of the finite slope part of the space of overconvergent modular forms of weight . Moreover, for classical weights these overconvergent isomorphisms are compatible with the classical Eichler-Shimura isomorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gap junctions (GJs) play a major role in the control of cell structure, function, and metabolism. However, the molecular mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. Given that thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) regulates a broad range of cellular processes, we tested the possible involvement of TXNIP. Disruption of GJs with several chemical GJ inhibitors or connexin43 (Cx43) siRNA potently suppressed TXNIP, which was preceded by an activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Inhibition of ERK or its upstream kinase with chemical inhibitors prevented the reduction of TXNIP. On the contrary, activation of ERK with mitogens or phosphatase inhibitors reproduced the suppressive effects of GJs. Further analysis revealed that dysfunction of GJs promoted TXNIP phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and degradation, whereas inhibition of ERK exerted the opposite effects. Moreover, inhibition of GJs elevated Glut1 and enhanced cell resistance to ER stress in a similar way to TXNIP downregulation. Collectively, our study thus characterizes ERK-mediated suppression of TXNIP as a presently unreported mechanism by which GJs regulate cell behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The quantification of vessel wall morphology and plaque burden requires vessel segmentation, which is generally performed by manual delineations. The purpose of our work is to develop and evaluate a new 3D model-based approach for carotid artery wall segmentation from dual-sequence MRI. Methods: The proposed method segments the lumen and outer wall surfaces including the bifurcation region by fitting a subdivision surface constructed hierarchical-tree model to the image data. In particular, a hybrid segmentation which combines deformable model fitting with boundary classification was applied to extract the lumen surface. The 3D model ensures the correct shape and topology of the carotid artery, while the boundary classification uses combined image information of 3D TOF-MRA and 3D BB-MRI to promote accurate delineation of the lumen boundaries. The proposed algorithm was validated on 25 subjects (48 arteries) including both healthy volunteers and atherosclerotic patients with 30% to 70% carotid stenosis. Results: For both lumen and outer wall border detection, our result shows good agreement between manually and automatically determined contours, with contour-to-contour distance less than 1 pixel as well as Dice overlap greater than 0.87 at all different carotid artery sections. Conclusions: The presented 3D segmentation technique has demonstrated the capability of providing vessel wall delineation for 3D carotid MRI data with high accuracy and limited user interaction. This brings benefits to large-scale patient studies for assessing the effect of pharmacological treatment of atherosclerosis by reducing image analysis time and bias between human observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that can promote the development and proliferation of neurons. BDNF has been found to be involved in male reproduction. Leydig cells in testicular interstitial tissues can secrete testosterone in a luteinizing hormone-dependent manner. We showed that BDNF and its receptor TrkB were expressed in mice TM3 Leydig cells in the present study. Furthermore, BDNF can promote proliferation of mouse TM3 Leydig cells in vitro. Results of microRNA (miRNA) deep sequencing showed that BDNF can alter the expression profile of miRNAs in TM3 Leydig cells. Eighty-three miRNAs were significantly different in the BDNF-treated and control groups (fold change of >2.0 or <0.5, P < 0.05) wherein 40 were upregulated and 43 were downregulated. The expression levels of miR-125a-5p, miR-22-5p, miR-342-59, miR-451a, miR-148a-5p, miR-29b-3p, miR-199b-5p, and miR-145a-5p were further confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that miRNAs regulated a large number of genes with different functions. Pathway analysis indicated that miRNAs participate in the pathways involved in signal transduction, cancer, metabolism, endocrine system, immune system, and nerve system. This study indicated that miRNAs might be involved in the BDNF-regulated cellular functions of Leydig cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To investigate the safety of fluoxetine use during pregnancy, and to better understand the relationship between maternal fluoxetine use during the first trimester and congenital malformations in infants. Methods PubMed and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception to 21 March 2016. Additional studies were identified in a manual search of the reference lists. Two reviewers independently extracted data. A third reviewer checked the data. Estimates were pooled using a random-effects model to calculate the summarized relative ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Among 1918 initially identified articles, 16 cohort studies were included. The offspring of pregnant women exposed to fluoxetine during the first trimester had a statistically increased risk of major malformations (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.08-1.29), cardiovascular malformations (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.17-1.59), septal defects (RR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.19-1.61), and non-septal defects (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.12-1.73) with low heterogeneity in infants. There were no significant observations of other system-specific malformations in the nervous system, eye, urogenital system, digestive system, respiratory system, or musculoskeletal system, respectively. There was no indication of publication bias. Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis indicate maternal fluoxetine use is associated with a slightly increased risk of cardiovascular malformations in infants. Health care providers and pregnant women must weigh the risk-benefit potential of these drugs when making decisions about whether to treat with fluoxetine during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-injection molding (μIM) is considered to be an important method for fabricating micro-needle array which is widely researched in recent years, and mold temperature is one of the important factors that affect the mold filling quality of the polymer melt during the micro-injection molding. In this paper, an infrared heating method is adopted to raise the mold temperature rapidly for improving molding quality of micro-needle array. According to the simulation of the reflector type, which has an important effect on the efficiency of infrared heating system, an infrared heating system with high efficiency is developed and used in the developed infrared-heating-assisted μIM system. A series of verification experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility and the heating effect of the developed system. The experimental results show that the developed infrared heating system can achieve high efficiency and uniform heating of mold surface and the infrared-heating-assisted μIM process for fabricating micro-needle array can improve mold filling capability of the polymer melt and optimize the replication quality (filling height, uniformity, and shrinkage) of parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants are associated with nucleos/tide analogue (NA) response and liver disease but it is unknown whether NA influences extrahepatic HBV persistence. Objectives To investigate HBV replication and genetic evolution in hepatic and extrahepatic sites of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) before and after NA therapy. Study Design A total of 13 paired plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), were collected from chronic HBV carriers at baseline and after a median 53 weeks NA therapy as well as liver biopsy (N = 7 baseline, N = 5 follow-up). HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and messenger (m) RNA in liver and PBMC were analyzed. HBV polymerase (P)/surface (S), basal core promoter (BCP)/pre-core (PC)/C gene clonal sequencing was done in plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and liver. Results Compare to baseline, at ∼53 weeks follow-up, there was no significant change in HBV cccDNA levels in liver (0.2–0.08 copies/hepatocyte, p > 0.05 ) or in PBMC 0.003–0.02 copies/PBMC, p > 0.05 ), and HBV mRNA remained detectable in both sites. At baseline, BCP variants were higher in PBMC vs. liver and plasma. After therapy, drug resistant (DR) and immune escape (IE) variants increased in liver but IE and PC variants were more frequent in PBMC. HBV P/S diversity was significantly higher in PBMC compared to plasma. Conclusion Continuous HBV replication occurs in liver and PBMC and shows compartmentalized evolution under selective pressure of potent NA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinguishing key features is crucial to design supercapacitor materials upon transition-metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes). Herein, the machine learning strategy was adopted to explore the structure-property based on 600 MXenes, including M 2 XT 2 (T = bare, O, S) and their doped systems. To ensure the quality of the data set, all the MXenes data were calculated individually through density functional theory. The sure independence screening and sparsifying operator (SISSO) method was subsequently used to develop pseudocapacitance formulas according to the refined key features in terms of stability and electronic structures. It is found that, on the group-free surfaces, both ion adsorption strength and density of states 1.0 eV above Fermi level play crucial roles to regulate pseudocapacitance. For the surface-functionalized cases, the parameters electronegativity and specific heat are the keys to determine pseudocapacitance. Furthermore, statistical results show that the elements, leading to high pseudocapacitance, are located in the upper left, lower left and upper right regions of the periodic table for group-free, O-functionalized and S-functionalized MXenes, respectively. The structure-property relationship provides theoretical insights into the development of MXenes-based pseudocapacitive materials from a statistical point of view. [Display omitted] • High pseudocapacitive M 2 X MXenes are screened through first-principles calculations. • Important factors to determine pseudocapaitance are revealed by screening key features. • The pseudocapaitance formulas of MXenes are developed through machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of KOH treatment on the crystal structure, morphology, and adsorption/catalytic performance of SUZ-4-based material was investigated by XRD, SEM, FT-IR and BET characterizations. Based on the catalytic performance, the concentration of the KOH solution was set at 3.0 mol/L. The influence of pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration of Cu2+ on the adsorption capacity of Fe/S 3 was studied. The adsorption process was better fitted by Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models based on the kinetic and isotherm data. The obtained Cu–Fe/S 3 after adsorption was used as catalyst in the MB degradation instead of discarding. The catalyst exhibited MB removal rate of 81.5% from the 100.0 mL aqueous 150 mg/L MB solution with 0.1 g adsorbent in the presence of 0.5 mL H 2 O 2 at pH = 7. The mechanism for the reaction has been proposed, in which the redox cycle of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cu2+/Cu+ pairs was important for the generation of hydroxyl radicals in the Cu–Fe/S 3 /H 2 O 2 system. [Display omitted] • SUZ-4 zeolite was treated by KOH and then used for MB decomposition for first time. • The adsorption capacity of Cu2+ was enhanced on Fe/S 3 due to its multiple pores. • Cu–Fe/S 3 formed after Cu2+ adsorption was used as a catalyst rather than discarded. • The catalyst exhibits good degradation efficiency and stable cycling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examine responsibility attribution for automated vehicle (AV) crashes caused by both human and machine drivers. • Adopt a sequential mixed-methods design (text analysis and quantitative experiment). • People assign more responsibility to the test driver than the manufacturer, but the manufacturer is not clear of responsibility. • People give different and antagonistic reasons for their responsibility judgments. • Offer insights for building a socially-acceptable legal framework for AV crashes. The advent of automated and algorithmic technology requires people to consider them when assigning responsibility for something going wrong. We focus on a focal question: who or what should be responsible when both human and machine drivers make mistakes in human–machine shared-control vehicles? We examined human judgments of responsibility for automated vehicle (AV) crashes (e.g., the 2018 Uber AV crash) caused by the distracted test driver and malfunctioning automated driving system, through a sequential mixed-methods design: a text analysis of public comments after the first trial of the Uber case (Study 1) and vignette-based experiment (Study 2). Studies 1 and 2 found that although people assigned more responsibility to the test driver than the car manufacturer, the car manufacturer is not clear of responsibility from their perspective, which is against the Uber case's jury decision that the test driver was the only one facing criminal charges. Participants allocated equal responsibility to the normal driver and car manufacturer in Study 2. In Study 1, people gave different and sometimes antagonistic reasons for their judgments. Some commented that human drivers in AVs will inevitably feel bored and reduce vigilance and attention when the automated driving system is operating (called "passive error"), whereas others thought the test driver can keep attentive and should not be distracted (called "active error"). Study 2's manipulation of passive and active errors, however, did not influence responsibility judgments significantly. Our results might offer insights for building a socially-acceptable framework for responsibility judgments for AV crashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The dynamic performances of square CFST under repeated lateral impact are investigated. • Modelling techniques for the development of the model under repeated impacts are presented in detail. • A wide range of low- and high-sensitivity parameters affecting the impact resistance of the models is investigated. • A simplified formula for calculating the dynamic flexural capacity of CFST under repeated lateral loads is proposed. • A simplified formula for calculating the residual axial-compression resistance of CFST under repeated lateral loads is proposed. In this paper, a series of simulations are conducted to study the dynamic performances of square concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns under repeated lateral impact by considering the effects of common design parameters. The results show that the impact force response of square CFST columns with proper design under five lateral impacts is similar to that under single lateral impact. The failure mode of the specimen mainly presents the overall bending failure. The energy absorption ratio decreases gradually with the increase of impact times. The plastic deformation of the tube works as the main energy dissipation mechanism of CFST, therefore the impact resistance of square CFST columns can be effectively increased with the increase in steel yield strength, sectional steel ratio and dimension. The axial compression ratio less than 0.6 is beneficial for the impact resistance of the model. The prediction formulas of the dynamic flexural capacity and the residual axial-compression resistance of square CFST columns under repeated lateral loads considering the influence of impact times and various parameters are proposed and in good agreement with the numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backfilling is considered worldwide as an effective treatment method for coal mining subsidence and mineral tailing disposal. A green thixotropic cement paste backfill with molybdenum tailing (MoT) sand was prepared which can rapidly accumulate in the coal mining cavity. A thixotropic coefficient method was also proposed to evaluate the thixotropy of the paste based on the correlation between shear stress and time. Through an orthogonal test regarding the optimal proportion design, the thixotropy, water separation rate and stone compressive strength of the thixotropic MoT-cement paste were tested. The range analysis showed that the optimal proportion of the paste was 6% mixed metal hydroxide (MMH), 0.8 water-cement ratio, and 6:4 MoT-cement ratio. The analysis in the rheological properties of the proposed paste indicated that the relationships of shear rate-shear stress of the optimal proportion conformed to the power rate rheological model. The influences of the addition amount of MMH, water-cement ratio and MoT-cement ratio on the mechanical property of the stone body of the proposed paste were tested and predicted theoretically. Through a simulated accumulation test, the relationships among the flowing distance, accumulation height and time of the thixotropic MoT-cement paste in the process of filling coal mining cavity were obtained. The cost of the thixotropic cement paste with MoT is 30–50% better economy than that with natural river sand and recycled fine aggregate whilst the thixotropic cement paste with MoT also shows good environmental performance by considering the depletion of stocked mineral tailing in coal mining cavity treatment. • Optimal proportion of a thixotropic MoT-cement paste backfill was proposed. • Increase in MoT-cement ratio improves the heating-residual strength of stone body. • Relationship between flowing distance and accumulation height were obtained. • The proposed paste shows both good economy and EI in coal mining cavity treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An organic crystal of a picrate based on benzyl triphenylphosphonium dication was synthesized and characterized. • HOMO-LUMO energy gap explains the charge transfer interaction in the molecule. • The as-synthesized picrate shows good antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. • The first hyperpolarizability value of the crystal based on DFT calculations is 20.85 times that of KDP. An organic crystal, 1,4-phenylenebis(methylene)-bis(triphenylphosphinium) picrate (abbreviated as [TPPBzTPP][PIC] 2) was grown by a slow evaporation solution growth technique and characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopy, thermal analysis, powder and single crystal XRD. The new picrate crystallize in triclinic space group P −1 and consists of [TPPBzTPP]2+ cation and two picrate anions. Experimental vibrational bands (IR and Raman) have been discussed and assigned. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap explains the charge transfer interaction in the molecule. TG-TDA technique reveals that the material was stable up to 280.7 °C. In addition, [TPPBzTPP][PIC] 2 showed good antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results of DFT calculation indicated that the first hyperpolarizability value (β tot) of the crystal is 20.85 times that of KDP, which exhibited good nonlinear optical properties. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immobilization of heavy metal pollutants in river and lake sediments is critical for environmental health and safety. In this study, combined electrokinetic and chemical immobilization were used to remediate Cd and Pb polluted river sediments. The effect of the concentrations of the immobilization reagents and the applied voltage were investigated. Immobilization ratios for Cd and Pb of 98.6% and 84.3%, respectively, was achieved at 7.5 V cm−1 using seven successive rounds of recycling of the immobilization solution of mixed 1.0 g L−1 CO 3 2− and 3.0 g L−1 H 2 PO 4 − at the volume ratio of 1:9 with 100 mL immobilization solution to 100 g sediment. The enhancement effect of the electric field is mainly attributed to the increased contact between the immobilization reagents and the heavy metals due to electroosmosis. This study provides a new method for the treatment of heavy metal-polluted sediments. [Display omitted] • Sediment Cd and Pb are efficiently immobilized by carbonate and phosphate passivation. • Immobilization efficiency is significantly improved under a vertical electric field. • Easily extractable Cd and Pb transform into potentially and hardly extractable. • High sediment remediation efficiency is achieved by recirculating of passivator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is an emerging technology applied in multiple industries in recent years. In this work, DBD plasma was used instead of a traditional heating activation catalyst and applied in the field of rice bran oil (RBO) conjugation. Linoleic acid (LA) in rice bran oil generated a series of compounds with π‐double bonds at the basic site of the catalyst and finally shed with the catalyst to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Ru‐Pd/USY was prepared by the primary wet impregnation method, and Ru‐Pd/USY was treated at a power of 180 W, a discharge time of 150 s and an electrode spacing of 2.5 cm. The Ru‐Pd/USY morphology and internal composition were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalyst was isomerised with RBO in a supercritical CO2 environment, and the conversion of linoleic acid (LA) in Pd‐Ru/USY RBO after DBD treatment reached 67.4 ± 0.8%, and the finished oil met the edible standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to prepare a composite film on LY12 aluminum (Al) alloy by immersing in dodecyl phosphate and cerium nitrate solution by self-assembling methods. The effect of dipping sequence in dodecyl phosphate and cerium nitrate solution on the corrosion resistance of the composite film is studied. Design/methodology/approach: The corrosion resistance of the dodecyl phosphate/cerium composite film is investigated by electrochemical measurement and film composition analysis. Findings: The dipping sequence in dodecyl phosphate and cerium nitrate solutions has a significant impact on the corrosion resistance of the composite film. It shows best corrosion resistance by first dipping in dodecyl phosphate and then dipping in cerium nitrate solution. Originality/value: The research shown in this work lays a scientific basis of the film preparation for industrial applications in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of results from a simulated passive tracer confirms the resurfacing of South Pacific Tropical Water in the equatorial Pacific. Over the period of integration (1993-2011), both the volume and barycenter of the South Pacific Tropical Water that resurfaces in the equatorial Pacific are tightly linked to El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with their correlation with the Niño-3.4 index reaching −0.79 and 0.84, respectively. Their correlation (−0.75 and 0.85) with the sea surface salinity index, Niño-S34.8, is also high. Of particular interest is that both the volume and barycenter of the resurfacing South Pacific Tropical Water peak earlier than the ENSO indices by about 3 months. On the interannual time scale, the resurfacing of South Pacific Tropical Water may modulate the sea surface salinity in the equatorial Pacific at a rate equivalent to as much as 25% of the surface freshwater flux. The results suggest that the resurfacing of South Pacific Tropical Water directly contributes to the sea surface salinity variability in the equatorial Pacific and potentially plays a role in ENSO evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is closely associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Meta-analyses show that adjuvant anti-HBV therapy is effective for HBV-related HCC patients in clinical. However, the significance that anti-HBV drugs depress HCC is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of telbivudine (LdT), entecavir (ETV) and interferon-α2b (IFN-α2b) on HBV-related HCC. Our data showed that the treatment with the drugs significantly suppressed the growth of HBV-expressing hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo, but failed to work in HBV-free liver cells. We present the hypothesis that HBx may be involved in the event. As expected, we observed that the expression of HBx was down-regulated by the agents. Meanwhile, the expression of HBx downstream factors was significantly down-regulated. Interestingly, LdT, ETV and IFN-α2b lost the anti-proliferation effects on HBV-related hepatoma cells when the cells were treated with HBx siRNA. Moreover, combination of those drugs enhanced the anti-proliferation effects. In conclusion, LdT, ETV and IFN-α2b suppress the growth of HBV-related HCC through down-regulation of HBx. Our finding provides new insights into the mechanisms of anti-HBV drugs in HCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To perform a meta-analysis of available cohort studies on the association between sertraline use by pregnant women in the first trimester and the findings of congenital anomalies in infants. Methods A comprehensive search of articles published from the index date up to 31st December 2015 investigating the aforementioned associations was conducted on PubMed and Web of Science. Mesh headings used included the terms 'serotonin reuptake inhibitor,' 'sertraline,' 'congenital anomalies' and 'obstetrical outcome.' Results Twelve cohort studies that involved 6 468 241 pregnant women were identified. We summarized odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of congenital anomalies using the random-effects model. Pregnant women who used sertraline in the first trimester had a statistically significant increased risk of infant cardiovascular-related malformations (OR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.06-1.74; I2 = 64.4%; n = 12) as well as atrial and/or ventricular septal defects (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.06-1.76; I2 = 62.2%; n = 8). Additionally, positive but nonsignificant associations between sertraline use and congenital anomalies of the nervous system (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 0.83-2.32; I2 = 0%; n = 5), digestive system (OR = 1.23; 95% CI = 0.76-1.98; I2 = 0%; n = 5), eye, ear, face and neck (OR = 1.08; 95% CI = 0.33-3.55; I2 = 32.1%; n = 3), urogenital system (OR = 1.03; 95% CI = 0.73-1.46; I2 = 0%; n = 5), and musculoskeletal system (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.69-1.36; I2 = 0%; n = 5) were observed. Conclusion This meta-analysis suggested that the use of sertraline use by pregnant women in the first trimester had an increased risk of cardiovascular-related malformations as well as atrial and/or ventricular septal defects in infants. Meanwhile, nonsignificant associations between sertraline use and other congenital anomalies were found. More cohort studies are warranted to provide detailed results of other congenital anomalies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper treats an M/M/1 retrial queue with constant retrial times. If the server is busy at the arrival epoch, the arriving customer decides to join the retrial orbit with probability q or balk with probability 1-q. Only the customer at the head of the orbit is permitted to access the server. Upon retrial, the customer immediately receives his service if the server is idle; otherwise, he may enter the orbit again or leave the system because of impatience. First, we give the performance analysis for this retrial queue and give some important performance indices. Second, based on a natural reward-cost structure, we analyze the Nash equilibrium customers’ joining strategies and give some numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unearthing an ideal model for disclosing the role of defect sites in solar CO2 reduction remains a great challenge. Here, freestanding gram-scale single-unit-cell o-BiVO4 layers are successfully synthesized for the first time. Positron annihilation spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence unveil their distinct vanadium vacancy concentrations. Density functional calculations reveal that the introduction of vanadium vacancies brings a new defect level and higher hole concentration near Fermi level, resulting in increased photoabsorption and superior electronic conductivity. The higher surface photovoltage intensity of single-unit-cell o-BiVO4 layers with rich vanadium vacancies ensures their higher carriers separation efficiency, further confirmed by the increased carriers lifetime from 74.5 to 143.6 ns revealed by time-resolved fluorescence emission decay spectra. As a result, single-unit-cell o-BiVO4 layers with rich vanadium vacancies exhibit a high methanol formation rate up to 398.3 μmol g-1 h-1 and an apparent quantum efficiency of 5.96% at 350 nm, much larger than that of single-unit-cell o-BiVO4 layers with poor vanadium vacancies, and also the former's catalytic activity proceeds without deactivation even after 96 h. This highly efficient and spectrally stable CO2 photoconversion performances hold great promise for practical implementation of solar fuel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urinary stones are common medical disorders and the treatment of impacted proximal ureteral stones (IPUS) is still a challenge for urologists. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MI-PCNL) and ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URL) in the treatment of IPUS via a meta-analysis. Methods: We collected studies using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from 1978 to November 2016 and analyzed them using Stata 12.0 and RevMan 5.3. Odds ratios (ORs) and standard mean difference (SMD) were calculated for binary and continuous variables respectively, accompanied with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All study procedures followed the PRISMA guidelines. Results: Five prospective studies were included in our meta-analysis, with 242 MI-PCNL and 256 URL cases. MI-PCNL was associated with a longer postoperative hospital stay than URL (SMD, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.27 to 5.55). However, no significant difference was observed in operative time (SMD, -0.38; 95% CI, -3.15 to 2.38). In addition, MI-PCNL had higher initial (OR, 11.12; 95% CI, 5.56 to 22.24) and overall stone-free rates (OR, 8.70; 95% CI, 3.23 to 23.45) than URL, along with lower possibilities of surgical conversion (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.49) and postoperative shock wave lithotripsy (OR, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.02 to 0.18). Regarding complications, no significant differences were observed between MI-PCNL and URL (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.93 to 2.10), except for hematuria (OR, 4.80; 95% CI, 1.45 to 15.94). Conclusions: MI-PCNL is optimal and should be considered as the preferred treatment method for IPUS, as it has better efficacy and a safety profile similar to that of URL. However, further high quality studies with larger sample size are required in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rosemary extract is a new natural antioxidant. In this study, the stability of palm oil with rosemary extract during frying and accelerated storage was studied. The antioxidant of palm oil with different concentrations of rosemary ethanol extract were evaluated at 180 °C and 65 °C. The effect of rosemary ethanol extract was also compared with the one of synthetic antioxidants. Results showed that the optimum addition of rosemary ethanol extract in palm oil during frying and accelerated storage were 0.12 g/kg and 0.7 g/kg. Under such conditions, a significant antioxidant effect was observed. Rosemary ethanol extract can effectively reduce the peroxide value, P-anisidine value, free fatty acid value and absorbances at 232 and 268 nm, especially in the long-time frying process. It can also reduce the production of saturated fatty acids after 25 h of frying and 24 d of accelerated storage. Under frying condition, the oil with rosemary ethanol extract showed an enhanced stability compared to the oil with synthetic antioxidants. Under accelerated storage condition, rosemary ethanol extract could prevent the palm oil from oxidation the same as the synthetic antioxidants, but it is safer than synthetic antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers a repairable M/G/1 retrial queue with Bernoulli schedule and a general retrial policy, which is motivated by a contention problem in the downlink direction of wireless base stations in cognitive radio networks. Arriving Customers (called primary arrivals) who cannot receive service upon arrival either join the infinite waiting space in front of the server (called as the normal queue) with probability $$q$$ , or enter the orbit with probability $$1-q$$ according to the FCFS discipline. If the server breaks down in the process of the service of a customer, the customer in service either joins the orbit queue or leaves the system forever. First, we study the ergodicity of two related embedded Markov chains and derive stationary distributions. Second, we find the steady-state joint generating function of the number of customers in both queues. Some important performance measures of the system are obtained. Third, the reliability analysis of the system is also given. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the impact of system parameters on the system performance measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the purpose of accurately calculating probabilistic load flow (PLF) with correlated input variables following arbitrary distributions, this paper proposes a Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) based PLF method, which combines kernel density estimation with Nataf transformation to improve the calculation performance. First, enhanced kernel density estimation with adaptive-bandwidth is established to precisely depict arbitrary distributions, including the atypical probability density functions (PDF) of power injections from renewable energies such as wind and photovoltaic. Then, considering the correlations of renewable energies and the difficulties of kernel density estimation dealing with correlativity, Gauss–Hermite integral based Nataf transformation is proposed to handle the problem. The proposed method is demonstrated to be feasible and practicable in modified IEEE 14 and IEEE 118 systems with additional wind and photovoltaic power. The results suggest that proposed method is prominent in efficiency and accuracy, and applicable to arbitrary distributions of power injections in PLF calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxin is necessary for the inhibition of root growth induced by aluminium (Al) stress, however the molecular mechanism controlling this is largely unknown. Here, we report that YUCCA (YUC), which encodes flavin monooxygenase-like proteins, regulates local auxin biosynthesis in the root apex transition zone (TZ) in response to Al stress. Al stress up-regulates YUC3/5/7/8/9 in the root-apex TZ, which we show results in the accumulation of auxin in the root-apex TZ and root-growth inhibition during the Al stress response. These Al-dependent changes in the regulation of YUCs in the root-apex TZ and YUC-regulated root growth inhibition are dependent on ethylene signalling. Increasing or disruption of ethylene signalling caused either enhanced or reduced up-regulation, respectively, of YUCs in root-apex TZ in response to Al stress. In addition, ethylene enhanced root growth inhibition under Al stress was strongly alleviated in yuc mutants or by co-treatment with yucasin, an inhibitor of YUC activity, suggesting a downstream role of YUCs in this process. Moreover, ethylene-insensitive 3 (EIN3) is involved into the direct regulation of YUC9 transcription in this process. Furthermore, we demonstrated that PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) functions as a transcriptional activator for YUC5/8/9. PIF4 promotes Al-inhibited primary root growth by regulating the local expression of YUCs and auxin signal in the root-apex TZ. The Al–induced expression of PIF4 in root TZ acts downstream of ethylene signalling. Taken together, our results highlight a regulatory cascade for YUCs-regulated local auxin biosynthesis in the root-apex TZ mediating root growth inhibition in response to Al stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyll (Chl) degradation is an integral process of leaf senescence, and NYE1/SGR1 has been demonstrated as a key regulator of Chl catabolism in diverse plant species. In this study, using yeast one-hybrid screening, we identified three abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive element (ABRE)-binding transcription factors, ABF2 (AREB1), ABF3, and ABF4 (AREB2), as the putative binding proteins of the NYE1 promoter. Through the transactivation analysis, electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrated that ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 directly bound to and activated the NYE1 promoter in vitro and in vivo . ABA is a positive regulator of leaf senescence, and exogenously applied ABA can accelerate Chl degradation. The triple mutant of the ABFs , abf2abf3abf4 , as well as two ABA-insensitive mutants, abi1-1 and snrk2.2/2.3/2.6 , exhibited stay-green phenotypes after ABA treatment, along with decreased induction of NYE1 and NYE2 expression. In contrast, overexpression of ABF4 accelerated Chl degradation upon ABA treatment. Interestingly, ABF2/3/4 could also activate the expression of two Chl catabolic enzyme genes, PAO and NYC1 , by directly binding to their promoters. In addition, abf2abf3abf4 exhibited a functional stay-green phenotype, and senescence-associated genes ( SAGs ), such as SAG29 ( SWEET15 ), might be directly regulated by the ABFs. Taken together, our results suggest that ABF2, ABF3, and ABF4 likely act as key regulators in mediating ABA-triggered Chl degradation and leaf senescence in general in Arabidopsis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing economic importance of Cyclina sinensis aquaculture, interest in its defense mechanisms against pathogenic infection has grown in recent years. Inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappaB (IκB) and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) are proteins with central roles in many important physiological and pathological processes, such as innate immune responses. In this study, we identified CsIκB and CsNF-κB genes from a C. sinensis transcriptome library. In healthy adult clams, CsIκB and CsNF-κB genes were widely expressed in various tissues and highly expressed in hemocytes. Further, the expression levels of these genes were significantly increased in hemocytes challenged by Vibrio anguillarum , Micrococcus luteus and poly I:C. Inhibition of CsMyD88 expression by RNAi technology significantly altered the mRNA expression patterns of CsIκB and CsNF-κB as measured using quantitative real-time PCR. These results collectively indicated that the NF-κB signaling pathway, including CsIκB and CsNF-κB genes, might be involved in early innate immune responses and may be regulated by a MyD88-dependent signaling pathway in C. sinensis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension often occurs in conjunction with insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether sustained renal hypertension increases the risk of diabetes mellitus in rats, and to define the underlying mechanisms. Two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive (2K1C) rats received captopril (50 mg/kg/day), α-lipoic acid (100 mg/kg/day), or vehicle treatment for 3 months after surgery. Blood pressure was measured by tail cuff plethysmography. Oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT), immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were performed. In addition, insulin secretion from islet cells was measured. OGTT yielded abnormal results, and the number of islet cells and the size of pancreatic β/ α cells were decreased in 2K1C rats. Basal insulin levels were also reduced in the plasma. Insulin secretion from pancreatic islet cells in response to high glucose was also attenuated in 2K1C rats compared with sham rats. The levels of oxidative stress markers, including 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and NADPH oxidase-4, were increased in pancreatic tissue and pancreatic islets in 2K1C rats. The abnormalities observed in 2K1C rats were improved by captopril or α-lipoic acid treatment. These findings indicate that sustained renal hypertension may lead to pancreatic dysfunction, increasing oxidative stress in pancreatic islets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) model, energy equation, Volume of Fluid (VOF), and overlapping grid technique are adopted in this paper. Analyzing the performance of Froude numbers, and row-spacing-to-diameter ratios on the air film development process. The evolution of air film around a vertically launched underwater vehicle technology is the passive exhaust process, in which a high-pressure cavity of the limited volume is formed by crossflow shearing, environmental depressurization, and other factors. With the increase of the Froude number, the maximum diameter and length of the air film at the same feature position are increased, which is beneficial to air film fusion to a certain extent. However, research results indicate air film fusion does not occur at the large Froude numbers. In the establishment of the air film fusion model, there is a non-linear relationship between the Froude number and the pressure ratio inside and outside the cavity. As the Froude number increases, the pressure ratio becomes larger. However, the largest cross-sectional area of air film is not the largest. In the larger range of Froude numbers, the relationship between gas film fusion characteristics and Froude number is more complicated, and further research is studied. Finally, the effects of row-spacing-to-diameter ratios on the air film development process were discussed. • The research provides a simulation method that it can accurately predict complex and passive exhaust process, and gravity effects during projectiles launched underwater. • The Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) model is adopted in this paper, and analyzing the air film development. • The semi-empirical theoretical model of gas-film fusion on underwater launch was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical properties of the perovskite oxide thermoelectric material SrTiO 3 (STO) should be improved in order to realize its thermoelectric application due to its intrinsic insulation characteristics. The bulk STO materials usually optimize their electrical properties by annealing in reducing environment after synthesis. However, this method inevitably leads to the gradient distribution of oxygen defect concentration in materials. In this study, the combination of High Temperature and High Pressure (HPHT) method is used, and Ti powder is added to optimize the electrical properties of STO materials. HPHT provides a closed synthesis environment. In addition, with the strong oxygen-capturing ability of Ti at high temperature, the semi-conductivity of materials is performed. The thermoelectric properties of the synthesized materials under HPHT are studied using XRD, XPS, SEM, and TEM. The properties and micro-morphology of the synthesized samples with different Ti contents are investigated. The results show that, with the increase of the Ti content, the oxygen defect concentration increases and the electrical properties are significantly improved. Simultaneously, the sample synthesized using the HPHT method changes its micro-morphology and reduces the thermal conductivity of the material. The increase of oxygen vacancy concentration can also effectively reduce the thermal conductivity. Under the collaborative optimization of HPHT while adding Ti, the maximum obtained zT value at 20 wt% addition is 0.19 @ 973 K. The density functional theory calculation also shows that, compared with pure STO, the band gap of STO with oxygen vacancy decreases, which increases the conductivity. Therefore, a high pressure and the addition of Ti powder provide a fast, simple and efficient method for preparing oxygen-deficient perovskite oxide materials, which is of great significance for improving its thermoelectric properties. • The introduction of oxygen vacancies effectively improves the electrical properties. • High pressure-induced micromorphological changes and generated oxygen vacancies reduce thermal conductivity. • The whole synthesis procedure last only for 30 min • Theoretical calculations show that oxygen vacancies can significantly improve the electrothermal transport properties of perovskite-structured materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]