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Abstract: In this paper, the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of the direction of departure (DOD) and direction of arrival (DOA) of multiple targets for bistatic multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar is addressed. We derive the maximum likelihood estimator of the DOD and DOA with the assumption that the targets are unknown but deterministic. Moreover, we provide a compact expression of the Cramer Rao bound (CRB) under this nonrandom framework. Since the MLE of the target DOD and DOA is related to a high-dimensional nonlinear optimization problem, we propose alternating projection (AP) to solve it efficiently. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the AP based MLE can provide accurate estimations of the target DOD and DOA and achieves the CRB in the asymptotic region. Furthermore, results also show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing ESPRIT and MUSIC algorithm for the uniform linear array (ULA) configuration of the transmitted and received array. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In order to investigate the clutter nulling performance of the sample matrix inversion (SMI) algorithm in amplitude heterogeneous environments, we derive an analytical expression for the average signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) loss based on random matrix theory. The results show that comparing with the case where the training data utilizes the homogeneous secondary samples (which are independent and identically distributed (IID) to the snapshot in the cell under test (CUT)), formulating the adaptive weight with the secondary samples which have stronger clutter power than that in CUT will increase the output SINR. Nevertheless, the achievable performance improvement might be quite limited. Conversely, selecting the secondary samples with weaker clutter power will degrade the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research considers an advanced pulse compression noise (APCN) radar waveform possessing salient features from linear-FM (LFM) and noise waveforms. A cross-correlation model considering several chirp waveform profiles is used to simulate the output of a passive electronic intelligence (ELINT) intercept-receiver. By doing so we are able to demonstrate the low probability of interception (LPI) characteristic of the APCN waveform for different $*gk$ values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A direct sampling method by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was evaluated for determining trace elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Se and Zn) in Chinese rice wine. The parameters of ICP (plasma power, nebulizer pressure and sampling speed) were optimized considering the complicated matrix. Both the nebulizer pressure and the sampling speed were kept low, and plasma power was set at a high value of 1.35 kW. The good accuracy was confirmed by the recovery test (>95 %). The relative standard deviation was less than 5 %. Comparing with the dry ashing and wet ashing method, direct sampling showed to be fast, reliable and simple. The data of trace metals in Chinese rice wine were obtained: Co (0.088-0.106 mg/L), Cr (0.097-0.164 mg/L), Cu (0.085-0.126 mg/L), Fe (0.181-0.308 mg/L), Mg (0.179-0.311 mg/L), Mn (0.102-0.184 mg/L), Se (0.219-0.349) mg/L), and Zn (0.090-0.139 mg/L). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p53 plays a central role in tumor suppression. It does so by inducing anti-proliferative processes as a response to various tumor-promoting stresses. p53 is regulated by the ubiquitin ligase Mdm2. The optimal function of Mdm2 requires Daxx, which stabilizes Mdm2 through the deubiquitinase Hausp/USP7 and also directly promotes Mdm2’s ubiquitin ligase activity towards p53. The Daxx-Mdm2 interaction is disrupted upon DNA damage. However, both the mechanisms and the consequence of the Daxx-Mdm2 dissociation are not understood. Here we show that upon DNA damage Daxx is phosphorylated in a manner that is dependent on ATM, a member of the PI 3-kinase family that orchestrates the DNA damage response. The main phosphorylation site of Daxx is identified to be Ser564, which is a direct target of ATM. Phosphorylation of endogenous Daxx at Ser564 occurs rapidly during the DNA damage response and precedes p53 activation. Blockage of this phosphorylation event prevents the separation of Daxx from Mdm2, stabilizes Mdm2, and inhibits DNA damage-induced p53 activation. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Daxx by ATM upon DNA damage disrupts the Daxx-Mdm2 interaction and facilitates p53 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of novel, potent 4-aminothienopyridine B-Raf kinase inhibitors was designed and synthesized using knowledge-based design. Compounds 5f, and 6k exhibited not only excellent potency in both enzyme assay (IC50 =5.1, 16.6nM) and cellular assay (IC50 =0.2, 0.2μM), but also had an outstanding selectivity profile against other kinases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The chit42 gene was cloned from Metarhizium anisopliae CY1 and was inserted into Trichoderma koningii T30 genome by protoplast transformation. Sixteen transgenic isolates were identified by polymerase chain reaction analysis. The chit42 gene was 1275 bp in length and its coded protein was approximately 42 kDa in size. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis and the measurement of the chitinase activity under induced conditions were conducted. Mortality of the Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis) was used for assessing efficacy of culture filtrates and conidial suspensions of transgenic Trichoderma strains against the insect. The results indicated that the transgenic Trichoderma strain harboring chit42 gene from Metarhizium anisopliae CY1 showed significant lethal effect on the Asian corn borer larvae. Study on growth inhibition of silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae was carried out. The transgenic Trichoderma could better hinder the growth and development of the silkworm larvae than the wild-type Trichoderma did. The inhibition to the expression of three genes associated with development and anti-stress response in the mid-gut of the Asian corn borer larvae was more significant in the transcriptional level after larvae were fed with transgenic biomass than with the wild type. Evaluation of inhibition on the growth of maize ear rot pathogens was carried out in vitro test and the transgenic strains kept antagonistic activity against Fusarium verticilloides. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease affecting global public health at present, which can induce cirrhosis and liver cancer in serious cases. However, NAFLD is a multifactorial disease, and there is still a lack of research on its mechanism and therapeutic strategy. With the development of the gut–liver axis theory, the association between the gut–liver axis and the pathogenesis of NAFLD has been gradually disclosed. Polysaccharides, as a kind of natural product, have the advantages of low toxicity, multi-target and multi-pathway action. It has been reported that polysaccharides can affect the gut–liver axis at multiple interrelated levels, such as maintaining the ecological balance of gut microbiota (GM), regulating the metabolites of GM and improving the intestinal barrier function, which thereby plays a protective role in NAFLD. These studies have great scientific significance in understanding NAFLD based on the gut–liver axis and developing safe and effective medical treatments. Herein, we reviewed the recent progress of polysaccharides in improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through the gut–liver axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-negativity of the measurement matrix in the traditional compressed ghost imaging system and iterative optimization process leads to low imaging quality and slow reconstruction speed. This paper proposes a singular value decomposition compressed ghost imaging method based on deep unfolding. The measurement matrix and training data pairs are generated through numerical simulation to reduces the cost of data acquisition. This paper adds a preprocessing layer to the network, which performs singular value decomposition on the measurement matrix to simultaneously obtain an optimized semi-orthogonal measurement matrix and optimized measurements. Then, iterative shrinking threshold algorithm network (ISTA-Net +) is used to learn the mapping between the measurements to the original signal from the training data set. Finally, the trained deep neural network can achieve non-iterative real-time reconstruction of high-quality images from low sampling rate measurements. Numerical experiments demonstrate that our proposed method has good reconstruction performance and good anti-noise performance at low sampling rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the deepening of tourists' demand for tourism services, the personalization of online tourists has gradually become an application of personalized recommendation technology. According to the application requirements of personalized scenic spot recommendation, this paper uses social networks and Bayesian networks to fully mine the matching degree between users and scenic spots for personalized recommendation. Add social network factors to the recommendation of tourist attractions, and fully tap the social network relationship between users. First, the users are clustered by the coupling bidirectional clustering algorithm. Then, DBSCAN (density-based noise application spatial clustering) algorithm is used to cluster scenic spots. Finally, two stable user sets and scenic spot sets are applied to the personalized recommendation algorithm to predict the user's next upcoming scenic spot. The algorithm is compared with some traditional algorithms in the dataset. The algorithm deals with the similarity of user attributes and user behavior and uses content-based algorithm to deal with the relationship between scenic spots; com datasets have better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the search for a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the epoxidation of styrene, it is still a challenge to develop a system that simultaneously possesses superior catalytic activity and selectivity under aerobic conditions. Herein, we report the use of perovskite LaSrCoFeO6 (LSCF) as a heterogeneous and visible‐light catalyst, and determine that LSCF acts as a highly efficient catalyst for the epoxidation of styrene under aerobic conditions. The formation of 1O2 species transformed from O2⋅− species were proposed as reactive oxygen species for the epoxidation of styrene over the LSCF catalyst, where the directional generation of O2⋅− species on the LSCF catalyst is the key step to yield highly selective epoxidation of styrene. The experimental results of styrene epoxidation show that when the molar ratio of styrene and LSCF catalyst is 150 : 1 and the reaction is under the conditions of visible light (440 nm) and 100 °C for 6 h, the conversion of styrene and selectivity of styrene oxide reached 99.9 % and 80.3 %, respectively. The reaction rate over LSCF catalyst is as high as 50 mmol ⋅ gcat−1 ⋅ h−1. In addition, the reaction kinetics of the epoxidation of styrene over LSCF catalyst was systematically studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uniform-size rutile TiO2 microrods were synthesized by simple molten-salt method with sodium chloride as reacting medium and different kinds of sodium phosphate salts as growth control additives to control the one-dimensional (1-D) crystal growth of particles. The effect of rutile and anatase ratios as a precursor was monitored for rod growth formation. Apart from uniform rod growth study, optical properties of rutile microrods were observed by UV−visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. TiO2 materials with anatase and rutile phase show PL emission due to self-trapped exciton. It has been observed that synthesized rutile TiO2 rods show various PL emission peaks in the range of 400 to 900 nm for 355 nm excitation wavelengths. All PL emission appeared due to the oxygen vacancy present inside rutile TiO2 rods. The observed PL near the IR range (785 and 825 nm) was due to the formation of a self-trapped hole near to the surface of (110) which is the preferred orientation plane of synthesized rutile TiO2 microrods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an effective method to deal with the curse of dimensionality, multi-label feature selection aims to select the most representative subset of features by eliminating unfavorable features. Although great progress has been made in this field, how to mine adequate supervisory information from multi-label data remains a key challenge. Compared to the latent information of instances, the latent information of instance relevance contains both the basic information of instances and the latent relevance between instances. Base on this knowledge, we propose a novel multi-label feature selection method named LRDG that explores latent representation learning and dynamic graph constraints. Specifically, we introduce the latent representation of instance relevance as supervisory information for pseudo-label learning, and minimize information loss during pseudo-label learning by means of the label manifold, the non-negative constraints, and the minimization of the Frobenius norm between pseudo-labels and ground-truth labels. In addition, considering the shortcomings brought by traditional graph regularization, we propose to use the dynamic graph constructed from low-dimensional pseudo-labels to constrain feature weights. Extensive experiments on various multi-label datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The code is available at https://github.com/yunbao520/LRDG. • LRDG achieves full constraints on pseudo-label. • A pseudo-label based dynamic graph is designed to constrain the feature weights. • Latent representation learning is used to mine reliable label information. • A convergent algorithm is designed to optimally solve LRDG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A chemical sensor fabricated from gold nanoparticles and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) is presented and its chemi-resistive, chemi-capacitive and chemi-impedance performance is investigated. Detection of humidity and ethanol in the range of 2000–20,000ppm has been made possible in all the above cases. The sensor was fabricated following a two step process utilizing ink-jet printing to deliver both nanoparticles and PHEMA on oxidized silicon substrates: first a layer of nanoparticles has been delivered on top of gold interdigitated electrodes followed by the successive deposition of PHEMA polymer. By controlling several key design parameters such as nanoparticle size, number of ink-jet printed gold nanoparticles and electrode spacing, the fabrication of chemical sensors with different sensing response and linearity is possible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Few-layer graphene (FLG) was grown on Al2O3 (0001) substrates at different temperatures via direct carbon atoms deposition by using solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) method. The structural properties were characterized by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), Raman spectroscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS). The results showed that the FLG started to form at the substrate temperature of 700°C. When the substrate temperature increased to 1300°C, the quality of the FLG was the best and the layer number was estimated to be less than 5. At higher substrate temperature (1400°C or above), the crystalline quality of the FLG would be deteriorated. Our experiment results demonstrated that the substrate temperature played an important role on the FLG layer formation on Al2O3 (0001) substrates and the related growth mechanism was briefly discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Aims: The overexpression of HER2/neu receptor plays a key role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Small molecules targeting HER2/neu have therapeutic value in cancers that overexpress HER2. In this present study, the effect of houttuyninum, a component in the Chinese herbal medicine Houttuynia cordata Thunb, on HER2/neu tyrosine phosphorylation and its in vivo antitumour activity was investigated. Main methods: The phosphorylation and expression of proteins were determined by Western blot analysis. The MTT assay was employed to examine the inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro. Xenografts were established in nude mice for evaluating the antitumour activity of houttuyninum in vivo. Key findings: Houttuyninum inhibited phosphorylation of HER2 in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 5.52μg/ml without reducing HER2/neu protein expression in MDA-MB-453 cells. Houttuyninum also inhibited the activation of ERK1/2 and AKT, downstream molecules in the HER2/neu-mediated signal transduction pathway. In contrast, tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR was unaffected when the concentration of houttuyninum was increased to 40μg/ml in both A431 cells and MDA-MB-468 cells. Additionally, houttuyninum preferentially inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-453 cells that overexpressed HER2/neu; the MDA-MB-468 cells that overexpress EGFR remained unaffected. Administration of houttuyninum in vivo resulted in a significant reduction of phosphorylated HER2 levels and in tumor volumes of the BT474 and N87 xenografts, which both overexpress HER2/neu. Significance: Our findings showed that houttuyninum can inhibit the HER2/neu signalling pathway and the tumor growth of cancer cells that overexpress HER2/neu. This drug may provide therapeutic value in the treatment of cancers that involve overexpression of HER2/neu. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A method for growing graphene on a sapphire substrate by depositing an SiC buffer layer and then annealing at high temperature in solid source molecular beam epitaxy (SSMBE) equipment was presented. The structural and electronic properties of the samples were characterized by reflection high energy diffraction (RHEED), X-ray diffraction &b.Phi; scans, Raman spectroscopy, and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The results of the RHEED and &b.Phi; scan, as well as the Raman spectra, showed that an epitaxial hexagonal &agr;-SiC layer was grown on the sapphire substrate. The results of the Raman and NEXAFS spectra revealed that the graphene films with the AB Bernal stacking structure were formed on the sapphire substrate after annealing. The layer number of the graphene was between four and five, and the thickness of the unreacted SiC layer was about 1-1.5 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research focuses on reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete walls. After performing a standard temperature rising fire-resistance test, the fire resistance performance and mechanic behavior of the wall sample are studied under a lateral horizontal load. Reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete walls and reinforced normalweight concrete walls are given the fire-resistance test under the same conditions, then their fire resistance performance and mechanical behaviors are compared. Taking into consideration the steel spacing, aggregate type, wall size, and high temperature as the wall sample variables. The research results showed that the reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete wall is superior to the reinforced normalweight concrete wall on ultimate load, yield load, cracked load, stiffness, ductility, and inter-story drift after a high-temperature fire-resistance test. In terms of failure patterns, for a reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete wall after a high-temperature fire-resistance test, the smaller the steel spacing the higher the yield load and ultimate load, but the worse the ductility. This result matched the results of the reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete wall without the high-temperature fire-resistance test and revealed that the reinforced lightweight aggregate concrete wall retained its mechanics after the fire-resistance test. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Previous work on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar waveform design in colored noise based on minimizing minimum mean-square error (MMSE) and normalized mean-square error (NMSE) only considered the optimization of the singular value of the waveform matrix, while the optimization of singular vectors, which forms a basis of singular value optimization, was not stressed enough. In this correspondence, we revisit the waveform design problem for MIMO radar in colored noise based on MMSE and NMSE respectively. Further results for the optimal solutions under both criteria are derived. We prove the optimality of “matching” with the target and colored noise for the singular vectors of the transmitted waveform. Moreover, to obtain minimum MMSE/NMSE, the pairing of the eigenvectors of the target and noise should be carefully designed, where the optimal pairing of the eigenvectors based on MMSE is fixed while the optimal pairing based on NMSE changes according to the transmitted power, the strength of the target, and noise. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The high-purity oxygen production from ambient air through the dense one end-dead perovskite hollow fiber membrane based on Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ prepared by a phase inversion spinning process is reported. High oxygen purity up to 99.7vol% and high oxygen permeation flux of 1.74ml/mincm2 are obtained after 2-h activation in the initial stage at 950°C under the vacuum degree of 99.0kPa on the core side and the ambient air of 1.0atm on the feed side. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy spectrum analysis (EDS) show that the carbonate appears in the spent hollow fiber membrane after 24-h oxygen permeation in the ambient air, which leads to the decline of the oxygen permeation flux. However, the pure oxygen can be produced in one step through the one end-dead hollow fiber membrane without any inert gas, so the second separation is not necessary any more and it is beneficial to the industrial application for high-purity oxygen production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Peptide-based vaccines derived from the E7 protein of human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 were developed to induce effective T cell responses against established cervical cancer, but have met with limited clinical success. It is necessary to develop novel peptide-based strategies to substantially improve the immune response against HPV16-related cancer. In this study, we aimed to design a novel peptide-based self-assembled nanoparticle HPV16 vaccine by combining the cell-penetrating peptide HIV-1 Tat49-57 that was fused with the HPV16 E749-57 cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope and the granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene, and to investigate how it improves the immune response and the therapeutic outcome ex vivo and in vivo. Nanoparticles were prepared and identified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), gel retardation and DNase I protection assays. This type of vaccine formulation formed the 20–80nm nanoparticles, and greatly improved epitope-specific immunity both ex vivo and in vivo. Importantly, this vaccine type was associated with decreased tumor growth and enhanced long-term survival in the prophylactic and therapeutic mouse models. The underlying mechanisms were determined to involve priming of enhanced frequency of CD8+ memory T subtype cells. These results suggest that the nanoparticle Tat-E7/pGM-CSF represents a promising novel approach to enhance the potency of peptide-based cervical cancer vaccines, and this vaccine design strategy may act as a useful reference for research of virus-associated diseases and specific tumor immunotherapies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SRPES) were used to study the synthesis process and detailed electronic structures of graphene produced by thermal decomposition of 6H–SiC in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). The LEED results showed that as annealing temperature increased, different reconstructions of 6H–SiC appeared and the anisotropic graphene layers were produced finally. The results of C 1s core levels indicated that the component, which was assigned to graphene emerged and the interface interaction between graphene and the substrate was weak. The existence of Si clusters was confirmed by Si 2p core levels and perhaps these clusters led to rough epitaxial graphene surface. The results of valence band spectra showed that at high annealing temperature both of σ and π bonds existed in the grown graphene layers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of simple, efficient, stable and recoverable rare earth metal pentafluorobenzoates [RE(Pfb)3] have been synthesized for the first time. A highly efficient and environmentally friendly synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted quinolines catalyzed by Yb(Pfb)3 via one-pot reaction of aldehydes, alkynes and amines under solvent-free conditions has been explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We reviewed the clinical and electrophysiologic features of 293 children with Guillain-Barré syndrome admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between 2000 and 2009. The male/female ratio was 2.02, and the syndrome occurred most frequently in those between 1 and 4 years of age. There was no seasonal variation. A total of 46.1% patients had experienced an infection 1 to 4 weeks before the onset of the syndrome. The main subtype was acute motor axonal neuropathy (50.0%), with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (38.1%) ranked as second in frequency. The mean motor disability score at nadir was 3.36 ± 1.00 for all patients, with mild variations among the different subgroups. No significant difference was found in age, seasonal occurrence, cerebrospinal fluid abnormality, and functional status at nadir between the acute motor axonal neuropathy and the acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy groups. A total of 36.5% patients had sensory symptoms at admission. Approximately 9.5% of patients required mechanical ventilation. Typical cytoalbuminologic dissociation at cerebrospinal fluid examination was demonstrated in 88.0% of those who underwent lumbar puncture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aims The objective of this study was to investigate whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) improves myocardial survival and the engraftment of implanted MSC in infarcted hearts and promotes recruitment of stem cells through paracrine release of myocardial stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α). Methods and results VEGF-expressing MSC (VEGFMSC)-conditioned medium enhanced SDF-1α expression in heart slices and H9C2 cardiomyoblast cells via VEGF and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). The VEGFMSC-conditioned medium markedly promoted cardiac stem cell (CSC) migration at least in part via the SDF-1α/CXCR4 pathway and involved binding to VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-3. In vivo, VEGFMSC-stimulated SDF-1α expression in infarcted hearts resulted in massive mobilization and homing of bone marrow stem cells and CSC. Moreover, VEGF-induced SDF-1α guided the exogenously introduced CSC in the atrioventricular groove to migrate to the infarcted area, leading to a reduction in infarct size. Functional studies showed that VEGFMSC transplantation stimulated extensive angiomyogenesis in infarcted hearts as indicated by the expression of cardiac troponin T, CD31, and von Willebrand factor and improved the left ventricular performance, whereas blockade of SDF-1α or its receptor by RNAi or antagonist significantly diminished the beneficial effects of VEGFMSC. Conclusion Exogenously expressed VEGF promotes myocardial repair at least in part through SDF-1α/CXCR4-mediated recruitment of CSC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Three-component reactions of aldehydes, amines and diethyl phosphite are efficiently catalyzed by ytterbium perfluorooctanoate [Yb(PFO)3] under solvent-free conditions, giving the corresponding α-aminophosphonates in good to excellent yields. The catalyst can be recovered and reused for several times without any significant loss of activity. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for this transformation is also presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ca2+ spiral wave is observed in a large number of cell types. Based on a Ca2+ model presented by Atri et al., the propagation and synchronization of the intracellular Ca2+ spiral waves are numerically studied and some interesting results are obtained. (i) The largest Lyapunov exponents versus bifurcation parameter is calculated to investigate the oscillation of Ca2+ and it is found that almost all of the largest Lyapunov exponents are negative except for some others that are very close to zero (with an order of magnitude about 10-4 to 10-5). (ii) The two controllable parameters - the concentration of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and the diffusion coefficient - play an important role in inducing and supporting the rotating spiral wave, and the critical thresholds for supporting Ca2+ spiral wave are identified by calculating the statistical factor of synchronization in two-dimensional space. (iii) The driving layer (layer-1) can activate the Ca2+ oscillations in the driven layer (layer-2), and Ca2+ spiral wave in the driven layer can also be developed to synchronize the Ca2+ spiral wave in the drive with appropriate coupling intensity no matter whether mono-directional or mutual coupling of Ca2+ is being used. (iv) An optimal synchronization is observed for an intermediate amount of noise in the presence of Gaussian white noise, and for this noise amount, the Ca2+ waves in the two layers reach complete synchronization most quickly, it is a resonance-like behavior due to noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A technique for the fabrication of chemiresistive sensors using ink-jet printing is reported. Gold nanoparticles stabilised in water were ink-jet printed on gold interdigitated electrodes patterned on an oxidized silicon wafer. As a first step the influence of substrate functionalization, electrode spacing, and nanoparticle density were investigated by electrical measurements and microscopy imaging. Finally a second layer of PHEMA polymer was printed on top of the gold nanoparticle films. The device was exposed to vapours of humidity and ethanol and the obtained results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as stroke and hypoxic–ischemic brain injury. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in angiogenesis and vasogenic edema during stroke and hypoxia. However, the role of VEGF in BBB permeability after hypoxia has not been fully elucidated. We therefore investigated VEGF effects in an in vitro BBB model using rbcec4 endothelial cell line with the stimulation of VEGF or hypoxia. In this study, BBB permeability was studied using 14C-sucrose detection. The expression of BBB tight junction protein ZO-1, and the expression and phosphorylation of vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), VEGF and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) were determined using fluorescent immunocytochemistry and western blot analyses. We found that hypoxia upregulated VEGF expression, and VEGF increased BBB permeability. Hypoxia also increased VASP phosphorylation, which was mediated, in part, through VEGFR2. We also found that VASP at tight junctions was co-localized with ZO-1 in cell–cell contacts. Our findings show that VASP phosphorylation is affected by hypoxia and VEGFR2 inhibition suggesting a role for VASP in BBB permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many plants of the Violaceae plant family have been used in traditional remedies, and these plants often contain cyclotides, a particular type of plant cyclopeptide that is distinguished by a cyclic cystine knot motif. In general, bioactive plant cyclopeptides are interesting candidates for drug development. In the current study, a suite of 14 cyclotides, which includes seven novel cyclotides [vitri B, C, D, E, F, varv Hm, and He], together with seven known cyclotides [varv A, D, E, F, H, vitri A, and cycloviolacin O2], was isolated from Viola tricolor, a common flower. A chromatography-based method was used to isolate the cyclotides, which were characterized using tandem mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Several of the cyclotides showed cytotoxic activities against five cancer cell lines, U251, MDA-MB-231, A549, DU145, and BEL-7402. Three cyclotides, vitri A, vitri F, and cycloviolacin O2, were the most cytotoxic. The cytotoxic activity of the cyclotides did not correlate well with their hemolytic activity, indicating that different interactions, most likely with membranes, are involved for cytotoxic and hemolytic activities. Homology modeling of the structures was used in deriving structure–activity relationships. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Daxx is a multifunctional protein, regulating a wide range of important functions including apoptosis and transcription. However, the way Daxx is regulated is poorly understood. In our previous studies, we have found that Daxx forms a complex with the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mdm2 and the de-ubiquitinase Hausp. In the present work, we show that Daxx is ubiquitinated by Mdm2 in both in vitro and in vivo systems and Mdm2 reduces Daxx expression upon over-expression. We further demonstrate that Hausp critically controls the cellular level of Daxx most likely by inducing Daxx de-ubiquitination. These results reveal Mdm2 and Hausp as important regulators for Daxx functions by controlling Daxx ubiquitination and stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this report, we demonstrate that sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) donor, promoted adventitious root formation mediated by auxin and nitric oxide (NO). Application of the H2S donor to seedling cuttings of sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas L.) promoted the number and length of adventitious roots in a dose-dependent manner. It was also verified that H2S or HS− rather than other sulfur-containing components derived from NaHS could be attributed to the stimulation of adventitious root formation. A rapid increase in endogenous H2S, indole acetic acid (IAA) and NO were sequentially observed in shoot tips of sweet potato seedlings treated with HaHS. Further investigation showed that H2S-mediated root formation was alleviated by N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), an IAA transport inhibitor, and 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO), an NO scavenger. Similar phenomena in H2S donor-dependent root organogenesis were observed in both excised willow ( Salix matsudana var. tortuosa Vilm) shoots and soybean ( Glycine max L.) seedlings. These results indicated that the process of H2S-induced adventitious root formation was likely mediated by IAA and NO, and that H2S acts upstream of IAA and NO signal transduction pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnopharmacological relevance: Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) and its major component, berberine, have drawn extensive attention toward their antineoplastic effects in the recent years. The antineoplastic effects are related to the Chinese Medicine (CM) properties of Huangliang in treating diseases by removing damp-heat and purging fire and counteracting toxicity. Aim of the review: To trace the long history of the traditional use of Huanglian from folk medicines, especially from Chinese medicine, to recent pharmacological studies of Huanglian and berberine, with an emphasis on their antineoplastic effects and the promise as novel antineoplastic agents. Methods: A total of seven databases were extensively searched for literature research. The terms and keywords for searching included Huanglian, berberine, Coptis, Coptidis Rhizoma, anticancer, anti-invasion, antimatastasis and mechanism. The papers including ours with studies on anticancer and mechanism, pharmacology and toxicology of Huanglian and/or berberine were focused. Results: In view of traditional use, the anticancer effects of Huanglian can be ascribed to its CM trait by removing damp-heat, fire and toxicity. From modern biomedical studies, anticancer effects have been demonstrated in both Huanglian and berberine. The underlying molecular mechanisms involve cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis induction and anti-inflammation. Berberine is an essential anticancer compound in Huanglian. In some studies, the use of Huanglian was shown to be more effective and beneficial than the use of berberine alone. The presence of other protoberberine-type alkaloids in Huanglian might give synergistic effects for the anticancer effects. Berberine also demonstrates effects of antiangiogenesis, anti-invasion and anti-metastasis in some cancer cell lines, however, more investigations are required to unravel the underlying mechanisms involved. Conclusions: The modern evidences of treating cancer with Huanglian and berberine have a strong linkage with traditional concept and rules of using Huanglian in CM practice. As anticancer candidates with low toxicity, berberine and its altered structure, as well as Huanglian and its formulae, will attract scientists to pursue the potential anticancer effects and the mechanisms by using technologies of genomics, proteomics and other advanced approaches. On the other hand, relatively few in vivo studies have been conducted on anticancer effects of Huanglian and berberine. The clinical application of berberine or Huanglian as novel cancer therapeutic agents requires in vivo validations and further investigations of their anticancer mechanisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In addition to the subventricular zone, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus is one of the few brain regions in which neurogenesis continues into adulthood. Perturbation of neurogenesis can alter hippocampal function, and previous studies have shown that neurogenesis is dysregulated in Alzheimer disease (AD) brain. Bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) and its antagonist Noggin have been shown to play important roles both in embryonic development and in the adult nervous system, and may regulate hippocampal neurogenesis. Previous data indicated that increased expression of BMP4 mRNA within the dentate gyrus might contribute to decreased hippocampal cell proliferation in the APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mouse AD model. However, it is not known whether the BMP antagonist Noggin contributes to the regulation of neurogenesis. We therefore studied the relative expression levels and localization of BMP4 and its antagonist Noggin in the dentate gyrus and whether these correlated with changes in neurogenesis in 6–12mo old APPswe/PS1ΔE9 transgenic mice. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was used to label proliferative cells. We report that decreased neurogenesis in the APP/PS1 transgenic mice was accompanied by increased expression of BMP4 and decreased expression of Noggin at both the mRNA and protein levels; statistical analysis showed that the number of proliferative cells at different ages correlated positively with Noggin expression and negatively with BMP4 expression. Intraventricular administration of a chimeric Noggin/Fc protein was used to block the action of endogenous BMP4; this resulted in a significant increase in the number of BrdU-labeled cells in dentate gyrus subgranular zone and hilus in APP/PS1 mice. These results suggest that BMP4 and Noggin co-modulate neurogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports a facile solution route (water bath heating or hydrothermal heating) for synthesizing a few Sb-based self-assembly structures including bundles of nanowires, nanowire-flowers, long nanowires, bundles of flakes, nanobelts, hollow prisms. These obtained nanomaterials were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, SAED, and HRTEM. It was found that the morphology, size and phase of self-assembly nanostructures were strongly dependent on reaction temperature, reaction time, pH value, and heating source. In particular, nanowire-flowers and hollow prisms of antimony oxide or oxychloride have not been reported previously. A possible mechanism based on stepwise nucleation and aggregation of nanowires or flakes was also proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electronic properties of p- and n-type Ba8Ga16Ge30 (BGG) are studied using soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at a high-energy facility. Three bands are resolved in the valence band region. The first band for n-type BGG is sensitive to temperature, while the second band is sensitive for p-type BGG. The change in the ratio of Ba to Ga, from which the carrier type is controlled in this system, modifies the positions of Ga residing at the larger (Ga–CGe)24 cage. This modification in the host network is responsible for the large differences observed in electronic properties of p- and n-BGGs in this clathrate family. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A process for the selective deposition of nanoparticles by a self-electric focusing effect is discussed. The negatively charged Nickel nanoparticles were fabricated by a DC magnetron sputtering system, and were deposited on a photoresist-patterned silicon substrate. Because of the different conductance between silicon and photoresist, the charges were accumulated on the photoresist as the nanoparticles were deposited, which caused a focusing electric field to drive the nanoparticles towards the silicon substrate. We have demonstrated that the self-focusing effect of the charged nanoparticles is responsible for increasing the density of nanoparticles in the lines patterned on silicon substrate by two orders of magnitude with respect to that on photoresist. The width of the silicon line and the width ratio between photoresist line and silicon line are the two most important parameters that will affect the self-focusing effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a low cost method for the selective deposition of gold nanoparticles from a gold colloid. We first introduce a process of maskless patterning on a photoresist layer. With this process, we have fabricated photoresist gratings with a period from 1 to 30μm, using the fracture induced patterning technique. Then we have performed gold nanoparticle deposition on this patterned surface by a surface functionalization technique. For that purpose, silicon dioxide (SiO2) was deposited on the sample followed by a lift-off process. The remained SiO2 lines after the lift-off were functionalized with 2,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) for the selective deposition of the gold colloid. After the deposition, the gold nanoparticles are well organized on top of the SiO2 line patterns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A simple technique, REMI (restriction enzyme-mediated integration), was used to construct transformants of Trichoderma atroviride with improved capability of degrading organophosphate pesticide dichlorvos. Linearized DNA of plasmid pV2 bearing the hygromycin B phosphotransferase (hph) gene was inserted into chromosomes of wild strain T23 and transformation was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis, respectively. Of 247 transformants, 76% showed improved dichlorvos degradation ability as compared to the parent strain T23 based on the least significant difference (LSD) test at p =0.01. Among them, 8 transformants exhibited 30% higher in degradation rate than the parent isolate. The highest dichlorvos degradation rate of the transformants was up to 96%. This study provided an effective approach for improving organophosphate pesticide-degrading capability of T. atroviride. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of microorganism in faecal specimens is hampered by poor recovery of DNA and by the presence of PCR inhibitors. In this paper, we describe a new modified method for extracting PCR-quality microbial community DNA from pig faecal samples, which combines the pretreatment with polyformaldehyde, and subsequent DNA lysis in the presence of CTAB, salt, PVP, and β-mercaptoethanol, followed by isolation of nucleic acids using chloroform (no phenol) based protocol. The method resulted in a 1.3- to 11-fold increase in DNA yield when compared to four other widely used methods. Genomic DNA extracted from all five methods was assessed by both agarose gel electrophoresis and polymerase chain reaction for amplification of 16S rDNA specific fragments. The results showed that the improved method represented a reproducible, simple, and rapid technique for routine DNA extraction from faecal specimens and was notably better than using the QIAamp® DNA Stool Mini Kit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Extensive soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies are performed on Ba8Ga16Ge30 (BGG) and Sr8Ga16Ge30 (SGG) single crystals ranging from Fermi to core levels, at a high-energy facility. Valence band x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments with theoretical calculations revealed that the valence band is mainly constructed by the Ge/Ga 4s and 4p wave functions with little contribution of the Ba/Sr atomic orbitals. Surprisingly, unexpected features evidencing the different shift for the 2a- and 6d- sites between Ba 4d and Sr 3d are observed. The detailed analyses including theoretical support by first-principles band-structure calculations lead to the conclusion that the component distributions of the larger tetrakaidecahedral cage are different depending on the endohedral atoms, which contrasts with the past consensus that BGG and SGG have the same framework structure. This may give thorough reconsiderations on earlier interpretations of experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of change in concentration of messenger molecule inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) on intracellular Ca2+ spiral pattern evolution is studied numerically. The results indicate that when the IP3 concentration decreases from 0.27 mM, a physiologically reasonable value, to different values, the spiral centre drifts to the edge of the medium and disappears for a small enough IP3 concentration. The instability of spiral pattern can be understood in terms of excitability-change controlled by the IP3 concentration. On the other hand, when the IP3 concentration increases from 0.27 mM, a homogeneous area with a high Ca2+ concentration emerges and competes with the spiral pattern. A high enough IP3 concentration can lead the homogeneous area to occupy the whole medium. The instability of spiral pattern is ascribed to the change in stability of a stationary state with a high Ca2+ concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Metabolite identification and quantification through integrated LC-MS strategy. • Metabolites were identified based on MS/MS molecular networking. • Paeoniflorin and resveratrol are specially localized in seed kernel and coat. • Fruit pod sand seed coat showed significantly stronger activities than seed kernel. • The fruit has potential utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries. Tree peony seed, traditionally used for edible oil production, is rich in α-linolenic acid. However, little attention is given to the fruit by-products during seed oil production. The present work aimed to comprehensively investigate the phytochemical constituents and multiple biological activities of different parts of tree peony fruits harvested from Paeonia ostii and Paeonia rockii. 130 metabolites were rapidly identified through UPLC-Triple-TOF-MS on the basis of MS/MS molecular networking. Metabolite quantification was performed through the targeted approach of HPLC-ESI-QQQ-MS. Eight chemical markers were screened via principal component analysis (PCA) for distinguishing species and tissues. Interestingly, two dominant compounds, paeoniflorin and trans -resveratrol, are specially localized in seed kernel and seed coat, respectively. Unexpectedly, the extracts of fruit pod and seed coat showed significantly stronger antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-neuroinflammatory activities than seed kernel from both P. ostii and P. rockii. Our work demonstrated that tree peony fruit is promising natural source of bioactive components and provided its potential utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve high quality luminescent nanomaterials, we synthesized series of rare-earth (RE; RE = Sm3+, Dy3+) ions activated NaLuF 4 nanoparticles via a facile synthetic technique at room temperature. The phase category, microstructure and luminescent behaviors of the resultant samples were detailedly investigated. Under a certain excitation wavelength, these prepared nanoparticles can emit glaring visible light and the emission intensities are determined to be sensitive to the doping content. The optimal doping concentration for Sm3+ and Dy3+ ions in the NaLuF 4 host lattices are 1 and 3 mol%, respectively, and the involved concentration quenching mechanisms are all contributed by the electric dipole-dipole interaction. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit splendid thermal stability and the activation energies of the NaLuF:0.01Sm3+ and NaLuF 4 :0.03Dy3+ nanoparticles are 0.16 and 0.17 eV, respectively. Furthermore, the temperature-dependent decay time reveals that the thermal quenching mechanism of the designed nanoparticles is responsible by the crossover process between the excited level and ground state. These results indicate that the resultant nanoparticles with good luminescent materials and high thermal stability are potential candidates for white light-emitting diode. • Highly-efficient NaLuF 4 :RE (RE = Dy3+, Sm3+) nanoparticles were prepared at room temperature. • Dazzling emissions were seen in resultant nanoparticles upon NUV light excitation. • Concentration quenching mechanisms are contributed by electric dipole-dipole interaction. • Thermal stability of studied samples was revealed by temperature-dependent emission spectra. • The involved thermal quenching mechanism was confirmed by temperature-dependent decay time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The versatility of neural precursor cells (NPCs) derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) has recently rekindled interests in cell replacement strategies aimed at neurodegenerative diseases. We observed the survival, migration, differentiation and functional recovery of NPCs transplanted into the hippocampus of aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide injured rats. Congo Red plaques, Fluro-jade B positive degenerating neurons and neuronal loss were observed in the Aβ-injured hippocampus of rats, accompanied with significant increases in escape latency and decrease in the ratio of exploratory time in a Morris water maze test. EGFP-expressing mouse ES cells were induced into Nestin-positive NPCs before transplantation into the Aβ-injured hippocampus. A marked decrease in escape latency and exploratory time were observed at least 16 weeks after transplantation compared to Aβ-injured animals without grafts. Grafted EGFP-expressing NPCs spread away from the injection tract and about 12.01±0.67% and 9.41±0.78% of NPCs differentiated into, respectively, GFAP- and NF200-positive cells 4W after transplantation. These ratios gradually increased to 40.25±0.57% and 19.35±0.84% by 16W. The restoration of hippocampal function by ESCs suggests that cell transplantation may be the effective choice to improve the cognitive function caused by Aβ injured. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The regular wave attenuation in following and opposing currents due to rigid, emergent vegetation has been studied by physical and numerical simulation in this study. Firstly, laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of currents on wave attenuation due to vegetation. Then, to overcome the limitation of the experimental conditions, a numerical model, based on the Boussinesq equations and validated by the experimental results, was applied to further investigate the effects of current velocity, vegetation density and water depth on wave attenuation due to vegetation in currents with larger α (the ratio of current velocity to the amplitude of the horizontal wave orbital velocity) range. The results show that both following and opposing currents can enhance or suppress wave attenuation due to vegetation depending on α. For the studied vegetation densities and water depths, the effect of wave attenuation due to vegetation in currents first decreases and then increases with the increase of α. Moreover, wave attenuation due to vegetation in currents is increased with the increase of vegetation density and decreased with the increase of water depth, and both of them have no influence on the relationship between relative wave height decay and α. • Wave attenuation in following and opposing currents due to rigid vegetation. • Influences of current direction and velocity on wave attenuation due to vegetation. • Influences of vegetation density and water depth on wave attenuation by vegetation in currents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The microscopic mechanisms of inhibit plutonium hydriding with different oxide overlayers were revealed. • The PuO 2 inhibits plutonium hydriding mainly due to the formation of hydroxyl groups. • The α-Pu 2 O 3 could inhibit plutonium hydriding at low hydrogen concentration conditions. • Plutonium hydriding could not be effectively resisted with α-Pu 2 O 3 when hydrogen concentration is high. The hydriding corrosion of metallic plutonium (Pu) is a crucial issue for its actual applications. The current work performs systematic ab initio molecular dynamics calculations to reveal the microscopic mechanism of Pu oxides over metallic Pu in resisting hydriding reaction. The results show that Pu hydriding is inhibited by PuO 2 because hydrogen atoms are captured by lattice oxygen to form hydroxyl groups. In α-Pu 2 O 3 the hydrogen attack could be prevented when hydrogen concentration is low because oxygen vacancy acts as a trap for hydrogen migration. Whereas, when the hydrogen concentration is high enough the hydriding corrosion could not be effectively resisted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferrous ion was added to the culture solution, followed by the introduction of tetracyclines (TCs), to explore the effect of iron plaque (IP) on the uptake and translocation of TCs by water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic Forsk.). The adsorption amount of TCs on the root surface positively correlated with the amount of IP, except for doxycycline and minocycline. The bioconcentration factor of TCs in roots increased and fitted well with the amount of IP. The concentration of TCs in acrial tissues was three to four orders of magnitude lower than that in roots, and the translocation factor of TCs also fitted well with the amount of IP in a negative linear relationship. Furthermore, IP significantly influenced the metabolism of TCs in water spinach. The accumulation of TC metabolites increased with the increment of IP in roots rather than in acrial tissues, which showed the significance of IP in the metabolism and accumulation of TCs in aquatic plants. Therefore, the metabolism of TCs should not be ignored if IP is induced on the root surface, and the distribution of metabolites should be taken into consideration for the risk assessment and antibiotic pollution control for aquatic plants. [Display omitted] • IP significantly increased TCs accumulation in the roots of water spinach. • The translocation factors of TCs negatively correlated with the amounts of IP. • Metabolites in roots increased with the amounts of IP rather than in acrial tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deposition, distribution and metabolism of chlorothalonil in cabbage under various application environments were elucidated. • Chlorothalonil underwent reductive dechlorination metabolism in cabbage. • Long-term or short-term dietary exposure to the first layer of cabbage leaves pose human health risks. Chlorothalonil is a fungicide commonly used to prevent and control leafy vegetable diseases. The residual distribution of chlorothalonil on cabbage is unclear and rarely reported. The spatiotemporal distribution of chlorothalonil was used to understand its environmental behavior in cabbage. The results of open-field experiments demonstrated that chlorothalonil was distributed primarily on the second and third layers of rosette leaves and the first layer of bulb leaves. The chlorothalonil residues on cabbage followed the order of winter > fall > summer, and heading stage > rosette stage > seedling stage. Chlorothalonil on cabbage underwent −OH substitution forming 4-hydroxychlorothalonil, and reductive dechlorination forming 2,4,5-trichloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile, 2,5-dichloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile, and 5-chloro-1,3-isophthalonitrile. The residues of chlorothalonil in the outermost leaves of cabbage bulb pose an unacceptable risk to human health via dietary exposure. This study contributes to better understanding on the fate and transformation chlorothalonil in cabbage and potential risks to human health via dietary consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) acts as an essential adaptor in host RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) mediated antiviral signaling pathway. In the present study, two MAVS transcript variants, the typical form and a splicing variant, namely Lc-MAVS_tv1 and Lc-MAVS_tv2 were characterized in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea). The putative Lc -MAVS_tv1 protein contains 512 aa, with an N-terminal CARD domain, a central proline-rich region, and a C-terminal transmembrane (TM) domain, whereas Lc -MAVS_tv2 contains 302 aa and lacks the C-terminal TM domain due to a premature stop in the 102 bp intron fragment insertion. Lc -MAVS_tv1 was identified as a mitochondrion localized protein whereas Lc -MAVS_tv2 exhibited an entire cytosolic distribution. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that Lc-MAVS_tv1 mRNA was broadly expressed in examined organs/tissues and showed extremely higher level than that of Lc-MAVS_tv2 , and both of them could be up-regulated under poly I:C, LPS, PGN, and Pseudomonas plecoglossicida stimulation in vivo. Interestingly, overexpression of Lc -MAVS_tv2 could induce the activation of NF-κB but not IRF3, and Lc -MAVS_tv2 co-transfected with Lc -MAVS_tv1 induced a significantly higher level of NF-κB and IRF3 promoter activity. In addition, Lc -MAVS_tv2 overexpression could enhance TRAF3 and TRAF6 mediated NF-κB activation, but suppress TRAF3 and TRAF6 mediated IRF3 activation, implying that the splicing variant Lc -MAVS_tv2 may function as an important regulator in MAVS mediated signaling pathway. • A novel MAVS splicing variant Lc -MAVS_tv2 was characterized. • Lc-MAVS_tv1 and Lc-MAVS_tv2 can be induced by both viral and bacterial PAMPs. • Lc -MAVS_tv2 induces NF-κB but not IRF3 activation. • Lc -MAVS_tv2 enhances TRAF3 and TRAF6 mediated NF-κB activation. • Lc -MAVS_tv2 suppresses TRAF3 and TRAF6 mediated IRF3 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]