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Background Epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism and glaucoma susceptibility. However, the published data are still inconclusive. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of APOE gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism on glaucoma risk by using meta-analysis. Methods A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Elsevier Science Direct and CNKI databases was conducted to identify relevant articles, with the last report up to January 5, 2014. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the strength of association by using the fixed or random effect model. Results Fifteen separate studies including 2,700 cases and 2,365 controls were included in the metaanalysis. We did not detect a significant association between APOE gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism and glaucoma in overall population (P > 0.0083). In Asians, we detected an association of the ε4ε4 genotype with elevated risk for glaucoma (OR = 5.22, 95%CI = 1.85- 14.68, P = 0.002), mainly for primary open angle glaucoma (OR = 4.98, 95%CI = 1.75- 14.20, P = 0.003). Conclusions The meta-analysis suggests that APOE gene ε4ε4 may be associated with elevated risk for primary open angle glaucoma in Asians. However, more epidemiologic studies based on larger sample size, case-control design and stratified by ethnicity as well as types of glaucoma are suggested to further clarify the relationship between APOE gene ε2/ε3/ε4 polymorphism and genetic predisposition to glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let H = (HL,HR, S) be a Hopf algebroid, and A a left HL-module algebra. This paper is concerned with the smash product algebra A#H over Hopf algebroids. In this paper, we investigate separable extensions for module algebras over Hopf algebroids. As an application, we obtain a Maschke-type theorem for A#//-modules over Hopf algebroids, which generalizes the corresponding result given by Cohen and Fischman in [Hopf algebra actions, J. Algebra 100 (1986) 363-379]. Furthermore, based on the work of Kadison and Szlachányi in [Bialgebroid actions on depth two extensions and duality, Adv. Math. 179 (2003) 75-121], we construct a Morita context connecting ??? and A7 the invariant subalgebra of 'Hi on A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable-mass systems become more and more important with the explosive development of micro- and nanotechnologies, and it is crucial to evaluate the influence of mass distur-bances on system random responses. This manuscript generalizes the stochastic averag-ing technique from quasi-integrable Hamiltonian systems to stochastic variable-mass systems. The Hamiltonian equations for variable-mass systems are firstly derived in classi-cal mechanics formulation and are approximately replaced by the associated conservative Hamiltonian equations with disturbances in each equation. The averaged ltd equations with respect to the integrals of motion as slowly variable processes are derived through the stochastic averaging technique. Solving the associated Fokker-Plank-Kolmogorov equa-tion yields the joint probability densities of the integrals of motion. A representative variable-mass oscillator is worked out to demonstrate the application and effectiveness of the generalized stochastic averaging technique; also, the sensitivity of random responses to pivotal system parameters is illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region are rising as a consequence of the U.S. "pivot" to Asia and China's increasingly assertive foreign policy. Other states in the region must try to reconcile potentially conflicting economic and strategic imperatives as a consequence. Australia illustrates these dilemmas. We ask what role regional institutions can play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic β-cell dysfunction is a common feature of type 2 diabetes. Earlier, we had cloned IG20 cDNA from a human insulinoma and had shown that IG20/MADD can encode six different splice isoforms that are differentially expressed and have unique functions, but its role in β-cell function was unexplored. To investigate the role of IG20/MADD in β-cell function, we generated conditional knockout (KMA1ko) mice. Deletion of IG20/MADD in β-cells resulted in hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance associated with reduced and delayed glucose-induced insulin production. KMA1ko β-cells were able to process insulin normally but had increased insulin accumulation and showed a severe defect in glucose-induced insulin release. These findings indicated that IG20/MADD plays a critical role in glucose-induced insulin release from β-cells and that its functional disruption can cause type 2 diabetes. The clinical relevance of these findings is highlighted by recent reports of very strong association of the rs7944584 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IG20/MADD with fasting hyperglycemia/diabetes. Thus, IG20/MADD could be a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes, particularly in those with the rs7944584 SNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of iron trichloride (FeCl3) on chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) film is investigated in this paper. The polishing rate of GST increases from 38 nm/min to 144 nm/min when the FeCl3 concentration changes from 0.01 wt% to 0.15 wt%, which is much faster than 20 nm/min for the 1 wt% H2O2-based slurry. This polishing rate trends are inversely correlated with the contact angle data of FeCl3-based slurry on the GST film surface. Thus, it is hypothesized that the hydrophilicity of the GST film surface is associated with the polishing rate during CMP. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and optical microscope (OM) are used to characterize the surface quality after CMP. The chemical mechanism is studied by potentiodynamic measurements such as Ecorr and Icorr to analyze chemical reaction between FeCl3 and GST surface. Finally, it is verified that slurry with FeCl3 has no influence on the electrical property of the post-CMP GST film by the resistivity–temperature (RT) tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the selectivity of deprotonation of 5,5'-bistrimethylsilyl-2,3'-bithiophene (4) in the presence of n-BuLi, three new cyclooctatetrathiophenes (COThs), COTh-1, COTh-2, and COTh-3 have been efficiently developed via intermolecular or intramolecular cyclizations. Their crystal structures clearly show that the different connectivity sequence of the thiophene rings in the molecules. The CV data and UV-vis absorbance spectra of COThs are also described. In addition, the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations accurately reproduce experimental observations and afford band assignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance low-leakage-current AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on silicon (111) substrates grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with a novel partially Magnesium (Mg)-doped GaN buffer scheme have been fabricated successfully. The growth and DC results were compared between Mg-doped GaN buffer layer and a unintentionally one. A 1-μm gate-length transistor with Mg-doped buffer layer exhibited an OFF-state drain leakage current of 8.3 × 10−8 A/mm, to our best knowledge, which is the lowest value reported for MOCVD-grown AlGaN/GaN HEMTs on Si featuring the same dimension and structure. The RF characteristics of 0.25-μm gate length T-shaped gate HEMTs were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many experimental investigations on the temperature dependence of the refractive index of optical fibers have been reported previously, however a satisfying theoretical explanation for it is still absent. In this paper, a theoretical model about the temperature dependence of the refractive index of optical fibers is presented and it is in agreement with the previous experimental results. This work is a significant reference for the research and development of temperature sensors based on optical fiber delay lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oblique propagation of ion-acoustic soliton-cnoidal waves in a magnetized electron-positron-ion plasma with superthermal electrons is studied. Linear dispersion relations of the fast and slow ion-acoustic modes are discussed under the weak and strong magnetic field situations. By means of the reductive perturbation approach, Korteweg-de Vries equations governing ion-acoustic waves of fast and slow modes are derived, respectively. Explicit interacting soliton-cnoidal wave solutions are obtained by the generalized truncated Painlevé expansion. It is found that every peak of a cnoidal wave elastically interacts with a usual soliton except for some phase shifts. The influence of the electron superthermality, positron concentration, and magnetic field obliqueness on the soliton-cnoidal wave are investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by recent development in time-resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (trARPES) for d-wave superconductors, we analyze the nonequilibrium relaxation dynamics of the laser pulse excited sample within the scenario of a two-temperature model. The main features reported in the trARPES technique may be understood within this phenomenological picture. The momentum dependencies of the excited quasiparticle density and the relaxation rate are associated with the dynamics of the nodal d-wave superconducting gap, and the fluence dependence of the relaxation rate is related to the recombination process of quasiparticles into Cooper pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is one of the most economically important vegetables worldwide, but genetic and genomic resources supporting celery molecular breeding are quite limited, thus few studies on celery have been conducted so far. In this study we made use of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers generated from previous celery transcriptome sequencing and attempted to detect the genetic diversity and relationships of commonly used celery accessions and explore the efficiency of the primers used for cultivars identification. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of Apium graveolens L. var. dulce showed that approximately 43% of genetic diversity was within accessions, 45% among accessions, and 22% among horticultural types. The neighbor-joining tree generated by unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), and population structure analysis, as well as principal components analysis (PCA), separated the cultivars into clusters corresponding to the geographical areas where they originated. Genetic distance analysis suggested that genetic variation within Apium graveolens was quite limited. Genotypic diversity showed any combinations of 55 genic SSRs were able to distinguish the genotypes of all 30 accessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using microscopic and molecular techniques combined with computational analysis, this study examined the structure and composition of microbial communities in biofilms that formed on different artificial substrates in a brine pool and on a seep vent of a cold seep in the Red Sea to test our hypothesis that initiation of the biofilm formation and spreading mode of microbial structures differs between the cold seep and the other aquatic environments. Biofilms on different substrates at two deployment sites differed morphologically, with the vent biofilms having higher microbial abundance and better structural features than the pool biofilms. Microbes in the pool biofilms were more taxonomically diverse and mainly composed of various sulfate-reducing bacteria whereas the vent biofilms were exclusively dominated by sulfur-oxidizing Thiomicrospira. These results suggest that the redox environments at the deployment sites might have exerted a strong selection on microbes in the biofilms at two sites whereas the types of substrates had limited effects on the biofilm development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camera sensor networks have developed as a new technology for the wide-area video surveillance. In view of the limited power and computational capability of the camera nodes, the paper presents an abnormal behavior detection approach which is convenient and available for camera sensor networks. Trajectory analysis and anomaly modeling are carried out by single-node processing, whereas anomaly detection is performed by multinode voting. The main contributions of the proposed method are summarized as follows. First, target trajectories are reconstructed and represented as symbol sequences. Second, the sequences are taken into account using Markov model for building the transition probability matrix which can be used to automatically analyze abnormal behavior. Third, the final decision of anomaly detection is made through the majority voting of local results of individual camera nodes. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively estimate typical abnormal behaviors in real scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins comprise a large superfamily of transcription factors, which are involved in the regulation of various developmental processes. bHLH family members are widely distributed in various eukaryotes including yeast, fruit fly, zebrafish, mouse, and human. In this study, we identified 55 bHLH motifs encoded in genome sequence of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus corporis (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae). Phylogenetic analyses of the identified P. humanus corporis bHLH (PhcbHLH) motifs revealed that there are 23, 11, 9, 1, 10, and 1 member(s) in groups A, B, C, D, E, and F, respectively. Examination to GenBank annotations of the 55 PhcbHLH members indicated that 29 PhcbHLH proteins were annotated in consistence with our analytical result, 8 were annotated different with our analytical result, 12 were merely annotated as hypothetical protein, and the rest 6 were not deposited in GenBank. A comparison on insect bHLH gene composition revealed that human body louse possibly has more hairy and E(spl) genes than other insect species. Because hairy and E(spl) genes have been found to negatively regulate the differentiation of insect preneural cells, it is suggested that the existence of additional hairy and E(spl) genes in human body louse is probably the consequence of its long period adaptation to the relatively dark and stable environment. These data provide good references for further studies on regulatory functions of bHLH proteins in the growth and development of human body louse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A new hand vein recognition algorithm based on reference point is proposed. [•] The reference point are extracted from intersection points and endpoints. [•] The distances between the reference point to the feature points are used as recognition features. [•] The angles between the adjacent connections are used as recognition features. [•] Experiments show that the algorithm is able to overcome the influence caused by image rotation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper obtains the Lipschitz and BMO norm estimates for the composite operator 필s º P applied to differential forms. Here, 필s is the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator, and P is the potential operator. As applications, we obtain the norm estimates for the Jacobian sub determinant and the generalized solution of the quasilinear elliptic equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming, which is representatively caused by CO2-based greenhouse gases, has caused widespread concern in the global scientific community and gets the high attention of each government in the world. Human activities impact climate change through greenhouse gas emissions and land use changes. The current study on the impact of urbanization on the annual average temperature of the recent 60 years in Beijing was conducted using 1951-2012 temperature data. Anomaly analysis, quadratic polynomial trend method, and moving average method were employed to indicate the temporal variation of temperature. The results showed that average temperature increased both in urban and rural areas. The temperature of urban Beijing increased during the period from 1951 to 2012, especially from 1971 to 1994. The temperature of rural Beijing showed a faster increase than that of the urban area from 1989 to 1998. However, the rate of temperature increase slowed down in recent years. This type of change was temporally consistent with the process of land use change and urbanization in Beijing. Economic restructuring and improvement of urban planning may have been one of the reasons that the regional warming has been slowed down in the rural area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a joint pricing and purchasing problem for the dual-channel newsvendor model with the assumption that only the mean and variance of the demand are known. The newsvendor in our model simultaneously distributes a single product through traditional retail and Internet. A robust optimization approach that maximizes the worst-case profit is adapted under the aforementioned conditions to model demand uncertainty and linear clearing functions that characterize the relationship between demand and prices. We obtain a close-formexpression for the robust optimal policy. Illustrative simulations and numerical experiments show the effects of several parameters on the optimal policy and on newsvendor performance. Finally, we determine that the gap between newsvendor performance under demand certainty and uncertainty is minimal, which shows that the robust approach can significantly improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a general second-order m-point boundary value problems for nonlinear singular impulsive dynamic equations on time scales uΔ▿ (t) + a(t)u Δ (t) + a(t)u(t) + b(t)f(t, u(t)) = 0, t ≠ (0, 1), t ≠ t k , u Δ (t + k ) = u Δ (t k ) - I k (u(t k )), and k = 1, 2, . . . , n, u(u(0)) = 0, u(σ(1)) = ∑m-2 i=1 αn, u(p(ηi)). The existence and uniqueness of positive solutions are established by using the mixed monotone fixed point theorem on cone and Krasnosel'skii fixed point theorem. In this paper, the function items may be singular in its dependent variable. We present examples to illustrate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that some zooplankton can be harvested for food in some bodies of water, a phytoplankton-zooplankton model with continuous harvesting of zooplankton only is proposed and investigated. By using environmental carrying capacity as a parameter, possible dynamic behaviors, such as stability, global stability, Hopf bifurcation, and transcritical bifurcations, are analyzed. The optimal harvesting policy is disposed by imposing a tax per unit biomass of zooplankton. The problem of determining the optimal harvest policy is solved by using Pontryagin's maximum principle subject to the state equations and the control constraints, and the impact of tax is also discussed. Finally, some numerical simulations are performed to justify analytical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given current fast-changing market conditions and difficulty in obtaining financing for small- and medium-sized enterprises, this paper studies the robust inventory financing model under partial information, that is, where the demand distribution is partly known. Two demand information cases are discussed: (1) the mean and variance and (2) the support of the demand distribution. In this setting, the robust method that maximizes the worst-case profit and minimizes the firm's maximum possible regret of not acting optimally would be used to formulate the optimal sales quantity. We show that the approach used in this paper is tractable, and we provide an explicit expression for the robust optimal policy. We then use numerical examples to compare the firm's losses under two demand information cases with those occurring under demand certainty. More importantly, the numerical examples indicate that our robust inventory financing model can obtain a robust but not conservative solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) imaging parameters, clinicopathological features of rectal carcinoma, assess their potential as new radiological prognostic predictors. A total of 66 rectal carcinoma patients were analyzed with the time-intensity curve of CEUS. The parameter arrival time (AT), time to peak enhancement (TTP), wash-in time (WIT), enhanced intensity (EI), ascending slope (AS) were measured. Microvessel density (MVD) was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of surgical specimens. All findings were analysed prospectively, correlated with tumor staging, histological grading, MVD. The mean values of AT, TTP, WIT, EI, AS value of the rectal carcinoma were 10.84±3.28 s, 20.61±5.52 s, 9.78±2.83 s, 28.68±4.67 dB, 3.20±1.10, respectively. A positive linear correlation was found between the EI, MVD in rectal carcinoma (r = 0.295, r = 0.016), there was a significant difference for EI among histological grading (r = -0.264, r = 0.007). EI decreased as T stage increased with a trend of association noted (r = 0.096). EI of contrast enhanced endorectal ultrasonography provides noninvasive biomarker of tumor angiogenesis in rectal cancer. CEUS data have the potential to predict patient prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms are two or more malignancies in an individual without any relationship between the tumors. Multiple primary malignancies are relatively rare but have increased in recent decades. Two cancers are commonly observed among those with multiple primarymalignancies, but two malignancies of stomach and liver are relatively rare to be reported. Mechanisms of the tumors were unclear; we described a patient who had stomach carcinoma presenting with a synchronous liver cancer and investigated his family history; we suggest that family history may be a key risk factor and early detection for additional primary malignancies should be needed for patients who had specific cancer history in their pedigree. Early diagnosis may be the key risk factor affecting prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear BKP and GKP equations with the modified direct CK's method. Then, we get its Lie point groups and the full symmetry group, and a relationship is constructed between the newsolutions and the old one. Based on the relationship, the new solutions can be obtained by using a given solution of the equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase the driving range and improve the overall performance of all-electric vehicles, a new dual-motor hybrid driving system with two power sources was proposed. This system achieved torque-speed coupling between the two power sources and greatly improved the high performance working range of the motors; at the same time, continuously variable transmission (CVT) was achieved to efficiently increase the driving range. The power system parameters were determined using the "global optimization method"; thus, the vehicle's dynamics and economy were used as the optimization indexes. Based on preliminary matches, quantum genetic algorithm was introduced to optimize the matching in the dual-motor hybrid power system. Backward simulation was performed on the combined simulation platform of Matlab/Simulink and AVL-Cruise to optimize, simulate, and verify the system parameters of the transmission system. Results showed that quantum genetic algorithms exhibited good global optimization capability and convergence in dealing with multiobjective and multiparameter optimization. The dual-motor hybrid-driving system for electric cars satisfied the dynamic performance and economy requirements of design, efficiently increasing the driving range of the car, having high performance, and reducing energy consumption of 15.6% compared with the conventional electric vehicle with single-speed reducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Einstein multiply warped products with a semisymmetric metric connection and the multiply warped products with a semisymmetric metric connection with constant scalar curvature, and we apply our results to generalized Robertson-Walker space-times with a semisymmetric metric connection and generalized Kasner space-times with a semisymmetric metric connection and find some new examples of Einstein manifolds with a semisymmetric metric connection and manifolds with constant scalar curvature with a semisymmetric metric connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a class of variational integrals whose Euler equations are nonhomogeneous 퓐-harmonic equations. We investigate the relationship between the minimization problem and the Euler equation and give a simple proof of the existence of some nonhomogeneous 퓐-harmonic equations by applying direct methods of the calculus of variations. Besides, we establish some interesting results on variational integrals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove a Kastler-Kalau-Walze type theorem for perturbations of Dirac operators on compact manifolds with or without boundary. As a corollary, we give two kinds of operator-theoretic explanations of the gravitational action on boundary. We also compute the spectral action for Dirac operators with two-form perturbations on 4-dimensional compact manifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We give a brute-force proof of the Kastler-Kalau-Walze type theorem for 7-dimensional manifolds with boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe2O3 nanosheets and nanoparticles are grown on graphene by simply varying reaction solvents in a facile solvothermal/hydrothermal preparation. Fe2O3 nanosheets are uniformly dispersed among graphene nanosheets, forming a unique sheet-on-sheet nanostructure. Due to the structure affinity between two types of two dimensional nanostructures, graphene nanosheets are separated better by Fe2O3 nanosheets compared to nanoparticles and their agglomeration is largely prevented. Alarge surface area of 173.9 m2 g-1 is observed for Fe2O3-graphene sheet-on-sheet composite, which is more than two times as large as that of Fe2O3-graphene particle-on-sheet composite (81.5 m2 g-1). The sheet-on-sheet composite is found to be better suitable as an anode for Li-ion battery. A high reversible capacity of 662.4 mAh g-1 can be observed after 100 cycles at 1000 mA g-1. The substantially improved cycling performance is ascribed to the unique structure affinity between Fe2O3 nanosheets and graphene nanosheets, thus offering complementary property improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and regioselective method to multisubstituted quinoline and quinazoline derivatives with diaryliodoniurn salts catalyzed by Cu(OTf)2 has been presented. The reaction proceeded via cascade annulation in the mode of [2+2+2] form. This novel strategy enables use of readily available materials and bears great flexibility on the substitution groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflections on hegemonic power have shaped the contemporary field of international political economy (IPE) within China. Shifts in the thinking of Chinese scholars correlate with China's own changing role and location in a system still most profoundly influenced by the United States. But real and perceived changes in America's position have also influenced the way in which Chinese IPE scholars are now reconceptualizing the nature of global authority and the international position of China. In one generation, the mainstream of China's IPE scholarship has moved away from its rigid Marxist origins and converged in substantial part with Anglo-American ideological traditions, now prominently including liberal institutionalism. Nevertheless, scholarship informed by other traditions, including a re-imagined Confucianism, flourishes. Major policy-changing events clearly affect the work of Chinese IPE scholars, a phenomenon hardly unknown elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marine organisms in intertidal zones are subjected to periodical fluctuations and wave activities. To understand how microbes in intertidal biofilms adapt to the stresses, the microbial metagenomes of biofilms from intertidal and subtidal zones were compared. The genes responsible for resistance to metal ion and oxidative stresses were enriched in both 6-day and 12-day intertidal biofilms, including genes associated with secondary metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, signal transduction and extracellular polymeric substance metabolism. In addition, these genes were more enriched in 12-day than 6-day intertidal biofilms. We hypothesize that a complex signaling network is used for stress tolerance and propose a model illustrating the relationships between these functions and environmental metal ion concentrations and oxidative stresses. These findings show that bacteria use diverse mechanisms to adapt to intertidal zones and indicate that the community structures of intertidal biofilms are modulated by metal ion and oxidative stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of ketone-stabilized phosphonium ylides were allylated with high regioselectivity by primary allylic amines in the presence of 5 mol % Pd(PPh3)4 and 10 mol % B(OH)3, and subsequent one-pot Wittig olefination gave structurally diverse a,ß-unsaturated ketones in good to excellent overall yields with excellent E selectivity. The one-pot allylation/olefination reaction was extended to ester- and nitrile-stabilized phosphonium ylides by replacing B(OH)3 with TsOH, and the corresponding a,ß-unsaturated esters and nitriles were obtained in moderate overall yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric polar displacements have recently been observed in conducting electron-doped BaTiO3 (n-BTO). The coexistence of a ferroelectric phase and conductivity opens the door to new functionalities that may provide a unique route for novel device applications. Using first-principles methods and electrostatic modeling, we explore the effect that the switchable polarization of n-BTO has on the electronic properties of the SrRuO3/n-BTO (001) interface. Ferroelectric polarization controls the accumulation or depletion of electron charge at the interface, and the associated bending of the n-BTO conduction band determines the transport regime across the interface. The interface exhibits a Schottky tunnel barrier for one polarization orientation, whereas an Ohmic contact is present for the opposite polarization orientation, leading to a large change in interface resistance associated with polarization reversal. Our calculations reveal a five orders of magnitude change in the interface resistance because of polarization switching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. Locus-specific DNA methylation can be used as biomarkers in various diseases including cancer. Many methods have been developed for genome-wide methylation analysis, but molecular diagnotics needs simple tools to determine methylation states at individual CpG sites in a gene fragment. In this report, we utilized the nanopore single-molecule sensor to investigate a base-pair specific metal ion/nucleic acids interaction, and explored its potential application in locus-specific DNA methylation analysis. We identified that divalent Mercury ion (Hg2+) can selectively bind a uracil-thymine mismatch (U-T) in a dsDNA. The Hg21 binding creates a reversible interstrand lock, called MercuLock, which enhances the hybridization strength by two orders of magnitude. Such MercuLock cannot be formed in a 5-methylcytosine-thymine mismatch (mC-T). By nanopore detection of dsDNA stability, single bases of uracil and 5-methylcytosine can be distinguished. Since uracil is converted from cytosine by bisulfite treatment, cytosine and 5'-methylcytosine can be discriminated. We have demonstrated the methylation analysis of multiple CpGs in a p16 gene CpG island. This single-molecule assay may have potential in detection of epigenetic cancer biomarkers in biofluids, with an ultimate goal for early diagnosis of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, explicitly considering the influences of an epidemic outbreak on human travel, a time-varying human mobility pattern is introduced to model the time variation of global human travel. The impacts of the pattern on epidemic dynamics in heterogeneous metapopulation networks, wherein each node represents a subpopulation with any number of individuals, are investigated by using a mean-field approach. The results show that the pattern does not alter the epidemic threshold, but can slightly lower the final average density of infected individuals as a whole. More importantly, we also find that the pattern produces different impacts on nodes with different degree, and that there exists a critical degree . For nodes with degree smaller than , the pattern produces a positive impact on epidemic mitigation; conversely, for nodes with degree larger than , the pattern produces a negative impact on epidemic mitigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hydrogen peroxide interference on chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurement has been a big problem in the application of the Fenton process. However, there is no simple and effective method available to address this problem, although several methods have been reported in the literature. In this study, a new method has been developed based on Na2SO3 reduction and O2 oxidation, which has easy operation and short time requirement. Na2SO3 reduction was used to remove H2O2 in water samples, which was independent of pH in the investigated range of 2.50-11.95. Residual Na2SO3 was removed by subsequent O2 oxidation, and effects of initial solution pH, ferric ion dosage, and stirring speed were explored. Solution pH below 3.0 and stirring speed of 700 rev min-1 could ensure a sufficiently high oxidation rate for Na2SO3 with ferric ion higher than 0.469 mM. This new method was proven to be effective in the matrix of Fenton treating real landfill leachate. Meanwhile, the procedure for this method in other applications was proposed in detail. To the best of our knowledge, this newly developed method is the most simple and effective way to avoid H2O2 interference on COD analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the prediction value of preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), by comparing pathological characteristics, recurrence rate and survival rate after hepatectomy. Methods: 108 cases of HCC patients who received liver resection in our hospital from 2005 to 2011 were enrolled in this study. According to preoperative serum AFP level, the patients were divided into AFP ⩽ 20 ng/mL group, AFP 20 to 400 ng/mL group and AFP > 400 ng/mL group, and the clinicopathological and cytopathological features were compared. All the patients were followed up for 24 months, the postoperative recurrence rates and survival rates were compared and analyzed, and the risk factors for HCC postoperative survival rate were studied by multifactor regression analysis. Results: Of the 108 cases of HCC patients, there were 42 cases in AFP ⩽20 ng/mL group, 28 cases in AFP 20-400 ng/mL group and 39 cases in AFP > 400 ng/mL group. It was shown that cell differentiation degrees (X2 = 20.198, P = 0.000) and microvascular invasion rates (X2 = 20.358, P = 0.000) were significantly different among the three groups. The AFP ⩽ 20 ng/mL group showed higher cell differentiation degrees and significantly lower microvascular invasion rates compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). The follow-up data showed that postoperative 2-year recurrence rate (X2 = 6.164, P = 0.046), 18-month survival rate (X2 = 7.647, P = 0.022) and 24-month survival rate (X2 = 6.725, P = 0.035) of the three groups were significantly different, and we found that the AFP ⩽ 20 ng/mL group had lower postoperative 2-year recurrence rate, and higher 18-month survival rate and 24-month survival rate than the other two groups (P <0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that tumor diameter (⩾ 5 cm) and preoperative serum AFP level (> 400 ng/mL) were closely correlated with HCC postoperative survival rate (P <0.05). Conclusions: It is shown that preoperative serum AFP level has considerable predictive value for the malignant feature and prognosis of HCC. It is suggested that HCC patients with no contraindication of operation and serum AFP ⩽ 20 ng/mL can benefit most from primary treatment of hepatectomy. While HCC patients with serum AFP higher than 20 ng/mL need comprehensive therapy besides surgical resection and close follow up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of cations with different valences on the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of silicon dioxide films. The removal rate and surface roughness of the silicon-dioxide-film post-CMP are checked for the silica-based slurry with different cation salts (NaCl, CaCl2, AlCl3). Meanwhile, the particle size and size distribution of the slurries are characterized to test their lifetimes. The result shows that the three kinds of salts can improve the polishing removal rate from around 20 nm/min to 120 nm/min without affecting the surface roughness when the polishing slurry is stable. With increasing valence of cations, the polishing slurry requires less cation concentration to be added to improve the removal rate, while keeping a superior surface topography and maintaining a longer lifetime as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change of bond dissociation energy (?BDE) in the C-NO2 bond upon the formation of the intermolecular hydrogen-bonding or molecule-cation interaction between the nitro group of seven kinds of nitro-1,2,4-triazoles and HF or Na+ was investigated using the B3LYP and MP2(full) methods with the 6-311++G**, 6-311++G(2df, 2p) and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The C-NO2 bond strength was enhanced and the charge of nitro group turned more negative in complex in comparison with those in isolated nitro-1,2,4-triazole molecule. The increment of the C-NO2 BDEs correlated well with the H-bonding interaction energy or molecule-cation interaction energy. The analysis of AIM, NBO and electron density shifts showed that the electron density shifted toward the C-NO2 bond upon complex formation, leading to the strengthened C-NO2 bond and the possibly reduced explosive sensitivity. The ?BDE of the C-NO2 bond in the Na+ complex is far larger greater than that in the corresponding HF system. Thus, introducing cation into the structure of the nitrotriazole might be more efficacious to reduce explosive sensitivity than the formation of the intermolecular hydrogen-bonded complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men or mice with homozygous serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33) mutations are sterile owing to defective sperm morphology and motility. To chemically evaluate STK33 for male contraception with STK33-specific inhibitors, we screened our multibillion-compound collection of DNA-encoded chemical libraries, uncovered potent STK33-specific inhibitors, determined the STK33 kinase domain structure bound with a truncated hit CDD-2211, and generated an optimized hit CDD-2807 that demonstrates nanomolar cellular potency (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 9.2 nanomolar) and favorable metabolic stability. In mice, CDD-2807 exhibited no toxicity, efficiently crossed the blood-testis barrier, did not accumulate in brain, and induced a reversible contraceptive effect that phenocopied genetic STK33 perturbations without altering testis size. Thus, STK33 is a chemically validated, nonhormonal contraceptive target, and CDD-2807 is an effective tool compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) are responsible for membrane remodeling in many cellular processes, such as multivesicular body biogenesis, viral budding, and cytokinetic abscission. ESCRT-III, the most abundant ESCRT subunit, assembles into flat spirals as the primed state, essential to initiate membrane invagination. However, the three-dimensional architecture of ESCRT-III flat spirals remained vague for decades due to highly curved filaments with a small diameter and a single preferred orientation on the membrane. Here, we unveiled that yeast Snf7, a component of ESCRT-III, forms flat spirals on the lipid monolayers using cryogenic electron microscopy. We developed a geometry-constrained Euler angle--assigned reconstruction strategy and obtained moderate-resolution structures of Snf7 flat spirals with varying curvatures. Our analyses showed that Snf7 subunits recline on the membrane with N-terminal motifs α0 as anchors, adopt an open state with fused α2/3 helices, and bend α2/3 gradually from the outer to inner parts of flat spirals. In all, we provide the orientation and conformations of ESCRT-III flat spirals on the membrane and unveil the underlying assembly mechanism, which will serve as the initial step in understanding how ESCRTs drive membrane abscission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants often adapt to adverse or stress conditions via differential growth. The trans-Golgi network (TGN) has been implicated in stress responses, but it is not clear in what capacity it mediates adaptive growth decisions. In this study, we assess the role of the TGN in stress responses by exploring the previously identified interactome of the Transport Protein Particle II (TRAPPII) complex required for TGN structure and function. We identified physical and genetic interactions between AtTRAPPII and shaggy-like kinases (GSK3/AtSKs) and provided in vitro and in vivo evidence that the TRAPPII phosphostatus mediates adaptive responses to abiotic cues. AtSKs are multifunctional kinases that integrate a broad range of signals. Similarly, the AtTRAPPII interactome is vast and considerably enriched in signaling components. An AtSK-TRAPPII interaction would integrate all levels of cellular organization and instruct the TGN, a central and highly discriminate cellular hub, as to how to mobilize and allocate resources to optimize growth and survival under limiting or adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A miniaturized, low-cost, 4-channel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system for real-time remote monitoring is presented in this paper. A superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED) as the broadband light source combined with an interrogation module and an optical switch is applied in the system. The moving average method is employed to remove noise effects, and then Gaussian fitting method is used to realize the interrogation of FBG central wavelength with high precision. On software design, the WebSocket network protocol is introduced to establish communication between data processing core and webpages to achieve cross-platform remote access through the browser without user's software installation. The proposed interrogation system not only displays the reflected spectrum and demodulated central wavelength in real time on the webpage, but also realizes the data storage and channel switch remotely. The interrogator for remote monitoring of FBG sensors proposed in this paper has been proved experimentally with the interrogation resolution 0.1 pm, the precision of 5 pm for the FBG central wavelength, interrogation stability up to ± 1.1 pm, and interrogation frequency of 4 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identified 3 atypical Shigella flexneri varieties in China, including 92 strains with multidrug resistance, distinct pulse types, and a novel sequence type. Atypical varieties were prevalent mainly in developed regions, and 1 variant has become the dominant Shigella spp. serotype in China. Improved surveillance will help guide the prevention and control of shigellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering overlapping community structures is a crucial step to understanding the structure and dynamics of many networks. In this paper we develop a symmetric binary matrix factorization model to identify overlapping communities. Our model allows us not only to assign community memberships explicitly to nodes, but also to distinguish outliers from overlapping nodes. In addition, we propose a modified partition density to evaluate the quality of community structures. We use this to determine the most appropriate number of communities. We evaluate our methods using both synthetic benchmarks and real-world networks, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]