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The identification of mixed stains has always been a difficult problem in personal identification in the forensic field. In recent years, tissue-specific methylation sites have proven to be very stable biomarkers for distinguishing tissue origin. However, it is still challenging to perform tissue source identification and individual identification simultaneously. In this study, we developed a method that uses tissue-specific methylation markers combined with single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to detect semen from mixed biofluids and to identify individuals simultaneously. Semen-specific CpG markers were chosen from the literature and further validated utilizing methylation-sensitive restriction endonuclease (MSRE) combined with PCR technology. The neighboring SNP markers were searched in the flanking sequence of the target CpG within 400 bp, and SNP typing was then carried out through a single-base extension reaction followed by capillary electrophoresis. Eventually, a method of MSRE combined with SNaPshot that could detect 12 compound CpG-SNP markers was developed. Using this system, 10 ng of total DNA and DNA mixture with semen content up to 25% could be typed successfully. Moreover, the cumulative discrimination power of the system in the northern Chinese Han population is 0.9998. This study provides a valuable strategy for forensic practice to perform tissue origin and individual identification from mixed stains simultaneously.

Age prediction is of great importance for criminal investigation and judicial expertise. DNA methylation status is considered a promising method to infer tissue age by virtue of age-dependent changes on methylation sites. In recent years, forensic scientists have established various models to predict the chronological age of blood, saliva, and semen based on DNA methylation status. However, hair-inferred age has not been studied in the field of forensic science. In this study, we measured the methylation statuses of potential age-related CpG sites by using the multiplex methylation SNaPshot method. A total of 10 CpG sites from the LAG3, SCGN, ELOVL2, KLF14, C1orf132, SLC12A5, GRIA2, and PDE4C genes were found to be tightly associated with age in hair follicles. A correlation coefficient above 0.7 was found for four CpG sites (cg24724428 and Chr6:11044628 in ELOVL2, cg25148589 in GRIA2, and cg07547549 in SLC12A5). Among four age-prediction models, the multiple linear regression model consisting of 10 CpG sites provided the best-fitting results, with a median absolute deviation of 3.68 years. It is feasible to obtain both human identification and age information from a single scalp hair follicle. No significant differences in methylation degree were found between different sexes, hair types, or hair colors. In conclusion, we established a method to evaluate chronological age by assessing DNA methylation status in hair follicles.

In this study, a multi-nozzle ejector is proposed for hydrogen recirculation in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems. Numerical simulations are performed on the basis of an experimentally verified three-dimensional numerical model to investigate the performance and inner-flow distribution of the proposed multi-nozzle ejector. We show that the fuel cell system with the multi-nozzle ejector can achieve a wide output-power range without a significant change in the primary pressure by simply switching the operating mode of the nozzles; moreover, the recirculation ratios are acceptable. The output-power can cover the range of 20–25 kW and 35–100 kW theoretically; in addition, a relatively stable anodic inlet pressure can be achieved. The collaboration of nozzles can effectively restrain the vortex, and the operating mode with two nozzles can achieve the best recirculation capacity. The proposed method extends the operating range of the ejector and the results of this study may contribute to the further multi-nozzle ejector design.

microRNAs (miRs) have been indicated to serve oncogenic or tumor suppressor roles. However, the role of miR-483-5p in breast cancer and its associated molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, compared with adjacent normal tissues and MCF-10a cells, the expression level of miR-483-5p was upregulated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues and TNBC cell lines. Bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay confirmed the presence of miR-483-5p binding sites in the 3'-untranslated region of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3). In addition, the expression level of SOCS3 protein in TNBC tissues was markedly lower compared with in adjacent tissues, and miR-483-5p expression was negatively correlated with SOCS3 expression in TNBC tissues. Cell proliferation and flow cytometry assays indicated that knockdown of miR-483-5p inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis in the TNBC cell line BT-549. This effect was markedly attenuated by SOCS3 small interfering (si)RNA transfection. Additionally, wound healing and Transwell assays demonstrated that SOCS3 siRNA reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-483-5p inhibitor on the migration and invasion of BT-549 cells. Moreover, the decrease in miR-483-5p expression significantly reduced the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in BT-549 cells, while SOCS3 siRNA could partially reverse this effect. Additionally, SOCS3 overexpression reversed the effects of miR-483-5p mimic on the proliferation, migration, invasion and inflammation of BT-549 cells. Taken together, these data demonstrated that the inhibition of miR-483-5p could inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion and inflammatory response, while promoting the apoptosis of TNBC cells by negatively regulating SOCS3. miR-483-5p may be a potential target for TNBC therapy.

Previous studies have demonstrated that microbial community succession during the decomposition of cadavers could be used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI). However, the vast majority of the existing studies focused on exposed cadavers. In fact, burial cadavers are common scenarios for forensic investigations. In this study, the microbial communities from gravesoil, rectum and skin of burial SD rat cadavers during decomposition were characterized using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. We predicted PMI based on the microbial community succession. Obvious differences in microbial community structures were observed between different stages of decomposition. Later decay stages had a lower alpha diversity compared to earlier decay stages. Significant linear relationships between similarities of the microbial communities and postmortem intervals were observed, manifesting regular succession over the course of decomposition. Furthermore, we combined random forest models with postmortem microbial features to predict PMI. The model explained 86.83%, 84.55% and 81.67% of the variation in the microbial community, with a mean absolute error of 1.82, 2.06 and 2.13 days within 60 days of decomposition for gravesoil, rectum and skin of burial cadavers, respectively. Overall, our results suggested that postmortem microbial community data could serve as a potential forensic tool to estimate accurate PMI of burial cadavers.

The identification of a suspect in a degraded and unbalanced DNA mixture has been a challenge for the standard short tandem repeat polymorphisms (STR) typing. Several methods have been introduced to solve this problem, such as DIP-STR, DIP-SNP, and SNP-STR markers. In this study, we proposed DIP-microhaplotype (deletion/insertion linked a chain of SNPs) as a kind of new genetic marker to type the unbalanced and degraded DNA mixture. We established the detection method with ten DIP-microhaplotype markers including 26 SNPs using allele-specific multiplex PCR followed by SNaPshot assay. This novel compound marker allows us to detect the minor DNA with a sensitivity of 1:100 to 1:1000 in a DNA mixture of any gender. Most of the DIP-microhaplotype markers had a relatively high probability of informative alleles with an average informative value (I value) of 0.308. In all, we proposed DIP-microhaplotype as a novel type of DNA marker for the detection of minor contributor from unbalanced DNA mixtures. Due to their inherent shorter length, higher polymorphism, and sensitivity, DIP-microhaplotypes are promising markers for the examination of the degraded and unbalanced mixtures in forensic stains or clinical chimeras.

Although temperature is a main external effect on rock decay, the relationship between a rock’s decay rate and temperature still remains unclear and there is limited information about the rate of rock decay under varied temperatures during dry–wet cycle conditions in southwest China. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to explore the rate of mudstone decay through an experiment, in which a model was proposed to calculate their decay rates under varied temperatures conditions. A set of customized test device, including a model test container, a thermostat-controlled heating plate, and a water supply and drainage device, was applied in the experiment. Three dry–wet cycles were conducted on five samples at 60, 90, 105, 120 and 180 °C, respectively. The crack width, vertical displacement and wetted area were measured to analyse the temperature-induced decay mechanism during dry–wet cycle processes. The results showed that tiny cracks appeared on the surface of samples after heating and that the vertical displacement increased in the upward direction due to swelling of the mudstone after water exposure. The crack width extended with increasing water exposure, but it decreased after the surface of samples was gradually wetted after several hours of water exposure. The continually increasing wetted area and progressively fast wetting speed were the outward manifestation of the increasing number of internal cracks. Temperature-induced stress could promote the generation of cracks and decay rates of the tested rocks raised with higher temperatures. Quantitative analysis revealed that the rock decay rate is significantly related to temperature in the form of a S-Curve. The sample barely decayed at 60 °C, but the decay rate was close to 90% at 180 °C. The higher the temperature was, the faster the wetting speed was and the more cracks generated, and ultimately rocks decayed as a result of crack extension.

Rock masses in southwest China are dominated by alternating layers of sandstone and mudstone. When exposed to natural conditions, mudstone is vulnerable to disintegration, causing the overlying sandstone to be extremely likely to collapse under the action of a load or other conditions. An effective and innovative experimental method to characterize weathering processes would contribute to collapse prevention. In this study, a customized test unit, including a model test container, a lever-loading device and a thermostat-controlled heating plate, was applied to explore the mechanism of crack development in mudstone over multiple dry-wet cycles. The crack width, vertical displacement and wetted area were measured to analyse the slaking mechanism acting during these cycles. The results show that tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the sample after heating and that the vertical displacement increased in the upward direction because of swelling of mudstone. The crack width expanded with increasing water exposure, but after the water infiltrated the surface of the sample, the crack width decreased. The external surface of the sample was gradually infiltrated in the second dry-wet cycle, and the infiltration area increased continually. The infiltrating speed grew progressively faster with each cycle, and the number and size of internal cracks monotonically increased. The sample fractured as a result of crack extension. These results have theoretical significance regarding the ground collapse of alternating layers of sandstone and mudstone.

Unbalanced and degraded mixtures (UDM) are frequently encountered during forensic DNA analysis. For example, forensic DNA units regularly encounter DNA mixture signal where the DNA signal from the alleged offender is masked or swamped by high quantities of DNA from the victim. Our previous data presented a new kind of DNA markers that composed of a deletion/insertion polymorphism (DIP) and a SNP and we termed this new kind of microhaplotypes DIP-SNP (combination of DIP and SNP). Since such markers could be designed short enough for degraded DNA amplification, we hypothesized that DIP-SNP markers are applicable for typing of UDM. In this study, we developed a new set of DIP-SNPs with short amplicons which were complement to our prior developed system. The multiplex PCR and SNaPshot assay were established for 20 DIP-SNPs in a Chinese Han population. The DIP-SNPs were capable of detecting the minor contributor's allele in home-made DNA mixture with sensitivities from 1:100 to 1:1000 with a total of 1 -10 ng input DNA. Moreover, this system successfully typed the degraded DNA whether it came from the single source or mixture samples. In Chinese population, the system showed an average informative value of 0.293 and combined informative value of 0.998363862. Our results demonstrated that DIP-SNPs may serve as a valuable tool in detection of UDM in forensic medicine.

This study investigates the sediment resuspension and the resultant morphological changes over the subaqueous delta front in the Changjiang Estuary (CJE). An in-situ observation platform equipped with multi-sensor instruments was deployed in the CJE to measure the currents, waves, and suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) when a typical remote tropical cyclone, Sanba, passed through the waters over 540 km away from the CJE from September 15 to 17 in 2012. In addition, a current-wave-coupled numerical model was employed to simulate the spatial and temporal variations of the waves, currents, and sediment transport. The numerical simulation accurately captures the sharp increases in wave-induced bed shear stress and associated SSC, as indicated in the field measurements during the tropical cyclone period. Remarkable erosional patterns are observed over the subaqueous delta, which highlight the role of the remote tropical cyclone in sediment suspension and short-term morphological changes in the CJE. Moreover, the simulated erosional pattern agrees well with the sediment coarsening area observed between the 2 and 10 m isobaths. Analyses of the wave spectrum suggest that the bed shear stresses induced by the swells prevail over those induced by the wind waves during the tropical cyclone period. In addition, two simulation runs with ideal wind fields were performed to clarify the contribution of the swells propagated from the outer sea to the sediment transport. Overall, this study suggests that the erosion trends of the subaqueous deltas observed in the CJE are largely determined by the waves, and the swells produced by tropical cyclone events can significantly facilitate such a trend.

The large-scale identification of putative alternative promoters study shows more than 52% of human genes are regulated by alternative promoters. The human myc-associated zinc finger protein (SAF/MAZ) gene have SAF-1 and SAF-3 variants transcripted from two transcription start sites (TSSs). By using SAF/MAZ promoter as a model, we set up an approach to probe how the alternative promoters are regulated in real time. We have constructed the bichromatic fluorescent reporter driven by SAF/MAZ 5′-proximal promoter plasmids from which transactivation status of SAF-1 and SAF-3 alternative promoter could be monitored by EGFP and DsRed expression respectively. The results showed that the SAF-3 expression is regulated by alternative promoters. When the bichromatic fluorescent reporter was driven by −1692/+277 or −1401/+277 SAF/MAZ promoter the dominant expression of SAF-3 would be observed in comparison with SAF-1 expression. We also identified that Elk-1 is an inhibitory transcription factor for SAF-3 expression. The temporal diversity of SAF-1 and SAF-3 expressions can be observed via bichromatic fluorescent reporters. These imply that the bichromatic fluorescent reporter driven by alternative promoter construct might be a useful tool for decoding the temporal regulatory repertoire of alternative promoter in human genes.

Solar or solar-assisted space heating systems are becoming more and more popular. The solar energy utilization efficiency is high when the collector is coupled with indoor radiant heating suppliers, since in principle, lower supply temperature means lower demand temperature and then the system heat loss is less. A new type radiant end system is put forward for even lower supply temperature compared to the conventional radiant floor heating systems. A three dimensional model was established to investigate its energy supply capacities. Simulation results show that 50 W per meter length tube can be achieved with the medium temperature of 30 °C for heating and 15 °C for cooling. The predicted results agree well with the actual data from a demonstration building. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a supply temperature of 22 °C in winter and of 17 °C in summer already met the indoor requirements. The new end system has good prospects for effective use of local renewable resources.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) has potential of becoming the mainstream of renewable energy in the urban environment. BIPV has significant influence on the thermal performance of building envelope and changes radiation energy balance by adding or replacing conventional building elements in urban areas. PTEBU model was developed to evaluate the effect of photovoltaic (PV) system on the microclimate of urban canopy layer. PTEBU model consists of four sub-models: PV thermal model, PV electrical performance model, building energy consumption model, and urban canyon energy budget model. PTEBU model is forced with temperature, wind speed, and solar radiation above the roof level and incorporates detailed data of PV system and urban canyon in Tianjin, China. The simulation results show that PV roof and PV facade with ventilated air gap significantly change the building surface temperature and sensible heat flux density, but the air temperature of urban canyon with PV module varies little compared with the urban canyon of no PV. The PV module also changes the magnitude and pattern of diurnal variation of the storage heat flux and the net radiation for the urban canyon with PV increase slightly. The increase in the PV conversion efficiency not only improves the PV power output, but also reduces the urban canyon air temperature.

It is generally recognized that BIPV (building integrated photovoltaics) has the potential to become a major source of renewable energy in the urban environment. The actual output of a PV module in the field is a function of orientation, total irradiance, spectral irradiance, wind speed, air temperature, soiling and various system-related losses. In urban areas, the attenuation of solar radiation due to air pollution is obvious, and the solar spectral content subsequently changes. The urban air temperature is higher than that in the surrounding countryside, and the wind speed in urban areas is usually less than that in rural areas. Three different models of PV power are used to investigate the effect of urban climate on PV performance. The results show that the dimming of solar radiation in the urban environment is the main reason for the decrease of PV module output using the climatic data of urban and rural sites in Mexico City for year 2003. The urban PV conversion efficiency is higher than that of the rural PV system because the PV module temperature in the urban areas is slightly lower than that in the rural areas in the case. The DC power output of PV seems to be underestimated if the spectral response of PV in the urban environment is not taken into account based on the urban hourly meteorological data of Sao Paulo for year 2004.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) has the potential to become a major source of renewable energy in the urban environment. BIPV has significant influence on the heat transfer through the building envelope because of the change of the thermal resistance by adding or replacing the building elements. Four different roofs are used to assess the impacts of BIPV on the building’s heating-and-cooling loads; namely ventilated air-gap BIPV, non-ventilated (closed) air-gap BIPV, closeroof mounted BIPV, and the conventional roof with no PV and no air gap. One-dimensional transient models of four cases are derived to evaluate the PV performances and building cooling-and-heating loads across the different roofs in order to select the appropriate PV building integration method in Tianjin, China. The simulation results show that the PV roof with ventilated air-gap is suitable for the application in summer because this integration leads to the low cooling load and high PV conversion efficiency. The PV roof with ventilation air-gap has a high time lag and small decrement factor in comparison with other three roofs and has the same heat gain as the cool roof of absorptance 0.4. In winter, BIPV of non-ventilated air gap is more appropriate due to the combination of the low heating-load through the PV roof and high PV electrical output.

In this paper, the Rough Sets theory was introduced, then on the basis of analyzing and creating the index system of certain weapon system’s shooting targets, RS was used to impersonally distribute weight vectors. It overcame the problems of subjectivist empower rules The RS comprehensive evaluation model of the targets system was given out according to the practical cases. The sequence of threatening degree and evaluation grade of the targets were educed last. This practical model offers reference for the commanders of the antiaircraft forces.