Search

The use of thermoplastic composites (TPCs) as one of the lightweight solutions will inevitably encounter problems in connection. Resistance welding has the characteristics of high strength, simplicity, and high reliability, and is considered a very potential hot-melt connection technology. The resistance welding technology of unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polyphenylene sulfide composites (UCF/PPS) was systematically studied. The experimental results show that the 100-mesh brass mesh has the best resin wetting effect and heating efficiency, and the PPS/oxidized 100-mesh brass mesh composite resistance element (Ox-RE/PPS) has the highest welding strength. The welding failure mode changes from interface failure and RE failure to interlayer structure damage and fiber fracture. The single-factor experimental results show that the maximum welding strength is reached at 310 °C, 1.15 MPa, and 120 kW/m2. According to the conclusion of the single-factor experiment, the Box–Behnken method was further used to design a three-factor, three-level experiment, and a quadratic regression model was established according to the test results. The results of variance analysis, fitting curve analysis, and perturbation plot analysis proved that the model had high fitting and prediction abilities. From the 3D surface diagram analysis, the influence of power density is the largest, and the interaction between welding temperature and power density is the most significant. Combined with the analysis of Design Expert 13 software, the optimal range of process parameters was obtained as follows: welding temperature 313–314 °C, welding pressure 1.04–1.2 MPa, and power density 124–128 kW/m2. The average strength of resistance welding joints prepared in the optimal range of process parameters was 13.58 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of using intravenous injection of omeprazole to prevent stress-related mucosal damage (SRMD) in critically ill patients. Methods: 80 critically ill patients from the Eighth People's Hospital of Qingdao, Qingdao, China were recruited and randomly divided into control and study groups comprising 40 patients each. Control group received conventional symptomatic treatment comprising nutritional support, acid-base balance regulation, electrolyte level monitoring and correction, maintenance of fluid and electrolyte equilibrium, respiratory function management, and anti-infection measures. Study group received intravenous injection of omeprazole (20 mg/day) and conventional symptomatic treatment for 3 months. Treatment effect, gastric pH, and gastroscopic observation of the two groups of patients were recorded. Results: The study group demonstrated significantly higher treatment efficacy (97.5 %) compared to control group (80 %, p < 0.05). Pre-treatment gastric pH did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). After treatment, the study group exhibited significantly higher pH levels (p < 0.05). Normal endoscopic findings increased to 85 % in the study group compared to 20 % in control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Intravenous omeprazole significantly prevents SRMD in critically ill patients, improves gastric pH regulation and reduces abnormal endoscopic findings. Larger-scale, multicenter, and longterm studies are needed to validate the findings of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Walker), is a nocturnal long-distance migratory pest. While searchlight and ground light traps have been widely applied to predict its migration pattern and implement effective pest control measures, the eye structure and adaptation of M. separata have received less attention. The moth possesses a pair of superposition eyes, characterized by a clear zone. The retina of M. separata shows significant adaptational variations under light and dark conditions: the cross-sectional areas of the ommatidial retinulae and rhabdoms, as well as the rhabdom occupation ratio, within the clear zone are significantly larger under dark adaptation than under light adaptation. The opposite trend is observed beneath the clear zone. These findings indicate remarkable plasticity in the retina of M. separata throughout a normal daily cycle, providing valuable information to improve searchlight and ground light trap techniques. The oriental armyworm, Mythimna separata (Walker), is a well-known nocturnal migratory pest that relies on its exceptional nocturnal vision for navigation during long-distance flights. In this study, we investigated the ultrastructure of the compound eyes of adult M. separata using transmission electron microscopy and quantitatively evaluated adaptational changes in the retina under light and dark conditions. The compound eyes of M. separata are superposition eyes with a clear zone. The retina shows remarkable anatomical differences under light and dark adaptation, primarily characterized by distinct patterns of rhabdoms within the clear zone: the rhabdoms are nearly absent under light adaptation, but become more voluminous under dark adaptation. In the distal, middle, and proximal sections of the clear zone, the cross-sectional areas of retinulae and rhabdoms, as well as the rhabdom occupation ratio, are significantly larger under dark adaptation than under light adaptation. Conversely, the opposite trend is observed beneath the clear zone. These results indicate remarkable plasticity in the M. separata retina throughout a normal daily cycle, providing a theoretical basis for improving searchlight and ground light trap techniques for the management of this migratory species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel dual-targeting Pluronic/poly(lactic acid) polymersome containing transferrin and folic acid ligands (Tf/FA-F127-PLA) has been designed to study its application in the targeted drug delivery system. Both biotin and folic acid conjugated Biotin/FA-F127-PLA polymersomes (Ps) were prepared as the precursor. The dual-targeting behaviors of Tf/FA-F127-PLA over C6 glioma cells were then fulfilled through connecting the precursor with biotinylated transferrin by using a three-step biotin-avidin technique. Paclitaxel (PTX) was loaded successfully into Biotin/FA-F127-PLA and showed a burst release followed by a slow-release process in vitro. It was also obtained that Tf/FA-F127-PLA had higher cytotoxicity and cellular uptake amount than non-targeted and single-targeted Ps did. These results could be because more PTX-loaded Tf/FA-F127-PLA Ps entered C6 cells through both FA-folate receptor (FR) and Tf-transferrin receptor (TfR) specific affinity and thus possessed the better anti-tumor ability. It was further proved that the uptake of Ps by C6 cells was through the endocytosis related to clathrin, caveolae, lysosome, etc. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the uptake of dual-targeting Tf/FA-F127-PLA Ps by C6 cells was related to the endocytosis mediated by both FR and TfR. These findings indicated that dual-targeting Tf/FA-F127-PLA Ps could be a potential carrier in targeted drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to revealing some properties of the probabilistic optimal power flow (POPF) problem. In conjunction with Hermite polynomial model, Nataf transformation is introduced to map POPF problem to the independent standard normal space. Firstly, a multivariate polynomial model is employed to represent the function relationship between POPF inputs and outputs. Then, moment matching equations are derived to characterize the uncertainty effects of POPF inputs on outputs; three cubature rules are derived to calculate statistical moments of POPF outputs. Finally, along with Monte Carlo simulation method, the proposed methods are tested on IEEE 57-bus system and IEEE 118-bus system, whereby it reveals some characteristics of the function relation between POPF inputs and outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Emerging evidence has shown that SKP1-cullin-1-F-box-protein (SCF) E3 ligases contribute to the pathogenesis of different cancers by mediating the ubiquitination and degradation of tumor suppressors. However, the functions of SCF E3 ligases in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain obscure. Materials and Methods The cancerous and adjacent noncancerous tissues from CRC patients were collected, and protein levels were analyzed. Lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and plasmid transfection were used to knock down and overexpress gene expression in CRC cell lines. Immunoprecipitation (IP), mass spectrometry, and co-IP analyses were used to determine protein interactions and the assembly of the SCF complex. Cell proliferation, migration, and tumor xenograft assays were performed to examine the effects of SCF members on CRC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Results Hypoxia activated the docking of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) onto the CUL1 promoter and induced CUL1 expression in CRC cells. CUL1 coupled with RBX1, SKP1, and FBXL1 to assemble the SCFFBXL1 complex in CRC biopsies and cells. The SCFFBXL1 E3 ligase specifically ubiquitinated and degraded the MEN1 tumor suppressor. Knockdown of HIF1α or SCFFBXL1 members, or blockage of SCFFBXL1 by two inhibitors (DT204 and SZLP1-41) caused the accumulation of MEN1 protein and led to a significant decrease in cell proliferation and migration in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion The SCFFBXL1 E3 ligase is required for the ubiquitination of MEN1, and disruption of this complex may represent a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapeseed is a globally cultivated commercial crop, primarily grown for its oil. High-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays are widely used as a standard genotyping tool for rapeseed research, including for gene mapping, genome-wide association studies, germplasm resource analysis, and cluster analysis. Although considerable rapeseed genome sequencing data have been released, DNA arrays are still an attractive choice for providing additional genetic data in an era of high-throughput whole-genome sequencing. Here, we integrated re-sequencing DNA array data (32,216, 304 SNPs) from 505 inbred rapeseed lines, allowing us to develop a sensitive and effi- cient genotyping DNA array, Bnapus50K, with a more consistent genetic and physical distribution of probes. A total of 42,090 high-quality probes were filtered and synthesized, with an average distance between adjacent SNPs of 8 kb. To improve the practical application potential of this array in rapeseed breeding, we also added 1,618 functional probes related to important agronomic traits such as oil content, disease resistance, male sterility, and flowering time. The additional probes also included those specifically for detecting genetically modified material. These probes show a good detection efficiency and are therefore useful for gene mapping, along with crop variety improvement and identification. The novel Bnapus50K DNA array developed in this study could prove to be a quick and versatile genotyping tool for B. napus genomic breeding and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), is one of the most destructive lepidopteran pests affecting maize in Asia. Previous research on the feeding behavior of O. furnacalis has mostly focused on larvae, but the adult feeding preference has been unclear hitherto. In this study, we investigated the ultramorphology of the proboscis and sensilla of O. furnacalis using scanning electron microscopy and made morphological comparisons between the sexes, attempting to make predictions on the food preference and feeding behavior of the adults. The proboscis of O. furnacalis is divided into zones 1 and 2 with three types of sensilla, namely chaetica, basiconica, and styloconica. The entire proboscis and zone 2 of the females are significantly longer than those of the males. The main sexual difference in the sensilla is shown in the number of sensilla styloconica, which are eight in females but nine in males. The feeding preference of adult O. furnacalis is discussed based on the morphology of the proboscis and sensilla. • The proboscis of adult Ostrinia furnacalis is divided into zones 1 and 2. • Sexual differences exist in the lengths of the entire proboscis and zone 2. • The proboscis contains three types of sensilla: chaetica, basiconica, and styloconica. • Sensilla styloconica per galea are eight in the females and nine in the males, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inflation–deflation propulsion system inspired by the jet propulsion mechanism of squids and other cephalopods is proposed. The twodimensional squid-like swimmer has a flexible mantle body with a pressure chamber and a nozzle that serves as the inlet and outlet of water. The fluid–structure interaction simulation results indicate that larger mean thrust production and higher efficiency can be achieved in high Reynolds number scenarios compared with the cases in laminar flow. The improved performance at high Reynolds number is attributed to stronger jet-induced vortices and highly suppressed external body vortices, which are associated with drag force. Optimal efficiency is reached when the jet vortices start to dominate the surrounding flow. The mechanism of symmetry-breaking instability under the turbulent flow condition is found to be different from that previously reported in laminar flow. Specifically, this instability in turbulent flow stems from irregular internal body vortices, which cause symmetry breaking in the wake. A higher Reynolds number or smaller nozzle size would accelerate the formation of this symmetry-breaking instability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of cloud computing, deploying workflows onto cloud computing platforms has become a popular choice. Compared with the traditional local workflow, cloud workflow not only needs to consider the requirements such as the execution time, but also considers the economic cost. In order to improve the resource utilization, cloud computing service providers provide spot instances, which are very cheap but unstable. Aiming at the problem of workflow scheduling and execution in cloud computing, this paper proposes a spot instance configuration and scheduling method that meets the workflow execution time budget. This method uses Markov models and dynamic programming methods to predict the price of spot instances and obtain the lowest cost bid strategy. At the same time, to satisfy the execution time budget of the workflow, the instances used in the workflow are configured under the estimated bid strategy. Experimental results show that, compared with using on-demand instances, our method can save up to 89. 9% computation cost, while meeting the workflow execution time budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We numerically investigate the propulsion performance of a skeleton-reinforced caudal fin with both active and passive control mechanisms. In our fluid-structure interaction model, the embedded rays are depicted as nonlinear beams while the flow is simulated using a Navier-Stokes solver. Kinematically, the fin is activated by a sway motion at the basal ends of the rays and distributed time-varying forces along each ray individually. The dynamics of the fin is closely associated with the exact distribution of phase lags (between the sway motion and external forces) among the rays. We find that the fin's performance can be significantly enhanced by active control when the mean phase lag is less than 90 deg. Among different deformation patterns, the cupping deformation (C mode) produces the best propulsion performance and the W-shape deformations (W mode) have a similar (yet less pronounced) effect. Asymmetric deformations such as the heterocercal mode (H mode) and undulation mode (S mode) are able to generate vertical forces. Compared with the H mode, the S mode creates less thrust force, but it significantly reduces the transverse force, making it more suitable in cases when there is no other mechanism to balance this transverse force (for example, during the braking maneuver). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the propulsive performance of a caudal peduncle-fin swimmer mimicking a bio-inspired robotic fish model is numerically studied using a fully coupled FSI solver. The model consists of a rigid peduncle and a flexible fin which pitches in a uniform flow. The flexible fin is modeled as a thin plate assigned with non-uniformly distributed stiffness. A finite volume method based in-house Navier-Stokes solver is used to solve the fluid equations, while the fin deformation is resolved using a finite element code. The effect of the fin flexibility on the propulsive performance is investigated. The numerical results indicate that compliance has a significant influence on performance. Under the parameters studied in this paper, the medium flexible fin exhibits remarkable efficiency improvement, as well as thrust augment, while the least flexible fin shows no obvious difference from the rigid one. However, for the most flexible fin, although the thrust production decreases sharply, the efficiency reaches the maximum value. It should be noted that by non-uniformly distributing the rigidity across the caudal fin, our model is able to replicate some fin deformation patterns observed in both the live fish and the experimental robotic fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anti‐obesity effects of Camellia nitidissima Chi flower extract (Cnfe) by examining its effects in terms of the regulation of lipid levels and modulation of gut microbiota in rats with high‐fat‐diet‐induced obesity. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that Cnfe significantly decreased weight gain by reducing appetite and decreasing high‐fat food intake. Further, Cnfe restored normal lipid metabolism and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in rats fed a high‐fat diet. Real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot results showed that Cnfe significantly decreased the expression of genes and proteins involved in adipogenesis and lipogenesis, and upregulated the expression of lipolysis genes. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing of feces showed that Cnfe dramatically reversed dysbacteriosis in rats with high‐fat‐diet‐induced obesity by decreasing the abundance of Firmicutes and increasing that of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia at the phylum level. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that Cnfe is a potential anti‐obesity prebiotic nutrient that can prevent weight gain, ameliorate obesity‐related dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia, inhibit liver fat accumulation, and modulate gut microbiota. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adding methods had significantly different inhibition effects on enzyme activity. • All ingredient interacted with starch, causing the inhibition of enzyme activity. • The extract changed the microenvironment and conformation of enzyme. We optimized four addition methods for Camellia nitidissima Chi flower extracts (Cnfe). Among four methods, the first (before meals) had the greatest inhibitory effect via binding of Cnfe with starch. Cnfe bound starch, and reduced inhibition of the enzymes. The higher binding percentage of Cnfe and the substrate starch led to less free Cnfe interaction with enzymes in solution. To determine the underlying inhibitory mechanism(s), we used enzymatic inhibition kinetics, fluorescence quenching and circular dichroism spectroscopies. We found that Cnfe possessed potential inhibitory activity against α-amylase (IC 50 300 μg/mL, K i 162 μg/mL, static quenching constant K FQ 1.5 mL/mg) and α-glucosidase (45 μg/mL, 89 μg/mL and 8.5 mL/mg). Cnfe changed the microenvironment and conformation of the enzyme, making it a better digestive enzyme inhibitor. These experimental results suggest that Cnfe has the potential to control blood sugar, and that it may be used to improve diabetes by reducing postprandial hyperglycemia. Cnfe should be taken before meals and separately from foods with higher binding intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A study has shown that miR-423-5p is highly expressed in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. However, the exact biological functions and mechanisms of miR-423-5p in diabetic retinopathy (DR) progression are currently unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-423-5p in DR and the underlying mechanism. Results: Our data demonstrate that the expression of miR-423-5p is significantly increased in HG-induced RPE cells and DR patient plasma. Moreover, the overexpression of miR-423-5p exacerbates HG-induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, our results provide evidence that miR-423-5p directly targets TFF1. MiR-423-5p exerts its effect on HG-induced apoptosis in RPE cells through TFF1, and the NF-κB pathway is involved in the regulatory mechanism. Further analysis revealed that the transcription factor NFE2 regulates miR-423-5p promoter activity. In addition, NFE2 regulates the levels of TFF1 and NF-κB pathway-associated proteins by regulating the expression of miR-423-5p. Conclusion: The NFE2-miR-423-5p-TFF1 axis is a novel molecular mechanism and provides a new direction for the study and treatment of DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Proboscides are important feeding devices for most adult Lepidoptera and exhibit significant morphological modifications and types of sensilla associated with feeding habits. In this study the architectures of the proboscides and sensilla were compared between the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and the armyworm Mythimna separate (Walker) using scanning electron microscopy. The proboscides of both species consist of two elongated maxillary galeae joined by dorsal and ventral legulae, forming a food canal. The dorsal legulae in H. armigera disappear a short distance from the proboscis apex, whereas those in M. separate exist up to the apex. Three types of sensilla are present on the proboscides of both species: sensilla chaetica, basiconica, and styloconica. The morphological differences of the sensilla mainly concern the sensilla styloconica, whose styli have six to seven smooth-edged ridges in H. armigera but six serrate-edged ridges in M. separate. No significant sexual dimorphism was found in the proboscides and sensilla of both species except for the length of the zone without the dorsal legulae in H. armigera. The morphological similarities and differences of the proboscides and sensilla between the two species are briefly discussed. Highlights • Coilable proboscides exist in Helicoverpa armigera and Mythimna separate. • Main differences of the proboscides involve the present and absence of Zone 3. • The length of Zone 3 shows a sexual dimorphism in H. armigera. • Three types of sensilla include sensilla chaetica, basiconica, and styloconica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of two flexible cylinders arranged in tandem are studied using a two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method with different spacing ratios (Sx/D) at Reynolds number Re = 500 using a two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) method. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of spacing on the hydrodynamic interactions and the VIV responses of these cylinders. The responses of the two flexible cylinders are found to be similar to the classical VIV responses at small Sx/D. Once Sx/D is large enough for the vortices to become detached from the upstream cylinder, the response of the upstream cylinder is similar to the typical VIV response whereas the downstream cylinder undergoes wake-induced vibration. The characteristics of the response of the downstream cylinder in the present study are similar to those of the first two response regimes classified by previous researchers. The third regime is not observed for the flexible downstream cylinder with both ends fixed. The two changes in the phase relation between the cross-flow displacements of the two tandem flexible cylinders are discovered to be linked with the initial-upper branch transition and the upper-lower branch transition, respectively. The correlation lengths of the two flexible cylinders decrease significantly in the transition range between the upper and lower branches. Three modes of vortex shedding (2S, P + S, and 2P) have been identified in the present study. The upper-branch 2P mode is found to be associated with large-amplitude vibration of the upstream cylinder and the P + S mode is observed to be related to large-amplitude vibration of the downstream cylinder for Sx/D = 3.5 and 5. On the other hand, the lower-branch 2P mode leads to small-amplitude vibration of the downstream cylinder in the post-lock-in range at Sx/D = 2.5. The relative phase shifts of the sectional lift coefficients on different spanwise cross sections can be attributed to the variation of the vortex shedding flow along the flexible cylinders, and these phase shifts result in poor phasing between the forces and the displacements that is related to the decrease of the correlation lengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compound eyes are the prominent visual organs of insects and can provide valuable information for the reconstruction of insect phylogeny. Although the largest butterfly family (Nymphalidae) has been well defined, the infrafamilial phylogenetic relationships remain controversial hitherto. In the present study the ultrastructure of the compound eyes of three nymphalids Neptis beroe , Childrena zenobia , and Palaeonympha opalina was investigated using light and transmission electron microscopy in an attempt to seek potentially important phylogenetic characters. The compound eyes of the nymphalids share a tracheal system in a "1–4−8" branching pattern. The eight tracheal subbranches exhibit distinct distribution patterns along the basal retinula cell as follows: the tracheal subbranches of Palaeonympha opaline are close to the rhabdom in the distance from the distalmost part of the basal retinula cell to the rhabdom end, while those of N. beroe and C. zenobia are on the periphery of the retinula along almost the whole basal retinula cell and become close to the rhabdom just at the proximal end of the basal retinula cell. The tracheal structure of the three nymphalids is discussed for their potential phylogenetic implications. • The compound eyes of the three nymphalids are of the apposition types. • The nymphalid compound eyes share a tracheal system in a "1–4−8" branching pattern. • The tracheal subbranches have different locations among the nymphalid eyes. • The tracheal design might be phylogenetically informative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bittacidae are unique in holometabolous insects in that their larvae bear a dorsal ocellus on the frons. The fine structure of the dorsal ocellus, however, has not been investigated to date. Here, the ultrastructure of the larval dorsal ocellus was studied in the hangingfly Bittacus planus Cheng, 1949 using light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. The dorsal ocellus of the larvae comprises a cornea, corneagenous cells, and retinula cells. The cornea is a laminated structure. A layer of corneagenous cells is located below the cornea. Numerous retinula cells are arranged tightly beneath the corneagenous cells. The retinula cells modify their adjacent membranes into numerous linear microvilli, which form an analogue of the rhabdom among adjacent retinula cells. The results show that the dorsal ocellus of larval Bittacidae is a highly vestigial organ and appears to be degenerating during the postembryonic development. The presence of the vestigial dorsal ocellus is likely to represent an ancestral plesiomorphy of holometabolous insects, providing new evidence for exploring the evolutionary origin of holometabolous larvae. • The larvae of Bittacidae have a dorsal ocellus. • The dorsal ocellus is a highly vestigial organ. • The presence of a dorsal ocellus may provide new evidence for the evolutionary origin of holometabolous larvae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we showed that TLR7 activation significantly promoted interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP)-specific Th17 responses by upregulating RORγt, IL-17, GM-CSF, and IL-23R expression in experimental autoimmune uveitis mice. In vivo administration of CL097 activated dendritic cells (DCs) and endowed them with an increased ability to activate IRBP-specific Th17 cells. CL097-treated DCs (CL097-DCs) formed a cytokine milieu that favored the generation and maintenance of Th17 cells by stimulating IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-23 expression. Furthermore, IRBP-specific T cells from immunized mice injected with CL097-DCs produced more IL-17 and transferred more severe experimental autoimmune uveitis than did those from mice injected with DCs. The enhanced immunostimulatory activities of CL097-DCs depended on JNK, ERK, and p38 activation. Blockade of ERK, but not p38 or JNK, completely abolished the Th17 responses induced by CL097-DCs. Collectively, our findings suggest that CL097 treatment significantly promotes autoreactive IL-17+ T cell responses through enhancing DC activation, which is mediated, at least in part, via the activation of ERK signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mecoptera are unique in holometabolous insects in that their larvae have compound eyes. In the present study the cellular organisation and morphology of the compound eyes of adult individuals of the scorpionfly Panorpa dubia in Mecoptera were investigated by light, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that the compound eyes of adult P. dubia are of the apposition type, each eye comprising more than 1200 ommatidia. The ommatidium consists of a cornea, a crystalline cone made up of four cone cells, eight photoreceptors, two primary pigment cells, and 18 secondary pigment cells. The adult ommatidium has a fused rhabdom with eight photoreceptors. Seven photoreceptors extend from the proximal end of the crystalline cone to the basal matrix, whereas the eighth photoreceptor is shorter, extending from the middle level of the photoreceptor cluster to the basal matrix. The fused rhabdom is composed of the rhabdomeres of different photoreceptors at different levels. The adult ommatidia have the same cellular components as the larval ommatidia, but the tiering scheme is different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that structural flexibility enhances the performance of flapping foil propellers. There is, however, much less knowledge about the effect of deformability on the flow energy extraction capacity of flapping foils. Following recent work on an oscillating foil energy harvesting device with prescribed foil deformations (Liu et al., "A Bio-Inspired Study on Tidal Energy Extraction with Flexible Flapping Wings," Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, Vol. 8, No. 3, 2013, Paper 036011), fully coupled dynamics of a flapping foil energy harvester with a passively deformable foil is investigated. Toward this end, the dynamics of a foil with a realistic internal structure (containing a rigid leading edge and a flexible trailing edge with a stiffener) in an energy harvesting regime through a fluid-structure interaction scheme is computationally studied. To examine the effect of different levels of flexibility, various materials (ranging from metals such as copper to virtual materials with arbitrary elasticity and density) for the stiffener have been tested. With the virtual materials, the effects of Young's modulus and density ratio have been studied. The simulation results show that flexibility around the trailing edge could enhance the overall energy extraction performance. For example, with a copper stiffener, an increase of 32.2% in efficiency can be reached at high reduced frequency. The performance enhancement is achieved mostly in cases with low Young's modulus and density ratio. A possible underlying mechanism is that the specific foil deformations in these cases encourage the generation and shedding of vortices from the foil leading edge, which is known to be beneficial to flow energy extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of pemetrexed plus platinum doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through a trial-level meta-analysis. Methods: Trials published between 1990 and 2015 were identified by an electronic search of public databases (Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library). All clinical studies were independently identified by two authors. Demographic data, treatment regimens, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were extracted and analyzed using comprehensive meta-analysis software (version 2.0). Results: A total of 2,551 patients with advanced nonsquamous NSCLC from ten trials were included for analysis: 1,565 patients were treated with pemetrexed plus platinum doublet chemotherapy and 986 with platinum plus other first-line chemotherapy. Pooled ORR for pemetrexed plus platinum chemotherapy was 37.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 31.7%-44.3%), with median PFS and OS of 5.7 and 16.05 months, respectively. When compared to other platinumbased doublet chemotherapies, the use of pemetrexed plus platinum chemotherapy significantly improved OS (hazard ratio [HR] =0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.97, P=0.01) but not PFS (HR =0.90, 95% CI: 0.80-1.01, P=0.084) in advanced nonsquamous NSCLC patients. Conclusion: Pemetrexed plus platinum doublet regimen is an efficacious treatment for advanced nonsquamous NSCLC patients. Our findings support the use of pemetrexed plus platinum doublet regimen as first-line treatment in advanced nonsquamous NSCLC patients because of its potential survival benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overuse and arbitrary discarding of antibiotics have expanded antibiotic resistance reservoirs, from gut, waste water and activated sludge, to soil, freshwater and even the ocean. Based on the structured Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database and next generation sequencing, metagenomic analysis was used for the first time to detect and quantify antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in paddy soils from South China. A total of 16 types of ARGs were identified, corresponding to 110 ARG subtypes. The abundances and distribution pattern of ARGs in paddy soil were distinctively different from those in activated sludge and pristine deep ocean sediment, but close to those of sediment from human-impacted estuaries. Multidrug resistance genes were the most dominant type (38-47.5%) in all samples, and the ARGs detected encompassed the three major resistance mechanisms, among which extrusion by efflux pumps was predominant. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that pH was significantly correlated with the distribution of ARG subtypes (P < 0.05). Our results provided a broad spectrum profile of ARGs in paddy soil, indicating that ARGs are widespread in paddy soils of South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel difunctionalization reaction is described. It uses N-trifluoromethylthio-4-nitrophthalimide as the reagent, which serves as both the nitrogen and SCF3 sources. In the presence of DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane), the nitrogen and SCF3 groups can be incorporated into α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds easily and give versatile β-amino ketones and esters in good yields. This difunctionalization reaction features mild reaction conditions, high atom-economy, and efficient access to α-SCF3 amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study demonstrated that an impaired sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway contributed to cardiac dysfunction in type 1 diabetic mice with myocardial infarction (MI). The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that oxidative stress may contribute to the impaired Shh pathway and cardiac dysfunction in type 1 diabetic mice with MI. Streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic mice (C57/Bl6, male) and rat neonatal cardiomyocytes were used in the present study. Mice were randomly assigned to undergo ligation of the coronary artery or pseudosurgery. A potent antioxidant Tempol was administered in vivo and in vitro. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography, capillary density by immunohistochemisty, percentage of myocardial infarct using Masson's trichrome staining, reactive oxygen species detection using dihydroethidium dye or 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate probe and protein expression levels of the Shh pathway by western blot analysis. The antioxidant Tempol was shown to significantly increase myocardial protein expression levels of Shh and patched-1 (Ptc1) at 7-18 weeks and improved cardiac function at 18 weeks in type 1 diabetic mice, as compared with mice receiving no drug treatment. Furthermore, myocardial protein expression levels of Shh and Ptc1 were significantly upregulated on day 7 after MI, and capillary density was enhanced. In addition, the percentage area of myocardial infarct was reduced, and the cardiac dysfunction and survival rate were improved on day 21 in diabetic mice treated with Tempol. In vitro, treatment of rat neonatal cardiomyocytes with a mixture of xanthine oxidase and xanthine decreased protein expression levels of Shh and Ptc1 in a concentration-dependent manner, and Tempol attenuated this effect. These results indicate that oxidative stress may contribute to an impaired Shh pathway in type 1 diabetic mice, leading to diminished myocardial healing and cardiac dysfunction. Antioxidative strategies aimed at restoring the endogenous Shh pathway may offer a useful means for improving diabetic cardiac function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid disorders characterized by peripheral blood cytopenias and a high risk of progression to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Fucoidan, a complex sulphated polysaccharide isolated from the cell wall of brown seaweeds, has recently attracted attention for its multiple biological activities and its potential as a novel candidate for cancer therapy. In the present study, the anti-cancer activity of fucoidan was investigated in the MDS/AML cell line SKM-1. Fucoidan inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and caused G1-phase arrest of the cell cycle in SKM-1 cells as determined by a cell counting kit 8 assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses indicated that treatment with fucoidan (100 μg/ml for 48 h) activated Fas and caspase-8 in SKM-1 cells, which are critical for the extrinsic apoptotic pathway; furthermore, caspase-9 was activated via decreases in phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt signaling as indicated by reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt, suggesting the involvement of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In addition, fucoidan treatment of SKM-1 cells resulted in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as determined by staining with dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate. These results suggested that the mechanisms of the anti-cancer effects of fucoidan in SKM-1 are closely associated with cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death, which partly attributed to the activation of apoptotic pathways and accumulation of intracellular ROS. Our results demonstrated that Fucoidan inhibits proliferation and induces the apoptosis of SKM-1 cells, which provides substantial therapeutic potential for MDS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate and improve the quality of land surface albedo products, validation with ground measurements of albedo is crucial over the spatially and temporally heterogeneous land surface. One of the essential steps for satellite albedo product validation is coarse scale observation technique development with long time ground-based measurements. In this paper, the optimal nodes were selected from the wireless sensor network (WSN) to perform observation at large scale and in longer time series for validation of albedo products. The relative difference is used to analyze the spatiotemporal representativeness of each node. The random combination method is used to assess the number of required sites (NRS) and then to identify the most representative combination (MRC). On this basis, an upscaling transform function with different weights for each node in the MRC, which are calculated with the ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression method, is used to upscale WSN node albedo from point scale to the field scale. This method is illustrated by selecting the optimal nodes and upscaling surface albedo from point observation to the field scale in the Heihe River basin, China. Primary findings are: (a) The method of reducing the number of observations without significant loss of information about surface albedo at field scale is feasible and effective; (b) When only few sensors are available, the most representative locations in time and space should be the first priority; when a number of sensors are available in the heterogeneous land surface, it is preferable to install them in different land surface, rather than the most representative locations; (c) The most representative combination (MRC) combined with the upscaling weight coefficients can give a robust estimate of the field mean surface albedo. These efforts based on ground albedo observations promote the chance to use point information for validation of coarse scale albedo products. Moreover, a preliminary validation of the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) albedo product was performed as the tentative application for upscaling predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High spatial resolution soil moisture (SM) data are crucial in agricultural applications, river-basin management, and understanding hydrological processes. Merging multi-resource observations is one of the ways to improve the accuracy of high spatial resolution SM data in the heterogeneous cropland. In this paper, the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) methodology is implemented to merge the following four types of observed data to obtain the spatial distribution of SM at 100 m scale: soil moisture observed by wireless sensor network (WSN), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)-derived soil evaporative efficiency (SEE), irrigation statistics, and Polarimetric L-band Multi-beam Radiometer (PLMR)-derived SM products (~700 m). From the poor BME predictions obtained by merging only WSN and SEE data, we observed that the SM heterogeneity caused by irrigation and the attenuating sensitivity of the SEE data to SM caused by the canopies result in BME prediction errors. By adding irrigation statistics to the merged datasets, the overall RMSD of the BME predictions during the low-vegetated periods can be successively reduced from 0.052 m³·m-3 to 0.033 m³·m-3. The coefficient of determination (R²) and slope between the predicted and in situ measured SM data increased from 0.32 to 0.64 and from 0.38 to 0.82, respectively, but large estimation errors occurred during the moderately vegetated periods (RMSD = 0.041 m³·m-3, R = 0.43 and the slope = 0.41). Further adding the downscaled SM information from PLMR SM products to the merged datasets, the predictions were satisfactorily accurate with an RMSD of 0.034 m³·m-3, R² of 0.4 and a slope of 0.69 during moderately vegetated periods. Overall, the results demonstrated that merging multi-resource observations into SM estimations can yield improved accuracy in heterogeneous cropland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the ethanol assisted ultrasonic extraction of tea saponin from tea seed cake, an agriculture waste product, and on the application of tea saponin in toothpaste after purification of the extract. From the experiment, the tea saponin toothpaste fulfills the requirement of CB8372-2008 with regard to remove tea and coffee stains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muironolide A is a fascinating tetrachlorinated marine polyketide isolated from the sponge of Phorbas sp. Only 90 µg had been isolated, and the structure was established by nanoscale NMR techniques. Herein we report the total synthesis of the substance with the assigned structure of muironolide A, propose a revised structure based on NMR data, and complete the enantioselective total synthesis of muironolide A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High spatial resolution airborne data with little sub-pixel heterogeneity were used to evaluate the suitability of the temperature/vegetation (Ts/VI) space method developed from satellite observations, and were explored to improve the performance of the Ts/VI space method for estimating soil moisture (SM). An evaluation of the airborne ΔTs/Fr space (incorporated with air temperature) revealed that normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) saturation and disturbed pixels were hindering the appropriate construction of the space. The non-disturbed ΔTs /Fr space, which was modified by adjusting the NDVI saturation and eliminating the disturbed pixels, was clearly correlated with the measured SM. The SM estimations of the non-disturbed ΔTs/Fr space using the evaporative fraction (EF) and temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) were validated by using the SM measured at a depth of 4 cm, which was determined according to the land surface types. The validation results show that the EF approach provides superior estimates with a lower RMSE (0.023 m3•m-3) value and a higher correlation coefficient (0.68) than the TVDI. The application of the airborne ΔTs/Fr space shows that the two modifications proposed in this study strengthen the link between the ΔTs /Fr space and SM, which is important for improving the precision of the remote sensing Ts/VI space method for monitoring SM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions between flexible plates and fluids are important physical phenomena. A flag in wind is one of the most simplified and classical models for studying the problem. In this paper, we investigated the response of a flag in flow with an externally forced vibration by using flexible filaments and soap film. Experiments show that for a filament that is either in oscillation or stationary, the external forced vibration leads to its oscillation. A synchronization phenomenon occurs in the experiments. A small perturbation leads to a large response of flapping amplitude in response. The insight provided here is helpful to the applications in the flow control, energy harvesting, and bionic propulsion areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of aerospace technology, more and more scientific activities are carried out in the universe. Due to the microgravity environment of space, the control of the 6-DOF platform is different from those on the earth. First, a virtual prototype model of the 6-DOF non-contact platform was built in ADAMS. The dynamics model was developed based on the Newton-Euler method. Then, the 6-DOF backstepping sliding mode controller and disturbance observer were designed in MATLAB/Simulink. Finally, by combining the virtual prototype model in ADAMS and the control system in MATLAB, the co-simulation model was proposed. According to the simulation results, the 6-DOF backstepping sliding mode controller can well complete the positioning, 3D trajectory tracking, and vibration isolation tasks of non-contact 6-DOF platform. Quantitatively, the spatial error of backstepping sliding mode controller's 3D trajectory tracking is only 50% of the ordinary sliding mode control and it is 20% of the nonlinear propotional-derivative-integral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible-light photoredox catalysis has been established as a popular and powerful tool for organic transformations owing to its inherent characterization of environmental friendliness and sustainability in the past decades. The thiol-ene/yne reactions, the direct hydrothiolation of alkenes/alkynes with thiols, represents one of the most efficient and atom-economic approaches for the carbon-sulfur bonds construction. In traditional methodologies, harsh conditions such as stoichiometric reagents or a specialized UV photo-apparatus were necessary suffering from various disadvantages. In particular, visible-light photoredox catalysis has also been demonstrated to be a greener and milder protocol for the thiol-ene/yne reactions in recent years. Additionally, unprecedented advancements have been achieved in this area during the past decade. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances in visible-light photoredox catalyzed thiol-ene/yne reactions from 2015 to 2021. Synthetic strategies, substrate scope, and proposed reaction pathways are mainly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to generate multivariate random vector with prescribed correlation matrix by Johnson system. The probability weighted moment (PWM) is employed to assess the parameters of Johnson system. By equating the first four PWMs of Johnson system with those of the target distribution, a system of equations solved for the parameters is established. With suitable initial values, solutions to the equations are obtained by the Newton iteration procedure. To allow for the generation of random vector with prescribed correlation matrix, approaches to accommodate the dependency are put forward. For the four transformation models of Johnson system, nine cases are addressed. Analytical formulae are derived to determine the equivalent correlation coefficient in the standard normal space for six cases, the rest three ones are handled by an interpolation method. Finally, several numerical examples are given out to check the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust, high-throughput method has been developed to screen one-bead-one-compound peptide libraries to systematically profile the sequence specificity of protein kinases. Its ability to provide individual sequences of the preferred substrates permits the identification of sequence contextual eSerts and nonpermissive residues. Application of the library method to kinases Piml, MKK6, and Csk revealed that Piml and Csk are highly active toward peptide substrates and recognize specific sequence modfe, whereas MKK6 has little activity or sequence selectivity against peptide substrates. Pim1 recognizes peptide substrates of the consensus RXR(H/R)X(S/T); it accepts essentially any amino acid at the S/T-2 and S/T+I positions, but strongly disfavors addic residues (Asp or Glu) at die S/T-2 position and a proline residue at the S/T+1 position. The selected Csk substrates show strong sequence covariance and fall into two classes with the consensus sequences of (D/E)EPIYϕX<ϕ and (D/E)(E/D)S(E/D/I)YϕXϕ (where X is any amino acid and ϕ is a hydrophobic amino acid). Database searches and in vitro kinase assays identified phosphatase PTP-PEST as a Piml substrate and phosphatase SHP-I as a potential Csk substrate. Our results demonstrate that the sequence specificity of protein kinases is defined not only by favorable interactions between permissive residue(s) on the substrate and their cognate binding site(s) on the kinase but also by repulsive interactions between the kinase and nonpermissive residue(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combinatorial library method was developed to systematically profile the substrate specificity of protein phosphatases toward phosphoseryl (pS) and phosphothreonyl (pT) peptides. Application of this method and a previously reported phosphotyrosyl (pY) library screening technique to dual-specificity phosphatase (DUSP) VH1 of vaccinia virus revealed that VH1 is highly active toward both pS/pT and pY peptides. VH1 exhibits different and more stringent sequence specificity toward pS/pT than pY substrates. Unlike previously characterized protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs), the activity and specificity of VH1 are primarily determined by the amino acid residues C-terminal to the pS, pT, or pY residue. In contrast, the mammalian VH1-related (VHR) DUSP has intrinsically low catalytic activity toward pS and pT substrates, suggesting that its primary physiological function is to dephosphorylate pY residues in substrate proteins. This method is applicable to other DUSPs and protein-serine/threonine phosphatases, and the substrate specificity data will be useful for identifying the physiological substrates of these enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of N-tosylhydrazones with N-iminopyridinium ylides leads to the direct C-H alkylation. This direct C-H bond alkylation transformation uses inexpensive CuI as the catalyst without any ligand. The reaction is operationally simple and conducted under mild conditions, giving the corresponding alkylated pyridines in moderate to good yields. DFT calculation provides insights into the reaction mechanism, suggesting that the reaction proceeds through the Cu carbene migratory insertion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new blue-emitting carbazole derivative, 3,6-dipyrenyl-9-ethylcarbazole (DPEC), has been designed and synthesized for applications in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Undoped DPEC-based OLEDs give a saturated blue electroluminescence with Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage 1931 coordinates of (0.15, 0.18), and possess high luminous efficiency of 4.75cdA−1. On the other hand, DPEC can also function as a hole-transporting layer (HTL). In particular, by replacing N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB) as HTL, a simplified bilayer device demonstrated good performance, comparable to that of the trilayer device. This good device performance illustrates that DPEC is a promising candidate as a blue hole-transporting emitter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the study of textural and protein characteristics of crisp grass carp (CGC) and grass carp (GC) fillets. The higher texture profile analysis (TPA) texture characteristics of CGC are related to a higher content of myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, stromal proteins, sulfur amino acids and hydrophobic amino acids. Raman spectroscopy further revealed that the secondary and tertiary structural changes in the two fish meat proteins relate to the differences in TPA texture characteristics of the fillets. Lower α-helix contents and higher β-sheet contents are closely correlated to the special mastication properties of CGC fillets. More importantly, the disulfide bond content is another factor that affects the texture of CGC fillets. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the special mastication properties of CGC fillets result from the greater stabilization afforded by proteins. Overall, the results show that the special texture characteristics of CGC fillet correlates positively with the protein characteristics found in fish muscle tissue. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Textural characteristics are an important quality for seafood products, which affects acceptability and mechanical processing of fillets. Crisp grass carps (CGCs), broadbean-fed grass carp (GC), have special mastication. In previous studies, we have found that the differences of texture between both carp's muscles were highly significant. More importantly, the different texture correlated closely with their ultrastructures. Hence, CGC and GC muscles, as the objects for study, will be able to better reflect the relationship between texture and protein characteristics. The research aimed at revealing the mechanism of mastication in CGC muscle to resolve the mastication of CGC decreasing after freezing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yu lu is a traditional Chinese fish sauce with a strong and distinctive odor. The volatile compounds in the fish sauce made from anchovy ( Engraulis japonius) and the snakehead fish ( Channa asiatica) were isolated by simultaneous distillation-solvent extraction (SDE) and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS). About 70 volatile compounds were identified, including 20 acids, 4 carbonyls, 14 nitrogen-containing compounds, 14 hydrocarbons, 8 esters, and 3 sulfur-containing compounds. The major contributors to the characteristic odor of the fish sauce are dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, 3-(methylthio)-propanol, 2-methylbutenal as well as some nitrogen-containing compounds. Nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds in the fish sauce made from anchovy were more abundant than the fish sauce made from snakehead, while snakehead fish sauce had a greater amount of volatile fatty acids. 3-(Methylthio) propanol could be another important contributor to the distinctive odor of fish sauce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirooxindole amides can be prepared by the intramolecular addition of functionalized indoles into acylimines that are accessed from nitriles by hydrozirconation and acylation. The stereochemical outcome at the quaternary center was controlled by the steric bulk of the substituent at the 2-position of the indole unit. The products are well-suited for diversification to prepare libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-throughput screening system for homogeneous catalyst discovery has been developed by integrating a continuous-flow capillary-based microreactor with ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for fast online analysis. Reactions are conducted in distinct and stable zones in a flow stream that allows for time and temperature regulation. UHPLC detection at high temperature allows high throughput online determination of substrate, product, and byproduct Concentrations. We evaluated the efficacies of a series of soluble acid catalysts for an intramolecular Friedel—Crafts addition into an acyliminium ion intermediate within 1 day and with minimal material investment. The effects of catalyst loading, reaction time, and reaction temperature were also screened. This system exhibited high reproducibility for high-throughput catalyst screening and allowed several acid catalysts for the reaction to be identified. Major side products from the reactions were determined through off-line mass spectrometric detection. Er(OTf)3, the catalyst that showed optimal efficiency in the screening, was shown to be effective at promoting the cyclization reaction on a preparative scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A high-efficiency, undoped, blue, organic light-emitting device was devised that employed a novel electroluminescent material 4-(7,10-diphenylfluoranthen-8-yl)-N,N-diphenylbenzenamine as electrofluorescence emitter. The device with a simple structure of ITO/N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine/4-(7,10-diphenylfluoranthen-8-yl)-N,N-diphenylbenzenamine/4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline/LiF/Al exhibited stable blue light emission of CIE chromaticity coordinates (x =0.19±0.01 and y =0.45±0.02), and a current efficiency of 6.0cd A−1 and a power efficiency of 4.6lm W−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Methionine aminopeptidase (MetAP) catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of the N-terminal methionine from newly synthesized polypeptides. The extent of removal of methionyl from a protein is dictated by its N-terminal peptide sequence. Earlier studies revealed that MetAPs require amino acids containing small side chains (e.g., Gly, Ala, Ser, Cys, Pro, Thr, and Val) as the P1′ residue, but their specificity at positions P2′ and beyond remains incompletely defined. In this work, the substrate specificities of Escherichia coli MetAP1, human MetAP1, and human MetAP2 were systematically profiled by screening against a combinatorial peptide library and kinetic analysis of individually synthesized peptide substrates. Our results show that although all three enzymes require small residues at the P1′ position, they have differential tolerance for Val and Thr at this position. The catalytic activity of human MetAP2 toward Met-Val peptides is consistently 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of MetAP1, suggesting that MetAP2 is responsible for processing proteins containing N-terminal Met-Val and Met-Thr sequences in vivo. At positions P2′-P5′, all three MetAPs have broad specificity but are poorly active toward peptides containing a proline at the P2′ position. In addition, the human MetAPs disfavor acidic residues at the P2′-P5′ positions. The specificity data have allowed us to formulate a simple set of rules that can reliably predict the N-terminal processing of E. coli and human proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the severity and scale of China's environmental crisis are well understood, comparatively little is known about what kinds of information the Chinese public receive about environmental problems. In this article, we examine media coverage of a major benzene spill that occurred in northeast China in 2005. Using both quantitative methods and qualitative content analysis, we compare the coverage of the benzene spill across three major media sources: Xinhua NewsAgency, which is the official voice of the Chinese Communist Party; China Central Television (CCTV), which possesses more editorial autonomy and reaches a broader public audience; and the New York Times, one of the world's most prominent newspapers. Our findings suggest that all three media sources covered a broad range of angles related to the story, but their coverage differed in fundamental ways. Most significantly, the two Chinese media sources differed markedly from one another: while Xinhua News Agency avoided politically contentious issues and urged trust in government authorities, CCTV aired several news segments that exposed and condemned a major government cover-up regarding the environmental and human health effects of the benzene spill. Our analysis has implications for understanding the heterogeneous nature of state-owned media, and also for assessing the role of the media in addressing China's mounting environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]