Search

Introduction: Cognitive stimulating activities and a healthy lifestyle are associated with less cognitive impairment. However, whether the association is varied by Apolipoprotein epsilon 4 (APOE ε4) allele carrier status remains inconclusive. We aimed to investigate whether the association of cognitively stimulating activities and a healthy lifestyle with the risk of cognitive impairment varied by APOE ε4 allele carrier status. Methods: A case-control study was conducted for adults aged 60 years and above. Six province administrative units (Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Yunnan) were included using stratified multistage cluster sampling. A total of 1,300 individuals were identified with cognitive impairment (cases) at enrollment and were matched 1:2 on sex, age (±2 years), and residential district with controls who were cognitively normal at the time of the evaluation. We used a standardized questionnaire to collect information on cognitive stimulating activities, lifestyle factors, demographics, and comorbidity. Cognitive stimulating activities included reading books or newspapers, playing cards or mahjong, using the Internet, socializing with neighbors, and community activities. Lifestyle factors included smoking, alcohol drinking, daily tea drinking, and regular exercise. We used logistic regression to assess the interaction between cognitive stimulating activities, lifestyle factors, and APOE ε4 allele carrier status (yes/no) on the risk of cognitive impairment. We tested for additive interaction by estimating relative excess risk (RERI) due to interaction and multiplicative interaction employing the p value of the interaction term of each lifestyle factor and APOE ε4 into the model. Results: Four cognitive stimulating activities were associated with less cognitive impairment regardless of APOE ε4 status. Using the Internet (odds ratio [OR]: 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30–0.95), daily tea drinking (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.63–0.98), and regular exercise (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.65–0.94) were associated with less cognitive impairment only in noncarriers. Multiplicative and additive interactions were found between community activities and APOE ε4 carrier status (multiplicative p value = 0.03; RERI 0.738, 95% CI: 0.201–1.275). Conclusion: The associations between cognitive activities and cognitive impairment were robust regardless of the APOE ε4 carrier status, while the associations between lifestyle factors and cognitive impairment varied by APOE ε4 carrier status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) participates in various physiological processes including protein folding, degradation, and signal transduction. However, the DcHsp90 gene family in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) has not been systematically analyzed. We thoroughly examined and comprehensively analyzed the carnation DcHsp90 gene family in this study and discovered 9 DcHsp90 genes. Based on the phylogenetic examination, DcHsp90 proteins may be divided into two groups. DcHsp90 structural features were similar but varied between groups. Promoter analysis revealed the presence of many cis-acting elements, most of which were connected to growth and development, hormones, and stress. DcHsp90 genes may play distinct functions in heat stress response, according to gene expression analyses. The DcHsp90-6 was isolated, and its role in the reaction to heat stress was studied. Thermotolerance and superoxide dismutase activity in transgenic seedlings were enhanced by Arabidopsis overexpression of DcHsp90-6. After heat stress, transgenic plants' electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde levels were much lower than wild-type plants. Furthermore, overexpression of DcHsp90-6 altered the expressions of stress-responsive genes such as AtHsp101, AtHsp90, AtGolS1, AtRS4/5, and AtHsfB1. This study provides comprehensive information on the DcHsp90 gene family and suggests that overexpressed DcHsp90-6 positively regulates thermotolerance highlighting the adaptation mechanism of carnation under heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research has shown that combination can effectively improve tourism forecasting accuracy compared with single model. However, the model uncertainty and structural instability in combination for out-of-sample tourism forecasting may influence the forecasting performance. This paper proposes a novel forecast combination approach based on time-varying jackknife model averaging (TVJMA), which can more efficiently handle structural changes and nonstationary trends in tourism data. Using Hong Kong tourism demand from five major tourism source regions as an empirical study, we investigate whether our proposed nonparametric TVJMA-based approach can improve tourism forecasting accuracy further. Empirical results show that the proposed TVJMA-based approach outperforms other competitors including single model and three combination methods in most cases. Findings indicate the outstanding performance of our method is robust to various forecasting horizons and different estimation periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Changes in tobacco use and related personal and environmental factors amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can be captured by qualitative studies, but they are few in non-Western populations. Aims and Methods We assessed the perceived links between tobacco use and COVID-19, and changes in the use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (ECs), and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in the early phase of the pandemic in Hong Kong, where lockdown was not implemented. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted from January to June 2021 in 95 participants (36 EC users, 28 HTP users, and 32 exclusive cigarette users). Transcriptions were coded using deductive and inductive approaches, and factors for changes were nested in the social-ecological model. Results Two-thirds of participants perceived their infection susceptibility was the same as never tobacco users, and 44.2% perceived more severe COVID-19 disease if infected. Amid the pandemic, tobacco use decreased overall but increased indoors for all three products. Increased tobacco use was mostly attributed to increased emotional distress, while decreases were attributed to various personal (health concerns) and environmental factors (e.g. COVID-19 regulations). Perceived convenience and lower costs were reasons for increased EC use. Limited access to HTPs was compensated by cigarette use. Conclusions Many participants were unaware of the potential harm of tobacco use on COVID-19. Overall tobacco use decreased due to COVID-19 regulations, which may not be sustainable post-pandemic. Indoor consumption increased, supporting a comprehensive smoke-free policy that covers private indoor areas. Better cessation services targeting EC, HTP, and cigarette use are needed. Implications Smokers need better awareness of the risk of tobacco use on COVID-19. Smoking cessation services can be improved by offering brief advice, strengthening advocacy against secondhand smoke, and covering EC and HTP use, highlighting their potential harms to users and others, and their risk of addiction and relapse to cigarette use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: α‐Lipoic acid has excellent antioxidant activity, but its poor lipid solubility greatly limits its practical application. This study was undertaken (i) to develop a novel and efficient enzymatic synthesis of lipophilic lipoic acid esters using Candida sp. 99‐125 lipase as a catalyst; and (ii) to systematically evaluate their antioxidant potential against bulk oil, oil‐in‐water emulsion (O/W) and cooked ground meat. RESULTS: Lipophilic lipoic acid esters were successfully and efficiently synthesized using phytosterols as acyl receptor in the presence of Candida sp. 99‐125 lipase. The product was identified as phytosterol lipoate by mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The maximum conversion of phytosterol lipoate surpassed 90% within 12 h and its final yield exceeded 81%. Interestingly, the oil solubility of lipoic acid was increased at least 25‐fold and other physicochemical properties were significantly improved. Most importantly, phytosterol lipoate exhibited higher antioxidant activity than lipoic acid in bulk oil, O/W emulsions and cooked ground meat. CONCLUSION: The antioxidant capacity of lipoic acid can be significantly enhanced by esterification with phytosterols. Therefore, phytosterol lipoate could be further developed as a new antioxidant for use in oil‐ and fat‐based foods. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practitioners and policy makers rely on accurate crude oil forecasting to avoid price risks and grasp investment opportunities, but the core of existing predictive models for such prices is based on point-valued inputs and outputs, which may suffer from informational loss of volatility. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a modified threshold autoregressive interval-valued models with interval-valued factors (MTARIX), as extended by Sun et al. [Threshold autoregressive models for interval-valued time series. J. Econom., 2018, 206, 414–446], to analyze and forecast interval-valued crude oil prices. In contrast to point-valued data methods, MTARIX models simultaneously capture nonlinear features in price trend and volatility, and this informational gain can produce more accurate forecasts. Several interval-valued factors and point-valued threshold variables are analyzed, including supply and demand, speculation, stock market, monetary market, technical factor, and search query data. Empirical results suggest that MTARIX models with appropriate threshold variables outperform other competing forecast models (ACIX, CR-SETARX, ARX, and VARX). The findings indicate that oil price range information is more valuable than oil price level information in forecasting crude oil prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Effective and brief positive parenting interventions could be adopted widely, but evidence is limited. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a positive parenting programme in Hong Kong Chinese parents. Methods: We conducted a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial in 2017 in 144 Hong Kong Chinese parents (84.7% women, mean age 42.5 [SD 5.87] years) of school-age children (mean age 10.9 [2.8] years) in 4 family service centres (clusters). The intervention included two 2-hour interactive talks (4 hours in total). The contents covered skills of giving praise, showing appreciation and playing enjoyable family games. The control group was offered the intervention after all the data were collected. Praise, appreciation and enjoyment related behaviours were measured as primary outcomes at baseline, 1 month and 3 months. The secondary outcomes were subjective happiness, wellbeing, personal health and happiness, family health, family happiness and harmony, and family relationship. After the completion of all assessments, five focus group discussions with the parents and four individual in-depth interviews with community service providers were conducted to explore their experiences. Results: Compared with the control group (n = 69), the intervention group (n = 75) showed greater positive changes in appreciation and enjoyment at 3 months with small effect sizes (d = 0.42 and 0.32, respectively), and greater improvements in the secondary outcomes at 3 months with small effect sizes (d: 0.29–0.48). In the focus groups, the parents reported more praise to their children, better temper control, more focus on their children's strengths and better family relationships. According to the service providers, most of the parents enjoyed the activities. Conclusions: The brief intervention in community settings with the engagement of community service providers has shown preliminary effectiveness in promoting positive parenting and mental wellbeing of Hong Kong Chinese parents. Trial registration: The authors confirm that all ongoing and related trials for this intervention are registered. The study reported in this manuscript is registered as clinical trial at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03282071. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03282071. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic (EC) glazing provides a promising solution to actively adjusting the sunlight and radiant heat through windows in response to building visual and thermal environmental requirements, and control strategies play a critical role in the application of EC technology in buildings. However, there is a conflict between the visual and thermal environmental requirements for EC regulation during a cooling season. To solve this problem, this paper developed a predictive control strategy for EC glazing. It was achieved based on two theoretical models which could predict the energy performance of EC glazing at different tint states, including the solar radiation heat transmitted through the glazing and lighting energy consumption. The optimum glazing state was determined based on real-time minimized energy consumption. Study results showed that the predictive control strategy outperformed the rule-based control strategy, with percentage energy saving of an office room in Beijing, China from 8.04% to 12.78% over an entire cooling season. In addition, the paper evaluated the energy-saving of using EC glazing under the predictive control strategy in 28 Chinese cities. The results indicated that EC glazing was highly applicable in most of cities with energy saving from 2.35 kWh/m2 to 5.04 kWh/m2 over an entire cooling season. • A predictive control strategy for EC glazing was developed. • Theoretical models were established to predict the EC glazing energy performances. • Real-time minimized energy consumption determined the optimum EC glazing state. • Balance between the visual and thermal environment requirements was achieved. • The energy-savings of using EC glazing in 28 Chinese cities were assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays information technology advances allow the collecting and storage of large complex datasets in many areas. Modeling and forecasting interval-valued time series (ITS) has drawn much attention over the last two decades because interval-valued observations contain more information than point-valued observations over the same period and remove undesirable noises in high-frequency data. However, most work mainly focuses on modeling a linear univariate ITS or bivariate point process. This paper proposes nonparametric regression models for interval-valued time series with imposing constraints, e.g., monotonicity. This setting with a monotonic constraint is consistent with the existing literature, which focuses on incorporating valuable empirical information in modeling and forecasts. Two constraint estimators are developed and asymptotic properties are established. Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to show the finite sample performance. An empirical application to equity premium documents that the proposed model yields a better forecast performance than some popular models in the literature. • First applies the parsimonious nonparametric spirit to interval time series. • Provide an algorithm obtaining the constraint interval estimators with bagging. • Derive the consistency and limit distribution of the proposed estimators. • Outperforms existing methods in the interval predictive model for stock returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of China's Low-Carbon Pilot Policy on analyst forecast behaviors. Using a staggered difference-in-difference approach, we find that the program reduced analyst forecast errors and divergence, as mandatory sustainability disclosures enable analysts to incorporate new information to improve forecast quality. The effect is concentrated in state-owned firms and manufacturing-oriented cities. Additional tests explore accounting information quality and investor attention as plausible channels. Overall, exploiting a major Chinese environmental regulation, we provide novel evidence that green policies can enhance transparency and capital market efficiency. The findings offer implications for regulators, investors, and managers as countries pursue climate change mitigation strategies. • Low-Carbon Pilot Policy reduced analyst forecast errors and divergence. • Forecast improvements concentrated in state-owned firms & manufacturing-oriented cities. • Accounting information quality and investor attention are plausible channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new class of nonlinear interval models for interval-valued time series. By matching the interval model with interval observations, we develop a nonlinear minimum-distance estimation method for the proposed models, and establish the asymptotic theory for the proposed estimators. Superior to traditional point-based methods, the proposed interval modelling approach can assess the change in both the trend and volatility simultaneously. Within the proposed interval framework, this paper examines the impact of the 2016 US presidential election (henceforth Trump election) on the US stock market as a case study. Considering the validity of daily high-low range as a proxy of market efficiency, we employ an interval-valued return to jointly measure the fundamental value movement and market efficiency simultaneously. Empirical results suggest a strong evidence that the Trump election has increased the level/trend and lowered the volatility of the S&P 500 index in both ex ante and ex post analysis. Furthermore, a longer half-life period for the impact on fundamental value (62.4 days) than high-low range (15.9 days) has shown that the impact of Trump's victory on fundamental value is more persistent than its impact on market efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appearance and processing characteristics of 45 japonica rice samples, collected from different regions in Jiangsu province, were investigated and evaluated in this study. Specifically, the chalkiness degree had been presented significant differences among different cultivars and regions. The average chalkiness degree varied from 6.81% to 15.34% for different regions and from 1.93% to 28.31% for different cultivars. The minimum head rice rate of cultivars from four regions, NJ9108 (HA), was 80.5%. The AC of CNG10, HD5, and PJ surpassed 13.68% and lower than 11.33% for the others. The protein content ranged from 6.1% to 11%, and the taste value was significantly different among cultivars. In addition, the RVA curves of the samples were similar, but the peak viscosities of NG8 and NJ5055 were higher than others, and there were significant differences in RVA traits among regions. Cultivars were the main reasons for the difference in appearance and processing quality of japonica rice, while environmental factors had leaded to the change of rice composition, texture, and gelatinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochromic (EC) windows can prevent glare by adjusting their tinting state, but the tinted EC glass will affect the use of daylight in the room, resulting in the increase of lighting energy consumption. Splitting the EC window into several panes and tinting only a portion of them can effectively mitigate the conflict between glare prevention and the usage of daylight. However, there is a lack of design methods for EC window split pane configurations to realize further lighting energy-saving potential. To address this problem, this study proposed an optimal design method for EC window split pane configuration. This method is based on the glare calculation model and aims to obtain the minimum tinted area hours (TAH) of the EC window. Taking a south-facing EC window office building in Beijing as a case study, the effectiveness of the proposed design method was investigated by simulation. Results show the proposed design method identified the most energy-efficient and comfortable split panes scheme. By combining with the split-pane glare control method, 95.3% of intolerable glare was prevented, and a useful daylight illumination index of 73.3% was achieved. It also significantly improved building energy efficiency, saving 29.8% of lighting energy consumption compared to whole window design scheme. This study provides a promising design methodology for the high-performance application of EC windows in buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Split-pane electrochromic (EC) windows enable the control of glare and the effective utilization of sunlight by adjusting the color of individual window panes. However, existing EC control methods are often limited to specific cases or require extensive simulation work, resulting in a deficiency of generic control approaches. To solve this issue, this paper proposed a novel approach to EC window zoning control based on glare prediction. This method evaluated real-time discomfort glare for each EC window pane and effectively adjusted the tinting state of the split panes to mitigate glare. A typical office setting in Beijing was selected to simulate the impact of utilizing this method on the light environment and energy conservation. The simulation results demonstrate that this approach could effectively keep the discomfort glare probability (DGP) below 0.4, which belongs to perceptible glare. Compared to EC whole window control, it reduced the tinting area multiplier hours by 63.64%–71.43%, managed UDI values within the range of 40%–90%, and reduced lighting energy consumption by over 40.98%. The results confirmed the accuracy of the proposed method in glare control, the improvement of the lighting environment, and the significant reduction in lighting energy consumption, enhancing its substantial energy-saving potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of group-based behavioral activation with mindfulness (BAM) versus care as usual (CAU) for treating subthreshold depression in primary care. Adults aged 18 years or older with subthreshold depression were randomized into two arms and were followed up for 12 months. BAM group was provided with eight 2-h weekly treatment by trained allied healthcare workers. CAU group could access to usual medical care but did not receive extra interventions. The health service cost in the past 12 months was self-reported by the participants. Quality-adjusted Life Years (QALYs) and clinical outcome (incidence of major depressive disorder progression) were measured. Willingness-to-pay ratio for cost-utility analysis (CUA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was US$50,000 per QALY and US$20,000 per prevented major depression case, respectively. These ratios were used in the cost-effective acceptability curve analyses to estimate the probability of cost-effectiveness of the estimated incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICER) of BAM versus CAU. A total of 115 and 116 participants were included in the BAM group and CAU respectively. The estimated CUA ICER was US5,979 per QALY and had a probability of 0.93 that BAM was cost-effective when compared to CAU. Furthermore, when compared to CAU, BAM was cost-effective in preventing progression of major depression: the estimated CEA ICER was US$1046 per preventable case of major progression with a probability of 0.99 to be cost-effective. Group-based BAM is considered as a cost-effective alternative treatment for treating subthreshold depression by preventing major depressive disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural changes often occur in air passengers due to some external factors such as airport expansion, policy orientation and economic development; model uncertainty is a common long-standing issue in forecasting. To address these issues, a novel time-varying Jackknife model averaging method (TVJMA) (Sun et al, 2020, 2012) is employed to predict air passengers of the Top 5 airports in China. Based on nonparametric estimation, the optimal time-varying weights for various candidate models with time-varying parameters in candidate models are obtained by minimizing the local Jackknife criterion at every time point t. TVJMA method allows the weights and parameters to change over time. Empirical results show that the TVJMA method used in this paper is significantly superior to other benchmark models, including Hansen and Racine's (2012) Jackknife model averaging method (JMA), autoregression model (AR), autoregression integrated moving average model (ARIMA), seasonal autoregression integrated moving average model (SARIMA), and time-varying parameter model (TVP). Furthermore, the predictive effect of TVJMA is robust to different test sets and prediction steps. Overall, TVJMA method effectively reduces the predictive risk caused by structural changes and model uncertainty, and thus produces accurate and stable forecasts of air passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CRISPR/Cas9 technology is an efficient genome editing tool for producing genetically modified animals. Carotenoids color the world around us and their accumulation in animals could be used to culture colorful new verities in animal breeding. β, β-carotene 9′, 10′-oxygenase (BCO2) is an important enzyme during β-carotene metabolism. In this research, one full-length cDNA sequence encoding BCO2 (named EcBCO2) were obtained from Exopalaemon carinicauda. The genomic structure analysis showed that EcBCO2 gene was composed of 9 exons and 8 introns. Then, the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of EcBCO2 gene was generated by co-microinjection of Cas9 mRNA and EcBCO2 sgRNA into one-cell stage embryos of E. carinicauda. Subsequently, the phenotype of EcBCO2 -KO prawns was compared with that of wild-type prawns, which showed that EcBCO2 -KO resulted in the color change in the hepatopancreas of prawns. In addition, the EcBCO2 -KO prawns had a higher survival rate than wild-type prawns when the prawns were challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Aeromonas hydrophila. These results indicate that BCO2 gene could be used as a candidate gene in molecular marker-assistant breeding of prawns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the immune defense reaction of invertebrate, a plenty of reactive oxygen species (ROS) could be induced to product. Though ROS can kill foreign invaders, the accumulation of these reactive molecules in animals will cause serious cell damage. Carotenoids could function as scavengers of oxygen radicals. In this research, cDNA and genomic DNA of one carotenoid isomerooxygenase gene (named EcNinaB-X1) were cloned from Exopalaemon carinicauda. EcNinaB-X1 gene was composed of 12 exons and 11 introns. EcNinaB-X1 knock-out (KO) prawns were produced via CRISPR/Cas9 technology and the change of their phenotypes were analyzed. Of the 400 injected one-cell stage embryos with cas9 mRNA and one sgRNA targeting the first exon of EcNinaB-X1 gene, 26 EcNinaB-X1- KO prawns were generated and the mutant rate reached 6.5% after embryo injection. The EcNinaB-X1- KO prawns had significant lower mortality than those in wild-type group when the prawns were challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Aeromonas hydrophila. In conclusion, we first demonstrate the function of the carotenoid isomerooxygenase gene in immune defense of E. carinicauda by performing directed, heritable gene mutagenesis. Image 1 • EcNinaB-X1 gene was cloned from E. carinicauda. • The expression profiles of EcNinaB-X1 were demonstrated. • CRISPR-Cas9 system efficiently generated indels in EcNinaB-X1 loci. • EcNinaB-X1 -KO prawns had lower mortality than wild-type after bacterial challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the 7-item Chinese Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS) in Hong Kong Chinese.Methods: Under "A Jockey Club Initiative for a Harmonious Society" project, a random telephone survey was conducted in 2017 on 1331 Hong Kong Chinese residents aged ≥ 18. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the factorial validity. The Spearman correlations of the SWEMWBS with other scales including the 12-item short form health survey (SF-12), family well-being, self-rated health, the global happiness item (GHI), subjective happiness scale (SHS), and patient health questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), were used to evaluate the convergent and divergent validity. Known-group validity was also assessed. We calculated congeneric reliability based on standardized factor loadings and error variances. Two-week test-retest reliability was assessed in 100 randomly selected respondents using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).Results: Among the weighted sample, 55.9% were female and 72.9% were 25 to 64 years old. The CFA indicated good validity of the SWEMWBS. The SWEMWBS had moderate correlations with SHS, SF-12 mental component, PHQ-4 and GHI, but a weak correlation with SF-12 physical component. Older respondents, those with higher education level, married, working, with higher household income reported higher level of well-being. The congeneric reliability of the SWEMWBS was 0.85. Moderate to good test-retest reliability was observed (ICC 0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.80).Conclusion: The Chinese SWEMWBS showed good validity and reliability for measuring well-being in the general population of Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are an emerging class of smart materials for soft actuation machines. LCE composites (LCECs), via the incorporation of fillers into LCE matrices, bring superior functionalities to overcome the modest robustness and mechanical actuation performance. Considering the distinctive structures, good physico-chemical and mechanical properties of some animal fibers, we propose a cost-effective design and fabrication of LCECs by dispersing cat hair fibers into a polysiloxane LCE matrix, forming a cat hair fiber reinforced polysiloxane main-chain LCEC. The cat hair fibers demonstrate good integration and compatibility properties with the matrix, and construct a reinforcement network, which can enhance the mechanical actuation properties while adapting to the large reversible deformable capability of LCE matrix due to its high flexibility. By doping the LCE matrix with a small amount of graphene, the LCECs demonstrate strong photothermal actuation performances. The modulus, tensile strength, and output driving force activated by light stimulus are remarkably enhanced. LCECs also demonstrate greatly increased resisting fatigue failure reliability under high loadings and repetitive cycles of photo actuation. The liquid crystal phase structure, mesomorphic properties, phase transition temperature and deformation ratio of LCE matrix do not change or weaken. Our LCEC design and fabrication provide a promising way for LCE application potential, and can be extended to other animal fiber incorporated LCECs, bringing more rich actuation capabilities needed by soft actuators and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the problem of post-averaging inference for optimal model averaging estimators in a generalized linear model (GLM). We establish the asymptotic distributions of optimal model averaging estimators for GLMs. The asymptotic distributions of the model averaging estimators are nonstandard, depending on the configuration of the penalty term in the weight choice criterion. We also propose a feasible simulation-based confidence interval estimator and investigate its asymptotic properties rigorously. Monte Carlo simulations verify the usefulness of our theoretical results, and the proposed methods are employed to analyze a stock car racing dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to reveal the visible–light photocatalytic performance of Pt supported and carbon coated Bi 2 MoO 6 (Pt/C@Bi 2 MoO 6 ) composite on the degradation of aquatic 2,4–dibromophenol (DBP) pollutant. The surface structure analysis shows that Pt and carbon layer can tightly bind to the surface of Bi 2 MoO 6 with the chemical bonds, and hybrid the original band gap to generate new impurity levels to enhance the visible–light utilization efficiency. The carbon layer has excellent conductivity to transformation electrons from valence band (VB) site, and the supported Pt atoms on carbon layer generate a plasma electron field to enhance the reductive activity on conduction band (CB) site. The Pt/C@Bi 2 MoO 6 composite shows more efficient and reliable abilities in DBP photocatalytic degradation, and the debromination and oxidization processes are performed separately on CB and VB site, respectively. The DBP debromination proceeds by electrons in the CB site in priority to generate non–brominated intermediate products, and then the oxidization and mineralization procedures start by hydroxide radicals in the VB site to finish the complete degradation of DBP. This research reveals the important roles of Pt and carbon layer in band gap structure modification and photocatalytic activity improvement, exhibiting a new insight to design an efficient and stable photocatalyst for persistent organic pollutant degradation under visible–light irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of product miniaturization in aerospace, the nuclear industry, and other fields, Ni-Co-based superalloys with excellent overall properties have become key materials for micro components in these fields. In the microforming field, size effects significantly impact the mechanical properties and plastic deformation behavior of materials. In this paper, micro-tensile experiments at room temperature and an ultra-low temperature were carried out to study the effects of initial microstructure and deformation temperature on the deformation behavior of Ni-Co-based superalloy thin sheets. The results show that as the ratio of specimen thickness to grain size (t/d) decreased from 8.6 to 2.4, the tensile strength σb decreased from 1221 MPa to 1090 MPa, the yield strength σs decreased from 793 MPa to 622 MPa, and the elongation decreased from 0.26 to 0.21 at room temperature. When t/d decreased from 8.6 to 2.4, σb decreased from 1458 MPa to 1132 MPa, σs decreased from 917 MPa to 730 MPa, and the elongation decreased from 0.31 to 0.28 at ultra-low temperatures. When t/d decreased from 8.6 to 2.4, the surface roughness of the specimen increased from 0.769 to 0.890 at room temperature and increased from 0.648 to 0.809 at ultra-low temperatures. During the microplastic deformation process of Ni-Co-based superalloy thin sheets, the coupled effects of surface roughening caused by free surface grains and hindered dislocation movement induced by grain boundary resulted in strain localization, which caused fracture failure of Ni-Co-based superalloy thin sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To identify how severity of depression predicts future utilization of psychiatric care and antidepressants.Methods: Data derived from a longitudinal population-based study in Stockholm, Sweden, include 10443 participants aged 20-64 years. Depression was assessed by Major Depression Inventory and divided into subsyndromal, mild, moderate and severe depression. Outcomes were the first time of hospitalization, specialized outpatient care and prescribed drugs obtained from national register records. The association between severity of depression and outcomes was tested by Cox regression analysis, after adjusting for gender, psychiatric treatment history and socio-environmental factors.Results: The cumulative incidences of hospitalizations, outpatient care and antidepressants were 4.0, 11.2, and 21.9% respectively. Compared to the non-depressed group, people with different severity of depression (subsyndromal, mild, moderate and severe depression) all had significantly higher risk of all three psychiatric services (all log-rank test P < 0.001). Use of psychiatric care and antidepressants increased by rising severity of depression. Although the associations between severity of depression and psychiatric services were significant, the dose relationship was not present in people with previous psychiatric history or after adjusting for gender and other factors.Conclusions: People with subsyndromal to severe depression all have increased future psychiatric service utilization compared to non-depressed people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin deacetylase (CDA, EC 3.5.1.41), belonging to a family of extracellular chitin-modifying enzymes, can catalyze the deacetylation of chitin. In this study, the full-length cDNA sequence encoding chitin deacetylase 1 ( EcCDA1 ) was obtained from Exopalaemon carinicauda . The complete nucleotide sequence of EcCDA1 contained a 1611 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding EcCDA1 precursor of 536 amino acids. The domain architecture of the deduced EcCDA1 protein contained a signal peptide, a chitin-binding peritrophin-A domain (ChtBD2), a low-density lipoprotein receptor class A domain (LDLa) and a Polysacc_deac_1 domain. EcCDA1 mRNA was predominantly expressed in the gills. The expression of EcCDA1 in the prawns challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila changed in a time-dependent manner. The expression of EcCDA1 in the prawns challenged with V. parahaemolyticus was up-regulated at 12 h ( p  < 0.05), and significantly up-regulated at 24 h and 48 h ( p  < 0.01), and then returned to the control levels at 96 h post-challenge ( p  > 0.05). At the same time, the expression in Aeromonas -challenged group was significantly up-regulated at 12, 24 and 48 h ( p  < 0.01) and returned to the control levels at 120 h post-challenge ( p  > 0.05). Then, EcCDA1 was recombinantly expressed in Pichia pastoris and the purified recombinant EcCDA1 could not inhibit the growth of V. parahaemolyticus or A. hydrophila , which indicated that the CDA1 may play its biological activity in immune defense by deacetylation from chitin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitinase belongs to the glycosyl hydrolases family 18 and plays key role in the development and pathogen resistance of crustaceans. In this study, the enzymatic characterization of chitinase 3C (EcChi3C) of Exopalaemon carinicauda was analyzed. In addition, we analyzed the expression profiles of EcChi3C at different tissues and different molting stages. In the all tested tissues, it was predominantly expressed in hepatopancreas, and then stomach, but poor in other tissues. In all tested molting periods, it was mainly expressed in intermolt and molting stages, but poor in other stages. The results of molting, mortality and the uropod ultrastructure of prawns after being injected with EcChi3C dsRNA were in accordance with those of the control group. In addition, there is no difference for endopodite morphology between the survival and dead individuals in experimental group. After being challenged with bacteria, the expression of EcChi3C was up-regulated significantly at 12 h and followed with a comeback at 96 h. These results suggest that EcChi3C is an important immune related gene but not a necessary gene in the molting process of E. carinicauda . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin degradation is catalyzed by a two-component chitinolytic enzyme system, chitinase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGase). In this paper, the full-length cDNA sequence encoding NAGase ( EcNAG ) was obtained from Exopalaemon carinicauda . The deduced amino acid sequence of EcNAG open reading frame (ORF) contained one Glycohydro_20b2 domain and one Glyco_hydro_20 domain. Based on the cDNA sequence, the genomic structure of EcNAG was characterized and it was composed of six exons and five introns. EcNAG mRNA majorly expressed in the hepatopancreas and epidermis. During the molting stages, EcNAG mRNA expression was well-regulated and its expression reached the highest level at the molting stage E. In addition, EcNAG was recombinant expressed in Pichia pastoris and the partial enzymatic characterization of recombinant EcNAG was confirmed. After being challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila , the expression of EcNAG was up-regulated significantly at 6 h and reached the peak at 12 h. And then, the expression began to down-regulated and came to the normal level at 72 h. It is helpful to research the relationship between the molt-related hormones and chitinlytic enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing restrictions of environmental regulations and safety concerns on the traditional poisonous coatings, it is highly desirable to develop a new green anti-biofouling method in marine environment. In this paper, graphene composite coating and carbon fiber (CF) composite coating connected with high voltage pulse electric field (HPEF) were developed to inhibit the attachment of diatoms. The polarizing microscopy showed that the attachment rates of Thalassiosira and Navicula reached the lowest levels which were 0.23 cells mm −2 and 6.06 cells mm −2 on the graphene composite coating, 0.38 cells mm −2 and 4.17 cells mm −2 on the CF composite coating, under the HPEF with 1 h duration, 23.15 kHz frequency, 0.5 duty cycle and 19 kV pulse amplitude. While the attachment rates of Thalassiosira and Navicula were 21.21 cells mm −2 and 61.89 cells mm −2 on the graphene composite coating, 22.75 cells mm −2 and 62 cells mm −2 on the CF composite coating, without HPEF. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that HPEF disintegrated the diatom cells, which could underlie the considerable inhibition of the diatom attachment by the HPEF. Additionally, the hardness, flexibility and shock resistance tests indicated that graphene and CF could considerably increase the mechanical properties of epoxy resin coating. HPEF stimulation had no obvious effect on the mechanical properties of the composite coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitinase, belonging to family 18 glycosyl hydrolase, is a multi-gene family and it has many functions. Generation of loss-of-function mutant targeting an interesting gene is a common way to clarify its function based on reverse genetics. In this study, we first reported the immune defense of a chitinase gene ( EcChi4 ) in Exopalaemon carinicauda using its EcChi4 -deletion mutant. EcChi4 was predominantly expressed in hepatopancreas and was upregulated after challenge with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or Aeromonas hydrophila . After knockout EcChi4 gene using CRISPR/Cas9 tool, the prawns in EcChi4 -deletion group had significant higher mortality than those in wild-type group when the prawns were challenged with V. parahaemolyticus or A. hydrophila . In conclusion, we first demonstrate the function of a chitinase gene in immune defense of E. carinicauda by performing directed, heritable gene mutagenesis. In the future, CRISPR/Cas9 should be widely applicable as a feasible means for gene editing in E. carinicauda for the study of important biological questions that cannot be easily addressed in other decapods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A dimensionless coefficient, COFS , to reflect the level of frosting was proposed. • A method to develop a frosting suppression performance map was introduced. • 50%-100% frosting areas on the maps for experimental ASHP units can be predicted. • The four-point method can reduce map development time by at least 67%. It has been known that for space heating ASHPs, their different configurations and operation may influence their frosting performances. However, there has been no comprehensive coefficient that can be conveniently and comprehensively used to characterize the frosting status, severeness level of frosting, and the potential for frosting suppression during the real-time operation of an ASHP unit. Therefore, in this paper, a novel coefficient of frosting suppression based on the operating characteristic for ASHPs has been proposed, and its development is reported. Firstly, a novel dimensionless coefficient, COFS , to reflect the severeness of frosting for ASHPs was defined. Secondly, an experimental setup with four variable speed experimental ASHP units and test conditions are described. Thirdly, using the experimental results, COFS -based frosting suppression performance maps for the four units were developed. It is shown that because the experimental four units had different frosting suppression abilities, their frosting areas in their frosting maps were 50%, 100%, 94%, and 58%, respectively. In addition, as the test conditions changed, the frosting area on a map area could also change. These have proved that the proposed COFS could effectively reflect the frosting status and the relative level of frosting suppression performances of ASHP in actual operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon–coated Bi 2 MoO 6 (C@BM) composites have been successfully synthesized via two–step hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure and photocatalytic performance of the composites in the degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) are characterized. The results show that the C@BM composites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation of Rh B with maximum degradation rates of 90% (210 min) under visible light irradiation. 1.0%C@BM sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity, and the improved photocatalytic performance is mainly ascribed to the formation of Mo O C and Bi O C bonds. The bonds could promote electron transfer from Bi 2 MoO 6 to carbon layer and inhibit the recombination of electron–hole pairs with the presence of carbon layer in the composites. Moreover, the carbon layer on Bi 2 MoO 6 could enhance the absorption in the visible light region. In the photocatalytic degradation process, O 2 − and holes are the predominant active species for the decomposition of Rh B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are known as novel regulators involved in virulence, stress responsibility, and so on. Recently, a lot of new researches have highlighted the critical roles of sRNAs in fine-tune gene regulation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Edwardsiella tarda (E. tarda) is a gram-negative, intracellular pathogen that causes edwardsiellosis in fish. Thus far, no sRNA has been reported in E. tarda. The present study represents the first attempt to identify sRNAs in E. tarda S08. Ten sRNAs were validated by RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR). ET_sRNA_1 and ET_sRNA_2 were homolous to tmRNA and GcvB, respectively. However, the other candidate sRNAs have not been reported till now. The cellular abundance of 10 validated sRNA was detected by qPCR at different growth phases to monitor their biosynthesis. Nine candidate sRNAs were expressed in the late-stage of exponential growth and stationary stages of growth (36~60 h). And the expression of the nine sRNAs was growth phase-dependent. But ET_sRNA_10 was almost expressed all the time and reached the highest peak at 48 h. Their targets were predicted by TargetRNA2 and each sRNA target contains some genes that directly or indirectly relate to virulence. These results preliminary showed that sRNAs probably play a regulatory role of virulence in E. tarda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defrosting under unnecessary conditions is a typical and undesirable operating phenomenon for air source heat pump (ASHP). This paper aims to evaluate the ASHP performance under unnecessary defrosting phenomena in different regions of China. Firstly, energy loss for two kinds of unnecessary defrosting phenomena was quantified by 60 days field test. Secondly, a method was developed to predict unnecessary defrosting times. The prediction accuracy can be controlled within 10%. Furthermore, the ASHP performance of unnecessary defrosting was evaluated for nine typical cities in China. It was found that the average unnecessary defrosting rate was 53% for northern cities, 38% for mid-land cities, and 15% for southern cities during a heating season. Correspondingly, the total energy loss was 233 MJkW −1 , 161 MJkW −1 , and 44 MJkW −1 . These results indicate that unnecessary defrosting processes should not have been ignored. It is a valuable work to improve the defrosting control method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edwardsiella tarda has been recognized as an important facultative intracellular pathogen of fish with capability of survival and replication within macrophages. E. tarda -macrophage interactions play a very important role in the defense mechanism of fish against infection. The mechanisms that E. tarda use to infect and persist inside macrophages are not well characterized. To gain insight concerning this process, RAW264.7 cells was used to investigate the interactions between E. tarda and macrophages. Using an in vitro model involving RAW264.7 cells, internalization assay demonstrated that MOIs of 10:1 and 100:1 could result in a satisfactory infection rate after a 2 h infection period. Consistent with the performance in fish macrophages, E. tarda could survive, replicate and induce iNOS-mediated NO production in RAW264.7 cells. Light and electron microscopy confirmed the internalization and replication of E. tarda in RAW264.7 cells, showing once inside macrophages, numberous bacteria may be destroyed within phagolysosomes and those that successfully subvert phagocyte defenses are capable of extensively replicating within the vacuolar-like compartment in macrophages. In addition, E. tarda -induced apoptosis was observed in RAW264.7 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner, characterized by increased Annexin V binding and the activation of caspase-3. The results described here indicate that RAW264.7 cells could model the behavior of fish macrophages in response to E. tarda in many ways and may serve as a cell model for study on interactions between E. tarda and macrophages. The successful establishment of E. tarda- invaded RAW264.7 cells model may contribute to providing a basis for more detailed understanding of E. tarda pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hyperspectral imaging technology coupled with chemometrics was used to distinguish the growth stage of molds on wheat grains. • The SVM model built with orthogonal signal correction treated full and characteristic wavelengths showed high accuracy. • The accuracy of SVM models built with characteristic wavelengths were from 72.67 % to 80.67 % for five molds. Mildew on wheat is a undesired quality decrease process, producing a lot of toxic metabolites. In order to reduce economic loss and ensure the safety during wheat storage and transportation, the monitoring of mold growth in early stage is particularly important. This research was to study the different growth stages of five molds in wheat grains based on the hyperspectral imaging system. The visible-near-infrared hyperspectral information of wheat grains, with different molds growed from 1 day to 9 day, were collected to establish the model for the mold growth time discrimination. The spectroscopy in 50 wheat grains were collected for 9 days. Then, the SVM model was built with orthogonal signal correction (OSC) treated full-spectra for identification, with the coefficient of determination (R2 CV) ranged from 0.916 to 0.962, and from 0.507 to 0.748 for the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV), from 0.940 to 0.964 for the determination coefficient of prediction (R2 P) and from 0.492 to 0.638 for the root mean error of prediction (RMSEP). In order to simplify the prediction models, successive projection algorithm (SPA) was employed to obtain the characteristic wavelengths. SVM models, which were better than PLS modes, were built by orthogonal signal correction (OSC)-treated characteristic wavelengths, R2 CV and RMSECV were 0.890–0.923 and 0.716–0.862 respectively, and R2 P and RMSEP of the models were 0.882–0.932 and 0.682–0.895 respectively. It can be concluded that hyperspectral imaging technology could be used to distinguish the growth time of different molds on wheat grains with high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cymbidium faberi is a traditional orchid flower in China that is highly appreciated for its fragrant aroma from its zygomorphic flowers. One bottleneck of the commercial production of C. faberi is the long vegetative growth phase of the orchid and the difficulty of the regulation of its flowering time. Moreover, its flower size, shape and color are often targeting traits for orchid breeders. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of floral development in C. faberi will ultimately benefit the genetic improvement of this orchid plant. The goal of this study is to identify potential genes and regulatory networks related to the floral development in C. faberi by using transcriptome sequencing, de novo assembly and computational analyses. The vegetative and flower buds of C. faberi were sampled for such comparisons. The RNA-seq yielded about 189,300 contigs that were assembled into 172,959 unigenes. Furthermore, a total of 13,484 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were identified between the vegetative and flower buds. There were 7683 down-regulated and 5801 up-regulated DEGs in the flower buds compared to those in the vegetative buds, among which 3430 and 6556 DEGs were specifically enriched in the flower or vegetative buds, respectively. A total of 173 DEGs orthologous to known genes associated with the floral organ development, floral symmetry and flowering time were identified, including 12 TCP transcription factors, 34 MADS-box genes and 28 flowering time related genes. Furthermore, expression levels of ten genes potentially involved in floral development and flowering time were verified by quantitative real-time PCR. The identified DEGs will facilitate the functional genetic studies for further understanding the flower development of C. faberi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the defrosting accuracy of air source heat pumps (ASHPs), this paper proposes a novel defrosting control method by applying tube encircled photoelectric sensors (TEPSs). A field test was conducted for two heating seasons in Beijing, China, to verify the feasibility and practicality of the novel TEPS method. The test results revealed that irrespective of the environmental conditions, the TEPS method can initiate defrosting in similar situations: most of the heat exchanger surface had been covered by frost; the compressor suction temperature decreased by ~9 °C; the compressor discharge temperature increased by ~16 °C; and the heating capacity decreased by ~30%. Furthermore, the TEPS method was verified to make more accurate and more reasonable defrosting decisions than the traditional T-T method under both frosting and non-frosting conditions. The results indicate that the TEPS method is a competitive defrosting control method that can be used for ASHPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recombinant expression vector, pCT7-CHISP6H, was constructed for the secretory expression of mature peptide of chitosanase (mMschito) from Microbacterium sp. OU01. The vector contains several elements, including T7 promoter, signal peptide sequence of mschito, 6 × His-tag sequence and PmaCI restriction enzyme cloning site. In pCT7-CHISP6H, mMschito was fused into signal peptide sequence of mschito gene to construct recombinant plasmid pCT7-CHISP6H-mMschito. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and then expressed. The recombinant protein was secreted into the Luria-Bertani broth and the chitosanase activity in supernatant of the culture could reach up to 67.56 U/mL. The rmMschito in the broth supernatant was purified using HisTrap™ FF Crude column and the purified rmMschito was shown to be apparent homogeneity by 12 % SDS-PAGE analysis. Detected by 4700 MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS, the molecular weight of the purified rmMschito was 26,758.1875 and it was consistent with the predicted molecular weight. Chitosan (degree of deacetylation of 99 %) was mostly hydrolyzed into chitopentaose, chitotriose, and chitobiose by the purified rmMschito. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the defrosting accuracy and the energy efficiency of the air-source heat pump (ASHP) under frosting and defrosting conditions, a novel Temperature–Humidity–Time (T–H–T) defrosting control method, based on a frosting map for the ASHP unit, is proposed in this paper. A field test was conducted for two heating seasons, to verify the feasibility and applicability of the T–H–T method. The advantages of the T–H–T method, compared to the conventional Temperature–Time (T–T) defrosting control method, are presented. In total, eight cases are shown in this paper. Cases 1 to 4 were chosen to reveal the T–H–T performance under different frosting conditions. It was found that no matter what kind of frosting conditions, defrosting was always initiated in a similar situation: ∼90% of the outdoor coil surface was covered by frost; the temperature difference between the compressor suction and discharge increased by ∼20%; and the heating capacity decreased by ∼30%. These results indicate that the T–H–T method can make an accurate decision under different frosting conditions. Cases 5a, 5b and Cases 6a, 6b were two groups of cases to compare the advantages of the T–H–T method against the conventional T–T method. Cases 5a and 5b were chosen for the non-frosting condition. It was found that the T–T method initiated the defrosting operation 31 times within 24 h. However, none of the defrosting operations was conducted for the T–H–T method. Cases 6a and 6b were chosen to compare these two methods under consecutive and variable frosting conditions. For the T–T method, 63% of the defrosting processes were found to be executed under conditions where defrosting was not necessary. However, for the T–H–T method, all the defrosting controls were found to be accurate and reasonable. These results indicated that the novel T–H–T method is suitable for the defrosting control of the ASHP, and has a more competitive performance than the conventional T–T method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Light is known to regulate anthocyanin pigment biosynthesis in plants on several levels, but the significance of protein phosphorylation in light‐induced anthocyanin accumulation needs further investigation. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of the apple fruit phosphoproteome in response to light, using high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Among the differentially phosphorylated proteins, the bZIP (basic leucine zipper) transcription factor, HY5, which has been identified as an anthocyanin regulator, was rapidly activated by light treatment of the fruit. We hypothesized that phosphorylated MdHY5 may play a role in light‐induced anthocyanin accumulation of apple fruit. Protein interaction and phosphorylation assays showed that mitogen‐activated protein kinase MdMPK6 directly interacted with, and activated, MdHY5 via phosphorylation under light conditions, thereby increasing its stability. Consistent with this finding, the suppression of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase genes MdMPK6 or MdHY5 resulted in an inhibition of anthocyanin accumulation, and further showed that light‐induced anthocyanin accumulation is dependent on MdMPK6 kinase activity, and is required for maximum MdHY5 activity. Under light conditions, active MdMPK6 phosphorylated MdHY5 leading to accumulation of phospho‐MdHY5, which enhanced the binding of MdHY5 to its target anthocyanin related genes in fruit. Our findings reveal an MdMPK6–MdHY5 phosphorylation pathway in light‐induced anthocyanin accumulation, providing new insights into the regulation of light‐induced anthocyanin biosynthesis in apple fruit at both the transcriptional and post‐translational levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] It is the first report that Rhodococcus erythropolis can produce CDA and chitinase. [•] The medium components and culture conditions for CDA production were optimized. [•] Enzymatic hydrolysates were COSs with polymerization number larger than hexaose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Crude enzymes including chitosanase and β-d-glucosaminidase were obtained by centrifugal separation from the fermentation broth of Microbacterium sp. OU01. Then the crude enzymes are used to hydrolyze chitosan for producing d-glucosamine (GlcN). The effects of temperature, pH, substrate concentration, the ratio of enzyme to chitosan, and hydrolysis time on the productivity of GlcN were discussed. The experimental result showed that the optimal conditions were temperature 50°C, pH 5.8, substrate concentration 20mg/mL, the optimum ratio of enzyme to chitosan 1.5U/60mg. Under above conditions, chitosan was completely hydrolyzed in 5h. These results provide a scientific material for the optimization process of enzymatic production of GlcN. What is more, thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography were used to analyze hydrolytic product, which was proved to be GlcN. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To evaluate the role of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling in retinal neovascularization in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). The OIR model was established in C57BL/6J wild type (WT) mice and TLR2−/− mice. Retinal neovascularization in the OIR model was measured by counting new vascular cell nuclei above the internal limiting membrane and analyzing flat-mounted retinas perfused with fluorescein dextran and immunostained with Griffonia Simplicifolia (GS) isolectin. The expression of TLR2 and VEGF in the retina was detected by immunofluorescence. Expression of TGF- β1, b-FGF, and IL-6 mRNA in the retina was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Compared to WT OIR mice, retinal neovascularization was attenuated in TLR2−/− OIR mice. The co-expressions of TLR2 and VEGF were remarkably and consistently increased in WT OIR mice; however, there was no expression of TLR2 and a significant decrease in VEGF expression in TLR2−/− OIR mice. These results suggest that TLR2 plays a central role in OIR model angiogenesis. Expression of TGF- β1, b-FGF, and IL-6 mRNA were reduced in the TLR2−/− OIR mice, suggesting that the inflammatory response induced by TLR2 relates to angiogenesis. TLR2 signaling in the retina is associated with neovascularization in mice. Inflammation contributes to the activation of angiogenesis and is partially mediated through the TLR2-VEGF retinal signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The chitosanase production was markedly enhanced by substrate induction, statistical optimization of medium composition and culture conditions by Microbacterium sp. OU01 in shake-flask. A significant influence of (NH4)2SO4, MgSO4 ·7H2O and initial pH on chitosanase production was noted with Plackett–Burman design. It was then revealed with the method of steepest ascent and response surface methodology (RSM) that 19.0g/L (NH4)2SO4, 1.3g/L MgSO4 and an initial pH of 2.0 were optimum for the production of chitosanase; colloidal chitosan appeared to be the best inducer for chitosanase production by Microbacterium sp. OU01. This optimization strategy led to the enhancement of chitosanase from 3.6U/mL to 118U/mL. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Compound eyes formation in decapod crustaceans occurs after the nauplius stage. However, the key genes and regulatory mechanisms of compound eye development during crustacean embryonic development have not yet been clarified. In this study, RNA-seq was used to investigate the gene expression profiles of Neocaridina denticulata sinensis from nauplius to zoea stage. Based on RNA-seq data analysis, the phototransduction and insect hormone biosynthesis pathways were enriched, and molting-related neuropeptides were highly expressed. There was strong cell proliferation in the embryo prior to compound eye development. The formation of the visual system and the hormonal regulation of hatching were the dominant biological events during compound eye development. The functional analysis of DEGs across all four developmental stages showed that cuticle formation, muscle growth and the establishment of immune system occurred from nauplius to zoea stage. Key genes related to eye development were discovered, including those involved in the determination and differentiation of the eye field, eye-color formation, and visual signal transduction. In conclusion, the results increase the understanding of the molecular mechanism of eye formation in crustacean embryonic stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study described a full-length transcriptome of Neocaridina denticulata sinensis that was generated using third-generation sequencing technology. The resulting transcriptome assembly comprised 5831 transcripts, revealing 90.5% novel isoforms of known genes. A functional annotation showed that 24.8% of the transcripts can be searched across seven key databases. Additionally, 1236 alternative splicing events, 344 transcription factors, and 124 long non-coding RNAs were predicted. Notably, a RING finger protein NHL-1 coding gene was characterized with 15 transcripts, and a phylogenetic analysis underscored its evolutionary connection to NHL-1 in other crustaceans. This full-length transcriptome dataset constitutes a valuable genetic resource in Neocaridina denticulata sinensis and will facilitate functional genomic studies and investigations into environmental adaptations in this species. Neocaridina denticulata sinensis has emerged as a promising model organism for basic studies in Decapod. However, the current transcriptome information on this species is based on next-generation sequencing technologies, which are limited by a short read length. Therefore, the present study aimed to generate a full-length transcriptome assembly of N. denticulata sinensis utilizing the PacBio Sequel Ⅱ platform. The resulting transcriptome assembly comprised 5831 transcripts with an N50 value of 3697 bp. Remarkably, 90.5% of these transcripts represented novel isoforms of known genes. The transcripts were further searched against the NR, SwissProt, KEGG, KOG, GO, NT, and Pfam databases. A total of 24.8% of the transcripts can be annotated across all seven databases. Additionally, 1236 alternative splicing events, 344 transcription factors, and 124 long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) were predicted. Based on the alternative splicing annotation results, a RING finger protein NHL-1 gene from N. denticulata sinensis (NdNHL-1) was identified. There are 15 transcripts in NdNHL-1. The longest transcript is 4995 bp in length and encodes a putative protein of 1665 amino acids. A phylogenetic analysis showed its close relationship with NHL-1 from other crustacean species. This report represents the full-length transcriptome of N. denticulata sinensis and will facilitate research on functional genomics and environmental adaptation in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the influence of deep learning reconstruction (DLR) on bladder MRI, specifically examination time, image quality, and diagnostic performance of vesical imaging reporting and data system (VI-RADS) within a prospective clinical cohort. Methods: Seventy participants with bladder cancer who underwent MRI between August 2022 and February 2023 with a protocol containing standard T2-weighted imaging (T2WIS), standard diffusion-weighted imaging (DWIS), fast T2WI with DLR (T2WIDL), and fast DWI with DLR (DWIDL) were enrolled in this prospective study. Imaging quality was evaluated by measuring signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and qualitative image quality scoring. Additionally, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of bladder lesions derived from DWIS and DWIDL was measured and VI-RADS scoring was performed. Paired t-test or paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test were performed to compare image quality score, SNR, CNR, and ADC between standard sequences and fast sequences with DLR. The diagnostic performance for VI-RADS was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: Compared to T2WIS and DWIS, T2WIDL and DWIDL reduced the acquisition time from 5:57 min to 3:13 min and showed significantly higher SNR, CNR, qualitative image quality score of overall image quality, image sharpness, and lesion conspicuity. There were no significant differences in ADC and AUC of VI-RADS between standard sequences and fast sequences with DLR. Conclusions: The application of DLR to T2WI and DWI reduced examination time and significantly improved image quality, maintaining ADC and the diagnostic performance of VI-RADS for evaluating muscle invasion in bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authenticity and copyright protection of volumetric medical images has become extremely important when these images are distributed online for diagnosis and education purpose. Compared to the authenticity and copyright protection of conventional images, there are two additional challenges for protecting the volumetric medical images. On one hand, the content of the protected medical images must be distortion-free to ensure unbiased diagnosis. On the other hand, it requires enhanced distinguishability to avoid misclassification of non-protected images into the protected set because volumetric medical images of different persons in the same modality share similar visual structures. To address these issues, a novel multi-slice feature based zero-watermarking scheme with enhanced distinguishability and robustness for volumetric medical imaging is proposed. In this scheme, ring statistics are deployed to guarantee both the watermarking distinguishability and robustness. In addition, an intra-slice variation based mechanism is designed to further enhance the watermarking distinguishability. Finally, a logistic-logistic system based chaotic map is used to ensure the watermarking security. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme not only satisfies the lossless quality requirement but also ensures the watermarking distinguishability and robustness, which outperforms the state-of-the-art schemes. • An improved lossless zero-watermarking is proposed for volumetric medical imaging. • Ring statistics are designed to ensure the distinguishability and robustness. • Intra-slice variations are deployed to enhance the watermarking distinguishability. • A logistic-logistic based chaotic system is used to ensure the watermarking security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of attenuated bacteria for oral delivery of DNA vaccines is a recent innovation. We designed and constructed the naked plasmid DNA vaccine pcDNA-CCOL2A1, which effectively prevented and treated a rheumatoid arthritis model by inducing immunotolerance. We aimed to ensure a reliable, controllable dosage of this oral DNA vaccine preparation and establish its stability. We transformed pcDNA-CCOL2A1 via electroporation into attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL7207. A resistant plate assay confirmed the successful construction of the transformed strain of the SL7207/pcDNA-CCOL2A1 oral DNA vaccine. We verified its identification and stability in vitro and in vivo. Significant differences were observed in the characteristics of the transformed and blank SL7207 strains. No electrophoretic restriction patterns or direct sequencing signals were observed in the original extract of the transformed strain. However, target gene bands and sequence signals were successfully detected after PCR amplification. CCOL2A1 expression was detected in the ilea of BALB/c mice that were orally administered SL7207/pcDNA-CCOL2A1. The pcDNA-CCOL2A1 plasmid of the transformed strain was retained under the resistant condition, and the transformed strain remained stable at 4 °C for 100 days. The concentration of the strain harboring the pcDNA-CCOL2A1 plasmid was stable at 109 CFU/mL after 6–8 h of incubation. The results demonstrated that the transformed strain SL7207/pcDNA-CCOL2A1 can be expressed in vivo, has good stability, and may be used to prepare the oral DNA vaccine pcDNA-CCOL2A1 with a stable, controllable dosage and the capacity to provide oral immunization. This vehicle can effectively combine both oral immunotolerance and DNA vaccination. Key points: Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium SL7207 aids immunization as a DNA vaccine carrier. The transformed strain SL7207/pcDNA-CCOL2A1 was constructed as an oral DNA vaccine. The formulated oral DNA vaccine offers a reliable, stable, and adjustable dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent therapeutic-plasmid DNA vaccine strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have significantly improved. Our pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine is the most prominent and the first antigen-specific tolerising DNA vaccine with potent therapeutic and prophylactic effects compared with methotrexate (MTX), the current "gold standard" treatment for collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). This study developed a highly efficient, cost-effective, and easy-to-operate system for the lab-scale production of endotoxin-free supercoiled plasmids with high quality and high yield. Based on optimised fermentation culture, we obtained a high yield of pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine by PEG/MgCl2 precipitation and TRION-114. We then established a method for quality control of the pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model rats were subjected to intramuscular injection of the pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine (300 μg/kg) to test its biological activity. Results: An average yield of 11.81 ± 1.03 mg purified supercoiled plasmid was obtained from 1 L of fermentation broth at 670.6 ± 57.42 mg/L, which was significantly higher than that obtained using anion exchange column chromatography and a commercial purification kit. Our supercoiled plasmid had high purity, biological activity, and yield, conforming to the international guidelines for DNA vaccines. Conclusion: The proposed innovative downstream process for the pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine can not only provide a large-scale high-quality supercoiled plasmid DNA for preclinical research but also facilitate further pilot-scale and even industrial-scale production of pcDNA-CCOL2A1 vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]