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The excitation-dependent emission properties of carbon dots (Cdots) are extensively reported, but their red emission is often weak, limiting their wider application. Here we introduce ethidium bromide, as a functional precursor with red emission, to enhance the red emission for Cdots, with comparable intensity at a broad wavelength range to multi-emission Cdots (M-Cdots). We found that Cdots prepared with ethidium bromide/ethylenediamine exhibited strong blue and red emission at 440 and 615 nm, with optimal excitation at 360 and 470 nm as M-Cdots, respectively, but the Cdots from single ethidium bromide (EB-Cdots) possessed weak red emission. M-Cdots exhibited a broad absorption band at 478 nm, but a band blue-shifted to 425 nm was observed for EB-Cdots, while no absorption was observed at 478–425 nm for the Cdots prepared with citric acid and ethylenediamine. Thus, we proposed that C=O and C=N formed a π-conjugation structure as the absorption band at 478 nm for the red emission of M-Cdots, as also confirmed with the excitation at 470 nm. Moreover, the π-conjugation structure is fragile and sensitive to harsh conditions, so red emission was difficult to observe for the Cdots prepared with citric acid/ethylenediamine or single ethidium bromide. M-Cdots possess two centers for blue and red emission with different structures. The dual emission was therefore used for ratiometric sensing with dichromate (Cr2O72−) and formaldehyde (HCHO) as the targets using the intensity ratio of the emissions at 615 and 440 nm. Due to the comparable intensity at a broad wavelength range, we designed encryption codes with five excitations at 360, 400, 420, 450, and 470 nm as the inputs, and the emission colors were used for information decoding. Thus, we determined why red emission was difficult to realize for Cdots, and our results could motivate the design of red-emission Cdots for extensive applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daurisoline (DS) is an isoquinoline alkaloid that exerts anticancer activities in various cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms through which DS affects the survival of breast cancer cells remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the potential anticancer effect of DS on breast cancer cells and reveal the mechanism underlying the enhanced tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL)‐mediated apoptosis by DS. Cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8) and 5‐ethynyl‐2‐deoxyuridine (EdU) assay were used to evaluate the ability of cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was selected to examine the cell cycle distribution. TUNEL assay was used to detect the cell apoptosis. The protein expression was measured by Western blot analysis. DS was found to reduce the cell viability and suppress the proliferation of MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐231 cells by causing G1 phase cell cycle arrest. DS could trigger apoptosis by promoting the cleavage of caspase‐8 and PARP. The phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38MAPK was upregulated clearly following DS treatment. Notably, SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) pretreatment significantly abrogated DS‐induced PARP cleavage. DS inactivated Akt/mTOR and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway and upregulated the expression of ER stress‐related proteins. Additionally, DS amplified TRAIL‐caused viability reduction and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Mechanismly, DS upregulated the protein level of DR4 and DR5, and knockdown of DR5 attenuated the cotreatment‐induced cleavage of PARP. Inhibition of JNK could block DS‐induced upregulation of DR5. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of DS inhibiting cell proliferation, triggering apoptosis, and enhancing TRAIL sensitivity of breast cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following semi-linear elliptic equations involving Hardy–Sobolev critical exponents − Δ u − μ u x 2 = u 2 * s − 2 x s u + g (x , u) , x ∈ Ω ∖ 0 , u = 0 , x ∈ ∂ Ω have been investigated, where Ω is an open-bounded domain in R N N ≥ 3 , with a smooth boundary ∂ Ω , 0 ∈ Ω , 0 ≤ μ < μ ¯ : = N − 2 2 2 , 0 ≤ s < 2 , and 2 * s = 2 N − s / N − 2 is the Hardy–Sobolev critical exponent. This problem comes from the study of standing waves in the anisotropic Schrödinger equation; it is very important in the fields of hydrodynamics, glaciology, quantum field theory, and statistical mechanics. Under some deterministic conditions on g , by a detailed estimation of the extremum function and using mountain pass lemma with P S c conditions, we obtained that: (a) If μ ≤ μ ¯ − 1 , and λ < λ 1 μ , then the above problem has at least a positive solution in H 0 1 Ω ; (b) If μ ¯ − 1 < μ < μ ¯ , then when λ * μ < λ < λ 1 μ , the above problem has at least a positive solution in H 0 1 Ω ; (c) if μ ¯ − 1 < μ < μ ¯ and Ω = B (0 , R) , then the above problem has no positive solution for λ ≤ λ * μ. These results are extensions of E. Jannelli's research ( g (x , u) = λ u ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, SIR model with feedback control has been considered. By constructing the Lyapunov function, using the Routh–Hurwitz criterion and the positive definite quadratic form theory, some sufficient conditions have been obtained, and some well-known results have been generalized. It is worth mentioning that if the feedback control variables have an inhibitory effect on the susceptible population and the infected population, the number of basic regeneration of the disease will be reduced. The reduction depends only on the control of the susceptible population, but not on the control of the infected population. This is a very interesting conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are a group of congenital disorders characterized by structural abnormalities in the brain cortex. The clinical manifestations include refractory epilepsy, mental retardation, and cognitive impairment. Genetic factors play a key role in the etiology of MCD. Currently, there is no curative treatment for MCD. Phenotypes such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy cannot be observed in the fetus. Therefore, the diagnosis of MCD is typically based on fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, or genetic testing. The recent advances in neuroimaging have enabled the in‐utero diagnosis of MCD using fetal ultrasound or MRI. Methods: The present study retrospectively reviewed 32 cases of fetal MCD diagnosed by ultrasound or MRI. Then, the chromosome karyotype analysis, single nucleotide polymorphism array or copy number variation sequencing, and whole‐exome sequencing (WES) findings were presented. Results: Pathogenic copy number variants (CNVs) or single‐nucleotide variants (SNVs) were detected in 22 fetuses (three pathogenic CNVs [9.4%, 3/32] and 19 SNVs [59.4%, 19/32]), corresponding to a total detection rate of 68.8% (22/32). Conclusion: The results suggest that genetic testing, especially WES, should be performed for fetal MCD, in order to evaluate the outcomes and prognosis, and predict the risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological semimetals in BaAl4-type structure show many interesting behaviors, such as charge density wave (CDW) in SrAl4 and EuAl4, but not the isostructural and isovalent BaAl4, SrGa4, and BaGa4. Here using Wannier functions based on density functional theory, we calculate the susceptibility functions with millions of k-points to reach the small q-vector and study the origin and driving force behind the CDW. Our comparative study reveals that the origin of the CDW in SrAl4 and EuAl4 is the strong electron-phonon coupling interaction for the transverse acoustic mode at small q-vector along the Γ-Z direction besides the maximum of the real part of the susceptibility function from the nested Fermi surfaces of the Dirac-like bands, which explains well the absence of CDW in the other closely related compounds in a good agreement with experiment. We also connect the different CDW behaviors in the Al compounds to the macroscopic elastic properties. Charge density waves (CDW) are long periodic rearrangement of electronic structure, that are typically coupled with distortions of the underlying crystal lattices, and the driving mechanism of which can vary from one material to another. Here, the authors use density functional theory to investigate the origin of CDW in SrAl4 and EuAl4, finding that strong electron-coupling plays an important role, which also explains the absence of CDW in BaAl4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS), the primary medicinal ingredient of Panax notoginseng, mitigates cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury (CIRI) by inhibiting inflammation, regulating oxidative stress, promoting angiogenesis, and improving microcirculation. Moreover, PNS activates nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which is known to inhibit ferroptosis and reduce inflammation in the rat brain. However, the molecular regulatory roles of PNS in CIRI-induced ferroptosis remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of PNS on ferroptosis and inflammation in CIRI. We induced ferroptosis in SH-SY5Y cells via erastin stimulation and oxygen glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R) in vitro. Furthermore, we determined the effect of PNS treatment in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion and assessed the underlying mechanism. We also analyzed the changes in the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins and inflammatory factors in the established rat model. OGD/R led to an increase in the levels of ferroptosis markers in SH-SY5Y cells, which were reduced by PNS treatment. In the rat model, combined treatment with an Nrf2 agonist, Nrf2 inhibitor, and PNS-Nrf2 inhibitor confirmed that PNS promotes Nrf2 nuclear localization and reduces ferroptosis and inflammatory responses, thereby mitigating brain injury. Mechanistically, PNS treatment facilitated Nrf2 activation, thereby regulating the expression of iron overload and lipid peroxidation-related proteins and the activities of anti-oxidant enzymes. This cascade inhibited ferroptosis and mitigated CIRI. Altogether, these results suggest that the ferroptosis-mediated activation of Nrf2 by PNS reduces inflammation and is a promising therapeutic approach for CIRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: carbon dioxide; cyclizative carboxylation; organic electrosynthesis; nickel catalysis; carbamoyl chlorides EN carbon dioxide cyclizative carboxylation organic electrosynthesis nickel catalysis carbamoyl chlorides 2951 2958 8 08/31/23 20230915 NES 230915 Graph Carbon dioxide (CO SB 2 sb ) is an ideal C1 feedstock in organic synthesis due to its high abundance, low cost, and nontoxicity, and, therefore, the development of efficient and novel reactions to convert CO SB 2 sb into value-added fine chemicals is highly desirable. In summary, we have developed an efficient nickel-catalyzed electrochemical cyclizative carboxylation of alkene-tethered carbamoyl chlorides with atmospheric CO SB 2 sb . When the system containing substrate B 1a b and NiCl SB 2 sb (bpp) was saturated with CO SB 2 sb , the reductive peak current was further increased, indicating that the carboxylation reaction occurred. The use of Pd(OAc) SB 2 sb /PPh SB 3 sb as catalyst resulted in a slightly increased yield (Table 1, entry 13), and inexpensive NiCl SB 2 sb (dme)/PPh SB 3 sb also gave 80% total yield of acid products (entry 14). [Extracted from the article]

Many complex magnetic structures in a high-symmetry lattice can arise from a superposition of well-defined magnetic wave vectors. These "multi-q" structures have garnered much attention because of interesting real-space spin textures such as skyrmions. However, the role multi-q structures play in the topology of electronic bands in momentum space has remained rather elusive. Here we show that the type-I anti-ferromagnetic 1q, 2q and 3q structures in an face-centered cubic sublattice with band inversion, such as NdBi, can induce unconventional surface state pairs inside the band-folding hybridization bulk gap. Our density functional theory calculations match well with the recent experimental observation of unconventional surface states with hole Fermi arc-like features and electron pockets below the Neel temperature. We further show that these multi-q structures have Dirac and Weyl nodes. Our work reveals the special role that band-folding from anti-ferromagnetism and multi-q structures can play in developing new types of surface states. Complex magnetic formations, termed 'multi-q' structures, can give rise to magnetic spin textures, such as skyrmions, but how they influence band structure and topology is less clear. Here, the authors use a combination of calculated and experimental data to reveal the origin of the unconventional surface state pairs that emerge for NdBi for different type-I AFM multi-q structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forensic practice, determining the postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) and cause-of-death of cadavers in aquatic ecosystems has always been challenging task. Traditional approaches are not yet able to address these issues effectively and adequately. Our previous study proposed novel models to predict the PMSI and cause-of-death based on metabolites of blood from rats immersed in freshwater. However, with the advance of putrefaction, it is hardly to obtain blood samples beyond 3 days postmortem. To further assess the feasibility of PMSI estimation and drowning diagnosis in the later postmortem phase, gastrocnemius, the more degradation-resistant tissue, was collected from drowned rats and postmortem submersion model in freshwater immediately after death, and at 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days, and 10 days postmortem respectively. Then the samples were analyzed with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to investigate the dynamic changes of the metabolites. A total of 924 metabolites were identified. Similar chronological changes of gastrocnemius metabolites were observed in the drowning and postmortem submersion groups. The difference in metabolic profiles between drowning and postmortem submersion groups was only evident in the initial 1 day postmortem, which was faded as the PMSI extension. Nineteen metabolites representing temporally-dynamic patterns were selected as biomarkers for PMSI estimation. A regression model was built based on these biomarkers with random forest algorithm, which yielded a mean absolute error (± SE) of 5.856 (± 1.296) h on validation samples from an independent experiment. These findings added to our knowledge of chronological changes in muscle metabolites from submerged vertebrate remains during decomposition, which provided a new perspective for PMSI estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) estimation and cause-of-death discrimination of corpses in water have long been challenges in forensic practice. Recently, many studies have linked postmortem metabolic changes with PMI extension, providing a potential strategy for estimating PMSI using the metabolome. Additionally, there is a lack of potential indicators with high sensitivity and specificity for drowning identification. In the present study, we profiled the untargeted metabolome of blood samples from drowning and postmortem submersion rats at different PMSIs within 24 h by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). A total of 601 metabolites were detected. Four different machine learning algorithms, including random forest (RF), partial least squares (PLS), support vector machine (SVM), and neural network (NN), were used to compare the efficiency of the machine learning methods. Nineteen metabolites with obvious temporal regularity were selected as candidate biomarkers according to "IncNodePurity." Robust models were built with these biomarkers, which yielded a mean absolute error of 1.067 h. Additionally, 36 other metabolites were identified to build the classifier model for discriminating drowning and postmortem submersion (AUC = 1, accuracy = 95%). Our results demonstrated the potential application of metabolomics combined with machine learning in PMSI estimation and cause-of-death discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to investigate the efficacy of the CT-based peritoneal cancer index (PCI) to predict the overall survival of patients with peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer (GCPM) after two cycles of chemotherapy. Methods: This retrospective study registered 112 individuals with peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer in our hospital. Abdominal and pelvic enhanced CT before and after chemotherapy was independently analyzed by two radiologists. The PCI of peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer was evaluated according to the Sugarbaker classification, considering the size and distribution of the lesions using CT. Then we evaluated the prognostic performance of PCI based on CT, clinical characteristics, and imaging findings for survival analysis using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression. Results: The PCI change ratio based on CT after treatment (ΔPCI), therapy lines, and change in grade of ascites were independent factors that were associated with overall survival (OS). The area under the curve (AUC) value of ΔPCI for predicting OS with 0.773 was higher than that of RECIST 1.1 with 0.661 (P < 0.05). Patients with ΔPCI less than −15% had significantly longer OS. Conclusion: CT analysis after chemotherapy could predict OS in patients with GCPM. The CT-PCI change ratio could contribute to the determination of an appropriate strategy for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of heteroporous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is still a challenge. Herein, a series of 2D COFs with hexagonal and quadrilateral pores were constructed via in situ salphen or metal salphen formation. Metallized salphen-based COFs can be used as electrocatalysts towards water oxidation with an overpotential of 266 mV at 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalization of pollination systems is widely accepted by ecologists in the studies of plant–pollinator interaction networks at the community level, but the degree of generalization of pollination networks remains largely unknown at the individual pollinator level. Using potential legitimate pollinators that were constantly visiting flowers in two alpine meadow communities, we analyzed the differences in the pollination network structure between the pollinator individual level and species level. The results showed that compared to the pollinator species‐based networks, the linkage density, interaction diversity, interaction evenness, the average plant linkage level, and interaction diversity increased, but connectance, degree of nestedness, the average of pollinator linkage level, and interaction diversity decreased in the pollinator individual‐based networks, indicating that pollinator individuals had a narrower food niche than their counterpart species. Pollination networks at the pollinator individual level were more specialized at the network level (H′2) and the plant species node level (d′) than at the pollinator species‐level networks, reducing the chance of underestimating levels of specialization in pollination systems. The results emphasize that research into pollinator individual‐based pollination networks will improve our understanding of the pollination networks at the pollinator species level and the coevolution of flowering plants and pollinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different concentrations of L-lysine (L-lys, 5 mmol/L, 10 mmol/L, 15 mmol/L, and 20 mmol/L) on the structure and gelling behavior of yak meat myofibrillar protein (MP) under the oxidative stress of malondialdehyde (MDA) were explored. L-lys substantially inhibited the oxidation-induced structural deterioration of the proteins, and restored the gelation performance. Intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectra analysis confirmed that the addition of L-lys enhanced the structural stability of MP. L-lys also appreciably decreased oxidation-induced protein crosslinking and aggregation, as shown by particle size and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Moreover, the repair effect of L-lys on MP oxidative damage showed a significant concentration-dependent effect, in which L-lys showed the best repairment at a concentration of 20 mmol/L. These results advocate that oxidation disrupted the structure and gel characteristic of MP, but L-lys effectively restored these destructive changes. • Effects and mechanism of L-lys on myofibrillar protein gelling properties under oxidation were studied. • L-lysine alleviate the oxidative damage and gel deterioration of myofibrillar protein. • Reducing protein cross-linking aggregation improves gel properties. • The repairing effect of L-lysine showed a significant concentration-dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A minor QTL for grain weight in rice, qTGW1.2b, was fine-mapped. Its casual gene OsVQ4 was confirmed through CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis, exhibiting an effect that was larger than the original QTL effect. The CRISPR/Cas system exhibits a great potential for rice improvement, but the application was severely hindered due to insufficient target genes, especial the lack of validated genes underlying quantitative trait loci having small effects. In this study, a minor QTL for grain weight, qTGW1.2b, was fine-mapped into a 44.0 kb region using seven sets of near isogenic lines (NILs) developed from the indica rice cross (Zhenshan 97)3/Milyang 46, followed by validation of the causal gene using CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis. In the NIL populations, 1000-grain weight of the Zhenshan 97 homozygous lines decreased by 0.9–2.0% compared with the Milyang 46 homozygous lines. A gene encoding VQ-motif protein, OsVQ4, was identified as the candidate gene based on parental sequence differences. The effect of OsVQ4 was confirmed by creating CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines, whose 1000-grain weight decreased by 2.8–9.8% compared with the wild-type transgenic line and the recipient. These results indicate that applying genome editing system could create novel alleles with large phenotypic variation at minor QTLs, which is an effective way to validate causal genes of minor QTLs. Our study establishes a strategy for cloning minor QTLs, which could also be used to identify a large number of potential target genes for the application of CRISPR/Cas system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to improve autonomous navigation of coal mine rescue and detection robot, eliminate the danger for rescuers, and enhance the security of rescue work. The concept of model predictive control is introduced into path planning of rescue and detection robot in this paper. Sampling-Based Model Predictive Control (SBMPC) algorithm is proposed basing on the construction of cost function and predictive kinematics model. Firstly, input sampling is conducted in control variable space of robot motion in order to generate candidate path planning solutions. Then, robot attitude and position in future time, which are regarded as output variables of robot motion, can be calculated through predictive kinematics model and input sampling data. The optimum solution of path planning is obtained from candidate solutions through continuous moving optimization of the defined cost function. The effects of the three sampling methods (viz., uniform sampling, Halton's sampling, and CVT sampling) on path planning performance are compared in simulations. Statistical analysis demonstrates that CVT sampling has the most uniform coverage in two-dimensional plane when sample amount is the same for three methods. Simulation results show that SBMPC algorithm is effective and feasible to plan a secure route for rescue and detection robot under complex environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of drowning is one of the major challenges in forensic practice, especially when the corpse is in a state of decomposition. Novel indicators of drowning are desired in the field of forensic medicine. In the past decade, aquatic bacteria have attracted great attention from forensic experts because they can easily enter the blood circulation with drowning medium, and some of them can proliferate in the corpse. Recently, the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has created new opportunities to efficiently analyze whole microbial communities and has catalyzed the development of forensic microbiology. We presumed that NGS could be a potential method for diagnosing drowning. In the present study, we verified this hypothesis by fundamental experiments in drowned and postmortem-submersed rat models. Our study revealed that detecting the bacterial communities with NGS and processing the data in a transparent way with unweighted UniFrac-based principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) could clearly discriminate the skin, lung, blood, and liver specimens of the drowning group and postmortem submersion group. Furthermore, the acquired information could be used to identify new cases. Taken together, these results suggest that we could build a microbial database of drowned and postmortem-submersed victims by NGS and subsequently use a bioinformatic method to diagnose drowning in future forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roots of Polygonum multiflorum (PM) (He Shou Wu in Chinese) are one of the most commonly used tonic traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) in China. PM is traditionally valued for its antiaging, liver- and kidney-tonifying, and hair-blackening effects. However, an increasing number of hepatotoxicity cases induced by PM attract the attention of scholars worldwide. Thus far, the potential liver injury compounds and the mechanism are still uncertain. The aim of this review is to provide comprehensive information on the potential hepatotoxic components and mechanism of PM based on the scientific literature. Moreover, perspectives for future investigations of hepatotoxic components are discussed. This study will build a new foundation for further study on the hepatotoxic components and mechanism of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to highlight the advantages of L -phenylalanine (Phe) in the optimization of the in vitro/vivo properties of the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (Fu) along with the enhancement in its antitumor activities, the first zwitterionic cocrystal of Fu with the amino acid, abbreviated as Fu–Phe, has been successfully synthesized via a pharmaceutical cocrystallization technique. The exact structure of Fu–Phe has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, which confirms that the cocrystal lattice consists of Fu and Phe molecules in equal ratio, and a variety of hydrogen bonds, especially the charge-assisted hydrogen bonds introduced by zwitterionic Phe, support the three-dimensional supramolecular network. The in vitro and in vivo properties of the newly synthesized cocrystal have been systematically evaluated. It can be concluded that both the permeability and dissolvability of Fu from the cocrystal are enhanced with respect to free Fu, and the degree of increase in the former is comparatively more obvious than that in the latter. It is worth mentioning that the ameliorated in vitro biopharmaceutical property of Fu together with the potential carrier role of Phe can not only significantly enhance the antitumor activity of Fu, thus displaying better time-dependent cytotoxicity against the tested tumor cell lines, but can also effectively enhance into the in vivo pharmacokinetic performance, thus showing accelerated peak plasma concentration and prolonged half-life as well as increased bio-availability in contrast to pure Fu. The present contribution provides a new solid crystalline form of Fu with a broad application prospect and a potential commercial value, thus leading to the research and development of zwitterionic amino acid antitumor cocrystal drugs based on cocrystallization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis, crystal structure, thermal stability, and electronic band structure of four new metal antimonides AMSb (A = Rb, Cs; M = Zn, Cd) are reported. CsZnSb and RbZnSb crystallize in the hexagonal ZrBeSi structure type, in a P63/mmc space group (no. 194, Z = 2) and unit cell dimensions of a = 4.5588(2)/4.5466(4) Å and c = 11.9246(6)/11.0999(10) Å. CsCdSb and RbCdSb crystallize in the tetragonal PbFCl structure type in a P4/nmm space group (no. 129; Z = 2) and unit cell parameters of a = 4.8884(5)/4.8227(3) Å and c = 8.8897(9)/8.5492(7) Å. All four compounds are air‐ and water‐sensitive and are shown through DSC measurements to decompose between 975 K and 1060 K. Analysis of the calculated electronic band structure shows that the Zn‐containing antimonides are topologically trivial narrow bandgap semiconductors, whereas Cd‐containing compounds exhibit a band inversion along Γ‐Z direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sufficient conditions are established for the permanence in a delayed Nicholson’s blowflies model with feedback control on time scales. Our investigation confirms that the bounded feedback terms do not have any influence on the permanence of this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new algorithm for solving the terminal value problems on a q-difference equations. Through some transformations, the terminal value problems which contain the first- and second-order delta-derivatives have been changed into the corresponding initial value problems; then with the help of the methods developed by Liu and H. Jafari, the numerical solution has been obtained and the error estimate has also been considered for the terminal value problems. Some examples are given to illustrate the accuracy of the numerical methods we proposed. By comparing the exact solution with the numerical solution, we find that the convergence speed of this numerical method is very fast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a La/ultrathin TiSix metallic bilayer contact (MBC) on moderately doped n+-Si, which can simultaneously reduce contact resistivity ( $\rho _{c}$ ) and at the same time improve the contact thermal endurance. In such an MBC, the top La defines the work function (WF), whereas the ultrathin (~1 nm) TiSix (WF-transparent) interlayer acts as a Si-diffusion barrier and improves the thermal endurance of the whole contact. Moreover, incorporation of oxygen (O) into MBC further improves the contact performance. On n+-Si with a donor concentration of $\textsf {1} \times \textsf {10}^{\textsf {19}}$ cm−3, an O-incorporated MBC can achieve an $18.3\times $ and $2.2\times $ reduction in $\rho _{c}$ as compared with Ti/n+-Si and La/n+-Si references, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contraction of soil during desiccation gives rise to polygon-patterned cracking. This phenomenon was investigated by continuous full-strain measurements on soil sample surfaces using digital image correlation techniques. The results show that desiccation cracking was of the mode I variety and can be reliably predicted through strain field analyses: the observed cracking was restricted mostly to high stretching domains. The observed high stretching stems from either external restraint or internal flaws of the shrinking soil. The cracks redistribute the stress in their vicinity and lead neighboring cracks to intersect them mostly orthogonally. As desiccation proceeds, the surface strain field ceases to provide useful information for predicting crack locations. Further analysis indicates that although drying occurs from exposed material surfaces, late-generation cracks actually initiate in the subsurface and express themselves subsequently at the surface. These observations offer insights into the intrinsic mechanisms of drying-induced crack growth in soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of reactive oxygen species-mediated oxidative stress on activation of mitochondrial apoptosis and tenderness of yak meat during postmortem ageing. Oxidative stress degree, Ca 2+ levels, membrane permeability transition pore opening, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptotic factors and the shear force were examined. Results showed that the ROS generated by H 2 O 2 significantly increased mitochondrial oxidative stress by decreasing the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, and increasing lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, oxidative stress enhanced Ca 2+ production and cytochrome c release, changed the levels of Bcl-2 family proteins and activated caspase-9 and -3 activities. Ultimately, oxidative stress increased the apoptosis rate and tenderness of yak meat. These observations confirmed that ROS-mediated oxidative stress participates in the activation of the apoptotic cascade reaction involving Ca 2+ and Bcl-2 family proteins. The results further suggested that ROS-mediated oxidative stress plays a significant role in meat tenderization through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) surface-enhanced NMR spectroscopy (SENS) is reviewed for alumina, silica, and ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) materials, with vastly different surface areas, as a function of the biradical concentration. Importantly, our studies show that the use of a “one-size-fits-all” biradical concentration should be avoided when performing DNP SENS experiments and instead an optimal concentration should be selected as appropriate for the type of material studied as well as its surface area. In general, materials with greater surface areas require higher radical concentrations for best possible DNP performance. This result is explained with the use of a thermodynamic model wherein radical-surface interactions are expected to lead to an increase in the local concentration of the polarizing agent at the surface. We also show, using plane-wave density functional theory calculations, that weak radical-surface interactions are the cause of the poor performance of DNP SENS for carbonaceous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of membrane permeability transition pore dependent mitochondrial apoptotic activation on yak meat tenderness was investigated. Results indicate that MPTP opening increased significantly and the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased markedly in the early aging process ( P < 0.05). Cytochrome c was released from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm via the MPTP in the early period. Meanwhile, the activation of procaspase-9 occurred earlier than that of procaspase-3. Cyclosporin A suppressed the MPTP opening, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3, apoptosis rate, myofibril fragmentation index, reactive oxygen species generation, and Ca 2+ levels. These results demonstrated that MPTP mediated the release of cytochrome c in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, yak meat tenderness was improved by mitochondrial apoptotic pathway during aging. MPTP opening may be influenced by the ROS generation and Ca 2+ overloading in yak meat during postmortem aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, which regulate numerous cell functions by targeting mRNA for cleavage or translational repression, and have been found to play an important role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Our study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in AD brain as a reference of potential therapeutic miRNAs or biomarkers for this disease. We used amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1) double transgenic mice and age-matched wild-type (WT) littermates to determine the expression of miRNAs in the brain. MiRNAs were profiled by microarray, and differentially expressed miRNAs underwent target prediction and enrichment analysis. Microarray analysis revealed 56 differentially expressed miRNAs in AD mouse brain, which involved 39 miRNAs that were significantly upregulated and 19 that were downregulated at different ages. Among those miRNAs, a total of 11 miRNAs, including miR-342-3p, miR-342-5p, miR-376c-3p, and miR-301b-3p, were not only conserved in human but also predicted to have targets and signaling pathways closely related to the pathology of AD. In conclusion, in this study, differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in AD brain and proposed as biomarkers, which may have the potential to indicate AD progression. Despite being preliminary, these results may aid in investigating pathological hallmarks and identify effective therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni(Pt)/Si-cap/SiGe silicidation process has been optimized by modulating the Si-cap layer thickness and a cold Si preamorphization implantation (PAI), which effectively reduces the sheet resistance (Rs). In addition, it is revealed that PAI can obviously increase the Ni(Pt)Si grain size for a lower Rs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new concept of sandglass-type floating body, which can overcome the performance limitations of traditional ship-type and cylindrical FDPSO (floating drilling production storage and offloading), is proposed as research subject. In the general design of dynamic positioning systems, it is adequate to deal with a three-degree of freedom problem in the horizontal plane. However, the new floating body with small water-plane area and low metacentric height may cause an unintentional coupling phenomenon between the pitch and surge motions by the thruster system. Therefore, first by numerical boundary element method (BEM) based on wave potential theory and experiments, the pitch motion characteristic of the sandglass-type model is studied and meanwhile the numerical method of this paper is validated. Furthermore, two dynamics models with and without consideration for the additional pitch moment by the thruster systems are introduced and numerically simulated, which can show the problem of pitch motion induced by the positioning thrusters. Then by the mass-spring-damper systems with two-degree of freedom, the influence of additional pitch moment by the thrusters on the pitch and surge motion performances is theoretically analyzed. Finally, based on the essential reason of pitch motion problem, a control law considering pitch inertia effect has been used and proven to be effective to decrease the pitch motion response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination systems and associated floral traits generally differ between core and marginal populations of a species. However, such differences are rarely examined in plants with a mixed wind- and bumblebee-pollination system, and the role of wind pollination during range expansion in ambophilous plants remains unclear. We compared floral traits and the contributions of bumblebee and wind pollination in refugium and marginal populations of the ambophilous plant Aconitum gymnandrum. We found that most floral traits differed between the two populations, and those traits associated with the shift to wind pollination were pronounced in the marginal population. Bumblebee visitation rates varied significantly, but were generally low in the marginal population. Wind pollination occurred in both populations, and the efficiency was lower than that of bumblebee pollination. Two types of pollen grains, namely round and fusiform pollen, were transported to a stigma by bumblebees and wind, but fusiform pollen contributed to wind pollination to a larger degree, especially in the marginal population. Our results suggest that wind pollination was enhanced by pollen dimorphism in the marginal population of A. gymnandrum, and wind pollination may provide reproductive assurance when bumblebee activity is unpredictable during range expansion, indicating that ambophily is stable in this species and shift in pollination system could be common when plants colonize new habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a predator-prey system with Michaelis-Menten functional response on time scales is investigated. First of all, we generalize the semi-cycle concept to time scales. Second, we obtain the uniformly ultimate boundedness of solutions of this system. Our results demonstrate that when the death rate of the predator is rather small without prey, whereas the intrinsic growth rate of the prey is relatively large, the species could coexist in the long run. In particular, if $\mathbb{T}=\mathbb{R}$ or $\mathbb{T}=\mathbb{Z}$ , some well-known results have been generalized. In addition, for the continuous case, we provide a new idea to prove its permanence. Finally, a numerical simulation is given to support our main results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies showed that cannabinoid 2 (CB 2 ) receptor is expressed in multiple effector cells during skin wound healing. Meanwhile, its functional involvement in inflammation, fibrosis, and cell proliferation in other organs and skin diseases implied CB 2 receptor might also regulate skin wound healing. To verify this hypothesis, mice excisional wounds were created and treated with highly selective CB 2 receptor agonist GP1a (1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-6-methyl- N-piperidin-1-yl-4H-indeno[1,2-c]pyrazole-3-carboxamide) and antagonist AM630 ([6-iodo-2- methyl-1-(2-morpholin-4-ylethyl)indol-3-yl]-(4-methoxyphenyl)methanone) respectively. The inflammatory infiltration, cytokine expression, fibrogenesis, and wound re-epithelialization were analyzed. After CB 2 receptor activation, neutrophil and macrophage infiltrations were reduced, and expressions of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1, Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A were decreased. Keratinocyte proliferation and migration were enhanced. Wound re-epithelialization was accelerated. Fibroblast accumulation and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transformation were attenuated, and expression of pro-collagen I was decreased. Furthermore, HaCaT cells in vitro were treated with GP1a or AM630, which revealed that CB 2 receptor activation promoted keratinocyte migration by inducing the epithelial to mesenchymal transition. These results, taken together, indicate that activating CB 2 receptor could ameliorate wound healing by reducing inflammation, accelerating re-epithelialization, and attenuating scar formation. Thus, CB 2 receptor agonist might be a novel perspective for skin wound therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sufficient and necessary condition for existence of solution for the boundary blow-up problem in one dimensional case is obtained. This problem can be seen as the Keller-Osserman conjecture, which comes from the study on elliptic equations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the new sandglass-type floating body with special shape, this paper mainly analyzes its yaw stability under dynamic positioning system. Firstly, by considering the construction tolerance within the range of engineering accuracy, surge and yaw coupled motion equations of the sandglass-type FPSO based on dynamic positioning system are established. Secondly, the yaw instability phenomena of sandglass-type model can be found by Runge-Kutta numerical method. On this basis, a nonlinear yaw motion equation of parametric excitation can be reasonably deduced. Then the multi-scale method and LP (Lindstedt-Poincaré) method are used to study the stability characteristic of yaw motion for sandglass-type floating body. Finally, the effects of initial heading angle and control parameters on the yawing stability of the sandglass-type floating body are discussed. • The yaw instability of the sandglass-type FPSO with DPS under the allowable construction tolerances was found. • The nonlinear yaw motion equation with parametric excitation was deduced to analyze the essence of yaw instability. • The multi-scale method is convenient and accuracy to describe the zero-solution boundary of yaw stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by an energy crisis but consequently puzzled by various environmental problems, uranium, as the basic material of nuclear energy, is now receiving extensive attentions. In contrast to numerous sorbents applied in this field, metal-organic framework (MOFs), as a renovated material platform, has only recently been developed. How to improve the adsorption capacity of MOF materials towards U VI ions, as well as taking advantage of the nature of these MOFs to design photo-switched behaviour for photo-triggered storage/release of U VI ions are at present urgent problems and great challenges to be solved. Herein, we show a simple and facile method to target the goal. Through coordination-based post-synthetic strategy, microporous- mesoporous Zn-MOF-74 was easily functionalized by grafting coumarin on coordinatively unsaturated Zn(II) centers, yielding a series of coumarin-modified Zn-MOF-74 materials. The obtained samples displayed ultra-high adsorption capacity for U VI ions from water at pH value of 4 with maximum adsorption capacities as high as 360 mg/g (the record value in MOFs) and a remarkable photo-switched capability of 50 mg/g at pH value of 4. To the best of knowledge, and in contrast to the well-known photo-switched behaviour towards CO 2 , dye (propidium iodide), as well as fluorescence observed in MOFs, this is the first study that shows a photo-switched behaviour towards radioactive U VI ions in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 3 receptor plays a crucial role in craving of alcohol dependence. Recent evidence shows that chronic alcohol exposure causes changes in gene expression and induces behavioral changes. However, the relationship between gene expression of 5-HT3 receptor and craving in alcohol-dependent patients is not fully understood.Objectives: The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the relationship between gene expression of the 5-HT3 receptor and craving in alcohol-dependent patients and the epigenetic mechanism.Methods: We recruited 50 male Han Chinese alcohol-dependent patients and 46 male Han Chinese healthy controls. We investigated the changes of HTR3A mRNA, which encodes the 5-HT3 receptor A subunit, and H3K9 acetylation in HTR3A promoter region. Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) was used to assess the craving of alcohol-dependent patients relative to controls.Results: HTR3A mRNA expression levels and acetylation levels of H3K9 in the HTR3A promoter region were significantly higher in the alcohol-dependent patients. HTR3A mRNA expression levels were positively correlated with OCDS scores. Moreover, HTR3A mRNA expression levels were positively correlated with acetylation levels of H3K9 in HTR3A promoter region.Conclusion: The current findings suggest that HTR3A mRNA expression levels were positively correlated with craving in Han Chinese alcohol-dependent patients. The regulation of H3K9 histone acetylation in HTR3A promoter region may offer a target for the treatment of alcohol dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the performance limitations of traditional ship-type and cylindrical FPSO, this paper presents a new concept of sandglass-type FPSO. For the new sandglass-type floating model, firstly by using classic boundary element method based on wave potential theory, the effects of shape parameters on motion performance of sandglass-type model are studied. Then the wave frequency versus minimum heave motion RAO is selected as the critical design parameter to control heave motion of new floating model, and its convenient engineering estimation expression is theoretically and mathematically deduced. Furthermore, on this basis the design guideline for sandglass shape is analyzed and proposed. Next according to the information of a cylindrical FPSO, a sandglass-type floating model with the same basic function has been designed. Finally, by analyzing the numerical solution and experimental data, the numerical boundary element method and design guideline in this paper can be validated to be effective and accurate. Furthermore, it can be found that the sandglass-type design can obviously improve the hydrodynamic performance of FPSO. Thus this paper can provide an innovative engineering platform and a design proposal for the development of ocean oil and gas exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that nucleophagy can mitigate DNA damage by selectively degrading nuclear components protruding from the nucleus. However, little is known about the role of nucleophagy in neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence were performed to evaluate the nucleophagy after nuclear DNA damage and leakage in SCI neurons in vivo and NSC34 expression in primary neurons cultured with oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro, as well as the interaction and colocalization of autophagy protein LC3 with nuclear lamina protein Lamin B1. The effect of UBC9, a Small ubiquitin‐related modifier (SUMO) E2 ligase, on Lamin B1 SUMOylation and nucleophagy was examined by siRNA transfection or 2‐D08 (a small‐molecule inhibitor of UBC9), immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence. In SCI and OGD injured NSC34 or primary cultured neurons, neuronal nuclear DNA damage induced the SUMOylation of Lamin B1, which was required by the nuclear Lamina accumulation of UBC9. Furthermore, LC3/Atg8, an autophagy‐related protein, directly bound to SUMOylated Lamin B1, and delivered Lamin B1 to the lysosome. Knockdown or suppression of UBC9 with siRNA or 2‐D08 inhibited SUMOylation of Lamin B1 and subsequent nucleophagy and protected against neuronal death. Upon neuronal DNA damage and leakage after SCI, SUMOylation of Lamin B1 is induced by nuclear Lamina accumulation of UBC9. Furthermore, it promotes LC3‐Lamin B1 interaction to trigger nucleophagy that protects against neuronal DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the conventional vessels and platforms, the water plane area of the sandglass-type FDPSO (floating, drilling, production, storage and offloading unit) under upright condition is smaller, which makes its longitudinal metacentric height lower and natural frequency of pitch motion smaller. As a result, coupled surge and pitch motion problem would be caused unexpectedly. In this paper, from the perspective of controlling the metacentric height, a novel dynamic positioning (DP) controller is proposed. The proposed controller can make the natural frequencies of surge and pitch motions away from each other. Consequently, both the surge and pitch motions satisfy the positioning accuracy. Besides, the coupled resonant and non-resonant zones with the control parameters are investigated. Considering the system stability, positioning accuracy and power consumption, a complete analysis process of optimal control parameter selection is proposed. By comparisons with two existing control laws, the novel controller is established with better performances on robustness, positioning accuracy and energy consumption. • The essential reason of coupled surge and pitch motion problem for the sandglass-type FDPSO was found. • By controlling the longitude metacentric height, a novel controller was proposed to solve the coupled resonance problem. • Considering the stability, ability and consumption, a new design method was proposed to obtain optimal control parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the case of autonomous underwater vehicle navigating with low speed near water surface, a new method for designing of roll motion controller is proposed in order to restrain wave disturbance effectively and improve roll stabilizing performance under different sea conditions. Active disturbance rejection fuzzy control is applied, which is based on nonlinear motion model of autonomous underwater vehicle and the principle of zero-speed fin stabilizer. Extended state observer is used for estimation of roll motion state and unknown wave disturbance. Wave moment is counteracted by introducing compensation term into the roll control law which is founded on nonlinear feedback. Fuzzy reasoning is used for parameter adjustment of the controller online. Simulation experiments on roll motion are conducted under different sea conditions, and the results show better robustness improved by active disturbance rejection fuzzy controller of autonomous underwater vehicle navigating near water surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissection of qTGW1.2, a minor quantitative trait locus (QTL) for 1,000-grain weight located on the long arm of rice chromosome 1, was reported here. Six sets of near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed from six BCF plants of the indica rice cross Zhenshan 97/Milyang 46, respectively, segregated in a sequential order covering the region for qTGW1.2. They were tested for 1,000-grain weight, grain length, grain width and heading date. The SAS procedure GLM was used to analyze the phenotype differences among three genotypic groups in each NIL set. The qTGW1.2 was separated into three QTLs, including qTGW1.2a located in the 933.6 kb interval RM11730-RM11762, qTGW1.2b in the 418.8 kb interval RM11781-RM11800, and qTGW1.2c in the 2.1 Mb interval RM11800-RM11885. While qTGW1.2a and qTGW1.2c displayed the genetic action mode of negatively partial dominance, qTGW1.2b appeared to have a positively dominance effect as large as its additive effect. In addition, the effects of the three QTLs were consistently detected in different NIL sets. It was also shown that the effects of qTGW1.2a and qTGW1.2b on grain weight were related more to grain length than grain width, and qTGW1.2c related more to grain width than grain length. Our results indicate that the effects of minor QTLs could be steadily detected in a highly isogenic background and suggest that dominance effects of minor QTLs might play an important role in the genetic control of heterosis in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changesin the chemical configuration of alloyed nanoparticle (NP) catalystsinduced by adsorbates under working conditions, such as reversal incore–shell preference, are crucial to understand and designNP functionality. We extend the cluster expansion method to predictthe configurational thermodynamics of alloyed NPs with adsorbatesbased on density functional theory data. Exemplified with PdRh NPshaving O-coverage up to a monolayer, we fully detail the core–shellbehavior across the entire range of NP composition and O-coveragewith quantitative agreement to in situ experimental data. Optimallyfitted cluster interactions in the heterogeneous system are the keyto enable quantitative Monte Carlo simulations and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K1 or K2 serotype Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate caused clinical pyogenic liver abscess (KLA) infection is prevalent in many areas. It has been identified that K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae isolates caused KLA infection in mice by oral inoculation. In our study, K1 serotype K. pneumoniae isolate Kp1002 with hypermucoviscosity (HV)-positive phenotype caused KLA infection in C57BL/6 mice by oral inoculation. Simultaneously, non-serotype K1 and K2 isolate Kp1014 with HV-negative phenotype failed to cause KLA infection in the same manner. It seems that gastrointestinal tract translocation is the pathway by which K1 or K2 serotype K. pneumoniae caused KLA infection. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to further analyze metabolic profile changes in mice with KLA infection. Data showed that after Kp1002 or Kp1014 oral inoculation, serum Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) levels significantly changed in mice. Some PC and LPC molecules showed changes both in the Kp1002 KLA group and the Kp1014 no-KLA group compared with the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC significantly changed in the Kp1002 KLA group compared with the control group, but showed no change between the Kp1014 no-KLA group and the control group. The level of 18:1/18:2-PC might have been particularly affected by KLA infection caused by K1 serotype K. pneumoniae Kp1002. It may be a potential biomarker for KLA infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterostyly, a genetically controlled floral polymorphism, includes both distyly and tristyly. In Boraginaceae, distyly was reported in several genera but it was rarely studied quantitively in the genus Arnebia. We experimentally studied the pollination ecology of Arnebia szechenyi, a perennial herb native to China. It exhibited precisely reciprocal herkogamy and marked between-morph pollen number and pollen shape dimorphism, and the ratio between the two morphs in each of the four populations studied was nearly equal to 1. This indicates an equilibrium ratio in distylous species with heteromorphyic self-incompatibility, which was further supported by the fact that no fruit was produced in flowers subjected to self-pollination or intra-morph pollination. In comparison with naturally pollinated flowers, hand inter-morph pollination increased both fruit set and seed set significantly, indicating pollen limitation in both morphs under natural conditions. Bombylius sp. and Nomia femoralis were the main visitors and could efficiently pollinate between the morphs of A. szechenyi. Overall, our results indicate that A. szechenyi is a typically distylous species with heteromorphic self-incompatibility, and the pollen limitation of seed production might suggest that distyly in A. szechenyi could be selected via male fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Chronic myocardial infarction (MI) results in the formation of arrhythmogenic substrates, causing lethal ventricular arrhythmia (VA). We aimed to determine whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) carrying a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene modification (HGF-MSCs) decrease the levels of arrhythmogenic substrates and reduce the susceptibility to developing VA compared with unmodified MSCs and PBS in a swine infarction model. Methods: The left descending anterior artery was balloon-occluded to establish an MI model. Four weeks later, the randomly grouped pigs were administered MSCs, PBS or HGF-MSCs via thoracotomy. After an additional four weeks, dynamic electrocardiography was performed to assess heart rate variability, and programmed electrical stimulation was conducted to evaluate the risk for VA. Then, the pigs were euthanized for morphometric, immunofluorescence and western blot analyses. Results: The HGF-MSC group displayed the highest vessel density and Cx43 expression levels, and the lowest levels of apoptosis, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and growth associated protein 43 (GAP43) expression. Moreover, the HGF-MSC group exhibited a decrease in the number of sympathetic nerve fibers, substantial decreases in the low frequency and the low-/high- frequency ratio and increases in the root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD) and the percentage of successive normal sinus R-R intervals longer than 50 ms (pNN50), compared with the other two groups. Finally, the HGF-MSC group displayed the lowest susceptibility to developing VA. Conclusion: HGF-MSCs displayed potent antiarrhythmic effects, reducing the risk for VA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of four positive periodic solutions for a delayed ratio-dependent predator–prey model with monotonic functional response x ′ ( t ) = x ( t ) a ( t ) - b ( t ) x ( t ) - c ( t ) g x ( t ) y ( t ) y ( t ) - h 1 ( t ) , y ′ ( t ) = y ( t ) f ( t ) g x ( t - τ ( t ) ) y ( t - τ ( t ) ) - d ( t ) - h 2 ( t ) , is established by using the generalized continuation theorem, where a ( t ) , b ( t ) , c ( t ) , d ( t ) , f ( t ) , τ ( t ) , h 1 ( t ) and h 2 ( t ) are all nonnegative periodic continuous functions with period ω > 0 . When h 1 ( t ) = h 2 ( t ) ≡ 0 , the conditions that guarantee the existence of four positive periodic solutions reduces exactly to that in Fan et al. (2004) [1]. And our main result also improves the corresponding results in Zhang and Hou (2010) [2] and Fan and Wang (2001) [3]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper we consider the following dynamic equation on a measure chain with the boundary value conditions . Unlike many other dynamic equations on measure chains, it involves the term , so it is hard to get Green’s function. We obtain Green’s function of this equation. And the Leray–Schauder fixed point theorem will be used to prove the existence of at least one solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A flat plate photobioreactor with optimized horizontal baffles was developed. [•] The aeration site and baffle structure were optimized using CFD simulation. [•] The baffles can enlarge the light path length and shorten algal growth difference. [•] The optimized reactor can improve algal production effectively and economically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]