Search

Firecracker flower or crossandra (Crossandra infundibuliformis), an ornamental native to southern Asia, is commonly grown as bedding plants in the garden. In January 2021, crossandra plants showing mosaic, chlorotic ringspot, and leaf deformation (Suppl. Fig. 1) were observed at a recreational farm in Zhuolan Township (Miauli County, Taiwan) (E120°82'62'', N24°33'30'') . Transmission electron microscope (JEM-1400, JOEL, Japan) examination by negative staining of 10 affected plants indicated the presence of particles resembling a tobamovirus in all examined affected samples. However, no tobamovirus-like particles were observed in the crude sap prepared from healthy crossandra leaf tissues. Total RNA was extracted from affected leaves and used for RT-PCR amplification using the tobamovirus group-specific primer pair Tob Uni1 (5'-ATTTAAGTGGAGGGAAAACCACT-3') and Tob Uni2 (5'-GTYGTTGATGAGTTCGTGGA-3') (Letschert et al., 2002). A cDNA fragment of about 650-bp was amplified and Sanger sequenced (ABI PRISM 3730 DNA Sequencer, Biotechnology Center at National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan ), revealing 98% sequence identity to that of a Brassica isolate of youcai mosaic virus (YoMV, AY318866). The virus was isolated through mechanical inoculation onto Chenopodium quinoa to yield two pure isolates, designated FC-1 and FC-2. Mechanical inoculation of FC-1 and FC-2 back to virus-free Crossandra infundibuliformis plants (5 for each isolate) resulted in systemic mosaic, chlorotic ringspot, and leaf deformation. All mock and healthy controls were symptomless and failed to obtain any RT-PCR products with YoMV-specific primers CPF1 (5'- ATGGTTTACAACATCACGAG-3') and CPR1 (5'-CTATGTAGCTGGCGCAGTAG-3'). Systemic symptoms of mild mosaic, ringspot, leafroll, and necrosis appeared on some of the tobaccos (Nicotiana benthamiana, N. tabacum, N. rustica), and cruciferous vegetables (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis cv. Known-You No.2), B. rapa subsp. pekinensis cv. Autumn Sun), B. oleracea var. italica cv. Ching Hua), B. oleracea var. capitata cv. Green Peak), and Raphanus sativus cv. Snow Lady). However, inoculation of FC-1 and FC-2 on pepper (Capsicum annuum cv. Blue Star) resulted in severe necrosis on leaves and necrotic sunken spots on petioles and stems causing acute wilting and quick death. In stark contrast, FC-1 and FC-2 only induced local lesions on inoculated leaves of Chenopodium quinoa, Gomphrena globose, and Carica papaya. The infectivity of FC isolates to all plants used in host range tests were further confirmed by RT-PCR as mentioned. Oligonucleotide primers (Suppl. Table 1) specifically complementary to YoMV sequence were designed and used to amplify full-length genomic sequences of FC-1 and FC-2 isolates by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Sequence analysis revealed that the genome of both FC-1 and FC-2 isolates consists of 6302 nucleotides. The viral genome has four open reading frames encoding a small replicase subunit, a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase , a movement protein, and a coat protein (CP), respectively. Both sequences, which shared 99.6% identity with each other, have been deposited in the NCBI database (Genbank Accession Numbers LC701592 and LC701593). FC-1 and FC-2 and the deduced amino acid sequences of CP shared 91.2% - 98.9% and 93.4 - 99.4% similarities, respectively, to those of published YoMV strains, confirming the identity of FC-1 and FC-2. RT-PCR analyses detected YoMV in all (100%) crossandra samples collected from the field (Suppl. Fig. 2). YoMV, formerly named Chinese rape mosaic virus (CRMV) or oilseed rape mosaic virus (ORMV) (Zhu et al., 2001), has been reported to infect cruciferous, solanaceous, and ornamental crops in Asia and Europe (Ju et al., 2019). The firecracker flower is a common and popular ornamental in Taiwan, even though its economic values are not so important. However, finding YoMV in firecracker flower may have epidemiological impacts as YoMV can infect economically important cruciferous and solanaceous crops. To our knowledge, this is the first report of YoMV infecting firecracker flowers in Taiwan.

Herein we report a new synthetic entry to the strained cyclophane alkaloid natural product, haouamine A. The successful strategy featured a rhodium-catalyzed diazo-insertion reaction to install the all-carbon quaternary center and a rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular aziridination reaction to establish the nitrogen-bearing stereocenter, of the target molecule. Most notably, a late-stage, site-selective and strain-accelerated oxidation of a “deoxygenated” macrocyclic intermediate was successfully implemented, and in doing so provided a novel solution to the infamous biphenol cyclophane system of haouamine A.

A thermal ablation model for glassy materials is proposed. The model includes mass losses from evaporation and condensation as well as from the moving molten layer driven by surface shear force and...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prognostic factors affecting the failure of transvaginal repair of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). METHODS: A retrospective nested case-control study was conducted. A total of 15 patients who underwent unsuccessful transvaginal vesicovaginal fistula repair in the Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were enrolled as the case group. A total of 60 patients receiving transvaginal vesicovaginal fistula repair by the same surgeon within the same time range, were selected as the control group. The age, body mass index (BMI), etiology of vesicovaginal fistula, associated genitourinary malformation, frequency of repair, characteristics of fistula, surgical procedure, postoperative recovery and other factors were compared between the case group and the control group, and the influencing factors of failure were analyzed. RESULTS: The BMI of the case group was (26.3±3.9) kg/m(2), the diameter of vaginal fistula was (1.5±0.8) cm, and the operative time of transvaginal repair was (111.8±19.8) min. The proportion of the patients with genitourinary malformations was 4/15, the proportion of the patients with multiple vaginal repairs was 13/15, the proportion of the patients with concurrent ureteral reimplantation was 6/15, and the proportion of the patients with postoperative fever was 5/15. In the control group, the BMI was (23.9±3.0) kg/m(2), the diameter of vaginal fistula was (0.8±0.5) cm, the operative time of transvaginal repair was (99.9±19.7) min, the rate of associated genitourinary malformation was 2/60, the rate of multiple transvaginal repair was 18/60, the rate of concurrent ureteral reimplantation was 5/60, and no postoperative fever was found. Compared with the control group, the case group had higher BMI (P=0.013), bigger vaginal fistula (P=0.002), longer time of operation (P=0.027), higher proportion of genitourinary malformations (P=0.013), higher proportion of repeated transvaginal repair (P < 0.001), higher proportion of ureter reimplantation (P=0.006), and higher proportion of postoperative fever (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that fistula diameter ≥1 cm (OR=10.45, 95%CI=1.90-57.56, P=0.007) and repeated transvaginal repair (OR=16.97, 95%CI=3.17-90.91, P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors for VVF failure in transvaginal repair. CONCLUSION: Fistula diameter ≥1 cm and repeated transvaginal repair are independent prognostic factors of failure in transvaginal repair.

Effective prevention of chronic postoperative pain is an important clinical goal, informed by a growing body of studies. Peri-operative regional anaesthesia remains one of the most important tools in the multimodal analgesic toolbox, blocking injury-induced activation and sensitisation of both the peripheral and central nervous system. We review the definition and taxonomy of chronic postoperative pain, its mechanistic basis and the most recent evidence for the preventative potential of multimodal analgesia, with a special focus on regional anaesthesia. While regional anaesthesia targets several important aspects of the mechanistic pathway leading to chronic postoperative pain, evidence for its efficacy is still mixed, possibly owing to the heterogeneity of risk profiles within the surgical patient, but also to variation in techniques and medications reported in the literature.

Herein we report a novel synthetic entry to the legendary quinuclidine natural products quinine and quinidine. The developed strategy is based on the use of a symmetrical and nonstereogenic precursor to access quinine and quinidine through a "local-desymmetrization" approach, in stark contrast conceptually to the preparation of stereodefined disubstituted piperidines (or their acyclic precursors) as featured in all past syntheses. The developed strategy also provided quinine and quinidine derivatives that could not be readily obtained through previous total syntheses or by modification of the naturally occurring substances.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of cysteamine hydrochloride (CSH) supplementation on the growth performance, opportunistic bacteria and enterotoxic markers, visceral lesions, glutathione turnover, and inflammatory factors of broilers fed diets contaminated with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). One-day-old Arbor Acres broilers (n = 480) were randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 6 replicates of 20 chicks each for a 2 × 2 design with CSH (0 or 200 mg/kg) and AFB1 (0 or 40 μg/kg). The trial lasted for 42 d. Results showed that AFB1 negatively affected (P 0.05) growth performance, opportunistic bacteria and enterotoxic markers, intestinal lesions, glutathione turnover, and inflammatory factors. The CSH increased (P 0.05) feed intake and body weight gain. The enterotoxic status was relieved in the CSH treatments by reducing (P 0.05) the populations of gut Escherichia coli, Gram-negative bacteria, serum diamine oxidase, and intestinal lesions. The CSH also increased (P 0.05) serum reduced glutathione, glutathione s-transferases, and glutathione reductase, and decreased (P 0.05) the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β. Significant interactions (P 0.05) were found on Gram-negative bacteria, diamine oxidase, and glutathione s-transferases. The results suggest that the CSH can improve glutathione turnover and reduce the risk of enterotoxic disease induced by AFB1 in broilers.

Constant growth of waste polymers around the world leads to several environmental problems. This is why solutions to reuse these high amounts of materials available must be developed. In this work, highly filled (up to 90 wt.%) recycled polyethylene (R-PE)/ground tire rubber (GTR) thermoplastic elastomers were prepared by extrusion compounding and injection molding. To improve on processability and overall properties, two copolymers (Engage 8180 and Vestenamer 8012) were added as compatibilizers for comparison. SEM results showed that compatibilizer addition changed the blend morphology. In all cases, the mechanical properties in tension and flexion decreased with GTR addition. It was also observed that the addition of a copolymer improved on some properties (such as elongation at break), but Engage 8180 showed better compatibilization effect than Vestenamer 8012 which was confirmed from SEM analysis, while other properties (tensile strength, Young's and flexural modulus) were reduced due to lower GTR and compatibilizer moduli. For impact strength, negligible variation was observed below 40 wt.% GTR. However, the samples did not break for GTR contents above 60 wt.%. Density increased with GTR content, while Shore A and D hardness decreased. Overall, the addition of a compatibilizer mostly enabled to produce compounds at higher GTR contents (above 70 wt.%). From the result obtained, it can be concluded that recycled materials can be used to produce blends with reasonable quality for automotive, packaging and construction applications since the mechanical properties can be optimized via formulation over a very wide range of GTR (0–90 wt.%).

This study aimed to investigate the effect of yeast cell walls (YCW) on the growth performance, visceral lesions, intestinal integrity, enterotoxicity, and bacteria of broilers challenged with aflatoxin B1 (AF) and necrotic enteritis (NE) from 1 to 21 d of age. A total of 576 one-day-old broilers were assigned to a 2 × 2 × 2 design for diets containing AFB1 (0 or 40 μg/kg), NE (challenged or unchallenged), or YCW (0 or 500 mg/kg). The main effect analysis showed that AF depressed (P 0.01) average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily body weight gain (ADG), the mRNA profiles of polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR), claudin-1, and occludin, but increased (P 0.001) liver lesion scores, serum endotoxin, and diamine oxidase (DAO). The NE challenge depressed (P 0.01) ADFI, ADG, secretory IgA (sIgA), pIgR, claudin-1, occludin, and the populations of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, but increased (P 0.001) visceral lesions, endotoxins, and DAO. The main effect of YCW on growth performance, visceral lesions, and intestinal integrity was not significant, but decreased (P 0.01) mortality, endotoxin, DAO, and C. perfringens, and increased (P 0.05) the populations of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. There were 3-way interactions (P 0.05) on growth performance, intestinal lesions, integrity, and gut bacteria. Compared with the treatment with the dual challenges, there were pronounced effects (P 0.05) of YCW on ADFI, ADG, lesions, DAO, pIgR, and Bifidobacteria. The results suggest that with the concurrent challenges of AF and NE, the YCW can partially protect the growth performance and intestinal health of broilers.

Here we report a total synthesis of the pharmacologically significant morphinan alkaloid, oxycodone. The centerpiece of the developed strategy features the first application of the Rovis desymmetrization of peroxyquinol in target-oriented total synthesis to access an optically active phenanthrene framework shared by the morphinans. A Stork-Ueno radical cyclization under photoredox conditions installed the all-carbon quaternary stereocenter, and a late-stage reductive detosylation with concomitant piperidine formation secured the core structure of the target molecule.

The field of organic synthesis is facing an exciting yet challenging time in its own history, and in the history of science and humanity. In this essay, personal perspectives in response to the five questions posed by the Editors of this Special Issue covering the history, contribution, perception, predictability, and future of organic synthesis, are presented. Through this collection of historical facts, personal viewpoints, encounters, and speculations, the scientific community and beyond may rejuvenate an appreciation for organic synthesis as both a powerful central science and an indispensable enabling technology, and collectively strive towards the next bright chapter in the human history.

Herein we report the total syntheses of communesin F and putative members of the communesin family of polycyclic bis-aminal alkaloids. The successful strategy featured a novel organocatalytic reaction between two oxindole subunits to cast, after extensive optimization, the all-carbon vicinal quaternary stereocenters of the target molecule with high enantiocontrol. The resulting bis-oxindole intermediate further underwent a Ti(OiPr)4-mediated dehydrative skeletal rearrangement to furnish the communesin core structure. Consider the ready availability and low-cost of unsubstituted isatin, and the inferior organocatalytic reaction employing a bromo-substituted substrate, a Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed and oxalamide-directed aryl CH-alkenylation reaction was implemented to assemble the complete skeletal backbone of the target molecule. Collectively, the synthetic technologies disclosed herein constitute the first asymmetric organocatalytic approach to the communesins, together with a highly effective late-stage CH-funct...

The total synthesis of the flagship Strychnos indole alkaloid, strychnine, has been accomplished. The developed synthetic sequence features a novel vinylogous 1,4-addition, a challenging iodinium salt mediated silyl enol ether arylation, a palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction, and a streamlined late-stage conversion to strychnine. Furthermore, an application of asymmetric counterion-directed catalysis (ACDC) in the context of target-oriented organic synthesis has been rendered access to an optically active material. The synthetic sequence described herein represents the most concise entry to optically active strychnine to date.

Here we report asymmetric total syntheses of communesin F and a putative member of the communesin family of bis-aminal alkaloid natural products. The successful strategy featured the invention of an asymmetric organocatalytic reaction to unify two oxindole subunits, a Ti(OiPr)4-mediated dehydrative skeletal rearrangement, and a late-stage Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed directed CH-alkenylation reaction. Collectively, the synthetic technologies disclosed herein enabled the preparation of a late-stage polycyclic intermediate catered for the synthesis of both naturally occurring and designed communesins. More importantly, speculated and yet to be discovered member(s) of the communesin family can now be accessed to facilitate a better understanding of the communesin biosynthetic network.

An asymmetric pathway to the caged tetracyclic pyrrolidine alkaloid, dendrobine, is reported. The successful synthetic strategy features a one-pot, sequential palladium-catalyzed enyne cycloisomerization and rhodium-catalyzed diene-assisted pyrrolidine formation by allylic CH activation. The developed transition-metal-catalyzed cascade process permits rapid access to the dendrobine core structure and circumvents the handling of labile intermediates. An intramolecular aldol condensation under carefully defined reaction conditions takes place with a concomitant detosylation, followed by reductive amine methylation, to afford a late-stage intermediate (previously identified by several prior dendrobine syntheses) in only 10 synthetic steps overall.

Herein we report a rationally designed, serial point-to-axial and axial-to-point stereoinduction and its integration into multi-step and target-oriented organic synthesis. In this proof-of-concept study, the configurational stability of several carefully designed atropisomeric intermediates and the fidelity of their unconventional stereoinductions were systematically investigated. The highly functionalized prepared synthetic intermediate was further applied in a novel chemical method to access the morphinans and it is potentially applicable to other structurally related alkaloids.

In several lately published studies, the association between single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs12252) of IFITM3 and the risk of influenza is inconsistent. To further understand the association between the SNP of IFITM3 and the risk of influenza, we searched related studies in five databases including PubMed published earlier than 9 November 2017. Ten sets of data from nine studies were included and data were analysed by Revman 5.0 and Stata 12.0 in our updated meta-analysis, which represented 1365 patients and 5425 no-influenza controls from four different ethnicities. Here strong association between rs12252 and influenza was found in all four genetic models. The significant differences in the allelic model (C vs. T: odds ratio (OR) = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.03–1.79), P = 0.03) and homozygote model (CC vs. TT: OR = 10.63, 95% CI (3.39–33.33), P < 0.00001) in the Caucasian subgroup were discovered, which is very novel and striking. Also novel discoveries were found in the allelic model (C vs. T: OR = 1.37, 95% CI (1.08–1.73), P = 0.009), dominant model (CC + CT vs. TT: OR = 1.48, 95% CI (1.08–2.02), P = 0.01) and homozygote model (CC vs. TT: OR = 2.84, 95% CI (1.36–5.92), P = 0.005) when we compared patients with mild influenza with healthy individuals. Our meta-analysis suggests that single-nucleotide T to C polymorphism of IFITM3 associated with increasingly risk of severe and mild influenza in both Asian and Caucasian populations.

Reported herein is a desymmetrization-based synthetic approach to the fused polycyclic indole alkaloid reserpine. The centerpiece of the developed strategy features an internal desymmetrization process that enabled the use of a readily accessible and nonstereogenic reserpine E-ring precursor, in contrast to the synthesis-intensive and stereodefined E-ring intermediates employed in all past reserpine syntheses. Utilization of inexpensive reagents through an orchestrated sequence of carefully selected chemical transformations further highlight the overall effectiveness of the developed pathway.

To investigate the specific role of microRNA-26 (miRNA-26a) in a rat model of cerebral ischemic stroke and the underlying mechanism.A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established to induce permanent cerebral infarction. Neuro-behavior was observed and scored after model establishment. The expression of miRNA-26a in brain tissue and brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) of rats after cerebral ischemic stroke was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The formation of the endothelial lumen was detected by Matrigel assay after BMECs were transfected with miR-26a mimics or inhibitors. Besides, cell proliferation after miRNA-26a transfection was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The protein levels related to PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK signaling pathway were detected by Western blot.miRNA-26a expression was elevated after cerebral infarction injury. Further investigation showed that miRNA-26a mimics could promote endothelial lumen formation and cell proliferation in BMECs, while miRNA-26a inhibitor inhibited the capacity of lumen formation and cell proliferation. Notably, we found that miRNA-26a might up-regulate the expression of HIF-1a via activating the AKT and ERK1/2 pathway, thus mediating the transcriptional activity of VEGF and promoting lumen formation and cell proliferation in BMECs.MiRNA-26a promotes angiogenesis in a rat model of cerebral ischemic via PI3K/AKT and MAPK/ERK pathway.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A5 and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette B1 (ABCB1) genotypes on TAC pharmacokinetics in Chinese paediatric patients.A total of 136 Chinese paediatric liver recipients (R) and their donors (D) were divided into groups according to their CYP3A5 genotypes [expression of *1 allele: expressor (EX) or non-expressor (NEX)].Both recipient and donor CYP3A5*1 alleles had impacts on the TAC pharmacokinetics after liver transplantation. EX-R/EX-D recipients required a significantly higher TAC daily dose compared with NEX-R/NEX-D (0.24 ± 0.08 vs. 0.14 ± 0.06 mg/kg/day, p0.01). Age was also an independent factor on TAC requirement. Compared with EX-R/EX-D, non-expressor infants or recipients over 3-years old needed0.2 mg/kg/day. None of the ABCB1 SNPs (1236CT, 2677GA/T, 3435CT) had an impact on TAC pharmacokinetics. However, EX-R/EX-D recipients bearing the ABCB1 1236-CC genotype required a much higher TAC dose than those without this genotype (0.23 vs. 0.18 mg/kg/day, p0.01), who required a similar TAC dose to that of NEX-R/NEX-D children. Furthermore, EX-R/EX-D with ABCB1 1236-CC recipients exhibited an markedly higher incidence of acute rejection and transplant-related infections clinically.CYP3A5 and ABCB1-1236 genotyping, in addition to recipient age, are necessary for establishing a more accurate TAC dosage regimen in paediatric liver recipients. We should be cautious regarding the treatment of paediatric recipients with both CYP3A5-expressor and ABCB1 1236-CC genotypes with TAC, as these patients are more susceptible to acute rejection and infection.

The cellulose acetate-grafted-poly(glycidyl methacrylate) copolymers were synthesized successfully by free radical polymerization. The resulting copolymer was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), solid-state 13C-NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The crystallization behavior, thermal properties, specific particle surface area, moisture sorption behavior of the modified cellulose acetate were investigated by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method and Dynamic Vapor Sorption (DVS) instrument. It was found that the poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) grafting was effective in improving the water adsorption of cellulose acetate (CA) changing the specific surface area, and reducing the Tg of copolymers.

Objectives To determine the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) in a large cohort representing 99% of the Taiwan population. Methods Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database were used to conduct retrospective cohort analyses. The study cohort comprised 1520 patients with MG who were four-fold frequency matched to those without MG by age and sex, and assigned the same index year. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted to estimate the risk of DM. Results The MG cohort had a 1.26-fold increased risk of developing DM compared with the comparison cohort (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.04–1.53). MG patients without corticosteroids use had no increased risk of developing DM (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.79–1.40), and MG patients with corticosteroids use had a 1.46-fold increased risk of developing DM (HR = 1.46, 95% = 1.15–1.86). In addition, patients with MG received aggressive treatment, associated thyroid diseases, and male patients had higher risk of DM. Conclusion This population-based retrospective cohort study demonstrates that MG is associated with a high risk of DM, which might be related to the adverse effect of corticosteroid and aggressive therapy.

The relationship between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer has been reported previously. However, the results are not consistent. Therefore, to clarify the association between GSTM1 polymorphisms and lung cancer, we performed a meta-analysis based on published studies. We used the Revman 5.0 software to perform literature retrieval, article selection, data collection, and statistical analysis. We utilized a random-effect model to pool the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 38 eligible studies including 5737 lung cancer patients and 6843 cancer-free control subjects were analyzed. We found no association between GSTM1 genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk (OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 0.98-1.36, P = 0.08). Including only Chinese individuals, we found no association between GSTM1 genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk (OR = 1.13, 95%CI = 0.97-1.32, P = 0.13). In conclusion, we found that GSTM1 polymorphisms are not associated with lung cancer risk.

Herein we report a total synthesis of the indolohydroazocine natural product actinophyllic acid. The target molecule was retrosynthetically deconvoluted to render a greatly simplified and symmetrical [4.4.1] bicyclic trienone, the desymmetrization of which was carefully examined under a variety of conditions, including oxidative, reductive, and transition-metal-catalyzed transformations. Ultimately, the successful synthetic strategy featured chemoselective catalytic dihydroxylation, desymmetrizing nitrile oxide dipolar cycloaddition, and palladium-catalyzed aminoarylation to sequentially modify the three olefins within the trienone, followed by a late-stage reductive cascade indolization and alkylation to complete the target molecule.

The beamline design philosophies and simulation results of the decay muon on Experimental Muon Source (EMuS) are reported in this paper. The trunk of the beamline is mainly composed of solenoids to keep a large acceptance, and has been optimized for 45, 150 and 450 MeV/c decay muons respectively according to the π spectra optimization results from the target station. Three spectrometers are planed for decay muons, corresponding to μSR application, muon imaging and muonic application respectively. Decay muons from 45 to 150 MeV/c with polarization above 75% are designed for μSR applications, and high momentum muons up to 450 MeV/c are designed for muon imaging. Negative decay muons from 45 to 150 MeV/c are designed for muonic applications. The momentum of the decay muons is tuneable between 45 and 450 MeV/c.

A putative virus-induced disorder showing mottling and deformation on leaves and fruits of sweet pepper was observed in Taiwan in 2009. Crude sap of symptomatic sweet pepper leaves reacted positively in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with antisera to tospoviruses in the Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMoV) serogroup. A virus culture, TwPep3, isolated from the symptomatic sweet pepper revealed isometric virions measuring about 80–100 nm in diameter via electron microscopy. Seedlings of sweet pepper inoculated with TwPep3 showed similar symptoms as those observed in the field. A 0.9-kb viral genome of isolate TwPep3 could be amplified using degenerate primers for L RNA conserved region of tospoviruses but not using those of tobamoviruses, potyviruses and Cucumber mosaic virus. The partial L RNA sequence of isolate TwPep3 (KF383955) shared 75.1% and 82.4% nucleotide identities with those of WSMoV and Tomato necrotic ringspot virus (TNRV), respectively. To determine the taxonomic relationship of isolate TwPep3, the full length of S RNA (KF383956) was sequenced. Sequence analyses showed that the nucleocapsid (N) gene of TwPep3 shared 82–83% and 87.9–89% nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities, respectively, with those of five isolates of TNRV, the most closely related tospovirus. Moreover, the NSs proteins and S RNAs of TwPep3 and TNRV shared only 78.7% and 77.6% amino acid and nucleotide sequence identities, respectively. Based on our results, isolate TwPep3 should be considered as a new tospovirus and we propose the name Pepper chlorotic spot virus (PCSV). A specific primer pair designed in the N gene was successfully used in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for PCSV diagnostic work.

Even though a growing number of studies have found that patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) suffer from sexual problems, only very few studies have specifically addressed the relationship between AS and ED. Using a population-based data set, this case-control study aimed to examine the association of ED with a prior diagnosis of AS in Taiwan. We selected 2213 ED patients ≥40 years old and 17,704 matched controls. We considered the date of the first diagnosis of ED as the index date for cases. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between previously diagnosed AS and ED. A total of 224 out of the 19,917 sampled subjects (1.1%) had been diagnosed with AS before the index date. Prior AS was found in 42 (1.9%) cases and 182 (1.0%) controls. After adjusting for geographic location, urbanization level, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, depressive disorder and alcohol abuse/alcohol-dependence syndrome, multivariate logistic regression revealed that cases were more likely to have been previously diagnosed with AS than controls (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.09-2.19, P=0.019). There was an association between ED and AS. We suggest that physicians should be attentive to sexual complaints from AS patients in order to refer them to other specialists for multidisciplinary management.

During previous work at NASA Ames Research Center, most ablation predictions were obtained using a species thermodynamics database derived primarily from the JANAF thermochemical tables. However, the chemical equilibrium with applications thermodynamics database, also used by NASA, is considered more up to date. In this work, ablation analyses were performed for carbon and carbon phenolic materials using both sets of species thermodynamics. The ablation predictions are comparable at low and moderate heat fluxes, where the dominant mechanism is carbon oxidation. For high heat fluxes where sublimation is important, the predictions differ, with the chemical equilibrium with applications model predicting a lower ablation rate. The disagreement is greater for carbon phenolic than for carbon, and this difference is attributed to hydrocarbon species that may contribute to the ablation rate. Sample calculations for representative Orion and Stardust environments show significant differences only in the sublimation...

The development and use of vaccines and their ability to prevent infection/disease is a shining example of the benefit of biomedical research. Modern vaccines often utilize subunit immunogens that exhibit minimal immunogenicity and require the use of adjuvants to maximize the induction of protective immune responses. We recently described a novel class of vaccine adjuvants, mast cell (MC) activators, that exhibit safe and effective vaccine adjuvant activity when administered by intranasal or intradermal routes. A compound library containing 580 functionalized benzopyrans, a structural motif found in a diverse array of natural and designed bioactive compounds, was screened using a MC degranulation assay to identify novel MC activating compounds for future evaluation as novel vaccine adjuvants. This approach identified 12 novel MC degranulating compounds. Therefore, MC degranulation can be used to reliably detect novel compounds for evaluation as adjuvants for use in mucosal vaccine strategies.

The filling of carbon nanotubes with palladium metal crystallites is described and it is shown that when the carbon nanotube samples are opened using nitric acid, surface acid groups (CO2H and OH) are present on both the nanotubes and nanoparticles and these interact strongly with palladium ions: ultrasound pre-treatment of the carbon nanotube samples prior to the oxidation with nitric acid increases the number of these groups.