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The integrity of the plasma membrane is critical to cell function and survival. Cells have developed multiple mechanisms to repair damaged plasma membranes. A key process during plasma membrane repair is to limit the size of the damage, which is facilitated by the presence of tetraspanin-enriched rings surrounding damage sites. Here, we identify phosphatidylserineenriched rings surrounding damaged sites of the plasma membrane, resembling tetraspanin-enriched rings. Importantly, the formation of both the phosphatidylserine- and tetraspanin-enriched rings requires phosphatidylserine and its transfer proteins ORP5 and ORP9. Interestingly, ORP9, but not ORP5, is recruited to the damage sites, suggesting cells acquire phosphatidylserine from multiple sources upon plasma membrane damage. We further demonstrate that ORP9 contributes to efficient plasma membrane repair. Our results thus unveil a role for phosphatidylserine and its transfer proteins in facilitating the formation of tetraspanin-enriched macrodomains and plasma membrane repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SPRY1 is associated with the invasiveness and prognosis of various tumors, and TET3 affects aging by regulating gene expression. Aims: We investigated the roles of SPRY1 and TET3 in natural skin aging, replicative aging, and photoaging, along with the effect of UVA on genome‐wide DNA methylation in HaCaT cells. Methods: TET3 and SPRY1 expression were measured in the skin of patients of different age groups, as well as in vitro human skin, HaCaT cell replicative senescence, and HaCaT and HaCaT‐siTET3 cell photoaging models. Senescence was verified using β‐galactosidase staining, and DNA damage was detected using immunofluorescence staining for γ‐H2A.X. 5‐Methyl cytosine (5‐mC) content in the genome was determined using ELISA. Results: SPRY1 expression increased with age, whereas TET3 expression decreased. Similarly, SPRY1 was upregulated and TET3 was downregulated with increasing cell passages. TET3‐siRNA upregulated SPRY1 expression in HaCaT cells. UVA irradiation promoted HaCaT cell senescence and induced cellular DNA damage. SPRY1 was upregulated and TET3 was downregulated upon UVA irradiation. Genome‐wide 5‐mC content increased upon TET3 silencing and UVA irradiation, indicating a surge in overall methylation. Conclusions: SPRY1 and TET3 are natural skin aging‐related genes that counteract to regulate replicative aging and UVA‐induced photoaging in HaCaT cells. The cell photoaging model may limit experimental bias caused by different exposure times of skin model samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The deepening of the nasolabial fold (NLF) is a common occurrence during the aging process, necessitating the development of an objective method to evaluate changes in NLFs. The objective of our study was to introduce a method of depth deviation based on three‐dimensional (3D) image for evaluating the efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA) injection in correcting NLFs. Methods: Between May 2019 and November 2019, we recruited 56 Chinese volunteers with moderate to severe NLFs for this study. The participants received HA injections and were followed up for a period of 12 months. Pre and posttreatment, we collected the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS) scores and 3D images. To assess the efficacy of NLF correction, we used the maximum value of depth deviation (MVD) based on 3D images and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) score. Additionally, we compared the relationship between MVD and other clinical parameters. Results: Fifty‐four female participants completed the study and were included in the analysis. The HA injection resulted in a significant decrease in NLF severity (p < 0.05). One month after the injection, the average GAIS score was 4.72 ± 0.45, and the average MVD was 2.10 ± 0.56 mm. Both the GAIS score and the average MVD exhibited a decline over time during the follow‐up period, with the average MVD showing a significant correlation with the GAIS score at all time points (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Using 3D technology, we demonstrated that the quantitative data provided by MVD can serve as an objective method for evaluating the correction of NLFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterovirus consists of a variety of viruses that could cause a wide range of illness in human. The pathogenesis of these viruses remains incompletely understood and no specific treatment is available. Better methods to study enterovirus infection in live cells will help us better understand the pathogenesis of these viruses and might contribute to antiviral development. Here in this study, we developed fluorescent cell-based reporter systems that allow sensitive distinction of individual cells infected with enterovirus 71 (EV71). More importantly, these systems could be easily used for live-cell imaging by monitoring viral-induced fluorescence translocation after EV71 infection. We further demonstrated that these reporter systems could be used to study other enterovirus-mediated MAVS cleavage and they are sensitive for antiviral activity testing. Therefore, integration of these reporters with modern image-based analysis has the potential to generate new insights into enterovirus infection and facilitate antiviral development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under DFT calculations, a systematic investigation is carried out to explore the structures and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activities of a series of 2D single-atom catalyst (SAC) systems, which are constructed by doping the transition metal (TM) atoms in group VIII into the cavities of rigid phthalocyanine carbide (pc-C3N2). We can find that when Co, Rh, Ir and Ru atoms are doped in the small or large cavities of a pc-C3N2 monolayer, they can be used as high-activity centers of OER. All these four new TM@C3N2 nanostructures can exhibit very low overpotential values in the range of 0.33~0.48 V, even smaller than the state-of-the-art IrO2 (0.56 V), which indicates considerably high OER catalytic activity. In particular, the Rh@C3N2 system can show the best OER performance, given that doped Rh atoms can uniformly serve as high-OER-active centers, regardless of the size of cavity. In addition, a detailed mechanism analysis was carried out. It is found that in these doped pc-C3N2 systems, the number of outer electrons, the periodic number of doped TM atoms and the size of the embedded cavity can be considered the key factors affecting the OER catalytic activity, and excellent OER catalytic performance can be achieved through their effective cooperation. These fascinating findings can be advantageous for realizing low-cost and high-performance SAC catalysts for OER in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural antioxidants, especially those used in edible oil, are safer compared to chemically synthesized antioxidants. Therefore, research on natural antioxidants has become prevelant. Antioxidant peptides derived from food protein can effectively prevent oil oxidation. Protein hydrolyzation is widely applied for the production of antioxidant peptides in industry, and bioinformatics is employed nowadays to generate the desired peptide sequence. Furthermore, the mechanism of antioxidant peptides in the oil system is still controversial, which limits the further development of antioxidant peptides as food antioxidants. This review introduces the preparation method of antioxidant peptides and their mechanisms as well as applications in the oil. It will help to comprehensively understand the function of antioxidant peptides and promote their development in the oil field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of graphene can be strongly modified during the transfer process following chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. Here, we transferred CVD-grown graphene from a copper foil to a SiO2/Si substrate using wet etching with four different etchants: HNO3, FeCl3, (NH4)2S2O8, and a commercial copper etchant. We then compared the quality of graphene after the transfer process in terms of surface modifications, pollutions (residues and contaminations), and electrical properties (mobility and density). Our tests and analyses showed that the commercial copper etchant provides the best structural integrity, the least amount of residues, and the smallest doping carrier concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard completeness, completeness on the real unit interval [0, 1], is one of important research areas in mathematical fuzzy logic. Recently, standard completeness for semilinear logics with knotted axioms has been investigated prooftheoretically by introducing and eliminating density rule. This paper introduces model-theoretic completeness for such logics. To this end, it is first shown that knotted axioms can be divided into left and right ones and then proved that mianorm-based logic systems with left and right knotted axioms are standard complete. This completeness is provided by embedding linearly ordered algebras into densely ordered ones and these algebras again into [0, 1]. More exactly, mianorm-based systems with left and right knotted axioms and their algebraic structures are first discussed. After some examples of mianorms satisfying left and right knotted properties are introduced, standard completeness for those logics is established model-theoretically using the above construction. Finally, this investigation is extended to their corresponding involutive fixpointed systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the relationship between methylated binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 7 (Smad7) in the pathogenesis and development of pathological scars. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of MeCP2 in different types of human scars and hypertrophic scars at different growth times. The methylation status of Smad7 gene promoter in different scar tissues was determined by methylation-specific PCR. After transfection with MeCP2-siRNA (small interfering RNA) in human keloid fibroblasts, MTT assay was used to assess the proliferation activity of keloid fibroblasts, while RT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the expression levels of MeCP2, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), phospho-Smad2 (p-Smad2) and Smad7. MeCP2 was mainly expressed in the nucleus of fibroblasts. The mRNA and protein levels of MeCP2 were significantly higher in keloids than in hypertrophic scars, normal scars and normal skin (p<.05). The expression level of MeCP2 in hypertrophic scars during the growth period of <6 months was markedly higher than that of >6 months (p<.05). The methylation level of Smad7 was significantly higher in keloids compared to normal skin. After MeCP2 silencing, the proliferation rate of human keloid fibroblasts was decreased, the mRNA and protein levels of Smad7 were increased, and the expression levels of TGF-β1, α-SMA and p-Smad2 were decreased (p<.05). MeCP2 and Smad7 play an important role in formation of pathological scars. During keloid formation, MeCP2 weakens the inhibitory effect of Smad7 on p-Smad2/3 by downregulating the expression of Smad7, which in turn promotes fibrosis and scar hyperplasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging guideline for cervical cancer includes stage IIIC recognized by preoperative radiology (IIIC-r) to state there are lymph nodes metastases (LNM) identified by imaging tools. We aim to explore the reasonability and limitations of stage IIIC-r and try to explore the potential reasons.Methods: Electronic medical records were used to identify patients with cervical cancer. According to the new staging guidelines, patients were reclassified and assigned into five cohorts: stage I, stage II, stage IIIC-r, LNM confirmed by pathology (IIIC-p) and LNM detected by radiology and confirmed by pathology (IIIC r + p). Five-year overall survivals were estimated for each cohort. The diagnosis accuracy of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diameter of detected lymph nodes were also evaluated.Results: A total of 619 patients were identified. The mean follow-up months were 65 months (95% CI 64.43-65.77) for all patients. By comparison, the 5-year overall survival rates were not statistically different (p = 0.21) among stage IIIC-r, stage I and stage II. While, the rates were both statistical different (p<0.001) among stage IIIC-p, IIIC r + p and stage I and stage II. The sensitivities of CT and MRI in detecting LNM preoperatively were 51.2 and 48.8%. The mean maximum diameter of pelvic lymph nodes detected by CT cohort was 1.2 cm in IIIC-r cohort, and was 1.3 cm in IIIC r + p cohort. While, the mean maximum diameter of pelvic lymph nodes detected by MRI was 1.2 cm in IIIC-r cohort, and was 1.48 cm in IIIC r + p cohort. When the diagnosis efficacy of the diameter of pelvic lymph nodes in detecting LNM were evaluated, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was 0.58 (p = 0.05).Conclusions: It seems that the FIGO 2018 staging guideline for cervical cancer is likely to has certain limitations for the classification of those with LNM. CT or MRI, however, has limitations on detecting LNM. It would be better to use more accurate imaging tools to identify LNM in the clinical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This updated meta-analysis sought to explore whether pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could serve as an independent predictor for survival outcomes in patients with cervical cancer. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of science and Scopus for studies on the association of pretreatment serum NLR with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) among patients with cervical cancer. Included studies with a hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) or a p-value were weighted by generic inverse-variance and pooled in a random effects meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to regions, NLR cut-off values and treatments. Publication bias was analyzed by Egger's and Begg's tests. A total of 14 studies comprising 6041 patients were included. The median cut-off value for NLR was 2.46 (range from 1.60 to 3.80). The higher NLR was associated to worse OS (HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.44–2.40) and PFS (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.25–2.23), compared with lower NLR. This association still exited when analyzed according to regions, NLR cut-off values. Moreover, Significant association between NLR and OS was observed in studies which included patients with early stage disease and receiving radical surgeries. High NLR is independently associated with decreased OS and PFS in patients with cervical cancer. Pretreatment NLR is of independent value to predict the survival outcomes in patients with cervical cancer, regardless of regions and primary treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a design method for a light-emitting diode front fog lamp system based on a freeform surface and an improved quadric surface. First, a light-receiving reflector is used to converge the light-emitting diode beam to form an equivalent lighting point. Then, the relationship between the point and the light pattern on the work surface is calculated, and the freeform surface is constructed based on Snell's law and non-imaging optical theory. Finally, two compensated reflectors are added at both ends of the freeform surface to reflect the unutilized light to achieve the compensation effect. By application of combined reflectors, the light pattern at the work surface 25 m away can satisfy the requirement of ECE R19 Revision 7. Also, this system has the advantages of small size and high efficiency because lens or prism groups are avoided. And the utilization of a compensated surface also increases light efficiency. Finally, a prototype model is tested, which also meets the regulatory requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To observe the temporal shifts of the intestinal microbial community structure and diversity in rats for 30 days after death. Rectal swabs were collected from rats before death (BD) and on day 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 after death (AD). Bacteria genomic DNA was extracted and V3 + V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were amplified by PCR. The amplicons were sequenced at Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. The bacterial diversity and richness showed similar results from day 1 to 5 and day 10 to 25 all presenting downtrend, while from day 5 to 10 showed slightly increased. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria displayed inverse variation in day 1, 5, 10 and that was the former decreased, the latter increased. Bacteroidetes, Spirochaete and TM7 in day 15, 20, 25, 30 was significantly decline comparing with BD. Enterococcus and Proteus displayed reduced trend over day 1, 5, 10 and day 10, 15, 20, 25, respectively, while Sporosarcina showed obvious elevation during day 15, 20, 25. Accordingly, there was a certain correlation between intestinal flora succession and the time of death. The results suggested that intestinal flora may be potential indicator to aid estimation of post-mortem interval (PMI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the relationship among natural aging of epidermal cells, epigenetics, and SPRY1 methylation mechanism. Methods: Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription‐PCR (RT‐PCR), and Western blot were used to detect the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and Sprouty1 (SPRY1) in skin epithelial cells from different age groups. An aging model of HaCaT cells was constructed. In HaCaT cells and their aging groups, DNMT1 and SPRY1 expression were detected by RT‐PCR and WB. SPRY1 methylation status in epidermal cells from different age groups and HaCaT cells were detected by Methylation‐Specific PCR (MS‐PCR). Results: The expression of DNMT1 and SPRY1 in skin epithelial cells from natural aging groups decreased with age; there was no significant difference in the expression of DNMT1 in HaCaT cells and the different age groups. The expression of SPRY1 in HaCaT cells was lower than it was in the aging groups. The methylation status of SPRY1 gradually decreased as the age of skin epidermal cells increased, while the methylation status of SPRY1 was not different between HaCaT cells and the aging group. Conclusion: DNMT1 is involved in the regulation of natural aging of skin epidermal cells but has a nominal role in our induced aging model. SPRY1 is involved in natural aging and induced aging of skin epidermal cells. The regulation of SPRY1 methylation is involved in the natural senescence of skin epidermal cells, while the induced aging of epidermal cells is nominally involved in the mechanism of SPRY1 methylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (transvaginal NOTES) aims to minimize surgical trauma and reduce recovery time. Clinical trials comparing transvaginal NOTES and traditional laparoscopy were identified by searching EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science (from 2004 to March 2018). Major outcomes evaluated were risk of postoperative complications and secondary outcomes were pain on postoperative day (POD) 1, POD2, and POD3, time needed for full recovery, risk of intraoperative complications, the duration of surgery, and hospital stay. The results of the meta-analysis are presented as standardized mean difference (SMD) and risk difference (RD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Thirteen trials with 1340 patients were identified. There were no statistical differences for risk of complications between transvaginal NOTES and traditional laparoscopy (intraoperative complications: RD −0.01, 95% CI −0.03 to 0.01; P = 0.37; postoperative complication: RD −0.02, 95% CI −0.05 to 0.01; P = 0.148). The pain score was lower in transvaginal NOTES on POD1 (SMD: −0.71, 95% CI: −1.30 to −0.11, P = 0.019), on POD2 (SMD −0.41, 95% CI −0.75 to −0.07; P = 0.018), and on POD3 (SMD −0.43, 95% CI −0.63 to −0.23; P < 0.001). Patients in transvaginal NOTES needed much shorter time to fully recover after surgery (SMD −1.36, 95% CI −1.84 to −0.87; P < 0.001). In addition, patients underwent transvaginal NOTES had less pain and shorter time of recovery. It is recommended that patients have cholecystectomy, adnexectomy, and appendectomy using transvaginal NOTES as it is safe and minimally invasive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several previous studies have confirmed that thrombocytosis was related to reduced survival in many solid tumors. However, the prognostic significance of thrombocytosis in endometrial carcinoma (EC) was still controversy. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the prognostic value of thrombocytosis in EC.Methods: The database including PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science was searched to explore available literature. Above all, the hazard ratio (HR), odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was used to investigate the correlation between thrombocytosis and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Moreover, the association between thrombocytosis and patient clinicopathological characteristics was explored. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis also were conducted in this study.Results: Overall, 11 studies involving 3439 patients were contained in this study. The results revealed that pretreatment thrombocytosis was significantly related to a decreased OS (pooled HR = 2.99; 95% CI = 2.35-3.8; P < 0.001) and DFS (pooled HR = 2.86; 95% CI = 2.27-3.6; P <  0.001) in patients with EC. Moreover, thrombocytosis was correlated with adverse clinicopathological parameters.Conclusions: Pretreatment thrombocytosis is an adverse prognostic marker in patients with EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a study which proposed and demonstrated a novel punch through heterojunction phototransistor. Description of the base of the transistor; Observations on the transient measurements concerning the transistor; Consideration taken in order to achieve satisfactory overall system performance.

Focuses on the negative capacitance effect observed in metal-semiconductor contracts. Loss of interface charge at occupied states below Fermi level due to impact ionization; Use of Shockley-Read statistics for the probability of an interface state being occupied; Absence of any transient reverse current.

Presents a model for the photovoltaic effect of the grain boundary caused by a scanning laser beams. Features of the model; Background on theoretical assumptions in developing the model; Significance of grain boundaries to semiconductors.

Off-flavor is one of the limiting factors in the quality and commercial acceptability of evening primrose oil (EPO). The results of this study demonstrated that ultraviolet light irradiated with titanium dioxide (UV/TiO2) was able to effectively reduce odorous aldehyde concentrations, which would produce undesired flavors. Specifically, reductions in the E-2-Decenal, 1-octen-3-ol and hexanoic acid in EPO reached 50, 75.2 and 61.4% after a UV/TiO2 process of 5 min, respectively. The odor active values (OAV) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed that the result of the 5 min group was similar to that of the original oil. In addition, the physicochemical characteristics of EPO after processing did not change significantly. The result of the aroma profile analysis was consistent with the OAV and HCA results. Therefore, it has been concluded that 5 min UV/TiO2 treatment could degrade some volatile compounds and provide a potential deodorization method for industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By screening a series of 3d/4d/5d transition metal (TM) atoms, a total of twelve graphene-based single atom catalysts (SAC) with TMO 3 and TMO 4 units can exhibit the excellent OER performance with extremely low overpotential (0.33 ∼ 0.59 V), in which the V/Nb/Ta atoms in VB group and Ru/Co/Rh/Ir atoms in VIII group can serve as the active sites. The self-optimization process of TM-sites can be responsible for the high OER catalytic activity for most of these SAC systems. [Display omitted] High-throughput DFT calculations are performed to explore the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activity of a series of 2D graphene-based systems with TMO 3 or TMO 4 functional units. By screening the 3d/4d/5d transition metal (TM) atoms, a total of twelve TMO 3 @G or TMO 4 @G systems had extremely low overpotential of 0.33 ∼ 0.59 V, in which the V/Nb/Ta atom in VB group and Ru/Co/Rh/Ir atom in VIII group served as the active sites. The mechanism analysis reveals that the filling of outer electrons of TM atom can play an important role in determining the overpotential value by affecting the ΔG O* value as an effective descriptor. Especially, in addition to the general situation of OER on the clean surface of the systems containing the Rh/Ir metal centers, the self-optimization process of TM-sites was carried out, and it made most of these single-atom catalysts (SAC) systems to have high OER catalytic activity. All these fascinating findings can contribute to an in-depth understanding of the OER catalytic activity and mechanism of the excellent graphene-based SAC systems. This work will facilitate the design and implementation of non-precious and highly efficient OER catalysts in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coxiella burnetii is a small Gram-negative intracellular bacterium and is the causative agent of Q fever, which is a zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution. Domesticated ruminants are the main reservoir of the disease, but the bacterium is able to infect a wide range of hosts, including humans, arthropods and invertebrates. Virulence studies of Coxiella strains usually require a suitable animal model. However, mammalian models are costly and are associated with many ethical constraints. An alternative infection model using Galleria mellonella has been used to study the virulence of several bacterial as well as fungal pathogens. Moreover, the G. mellonella larvae model has been used to identify virulence genes using phase II C. burnetii strain Nine Mile mutants. In our study we describe its use for the characterization of C. burnetii strains isolated from ruminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion To investigate the effect of retaining the vessels around the orbicularis oculi muscle on reducing local swelling after blepharoplasty.A total of 309 patients undergoing blepharoplasty (total incision) were observed and randomly assigned to three groups; (A) conventional operation; (B) preservation of deep vessels; (C) preservation of anterior vessels of orbicularis oculi muscle. The groups were compared based on intraoperative blood loss, operation time, swelling, satisfaction, and complications.Among the 309 patients, 39 were lost to follow‐up. c Additionally, A had the shortest operation time, followed by C with slightly longer duration. On the 7th day, 15th day, and 1 month after surgery, both B and C demonstrated significantly lower levels of swelling compared to A. Moreover, patient satisfaction was higher in B and C than in A.Retaining either superficial or deep veins of the orbicularis oculi muscle can effectively reduce short‐term postoperative swelling. However, when retaining the superficial central group of this muscle during surgery, it is crucial to strictly control the amount of surrounding tissue around vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimerism is defined as the presence of 2 or more than 1 genetically distinct cell populations in an organism. Dispermic chimeras are derived from the fertilization of 1 or 2 matured nuclei by 2 sperms. We here report detection of a healthy and phenotypically normal female with normal ABO red blood cell typing in whom dispermic chimerism was suspected after 3 alleles were identified at multiple human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci using molecular HLA analysis. Molecular HLA typing showed the donor to have 3 HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, -DQB1 and -DPB1 alleles in blood, saliva and nail samples. In addition, 3 of her 9 short tandem repeat loci also showed to have 3 distinct alleles in blood, nail and saliva specimens. In all investigations, the third alleles were attributed to a dual paternal contribution. This case represents a dispermic chimerism, with 2 paternal and 1 maternal haplotypes variably distributed throughout body tissues in a healthy and phenotypically normal female without abnormalities in erythrocyte ABO blood group. The origin of this chimerism is probably due to the fertilization of a single egg and its polar body, or a parthenogenetic egg, by 2 sperms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the formation of gold (Au)/copper/barium oxide/yttrium-oxygen/Au layered structures using electron-beam evaporation on silicon dioxide substrates. Application of rapid thermal annealing at different temperatures; Overview of the superconducting properties of the film; Findings of the x-ray diffraction measurement.

• We report numerical results for light reflection from the top of a Rayleigh scattering spherical atmosphere over a dark surface. • We account for polarization of light and height-dependent single scattering albedo. • We report single and multiple scattering data separately to support validation and development of RT codes for spherical atmospheres. We report numerical results for polarized light reflection from the top of a Rayleigh scattering spherical atmosphere with height-dependent single scattering albedo over a dark surface. Michael Mishchenko considered this scenario back in the 1990's, for a plane-parallel atmosphere of unit optical thickness (OT = 1), for which radiance errors arising from neglecting polarization reaches their highest values. To further extend Mishchenko's results, we consider a value of OT = 0.25, for which the effect of atmospheric curvature is pronounced. New results are generated using three state-of-the art radiative transfer (RT) codes. These are: the MYSTIC and MCSSA models, which simulate light scattering in a true-spherical atmosphere using Monte Carlo methods; and the discrete ordinate code VLIDORT, operating with a new multiple-scatter spherical correction designed to deliver reasonable approximations to spherical-medium scattering. In this work, we report results for both single and multiple scattering; this will help to support the validation of existing and future polarized spherical RT codes, especially those using approximative methods to deal with sphericity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile components remaining on the surface of biochar may contribute to its effects on plant growth. To identify the potential bioactivity of these substances, the chemical composition of volatiles from fast pyrolysis of rice husks was analyzed by Py-GC/MS and verified in the Plant Metabolic Network database. A total of 81 compounds, primarily aromatic (38.60%) and ether (6.53%), were identified among the volatiles produced using various pyrolysis conditions. Moreover, among the 13 compounds identified to play important roles in plant metabolic processes, three (eugenol, 4-hydroxybenzoate, and salicyl alcohol) are known to be involved in plant defense mechanisms; these were analyzed in further detail. Analysis using AutoDock 4.2 showed that eugenol and salicyl alcohol interact with 3SOE and 3VIL, which are important proteins in plant defense against herbivores. Thus, biochar may influence plant growth and development through volatile components that remain on its surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new naphthoate-based cadmium(II) complexes, [Cd(Phen)(NA)] ( I), [Cd(HO)(2,2′-Bipy)(NA)] ( II), and [Cd(4,4′-Bipy)(NA)] ( III) (NA = 1-naphthoate, Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, 2,2′-Bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine, and 4,4′-Bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine), were hydrothermally synthesized by varying the N-heterocyclic coligands and characterized by X-ray single-crystal structure analysis (CIF files CCDC nos. 971968 ( I), 971969 ( II) and 971970 ( III)). Structural analyses reveal that the former two samples are carboxylate aggregated oligomers with centrosymmetric binuclear and cyclic tetranuclear motifs. By contrast, complex III exhibits a polymeric one-dimensional double-chain with linear {Cd(NA)} subunits periodically extended by pairs of ditopic 4,4′-Bipy connectors. Obviously, the mixed ligands of the self-assemble system play different roles with the core-aggregation for carboxylate group and the extension/termination of the subunit for N-heterocyclic coligand. Furthermore, all the three entities with higher thermal stability display strong fluorescent emissions at room temperature resulting from the NA-based intraligand and/or ligand-to-metal charge transfer, suggesting their hopeful use as fluorescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A new three-dimensional zinc(II) isonicotinic complex was synthesized. [•] The compound exhibited threefold interpenetrated of diamond topological net. [•] The compound showed strong blue photoluminescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four photoluminescent homochiral supramolecular compounds based on enantiopure 2-(1-hydroxy-ethyl)-3H-benzoimidazole-5-carboxylate ligand have been synthesized successfully, and all of them are built from fascinating butterfly-like chains via hydrogen bonding interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma sprayed ceramic coatings of low thermal conductivity are becoming important candidates for next generation thermal barrier coatings. The rare earth ceramic materials are regarded as promising materials which can be applied by plasma spraying. However, the lower mechanical strength of these materials compared with YSZ limits their performance during thermal cycling. The interlamellar bonding of plasma sprayed ceramic coatings dominates their mechanical properties. In this study, the rare earth ceramic LZO splats were deposited on both YSZ and LZO surfaces at different surface temperatures to reveal the effect of the deposition temperature on the splat interface bonding formation. The bonding conditions between splat and different substrates were examined from the cross-sections by fracturing the splats. It is confirmed that at low surface temperature no effective splat bonding formed between the splat and the substrate surface. It is also observed that there was a critical surface temperature over which the interface bonding begins to form. The present results will benefit the control of splat interface bonding, and thus the properties of the coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new three-dimensional metal–organic frameworks, [H2N(CH3)2]2[Zn(btec)]·DMF (1, H4btec=1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate acid) and [H2N(CH3)2][ZnLi(btec)]·DMF (2), have been solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 based on μ4-btec features an anionic homometallic framework with 4-connected pts topology. Compound 2 is a heterometallic organic framework with rare (4, 4, 8)-connected network topology, which can be considered as constitute of a Li-btec (pts) net and a Zn-btec net. Moreover, the luminescent properties of two compounds are investigated in the solid state at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Courtship is an elaborate behavior that conveys information about the identity of animal species and suitability of individual males as mates. In Drosophila, there is extensive evidence that females are capable of evaluating and comparing male courtships, and accepting or rejecting males as mates. These relatively simple responses minimize random sexual encounters involving subpar conspecific males and heterospecific males, and over generations can potentially select novel physical and behavioral traits. Despite its evolutionary and behavioral significance, little is still known about the genes involved in mating choice and how choices for novel males and females arise during evolution. Drosophila simulans and Drosophila sechellia are two recently diverged species of Drosophila in which females have a preference for conspecific males. Here we analyzed a total of 1748 F2 hybrid females between these two species and found a small number of dominant genes controlling the preference for D. simulans males. We also mapped two redundant X-linked loci of mating choice, Macho-XA and Macho-XB, and show that neither one is required for female attractiveness. Together, our results reveal part of the genetic architecture that allows D. simulans females to recognize, mate, and successfully generate progenies with D. simulans males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetable oil phospholipids can be divided into hydratable phospholipids (HP) and non-hydratable phospholipids (NHP). The general process of alkali refining or hydration degumming can remove most of the phospholipids, and the rest is mainly non-hydratable phospholipids. A non-hydratable phospholipid has obvious hydrophobicity, which cannot be completely removed even after 16 times of washing, so the non-hydratable phospholipid is the main research target of vegetable oil degumming. In order to better understand and study the non-hydratable phospholipids, the chemical composition and origin of non-hydratable phospholipids in vegetable oil are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of these various detection and removal methods are analyzed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective is to propose a new methodology of modulus backcalculation and analyse its rationality and feasibility. Firstly, the features and advantages of the proposed are summarised. Secondly, a total of 130 sets of deflection basinswere collected and the modulus was backcalculated. Meanwhile, the temperatures of different asphalt layers were monitored. Subsequently, the simple performance test (SPT) was used to establish the master curve model. The dynamic modulus of different asphalt mixtures of falling weight deflector's load frequency and real test temperature was predicted. Following, the backcalculated modulus was compared with the SPT modulus for verifying its ability of reflecting the material properties. Furthermore, the rationality of the backcalculated modulus is verified, as well as its ability to distinguish between different sections. Lastly, the efficiency, success rate and stability of the proposed method are statistically analysed. Results show that the ratios of the backcalculated modulus to the SPT modulus range from 0.9 to 1.2. The proposed method can process about 100 measured deflection basins per minute and its success rate exceeds 80%. The coefficient of variation of the effective modulus does not exceed 15%. The proposed method has high rationality and feasibility meeting the requirements of engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapio is a spring wheat developed by CIMMYT in Mexico by a breeding program that focused on multigenic resistances to leaf rust and stripe rust. A population consisting of 277 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed by crossing Chapio with Avocet. The RILs were genotyped with DArT markers (137 randomly selected RILs) and bulked segregant analysis conducted to supplement the map with informative SSR markers. The final map consisted of 264 markers. Phenotyping against stripe rust was conducted for three seasons in Toluca, Mexico and at three sites over two seasons (total of four environments) in Sichuan Province, China. Significant loci across the two inter-continental regions included Lr34/Yr18 on 7DS, Sr2/Yr30 on 3BS, and a QTL on 3D. There were significant genotype × environment interactions with resistance gene Yr31 on 2BS being effective in most of the Toluca environments; however, a late incursion of a virulent pathotype in 2009 rendered this gene ineffective. This locus also had no effect in China. Conversely, a 5BL locus was only effective in the Chinese environments. There were also complex additive interactions. In the Mexican environments, Yr31 suppressed the additive effect of Yr30 and the 3D locus, but not of Lr34/Yr18, while in China, the 3D and 5BL loci were generally not additive with each other, but were additive when combined with other loci. These results indicate the importance of maintaining diverse, multi-genic resistances as Chapio had stable inter-continental resistance despite the fact that there were QTLs that were not effective in either one or the other region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new coordination polymer [Cd(btc)(e-urea)](e-urea) ( 1; btc = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate; e-urea = ethyleneurea) has been urothermally synthesized using ethyleneurea hemihydrate as the solvent and exhibits (3,6)-connected rutile ( rtl) topology. The structure of 1 consists of trinuclear Cd units and the btc linkers. Species 1 features a non-interpenetrating three-dimensional open framework with channels filled by the e-urea additives and guest molecules. The thermogravimetric behavior and photoluminescent property of 1 were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Two new Cd coordination polymers, [Cd(5-Nisp)(e-urea)]n (1), and [Cd2(5-Hisp)2(e-urea)2(en)]n (2), (where 5-Nisp=5-nitroisophthalate; 5-Hisp=5-hydroxyisophthalate; e-urea=ethyleneurea; en=1,2-ethanediamine), have been urothermally synthesized by using ethyleneurea hemihydrate as the solvent. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that both 1 and 2 have linear chain sub-structures linked by 5-Nisp ligands or 5-Hisp ligands into three-dimensional frameworks. The thermogravimetric behavior and the photoluminescent properties of 1 and 2 were studied. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]