Showing papers by "Qian Zhang published in 2013"
TL;DR: Understanding the novel function of autophagy may allow us to develop a promising therapeutic strategy to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and improve clinical outcomes in the treatment of cancer patients.
Abstract: Induction of cell death and inhibition of cell survival are the main principles of cancer therapy. Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is a major problem in oncology, which limits the effectiveness of anticancer drugs. A variety of factors contribute to drug resistance, including host factors, specific genetic or epigenetic alterations in the cancer cells and so on. Although various mechanisms by which cancer cells become resistant to anticancer drugs in the microenvironment have been well elucidated, how to circumvent this resistance to improve anticancer efficacy remains to be defined. Autophagy, an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism, is now emerging as a crucial player in response to metabolic and therapeutic stresses, which attempts to maintain/restore metabolic homeostasis through the catabolic lysis of excessive or unnecessary proteins and injured or aged organelles. Recently, several studies have shown that autophagy constitutes a potential target for cancer therapy and the induction of autophagy in response to therapeutics can be viewed as having a prodeath or a prosurvival role, which contributes to the anticancer efficacy of these drugs as well as drug resistance. Thus, understanding the novel function of autophagy may allow us to develop a promising therapeutic strategy to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and improve clinical outcomes in the treatment of cancer patients.
968 citations
TL;DR: This work studied the thermoelectric properties of nanostructured SnTe with different dopants, and found indium-doped SnTe showed extraordinarily large Seebeck coefficients that cannot be explained properly by the conventional two-valence band model.
Abstract: From an environmental perspective, lead-free SnTe would be preferable for solid-state waste heat recovery if its thermoelectric figure-of-merit could be brought close to that of the lead-containing chalcogenides. In this work, we studied the thermoelectric properties of nanostructured SnTe with different dopants, and found indium-doped SnTe showed extraordinarily large Seebeck coefficients that cannot be explained properly by the conventional two-valence band model. We attributed this enhancement of Seebeck coefficients to resonant levels created by the indium impurities inside the valence band, supported by the first-principles simulations. This, together with the lower thermal conductivity resulting from the decreased grain size by ball milling and hot pressing, improved both the peak and average nondimensional figure-of-merit (ZT) significantly. A peak ZT of ∼1.1 was obtained in 0.25 atom % In-doped SnTe at about 873 K.
614 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the leg efficiency of thermoelectric conversion for segmented elements based on these n-type materials could potentially reach 12.5% with a cold side at 25 °C and a hot side at 500 °C if appropriate p-type legs are paired.
Abstract: Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and its alloys have been widely investigated as thermoelectric materials for cooling applications at around room temperature. We report a systematic study on many compounds in the Bi2Te3–Bi2Se3–Bi2S3 system. All the samples were fabricated by high energy ball milling followed by hot pressing. Among the investigated compounds, Bi2Te2S1 shows a peak ZT ∼0.8 at 300 °C and Bi2Se1S2 ∼0.8 at 500 °C. The results show that these compounds can be used for mid-temperature power generation applications. The leg efficiency of thermoelectric conversion for segmented elements based on these n-type materials could potentially reach 12.5% with a cold side at 25 °C and a hot side at 500 °C if appropriate p-type legs are paired, which could compete well with the state-of-the-art n-type materials within the same temperature range, including lead tellurides, lead selenides, lead sulfides, filled-skutterudites, and half Heuslers.
245 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that PtrbHLH plays an important role in cold tolerance, at least in part, by positively regulating POD-mediated reactive oxygen species removal.
Abstract: The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors are involved in a variety of physiological processes. However, plant bHLHs functioning in cold tolerance and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of PtrbHLH isolated from trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata). The transcript levels of PtrbHLH were up-regulated under various abiotic stresses, particularly cold. PtrbHLH was localized in the nucleus with transactivation activity. Overexpression of PtrbHLH in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) or lemon (Citrus limon) conferred enhanced tolerance to cold under chilling or freezing temperatures, whereas down-regulation of PtrbHLH in trifoliate orange by RNA interference (RNAi) resulted in elevated cold sensitivity. A range of stress-responsive genes was up-regulated or down-regulated in the transgenic lemon. Of special note, several peroxidase (POD) genes were induced after cold treatment. Compared with the wild type, POD activity was increased in the overexpression plants but decreased in the RNAi plants, which was inversely correlated with the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels in the tested lines. Treatment of the transgenic tobacco plants with POD inhibitors elevated the H2O2 levels and greatly compromised their cold tolerance, while exogenous replenishment of POD enhanced cold tolerance of the RNAi line. In addition, transgenic tobacco and lemon plants were more tolerant to oxidative stresses. Yeast one-hybrid assay and transient expression analysis demonstrated that PtrbHLH could bind to the E-box elements in the promoter region of a POD gene. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PtrbHLH plays an important role in cold tolerance, at least in part, by positively regulating POD-mediated reactive oxygen species removal.
211 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effect of Ti on thermoelectric properties is studied in (Hf, Zr, Ti)CoSb0.8Sn0.2CoSB0.
Abstract: Based on the best peak theromoelectric figure-of-merit value (ZT) of ca. 0.8 in Hf0.5Zr0.5CoSb0.8Sn0.2 and ca. 1 in Hf0.8Ti0.2CoSb0.8Sn0.2, the effect of Ti on thermoelectric properties is studied in (Hf, Zr, Ti)CoSb0.8Sn0.2, with the aim of further improving the ZT and reducing the usage of Hf. By either partial replacement of Hf and Zr with Ti in Hf0.5Zr0.5CoSb0.8Sn0.2 or partial replacement of Hf and Ti with Zr in Hf0.8Ti0.2CoSb0.8Sn0.2, a peak ZT of ≥1 is achieved at 800°C in Hf0.44Zr0.44Ti0.12CoSb0.8Sn0.2. This composition has two advantages over the previous two best compositions: higher ZT than Hf0.5Zr0.5CoSb0.8Sn0.2 and less Hf than in Hf0.8Ti0.2CoSb0.8Sn0.2. A higher ZT with less Hf is very much desired since Hf is much more expensive than other constituent elements. The ZT improvement is the result of thermal conductivity reduction due to phonon scattering by both alloy and the nanostructure effect.
141 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, multi-layered MoS2-based field effect transistors in a four-terminal configuration were investigated and it was shown that the two terminal configurations tend to underestimate the carrier mobility due to the Schottky barriers at the contacts.
Abstract: By fabricating and characterizing multi-layered MoS2-based field-effect transistors in a four terminal configuration, we demonstrate that the two terminal-configurations tend to underestimate the carrier mobility μ due to the Schottky barriers at the contacts. For a back-gated two-terminal configuration, we observe mobilities as high as 91 cm2 V−1 s−1 which is considerably smaller than 306.5 cm2 V−1 s−1 as extracted from the same device when using a four-terminal configuration. This indicates that the intrinsic mobility of MoS2 on SiO2 is significantly larger than the values previously reported, and provides a quantitative method to evaluate the charge transport through the contacts.
103 citations
TL;DR: The results provide new insights into the applications of membrane-supported dendrimers in the recovery of heavy metal ions.
Abstract: Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendronized hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) were synthesized and used in the recovery of heavy metal ions. The dendronized HFMs showed strong binding ability with Cu2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+ ions. Generation 3 (G3) PAMAM dendronized HFM (G3-HFM) retained 72% of its Cu2+ binding capacity after five cycles of use and recovery. Interestingly, Cu2(OH)3Cl, Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2, and CdCO3 crystals were grown on G3-HFM surface when G3-HFMs were immersed in CuCl2, Pb(NO3)2, and CdCl2 solutions, respectively, while no crystal was observed with nonmodified HFMs. The results provide new insights into the applications of membrane-supported dendrimers in the recovery of heavy metal ions.
89 citations
TL;DR: The static spin susceptibility as calculated through the random phase approximation, reveals strong peaks suggesting proximity to a magnetic state and therefore the possibility of unconventional superconductivity in a new transition metal-chalcogenide compound.
Abstract: Here, we report the discovery of superconductivity in a new transition metal-chalcogenide compound, i.e. Nb2Pd0.81S5, with a transition temperature Tc ≅ 6.6 K. Despite its relatively low Tc, it displays remarkably high and anisotropic superconducting upper critical fields, e.g. μ0Hc2 (T → 0 K) > 37 T for fields applied along the crystallographic b-axis. For a field applied perpendicularly to the b-axis, μ0Hc2 shows a linear dependence in temperature which coupled to a temperature-dependent anisotropy of the upper critical fields, suggests that Nb2Pd0.81S5 is a multi-band superconductor. This is consistent with band structure calculations which reveal nearly cylindrical and quasi-one-dimensional Fermi surface sheets having hole and electron character, respectively. The static spin susceptibility as calculated through the random phase approximation, reveals strong peaks suggesting proximity to a magnetic state and therefore the possibility of unconventional superconductivity.
72 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of H 2 O 2 concentration, effect of MB initial concentration and TOC removal were also studied, and the apparent photonic efficiency under various experimental conditions have been calculated and the results also clarified that H 2O 2 could improve the light utilization efficiency of photocatalytic process.
66 citations
TL;DR: Calculations of the optical force on heterodimer of two gold nanorods aligned head-to-tail, under plane wave illumination that is polarized along the dimer axis find that near the dipole-quadrupole Fano resonance, the optical binding force reverses, indicating an attractive to repulsive transition.
Abstract: We present calculations of the optical force on heterodimer of two gold nanorods aligned head-to-tail, under plane wave illumination that is polarized along the dimer axis. It is found that near the dipole-quadrupole Fano resonance, the optical binding force between the nanorods reverses, indicating an attractive to repulsive transition. This is in contrast to homodimer which in similar configuration shows no negative binding force. Moreover, the force spectrum features asymmetric line shape and shifts accordingly when the Fano resonance is tuned by varying the nanorods length or their gap. We show that the force reversal is associated with the strong phase variation between the hybridized dipole and quadrupole modes near the Fano dip. The numerical results may be demonstrated by a near-field optical tweezer and shall be useful for studying “optical matters” in plasmonics.
65 citations
TL;DR: Rhythmic motor patterns in presence of neural blockade indicate the involvement of myogenic control systems and suggest a role for the networks of interstitial cells of Cajal as pacemakers.
Abstract: Background and Aims
Better understanding of intrinsic control mechanisms of colonic motility will lead to better treatment options for colonic dysmotility. The aim was to investigate neurogenic and myogenic control mechanisms underlying pan-colonic motor patterns.
Methods
Analysis of in vitro video recordings of whole rat colon motility was used to explore motor patterns and their spatiotemporal organizations and to identify mechanisms of neurogenic and myogenic control using pharmacological tools.
Results
Study of the pan-colonic spatiotemporal organization of motor patterns revealed: fluid-induced or spontaneous rhythmic propulsive long distance contractions (LDCs, 0.4–1.5/min, involving the whole colon), rhythmic propulsive motor complexes (RPMCs) (0.8–2.5/min, dominant in distal colon), ripples (10–14/min, dominant in proximal colon), segmentation and retrograde contractions (0.1–0.8/min, prominent in distal and mid colon). Spontaneous rhythmic LDCs were the dominant pattern, blocked by tetrodotoxin, lidocaine or blockers of cholinergic, nitrergic or serotonergic pathways. Change from propulsion to segmentation and distal retrograde contractions was most prominent after blocking 5-HT3 receptors. In the presence of all neural blockers, bethanechol consistently evoked rhythmic LDC-like propulsive contractions in the same frequency range as the LDCs, indicating the existence of myogenic mechanisms of initiation and propulsion.
Conclusions
Neurogenic and myogenic control systems orchestrate distinct and variable motor patterns at different regions of the pan-colon. Cholinergic, nitrergic and serotonergic pathways are essential for rhythmic LDCs to develop. Rhythmic motor patterns in presence of neural blockade indicate the involvement of myogenic control systems and suggest a role for the networks of interstitial cells of Cajal as pacemakers.
TL;DR: In the present work, the effect of aluminum (Al) on the thermoelectric properties of PbTe is studied and the first principle calculations clearly show an increase of the density of states close to the Fermi level in the conduction band due to Al doping, which averages up the energy and effective mass of electrons, resulting in enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient.
Abstract: In the present work, the effect of aluminum (Al) on the thermoelectric properties of PbTe is studied. Aluminum doped PbTe samples, fabricated by a ball milling and hot pressing, have Seebeck coefficients between −100 and −200 μV K−1 and electrical conductivities of (3.6–18) × 104 S m−1 at room temperature, which means that Al is an effective donor in PbTe. The first principle calculations clearly show an increase of the density of states close to the Fermi level in the conduction band due to Al doping, which averages up the energy and effective mass of electrons, resulting in enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient. The maximum figure-of-merit ZT of 1.2 is reached at 770 K in the Al0.03PbTe sample.
TL;DR: It is shown that insulin sensitivity is improved or impaired in mice injected with adenovirus that overexpress or knock down PRLR expression, and it is discovered that the signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 pathway are required for regulating insulin sensitivity by PRLR.
Abstract: Insulin resistance is one of the major contributing factors in the development of metabolic diseases. The mechanisms responsible for insulin resistance, however, remain poorly understood. Although numerous functions of the prolactin receptor (PRLR) have been identified, a direct effect on insulin sensitivity has not been previously described. The aim of our current study is to investigate this possibility and elucidate underlying mechanisms. Here we show that insulin sensitivity is improved or impaired in mice injected with adenovirus that overexpress or knock down PRLR expression, respectively. Similar observations were obtained in in vitro studies. In addition, we discovered that the signal transducer and activator of transcription-5 pathway are required for regulating insulin sensitivity by PRLR. Moreover, we observed that PRLR expression is decreased or increased under insulin-resistant (db/db mice) or insulin-sensitive (leucine deprivation) conditions, respectively, and found that altering PRLR expression significantly reverses insulin sensitivity under both conditions. Finally, we found that PRLR expression levels are increased under leucine deprivation via a general control nonderepressible 2/mammalian target of rapamycin/ribosomal protein S6 kinase-1–dependent pathway. These results demonstrate a novel function for hepatic PRLR in the regulation of insulin sensitivity and provide important insights concerning the nutritional regulation of PRLR expression.
TL;DR: A novel central pathway regulating hepatic insulin sensitivity that is mediated by hypothalamic ATF4/mTOR/S6K1 signaling and the vagus nerve is described and an important role is demonstrated for hypothalamicATF4 in brain ER stress–induced liver insulin resistance.
Abstract: Recent studies have revealed that the central nervous system, particularly the hypothalamus, is critical for regulating insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues. The aim of our current study is to investigate the possible involvement of hypothalamic activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) in the regulation of insulin sensitivity in the liver. Here, we show that overexpression of ATF4 in the hypothalamus resulting from intracerebroventricular injection of adenovirus expressing ATF4 induces hepatic insulin resistance in mice and that inhibition of hypothalamic ATF4 by intracerebroventricular adenovirus expressing a dominant-negative ATF4 variant has the opposite effect. We also show that hypothalamic ATF4-induced insulin resistance is significantly blocked by selective hepatic vagotomy or by inhibiting activity of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) downstream target S6K1. Finally, we show that inhibition of hypothalamic ATF4 reverses hepatic insulin resistance induced by acute brain endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Taken together, our study describes a novel central pathway regulating hepatic insulin sensitivity that is mediated by hypothalamic ATF4/mTOR/S6K1 signaling and the vagus nerve and demonstrates an important role for hypothalamic ATF4 in brain ER stress–induced hepatic insulin resistance. These results may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for treating insulin resistance and associated metabolic diseases.
TL;DR: Chewing ability was strongly associated with dental conditions, and the presence of at least 10 teeth in each jaw had highest impact on chewing ability.
Abstract: This study aimed to assess chewing ability related to dental status. One thousand four hundred sixty-two Chinese subjects over 40 years, dentate in both jaws, were categorized in a hierarchical functional classification system with and without tooth replacements. Chewing ability was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression including five dental conditions (≥10 teeth in each jaw’; ‘complete anterior regions’; “sufficient premolar regions’ (≥3 posterior occluding pairs (POPs)); ‘sufficient molar regions’ (bilaterally ≥1 POP); and tooth replacement), adjusted for six background variables. Likelihood ratios for chewing problems were assessed at each level of the hierarchical classification system based on these dental conditions. Seventy-eight to 91 % of subjects reported no or minor chewing problems. The conditions ‘≥10 teeth in each jaw’, and ‘complete anterior regions’ were not associated, whereas ‘sufficient’ premolar regions’ and ‘sufficient molar regions’ were associated with chewing problems (Ors, 0.33–0.58). If classified hierarchically, the condition ‘≥10 teeth in each jaw’ was relevant for chewing problems (likelihood ratios 3.3–3.7). ‘Sufficient premolar region’ and ‘sufficient molar region’ were relevant to reduce the likelihood ratios for having chewing problems (both approximately with a factor 2), both for soft and for hard foods. Subjects with artificial teeth added had similar chance for chewing problems compared to counterparts with natural teeth only. However, if comparing replaced teeth with natural teeth, subjects with tooth replacement showed higher chance for chewing problems. Chewing ability was strongly associated with dental conditions. The presence of at least 10 teeth in each jaw had highest impact on chewing ability.
TL;DR: OHRQoL was strongly associated with the presence of at least 10 teeth in each jaw and the hierarchical classification system predicted approximately 60 % of subjects correctly with respect to impaired OHRZoL.
Abstract: Objectives
This study aimed to assess oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) related to dental status.
TL;DR: In this article, the discovery of superconductivity in Nb$_3$Pd$_{x}$Se$_7$ with a $x$-dependent superconducting transition-temperature as high as 2.1 $ K for $x \simeq0.1$ T which is $4.26
Abstract: We report the discovery of superconductivity in Nb$_3$Pd$_{x}$Se$_7$ with a $x$-dependent superconducting transition-temperature as high as $T_c \simeq 2.1 $ K for $x \simeq0.7$ (middle point of the resistive transition). Needle-like single crystals display anisotropic upper-critical fields with an anisotropy $\gamma = H^{b}_{c2}/H^{a}_{c2}$ as large as 6 between fields applied along their needle axis (or $b-$axis) or along the $a-$axis. As for the Fe based superconductors $\gamma$ is temperature-dependent suggesting that Nb$_3$Pd$_{0.7}$Se$_7$ is a multi-band superconductor. This is supported by band structure calculations which reveal a Fermi surface composed of quasi-one-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional sheets of hole character, as well as three-dimensional sheets of both hole- and electron-character. Remarkably, $H^{b}_{c2}$ is observed to saturate at $H^{b}_{c2}(T \rightarrow 0 \text{K}) \simeq 14.1$ T which is $4.26 \times H_p$ where $H_p$ is the Pauli-limiting field in the weak-coupling regime. The synthesis procedure yields additional crystals belonging to the Nb$_2$Pd$_{x}$Se$_5$ phase which also becomes superconducting when the fraction of Pd is varied. For both phases we find that superconductivity condenses out of an anomalous metallic state, i.e. displaying $\partial \rho/ \partial T < 0$ above $T_c$ similarly to what is observed in the pseudogap-phase of the underdoped cuprates. An anomalous metallic state, low-dimensionality, multi-band character, extremely high and anisotropic $H_{c2}$s, are all ingredients for unconventional superconductivity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the quaternary AgPb18SbTe20 (LAST) alloy was replaced by the more economically available Se in LAST, and the thermoelectric properties of LASS with different dopants were studied.
TL;DR: CUL1 promotes human trophoblast cell invasion and dysregulation of CUL1 expression may be associated with PE, which is suggested to result in poor placenta perfusion and pre-eclampsia.
Abstract: Human trophoblast progenitor cells differentiate via two distinct pathways, to become the highly invasive extravillous cytotrophoblast (CTB) cells (EVT) or fuse to form syncytiotrophoblast. Inadequate trophoblast differentiation results in poor placenta perfusion, or even complications such as pre-eclampsia (PE). Cullin1 (CUL1), a scaffold protein in cullin-based ubiquitin ligases, plays an important role in early embryonic development. However, the role of CUL1 in trophoblast differentiation during placenta development has not been examined. Here we show that CUL1 was expressed in CTB cells and EVT in the first trimester human placentas by immunohistochemistry. CUL1 siRNA significantly inhibited outgrowth of extravillous explants in vitro, as well as invasion and migration of HTR8/SVneo cells of EVT origin. This inhibition was accompanied by decreased gelatinolytic activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and increased expression of tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP-1 and -2). Consistently, exogenous CUL1 promoted invasion and migration of HTR8/SVneo cells. Notably, CUL1 was gradually decreased during trophoblast syncytialization and CUL1 siRNA significantly enhanced forskolin-induced fusion of choriocarcinoma BeWo cells. CUL1 protein levels in human pre-eclamptic placental villi were significantly lower as compared to their matched control placentas. Taken together, our results suggest that CUL1 promotes human trophoblast cell invasion and dysregulation of CUL1 expression may be associated with PE.
TL;DR: In this paper, the magnetic response of a chiral superconductor with a time-reversal symmetry broken orbital component for the Cooper pair wave function is studied. But not necessarily for the anomalous, angular-dependent behavior of the superconducting state.
Abstract: URu${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$ is claimed to be a chiral $d$-wave superconductor with a ${k}_{z}({k}_{x}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}i{k}_{y})$ time-reversal symmetry broken orbital component for the Cooper pair wave function, which contains both nodal points and lines of nodes. To study the magnetic response of such an unconventional state through a bulk, thermodynamic probe, we measured the magnetic torque $\ensuremath{\tau}$ in very high-quality, well-characterized URu${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$ single crystals at high magnetic fields $H$ and at very low temperatures $T$. The magnetization $M(H)\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\tau}(H)/H$ of URu${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$, in its superconducting state and for angles within ${15}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ from the $\mathit{ab}$ plane, reveals a change in its sign for $H$ approaching ${H}_{c2}$: from a clear diamagnetic response dominated by the pinning of vortices to a state with a smaller but ``paramagneticlike'' hysteretic response which disappears at ${H}_{c2}$, thus implying that it is intrinsically related to the superconducting state. We argue that this anomalous, angular-dependent behavior is evidence for a time-reversal symmetry broken superconducting state in URu${}_{2}$Si${}_{2}$, although not necessarily for the ${k}_{z}({k}_{x}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}i{k}_{y})$ state.
TL;DR: Investigation of open-pollinated families of masson pine to get a better understanding of genetic regulation of resinyielding capacity (RYC), found heritability for four traits was relatively stable with minor fluctuation and early selection at age 13 was highly effective for height, age 15 for DBH and volume, and age 11 for RYC.
Abstract: Abstract Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb) has long been employed as a main source of pine resin in China. To get a better understanding of genetic regulation of resinyielding capacity (RYC), a total of 50 open-pollinated families of masson pine were planted at three testing sites for progeny testing. Investigation was conducted at ages 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 20, 24 and 26 years to study inheritance, age-age genetic correlation, and early selection efficiency for RYC, height (HT), diameter at breast height (DBH) and volume of individual tree (VOL). Growth characteristics increased gradually with age. RYC had a rapid increase at early ages (before age 15) ficients of variations (CV) for four traits showed a decreasing trend with age and the decreasing rate was rapid at early ages and minor at later ages. Heritability for four traits was relatively stable with minor fluctuation. For across-age classes, heritability was the highest for height, intermediate for RYC, and lowest for volume and DBH. RYC had highly positive genetic correlations with three growth characteristics. Genotype-by-environment interaction for four traits was stronger at Yunan than at other testing sites. Age-age genetic correlations were high for four traits studied, reaching 0.7 after age 9 for most analyses. Early selection at age 13 was highly effective for height, age 15 for DBH and volume, and age 11 for RYC.
26 May 2013
TL;DR: Variations to supervector pre-processing for phone recognition-support vector machines (PRSVM) based dialect identification are explored and a newly proposed dialect salience measure is applied in supervector dimension selection and compared to a common N-gram frequency based selection.
Abstract: Phonotactic modeling has become a widely used means for speaker, language, and dialect recognition. This paper explores variations to supervector pre-processing for phone recognition-support vector machines (PRSVM) based dialect identification. The aspects studied are: (i) normalization of supervector dimensions in the pre-squashing stage, (ii) impact of alternative squashing functions, and (iii) N-gram selection for supervector dimensionality reduction. In (i) and (ii), we find that several alternatives to commonly used approaches can provide moderate, yet consistent performance improvements. In (iii), a newly proposed dialect salience measure is applied in supervector dimension selection and compared to a common N-gram frequency based selection. The results show a strong correlation between dialect-salience and frequency of occurrence in N-grams. The evaluations in this study are conducted on a corpus of Chinese dialects, a Pan-Arabic corpus, and a set of Arabic CTS corpora.
TL;DR: Results showed that feeding non-vaccinated and vaccinated crucifixian carp with CVPS stimulated the phagocytosis of leukocytes, lysozyme, complement components C3 and C4, erythrocyte immune adherence, and circulatory antibody titers in serum in vaccinated crucian carp.
Abstract: Summary
To investigate the effect of Coriolus versicolor polysaccharides (CVPS) on the immune response of crucian carp (Corassius auratus gibelio), fish were fed diets containing CVPS at different concentrations including 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g kg−1 for 5 weeks. Other groups of fish were vaccinated by intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) against Aeromonas hydrophila with a killed bacterin at the beginning of the experiment and fed the same diets as described above. Additionally, control fish and vaccinated-only fish were fed basal diets without CVPS supplementation. The phagocytosis, lysozyme activity, complement components C3 and C4, E-C3bRR (Erythrocyte-C3b rosette rate) and E-CIRR (Erythrocyte-immune complex rosette rate) levels and circulating antibody titers in the serum were monitored. Five weeks after feeding the prescribed diet, fish were challenged with A. hydrophila and the mortalities recorded. Results showed that feeding non-vaccinated and vaccinated crucian carp with CVPS stimulated the phagocytosis of leukocytes, lysozyme, complement components C3 and C4, erythrocyte immune adherence, and circulatory antibody titers in serum in vaccinated crucian carp. Immune parameters increased to their highest levels after 3 weeks of feeding the diet containing 0.5 or 1.0 g kg−1 CVPS. These doses also resulted in the highest protection in the challenge experiment. Best survival (85%) was in the vaccinated group fed the diet containing 1.0 g kg−1 CVPS, whereas almost 80% of control fish (negative control) and 50% of vaccinated-only fish (positive control) died.
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of arc-shock interaction on the behavior of an SF6 arc burning in a supersonic nozzle during current zero period are numerically investigated for the experimental conditions of Frind and Rich.
Abstract: The effects of arc-shock interaction on the behaviour of an SF6 arc burning in a supersonic nozzle during current zero period are numerically investigated for the experimental conditions of Frind and Rich. The Prandtl mixing length model is used to simulate the turbulent arc. The adverse pressure gradient associated with the shock causes flow separation in the nozzle which leads to the formation of vortices and the broadening of the arc cross-section. Compared with the shock in the absence of the arc, the shock centre moves upstream and the shock is broadened. When the current is linearly ramped down towards zero, the flow separation point moves towards the axis which creates a very stagnant flow. This results in slow thermal recovery in the arc-shock interaction region and a reduction in the effective arc length. Comparisons between the calculated and measured critical rate of rise of recovery voltages (RRRV) at three stagnation pressures (P0) and two rates of current decay before current zero (di/dt) show good agreement with the chosen value of the turbulence parameter. Attention is also paid to the correct prescription of the boundary conditions when the gas is sucked into the nozzle at the nozzle exit plane.
TL;DR: The effect of total rhizosphere on plant–plant interaction of M. sativa shifted from competitive to facilitative as water availability increased and competition was reduced by neighboring soil solution and roots but was increased by AMF hyphae.
Abstract: Aims
We investigated how rhizosphere factors (total rhizosphere, roots, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae [AMF], and soil solution) and water availability affect interactions between neighboring Medicago sativa plants.
TL;DR: In this paper, superconductivity with extremely large upper critical fields in Nb 2 Pd 0.81 S 5 was shown to be superconductive with high temperature and extremely large critical fields.
Abstract: CORRIGENDUM: Superconductivity with extremely large upper critical fields in Nb 2 Pd 0.81 S 5
TL;DR: In this paper, the spectral properties of selective coating and the operating temperature of a solar thermal receiver with different selective coatings were discussed. And the relation between the optimum operating temperatures, the exergy efficiencies and the incident solar flux were analyzed for the traditional concentrating system and concentrating beam splitting system, respectively.
Abstract: Thermodynamics analysis was carried out for solar thermal receivers with different selective coatings. The relation between the energy conversion efficiency of a medium-high temperature solar thermal system, the spectral properties of selective coating and the operating temperature of the receiver were discussed. Furthermore, the relation between the optimum operating temperatures, the exergy efficiencies and the incident solar flux were analyzed for the traditional concentrating system and concentrating beam splitting system, respectively. According to the analysis results for the thermal receiver with blackbody surface and selective coatings, the optimum cutoff wavelength was obtained for the ideal selective coating. An analysis method for the optimum operating temperature calculation was developed for thermal receivers with selective coating. The optimum operating temperature for an actual selective coating was analyzed on the basis of the proposed theory.
25 Aug 2013
TL;DR: Besides strong individual-specific characteristics of the subjects in some of the domains considered, the two language groups show differences in the occupation of the F1–F2 formant space, choice of pitch pattern durations, and consistency in producing complex phonetic patterns.
Abstract: This paper studies various aspects of child vocalization as captured in a newly established parallel corpus of sixteen 18–31 months old US and Shanghainese toddlers. The recordings were acquired in 16-hour sessions during an ‘ordinary’ day in the child’s natural environment and manually labeled. The vocalization characteristics are studied by means of phonotactic and prosodic analysis with emphasis on automatic processing. In the phonotactic domain, a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) tokenizer, a bank of phone recognizers, and formant tracking are used to analyze the movements in the acoustic-phonetic space. In the prosodic domain, pitch patterns, duration, and rhythm are analyzed. Besides strong individual-specific characteristics of the subjects in some of the domains considered, the two language groups show differences in the occupation of the F1–F2 formant space, choice of pitch pattern durations, and consistency in producing complex phonetic patterns. Index Terms: children vocalization, speech acquisition, phonotactic modeling, pitch patterns, rhythmicity parameters
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that all 5 potential N-glycosylation sites are involved in the N-gresylation, which is essential for PtrMAN6 enzyme activity, and only 3 carboxyl-terminal cysteines were conserved in the wall-bounded mannan endo-hydrolases.
Abstract: PtrMAN6 is a plant mannan endo-hydrolase involved in modulating cell expansion and cell wall thickening in Populus developing xylem. N-glycosylation and dimerization affect the PtrMAN6 enzymatic activity, which is crucial for production of the endogenous galactoglucomannan oligosaccharide signal molecule in plants. There are 5 potential N-glycosylation sites and 6 cysteines in PtrMAN6 sequence. Each of the N-glycosylation or cysteine sites was site-direct mutagenized individually as well as in combination to analyze their effects on the PtrMAN6 N-glycosylation or dimerization status and the enzyme activity. Our results demonstrated that all 5 potential N-glycosylation sites are involved in the N-glycosylation, which is essential for PtrMAN6 enzyme activity. Meanwhile, we found only 3 carboxyl-terminal cysteines are involved in formation of disulfide-linked dimer to regulate PtrMAN6 activity. The 3 carboxyl-terminal cysteines were conserved in the wall-bounded mannan endo-hydrolases, and this structure may...
TL;DR: One NCCP patient who self-reported fast eating and was subsequently diagnosed with IEM did not improve with proton-pump inhibition but restored swallow-induced contractions upon 6-mo gum-chewing, which might strengthen weakened esophageal muscles.
Abstract: AIM: To study non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) in relation to ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) and rapid food intake. METHODS: NCCP patients with a self-reported habit of fast eating underwent esophageal manometry for the diagnosis of IEM. Telephone interviews identified eating habits of additional IEM patients. Comparison of manometric features was done among IEM patients with and without the habit of rapid food intake and healthy controls. A case study investigated the effect of 6-mo gum chewing on restoration of esophageal motility in an IEM patient. The Valsalva maneuver was performed in IEM patients and healthy controls to assess the compliance of the esophagus in response to abdominal pressure increase. RESULTS: Although most patients diagnosed with NCCP do not exhibit IEM, remarkably, all 12 NCCP patients who were self-reporting fast eaters with a main complaint of chest pain (75.0%) had contraction amplitudes in the mid and distal esophagus that were significantly lower compared with healthy controls [(23.45 mmHg (95%CI: 14.06-32.85) vs 58.80 mmHg (95%CI: 42.56-75.04), P < 0.01 and 28.29 mmHg (95%CI: 21.77-34.81) vs 50.75 mmHg (95%CI: 38.44-63.05), P < 0.01, respectively)]. In 7 normal-eating IEM patients with a main complaint of sensation of obstruction (42.9%), the mid amplitude was smaller than in the controls [30.09 mmHg (95%CI: 19.48-40.70) vs 58.80 mmHg (95%CI: 42.56-75.04), P < 0.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in manometric features between the fast-eating and normal-eating groups. One NCCP patient who self-reported fast eating and was subsequently diagnosed with IEM did not improve with proton-pump inhibition but restored swallow-induced contractions upon 6-mo gum-chewing. The Valsalva maneuver caused a markedly reduced pressure rise in the mid and proximal esophagus in the IEM patients. CONCLUSION: Habitual rapid food intake may lead to IEM. A prospective study is needed to validate this hypothesis. Gum-chewing might strengthen weakened esophageal muscles.