Use of redundant exclusion PCR to identify a novel Bacillus thuringiensis Cry8 toxin gene from pooled genomic DNA

With the aim of optimizing the cloning of novel genes from a genomic pool containing many previously identified, homologous, genes we designed a redundant exclusion PCR technique. In RE-PCR a pair of generic amplification primers are combined with additional primers that are designed to specifically bind to redundant, unwanted genes that are a subset of those copied by the amplification primers. During RE-PCR the specific primer blocks amplification of the full length redundant gene. Using this method we managed to clone a number of cry8 or cry9 toxin genes from a pool of Bacillus thuringiensis genomic DNA while excluding amplicons for cry9Da, cry9Ea and cry9Eb. The method proved very efficient at increasing the number of rare genes in the resulting library. One such rare, and novel, cry8-like gene was expressed and the encoded toxin was shown to be toxic to Anomola corpulenta

Chinese cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Well-being Numerical Rating Scales

IntroductionWell-being is a multi-domain concept that involves measuring physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains. However, there are currently few multi-domain and comprehensive well-being instruments available. In addition, measures that do exist customarily contain a vast number of items that may lead to boredom or fatigue in participants. The Well-being Numerical Rating Scales (WB-NRSs) offer a concise, multi-domain well-being scale. This study aimed to perform the translation, adaptation, and validation of the Chinese version of WB-NRSs (WBNRSs-CV).MethodsA total of 639 clinical participants and 542 community participants completed the WB-NRSs-CV, the Single-item Self-report Subjective Well-being Scale (SISRSWBS), the World Health Organization Five-item Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10).ResultsHigh internal consistency and test-retest reliability were obtained for both samples. Additionally, WB-NRSs-CV was positively associated with SISRSWBS and WHO-5 and negatively associated with PSS-10 and K10. In the item response theory analysis, the model fit was adequate with the discrimination parameters ranging from 2.73 to 3.56. The diffculty parameters ranged from −3.40 to 1.71 and were evenly spaced along the trait, attesting to the appropriateness of the response categories. The invariance tests demonstrated that there was no difference in WB-NRSs-CV across groups by gender or age.DiscussionThe WB-NRSs-CV was translated appropriately and cross-culturally adapted in China. It can be used as a rapid and relevant instrument to assess well-being in both clinical and non-clinical settings, with its utility for well-being measurement and management among the Chinese people

Overview to the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT) Satellite

As China's first X-ray astronomical satellite, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), which was dubbed as Insight-HXMT after the launch on June 15, 2017, is a wide-band (1-250 keV) slat-collimator-based X-ray astronomy satellite with the capability of all-sky monitoring in 0.2-3 MeV. It was designed to perform pointing, scanning and gamma-ray burst (GRB) observations and, based on the Direct Demodulation Method (DDM), the image of the scanned sky region can be reconstructed. Here we give an overview of the mission and its progresses, including payload, core sciences, ground calibration/facility, ground segment, data archive, software, in-orbit performance, calibration, background model, observations and some preliminary results.Comment: 29 pages, 40 figures, 6 tables, to appear in Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.0443

Agronomic Approach of Zinc Biofortification Can Increase Zinc Bioavailability in Wheat Flour and thereby Reduce Zinc Deficiency in Humans

Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a common disorder of humans in developing countries. The effect of Zn biofortification (via application of six rates of Zn fertilizer to soil) on Zn bioavailability in wheat grain and flour and its impacts on human health was evaluated. Zn bioavailability was estimated with a trivariate model that included Zn homeostasis in the human intestine. As the rate of Zn fertilization increased, the Zn concentration increased in all flour fractions, but the percentages of Zn in standard flour (25%) and bran (75%) relative to total grain Zn were constant. Phytic acid (PA) concentrations in grain and flours were unaffected by Zn biofortification. Zn bioavailability and the health impact, as indicated by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) saved, increased with the Zn application rate and were greater in standard and refined flour than in whole grain and coarse flour. The biofortified standard and refined flour obtained with application of 50 kg/ha ZnSO4·7H2O met the health requirement (3 mg of Zn obtained from 300 g of wheat flour) and reduced DALYs by >20%. Although Zn biofortification increased Zn bioavailability in standard and refined flour, it did not reduce the bioavailability of iron, manganese, or copper in wheat flour

Do the Elderly Need Wider Parking Spaces? Evidence from Experimental and Questionnaire Surveys

An excellent parking system can affect the willingness of the elderly to drive an automobile for travel and for participating in social activities. However, few studies have examined the requirement of width of current parking spaces for the elderly and which factors influenced the selection of wider or narrower parking space by older participants. Two studies have been carried out in order to fill gaps for these issues. The first one examined minimum width by having 130 individuals aged 60+ alight into parking spaces of different widths. The results showed that most older individuals needed wider-than-standard parking spaces. Some potential demographic factors were also examined by one-way analyses of variance. The second study was conducted to estimate the factors affecting selection of parking spaces that were wider or narrower than the standard. Based on analysis of data by a logistic regression model, the result presented that the selection was mainly affected by age, types of aids, driving experience, body mass index (BMI) and health condition. Finally, we propose a new concept of parking system, which will help older people with different needs to park safely and smoothly. These studies will promote the ability of governments to design more effective parking spaces to enhance freedom for older adults

Evaluating passenger satisfaction index based on PLS-SEM model: Evidence from Chinese public transport service

The evaluation method consisting of partial least square (PLS) and structural equation model (SEM) is proposed to measure public transport passenger satisfaction as it systematically analyzes public transport service satisfaction. Taking into account the characteristics of Chinese public transport services, we modify the American customer satisfaction theory and construct the conceptual model of passenger satisfaction index (PSI). The measurement model of PSI is established based on PLS-SEM. Based on the passenger satisfaction data covering 58 Chinese public transport operators of 13 cities, an empirical analysis was carried out. Conclusions are summarized as follows: ① The convenience, safety, reliability, comfort and operational service, which are belonged to passenger perceived quality, have a significant direct positive effect on the passenger satisfaction. ② The correlations between passenger expectations, passenger perceived value, passenger loyalty and passenger satisfaction are all significant direct positive. ③ The correlations between passenger satisfaction, passenger loyalty and passenger complaint are all direct negative. ④ Passenger satisfaction index score of 13 cities is as low as 68.88. According to the results, some feasible suggestions are proposed from perspectives of both the enterprise operation and industry regulation to improve the healthy and orderly development of public transport industries

Relationship between morning blood pressure variability and cerebral microbleed burden in patients with hypertension

Abstract Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) can be understood as a type of target organ damage caused by hypertension. We aimed to explore the association of the CMB burden with morning blood pressure (BP) variability in patients with hypertension. We divided patients with hypertension into two groups: a group with 1–10 CMBs and a group with more than 10 CMBs. The duration, grade, medication, and control of hypertension were recorded in all patients. Morning home BP measurements were performed every 3 days for a month. A total of 791 patients were recruited. Full factor model analysis showed that higher morning home diastolic BP variability (standard deviation [SD], OR = 1.080, 95% CI: 1.024–1.140, P = .005; coefficient of variation [CV], OR = 1.076, 95% CI: 1.028–1.128, P = .002) was associated with more than 10 CMBs. Morning home systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability (SD, CV, average real variability) in more than 10 non‐lobar CMBs group was significantly higher than that in 1–10 non‐lobar CMBs group (P  .05). Higher morning home diastolic blood pressure variability was associated with more than 10 CMBs and more than 10 non‐lobar CMBs

The <i>FTO</i> Gene rs9939609 Polymorphism Predicts Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Objective</p><p>Genome-wide association studies have shown that variance in the fat mass- and obesity- associated gene (<i>FTO</i>) is associated with risk of obesity in Europeans and Asians. Since obesity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), several studies have investigated the association between variant in the <i>FTO</i> gene and CVD risk, with inconsistent results. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association of rs9939609 variant (or its proxies [<i>r</i>²>0.90]) in the <i>FTO</i> gene with CVD risk.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Published literature from PubMed and Embase was retrieved. Pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the fixed- or random- effects model.</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 10 studies (comprising 19,153 CVD cases and 103,720 controls) were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that the rs9939609 variant was significantly associated with CVD risk (odds ratio = 1.18, 95% confidence interval = 1.07–1.30, <i>p</i> = 0.001 [Z test], <i>I</i>² = 80.6%, <i>p</i><0.001 [heterogeneity]), and there was an insignificant change after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and other conventional CVD risk factors (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–1.27, <i>p</i> = 0.003 [Z test], <i>I</i>² = 75.4%, <i>p</i><0.001 [heterogeneity]).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The present meta-analysis confirmed the significant association of the rs9939609 variant in the <i>FTO</i> gene with CVD risk, which was independent of BMI and other conventional CVD risk factors.</p></div

A Novel Cationic Lignin-amine Emulsifier with High Performance Reinforced via Phenolation and Mannich Reactions

A novel cationic lignin-amine emulsifier with high surface activity was prepared from kraft lignin (KL) via the phenolation of KL to obtain phenolated kraft lignin (PKL) and improve reaction sites. The introduction of dehydroabietyl groups as hydrophobic groups and diethylenetriamino groups as hydrophilic groups in PKL, by Mannich reactions, enhanced the performance of the emulsifier. The results showed that the number of the hydroxyphenyl groups in PKL was 0.27/C9 unit when 1 mol lignin was treated with 10 mol phenol at 60 °C for 6 h under 60 wt% sulfuric acid. The numbers of dehydroabietyl groups and diethylenetriamino groups in PKL were 0.18/C9 and 0.13/C9 unit, respectively. The surface tension of the emulsifier was 30.03 mN·m-1 at a concentration of 0.03 M hydrochloric acid aqueous solution with a pH 2.0, which is close to the commercial surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The zeta potential of the emulsifier was 45.1 mV, and its emulsifiability was 72 min. In contrast, the surface tension of the emulsifier prepared by non-phenolated lignin at the same condition was 38.67 mN·m-1, where the maximum zeta potential was 40.03 mV and its emulsifiability was 53 min. As expected, the performance of the emulsifier was reinforced by the phenolation reaction