Wetting of cylindrical droplet on heterogeneous and cylindrical solid substrate

By methods of thermodynamics, wetting of cylindrical droplet on heterogeneous and smooth but chemically non-deformable cylindrical outer surfaces is investigated in this paper. For the three-phase system, we suppose the solid substrate is composed of two types of materials. Using Gibbs's method of dividing surface, the system can be separated into six segments. On the assumption that the temperature and chemical potential are constant, a generalized Cassie-Baxter equation is derived taking the line tension effects into consideration. This generalized Cassie-Baxter equation is discussed based on some assumptions

Systematic cloning and analysis of autophagy-related genes from the silkworm Bombyx mori

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Through the whole life of eukaryotes, autophagy plays an important role in various biological events including development, differentiation and determination of lifespan. A full set of genes and their encoded proteins of this evolutionarily conserved pathway have been identified in many eukaryotic organisms from yeast to mammals. However, this pathway in the insect model organism, the silkworm <it>Bombyx mori</it>, remains poorly investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on the autophagy pathway in several model organisms and a series of bioinformatic analyses, we have found more than 20 autophagy-related genes from the current database of the silkworm <it>Bombyx mori</it>. These genes could be further classified into the signal transduction pathway and two ubiquitin-like pathways. Using the mRNA extracted from the silkgland, we cloned the full length cDNA fragments of some key genes via reverse transcription PCR and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). In addition, we found that the transcription levels of two indicator genes <it>BmATG8 </it>and <it>BmATG12 </it>in the silkgland tend to be increased from 1^stto 8^thday of the fifth instar larvae.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Bioinformatics in combination with RT-PCR enable us to remodel a preliminary pathway of autophagy in the silkworm. Amplification and cloning of most autophagy-related genes from the silkgland indicated autophagy is indeed an activated process. Furthermore, the time-course transcriptional profiles of <it>BmATG8 </it>and <it>BmATG12 </it>revealed that both genes are up-regulated along the maturation of the silkgland during the fifth instar. These findings suggest that the autophagy should play an important role in <it>Bombyx mori </it>silkgland.</p

Report drawn up on behalf of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on the possible loan from the OPEC countries to the Federal Republic of Germany and to France. EP Working Documents 1982-83, Document 1-284/82, 4 June 1982

Abstract Background Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) has become an emerging infectious disease in China in the last decade. There has been evidence that meteorological factors can influence the HFMD incidence, and understanding the mechanisms can help prevent and control HFMD. Methods HFMD incidence data and meteorological data in Minhang District, Shanghai were obtained for the period between 2009 and 2015. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) were utilized to investigate the impact of meteorological factors on HFMD incidence after adjusting for potential confounders of long time trend, weekdays and holidays. Results There was a non-linear relationship between temperature and HFMD incidence, the RR of 5th percentile compared to the median is 0.836 (95% CI: 0.671–1.042) and the RR of 95th percentile is 2.225 (95% CI: 1.774–2.792), and the effect of temperature varied across age groups. HFMD incidence increased with increasing average relative humidity (%) (RR = 1.009, 95% CI: 1.005–1.015) and wind speed (m/s) (RR = 1.197, 95% CI: 1.118–1.282), and with decreasing daily rainfall (mm) (RR = 0.992, 95% CI: 0.987–0.997) and sunshine hours (h) (RR = 0.966, 95% CI: 0.951–0.980). Conclusions There were significant relationships between meteorological factors and childhood HFMD incidence in Minhang District, Shanghai. This information can help local health agencies develop strategies for the control and prevention of HFMD under specific climatic conditions

Metagenomic Sequencing Identifies Highly Diverse Assemblages of Dinoflagellate Cysts in Sediments From Ships\u27 Ballast Tanks

Ships\u27 ballast tanks have long been known as vectors for the introduction of organisms. We applied next-generation sequencing to detect dinoflagellates (mainly as cysts) in 32 ballast tank sediments collected during 2001-2003 from ships entering the Great Lakes or Chesapeake Bay and subsequently archived. Seventy-three dinoflagellates were fully identified to species level by this metagenomic approach and single-cell polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sequencing, including 19 toxic species, 36 harmful algal bloom (HAB) forming species, 22 previously unreported as producing cysts, and 55 reported from ballast tank sediments for the first time (including 13 freshwater species), plus 545 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) not fully identified due to a lack of reference sequences, indicating tank sediments are repositories of many previously undocumented taxa. Analyses indicated great heterogeneity of species composition among samples from different sources. Light and scanning electron microscopy and single-cell PCR sequencing supported and confirmed results of the metagenomic approach. This study increases the number of fully identified dinoflagellate species from ballast tank sediments to 142 (\u3e 50% increase). From the perspective of ballast water management, the high diversity and spatiotemporal heterogeneity of dinoflagellates in ballast tanks argues for continuing research and stringent adherence to procedures intended to prevent unintended introduction of non-indigenous toxic and HAB-forming species

Quantum LiDAR with Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave

The range and speed of a moving object can be ascertained using the sensing technique known as light detection and ranging (LiDAR). It has recently been suggested that quantum LiDAR, which uses entangled states of light, can enhance the capabilities of LiDAR. Entangled pulsed light is used in prior quantum LiDAR approaches to assess both range and velocity at the same time using the pulses' time of flight and Doppler shift. The entangled pulsed light generation and detection, which are crucial for pulsed quantum LiDAR, are often inefficient. Here, we study a quantum LiDAR that operates on a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW), as opposed to pulses. We first outline the design of the quantum FMCW LiDAR using entangled frequency-modulated photons in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and we demonstrate how it can increase accuracy and resolution for range and velocity measurements by $\sqrt{n}$ and $n$, respectively, with $n$ entangled photons. We also demonstrate that quantum FMCW LiDAR may perform simultaneous measurements of the range and velocity without the need for quantum pulsed compression, which is necessary in pulsed quantum LiDAR. Since the generation of entangled photons is the only inefficient nonlinear optical process needed, the quantum FMCW LiDAR is better suited for practical implementations. Additionally, most measurements in the quantum FMCW LiDAR can be carried out electronically by down-converting optical signal to microwave region

Coarse-graining research of the thermal infrared anomalies before earthquakes in the Sichuan area on Google Earth engine

Seismo-induced Thermal infrared (TIR) anomalies has been proposed as a significant precursor of earthquakes. Several methods have been proposed to detect Thermal infrared anomalies that may be associated with earthquakes. However, there is no comparison of the influence for Thermal infrared extraction methods with a long time statistical analysis. To quantify the effects of various techniques used in Thermal infrared anomaly extraction, in this paper, we offer a complete workflow of their comparative impacts. This study was divided into three parts: anomaly detection, statistical analysis, and tectonic factor research. For anomaly detection, daily continuous nighttime surface temperature (ConLST) data was obtained from the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, and each different anomaly detection method was used to detect Thermal infrared outliers in the Sichuan region (27°-37°N, 97°-107°E). During statistical analysis, The heated core model was applied to explore Thermal infrared anomalies which is to filter anomalies unrelated to earthquakes by setting time-space-intensity conditions. The 3D error diagram offers scores to assume the best parameter set using training-test-validation steps. In the final part, we considered information on stresses, active faults, and seismic zones to determine the optimal parameters for extracting the Thermal infrared anomalies. The Kalman filter method detected the highest seismic anomaly frequency without considerating the heating core condition. The Autoencoder and Isolation Forest methods obtain the optimal alert type and parameter set to determine if the anomaly is likely earthquake-related. The RST method performs optimally in the final part of the workflow when it considers physical factors such as active faults, seismic zones, and stresses. However, The six methods we have chosen are not sufficient to contain the entire Thermal infrared anomaly extraction. The consideration of tectonic factors in the research remains poorly developed, as statistical methods were not employed to explore the role of constructive factors. Nevertheless, it is a significant factor in comparing anomaly extraction methods and precursor studies

Bioluminescence Imaging Allows Monitoring Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Inhibitors in Mice

BACKGROUND: The development of small molecule inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein as antiviral agents has been intensively pursued as a viable strategy to eradicate HCV infection. However, lack of a robust and convenient small animal model has hampered the assessment of in vivo efficacy of any antiviral compound. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The objective of this work was to develop a novel method to screen anti-core protein siRNA in the mouse liver by bioluminescence imaging. The inhibitory effect of two shRNAs targeting the highly conserved core region of the HCV genome, shRNA452 and shRNA523, was examined using this method. In the transient mouse model, the effect of shRNA-523 was detectable at as early as 24 h and became even more pronounced at later time points. The effect of shRNA-452 was not detectable until 48 h post-transduction. In a stable mouse model, shRNA523 reduced luciferase levels by up to 76.4±26.0% and 91.8±8.0% at 6 h and 12 h after injection respectively, and the inhibitory effect persisted for 1 day after a single injection while shRNA-Scramble did not seem to have an effect on the luciferase activity in vivo. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Thus, we developed a simple and quantitative assay for real-time monitoring of HCV core protein inhibitors in mice

K-Domain Splicing Factor OsMADS1 Regulates Open Hull Male Sterility in Rice

AbstractWe identified the rice floral organ development mutant, termed as open hull and male sterile 1 (ohms1), from the progeny of the indica restorer line Zhonghui 8015 treated with 60Co γ-ray irradiation. The ohms1 mutant exhibited an open hull and lemma- and palea-like structure conversion between the anthers and stigma, which resulted in the ohms1 mutant spikelet showing ‘tridentate lemma’. The ohms1 mutant was entirely sterile but had 60%–70% fertile pollen. Genetic analysis and gene mapping showed that ohms1 was controlled by a single recessive gene, and the mutant gene was fine-mapped to a 42-kb interval on the short arm of chromosome 3 between markers KY2 and KY29. Sequence analysis of the four open reading frames in this region revealed that the mutant carried a single nucleotide transformation (A to G) at the last base of the fifth intron, which was likely corresponded to ohms1 phynotype, in an MIKC type MADS-box gene OsMADS1 (LOC_Os03g11614). Enzyme digestion and cDNA sequencing further indicated that the variable splicing was responsible for the deletion of the sixth exon in ohms1, but no structural changes in the MADS domain or amino acid frame shifts appeared. Additionally, real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR analysis showed that the OsMADS1 expression level decreased significantly in the ohms1 mutant. The expression levels of rice flowering factors and floral glume development-related genes also changed significantly. These results demonstrate that OsMADS1 may play an important role in rice floral organ development, particularly in floral glume development and floret primordium differentiation

Association of Low Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein Expression with Progression and Poor Survival of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: Zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) has been reported to be expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and ZAP expression is associated with apoptotic signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed at investigating the expression of ZAP in HCC cells and its significance in clinical pathology. Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot assays were employed to detect ZAP RNA and protein expression in normal human hepatocytes, HCC cells, and five primary HCC cell lines. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect ZAP expression in 147 paraffin-embedded HCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The clinical significance of ZAP expression was analyzed in tissue samples from patients with or without infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV). Results: ZAP expression in HCC cells and human primary HCC cell lines was significantly lower than that of normal human hepatocytes. Among 147 HCC samples, ZAP expression was lower in HCC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues for 107 (77.0%) samples. In patients with HCC and HBV infection, ZAP expression was related to pathological grade (P &#x3c; 0.05); in HBV-negative patients with HCC, ZAP expression was associated with tumor size (P &#x3c; 0.05) and clinical stage (P &#x3c; 0.05). The overall survival time in patients with low ZAP expression was significantly shorter than survival times of those with high ZAP expression (P &#x3c; 0.05), especially for patients with moderately to well-differentiated HCC (Grade 1–2) and HCC at stage T1 and T2 (P &#x3c; 0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that ZAP expression was an independent predictor of survival of patients with HCC (P &#x3c; 0.01). Conclusion: Low ZAP expression is closely associated with disease progression and poor prognosis for patients with HCC