Modified Profile Likelihood Approach for Certain Intraclass Correlation Coefficient

In this paper we consider the problem of constructing confidence intervals and lower bounds forthe intraclass correlation coefficient in an interrater reliability study where the raters are randomly selected from a population of raters.The likelihood function of the interrater reliability is derived and simplified, and the profile likelihood based approach is readily available for computing the confidence intervals of the interrater reliability. Unfortunately, the confidence intervals computed by using the profile likelihood function are in general too narrow to have the desired coverage probabilities. From the point view of practice, a conservative approach, if is at least as precise as any existing method, is preferred sinceit gives the correct results with a probability higher than claimed. Under this rationale, we propose the so-called modified likelihood approach in this paper. Simulation study shows that, the proposed method in general has better performance than currently used methods

\u3cem\u3eTranslanguaging or Code-switching?\u3c/em\u3e: A Case Study of Multilingual Activities in college-level Mandarin and Japanese Classrooms

Classroom translanguaging has recently gained popularity in ESL and foreign language classrooms, where students come from diverse linguistic backgrounds. In a nutshell, translanguaging researchers highlight an individual’s linguistic repertoire, which goes beyond the boundaries of named languages and focuses on all language elements that an individual knows. As a pedagogy, translanguaging advocates linguistic equity because it encourages students to access their linguistic repertoire, which is not limited to the target language in the classroom. Yet, the viability of this approach in the classroom is unclear, and its distinction from code-switching can also be ambiguous. Therefore, this thesis studies this issue further by utilizing data from interviews with Mandarin and Japanese language professors in a higher-education setting. Through accessing multilingual moments in the classroom and the professors’ understanding and attitudes toward translanguaging, this thesis finds that the translanguaging classroom is an impossible ideal in a higher education foreign language classroom context. And the limitation can be caused by institutional expectations, language hierarchies in the context, and the question of boundaries between named languages

Nanomedicine strategies to counteract cancer stemness and chemoresistance

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) identified by self-renewal ability and tumor-initiating potential are responsible for tumor recurrence and metastasis in many cancers. Conventional chemotherapy fails to eradicate CSCs that hold a state of dormancy and possess multi-drug resistance. Spurred by the progress of nanotechnology for drug delivery and biomedical applications, nanomedicine has been increasingly developed to tackle stemness-associated chemotherapeutic resistance for cancer therapy. This review focuses on advances in nanomedicine-mediated therapeutic strategies to overcome chemoresistance by specifically targeting CSCs, the combination of chemotherapeutics with chemopotentiators, and programmable controlled drug release. Perspectives from materials and formulations at the nano-scales are specifically surveyed. Future opportunities and challenges are also discussed

Deterministic Computing Power Networking: Architecture, Technologies and Prospects

With the development of new Internet services such as computation-intensive and delay-sensitive tasks, the traditional "Best Effort" network transmission mode has been greatly challenged. The network system is urgently required to provide end-to-end transmission determinacy and computing determinacy for new applications to ensure the safe and efficient operation of services. Based on the research of the convergence of computing and networking, a new network paradigm named deterministic computing power networking (Det-CPN) is proposed. In this article, we firstly introduce the research advance of computing power networking. And then the motivations and scenarios of Det-CPN are analyzed. Following that, we present the system architecture, technological capabilities, workflow as well as key technologies for Det-CPN. Finally, the challenges and future trends of Det-CPN are analyzed and discussed

A Novel Synthesized Sulfonamido-Based Gallate-JEZTC Blocks Cartilage Degradation on Rabbit Model of Osteoarthritis: An in Vitro and in Vivo Study

Background/Aims: 3, 4, 5-trihydroxy-N-{4-[(5-methylisoxazol-3-yl) sulfamoyl] phenyl} benzamide (JEZTC), synthesized from gallic acid (GA) and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), was reported with chondroprotective effects. However, the effects of JEZTC on osteoarthritis (OA) are still unclear. The goal of this study was to investigate the anti-osteoarthritic properties of JEZTC on interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β) stimulated chondrocytes in vitro and a rabbit anterior cruciate ligament transaction (ACLT) OA model in vivo. Methods: Changes in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and apoptosis genes (bax, caspase 3 and tnf-α) and OA-specific protein (MMP-1) expression in vitro and in vivo were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were investigated upon the treatment of JEZTC in chondrocytes processed with IL-1β in vitro and OA in vivo. Effect of JEZTC on OA was further studied by the macroscopic and histological evaluation and scores. The key proteins in signaling pathways inMAPK/P38, PI3KAkt and NF-κB also determined using western blot (WB) analysis. Results: JEZTC could significantly suppress the expression of MMPs and intracellular ROS, while meaningfully increase the gene expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). Moreover, there was less cartilage degradation in JEZTC group compared with the phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group in vivo. Results also indicated that JEZTC exerts effect on OA by regulating MAPKs and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways to activate NF-κB pathway, leading to the down-regulation of MMPs. The chondro-protective effect of JEZTC may be related with its ability to inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis by reduction of ROS production. Conclusion: JEZTC may be a possible therapeutic agent in the treatment of OA

The Proliferation Enhancing Effects of Salidroside on Schwann Cells In Vitro

Derived from Rhodiola rosea L., which is a popular plant in Eastern Europe and Asia, salidroside has pharmacological properties including antiviral, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, and antioxidative effects. Recent studies show that salidroside has neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects. However, the effect of salidroside on Schwann cells (SCs) and the underlying mechanisms of the salidroside-induced neurotrophin secretion have seldom been studied. In this study, the effect of salidroside on the survival, proliferation, and gene expression of Schwann cells lineage (RSC96) was studied through the examinations of the cell viability, proliferation, morphology, and expression of neurotrophic factor related genes including BDNF, GDNF, and CDNF at 2, 4, and 6 days, respectively. These results showed that salidroside significantly enhanced survival and proliferation of SCs. The underlying mechanism might involve that salidroside affected SCs growth through the modulation of several neurotrophic factors including BDNF, GDNF, and CDNF. As for the concentration, 0.4 mM, 0.2 mM, and 0.1 mM of salidroside were recommended, especially 0.2 mM. This investigation indicates that salidroside is capable of enhancing SCs survival and function in vitro, which highlights the possibility that salidroside as a drug agent to promote nerve regeneration in cellular nerve scaffold through salidroside-induced neurotrophin secretion in SCs

A novel HD-Zip I/C2H2-ZFP/WD-repeat complex regulates the size of spine base in cucumber

Fruit spine is an important trait in cucumber, affecting not only commercial quality, but also fruit smoothness, transportation and storage. Spine size is determined by a multi-cellular base. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of cucumber spine base remains largely unknown. Here, we report map-based cloning and characterization of a spine base size 1 (SBS1) gene, encoding a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor.Near-isogenic lines of cucumber were used to map, identify and quantify cucumber spine base size 1 (CsSBS1). Yeast-hybrid, bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and RNA-sequencing assays were used to explore the molecular mechanism of CsSBS1 in regulating spine base size development.CsSBS1 was specifically expressed in cucumber ovaries with particularly high expression in fruit spines. Overexpression of CsSBS1 resulted in large fruit spine base, while RNA-interference silencing of CsSBS1 inhibited the expansion of fruit spine base. Sequence analysis of natural cucumber accessions revealed that CsSBS1 was lost in small spine base accessions, resulting from a 4895 bp fragment deletion in CsSBS1 locus. CsSBS1 can form a trimeric complex with two positive regulators CsTTG1 and CsGL1 to regulate spine base development through ethylene signaling.A novel regulator network is proposed that the CsGL1/CsSBS1/CsTTG1 complex plays a significant role in regulating spine base formation and size, which offers a strategy for cucumber breeders to develop smooth fruit.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31902020, 31972427), the Zhongyuan Youth Talent Program (ZYQR201912161), the Key Research Project of Henan institutions of higher learning (20A210015), the Program for Science & Technology Innovation Talents of Henan Province (21HASTIT038), and the Major Science and Technology Projects of Henan Province (201300111300).Peer reviewe

The provenance of Taklamakan desert sand

Sand migration in the vast Taklamakan desert within the Tarim Basin (Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region, PR China) is governed by two competing transport agents: wind and water, which work in diametrically opposed directions. Net aeolian transport is from northeast to south, while fluvial transport occurs from the south to the north and then west to east at the northern rim, due to a gradual northward slope of the underlying topography. We here present the first comprehensive provenance study of Taklamakan desert sand with the aim to characterise the interplay of these two transport mechanisms and their roles in the formation of the sand sea, and to consider the potential of the Tarim Basin as a contributing source to the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Our dataset comprises 39 aeolian and fluvial samples, which were characterised by detrital-zircon U–Pb geochronology, heavy-mineral, and bulk-petrography analyses. Although the inter-sample differences of all three datasets are subtle, a multivariate statistical analysis using multidimensional scaling (MDS) clearly shows that Tarim desert sand is most similar in composition to rivers draining the Kunlun Shan (south) and the Pamirs (west), and is distinctly different from sediment sources in the Tian Shan (north). A small set of samples from the Junggar Basin (north of the Tian Shan) yields different detrital compositions and age spectra than anywhere in the Tarim Basin, indicating that aeolian sediment exchange between the two basins is minimal. Although river transport dominates delivery of sand into the Tarim Basin, wind remobilises and reworks the sediment in the central sand sea. Characteristic signatures of main rivers can be traced from entrance into the basin to the terminus of the Tarim River, and those crossing the desert from the south to north can seasonally bypass sediment through the sand sea. Smaller ephemeral rivers from the Kunlun Shan end in the desert and discharge their sediment there. Both river run-off and wind intensity are strongly seasonal, their respective transport strength and opposing directions maintain the Taklamakan in its position and topography