TBP2 gene may not be associated with primary ovarian insufficiency

<p><b>Objective:</b> It has previously been reported that TATA-binding protein 2 (TBP2) knockout female mice are sterile. Our objective was to assess the association between the TBP2 gene and primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) in a Chinese population.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> A cohort of 60 POI patients matched with 60 fertile controls was recruited by Nanjing Medical University. There were no interventions. The complete TBP2 exon regions were analyzed by direct sequencing in all POI patients and controls.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> A known single nucleotide polymorphism (rs8019270) was identified in both POI and control groups. There was no difference in the genotype distribution or allelic frequencies between the control group and the POI group. No plausible pathogenic mutations were identified.</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> Our study indicates that the TBP2 gene is not responsible for idiopathic POI in the Chinese Han population.</p

Impact of Sodium Polyacrylate on the Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Formation from Supersaturated Solution

A detailed in situ scattering study has been carried out on the formation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles modulated by the presence of small amounts of sodium polyacrylate chains. The work is aiming at an insight into the modulation of ACC formation by means of two polyacrylate samples differing in their molecular weight by a factor of 50. The ACC formation process was initiated by an in situ generation of CO₃^2– ions via hydrolysis of 10 mM dimethylcarbonate in the presence of 10 mM CaCl₂. Analysis of the formation process by means of time-resolved small-angle X-ray and light scattering in the absence of any additives provided evidence for a monomer addition mechanism for the growth of ACC particles. ACC formation under these conditions sets in after a lag-period of some 350 s. In the presence of sodium polyacrylate chains, calcium polyacrylate aggregates are formed during the lag-period, succeeded by a modulated ACC growth in a second step. The presence of anionic polyacrylate chains changed the shape of the growing particles toward loose and less homogeneous entities. In the case of low amounts (1.5–7.5 mg/L) of the long chain additive with 97 kDa, the size of the aggregates is comparable to the size of the successively formed hybrid particles. No variation of the lag-period has been observed in this case. Use of the short chain additive with 2 kDa enabled increase of the additive concentration up to 100 mg/L and resulted in a significant increase of the lag-period. This fact, together with the finding that the resulting hybrid particles remained stable in the latter case, identified short chain sodium polyacrylates as more efficient modulators than long chain polyacrylates

Additional file 1: of Risk factors of chronic periodontitis on healing response: a multilevel modelling analysis

Periodontal risk factors. (DOC 30 kb

Angle-Dependent Carrier Transmission in Graphene p–n Junctions

Angle-dependent carrier transmission probability in graphene p-n junctions is investigated. Using electrostatic doping from buried gates, p–n junctions are formed along graphene channels that are patterned to form different angles with the junction. A peak in the junction resistance is observed, which becomes pronounced with angle. This angular dependence is observed for junctions made on both exfoliated and CVD-grown graphene and is consistent with the theoretically predicted dependence of transmission probability on incidence angle

Correlation Matrix Renormalization Theory: Improving Accuracy with Two-Electron Density-Matrix Sum Rules

We recently proposed the correlation matrix renormalization (CMR) theory to treat the electronic correlation effects [<i>Phys. Rev. B</i> <b>2014</b>, <i>89</i>, 045131 and <i>Sci. Rep.</i> <b>2015</b>, <i>5</i>, 13478] in ground state total energy calculations of molecular systems using the Gutzwiller variational wave function (GWF). By adopting a number of approximations, the computational effort of the CMR can be reduced to a level similar to Hartree–Fock calculations. This paper reports our recent progress in minimizing the error originating from some of these approximations. We introduce a novel sum-rule correction to obtain a more accurate description of the intersite electron correlation effects in total energy calculations. Benchmark calculations are performed on a set of molecules to show the reasonable accuracy of the method

Novel Electronic Behavior Driving NdNiO3 Metal-Insulator Transition

We present evidence that the metal-insulator transition (MIT) in a tensile-strained NdNiO3 (NNO) film is facilitated by a redistribution of electronic density and that it neither requires Ni charge disproportionation nor a symmetry change [U. Staub et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 126402 (2002); R. Jaramillo et al., Nat. Phys. 10, 304 (2014)]. Given that epitaxial tensile strain in thin NNO films induces preferential occupancy of the eg dx2−y2 orbital we propose that the larger transfer integral of this orbital state with the O 2p orbital state mediates a redistribution of electronic density from the Ni atom. A decrease in the Ni dx2−y2 orbital occupation is directly observed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering below the MIT temperature. Furthermore, an increase in the Nd charge occupancy is measured by x-ray absorption at the Nd L3 edge. Both spin-orbit coupling and crystal field effects combine to break the degeneracy of the Nd 5d states, shifting the energy of the Nd eg dx2−y2 orbit towards the Fermi level, allowing the A site to become an active acceptor during the MIT. This work identifies the relocation of electrons from the Ni 3d to the Nd 5d orbitals across the MIT. We propose that the insulating gap opens between the Ni 3d and O 2p states, resulting from Ni 3d electron localization. The transition seems to be neither a purely Mott-Hubbard transition nor a simple charge transfer

Quantifying lower tropospheric methane concentrations using GOSAT near-IR and TES thermal IR measurements

Evaluating surface fluxes of CH[Subscript: 4] using total column data requires models to accurately account for the transport and chemistry of methane in the free troposphere and stratosphere, thus reducing sensitivity to the underlying fluxes. Vertical profiles of methane have increased sensitivity to surface fluxes because lower tropospheric methane is more sensitive to surface fluxes than a total column, and quantifying free-tropospheric CH[Subscript: 4] concentrations helps to evaluate the impact of transport and chemistry uncertainties on estimated surface fluxes. Here we demonstrate the potential for estimating lower tropospheric CH[Subscript: 4] concentrations through the combination of free-tropospheric methane measurements from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and XCH[Subscript: 4] (dry-mole air fraction of methane) from the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite – Thermal And Near-infrared for carbon Observation (GOSAT TANSO, herein GOSAT for brevity). The calculated precision of these estimates ranges from 10 to 30 ppb for a monthly average on a 4° × 5° latitude/longitude grid making these data suitable for evaluating lower-tropospheric methane concentrations. Smoothing error is approximately 10 ppb or less. Comparisons between these data and the GEOS-Chem model demonstrate that these lower-tropospheric CH[Subscript: 4] estimates can resolve enhanced concentrations over flux regions that are challenging to resolve with total column measurements. We also use the GEOS-Chem model and surface measurements in background regions across a range of latitudes to determine that these lower-tropospheric estimates are biased low by approximately 65 ppb, with an accuracy of approximately 6 ppb (after removal of the bias) and an actual precision of approximately 30 ppb. This 6 ppb accuracy is consistent with the accuracy of TES and GOSAT methane retrievals

Genetic diversity parameters of Chinese and Indian tea after regrouping based on STRUCTURE analysis results.

<p>Genetic diversity parameters of Chinese and Indian tea after regrouping based on STRUCTURE analysis results.</p

Genetic diversity parameters of five tea types from China and India based on original assignments used in this study.

<p>Genetic diversity parameters of five tea types from China and India based on original assignments used in this study.</p

Indications for Three Independent Domestication Events for the Tea Plant (<i>Camellia sinensis</i> (L.) O. Kuntze) and New Insights into the Origin of Tea Germplasm in China and India Revealed by Nuclear Microsatellites

<div><p>Background</p><p>Tea is the world’s most popular non-alcoholic beverage. China and India are known to be the largest tea producing countries and recognized as the centers for the domestication of the tea plant (<i>Camellia sinensis</i> (L.) O. Kuntze). However, molecular studies on the origin, domestication and relationships of the main teas, China type, Assam type and Cambod type are lacking.</p><p>Methodology/Principal Findings</p><p>Twenty-three nuclear microsatellite markers were used to investigate the genetic diversity, relatedness, and domestication history of cultivated tea in both China and India. Based on a total of 392 samples, high levels of genetic diversity were observed for all tea types in both countries. The cultivars clustered into three distinct genetic groups (i.e. China tea, Chinese Assam tea and Indian Assam tea) based on STRUCTURE, PCoA and UPGMA analyses with significant pairwise genetic differentiation, corresponding well with their geographical distribution. A high proportion (30%) of the studied tea samples were shown to possess genetic admixtures of different tea types suggesting a hybrid origin for these samples, including the Cambod type.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>We demonstrate that Chinese Assam tea is a distinct genetic lineage from Indian Assam tea, and that China tea sampled from India was likely introduced from China directly. Our results further indicate that China type tea, Chinese Assam type tea and Indian Assam type tea are likely the result of three independent domestication events from three separate regions across China and India. Our findings have important implications for the conservation of genetic stocks, as well as future breeding programs.</p></div