Effects of Chinese University Students’ Academic Achievement and Course Satisfaction on Their Ratings of Teachers’ Instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between students’ perception of teachers’ instruction, course satisfaction, and student academic achievement. The data were extracted from TsingHua Education Online (THEOL) Management Information System (MIS) and analyzed via structuring equation modeling. The researchers hypothesized student ratings of instruction were affected by their achievement and course satisfaction. The results confirmed a positive relationship between course satisfaction and student ratings of instruction, but did not find direct effect of student academic achievement on their ratings of teachers’ instruction. This suggests that course satisfaction is a more important factor than academic achievement when students rate their teachers’ instruction. The finding also suggests that the student ratings of instruction may be an objective and acceptable performance indicator for teachers’ instruction in a course

4-Chlorophenol Oxidation Depends on the Activation of an AraC-Type Transcriptional Regulator, CphR, in Rhodococcus sp. Strain YH-5B

4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) oxidation plays an essential role in the detoxification of 4-CP. However, oxidative regulation of 4-CP at the genetic and biochemical levels has not yet been studied. To explore the regulation mechanism of 4-CP oxidation, a novel gene cluster, cphRA2A1, involved in biodegradation of 4-CP was identified and cloned from Rhodococcus sp. strain YH-5B by genome walking. The sequence analysis showed that the cphRA2A1 gene cluster encoded an AraC-type transcriptional regulator and a two-component monooxygenase enzyme, while quantitative real-time PCR analysis further revealed that cphR was constitutively expressed and positively regulated the transcription of cphA2A1 genes in response to 4-CP or phenol, as evidenced by gene knockout and complementation experiments. Through the transcriptional fusion of the mutated cphA2A1 promoter with the lacZ gene, it was found that the CphR regulator binding sites had two 15-bp imperfect direct repeats (TGCA-N6-GGNTA) at −35 to −69 upstream of the cphA2A1 transcriptional start site. Notably, the sub-motifs at the −46 to −49 positions played a critical role in the appropriate interaction with the CphR dimer. In addition, it was confirmed that the monooxygenase subunits CphA1 and CphA2, which were purified by His-tag affinity chromatography, were able to catalyze the conversion of 4-CP to 4-chlorocatechol, suggesting that strain YH-5B could degrade 4-CP via the 4-chlorocatechol pathway. This study enhances our understanding of the genetic and biochemical diversity in the transcriptional regulation of 4-CP oxidation in Gram-positive bacteria

Clinical Study Metformin and Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate Enteric-Coated Capsule versus Metformin Alone versus Diammonium Glycyrrhizinate Enteric-Coated Capsule Alone in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of metformin combined with diammonium glycyrrhizinate enteric-coated capsule (DGEC) versus metformin alone versus DGEC alone for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Subjects and Methods. 163 patients with NAFLD and T2DM were enrolled in this 24-week study and were randomized to one of three groups: group 1 was treated with metformin alone; group 2 was treated with DGEC alone; group 3 received metformin plus DGEC combination therapy. Anthropometric parameters, liver function, lipid profile, serum ferritin (SF), metabolic parameters, liver/spleen computed tomography (CT) ratio, and fibroscan value were evaluated at baseline and after 8, 16, and 24 weeks of treatment. Results. After 24 weeks, significant improvements in all measured parameters were observed in three groups ( < 0.05) except for the improvements in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and metabolic parameters in group 2 which did not reach statistical significance ( > 0.05). Compared with group 1 and group 2, the patients in group 3 had greater reductions in observed parameters apart from CB and TB ( < 0.05). Conclusions. This study showed that metformin plus DGEC was more effective than metformin alone or DGEC alone in reducing liver enzymes, lipid levels, and metabolic parameters and ameliorating the degree of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD and T2DM

Histone H2a mRNA interacts with Lin28 and contains a Lin28-dependent posttranscriptional regulatory element

Lin28 has been shown to block the processing of let-7 microRNAs implicated in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Here, we show that Lin28 also specifically associates with ribonucleoprotein particles containing the replication-dependent histone H2a mRNA in mouse embryonic stem cells. We further show that the coding region of H2a mRNA harbors high affinity binding sequences for Lin28 and that these sequences stimulate the expression of reporter genes in a Lin28-dependent manner. We suggest that a key function of Lin28 in the maintenance of pluripotency is to promote the expression of the H2a gene (and perhaps also other replication-dependent histone genes) at the posttranscriptional level in order to coordinate histone production with the unique proliferative properties of embryonic stem cells

Quercetin Pretreatment Attenuates Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion-Induced Apoptosis and Autophagy by Inhibiting ERK/NF- κ

Background. Hepatic ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury is a common phenomenon in transplantation or trauma. The aim of the present study was to determine the protective effect of quercetin (QE) on hepatic IR injury via the ERK/NF-κB pathway. Methods. Mice were randomized into the sham, IR, QE100 + IR, and QE200 + IR groups. Quercetin was administered intragastrically daily at two doses (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg) for 5 days prior to IR injury. The expression levels of liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, and other marker proteins were determined at 2, 8, and 24 hours after IR. And they were compared among these groups. Results. Compared with the IR group, the treatment of QE reduced the release of cytokines, leading to inhibition of apoptosis and autophagy via downregulation of the ERK/NF-κB pathway in this model of hepatic IR injury. Conclusion. Apoptosis and autophagy caused by hepatic IR injury were inhibited by QE following a reduction in the release of inflammatory cytokines, and the relationship between the two may be associated with inactivation of the ERK/NF-κB pathway

A holistic approach for food waste management towards zero-solid disposal and energy/resource recovery

This study developed a holistic approach which was based on the ultra-fast hydrolysis of food waste with the fungal mash rich in various hydrolytic enzymes produced in situ from food waste as well. After the 8-h hydrolytic treatment, the solid residue and liquor were separated. It was found that the produced solid residue can meet all the requirements for biofertilizer in terms of NPK and heavy metal contents, while the separated liquor with high soluble organics concentration was further subject to anaerobic digestion for enhanced biomethane production. The results showed that 0.41 kg of biofertilizer with a moisture content of 76.9% and 54.4 L of biomethane could be produced from 1 kg of food waste. As such, it is expected that this study may lead to the paradigm shift in food waste management with the ultimate target of zero-solid discharge.Accepted versio

Effects of chemical amendment on heavy metal leachability and bioavailability of an acidic mine water-contaminated soil and growth of a vegetable

A pot experiment was conducted to examine the effects of acid neutralization treatment of a mine waterpolluted soil on the leachability and bioavailability of the heavy metals in the soil, as well as the growth of a vegetable using the treated soils as growth media. The results show that the leachability of the soil-borne heavy metals can be effectively reduced after application of lime and red mud (pH 11.58, acid-neutralizing capacity of about 10 mole/kg). The amount of heavy metals extracted by the plant differed significantly among the different treatments despite that the soluble forms of the metals were consistently low or nondetectable for various treatments. This indicates that non-soluble heavy metal pools were more important sources for heavy metal uptake by the plant. The bioavailability of the heavy metals was not dependent on soil pH, at least for Cu, Zn and Cd. Soil pH might have certain effects on the uptake of Pb by the plant. The growth performance of the vegetable was significantly affected by the amount of red mud added to the soil,which does not appear to be related to soil pH conditions and heavy metal toxicit

Evaluation of anaerobic digestion of food waste and waste activated sludge : soluble COD versus its chemical composition

The hydrolysis as an essential step in anaerobic digestion has been commonly evaluated according to the extent of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) released from biosolids. However, little information is currently available for the effect of chemical compositions of SCOD on anaerobic digestion. This study showed that the non-biodegradable, recalcitrant organics in SCOD released from food waste and waste activated sludge pretreated with fungal mash rich in various enzymes were accumulated with the prolonged hydrolysis, while the methane production was closely related to the chemical compositions of the feed. The analyses by excitation emission matrix and size exclusion chromatography-organic carbon detection-organic nitrogen detection clearly revealed that the biodegradability of SCOD and the performance of anaerobic digestion were both determined by the chemical compositions of SCOD. These in turn challenged the present practice with SCOD concentration as a sole indicator in the selection and optimization of the pretreatment methods of biosolids prior to anaerobic digestion. It is expected that this study can offer useful insights into future design, optimization and operation of anaerobic digestion system in consideration of both SCOD concentration and its chemical compositions