Expression of WRKY and MYB genes during infection with powdery mildew in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L)

The expression change pattern of three transcription genes (WRKY30, WRKY6 and MYB) in two cucumber lines with different powdery mildew resistance (resistant line ‘JIN5-508’ and susceptible line ‘D8’) were investigated during the infection process with powdery mildew using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Gene expression analysis during different time points revealed that the expression ratio of WRKY30 was 10.08585 in D8 and 5.117667 in JIN5-508, respectively, and for WRKY6, the expression ratio was 5.396152 in D8 and 3.787322 in JIN5-508, respectively, and for MYB, the expression ratio was 14.17324 in D8 and 10.70195 in JIN5-508, respectively. Additionally, the time point of the highest relative expression ratio for the three genes was different in the two cucumber lines according to their resistance to powdery mildew, whereas the susceptible line D8 was earlier than the resistant line JIN5-508 in responding to the powdery mildew infection. We suggest that the three genes’ expressions induced by powdery mildew pathogen is related to the disease resistance, and the response of susceptible line is earlier and higher than the resistant line, which may have interactions between the three genes and other resistant genes.Key words: Cucumber, powdery mildew, gene expression pattern

Does SYNTAX score II predict poor myocardial perfusion in ST-segmen

Background: SYNTAX score II (SS-II) has been demonstrated to predict long-term outcomes in unprotected left main or multiple vessels in patients with coronary artery disease. However, its prognostic value for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unknown. The poor myocardial perfusion (myocardial blush grade [MBG] 0/1) after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has a negative prognostic value in patients with STEMI. We aimed to assess SS-II and its possible relationships with MBG 0/1 in patients with STEMI treated with pPCI. Methods: The study included 477 patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI between October 2010 and May 2014. SYNTAX Score II and MBG were determined in all patients. Myocardial blush grade were divided into MBG 0/1 (poor myocardial perfusion) and MBG 2/3 (normal myocardial perfusion). Patients were divided into three tertiles: SS-IIlow (￡ 20), SS-IIintermediate (20–26) and SS-IIhigh (≥ 26). Results: Compared with the SS-IIintermediate and SS-IIlow tertiles, the SS-IIhigh tertile had more MBG 0/1 (46.1%, 32.1% and 21.8%, p < 0.001, respectively). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, SS-II was an independent predictor of MBG 0/1 (hazard ratio 1.084, 95% confidence interval 1.050–1.119, p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified SS-II > 24 as the best cut-off value predicting MBG 0/1 (sensitivity of 66%, specificity of 54%). Conclusions: High SS-II is an independent predictor of MBG 0/1 in patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI.

Surface Stabilization of O3-type Layered Oxide Cathode to Protect the Anode of Sodium Ion Batteries for Superior Lifespan

Even though the energy density of O3-type layer-structured metal oxide cathode can fully reach the requirement for large-scale energy storage systems, the cycling lifespan still cannot meet the demand for practical application once it is coupled with a non-sodium-metal anode in full-cell system. Transition metal dissolution into the electrolyte occurs along with continuous phase transformation and accelerates deterioration of the crystal structure, followed by migration and finally deposition on the anode to form a vicious circle. Surface engineering techniques are employed to modify the interface between active materials and the electrolyte by coating them with a thin layer of AlPO4 ion conductor. This stable thin layer can stabilize the surface crystal structure of the cathode material by avoiding element dissolution. Meanwhile, it can protect the anode from increased resistance by suppressing the dissolution-migration-deposition process. This technique is a promising method to improve the lifetime for the future commercialization

Development and Application of Low Cost Binder for Iron Enriched Sludge

This is an article in the field of mining engineering. Aiming at problems of high cost and high comminution rate in the iron enriched sludge pelletizing process, a new kind of low cost binder was developed. In this paper, the effects of water content, pressure and drying temperature on the falling strength and comminution rate of the pellets were studied. The results show that when the binder ratio is 1.5%, the falling strength of the raw pellets is more than 5 times/m, the falling strength of dried ball is more than 28 times/2 m, the comminution rate is less than 2%, which meets the requirements of production. At the same time， the binder cost of per ton pellet is reduced by 35% compared with the previous binder

Detection of STAT2 in early stage of cervical premalignancy and in cervical cancer

AbstractObjectiveTo measure the expression pattern of STAT2 in cervical cancer initiation and progression in tissue sections from patients with cervicitis, dysplasia, and cervical cancer.MethodsAntibody against human STAT2 was confirmed by plasmids transient transfection and Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect STAT2 expression in the cervical biopsies by using the confirmed antibody against STAT2 as the primary antibody.ResultsIt was found that the overall rate of positive STAT2 expression in the cervicitis, dysplasia and cervical cancer groups were 38.5%, 69.4% and 76.9%, respectively. The STAT2 levels are significantly increased in premalignant dysplasia and cervical cancer, as compared to cervicitis (P< 0.05). Noticeably, STAT2 signals were mainly found in the cytoplasm, implying that STAT2 was not biologically active.ConclusionsThese findings reveal an association between cervical cancer progression and augmented STAT2 expression. In conclusion, STAT2 increase appears to be an early detectable cellular event in cervical cancer development

Factors Associated with Myopia in School Children in China: The Beijing Childhood Eye Study

Purpose: To assess factors associated with myopia in school children in rural and urban parts of Greater Beijing. Methods: The Beijing Pedriatic Eye Study was a population-based cross-sectional study, in which one school of each level (primary, junior high, senior high) was randomly selected from nine randomly selected districts out of 18 districts of Greater Beijing. The children underwent non-cylcoplegic refractometry and their parents an interview. Results: Of 16,771 eligible students, 15,066 (89.8%) children (7,769 (51.6%) girls) participated, with 8,860 (58.8%) participants living in the rural region. Mean age was 13.263.4 years (range:7–18 years). In multivariate analysis, prevalence of myopia (defined as #21.00 diopters) was associated with higher age (Odds ratio(OR):1.37; 95% confidence interval(CI):1.35,1.39), female gender (OR:1.35;95%CI:1.25,1.47), key school type (OR:0.77;95%CI: 0.70,0.85), higher family income (OR:1.04;95%CI:1.01,1.07), parental myopia (OR:1.46;95%CI:1.40,1.53), dim reading illumination (OR:0.93;95%CI: 0.88,0.98), longer daily studying duration (OR:1.10;95%CI:1.06,1.15), shorter duration of watching television (or computer) (OR:0.93;95%CI:0.89,0.97), higher self-reported protein intake (OR:0.94;95%CI:0.90,0.99), feeling well about life and status (OR:0.93;95%CI:0.89,0.98), and feeling tired or dizzy (OR:0.94;95%CI:0.91,0.97). Prevalence of high myopia (defined as #26.00 diopters) was associated with higher age (OR:1.43;95%CI:1.38, 1.48), key school type (OR:0.61;95%CI:0.49,0.74), family income (OR:1.07;95%CI:1.02,1.13), parental myopia (OR:1.65;95%CI:1.54,1.76), dim reading illumination (OR:0.86;95%CI:0.77,0.96), less rest during studying (OR:1.18;95%CI:1.10,1.27), feeling well about life and studying (OR:0.88;95%CI: 0.81,0.96) and feeling dizzy or tired (OR:0.93;95%CI:0.87,0.99). Prevalence of high myopia (defined as #28.00 diopters) was significantly associated with higher age (OR:1.39;95%CI:1.31,1.48;), key school type (OR:0.61;95%CI:0.42,0.88) and parental myopia (OR:1.87;95%CI:1.66,2.12). Conclusions: Myopia in school children in Greater Beijing was associated with higher age, female gender, school type, parental myopia, higher socioeconomic background, dim reading illumination, longer daily studying duration, less rest during study, shorter duration of watching television (or computer), higher self-reported protein intake, feeling well about life and status, and feeling tired and dizzy

Integrated application of uniform design and least-squares support vector machines to transfection optimization

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transfection in mammalian cells based on liposome presents great challenge for biological professionals. To protect themselves from exogenous insults, mammalian cells tend to manifest poor transfection efficiency. In order to gain high efficiency, we have to optimize several conditions of transfection, such as amount of liposome, amount of plasmid, and cell density at transfection. However, this process may be time-consuming and energy-consuming. Fortunately, several mathematical methods, developed in the past decades, may facilitate the resolution of this issue. This study investigates the possibility of optimizing transfection efficiency by using a method referred to as least-squares support vector machine, which requires only a few experiments and maintains fairly high accuracy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A protocol consists of 15 experiments was performed according to the principle of uniform design. In this protocol, amount of liposome, amount of plasmid, and the number of seeded cells 24 h before transfection were set as independent variables and transfection efficiency was set as dependent variable. A model was deduced from independent variables and their respective dependent variable. Another protocol made up by 10 experiments was performed to test the accuracy of the model. The model manifested a high accuracy. Compared to traditional method, the integrated application of uniform design and least-squares support vector machine greatly reduced the number of required experiments. What's more, higher transfection efficiency was achieved.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The integrated application of uniform design and least-squares support vector machine is a simple technique for obtaining high transfection efficiency. Using this novel method, the number of required experiments would be greatly cut down while higher efficiency would be gained. Least-squares support vector machine may be applicable to many other problems that need to be optimized.</p

A dual pore carbon aerogel based air cathode for a highly rechargeable lithium-air battery

International audienceCathode structure plays a vital role in lithium-air battery for that it can provide space for discharged products accommodation and free path for oxygen, e− and Li+ transport. However, pore blockage, cathode passivation and degradation all result in low discharge rates and poor cycling capability. To get rid of these predicaments, a novel highly conductive dual pore carbon aerogel based air cathode is fabricated to construct a lithium-air battery, which exhibits 18 to 525 cycles in the LiTFSI/sulfolane electrolyte at a current density varying from 1.00 mA cm−2 to 0.05 mA cm−2, accompanied by a high energy efficiency of 78.32%. We postulate that the essence lies in that the as-prepared air cathode inventively create a suitable tri-phase boundary reaction zone, facilitating oxygen and Li+ diffusion in two independant pore channels, thus realizing a relative higher discharge rate capability, lower pore blockage and cathode passivation. Further, pore structure, carbon loading, rate capability, discharge depth and the air's effect are exploited and coordinated, targeting for a high power and reversible lithium-air battery. Such nano-porous carbon aerogel air cathode of novel dual pore structure and material design is expected to be an attractive alternative for lithium-air batteries and other lithium based batteries