International technology transfer and domesticinnovation: evidence from the high-speed rail sector inChina

How does the transfer of advanced technology spur innovation in developing countries? This paper exploits the large-scale introduction of high-speed railway (HSR) technology into China in 2004 as a natural experiment to address this question. The experiment is unique in the sense that this wave of technology transfer is large, abrupt and arguably exogenous in timing, covering a variety of technology classes and a large number of geographically-dispersed railway-related firms. With detailed information on the types of technology transferred and the identities of the receiving firms, as well as their product market specializations, we are able to depict a clear picture of how foreign technology is digested and spurs follow up innovation in and out of directly receiving firms. Our findings suggest that technology transfer leads to significant growth in HSR-related patents in cities with direct receivers of imported technology after 2004 in a triple-difference estimation. We also observe sizable spill overs to firms that are not directly related to the railway industry. Technology similarity plays an important role in technology diffusion, but we do not observe any significant impacts of geographic proximity. Previous university research strength in relevant fields is also conducive to stronger technology spill overs

Application of UAV in Road Safety in Intelligent Areas

With the continuous development of remote sensing(RS) technology, thesurface information can be collected conveniently and quickly by usingthe popular unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV). The application of UAVlow altitude RS technology in road safety in intelligent area has certainpractical significance. It can provide safety warning for most drivers, andprovide auxiliary decision-making for the road supervision department.Through the collection, processing, calculation and analysis of the roadimage, the UAV can find out the road obstacles with potential safety hazards, identify the road pit, calculate the radius and depth of the road pitthrough the digital mapping system, predict the accident risk according todifferent speed and provide scientific basis for the road safety monitoring.At the same time, UAV can provide repair scheme for damaged roads,estimate the quantity of materials needed for repair, and achieve the targetof resource saving and efficiency improvement. The experimental resultsshow that the UAV can not only provide scientific prediction informationfor driving safety, but also provide relatively accurate material consumption for road repair

Nonlinear Analysis of Auscultation Signals in TCM Using the Combination of Wavelet Packet Transform and Sample Entropy

Auscultation signals are nonstationary in nature. Wavelet packet transform (WPT) has currently become a very useful tool in analyzing nonstationary signals. Sample entropy (SampEn) has recently been proposed to act as a measurement for quantifying regularity and complexity of time series data. WPT and SampEn were combined in this paper to analyze auscultation signals in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). SampEns for WPT coefficients were computed to quantify the signals from qi- and yin-deficient, as well as healthy, subjects. The complexity of the signal can be evaluated with this scheme in different time-frequency resolutions. First, the voice signals were decomposed into approximated and detailed WPT coefficients. Then, SampEn values for approximated and detailed coefficients were calculated. Finally, SampEn values with significant differences in the three kinds of samples were chosen as the feature parameters for the support vector machine to identify the three types of auscultation signals. The recognition accuracy rates were higher than 90%

Synchronous Detection of BPV and BVDV with Duplex Taqman qPCR Method

Background: Bovine parvovirus (BPV) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) are commonly etiologies causing diarrhea in dairy herds. BPV is a member of bocaparvovirus genus with a non-enveloped capsid. BVDV, belonging to Pestivirus genus in Flaviviridae, possesses a single-stranded RNA, and is classified into BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 genotypes according to the 5’UTR sequence. 21 genetic groups of BVDV-1 and four groups of BVDV-2 have been found. Diagnosis of viral diarrhea is often relied on virus detection by isolation or detection of serum antibody. The main objective of the present study was to establish a duplex real time PCR (qPCR) based on Taqman probe to detect synchronously BPV and BVDV. Materials, Methods & Results: TaqMan probe and primers were designed and synthesized from the sequences of conserved 5′ - untranslated regions (5′ UTR) of Haden strain of BPV and NADL strain of BVDV. The cDNAs were transcribed in vitro to make standard curves before optimizing the assay. DNA/PCR products were ligated into pMD18-T vector, and then used to transfer BL-21 competent cells to acquire the recombinant plasmids of pMD18-T-BPV and pMD18-T-BVDV. Optimum reaction conditions were comparatively selected. The sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of TaqMan probe qRT-PCR were evaluated respectively. The results showed the concentrations of pMD18-T-BPV or pMD18-T-BVDV were 2.0 × 1010 DNA copies/μL, respectively. A duplex Taqman qPCR method was developed by optimizing the amplification conditions to simultaneously detect BPV and BVDV. The assay targets at highly conserved VP2 gene of BPV and 5′ UTR gene of BVDV. This qPCR assay was assessed for specificity and sensitivity using DNA of BPV and cDNA of BVDV. For clinical validation, 308 samples were tested from clinically diarrhea calves. The results showed that optimum annealing temperature was achieved in 43.2 ℃ fro duplex BPV and BPIV. Dynamic curves and standard curves were created following amplification of recombinant plasmids using the optimized duplex Taqman BPV and BVDV, with an amplification efficiency of 95.69%. Duplex Taqman qPCR could only detect DNA of BPV and cDNA of BVDV with a strong specificity. The detection limitation was as low as 2.0 × 102 copies/μL of pMD18-T-BPV plasmid and 2.0 × 101 copies/μL for pMD18-T-BVDV plasmid, respectively. Sensitivity of detection was 100-fold higher than conventional PCR. Duplex Taqman qPCR had excellent repeatability or stability with less than 1.2% of intra-assay and inter-assay. 35 and 47 positive feces samples were identified using duplex Taqman qPCR in comparison to 30 and 42 positives for universal PCR, respectively. Discussion: The bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a key pathogenic factor in bovine diarrhea. Currently, few effective measures are available for the treatment or prevention for BVDV and BPV infections in animals. The technique was proven to be repeatable and linear over a range of at least 5 magnitudes, from 101 to 105 RNA/DNA copies, thus ensuring an accurate measurement of BPV DNA and BVDV RNA loads in clinical samples. In conclusion, a duplex Taqman qPCR was established for detecting simultaneously BPV and BVDV. Taqman qPCR method was rapid and specific assay. This assay was 100-fold sensitive than conventional PCR. It will be propitious to rapidly and differentially diagnose pathogens of viral diarrhea of dairy farms. Taqman qPCR method was rapid and specific assay and had a sensitivity of 2.0 copies/μL

Cryo-electron tomography of periplasmic flagella in Borrelia burgdorferi reveals a distinct cytoplasmic ATPase complex.

Periplasmic flagella are essential for the distinct morphology and motility of spirochetes. A flagella-specific type III secretion system (fT3SS) composed of a membrane-bound export apparatus and a cytosolic ATPase complex is responsible for the assembly of the periplasmic flagella. Here, we deployed cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to visualize the fT3SS machine in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. We show, for the first time, that the cytosolic ATPase complex is attached to the flagellar C-ring through multiple spokes to form the “spoke and hub� structure in B. burgdorferi. This structure not only strengthens structural rigidity of the round-shaped C-ring but also appears to rotate with the C-ring. Our studies provide structural insights into the unique mechanisms underlying assembly and rotation of the periplasmic flagella and may provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against several pathogenic spirochetes

Trimodal Therapy: A Tumor Vascularâ Targeted Interlocking Trimodal Nanosystem That Induces and Exploits Hypoxia (Adv. Sci. 8/2018)

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145503/1/advs201870048.pd

A Tumor Vascularâ Targeted Interlocking Trimodal Nanosystem That Induces and Exploits Hypoxia

Vascularâ targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is a recently approved strategy for treating solid tumors. However, the exacerbated hypoxic stress makes tumor eradication challenging with such a single modality approach. Here, a new graphene oxide (GO)â based nanosystem for rationally designed, interlocking trimodal cancer therapy that enables VTP using photosensitizer verteporfin (VP) (1) with codelivery of banoxantrone dihydrochloride (AQ4N) (2), a hypoxiaâ activated prodrug (HAP), and HIFâ 1α siRNA (siHIFâ 1α) (3) is reported. The VTPâ induced aggravated hypoxia is highly favorable for AQ4N activation into AQ4 (a topoisomerase II inhibitor) for chemotherapy. However, the hypoxiaâ induced HIFâ 1α acts as a â hidden brake,â through downregulating CYP450 (the dominant HAPâ activating reductases), to substantially hinder AQ4N activation. siHIFâ 1α is rationally adopted to suppress the HIFâ 1α expression upon hypoxia and further enhance AQ4N activation. This trimodal nanosystem significantly delays the growth of PCâ 3 tumors in vivo compared to the control nanoparticles carrying VP, AQ4N, or siHIFâ 1α alone or their pairwise combinations. This multimodal nanoparticle design presents, the first example exploiting VTP to actively induce hypoxia for enhanced HAP activation. It is also revealed that HAP activation is still insufficient under hypoxia due to the hidden downregulation of the HAPâ activating reductases (CYP450), and this can be well overcome by GO nanoparticleâ mediated siHIFâ 1α intervention.Vascularâ targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) is integrated with hypoxiaâ activated prodrug (AQ4N) and HIFâ 1α siRNA (siHIFâ 1α) for interlocking trimodal therapy. The VTPâ induced aggravated hypoxia is exploited for efficient AQ4N activation for chemotherapy. HIFâ 1α induced by hypoxia acts as a â hidden brake,â through downregulating CYP450 reductases, to hinder AQ4N activation. siHIFâ 1α is rationally adopted to suppress HIFâ 1α expression upon VTP to enhance AQ4N activation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145505/1/advs661-sup-0001-S1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145505/2/advs661.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145505/3/advs661_am.pd

Sodium Hydrosulfide Relieves Neuropathic Pain in Chronic Constriction Injured Rats

Aberrant neuronal activity in injured peripheral nerves is believed to be an important factor in the development of neuropathic pain (NPP). Channel protein pCREB of that activity has been shown to mitigate the onset of associated molecular events in the nervous system, and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) could inhibit the expression of pCREB. However, whether NaHS could relieve the pain, it needs further experimental research. Furthermore, the clinical potential that NaHS was used to relieve pain was limited so it would be required. To address these issues, the rats of sciatic nerve chronic constriction injury (CCI) were given intraperitoneal injection of NaHS containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The experimental results showed that NaHS inhibited the reduction of paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL), mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT), and the level of pCREB in CCI rats in a dose-dependent manner and they were greatly decreased in NaHSM group (P < 0.05). NaHS alleviates chronic neuropathic pain by inhibiting expression of pCREB in the spinal cord of Sprague-Dawley rats

UTR introns, antisense RNA and differentially spliced transcripts between Plasmodium yoelii subspecies

Additional file 1. Evaluation of RNA quality from the two NSM parasite samples in agarose gel (a), and a flow chart of data processing and analysis (b)

DTNBP1, a schizophrenia susceptibility gene, affects kinetics of transmitter release

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders, affecting 0.5–1.0% of the population worldwide. Its pathology, attributed to defects in synaptic transmission, remains elusive. The dystrobrevin-binding protein 1 (DTNBP1) gene, which encodes a coiled-coil protein, dysbindin, is a major susceptibility gene for schizophrenia. Our previous results have demonstrated that the sandy (sdy) mouse harbors a spontaneously occurring deletion in the DTNBP1 gene and expresses no dysbindin protein (Li, W., Q. Zhang, N. Oiso, E.K. Novak, R. Gautam, E.P. O'Brien, C.L. Tinsley, D.J. Blake, R.A. Spritz, N.G. Copeland, et al. 2003. Nat. Genet. 35:84–89). Here, using amperometry, whole-cell patch clamping, and electron microscopy techniques, we discovered specific defects in neurosecretion and vesicular morphology in neuroendocrine cells and hippocampal synapses at the single vesicle level in sdy mice. These defects include larger vesicle size, slower quantal vesicle release, lower release probability, and smaller total population of the readily releasable vesicle pool. These findings suggest that dysbindin functions to regulate exocytosis and vesicle biogenesis in endocrine cells and neurons. Our work also suggests a possible mechanism in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia at the synaptic level