mRNA transcription and protein expression of PPAR\u3b3, FAS, and HSL in different parts of the carcass between fat-tailed and thin-tailed sheep

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the level differences of mRNA transcription and protein expression of PPAR\u3b3, FAS and HSL in different parts of the carcass in different tail-type sheep. Six Tan sheep and six Shaanbei fine-wool sheep aged 9monthswere slaughtered and sampleswere collected fromthe tail adipose, subcutaneous adipose, and longissimus dorsimuscle. The levels ofmRNA transcription and protein expression of the target genes in these tissues were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and western blot analyses. Results: The results showed that PPAR\u3b3, FAS, and HSL were expressed with spatial differences in tail adipose, subcutaneous adipose and longissimus dorsi muscle of Tan sheep and Shaanbei fine-wool sheep. Differences were also observed between the two breeds. The mRNA transcription levels of these genes were somewhat consistent with their protein expression levels. Conclusion: The present results indicated that PPAR\u3b3, FAS and HSL are correlated with fat deposition, especially for the regulating of adipose deposition in intramuscular fat, and that the mRNA expression patterns are similar to the protein expression patterns. The mechanism requires clarification in further studies

Infrared Imaging of Magnetic Octupole Domains in Non-collinear Antiferromagnets

Magnetic structure plays a pivotal role in the functionality of antiferromagnets (AFMs), which not only can be employed to encode digital data but also yields novel phenomena. Despite its growing significance, visualizing the antiferromagnetic domain structure remains a challenge, particularly for non-collinear AFMs. Currently, the observation of magnetic domains in non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials is feasible only in Mn$_{3}$Sn, underscoring the limitations of existing techniques that necessitate distinct methods for in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic domain imaging. In this study, we present a versatile method for imaging the antiferromagnetic domain structure in a series of non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials by utilizing the anomalous Ettingshausen effect (AEE), which resolves both the magnetic octupole moments parallel and perpendicular to the sample surface. Temperature modulation due to the AEE originating from different magnetic domains is measured by the lock-in thermography, revealing distinct behaviors of octupole domains in different antiferromagnets. This work delivers an efficient technique for the visualization of magnetic domains in non-collinear AFMs, which enables comprehensive study of the magnetization process at the microscopic level and paves the way for potential advancements in applications.Comment: National Science Review in pres

Needs and views on healthy lifestyles for the prevention of dementia and the potential role for mobile health (mHealth) interventions in China: A qualitative study

Objectives Over the coming decades, China is expected to face the largest worldwide increase in dementia incidence. Mobile health (mHealth) may improve the accessibility of dementia prevention strategies, targeting lifestyle-related risk factors. Our aim is to explore the needs and views of Chinese older adults regarding healthy lifestyles to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and dementia through mHealth, supporting the Prevention of Dementia using Mobile Phone Applications (PRODEMOS) study. Design Qualitative semi-structured interview study, using thematic analysis. Setting Primary and secondary care in Beijing and Tai’an, China. Participants Older adults aged 55 and over without dementia with an increased dementia risk, possessing a smartphone. Participants were recruited through seven hospitals participating in the PRODEMOS study, purposively sampled on age, sex, living area and history of CVD and diabetes. Results We performed 26 interviews with participants aged 55–86 years. Three main themes were identified: valuing a healthy lifestyle, sociocultural expectations and need for guidance. First, following a healthy lifestyle was generally deemed important. In addition to generic healthy behaviours, participants regarded certain specific Chinese lifestyle practices as important to prevent disease. Second, the sociocultural context played a crucial role, as an important motive to avoid disease was to limit the care burden put on family members. However, time-consuming family obligations and other social values could also impede healthy behaviours such as regular physical activity. Finally, there seemed to be a need for reliable and personalised lifestyle advice and for guidance from a health professional. Conclusions The Chinese older adults included in this study highly value a healthy lifestyle. They express a need for personalised lifestyle support in order to adopt healthy behaviours. Potentially, the PRODEMOS mHealth intervention can meet these needs through blended lifestyle support to improve risk factors for dementia and CVD

Programmable Base Editing of the Sheep Genome Revealed No Genome-Wide Off-Target Mutations

Since its emergence, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated base editors (BEs) with cytosine deaminase activity have been used to precisely and efficiently introduce single-base mutations in genomes, including those of human cells, mice, and crop species. Most production traits in livestock are induced by point mutations, and genome editing using BEs without homology-directed repair of double-strand breaks can directly alter single nucleotides. The p.96R > C variant of Suppressor cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2) has profound effects on body weight, body size, and milk production in sheep. In the present study, we successfully obtained lambs with defined point mutations resulting in a p.96R > C substitution in SOCS2 by the co-injection of BE3 mRNA and a single guide RNA (sgRNA) into sheep zygotes. The observed efficiency of the single nucleotide exchange in newborn animals was as high as 25%. Observations of body size and body weight in the edited group showed that gene modification contributes to enhanced growth traits in sheep. Moreover, targeted deep sequencing and unbiased family trio-based whole genome sequencing revealed undetectable off-target mutations in the edited animals. This study demonstrates the potential for the application of BE-mediated point mutations in large animals for the improvement of production traits in livestock species

Prevention of dementia using mobile phone applications (PRODEMOS): protocol for an international randomised controlled trial.

IntroductionProfiles of high risk for future dementia are well understood and are likely to concern mostly those in low-income and middle-income countries and people at greater disadvantage in high-income countries. Approximately 30%-40% of dementia cases have been estimated to be attributed to modifiable risk factors, including hypertension, smoking and sedentary lifestyle. Tailored interventions targeting these risk factors can potentially prevent or delay the onset of dementia. Mobile health (mHealth) improves accessibility of such prevention strategies in hard-to-reach populations while at the same time tailoring such approaches. In the current study, we will investigate the effectiveness and implementation of a coach-supported mHealth intervention, targeting dementia risk factors, to reduce dementia risk.Methods and analysisThe prevention of dementia using mobile phone applications (PRODEMOS) randomised controlled trial will follow an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, taking place in the UK and China. People are eligible if they are 55-75 years old, of low socioeconomic status (UK) or from the general population (China); have ≥2 dementia risk factors; and own a smartphone. 2400 participants will be randomised to either a coach-supported, interactive mHealth platform, facilitating self-management of dementia risk factors, or a static control platform. The intervention and follow-up period will be 18 months. The primary effectiveness outcome is change in the previously validated Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Incidence of Dementia dementia risk score. The main secondary outcomes include improvement of individual risk factors and cost-effectiveness. Implementation outcomes include acceptability, adoption, feasibility and sustainability of the intervention.Ethics and disseminationThe PRODEMOS trial is sponsored in the UK by the University of Cambridge and is granted ethical approval by the London-Brighton and Sussex Research Ethics Committee (reference: 20/LO/01440). In China, the trial is approved by the medical ethics committees of Capital Medical University, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Beijing Geriatric Hospital, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Taishan Medical University and Xuanwu Hospital. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberISRCTN15986016

Point Estimation Method of Electromagnetic Flowmeters Life Based on Randomly Censored Failure Data

This paper analyzes the characteristics of the enterprise after-sale service records for field failure data, and summarizes the types of field data. Maximum likelihood estimation method and the least squares method are presented for the complexity and difficulty of field failure data processing, and Monte Carlo simulation method is proposed. Monte Carlo simulation, the relatively simple calculation method, is an effective method, whose result is closed to that of the other two methods. Through the after-sale service records analysis of a specific electromagnetic flowmeter enterprises, this paper illustrates the effectiveness of field failure data processing methods

Experimental Study on The Synthetic Effects of Kaolin and Soil on Alkali-induced Slagging and Molten Slagging

AbstractWith the depletion of fossil fuel, the exploitation and utilization of biomass have attracted attention widely. Unfortunately, high concentrations of alkali metals, especially K, in biomass result in serious slagging. Therefore, considering the co-existence of unnoticed and inevitable molten slagging as well as the highlighted alkali-induced slagging, the synthetic effects of kaolin and soil on both slagging are conducted by means of chemical fractionation and ash fusion testing. Addition of kaolin and soil into biomass can convert soluble-K into insoluble-K effectively, and thus reduce alkali-induced slagging. Moreover, soil, attributed to low-cost and wide range of sources, can be slagging inhibitor instead of kaolin. In addition, K2O-SiO2-Al2O3 ternary diagrams constructed by addition of K2O, SiO2 and Al2O3 into biomass underestimate IDT and over-estimate FT, and they should be constructed according to the biomass ash properties, rather than the simulated ash by adding various compounds into biomass

Improving the Xin'anjiang hydrological model based on mass–energy balance

Conceptual hydrological models are preferable for real-time flood forecasting, among which the Xin'anjiang (XAJ) model has been widely applied in humid and semi-humid regions of China. Although the relatively simple mass balance scheme ensures a good performance of runoff simulation during flood events, the model still has some defects. Previous studies have confirmed the importance of evapotranspiration (ET) and soil moisture content (SMC) in runoff simulation. In order to add more constraints to the original XAJ model, an energy balance scheme suitable for the XAJ model was developed and coupled with the original mass balance scheme of the XAJ model. The detailed parameterizations of the improved model, XAJ-EB, are presented in the first part of this paper. XAJ-EB employs various meteorological forcing and remote sensing data as input, simulating ET and runoff yield using a more physically based mass–energy balance scheme. In particular, the energy balance is solved by determining the representative equilibrium temperature (RET), which is comparable to land surface temperature (LST). The XAJ-EB was evaluated in the Lushui catchment situated in the middle reach of the Yangtze River basin for the period between 2004 and 2007. Validation using ground-measured runoff data proves that the XAJ-EB is capable of reproducing runoff comparable to the original XAJ model. Additionally, RET simulated by XAJ-EB agreed well with moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS)-retrieved LST, which further confirms that the model is able to simulate the mass–energy balance since LST reflects the interactions among various processes. The validation results prove that the XAJ-EB model has superior performance compared with the XAJ model and also extends its applicability.National Natural Science Foundation of China [51420105014, 51609175, 51409090]; Special Scientific Research Fund of Ministry of Water Resources' Public Welfare Profession of China [201401034]; ESA-MOST Dragon 3 program [10664]; Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering [2015490211]Open Access Journal.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]