Minimal Amelogenin Domain for Enamel Formation

Amelogenin is the most abundant matrix protein guiding hydroxyapatite formation in enamel, the durable bioceramic tissue that covers vertebrate teeth. Here, we sought to refine structure-function for an amelogenin domain based on in vitro data showing that a 42-amino acid amelogenin-derived peptide (ADP7) mimicked the formation of hydroxyapatite similar to that observed for the full-length mouse 180-amino acid protein. In mice, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to express only ADP7 by the native amelogenin promoter. Analysis revealed ADP7 messenger RNA expression in developing mouse teeth with the formation of a thin layer of enamel. In vivo, ADP7 peptide partially replaced the function of the full-length amelogenin protein and its several protein isoforms. Protein structure–function relationships identified through in vitro assays can be deployed in whole model animals using CRISPR-Cas9 to validate the function of a minimal protein domain to be translated for clinical use as an enamel biomimetic

Parity and Risk of Low Birth Weight Infant in Full Term Pregnancy

Latar belakang: Berat badan lahir rendah meningkatkan morbiditas dan mortalitas pada bayi baru lahir. Hasil Riskesdas 2010 dan 2013 menunjukkan penurunan angka prevalensi berat badan lahir rendah dari 11,1% menjadi 10,2%. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengidentifikasi faktor risiko yang berkaitan dengan kejadian berat badan lahir rendah pada kehamilan cukup bulan. Metode: Penelitian potong lintang di dua rumah sakit di Jakarta dengan menggunakan data sekunder. Data rekam medik wanita yang melahirkan pada periode 1 Januari sampai 31 Desember 2011 dipilih secara purposif. Berat badan lahir rendah adalah berat badan kurang dari 2500g pada bayi baru lahir. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan regresi logistik. Hasil: Pada analisis ini didapatkan 2242 subyek yang memenuhi kriteria, dari 4191 subyek. Proporsi berat badan lahir rendah adalah 9,5%. Jika dibandingkan dengan primipara, wanita nullipara memiliki risiko melahirkan bayi dengan berat badan lahir rendah 46% lebih tinggi [adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 1.46; P=0.030]. Selanjutnya, jika dibandingkan dengan bayi laki-laki, bayi perempuan memiliki risiko 42% lebih tinggi mengalami berat lahir rendah (ORa = 1.42; P=0.017) Kesimpulan: Bayi berat badan lahir rendah pada kehamilan cukup bulan lebih sering ditemukan pada wanita nullipara dan bayi perempuan. Kata kunci: paritas, jenis kelamin bayi, berat badan lahir rendahBackground: Low birth weight infants tend to increase the occurence of early infant mortality and morbidity. The survey in Indonesia suggested that the prevalence of low birth weight declined from 11.1% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2013. This study aims to identify the risk factors of low birth weight infant in full term pregnancy. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data from two hospitals in Jakarta. The data was obtained from medical records of pregnant women who gave birth during the period of January 1 to December 31, 2011. Multivariat logistic regression model with stepwise method was used to analyze the risks of low birth weight. Results: The sample size in this study was 4191 subjects. Out of them 2242 subjects met the inclusion criteria. The proportion of low birth weight was 9.5%. Compared with primipara, nullipara had 46 % increased risk to have LBW infant (ORa = 1.46; P=0.030), meanwhile primipara and nullipara did not have significant difference for having LBW infants (ORa = 0.90; P=0.614). In term of sex of infants, female infant had 42% higher risk of having LBW infant compared with male infant (ORa = 1.42; P=0.017). Conclusion : Low birth weight infants in full term pregnancies are more common in nullipara and most of the LBW infants are femal

Secondhand smoke exposure induces Raf/ERK/MAPK-mediated upregulation of cerebrovascular endothelin ETA receptors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cigarette smoking enhances the risk of stroke. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. The present study established an <it>in vivo </it>rat secondhand cigarette smoking (SHS) model and examined the hypothesis that SHS upregulates endothelin receptors with increased cerebrovascular contraction <it>via </it>the Raf/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathway.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Rats were exposed to SHS for up to 8 weeks. The cerebral artery vasoconstriction was recorded by a sensitive myograph. The mRNA and protein expressions for endothelin receptors in cerebral arteries were studied by real-time PCR and Western blot. Compared to fresh air exposed rats, cerebral arteries from SHS rats exhibited stronger contractile responses (<it>P </it>< 0.05) mediated by endothelin type A (ET_A) receptors. The expressions of mRNA and protein for ET_Areceptors in the cerebral arteries from SHS rats were higher (<it>P </it>< 0.05) than that in control. SHS did not affect endothelin type B (ET_B) receptor-mediated contractions, mRNA or protein levels. The results suggest that SHS upregulates ET_A, but not ET_Breceptors <it>in vivo</it>. After SHS exposure, the mRNA levels of Raf-1 and ERK1/2, the protein expression of phosphorylated (p)-Raf-1 and p-ERK1/2 were increased (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Raf-1 inhibitor, GW5074 suppressed the enhanced ET_Areceptor-mediated contraction, mRNA and protein levels induced by SHS. In addition, GW5074 inhibited the SHS-caused increased mRNA and phosphorylated protein levels of Raf-1 and ERK1/2, suggesting that SHS induces activation of the Raf/ERK/MAPK pathway.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>SHS upregulates cerebrovascular ET_Areceptors <it>via </it>the Raf/ERK/MAPK pathway, which provides novel understanding of mechanisms involved in SHS-associated stroke.</p

Standardized Soil Moisture Index for Drought Monitoring Based on SMAP Observations and 36 Years of NLDAS Data: A Case Study in the Southeast United States

Droughts can severely reduce the productivity of agricultural lands and forests. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Southeast Regional Climate Hub (SERCH) has launched the Lately Identified Geospecific Heightened Threat System (LIGHTS) to inform its users of potential water deficiency threats. The system identifies droughts and other climate anomalies such as extreme precipitation and heat stress. However, the LIGHTS model lacks input from soil moisture observations. This research aims to develop a simple and easy-to-interpret soil moisture and drought warning index - Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSI) - by fusing the space-borne Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) soil moisture data with the NLDAS climate index. Ground truth soil moisture data from the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) were collected for validation. As a result, the accuracy of using SMAP to monitor soil moisture content generally displayed a good statistical correlation with the SCAN data. The validation through the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) suggested that SSI was effective and sensitive for short-term drought monitoring across large areas

Multiple Discharges Before Leader Inception in Long Air Gaps Under Positive Switching Impulses

There are multiple corona bursts before leader inception when the rising rate of the applied voltage or electric field is not sufficiently high enough in long positive sparks. In existing studies, no attention has been paid to whether these corona bursts occur in the same location, and they are mostly considered directly as belonging to the same discharge. However, this paper presents that in a typical rod-plate long air gap, the multiple corona bursts before leader inception are distributed in at least two different locations, and the highest probability of three discharges occurs. Also, the discharge occurs with the highest probability in the time sequence ‘tip-tip-side-tip-other side’ of the electrode in the first five corona bursts. For each discharge, the first corona current is a single, double exponential pulse, while the following corona currents are mostly a superposition of multiple pulses. The above findings are mainly based on experiments in a 1.4 m air gap under positive switching impulses, in which the voltage, current, and high-speed images were recorded simultaneously. Finally, based on the experimental results, this paper discusses the effects brought by ignoring the multiple discharges on key parameters of leader inception and makes some suggestions to optimise long spark experiments

Multiple Discharges Before Leader Inception in Long Air Gaps Under Positive Switching Impulses

There are multiple corona bursts before leader inception when the rising rate of the applied voltage or electric field is not sufficiently high enough in long positive sparks. In existing studies, no attention has been paid to whether these corona bursts occur in the same location, and they are mostly considered directly as belonging to the same discharge. However, this paper presents that in a typical rod-plate long air gap, the multiple corona bursts before leader inception are distributed in at least two different locations, and the highest probability of three discharges occurs. Also, the discharge occurs with the highest probability in the time sequence ‘tip-tip-side-tip-other side’ of the electrode in the first five corona bursts. For each discharge, the first corona current is a single, double exponential pulse, while the following corona currents are mostly a superposition of multiple pulses. The above findings are mainly based on experiments in a 1.4 m air gap under positive switching impulses, in which the voltage, current, and high-speed images were recorded simultaneously. Finally, based on the experimental results, this paper discusses the effects brought by ignoring the multiple discharges on key parameters of leader inception and makes some suggestions to optimise long spark experiments

Water table response to a pumping test in the hinterland core area of the Taklimakan Desert, China

Wei, Y., Fan, J., Xu, X., & Lei, J. (March-April, 2017). Water table response to a pumping test in the hinterland core area of the Taklimakan Desert, China. Water Technology and Sciences (in Spanish), 8(2), 151-158. In this article, hydrogeological parameters were determined by a single well pumping test. Over the course of the study, BETCO was used to eliminate the effects of atmospheric pressure changes on water level based on the regression deconvolution method. The aquifer test was used to analyze data and to calculate hydrogeological parameters. Finally, from the three unconfined aquifer models, though the Boulton model cannot successfully gain well-fitting results, the Theis model with Jacob correction and the Neuman model results obtained hydrogeological parameters by curve-fitting. Additionally, permeability coefficient of the two models is in good agreement with previous research, which can provide a reference for further study in the hinterland of the desert, especially for the construction of hydrological modeling research

Coordinated flexibility scheduling for urban integrated heat and power systems by considering the temperature dynamics of heating network

The coordinated heat-electricity dispatch of the urban integrated energy system (UIES) helps to improve the system flexibility, thereby overcoming the adverse effects caused by the random fluctuations of renewable energy (RE) and promoting the penetration of RE. Among them, the dynamic characteristics of the urban heat network (UHN) are important features that need to be considered for the operating scheduling of the UIES. This paper aims to establish a flexibility scheduling model for UIES based on the dynamic characteristics of the UHN. First, the typical structure and key equipment model of the urban integrated heat and power system (UIHPS) with the dynamic characteristics of the UHN is proposed. Then, the definition and model of the UIHPS flexibility and the assessment index of the flexibility are developed. Moreover, a flexibility scheduling model for a UIHPS that considers the dynamic characteristics of a UHN is established. Finally, the validity of the proposed model is validated by case studies, and the applicability of flexibility scheduling and the effect of heat load (HL) are analyzed