daz si niht wizzen umb des leben / der in ze vater ist gegeben. Transzendenter Ursprung und dynastische Genealogie im ›Schwanritter‹

Konrads ›Schwanritter‹ nimmt in der deutschsprachigen Werkreihe zum Schwanritter-Lohengrin-Stoff durch seine Nähe zur altfranzösischen Tradition und die konsequente Ausblendung des genealogischen Wissens eine Sonderstellung ein. Die Identität des Schwanritters wird nicht erhellt, jedoch anhand der Perspektivie­rung des Erzählten durch einen immanenten Ort als der Transzendenz zugehörig modelliert. Daraus entsteht das Legitimationspotential für die künftige Schwan­rittergenealogie trotz des fehlenden genealogischen Wissens bzw. gerade wegen des numinosen Ursprungs, was sich im Gegenwartsbezug in der Deszendenz artikuliert. Zur finalen Motivierung des Mahrtenehe-Schemas, das die Handlungsstruktur prägt, tritt in Konrads Gestaltung der Handlungsbausteine der Sage die kausal-psychologische Motivierung hinzu. In einem Vergleich des ›Schwanritters‹ mit dem ›Partonopier‹ sollen Konrads eigentliche und uneigentliche Realisierung des Mahrtenehe-Schemas nebeneinander betrachtet werden

Polydatin Protects Bone Marrow Stem Cells against Oxidative Injury: Involvement of Nrf 2/ARE Pathways

Polydatin, a glucoside of resveratrol, has been reported to possess potent antioxidative effects. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of polydatin in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) death caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), imitating the microenvironment surrounding transplanted cells in the injured spinal cord in vitro. In our study, MTT results showed that polydatin effectively prevented the decrease of cell viability caused by H2O2. Hochest 33258, Annexin V-PI, and Western blot assay showed H2O2-induced apoptosis in BMSCs, which was attenuated by polydatin. Further studies indicated that polydatin significantly protects BMSCs against apoptosis due to its antioxidative effects and the regulation of Nrf 2/ARE pathway. Taken together, our results indicate that polydatin could be used in combination with BMSCs for the treatment of spinal cord injury by improving the cell survival and oxidative stress microenvironments

Detection of Operator Fatigue in the Main Control Room of a Nuclear Power Plant Based on Eye Blink Rate, PERCLOS and Mouse Velocity

Fatigue affects operators’ safe operation in a nuclear power plant’s (NPP) main control room (MCR). An accurate and rapid detection of operators’ fatigue status is significant to safe operation. The purpose of the study is to explore a way to detect operator fatigue using trends in eyes’ blink rate, number of frames closed in a specified time (PERCLOS) and mouse velocity changes of operators. In experimental tasks of simulating operations, the clustering method of Toeplitz Inverse Covariance-Based Clustering (TICC) is used for the relevant data captured by non-invasive techniques to determine fatigue levels. Based on the determined results, the data samples are given labeled fatigue levels. Then, the data of fatigue samples with different levels are identified using supervised learning techniques. Supervised learning is used to classify different fatigue levels of operators. According to the supervised learning algorithm in different time windows (20 s–60 s), different time steps (10 s–50 s) and different feature sets (eye, mouse, eye-plus-mouse) classification performance show that K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) perform the best in the combination of the above multiple indexes. It has an accuracy rate of 91.83%. The proposed technique can detect operators’ fatigue level in real time within 10 s

Polydatin Protects Bone Marrow Stem Cells against Oxidative Injury: Involvement of Nrf 2/ARE Pathways

Polydatin, a glucoside of resveratrol, has been reported to possess potent antioxidative effects. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of polydatin in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) death caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), imitating the microenvironment surrounding transplanted cells in the injured spinal cord in vitro. In our study, MTT results showed that polydatin effectively prevented the decrease of cell viability caused by H2O2. Hochest 33258, Annexin V-PI, and Western blot assay showed H2O2-induced apoptosis in BMSCs, which was attenuated by polydatin. Further studies indicated that polydatin significantly protects BMSCs against apoptosis due to its antioxidative effects and the regulation of Nrf 2/ARE pathway. Taken together, our results indicate that polydatin could be used in combination with BMSCs for the treatment of spinal cord injury by improving the cell survival and oxidative stress microenvironments

NAD⁺ Metabolism and Immune Regulation: New Approaches to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapies

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a multifactorial systemic inflammatory immune response. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a co-enzyme involved in cell signaling and energy metabolism. Calcium homeostasis, gene transcription, DNA repair, and cell communication involve NAD+ and its degradation products. There is a growing recognition of the intricate relationship between inflammatory diseases and NAD+ metabolism. In the case of IBD, the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis relies on a delicate balance between NAD+ biosynthesis and consumption. Consequently, therapeutics designed to target the NAD+ pathway are promising for the management of IBD. This review discusses the metabolic and immunoregulatory processes of NAD+ in IBD to examine the molecular biology and pathophysiology of the immune regulation of IBD and to provide evidence and theoretical support for the clinical use of NAD+ in IBD

Expression and Functional Analysis of Storage Protein 2 in the Silkworm, Bombyx mori

Storage protein 2 (SP2) not only is an important source of energy for the growth and development of silkworm but also has inhibitory effects on cell apoptosis. Endothelial cell (EC) apoptosis is an important contributing factor in the development of atherosclerosis; therefore, study of the antiapoptotic activity of SP2 on ECs provides information related to the treatment of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the sp2 gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli to produce a 6xHis-tagged fusion protein, which was then used to generate a polyclonal antibody. Western blot results revealed that SP2 levels were higher in the pupal stage and hemolymph of fifth-instar larvae but low in the egg and adult stages. Subcellular localization results showed that SP2 is located mainly on the cell membrane. In addition, a Bac-to-Bac system was used to construct a recombinant baculovirus for SP2 expression. The purified SP2 was then added to a culture medium for human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs), which were exposed to staurosporine. A cell viability assay demonstrated that SP2 could significantly enhance the viability of HUVEC. Furthermore, both ELISA and flow cytometry results indicated that SP2 has anti-apoptotic effects on staurosporine-induced HUVEC apoptosis

Clinical Validation of DNA Extraction-Free qPCR, Visual LAMP, and Fluorescent LAMP Assays for the Rapid Detection of African Swine Fever Virus

The global pig industry and food safety are seriously threatened by outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). To permit early diagnosis of African swine fever virus (ASFV), prevent its spread, and limit its outbreaks, a highly sensitive diagnostic method that can be performed at pig farms is required. Herein, we established DNA extraction-free real-time PCR (qPCR), visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), and fluorescent LAMP assays, which were compared with the results of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) qPCR to assess ASFV-infected clinical samples. Based on plasmid DNA, the limit of detection for the three assays and OIE qPCR were 5.8 copies/μL. All four assays had good ASFV specificity and showed no cross-reactivity with other tested viruses. These assays were used to diagnose 100 clinical samples. The assays showed good diagnostic consistency, with kappa values of 1.0, 0.84, and 0.88, respectively. Compared with OIE qPCR, the diagnostic specificity/sensitivity of DNA extraction-free qPCR, visual LAMP, and fluorescent LAMP assays were 100%/100%, 100%/87.1%, and 100%/90.32%, respectively. The assays eliminated the need for DNA extraction and are more suitable for ASF diagnosis by inexperienced farmers in low-resource environments, making them a good choice for on-site monitoring of pig farms

Syntheses, structures, magnetic, and luminescent properties of five lanthanide-based MOFs with <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine-tetraacetic acid ligand

<div><p>Five new isomorphous metal–organic frameworks, {[Ln(PhDTA)_0.5(H₂PhDTA)_0.5(H₂O)₃]·H₂O}_n [Ln = Pr (<b>1</b>), Sm (<b>2</b>), Eu (<b>3</b>), Gd (<b>4</b>), Tb (<b>5</b>)], have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions based on <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (H₄PhDTA). Compounds <b>1–5</b> were characterized by infrared spectra, thermogravimetric analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds <b>1–5</b> crystallize in the monoclinic system with space group of <i>P</i>2₁/c and have 3-D framework structures. The H₂PhDTA²⁻ and H₂PhDTA⁴⁻ ions exhibit different tetradentate and bidentate modes to connect with lanthanide ions, respectively. The solid-state luminescence of <b>5</b> and magnetism of <b>4</b> were investigated further.</p></div

Temperature Contributes More than Precipitation to Runoff in the High Mountains of Northwest China

In alpine areas in Northwest China, such as the Tianshan Mountains, the lack of climate data (because of scarce meteorological stations) makes it difficult to assess the impact of climate change on runoff. The main contribution of this study was to develop an integrated method to assess the impact of climate change on runoff in data-scarce high mountains. Based on reanalysis products, this study firstly downscaled climate data using machine learning algorithms, then developed a Batch Gradient Descent Linear Regression to calculate the contributions of temperature and precipitation to runoff. Applying this method to six mountainous basins originating from the Tianshan Mountains, we found that climate changes in high mountains are more significant than in lowlands. In high mountains, the runoff changes are mainly affected by temperature, whereas in lowlands, precipitation contributes more than temperature to runoff. The contributions of precipitation and temperature to runoff changes were 20% and 80%, respectively, in the Kumarik River. The insights gained in this study can guide other studies on climate and hydrology in high mountain basins