On the Narrative Features of British Sitcoms: Take The IT Crowd and Yes, Prime Minister as Examples

In recent years, British TV dramas have been a glaring phenomenon and the “new favorite” of fans who love watching overseas TV plays. This paper takes two TV dramas of The IT Crowd and Yes, Prime Minister for case studies, explores the narrative features of British sitcom from dramatic narrative tendency, core narration of “people”, self-deprecating humor, unity of conflict and social significance, concludes three points of inspiration for China’s film and television creation: “learn” instead of “imitate”, “serious” instead of “funny”, “modern” as well as “traditional.”

Heat flow method to Lichnerowicz type equation on closed manifolds

In this paper, we establish existence results for positive solutions to the Lichnerowicz equation of the following type in closed manifolds -\Delta u=A(x)u^{-p}-B(x)u^{q},\quad in\quad M, where $p>1, q>0$, and $A(x)>0$, $B(x)\geq0$ are given smooth functions. Our analysis is based on the global existence of positive solutions to the following heat equation {ll} u_t-\Delta u=A(x)u^{-p}-B(x)u^{q},\quad in\quad M\times\mathbb{R}^{+}, u(x,0)=u_0,\quad in\quad M with the positive smooth initial data $u_0$.Comment: 10 page

Breeding response of transcript profiling in developing seeds of Brassica napus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The upgrading of rapeseed cultivars has resulted in a substantial improvement in yield and quality in China over the past 30 years. With the selective pressure against fatty acid composition and oil content, high erucic acid- and low oil-content cultivars have been replaced by low erucic acid- and high oil-content cultivars. The high erucic acid cultivar Zhongyou 821 and its descendent, low erucic acid cultivar Zhongshuang 9, are representatives of two generations of the most outstanding Chinese rapeseed cultivars (<it>B. napus</it>) developed the past 2 decades. This paper compares the transcriptional profiles of Zhongshuang 9 and Zhongyou 821 for 32 genes that are principally involved in lipid biosynthesis during seed development in order to elucidate how the transcriptional profiles of these genes responded to quality improvement over the past 20 years.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Comparison of the cultivar Zhongyou 821 with its descendent, Zhongshuang 9, shows that the transcriptional levels of seven of the 32 genes were upregulated by 30% to 109%, including <it>FAD3</it>, <it>ACCase, FAE1</it>, <it>GKTP</it>, <it>Caleosin</it>, <it>GAPDH</it>, and <it>PEPC</it>. Of the 32 genes, 10 (<it>KAS3, β-CT, BcRK6, P450, FatA, Oleosin, FAD6, FatB, α-CT </it>and <it>SUC1</it>) were downregulated by at least 20% and most by 50%. The <it>Napin </it>gene alone accounted for over 75% of total transcription from all 32 genes assessed in both cultivars. Most of the genes showed significant correlation with fatty acid accumulation, but the correlation in ZS9 was significantly different from that in ZY821. Higher <it>KCR2 </it>activity is associated with higher C16:0, C18:0, and C18:2 in both cultivars, lower C22:1 and total fatty acid content in ZY821, and lower 18:1 in ZS9.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This paper illustrates the response of the transcription levels of 32 genes to breeding in developing rapeseed seeds. Both cultivars showed similar transcription profiles, with the <it>Napin </it>gene predominantly transcribed. Selective pressure for zero erucic acid, low glucosinolate, high oleic acid and high oil content, as well as high yield, resulted in higher <it>FAD3</it>, <it>ACCase, FAE1</it>, <it>GKTP</it>, <it>Caleosin</it>, <it>GAPDH</it>, and <it>PEPC </it>expression levels and lower <it>KAS3, β-CT, BcRK6, P450, FatA, Oleosin, FAD6, FatB, α-CT </it>and <it>SUC1 </it>expression levels. It also resulted in altered relationships between these genes during storage accumulation in seed development.</p

The p53 Pathway Controls SOX2-Mediated Reprogramming in the Adult Mouse Spinal Cord

Although the adult mammalian spinal cord lacks intrinsic neurogenic capacity, glial cells can be reprogrammed in vivo to generate neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI). How this reprogramming process is molecularly regulated, however, is not clear. Through a series of in vivo screens, we show here that the p53-dependent pathway constitutes a critical checkpoint for SOX2-mediated reprogramming of resident glial cells in the adult mouse spinal cord. While it has no effect on the reprogramming efficiency, the p53 pathway promotes cell-cycle exit of SOX2-induced adult neuroblasts (iANBs). As such, silencing of either p53 or p21 markedly boosts the overall production of iANBs. A neurotrophic milieu supported by BDNF and NOG can robustly enhance maturation of these iANBs into diverse but predominantly glutamatergic neurons. Together, these findings have uncovered critical molecular and cellular checkpoints that may be manipulated to boost neuron regeneration after SCI

Effects of tea garden soil on aroma components and related gene expression in tea leaves

In order to explore the effect of soil on the synthesis of aroma components in tea leaves, tea seedlings replanted in tea rhizosphere soil of different ages were used as research materials. Tea seedlings were replanted in soils aged 0, 4, 9, and 30 years, and after one year of growth, 34, 37, 29, and 26 substances were detected in the tea leaves, respectively, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The relative contents of terpenoids and alcohols in the tea leaves dropped from 66.40% to 44.52% and 5.21% to 2.61%, respectively, as the age of the rhizosphere soil increased. Aldehydes, esters, and nitrogen compounds increased from 3.80% to 22.36%, 1.33% to 12.02%, and 3.13% to 19.96%, respectively, as the age of the rhizosphere soil increased. Gene differential expression measured by fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that the number of nerolidol synthetase and linalool synthase genes in tea leaves increased significantly, and the terpineol synthetase, phellandrene synthase, myrcene synthetase, ocimene synthase, limonene synthetase, germacrene synthase, and farnesene synthase genes declined significantly with the increase in soil age. In summary, as the number of years tea had been planted in the soil increased, the soil significantly affected the expression of terpene synthase genes in tea leaves, and then the composition and content of aroma substances in tea leaves changed. The results provide a theoretical basis for the improvement of tea quality

Construction and Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Chitosan Electrospun Film Loaded with Catechins

In order to develop a new bio-based food packaging material and improve the bioavailability of natural phenolic compounds, an electrospinning film loaded with Catechin was prepared by electrospinning using catechin (CT), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CS) as substrates. The microstructure and diameter distribution of the electrospun films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The interaction between CT and film forming substrate was studied by Fourier infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The effects of CT addition on the physical and chemical properties of the electrospun film were investigated by taking the mechanical properties, gas permeability and antioxidant activity of the film as parameters. Finally, the preservation effect of electrospun film was analyzed by sensory evaluation, water loss rate and titrable acid content. The results showed that the intermolecular hydrogen bond was formed between CT and CS, and the hydrophobic property was improved. When the concentration of CT was 0.8%, the comprehensive performance of the electrospun film was the best. It had good morphology, dense structure and good thermal stability. At this point, the tensile strength and elongation at break reached the maximum, which were 12.89 MPa and 62.45% respectively. The water solubility, water vapor transmittance and CO2 transmittance were the lowest, which were 29.51%, 0.1532 g·mm·(m2·h·kPa)−1 and 5.9 g·(m2·h)−1, respectively. Besides, the scavenging rate of DPPH free radical also reached the maximum value, which was 71.02%. Moreover, the electrospun membrane had sustained release effect. When the CT concentration was 0.8%, its cumulative release rate was the highest. The preservation research results showed that the electrospun film could effectively delay the deterioration of strawberry, and the electrospun film with 0.8% CT concentration had the best preservation effect. In conclusion, the electrospun film with 0.8% CT concentration had the best comprehensive performance, and it had certain antioxidation and fresh-keeping ability

The Feasibility of Targeted Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoagent for Noninvasive IgA Nephropathy Diagnosis

IgA nephropathy is the most common glomerular disease in the world and has become a serious threat to human health. Accurate and non-invasive molecular imaging to detect and recognize the IgA nephropathy is critical for the subsequent timely treatment; otherwise, it may progress to end-stage renal disease and lead to glomerular dysfunction. In this study, we have developed a sensitive, specific, and biocompatible integrin alpha v beta 3-targeted superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) for the noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of integrin alpha v beta 3, which is overexpressed in glomerular mesangial region of IgA nephropathy. The rat model of IgA nephropathy was successfully established and verified by biochemical tests and histological staining. Meanwhile, the clinical F-18-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 probe molecule was utilized to visualize and further confirmed the IgA nephropathy in vivo via positron emission computed tomography. Subsequently, the Fe3O4 NPs were conjugated with arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) molecules (Fe3O4-RGD), and their integrin alpha v beta 3-targeted T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) potential has been carefully evaluated. The Fe3O4-RGD demonstrated great relaxation in vivo. The T2WI signal of renal layers in the targeted group at 3 h after intravenous injection of Fe3O4-RGD was distinctly lower than baseline, indicating MRI signal decreased in the established IgA nephropathy rat model. Moreover, the TEM characterization and Prussian blue staining confirmed that the Fe3O4-RGD was located at the region of glomerulus and tubular interstitium. Moreover, no obvious signal decreased was detected in the untargeted Fe3O4 treated and normal groups. Collectively, our results establish the possibility of Fe3O4-RGD serving as a feasible MRI agent for the noninvasive diagnosis of IgA nephropathy

Clinical research on RSV prevention in children and pregnant women: progress and perspectives

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant causative agent of bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and children. The identification and structural analysis of the surface fusion glycoprotein of RSV represents a pivotal advancement in the development of RSV prevention. This review provides a comprehensive summary of RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb) and vaccine clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, emphasizing on the classification, name, target, phase, clinical outcomes, and safety data of RSV vaccination in newborns, infants and children. We also discuss the characteristics of the types of RSV vaccines for maternal immunity and summarize the current clinical research progress of RSV vaccination in pregnant women and their protective efficacy in infants. This review will provide new ideas for the development of RSV prevention for children in the future

BPLLDA: Predicting lncRNA-Disease Associations Based on Simple Paths With Limited Lengths in a Heterogeneous Network

In recent years, it has been increasingly clear that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in many biological processes associated with human diseases. Inferring potential lncRNA-disease associations is essential to reveal the secrets behind diseases, develop novel drugs, and optimize personalized treatments. However, biological experiments to validate lncRNA-disease associations are very time-consuming and costly. Thus, it is critical to develop effective computational models. In this study, we have proposed a method called BPLLDA to predict lncRNA-disease associations based on paths of fixed lengths in a heterogeneous lncRNA-disease association network. Specifically, BPLLDA first constructs a heterogeneous lncRNA-disease network by integrating the lncRNA-disease association network, the lncRNA functional similarity network, and the disease semantic similarity network. It then infers the probability of an lncRNA-disease association based on paths connecting them and their lengths in the network. Compared to existing methods, BPLLDA has a few advantages, including not demanding negative samples and the ability to predict associations related to novel lncRNAs or novel diseases. BPLLDA was applied to a canonical lncRNA-disease association database called LncRNADisease, together with two popular methods LRLSLDA and GrwLDA. The leave-one-out cross-validation areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of BPLLDA are 0.87117, 0.82403, and 0.78528, respectively, for predicting overall associations, associations related to novel lncRNAs, and associations related to novel diseases, higher than those of the two compared methods. In addition, cervical cancer, glioma, and non-small-cell lung cancer were selected as case studies, for which the predicted top five lncRNA-disease associations were verified by recently published literature. In summary, BPLLDA exhibits good performances in predicting novel lncRNA-disease associations and associations related to novel lncRNAs and diseases. It may contribute to the understanding of lncRNA-associated diseases like certain cancers

Infection status and risk factors of HIV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis among drug users in Guangdong, China - a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>China has witnessed a remarkable increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. The study is to assess the prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis and related risk factors among drug users in mandatory detoxification center Qingyuan, Guangdong, China.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>A cross-sectional study on drug use behaviors, sex behaviors, and presence of antibodies to HIV, HCV, Treponema pallidum, and surface antigen of HBV (HBsAg) was conducted among drug users recruited from 3 detoxification centers in Qingyuan, Guangdong, China. Risk factors for each of four infections were analyzed with logistic regression model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 740 subjects were recruited, the median age was 31 years old (range 24-38). The seroprevalence rates of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis were 4.6%, 19.3%, 71.6% and 12.6%, respectively. Risk factors for HIV were intravenous drug use and co-infection with syphilis. Having a regular sexual partner who was a drug user was considered to be a risk factor for HBV. Intravenous drug use was a risk factor for HCV. However, the consistent use of condoms with commercial sex partners was protective for HCV infection. Compared to drug users living in urban area, those living in rural areas were more likely to be infected with syphilis, and there was an association between commercial sex and syphilis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis were high among drug users in detoxification centers in Qingyuan, thus, risk reduction programs for the drug user population is urgently required.</p