Studies of the Mg-Al and cation-incorporated hydrotalcites

Mg-Al and cation-incorporated(containing Zn2+Ni2+Fe3+) hydrotalcites were synthesized and characterized. A detailed comparative analysis of structure and composition was made. Different cations influenced strongly textural parameters of hydrotalcites and the basicity of the obtained Mg-Al oxides after calcinations. With the cation incorporation, the distance of the brucite and the mount of CO32- as the compensating anion changed. Meanwhile the CO2-TPD was used to determine the basicity of the samples. The results showed that the basicity of the calcined hydrotalcites reduced. Finally, the activated hydrotalcite catalysts may efficiently replace homogeneous catalysts in Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction of the benzaldehyde and propanal. And it was noteworthy that the calcined cation-type (containing Zn2+, Fe3+) hydrotalcites as catalysts did not show significant activity, in agreement with their low basicity

Distinct control mechanism of fine-grained sediments from Yellow River and Kyushu supply in the northern Okinawa Trough since the last glacial

© 2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. High-resolution multiproxy records, including clay minerals and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes of the clay-sized silicate fraction of sediments from IODP Site U1429 in the northern Okinawa Trough, provide reliable evidence for distinct control mechanism on fine-grained sediments input from the Yellow River and the southern Japanese Islands to the northern Okinawa Trough since 34 ka BP. Provenance analysis indicates that the sediments were mainly derived from the Yellow River and the island of Kyushu. Since the last glacial, clay-sized sediments transported from the Yellow River to the study site were strongly influenced by sea-level fluctuation. During low sea-level stage (∼34–14 ka BP), the paleo-Yellow River mouth was positioned closer to the northern Okinawa Trough, favoring large fluvial discharge or even direct input of detrital sediments, which resulted about four times more flux of clay-sized sediments supply to the study area as during the relatively high sea-level stage (∼14–0 ka BP). The input of Kyushu-derived clay-sized sediments to the study site was mainly controlled by the Kuroshio Current and Tsushima Warm Current intensity, with increased input in phase with weakened Kuroshio Current/Tsushima Warm Current. Our study suggests that the Kuroshio Current was very likely flowed into the Okinawa Trough and thus influenced the fine-grained sediment transport in the area throughout the last glacial and deglacial. During ∼34–11 ka BP, the Kyushu clay-sized sediment input was mainly controlled by the Kuroshio Current. Since ∼11 ka BP, the occurrence of Tsushima Warm Current became important in influencing the Kyushu fine-grained sediment input to the northern Okinawa Trough

An 11-bp Insertion in Zea mays fatb Reduces the Palmitic Acid Content of Fatty Acids in Maize Grain

The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in maize kernels strongly impacts human and livestock health, but is a complex trait that is difficult to select based on phenotype. Map-based cloning of quantitative trait loci (QTL) is a powerful but time-consuming method for the dissection of complex traits. Here, we combine linkage and association analyses to fine map QTL-Pal9, a QTL influencing levels of palmitic acid, an important class of saturated fatty acid. QTL-Pal9 was mapped to a 90-kb region, in which we identified a candidate gene, Zea mays fatb (Zmfatb), which encodes acyl-ACP thioesterase. An 11-bp insertion in the last exon of Zmfatb decreases palmitic acid content and concentration, leading to an optimization of the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids while having no effect on total oil content. We used three-dimensional structure analysis to explain the functional mechanism of the ZmFATB protein and confirmed the proposed model in vitro and in vivo. We measured the genetic effect of the functional site in 15 different genetic backgrounds and found a maximum change of 4.57 mg/g palmitic acid content, which accounts for ∼20–60% of the variation in the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids. A PCR-based marker for QTL-Pal9 was developed for marker-assisted selection of nutritionally healthier maize lines. The method presented here provides a new, efficient way to clone QTL, and the cloned palmitic acid QTL sheds lights on the genetic mechanism of oil biosynthesis and targeted maize molecular breeding

MedPerf : Open Benchmarking Platform for Medical Artificial Intelligence using Federated Evaluation

Medical AI has tremendous potential to advance healthcare by supporting the evidence-based practice of medicine, personalizing patient treatment, reducing costs, and improving provider and patient experience. We argue that unlocking this potential requires a systematic way to measure the performance of medical AI models on large-scale heterogeneous data. To meet this need, we are building MedPerf, an open framework for benchmarking machine learning in the medical domain. MedPerf will enable federated evaluation in which models are securely distributed to different facilities for evaluation, thereby empowering healthcare organizations to assess and verify the performance of AI models in an efficient and human-supervised process, while prioritizing privacy. We describe the current challenges healthcare and AI communities face, the need for an open platform, the design philosophy of MedPerf, its current implementation status, and our roadmap. We call for researchers and organizations to join us in creating the MedPerf open benchmarking platform

Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa: a rare case after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract Background Pseudoaneurysm of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa (P-MAIVF) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition. The most common pathogenic factors of P-MAIVF are infective endocarditis and surgical valve operation. Here, we report a rare case of P-MAIVF which occurred one year after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Case presentation A 31-year-old man developed a P-MAIVF one year after PTCA. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a pseudoaneurysm between the aortic root and the left atrium. Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TEE) clearly demonstrated the orifice of the pseudoaneurysm. This case was initially diagnosed by ultrasound, and the prognosis was good after surgical repair. Conclusions We report a rare case of P-MAIVF that occurred one year after PTCA

Minimally invasive unicompartmental knee arthroplasty in treatment of osteonecrosis versus osteoarthritis: a matched-pair comparison

This study was conducted to compare the differences of the outcome and surgical technique for minimally invasive unicompartmental knee arthroplasty(UKA) in treatment of osteonecrosis versus osteoarthritis. Twenty-nine spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee (SONK) cases were reviewed retrospectively. An equal number of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) performed in the same period were selected and matched with respect to age, preoperative range of motion and radiological grade of knee arthrosis. The mean follow up time were 44.14±14.05 and 44.45±14.45 months, respectively. The preoperative hospital for special surgery knee score and visual analogue score were significantly better in group OA than those of group SONK. However, the results were comparable in terms of postoperative pain, knee score, range of motion and axial alignment. From a technical point of view, the osteonecrosis stage and bone defect must be taken into account when using UKA for SONK

Flexible and Electrically Tunable Plasmons in Graphene–Mica Heterostructures

| openaire: EC/FP7/631610/EU//GrabFastFlexible plasmonic devices with electrical tunability are of great interest for diverse applications, such as flexible metamaterials, waveguide transformation optics, and wearable sensors. However, the traditional flexible metal–polymer plasmonic structures suffer from a lack of electrical tunability. Here the first flexible, electrically tunable, and strain-independent plasmons based on graphene–mica heterostructures are experimentally demonstrated. The resonance frequency, strength, quality factor, electrical tunability, and lifetime of graphene plasmons exhibit no visible change at bending radius down to 1 mm and after 1000 bending cycles at a radius of 3 mm. The plasmon-enhanced infrared spectroscopy detection of chemicals is also demonstrated to be unaffected in the flexible graphene–mica heterostructures. The results provide the basis for the design of flexible active nanophotonic devices such as plasmonic waveguides, resonators, sensors, and modulators.Peer reviewe

Stress and the brain: Emotional support mediates the association between myelination in the right supramarginal gyrus and perceived chronic stress

Perceived stress, which refers to people's evaluation of a stressful event and their ability to cope with it, has emerged as a stable predictor for physical and mental health outcomes. Increasing evidence has suggested the buffering effect of social support on perceived stress. Although previous studies have investigated the brain structural features (e.g., gray matter volume) associated with perceived stress, less is known about the association between perceived chronic stress and intra-cortical myelin (ICM), which is an important microstructure of brain and is essential for healthy brain functions, and the role of social support in this association. Using a sample of 1076 healthy young adults drawn from the Human Connectome Project, we quantified the ICMby the contrast of T1w and T2w images and examined its association with perceived chronic stress during the last month and social support. Behavioral results showed that perceived chronic stress was negatively associated with both emotional support and instrumental support. Vertex-wise multiple regression analyses revealed that higher level of perceived chronic stress was significantly associated with lower ICM content of a cluster in the right supramarginal gyrus (rSMG). Interestingly, the emotional support, but not the instrumental support, significantly mediated the association of perceived chronic stress with ICM in the rSMG. Overall, the present study provides novel evidence for the cortical myelination of perceived chronic stress in humans and highlights the essential role of the rSMG in perceived chronic stress and emotional support