Classroom-based conversation analytic research: theoretical and applied perspectives on pedagogy, Kunitz, S., Markee, N., Sert, O. (Eds.) (2021). Springer, Cham, Switzerland. 426 pages, ISBN: 978-3-030-52192-9.

Conversation analysis (CA) has drawn attention from researchers on classroom context because of its potential implications for language education (Sidnell, 2010). However, previous studies overemphasized the detailed microanalyses, failing to provide specific pedagogical guidelines for teachers. This volume, with pedagogical implications of CA in multi-context classrooms, teacher education and assessment, provides a timely guidance for language instruction

Polymorphisms of XRCC4 are involved in reduced colorectal cancer risk in Chinese schizophrenia patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genetic factors related to the regulation of apoptosis in schizophrenia patients may be involved in a reduced vulnerability to cancer. XRCC4 is one of the potential candidate genes associated with schizophrenia which might induce colorectal cancer resistance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To examine the genetic association between colorectal cancer and schizophrenia, we analyzed five SNPs (rs6452526, rs2662238, rs963248, rs35268, rs2386275) covering ~205.7 kb in the region of XRCC4.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed that two of the five genetic polymorphisms showed statistically significant differences between 312 colorectal cancer subjects without schizophrenia and 270 schizophrenia subjects (rs6452536, p = 0.004, OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44-0.86; rs35268, p = 0.028, OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.05-2.26). Moreover, the haplotype which combined all five markers was the most significant, giving a global <it>p </it>= 0.0005.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data firstly indicate that XRCC4 may be a potential protective gene towards schizophrenia, conferring reduced susceptibility to colorectal cancer in the Han Chinese population.</p

Genomic Analyses Reveal Mutational Signatures and Frequently Altered Genes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the fourth most lethal cancer in China. However, although genomic studies have identified some mutations associated with ESCC, we know little of the mutational processes responsible. To identify genome-wide mutational signatures, we performed either whole-genome sequencing (WGS) or whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 104 ESCC individuals and combined our data with those of 88 previously reported samples. An APOBEC-mediated mutational signature in 47% of 192 tumors suggests that APOBEC-catalyzed deamination provides a source of DNA damage in ESCC. Moreover, PIK3CA hotspot mutations (c.1624G>A [p.Glu542Lys] and c.1633G>A [p.Glu545Lys]) were enriched in APOBEC-signature tumors, and no smoking-associated signature was observed in ESCC. In the samples analyzed by WGS, we identified focal (<100 kb) amplifications of CBX4 and CBX8. In our combined cohort, we identified frequent inactivating mutations in AJUBA, ZNF750, and PTCH1 and the chromatin-remodeling genes CREBBP and BAP1, in addition to known mutations. Functional analyses suggest roles for several genes (CBX4, CBX8, AJUBA, and ZNF750) in ESCC. Notably, high activity of hedgehog signaling and the PI3K pathway in approximately 60% of 104 ESCC tumors indicates that therapies targeting these pathways might be particularly promising strategies for ESCC. Collectively, our data provide comprehensive insights into the mutational signatures of ESCC and identify markers for early diagnosis and potential therapeutic targets

Overexpression of Populus X Canescens Isoprene Synthase Gene in Camelina sativa Leads to Alterations in its Growth and Metabolism

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) is a hemiterpene molecule. It has been estimated that the plant kingdom emits 500–750 million tons of isoprene in the environment, half of which results from tropical broadleaf trees and the remainder from shrubs. Camelina (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is an emerging bioenergy plant for biodiesel. In this study, we characterized isoprene formation following a diurnal/nocturnal cycle in wild-type Camelina plants. To understand the potential effects of isoprene emission on this herbaceous plant, a gray poplar Populus × canescens isoprene synthase gene (PcISPS) was overexpressed in Camelina. Transgenic plants showed increased isoprene production, and the emissions were characterized by a diurnal/nocturnal cycle. Measurements of the expression of six genes of the plastidial 2-C-methyl-d-erythriol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway revealed that the expression patterns of three key genes were associated with isoprene formation dynamics in the three genotypic plants. Conversely, dissimilar gene expression levels existed in different genotypes, indicating that dynamics and variations occurred among plants. Moreover, transgenic plants grew shorter and developed smaller leaves than the wild-type and empty vector control transgenic plants. Photosynthetic analysis showed that the CO2 assimilation rate, intracellular CO2 concentration, mesophyll conductance and contents of chlorophylls a and b were similar among PcISPS transgenic, empty-vector control transgenic, and wild-type plants, indicating that the transgene did not negatively affect photosynthesis. Based on these results, we suggest that the reduced biomass was likely a trade-off consequence of the increased isoprene emission

RNA sequencing on Amomum villosum Lour.-induced by MeJA identifies the genes of WRKY and terpene synthases involved in terpene biosynthesis

Amomum villosum Lour. is an important Chinese medicine that has diverse medicinal functions, and mainly contains volatile terpenes This study aimed to explore the WRKY transcription factors (TFs) and terpene synthases (TPS) unigenes, which might be involved in terpene biosynthesis in A. villosum for providing some new information on the regulation of terpenes in plants. RNA sequencing of A.villosum-induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) revealed WRKY family was the second biggest TF family in the transcriptome. Thirty-six complete WRKY domain sequences were in response to MeJA. Further, six WRKY unigenes were highly correlated with eight deduced TPS unigenes. Ultimately, we combined the terpene abundance with the expression of candidate WRKYs and TPS unigenes to presume a possible model wherein AvWRKY61, AvWRKY28 and AvWRKY40 might coordinately trans-activate the AvNeoD promoter. We propose an approach to mine TFs unigenes might be involved in terpenoid biosynthesis, and obtained four unigenes for further analyses.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Road Performance and Application Analysis of Ultra-Thin Asphalt Coating Mixture with High Elastic Modification

A kind of composite modified asphalt with high elasticity was prepared by SBS and high elasticity agent, and the asphalt mixture with easy compactness was applied. The high temperature, low temperature, water stability and fatigue properties of the mixture were evaluated by laboratory tests. The results show that the optimum content of high elasticity agent is about 6% for SBS modified asphalt. The pavement performance of the high-elasticity modified asphalt compacting mixture was improved to a certain extent. Compared with SBS modified asphalt SMA-13, the dynamic stability was increased by 13.5%. The water stability, low temperature crack resistance and fatigue resistance increased by 10.4%, 59.3% and 173%

Self-organizing cooperation model for ships navigating in restricted one-way waterway

An effective ship scheduling strategy is critical for the efficiency of waterway transportation, especially in restricted one-way waterways. By treating ship traffic as a distributed system, a novel Ship Self-Organizing Cooperation algorithm (SSOCA) is proposed to evaluate the effects of self-organizing cooperation between ships. An assumption is made that overtaking is not allowed under the given safety requirement. Observing that traffic efficiency is influenced by speed differences, two types of delay times, wait time and navigation time as increased by speed reductions, are applied to evaluate traffic efficiency. The mathematical model of delay time is inferred in different entry sequences subsequently. Taking advantage of the delay model, each ship makes a decision regarding its own sequence to find the local optimum iteratively. An Arena-based ship traffic model is constructed. The simulation results indicate that average delay time for ships is decreased in comparison with the First Come First Served (FCFS) model. That advantage exists for different combinations of traffic flow parameters. Moreover, a balance between efficiency and computation is also achieved by distributing the computational burden to each ship

Modification of Graphene on Ultramicroelectrode Array and Its Application in Detection of Dissolved Oxygen

This paper investigated two different modification methods of graphene (GN) on ultramicroelectrode array (UMEA) and applied the GN modified UMEA for the determination of dissolved oxygen (DO). The UMEAs were fabricated by Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technique and the radius of each ultramicroelectrode is 10 μm. GN-NH2 and GN-COOH were modified on UMEA by using self-assembling method. Compared with GN-NH2 modified UMEA, the GN-COOH modified UMEA showed better electrochemical reduction to DO, owing to better dispersing and more active sites. The GN-COOH on UMEA was electroreduced to reduced GN-COOH (rGN-COOH) to increase the conductivity and the catalysis performance. Finally, the palladium nanoparticles/rGN-COOH composite was incorporated into DO microsensor for the detection of DO

An Integrative Volatile Terpenoid Profiling and Transcriptomics Analysis for Gene Mining and Functional Characterization of AvBPPS and AvPS Involved in the Monoterpenoid Biosynthesis in Amomum villosum

Amomum villosum, also known as Fructus Amomi, has been used to treat digestive diseases such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and dysentery. Volatile terpenoids are the active metabolites in the essential oil of Fructus Amomi. Nevertheless, downstream genes responsible for activating metabolites biosynthesis in A. villosum still remain unclear. Here, we report the use of an integrative volatile terpenoid profiling and transcriptomics analysis for mining the corresponding genes involved in volatile terpenoid biosynthesis. Ten terpene synthase (TPS) genes were discovered, and two of them were cloned and functionally characterized. AvTPS1 (AvPS: pinene synthase) catalyzed GPP to form α-pinene and β-pinene; AvTPS3 (AvBPPS: bornyl diphosphate synthase) produced bornyl diphosphate as major product and the other three monoterpenoids as minor products. Metabolite accumulation and gene expression pattern combined with AvPS biochemical characterization suggested that AvPS might play a role in biotic defense. On the other hand, the most active ingredient, bornyl acetate, was highly accumulated in seeds and was consistent with the high expression of AvBPPS, which further indicated that AvBPPS is responsible for the biosynthesis of bornyl acetate, the final metabolite of bornyl diphosphate in A. villosum. This study can be used to improve the quality of A. villosum through metabolic engineering, and for the sustainable production of bornyl acetate in heterologous hosts