Bäcklund transformation (BT) is an intrinsic property of nonlinear integrable system. Generally, it is an interesting and challenging work to investigate BT of a nonlinear system, especially for the ...non-polynomial form. In this paper, we introduce an analytic method for constructing BTs of the generalized nonlinear wave equations (NLWEs) of the form utt=auxx+h(u). The BTs with arbitrary parameters are provided explicitly, so the integrability of the equation is verified accordingly. Then, the nonlinear superposition formulas (NSFs) of the NLWEs are given in terms of such BTs, and the infinite number of exact explicit solutions to the equations are obtained based on the BTs and the NSFs. Furthermore, the BTs of the other types of NLWEs of the form uxt=h(u) can be provided directly by the variable transformation method.
Six new C-20 and one new C-19 quassinoids, named perforalactones F-L (1–7), were isolated from twigs of Harrisonia perforata. Spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic experiments were conducted to ...identify their structures. Through oxidative degradation of perforalactone B to perforaqussin A, the biogenetic process from C-25 quassinoid to C-20 via Baeyer–Villiger oxidation was proposed. Furthermore, the study evaluated the anti-Parkinson’s disease potential of these C-20 quassinoids for the first time on 6-OHDA-induced PC12 cells and a Drosophila Parkinson’s disease model of PINK1B9. Perforalactones G and I (2 and 4) showed a 10–15% increase in cell viability of the model cells at 50 μM, while compounds 2 and 4 (100 μM) significantly improved the climbing ability of PINK1B9 flies and increased the dopamine level in the brains and ATP content in the thoraces of the flies.
In this paper, by constructing equivalent transformations (ETs) of the generalized cylindrical KdV (cKdV) types of equations, we transform the variable-coefficient partial differential equations ...(vc-PDEs) into constant-coefficient PDEs (cc-PDEs) under some conditions. Particularly, the classical cKdV equation is transformed into the classical KdV equation accordingly, then the exact solutions to the vc-PDEs are provided in terms of the ETs. Thus, an effective approach to getting exact solutions to vc-PDEs is presented based on the solutions to cc-PDEs.
Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are environmentally ubiquitous and have aroused a worldwide concern due to their threats to environment and human health. Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) is one of the most ...frequently observed PAEs in the environment. In this study, a novel bacterium identified as Pseudomonas sp. YJB6 that isolated from PAEs-contaminated soil was determined to have strong DBP-degrading activity. A complete degradation of DBP in 200 mg/L was achieved within 3 days when YJB6 was cultivated at 31.4 °C with an initial inoculation size of 0.6 (OD600) in basic mineral salts liquid medium (MSM), pH 7.6. The degradation curves of DBP (50–2000 mg/L) fitted well the first-order kinetics model, with a half-life (t1/2) ranging from 0.86 to 1.88 d. The main degradation intermediates were identified as butyl-ethyl phthalate (BEP), mono-butyl phthalate (MBP), phthalic acid (PA) and benzoic acid (BA), indicating a new complex and complete biodegradation pathway presented by YJB6. DBP might be metabolized through de-esterification, β-oxidation, and hydrolysis, followed by entering the Krebs cycle of YJB6 as a final step. Strain YJB6 was successfully immobilized with sodium alginate (SA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and SA-PVA. The immobilization significantly improved the stability and adaptability of the cells thus resulting in high volumetric DBP-degrading rates compared to that of the freely suspended cells. In addition, these immobilized cells can be reused for many cycles with well conserved in DBP-degrading activity. The ideal DBP degrading ability of the free and immobilized YJB6 cells suggests that strain YJB6, especially the SA-PVA+ YJB6 promises great potential to remove hazardous PAEs.
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•A novel Pseudomonas sp. YJB6 able to efficiently degrade DBP was discovered.•Strain YJB6 could be equipped with new degradation pathways of DBP.•The immobilization of YJB6 cells resulted in high volumetric DBP-degrading rates.•The immobilized cells could be reused with little decrease in degrading activity.•The biocomposites of SA-PVA + YJB6 provided greater potential for DBP degradation.
The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic efficacy of PET/CT-aided CT-guided and routine CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy for lung lesions.
A total of 458 patients with suspicious ...lung lesions were referred for CT-guided biopsy, with 227 patients assigned to the PET/CT group and 231 patients assigned to the CT group. The clinical characteristics and diagnostic yield were compared between the two groups. Furthermore, conducting subgroup analysis to evaluate the differences of diagnostic success or failure between the two groups.
The sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy rate differed significantly (P = 0.035, P = 0.048). In the PET/CT group, the values were 95.7% and 96.3%, respectively, while in the CT group, they were 90.1% and 91.9%. When considering non-diagnostic cases, the overall diagnostic success rate increased markedly in PET/CT group (93.0% vs. 83.1%, P = 0.001). In our subgroup analysis, the PET/CT group demonstrated superiority in detecting lesions larger than 3 cm (OR, 4.81; 95CI%, 2.03 - 11.36), while showing a moderate effect in lesions smaller than 3 cm (OR, 1.09; 95CI%, 0.42 - 2.81). Significant effect modification was observed in large lesions in the PET/CT group (P for interaction = 0.023).
F-FDG-PET/CT enhances the diagnostic efficacy of CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy for lung lesions, and the incremental value can be modified by lesion size, particularly when the diameter is larger than 3 cm.
The dopamine (DA) system has long been involved in social hierarchies; however, the specific mechanisms have not been elucidated. The lateral septum (LS) is a limbic brain structure that regulates ...various emotional, motivational, and social behaviors. DA receptors are abundantly expressed in the LS, modulating its functions. In this study, we evaluated the functions of DA receptors within different subregions of the LS in social dominance using a confrontation tube test in male mice. The results showed that mice living in social groups formed linear dominance hierarchies after a few days of cohousing, and the subordinates showed increased anxiety. Fos expressions was elevated in the entire LS after a confrontation tube test in the subordinates. However, DA neurons were more activated in the dominates within the ventral tegmental area and the dorsal raphe nucleus. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results showed that D2 receptor (D2R) within the intermediate region of the LS (LSi) were elevated in the subordinate. In the following pharmacological studies, we found simultaneous D2R activation in the dominants and D2R inhibition in the subordinates switched the original dominant–subordinate relationship. The aforementioned results suggested that D2R within the LSi plays an important role in social dominance in male mice. These findings improve our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the social hierarchy, which is closely related to our social life and happiness.
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•Male mice established a linear social rank after a few days of cohousing.•Enhanced neural activity in the LS were observed in the subordinates.•DA neurons in the VTA and DR were more activated in the dominates.•D2R in the intermediate region of the LS were elevated in the subordinates.•Pharmacological modulation of D2R in the LS switched the dominant–subordinate relationship.
Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) as an accumulative emerging persistent organic pollutant in crops poses severe threats to human health. Lettuce varieties that accumulate a lower amount of PFOS ...(low-accumulating crop variety, LACV) have been identified, but the regarding mechanisms remain unsolved. Here, rhizospheric activation, uptake, translocation, and compartmentalization of PFOS in LACV were investigated in comparison with those of high-accumulating crop variety (HACV) in terms of rhizospheric forms, transporters, and subcellular distributions of PFOS. The enhanced PFOS desorption from the rhizosphere soils by dissolved organic matter from root exudates was observed with weaker effect in LACV than in HACV. PFOS root uptake was controlled by a transporter-mediated passive process in which low activities of aquaporins and rapid-type anion channels were corrected with low expression levels of PIPs (PIP1–1 and PIP2–2) and ALMTs (ALMT10 and ALMT13) genes in LACV roots. Higher PFOS proportions in root cell walls and trophoplasts caused lower root-to-shoot transport in LACV. The ability to cope with PFOS toxicity to shoot cells was poorer in LACV relative to HACV since PFOS proportions were higher in chloroplasts but lower in vacuoles. Our findings provide novel insights into PFOS accumulation in lettuce and further understanding of multiprocess mechanisms of LACV.
In this paper, a low-complexity approach for the large-scale (underdetermined) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) detection is proposed using the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm in ...conjunction with blockwise sampling. Klein's algorithm is employed in each sub-system to draw multidimensional samples for an MCMC detector in iterative detection and decoding (IDD). From analysis, we find that the lattice reduction (LR) technique cannot improve the performance of the proposed MCMC-based approach under low-correlated channel environment. In addition, due to blockwise sampling, the proposed method exhibits a faster convergence speed when running a Markov chain and provides a near-optimal performance for the detection of underdetermined MIMO systems. Complexity analysis and simulation results show that the proposed approach outperforms the conventional LR-based Klein randomized successive interference cancellation (SIC) detection with a relatively low complexity.
Most social animals self-organize into dominance hierarchies that strongly influence their behavior and health. The serotonin (5-HT) system is believed to play an important role in the formation of ...social hierarchy. 5-HT receptors are abundantly expressed in the amygdala, which is considered as the central node for the perception and learning of social hierarchy. In this study, we assessed the functions of various 5-HT receptor subtypes related to social rank determination in different subregions of the amygdala using the confrontation tube test in mice. We revealed that most adult C57BL/6 J male mice exhibited a linear social rank after a few days of cohousing. The tube test ranks were slightly related to anxiety-like behavioral performance. After the tube test, the amygdala and 5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus were activated in lower-rank individuals. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that despite the high expression of 5-HT1A receptor mRNA in the central amygdala (CeA), 5-HT2A receptor mRNA expression was downregulated in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in higher-rank individuals. The dominant–subordinate relationship between mouse pairs could be switched via pharmacological modulation of these receptors in CeA and BLA, suggesting that these expression changes are essential for establishing social ranks. Our findings provide novel insights into the divergent functions of 5-HT receptors in the amygdala related to social hierarchy, which is closely related to our health and welfare.
•Male mice established a linear social rank after a few days of cohousing.•5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus were activated in low-ranking individuals.•5-HT1A receptor were elevated in the CeA of high-ranking individuals.•5-HT2A receptor were down-regulated in the BLA of high-ranking individuals.•Pharmacological modulation of these receptors switched the dominant–subordinate relationship.
In this work, the impact of oxygen vacancies and nitrogen-doped carbon coating on the sodium-ion storage properties of anatase TiO
2
has been demonstrated. Oxygen vacancies and nitrogen-doped carbon ...coating were introduced simultaneously by the calcination of core-shell structured TiO
2
spheres in a reducing atmosphere. Compared to the anatase TiO
2
with and without oxygen vacancies, TiO
2−
x
@NC exhibits much better electrochemical performance in the storage of sodium ions. A high reversible capacity of 245.6 mA h g
−1
is maintained at 0.1 A g
−1
after 200 cycles, and a high specific capacity of 155.6 mA h g
−1
is achieved at a high rate of 5.0 A g
−1
. The significantly improved electrochemical performance of the core-shell structured anatase TiO
2
spheres is attributed to the synergistic effect of the oxygen vacancies in the anatase lattice and surface nitrogen-doped carbon coating. This work provides an efficient strategy for improving the electrochemical performance of metal-oxide-based electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries.
TiO
2−
x
@NC with plenty of oxygen vacancies and surface nitrogen-doped carbon coating has been prepared and exhibits excellent cycling stability and superior rate capabilities as an anode material for SIBs.
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