The genetic consequences of population differentiation and isolation have been the subject of conservation biology. In this study, we analysed the genetic diversity and structure of Mongolian sheep ...in China. These animals belong to a traditional local breed with high production, extensive adaption, early maturity and roughage resistance. For this purpose, 26 microsatellites were genotyped for five Mongolian sheep populations. The Bayesian clustering indicated five clusters as the most probable genetic structure of the populations investigated. In addition, a clear genetic structure was revealed in three populations distributed at large geographical scales, while the other cluster encompassed UQ and HLBR sheep that displayed no clear differentiation, probably due to their close and small geographical distributions. Overall, our results are helpful in understanding the interplay of population dynamics in these close genetic lineages of Mongolian sheep.
Er-stuffed pyrochlore series Er2(Ti2−xErx)O7−x/2 (x=0, 0.162, 0.286, 0.424 and 0.667) were synthesized using conventional ceramic processing procedures. The structure of Er2(Ti2−xErx)O7−x/2 is ...effectively tailored by the Er stuffing level (x). In order to study the radiation effect of Er-stuffed pyrochlores, irradiation experiments were performed with 400keV Ne2+ ions to fluences ranging from 5×1014 to 3.0×1015ions/cm2 at cryogenic condition. Irradiation induced microstructural evolution was examined using a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique. It is found that the irradiated layer of Er2(Ti2−xErx)O7−x/2 undergoes significant lattice disordering and swelling at fluences of ⩽1.5×1015ions/cm2 and amorphization at fluences of ⩾1.5×1015ions/cm2. The radiation effect depends strongly on the chemical compositions of the samples. Both the lattice swelling percentage and the amorphous fraction decrease with increasing x. The experimental results are discussed in the context of cation antisite defect. The defect formation energy which varies as a function of x is responsible for the difference in the structural behaviors of Er2(Ti2−xErx)O7−x/2 under 400keV Ne2+ ion irradiation.
We determined the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among 26 Chinese indigenous horse breeds and two introduced horse breeds by genotyping these animals for 27 microsatellite loci. The ...26 Chinese horse breeds come from 12 different provinces. Two introduced horse breeds were the Mongolia B Horse from Mongolia and the Thoroughbred Horse from the UK. A total of 330 alleles were detected, and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.719 (Elenchuns) to 0.780 (Dali). The mean number of alleles among the horse breeds ranged from 6.74 (Hequ) to 8.81 (Debao). Although there were abundant genetic variations found, the genetic differentiation was low between the Chinese horses, which displayed only 2.4% of the total genetic variance among the different breeds. However, genetic differentiation (pairwise FST) among Chinese horses, although moderate, was still apparent and varied from 0.001 for the Guizou-Luoping pair to 0.064 for the Jingjiang-Elenchuns pair. The genetic differentiation patterns and genetic relationships among Chinese horse breeds were also consistent with their geographical distribution. The Thoroughbred and Mongolia B breeds could be discerned as two distinct breeds, but the Mongolia B horse in particular suffered genetic admixture with Chinese horses. The Chinese breeds could be divided into five major groups, i.e. the south or along the Yangtze river group (Bose, Debao, Wenshan, Lichuan, Jianchang, Guizhou, Luoping, Jinjiang and Dali), the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau group (Chaidamu, Hequ, Datong, Yushu, Tibet Grassland and Tibet Valley), the Northeast of China group (Elenchuns, Jilin and Heihe), the Northwest of China group (Kazakh, Yili and Yanqi) and the Inner Mongolia group (Mongolia A, Sanhe, Xinihe,Wuzhumuqin and Sengeng). This grouping pattern was further supported by principal component analysis and structure analysis.
Abstract Using 2.93 fb −1 of e + e − collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy 3.773 GeV, we perform the first amplitude analysis of the decay D + → K S 0 $$ ...{K}_S^0 $$ π + π 0 π 0 and determine the relative magnitudes and phases of different intermediate processes. The absolute branching fraction of D + → K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ π + π 0 π 0 is measured to be (2.888 ± 0.058stat. ± 0.069syst. )%. The dominant intermediate processes are D + → K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ a 1(1260)+(→ ρ + π 0) and D + → K ¯ $$ \overline{K} $$ *0 ρ +, with branching fractions of (8.66 ± 1.04stat. ± 1.39syst. ) × 10 −3 and (9.70 ± 0.81stat. ± 0.53syst. ) × 10 −3, respectively.
Purpose: Both air pollutant exposure and neonatal jaundice (NJ) have known effects on childhood asthma, but a higher total serum bilirubin (TSB) level has been associated with lung protection. This ...study aimed to assess whether prenatal/postnatal exposure to ambient air pollutants is related to the development of asthma in infants with NJ. Patients and Methods: A nested case-control retrospective study was performed using the data of infants with NJ in the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital Research Database. Data on average ambient air pollution concentrations within six months, the first year and second year after birth, and in the first, second and third prenatal trimesters were collected. NJ was defined as TSB levels greater than or equal to 2 mg/dl with the diagnosis less than one-month-old. Asthma was defined as a diagnosis with medication use. We constructed conditional logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Exposure to NO and SO.sub.2 at all six time points in the study was significantly associated with an increased risk of preschool asthma in infants with NJ. The overall peak OR (95% CI) of SO.sub.2, PM.sub.25, PM.sub.10, NO, NO.sub.2, and NO.sub.x were 1.277 (1.129-1.444), 1.057 (1.023-1.092), 1.035 (1.011-1.059), 1.272 (1.111-1.455), 1.168 (1.083-1.259) and 1.104 (1.051-1.161), respectively. Fetuses in the first and second trimester were most vulnerable to ambient air pollutant exposure such as SO.sub.2 PM.sub.2.5, NO, NO.sub.2 and NO.sub.x during the prenatal period. Exposure to all six ambient air pollutants during the first and second years after birth significantly affected preschool asthma in NJ infants. Conclusion: In different time windows, prenatal and postnatal exposure to SO.sub.2, PM.sub.2.5, PM.sub.10, NO, NO.sub.2, and NO.sub.x were associated with preschool asthma in NJ infants. The relatively high impact of NO and SO.sub.2 exposure in infants with NJ requires further studies and prevention measures. Keywords: 1000 days, air pollution, SO.sub.2, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, asthma
The dependence of the metal-gate work function on the annealing temperature is experimentally studied. We observe increased Fermi-level pinning of the metal-gate work function with increased ...annealing temperature. This effect is more significant for SiO/sub 2/ than for HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectric. A metal-dielectric interface model that takes the role of extrinsic states into account is proposed to explain the work function thermal instability. This letter provides new understanding on work function control for metal-gate transistors and on metal-dielectric interfaces.
A decrease in the specific activity of an enzyme is commonly observed when the enzyme is inappropriately handled or is stored over an extended period. Here, we reported a functional transition of an ...FMN‐bound diaphorase (FMN–DI) that happened during the long‐term storage process. It was found that FMN–DI did not simply lose its β‐nicotinamide adenine diphosphate (NADH) dehydrogenase activity after a long‐time storage, but obtained a new enzyme activity of NADH oxidase. Further mechanistic studies suggested that the alteration of the binding strength of an FMN cofactor with a DI protein could be responsible for this functional switch of the enzyme.
Background & Aims Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most commonly observed histologic subtype of esophageal cancer. ESCC is believed to develop via accumulation of numerous genetic ...alterations, including inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and activation of oncogenes. We searched for transcripts that were altered in human ESCC samples compared with nontumor tissues. Methods We performed integrative transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis using ESCC samples from 3 patients and adjacent nontumor tissues to identify transcripts that were altered in ESCC tissue. We performed molecular and functional studies of the transcripts identified and investigated the mechanisms of alteration. Results We identified protein tyrosine kinase 6 ( PTK6 ) as a transcript that was significantly down-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines compared with nontumor tissues or immortalized normal esophageal cell lines. The promoter of the PTK6 gene was inactivated in ESCC tissues at least in part via hypermethylation and histone deacetylation. Knockdown of PTK6 in KYSE30 ESCC cells using small hairpin RNAs increased their ability to form foci, migrate, and invade extracellular matrix in culture and form tumors in nude mice. Overexpression of PTK6 in these cells reduced their proliferation in culture and tumor formation in mice. PTK6 reduced phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β, leading to activation of β-catenin. Conclusions PTK6 was identified as a transcript that is down-regulated in human ESCC tissues via epigenetic modification at the PTK6 locus. Its product appears to regulate cell proliferation by reducing phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β, leading to activation of β-catenin. Reduced levels of PTK6 promote growth of xenograft tumors in mice; it might be developed as a marker of ESCC.
To investigate the treatment options for multiple myeloma patients with central nervous system involvement (CNS-MM) , as well as their clinical characteristics and prognostic factors.
Between January ...2011 and January 2022 our center diagnosed 18 people with CNS-MM. A retrospective analysis was done on the clinical information from the initial diagnosis and central nervous system involvement, and it was compared to 1∶3 matched newly diagnosed MM from the same period. Analysis was done on the clinical characteristics and survival rates of the two groups.
In patients with CNS-MM, the median time of onset was 14.2 (0.9-79.6) months and the median overall survival (OS) was 30.5 months from initial diagnosis and only 3.8 months in patients after CNS involvement. The CNS-MM patients showed more IgD type (
=0.010) , severer anemia (
=0.014) , a higher proportion of bone marrow plasma cells (
=0.013) , more extramedullary lesions (
=0.001) , and increased lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) (
=0.009) when compared to the contr
Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder characterized by developmental, cardiac, and neuromuscular abnormalities. Approximately 70% of patients have mutations in ...KCNJ2, resulting in dysfunction of the inward-rectifying potassium channel Kir2.1. Variable expression complicates the diagnosis of ATS, which in many cases, is not made until years after the first recognized symptom. To better define the distinctive clinical features of ATS and facilitate earlier diagnosis, we conducted a prospective, standardized evaluation of 10 subjects with confirmed KCNJ2 mutations. Detailed anthropometric, neurological, and cardiac evaluations were performed. Using this approach, we identified novel skeletal and dental findings and proposed additional diagnostic criteria for ATS dysmorphology.
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