Rhododendron datiandingense is newly reported and endemic to China. The genome of R. datiandingense is 207,311 bp in length, including a large single-copy region of 190,689 bp and a small single-copy ...region of 2582 bp, a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRA) of 7020 bp each. The genome encodes 110 genes, comprising 77 protein-coding genes, four ribosomal RNA genes, and 29 transfer RNA genes. Repeat analysis revealed 62 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the genome. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that R. datiandingense is clearly separated from the other Rhododendron species and shown in the basal position.
The role of bile acids in colorectal cancer has been well documented,but their role in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. In this review,we examined the risk factors of pancreatic cancer. We found ...that bile acids are associated with most of these factors. Alcohol intake,smoking,and a high-fat diet all lead to high secretion of bile acids,and bile acid metabolic dysfunction is a causal factor of gallstones. An increase in secretion of bile acids,in addition to a long common channel,may result in bile acid reflux into the pancreatic duct and to the epithelial cells or acinar cells,from which pancreatic adenocarcinoma is derived. The final pathophysiological process is pancreatitis,which promotes dedifferentiation of acinar cells into progenitor duct-like cells. Interestingly,bile acids act as regulatory molecules in metabolism,affecting adipose tissue distribution,insulin sensitivity and triglyceride metabolism. As a result,bile acids are associated with three risk factors of pancreatic cancer: obesity,diabetes and hypertriglyceridemia. In the second part of this review,we summarize several studies showing that bile acids act as cancer promoters in gastrointestinal cancer. However,more question are raised than have been solved,and further oncological and physiological experiments are needed to confirm the role of bile acids in pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis.
Enlightened by the Caputo type of fractional derivative, here we bring forth a concept of “memory-dependent derivative”, which is simply defined in an integral form of a common derivative with a ...kernel function on a slipping interval. In case the time delay tends to zero it tends to the common derivative. High order derivatives also accord with the first order one. Comparatively, the form of kernel function for the fractional type is fixed, yet that of the memory-dependent type can be chosen freely according to the necessity of applications. So this kind of definition is better than the fractional one for reflecting the memory effect (instantaneous change rate depends on the past state). Its definition is more intuitionistic for understanding the physical meaning and the corresponding memory-dependent differential equation has more expressive force.
Banking on Growth Models
contends that China's rapid economic rise from the late
1970s to today has been built on and shaped by a highly politicized
and inefficient bank-centric financial system . ...Stephen
Bell and Hui Feng argue that if the Chinese growth model drives how
key economic sectors interact, no amount of incremental reform can
have much impact on the financial system-meaningful reform can stem
only from a revised growth model.
For a time after the global financial crisis, it appeared that
the expansion of a more market-oriented shadow banking system might
help sustain China's economic growth. Since around 2015, however,
Xi Jinping's regime has reversed this trajectory and placed China's
financial system under heavy state control, resulting in slowed
economic development and skyrocketing national debt. China's market
transition and economic rebalancing are now in doubt, as is the
fate of the nation's economy. By pinpointing finance as a vital
element of the growth model, Bell and Feng provide a convincing
assessment of financial risks and the prospects for economic
rebalancing in China.
Banking on Growth Models demystifies the world of
Chinese banking and finance as it investigates an ever-rising
national debt, a declining rate of economic growth, and the
possibility of dire and drastic reform by the Asian superpower's
government.
•Simultaneous ammonia and nitrate removal was achieved in one airlift reactor.•DNRA and sulfate reduction were inhibited by intermittent aeration treatment.•Denitrification rate was improved by ...aeration compared with anoxic condition.•Heterotrophic nitrification was considered a potential ammonia metabolic pathway.
In this study, an airlift inner-loop sequencing batch reactor using poly(butylene succinate) as the biofilm carrier and carbon source was operated under an alternant aerobic/anoxic strategy for nitrogen removal in recirculating aquaculture system. The average TAN and nitrate removal rates of 47.35±15.62gNH4–Nm−3d−1 and 0.64±0.14kgNO3–Nm−3d−1 were achieved with no obvious nitrite accumulation (0.70±0.76mg/L) and the dissolved organic carbon in effluents was maintained at 148.38±39.06mg/L. Besides, the activities of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and sulfate reduction activities were successfully inhibited. The proteome KEGG analysis illustrated that ammonia might be removed through heterotrophic nitrification, while the activities of nitrate and nitrite reductases were enhanced through aeration treatment. The microbial community analysis revealed that denitrifiers of Azoarcus and Simplicispira occupied the dominate abundance which accounted for the high nitrate removal performance. Overall, this study broadened our understanding of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification using biodegradable material as biofilm carrier.
Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. Currently, there is a lack of clinically effective treatments for the brain damage following ischemic stroke. Catalpol is a bioactive ...compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Rehmannia glutinosa and shown to be protective in various neurological diseases. However, the potential roles of catalpol against ischemic stroke are still not completely clear.
This study aimed to further elucidate the protective effects of catalpol against ischemic stroke.
A rat permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) and oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD) model was established to assess the effect of catalpol in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Behavioral tests were used to examine the effects of catalpol on neurological function of ischemic rats. Immunostaining was performed to evaluate the proliferation, migration and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) as well as the angiogenesis in each group. The protein level of related molecules was detected by western–blot. The effects of catalpol on cultured NSCs as well as brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) subjected to OGD in vitro were also examined by similar methods.
Catalpol attenuated the neurological deficits and improved neurological function of ischemic rats. It stimulated the proliferation of NSCs in the subventricular zone (SVZ), promoted their migration to the ischemic cortex and differentiation into neurons or glial cells. At the same time, catalpol increased the cerebral vessels density and the number of proliferating cerebrovascular endothelial cells in the infracted cortex of ischemic rats. The level of SDF–1α and CXCR4 in the ischemic cortex was found to be enhanced by catalpol treatment. Catalpol was also shown to promote the proliferation and migration of cultured NSCs as well as the proliferation of BMECs subjected to OGD insult in vitro. Interestingly, the impact of catalpol on cultured cells was inhibited by CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100. Moreover, the culture medium of BMECs containing catalpol promoted the proliferation of NSCs, which was also suppressed by AMD3100.
Our data demonstrate that catalpol exerts neuroprotective effects by promoting neurogenesis and angiogenesis via the SDF–1α/CXCR4 pathway, suggesting the therapeutic potential of catalpol in treating cerebral ischemia.
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In this paper, a double V-shaped metasurface that can efficiently convert linear polarizations of electromagnetic (EM) waves in wideband is proposed. Based on the electric and magnetic resonant ...features of a single V-shaped particle, four EM resonances are generated in a V-shaped pair, leading to significant bandwidth expansion of cross-polarized reflections. The simulation results show that the proposed metasurface is able to convert linearly polarized waves into cross-polarized waves in ultrawideband from 12.4 to 27.96 GHz, with an average polarization conversion ratio (PCR) of 90%. The experimental results are in good agreement with the numerical simulations. Compared to published designs, the proposed polarization converter has a simple geometry but an ultrawideband and hence can be used in many applications, such as reflector antennas, imaging systems, remote sensors, and radiometers. The method can also be extended to the terahertz band.
The effects of hesperidin and different casings on pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and total viable count (TVC) of sausages stored for 171 days were evaluated by principal component ...analysis (PCA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Sausages stuffed in a modified casing with treatment B (soy lecithin concentration: 1:30, soy oil concentration: 2.5%, lactic acid concentration: 21 mL/kg NaCl solid, treated time: 90 min) had a significantly lower pH value (6.89 ± 0.01) at d 31 but higher (6.55 ± 0.03) than that of control casings at d 171 (p < 0.05). Hesperidin plays an important role in antimicrobial property that renders the sausages with modified casing by treatment A (soy lecithin concentration: 1:27.5, soy oil concentration: 1.25%, lactic acid concentration: 19.5 mL/kg NaCl solid, treated time: 75 min) stable (p > 0.05), with the final TVC of 5.03 ± 0.10 log cfu/g. According to the PCA results, water-holding capacity has a positive correlation to pH. Moisture content was the best discriminator for differentiating sausages with control and modified casings, whilst pH was able to discriminate sausages stored after 138 days from other days.
The conversion from spatial propagating waves to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) has been well studied, and shown to be very efficient by using gradient‐index metasurfaces. However, feeding ...energies into and extracting signals from functional plasmonic devices or circuits through transmission lines require the efficient conversion between SPPs and guided waves, which has not been reported, to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, a smooth bridge between the conventional coplanar waveguide (CPW) with 50 Ω impedance and plasmonic waveguide (e.g., an ultrathin corrugated metallic strip) has been proposed in the microwave frequency, which converts the guided waves to spoof SPPs with high efficiency in broadband. A matching transition has been proposed and designed, which is constructed by gradient corrugations and flaring ground, to match both the momentum and impedance of CPW and the plasmonic waveguide. Simulated and measured results on the transmission coefficients and near‐filed distributions show excellent transmission efficiency from CPW to a plasmonic waveguide to CPW in a wide frequency band. The high‐efficiency and broadband conversion between SPPs and guided waves opens up a new avenue for advanced conventional plasmonic integrated functional devices and circuits.
The conversion from spatial propagating waves to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) has been well studied, and shown to be very efficient by using gradient‐index metasurfaces. However, feeding energies into and extracting signals from functional plasmonic devices or circuits through transmission lines require the efficient conversion between SPPs and guided waves, which has not been reported, to the best of our knowledge. In this paper, a smooth bridge between the conventional coplanar waveguide (CPW) with 50 Ω impedance and plasmonic waveguide (e.g., an ultrathin corrugated metallic strip) has been proposed in the microwave frequency, which converts the guided waves to spoof SPPs with high efficiency in broadband. A matching transition has been proposed and designed, which is constructed by gradient corrugations and flaring ground, to match both the momentum and impedance of CPW and the plasmonic waveguide. Simulated and measured results on the transmission coefficients and near‐filed distributions show excellent transmission efficiency from CPW to a plasmonic waveguide to CPW in a wide frequency band. The high‐efficiency and broadband conversion between SPPs and guided waves opens up a new avenue for advanced conventional plasmonic integrated functional devices and circuits.
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