Karyotype analysis and ribosomal gene localization of spotted knifejaw Oplegnathus punctatus

The spotted knifejaw, Oplegnathus punctatus, is an important aquaculture fish species in China. To better understand the chromosomal microstructure and the karyotypic origin of this species, cytogenetic analysis was performed using Giemsa staining to identify metaphase chromosomes, C-banding to detect C-positive heterochromatin, silver staining to identify the nucleolus organizer regions (Ag-NORs), and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for physical mapping of the major (18S rDNA) and minor (5S rDNA) ribosomal genes. The species showed a karyotype of 2n = 48 for females, composed of 2 submetacentric and 46 telocentric chromosomes, with a fundamental number (FN) = 50, while the karyotype of males was 2n = 47, composed of 1 exclusive large metacentric, 2 submetacentric, and 44 telocentric chromosomes, with FN = 50. These karyotype results suggest that O. punctatus might have an X₁X₁X₂X₂/X₁X₂Y multiple sex chromosome system. C-positive heterochromatin was distributed in the centromeres of all chromosomal pairs and in the terminal portions of some chromosomes. A single pair of Ag-positive NORs was found to be localized at the terminal regions of the short arms of the subtelocentric chromosome pair, which was supported by FISH of 18S rDNA. After FISH, 5S rDNA were located on the interstitial regions of the smallest telocentric chromosome pair. This study was the first to identify the karyotype of this species and will facilitate further research on karyotype evolution in the order Perciformes.

[The relationship between lysosome-autophagy and the head and neck squamous cancer cell apoptosis]

Autophagy can be used as both a protective mechanism of cell survival and a mechanism of cell death.The dual mechanism has been the emphases and difficulties of our research.The latest research shows that autophagy plays an important role in occurrence,development, transfer and treatment of the cancer.Head and neck cancer is usually derived from the upper respiratory tract's. The upper digestive tract's malignant tumor, because of its complex anatomic structure, low 5 years of survival rate, to study the prevention and treatment has the extremely important significance. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of lysosome-autophagy,mitochondria-autophagy in the treatment of head and neck cancers and the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis, which will be contribute to the prevention and treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas for us.Autophagy as a cellular lysosomal degradation pathway that can be used as a kind of dynamic monitoring index of the tumor.

Superconducting fluctuation effect in CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF

Out-of-plane angular dependent torque measurements were performed on CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF single crystals. Superconducting fluctuations, featured by magnetic field enhanced and exponential temperature dependent diamagnetism, are observed above the superconducting transition temperature T c, which is similar to that of cuprate superconductors, but less pronounced. In addition, the ratio of T c versus superfluid density follows well the Uemura line of high-T c cuprates, which suggests the exotic nature of the superconductivity in CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF.

[Property analysis of the finals mispronunciation in Chinese-speaking children with functional articulation disorder]

Objective: To characterize the finals mispronunciation in Chinese-speaking children with functional articulation disorder (FAD), in order to promote the standardized diagnosis. Method: A retrospective study was conducted. From January to December 2013, 90 FAD children, diagnosed by Dysarthria Rating Scale and Mandarin Finals scale, were included in this study. Among them, 22 were found to have finals mispronunciation; the average age was (6.56±0.26) years. According to the finals classification, six different finals (simple finals, front vowel compound finals, central vowel compound finals, back vowel compound finals, anterior nasal finals, and posterior nasal finals) were defined; the produced sound samples of those subjects were analyzed. Result: In all these children, 22 of 90 (24%) were found having finals mispronunciation, the occurring rates of which with omission and substitution errors were: 3% (4/132) for simple finals, 30% (26/88) for front vowel compound finals, 26% (23/88) for central vowel compound finals, 7% (8/110) for back vowel compound finals, 73%(128/176) for anterior nasal finals and 73% (112/154) for posterior nasal finals, respectively. In omission and substitution errors, the ratios of the finals above were 50% (150/301), 3% (10/301), 5% (14/301), 36% (107/301), 2% (5/301) and 5% (15/301), respectively. The most frequently occurred mispronunciation were omission, substitution and distortion, with rates of 37% (273/748), 4% (28/748) and 8% (61/748), respectively. Conclusion: The FAD children have remarkable mispronunciation of finals. Omission is the main error. The nasal finals are the most commonly involved, followed by front vowel and central vowel compound finals. The simple finals and the back vowel compound finals are most commonly produced in omission and substitution. These finals production features should be considered when making and implementing rehabilitation programs.

[Preventive effect of mecobalamin combined with glutathione on neurotoxicity induced by FOLFOX4 chemotherapy]

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the preventive effect of mecobalamin combined with glutathione on neurotoxicity induced by FOLFOX4 chemotherapy.

METHODS

Ninety-four patients receiving FOLFOX4 chemotherapy between January 2012 and December 2013 were randomized into experimental group and control group. Patients in the experimental group were given mecobalamin tablets and glutathione injection during chemotherapy while the patients in control group received glutathione injection only. The status of neurotoxicity was evaluated by the Levi neurotoxicity criteria 1992.

RESULTS

After six cycles of chemotherapy, the incidence of grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ neurotoxicity in the experimental and control groups were 34.7% (17/49) and 55.6%(25/45), respectively (P=0.042), the incidence of grade Ⅲ neurotoxicity in the experimental and control groups were 2.0%(1/49) and 13.3%(6/45), the difference is also statistically significant (P=0.037). After nine cycles of chemotherapy, significantly less grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ neurotoxicity was observed in the experimental group (44.6%) than that in the control group(70.3%, P=0.019). Incidence of grade Ⅲ neurotoxicity in the experimental group was significantly lower(4.26%) than that in the control group(18.9%, P=0.031).

CONCLUSION

Mecobalamin combined with glutathione can significantly reduce the incidence and severity of neurotoxicity induced by FOLFOX4 chemotherapy, therefore, worthy of clinical application.

Angular dependent torque measurements on CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF

Out-of-plane angular dependent torque measurements were performed on CaFe0.88Co0.12AsF (Ca1 1 1 1) single crystals. In the normal state, the torque data shows [Formula: see text] angular dependence and H (2) magnetic field dependence, as a result of paramagnetism. In the mixed state, the torque signal is a combination of the vortex torque and paramagnetic torque, and the former allows the determination of the anisotropy parameter γ. At T   =  11.5 K, γ (11.5 K ≃ 0.5 T c)  =  19.1, which is similar to the result of SmFeAsO0.8F0.2, [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]. So the 11 1 1 is more anisotropic compared to 11 and 122 families of iron-based superconductors. This may suggest that the electronic coupling between layers in 1 1 1 1 is less effective than in 11 and 122 families.

[The historical materials of stomatology in the All Things, Prescriptions of Fifty-two Diseases and Yinshu]

All Things, Prescriptions of Fifty-two Diseases and Yinshu were three bamboo and silk medical manuscripts which form-time was no later than the late Warring States period. From the visible bamboo and silk, the ancient Chinese knew the relationships between some drugs and the volume of saliva and used compound drugs to treat dental caries. Some oral and maxillofacial diseases, such as inflammation and pain of oromaxillo-facial region, temporomandibular dislocation and the methods of treatment were descriped in these books. Mouth-rinsing and tooth-picking were the more often used methods for maintaining oral hygiene. Kouchi(clicking the tooth)was also used for prevention and/or treatment of caries. Most of these knowledge were the first documents in ancient China.

Emission efficiency enhanced by reducing the concentration of residual carbon impurities in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well light emitting diodes

A series of samples with varying growth pressure are grown and their optical and structural properties are investigated. It is found that the residual carbon concentration decreases when the reactor pressure increases from 80 to 450 Torr during the InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well growth. It results in an enhanced peak intensity of electroluminescence because carbon impurities can induce deep energy levels and act as non-radiative recombination centers in InGaN layers.

[Determination of bromoform in the air of workplace by solvent desorption gas chromatography]

OBJECTIVE

To establish the method of solvent desorption gas chromatography for determination of bromoform in workplace air.

METHODS

Bromoform in the air was adsorbed by activated carbon tube sampling and solvent desorption using carbon disulfide, then analyed by GC with DB-FFAP capillary column.

RESULTS

The linear regression equation is y=1.22x-0.81 (r=0.999 9)between 0.57~300.00 μg/ml of target concentration in the air. The detection limit was 0.17 μg /ml. The relative standard deviations of the batch and inter batch were 1.7%~3.6%, 2.8%~6.3%, respectively. The sampling efficiency was 100%. The overall desorption efficiency was 95.0%. The breakthrough capacity was more than 0.61 mg(100 mg activated carbon).

CONCLUSION

The method is suitable to determine bromoform in the air of workplace.

[Necessity of repeated roll test in horizontal semicircular canalithasis positioned diagnosis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of repeated roll test in horizontal semicircular canalithasis(HSC-Can) positioned diagnosis, so as to investigate the cecessity of repeated roll test.

METHODS

The patients with a chief complaint of positional vertigo accepted two consecutive cycles roll test, the evoked nystagmus characteristics of each cycle recorded by video-nystagmuograph(VNG), whose direction, intensity, time and other parameters characteristics were analyzed in 51 HSC-Can.

RESULTS

Horizontal nystagmus in the same direction with turning were induced in HSC-Can roll test. In 51 HSC-Can, roll test cycle 1 and cycle 2 induced nystagmus same strength side in 26 cases(51.0%), of which 19 cases with stronger nystagmus intensity in cycle 2, another 7 cases were weaker; the opposite strength side of the two loops induced nystagmus, and cycle 1 evoked nystagmus intensity were weaker than cycle 2, based on cycle 2 results determined HSC-Can affected side in 25 cases (49.0%). Lesion and normal side in cycle 1 induced nystagmus duration (x±s, the same below) were (13.4±11.5)s and (14.1±9.9)s, respectively intensity (18.1±22.4)°/s and (13.0±12.0)°/s; as in cycle 2 induced nystagmus duration was (20.7±10.2)s and (18.0±12.0)s, strength respectively(40.4±28.0)°/s and (15.6 ±11.2)°/s. Cycle 2 ipsilateral rotor position evoked nystagmus showed longer duration and stronger intensity than cycle 1. Between two cycle induced ipsilateral nystagmus duration, intensity differences were statistically significant (t values were -4.233 and -5.154, P=0.000). 51 HSC-Can patients, 44 patients selected repositioning maneuver, after 1-2 times of maneuver, 41 cases (93.2%) showed complete resolution of symptoms, all cases's symptoms were improved; other 7 patients selected medication only.

CONCLUSION

The proposed suspicious HSC-Can patients should receive at least two cycles roll test, and mainly in the second cycle could determine the location of the responsible semicircular canals.

[Effect of chitooligosaccharide on hepatic triglyceride metabolism and related mechanisms]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of chitooligosaccharide (COS) on hepatic triglyceride (TG) metabolism and related mechanisms.

METHODS

The LO2 cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid were used as model group, the cells treated by 1 mmol/L fatty acid and 0.5 mg/ml COS were used as COS group, and the untreated cells were used as control group. The TG content in cells was measured. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and carnitine palmityl transferase 1A (CPT1A) in each group. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomized into control group, high-fat group, and COS group to receive different treatments. Sixteen weeks later, the liver was harvested for HE and oil red O staining to measure the content of TG in the liver. The t-test or one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of data between groups, and the SNK method was used for comparison of data between any two groups.

RESULTS

The LO2 cells in the model group had an increased number of lipid droplets and an increased TG content, and after COS treatment, the TG content was low. The COS group had significantly lower relative mRNA expression of SREBP-1c and FAS compared with the model group (1.135 ± 0.177 vs 2.322 ± 0.198,F= 60.457,P< 0.01; 1.226 ± 0.150 vs 1.801 ± 0.159,F= 24.753,P< 0.01), while compared with the control group, the COS group had significantly higher mRNA expression of CPT1A (1.254 ± 0.156 vs 1.908 ± 0.087,F= 31.734,P< 0.01). The COS group had significantly lower protein expression of SREBP-1c and FAS than the model group (0.161 ± 0.081 vs 0.351±0.016,F= 188.920,P< 0.01; 0.332 ± 0.023 vs 1.238 ± 0.051,F= 624.069,P< 0.01), and significantly higher protein expression of CPT1A than the model group (1.014 ± 0.033 vs 0.561 ± 0.046,F= 193.793,P< 0.01). COS reduced the TG content in the liver in rats on high-fat diet.

CONCLUSION

COS can reduce the accumulation of TG in the hepatocyte model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and in the liver in rats on high-fat diet, and the possible mechanism may be related to inhibiting the expression of SREBP-1c and downstream FAS, reducing the synthesis of TG, increasing the expression of CPT1A, and accelerating the breakdown of TG.

Novel polymorphic microsatellite markers for Bellamya and their application in population genetics of three species

Bellamya is a widely distributed freshwater snail genus in China; however, its genetic diversity is completely unknown. Sixty-five novel microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from a microsatellite-enriched library of Bellamya aeruginosa genomic DNA. Most of the 65 loci were successfully amplified. We found high polymorphic information content values for these loci, ranging from 0.235 to 0.892. There were 3 to 12 alleles per locus, and the HE and HO varied from 0.425 to 0.953 and 0.026 to 1.000, respectively. Fifteen loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction. All 65 SSR markers were tested in an additional five Bellamya species, and 96.9% of the 325 locus/taxon combinations tested resulted in cross-species amplification. Seven polymorphic microsatellite markers were randomly selected for comparison among nine populations of three species. All populations had moderate to high genetic diversity. In genetic distance-based cluster analysis, the populations of B. aeruginosa and B. dispiralis formed species-based clusters, whereas populations of B. angularia did not. The three examined Bellamya species could be differentiated using SSR markers. These microsatellite loci should be useful for genetic diversity analysis, analysis of phylogenetic relationship, and species delimitation of Bellamya.

Frequency-dependent learning achieved using semiconducting polymer/electrolyte composite cells

Frequency-dependent learning has been achieved using semiconducting polymer/electrolyte composite cells. The cells composed of polymer/electrolyte double layers realized the conventional spike-rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP) learning model. These cells responded to depression upon low-frequency stimulation and to potentiation upon high-frequency stimulation and presented long-term memory. The transition threshold θm from depression to potentiation varied depending on the previous stimulations. A nanostructure resembling a bio-synapse in its transport passages was demonstrated and a random channel model was proposed to describe the ionic kinetics at the polymer/electrolyte interface during and after stimulations with various frequencies, accounting for the observed SRDP.

Differential resistance of GaN-based laser diodes with and without polarization effect

In this paper, we used numerical calculation and simulation to investigate the differential resistance of GaN-based laser diodes (LDs) with and without polarization effect. We confirmed the existence of a kink at the vicinity of threshold current in the differential resistance curve of GaN-based LDs and found that the kink polarity can be reversed dependent on the polarization effect. The serial parasitic diodes should be included in the theoretical analysis of the equivalent circuit of the LD devices. We determined that the superposition effects of the n-side, active, and p-side regions of the LDs caused the kink and its polarity. We also found that the differential resistance before and after the threshold was dominated by the p-side region and its gradual reduction is related to an electron overflow into p-side. Finally, we studied the effects of cavity facet reflectivity on the kink.

Significance of detecting IgH and TCRγ gene rearrangements in patients with hemopoietic maligancies by real-time quantitative PCR

The aim of our study was to investigate the association of IgH and TCRγ gene rearrangements in hematological malignancies with the disease and clinical application. IgH and TCRγ gene rearrangements were determined in 69 paraffin and bone marrow specimens with SYBR Green I fluorescent dye and RQ-PCR method, including 21 paraffin-embedded tissues of the onset cases and 48 bone marrow samples, representing 15 ALL and 25 AML cases. After chemotherapy, 8 cases were NHL; the 10 cases of the negative control group were healthy people. Among the ALL cases, the IgH rearrangement occurred in 80.0%, the TCRγ rearrangement in 46.7%, and both gene rearrangements in 46.7%. Among the AML cases, the IgH rearrangement occurred in 72.0%, the TCRγ rearrangement in 68.0%, and both gene rearrangements in 60.0%. In the lymphoma cases, the IgH rearrangement occurred in 93.1%, the TCRγ rearrangement in 51.7%, and both gene rearrangements in 44.8%. In the negative control group, the 10 cases were all negative. There was the phenomenon of "sequence-non-fidelity" in the hematologic malignancies; the detection rate of both genes was much higher than that of the single gene. The application of the RQ-PCR method in the detection of IgH and TCRγ gene rearrangements in hematologic malignancies has important clinical significance in MRD monitoring.

Epidemiological analysis of pneumoconiosis in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and cases reported by the Urumqi Railway Bureau

This study investigated the incidence and development of pneumoconiosis in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and cases reported by the Urumqi Railway Bureau to provide a scientific basis for developing prevention and control measures against pneumoconiosis. Data from pneumoconiosis cases were input into Excel and analyzed by SPSS version 17.0. There were 13,165 cases of pneumoconiosis through 2010. Coal workers accounted for the largest proportion of cases. From July 2006 through 2010, a total of 1233 new cases of pneumoconiosis were reported in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; most cases were reported in Urumqi. From 1981 to 2012, 3332 new cases of pneumoconiosis had been confirmed by the Urumqi Railway Bureau, including 77.73, 16.96, and 5.31% stage I, II, and III cases, respectively. In the last 30 years, the number of new pneumoconiosis cases peaked in 1986; most of them were silicosis cases. In addition, there were more than 200 cases of pneumoconiosis combined with pulmonary tuberculosis reported by the Urumqi Railway Bureau. The coal industry in Urumqi is the main industry in which occupational pneumoconiosis occurs in Xinjiang. Thus, substantial effort is still required to eliminate pneumoconiosis by 2030.

A linewidth-narrowed and frequency-stabilized dye laser for application in laser cooling of molecules

We demonstrate a robust and versatile solution for locking the continuous-wave dye laser for applications in laser cooling of molecules which need linewidth-narrowed and frequency-stabilized lasers. The dye laser is first stabilized with respect to a reference cavity by Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) technique which results in a single frequency with the linewidth 200 kHz and short-term stabilization, by stabilizing the length of the reference cavity to a stabilized helium-neon laser we simultaneously transfer the ± 2 MHz absolute frequency stability of the helium-neon laser to the dye laser with long-term stabilization. This allows the dye laser to be frequency chirped with the maximum 60 GHz scan range while its frequency remains locked. It also offers the advantages of locking at arbitrary dye laser frequencies, having a larger locking capture range and frequency scanning range to be implemented via software. This laser has been developed for the purpose of laser cooling a molecular magnesium fluoride beam.

Granularity controlled nonsaturating linear magnetoresistance in topological insulator Bi2Te3 films

We report on the magnetotransport properties of chemical vapor deposition grown films of interconnected Bi2Te3 nanoplates. Similar to many other topological insulator (TI) materials, these granular Bi2Te3 films exhibit a linear magnetoresistance (LMR) effect which has received much recent attention. Studying samples with different degree of granularity, we find a universal correlation between the magnitude of the LMR and the average mobility (⟨μ⟩) of the films over nearly 2 orders of magnitude change of ⟨μ⟩. The granularity controlled LMR effect here is attributed to the mobility fluctuation induced classical LMR according to the Parish-Littlewood theory. These findings have implications to both the fundamental understanding and magnetoresistive device applications of TI and small bandgap semiconductor materials.

Effects of acrylonitrile on lymphocyte lipid rafts and RAS/RAF/MAPK/ERK signaling pathways

Acrylonitrile (ACN) is a widely used chemical in the production of plastics, resins, nitriles, acrylic fibers, and synthetic rubber. Previous epidemiological investigations and animal studies have confirmed that ACN affects the lymphocytes and spleen. However, the immune toxicity mechanism is unknown. Lipid rafts are cell membrane structures that are rich in cholesterol and involved in cell signal transduction. The B cell lymophoma-10 (Bcl10) protein is a joint protein that is important in lymphocyte development and signal pathways. This study was conducted to examine the in vitro effects of ACN. We separated lipid rafts, and analyzed Bcl10 protein and caveolin. Western blotting was used to detect mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphorylated MAPK levels. The results indicated that with increasing ACN concentration, the total amount of Bcl10 remained stable, but was concentrated mainly in part 4 to part 11 in electrophoretic band district which is high density in gradient centrifugation. Caveolin-1 was evaluated as a lipid raft marker protein; caveolin-1 content and position were relatively unchanged. Western blotting showed that in a certain range, MAPK protein was secreted at a higher level. At some ACN exposure levels, MAPK protein secretion was significantly decreased compared to the control group (P < 0.05). These results indicate that ACN can cause immune toxicity by damaging lipid raft structures, causing Bcl10 protein and lipid raft separation and restraining Ras-Raf-MAPK-extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways.

First Report of Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus with Betasatellite Infecting Panax notoginseng

Panax notoginseng, an important medicinal herb commonly known as notoginseng, san qi, or tian qi, is in the family Araliaceae. The herb is mainly cultivated in Guangxi and Yunnan provinces of southern China for its root, which is used in Chinese herbal medicine to treat various blood disorders. In December 2012, Panax yellowing was observed in several notoginseng farms with prevalence of 5 to 10% in Wenshan, Yunnan Province. Foliar symptoms included yellowing, shrinking, curling, and blistering. Leaf samples collected from 15 symptomatic plants were initially tested by negative staining electron microscopy, and no distinct virions were observed. Total nucleic acids were extracted from these samples by a CTAB method and used as templates in RT-PCR for presence of criniviruses, tobamoviruses, and tospoviruses, but results were negative. Infestation of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) has been a problem on these farms in recent years, suggesting a whitefly-transmitted begomovirus as potential causal agent. To explore this possibility, the samples were tested by PCR using degenerate primers BegoAFor1 and BegoARev1 described by Ha et al. (3). Amplicons of ~1.2 kbp were obtained from 12 out of 15 samples, indicating the presence of a putative begomovirus. These amplicons were cloned and sequenced in both directions. BLAST search showed that they had high sequence identities (94 to 95%) to the genome of Tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV). A pair of virus-specific primers, TYLCCNVFa (5'-TGRTAGGWACYTGAGTAGAGTGG-3') and TYLCCNVRa (5'-TCRTCCATCCATATCTTCCCAA-3'), was then designed and used to amplify the remaining genomic sequence. The full-length genomic sequence of one isolate, YWSh03, was determined to be 2,733 nt (KJ477327). Sequence comparison showed that the genome of YWSh03 shared 96.2% nucleotide sequence identity with that of TYLCCNV-[G102] (AM050555). PCR using primers Beta01 and Beta02 (1) was also tested for the association of betasatellite with this virus. A DNA fragment was obtained from isolate YWSh03, and its sequence was determined to be 1,336 bp (KJ477326). This sequence has 99.9% nucleotide sequence identity to Tomato yellow leaf curl China betasatellite (TYLCCNB) [Y10] (AJ421621). The results show that TYLCCNV, a virus infecting tomato, tobacco, kidney bean, and several weeds (2), is also associated with the yellowing disease in P. notoginseng. To determine whether TYLCCNV and TYLCCNB might cause disease on P. notoginseng, infectious clones of TYLCCNV and TYLCCNB provided by Dr. Xueping Zhou (Zhejiang University, China) were used to inoculate to 44 healthy P. notoginseng plants by an Agrobacterium-mediated method. Thirty-four inoculated plants showed typical symptoms of yellowing, curling, and stunting, confirming TYLCCNV and TYLCCNB are the causal agents of the disease. To further investigate the distribution and incidence of the virus, 258 symptomatic P. notoginseng samples were collected from 18 fields in Wenshan, Honghe, Qujing, and Kunming of Yunnan Province and tested by PCR with TYLCCNV-specific primers of TYLCCNVdF (5'-CCTGTATATGCGACTTTGAAAGT-3') and TYLCCNVdR (5'-CCCAATTCCAGCTATAAAGAGTA-3'). The virus was detected in 149 samples (57.8%), indicating that TYLCCNV infection of P. notoginseng is common. However, the agent causing the disease in the 109 symptomatic plants lacking TYLCCNV remains under investigation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TYLCCNV with TYLCCNB infecting P. notoginseng and the family Araliaceae. References: (1) R. W. Briddon et al. Mol Biotechnol. 20:315, 2002. (2) J. H. Dong et al. Plant Pathol. 56:342, 2007. (3) C. Ha et al. J. Gen. Virol. 87:997, 2006.

Suppression of electron leakage by inserting a thin undoped InGaN layer prior to electron blocking layer in InGaN-based blue-violet laser diodes

InGaN-based blue-violet laser diodes (LDs) suffer from electron leakage into the p-type regions, which could be only partially alleviated by employing the electron blocking layer (EBL). Here, a thin undoped InGaN interlayer prior to EBL is proposed to create an additional forbidden energy range above the natural conduction band edge, which further suppresses the electron leakage and thus improve the characteristics of LDs. Numerical device simulations reveal that when the proper composition and thickness of InGaN interlayer are chosen, the electron leakage could be efficiently eliminated without inducing any severe accumulation of electrons at the interlayer, resulting in a maximum output power of the device.

Prenatal ethanol exposure enhances the susceptibility to metabolic syndrome in offspring rats by HPA axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programming

OBJECTIVE

The present study was designed to demonstrate that prenatal ethanol exposure (PEE) could enhance the susceptibility of high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome (MS) in adult male offspring via a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programmed mechanism.

METHODS

Pregnant Wistar rats were intragastricly administrated ethanol 4 g/kg·d from gestational day 11 until term delivery. All male offspring were fed with high-fat diet after weaning, exposed to an unpredictable chronic stress at postnatal week (PW) 17 and sacrificed at PW20.

RESULTS

In PEE group, body weight presented a "catch-up growth" pattern, and the HPA axis exhibited a lower basal activity but an enhanced sensitivity to chronic stress, leading to increased levels of serum glucose, insulin, insulin resistant index, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Furthermore, many lipid droplets and vacuolar degeneration were observed in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and liver.

CONCLUSIONS

PEE induces enhanced susceptibility to MS in adult offspring fed with high-fat diet, and the underlying mechanism involves a HPA axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration.

Direct coating adherent diamond films on Fe-based alloy substrate: the roles of Al, Cr in enhancing interfacial adhesion and promoting diamond growth

Direct CVD deposition of dense, continuous, and adherent diamond films on conventional Fe-based alloys has long been considered impossible. The current study demonstrates that such a deposition can be realized on Al, Cr-modified Fe-based alloy substrate (FeAl or FeCrAl). To clarify the fundamental mechanism of Al, Cr in promoting diamond growth and enhancing interfacial adhesion, fine structure and chemical analysis around the diamond film-substrate interface have been comprehensively characterized by transmission electron microscopy. An intermediate graphite layer forms on those Al-free substrates such as pure Fe and FeCr, which significantly deteriorates the interfacial adhesion of diamond. In contrast, such a graphite layer is absent on the FeAl and FeCrAl substrates, whereas a very thin Al-rich amorphous oxide sublayer is always identified between the diamond film and substrate interface. These comparative results indicate that the Al-rich interfacial oxide layer acts as an effective barrier to prevent the formation of graphite phase and consequently enhance diamond growth and adhesion. The adhesion of diamond film formed on FeCrAl is especially superior to that formed on FeAl substrate. This can be further attributed to a synergetic effect including the reduced fraction of Al and the decreased substrate thermal-expansion coefficient on FeCrAl in comparison with FeAl, and a mechanical interlocking effect due to the formation of interfacial chromium carbides. Accordingly, a mechanism model is proposed to account for the different interfacial adhesion of diamond grown on the various Fe-based substrates.