Stage 2 Research Articles

Reasons for Exclusion of Apparently Healthy Mature Adult and Senior Dogs From a Clinical Trial.

Background: Interventional clinical trials intended to maintain health in aging dogs are unusual and require particular attention to exclusion criteria.Objectives: To describe reasons for exclusion when a mature adult and senior canine population with normal health status was sought.Animals: Fifty six companion dogs nominated for a randomized controlled trial (RCT).Procedures: Exclusions occurred within Stage 1 (S1): owner-provided survey information; Stage 2 (S2): medical records review; and Stage 3 (S3): screening examination and within Owner, Dog, or Other factor categories.Results: Of 56 nominated dogs, 39 were excluded at S1 (n = 19), S2 (n = 5), and S3 (n = 15), respectively. Dogs were excluded for Owner (n = 4), Dog (n = 27), Other (n = 6), and concurrent (Owner + Dog; n = 2) factors. The most common exclusion period was S1 (n = 19), with weight outside the target range being the most common exclusion factor in that stage (n = 10). Heart murmurs were the second most common exclusion factor (S1: n = 1; S3: n = 5); suspected or confirmed systemic illness was third most common (S1: n = 2; S2: n = 3; S3: n = 2). Among dogs who passed S1 and S2 screening (n = 32), 15 dogs (48%) were excluded at S3, for heart murmur > grade II/VI (n = 5), cardiac arrhythmias (n = 2), and clinicopathologic abnormalities (n = 2).Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Dogs nominated for a clinical trial for healthy mature adult and senior dogs were excluded for size, previous diagnoses, and newly discovered cardiac abnormalities. For future interventions in mature adult and senior dogs of normal health status, it is important to define expected age-related abnormalities to ensure that meaningful exclusion criteria are used.

An effective multi-model fusion method for EEG-based sleep stage classification

Stage 1 (S1) and REM sleep are the two key stages in EEG-based sleep stage classification, which are of great significance to the study of neurocognitive ability and sleep diseases. Recently, various methods have been widely studied, and achieved good classification performance, however, most existing studies have a common problem of the low detection rate of S1 and REM sleep. In this paper, we focus on improving the detection performance of S1 and REM sleep and present an effective multi-model fusion method by using hybrid-channel EEG signals, which consists of two parts: the detection of merged stage of S1 and REM sleep and the classification between these two stages. First, we detect S1 and REM sleep by distinguishing the merged stage from other sleep stages using C-SVM model and single-channel EEG signals. To overcome the influence caused by class imbalance, a one-class OC-SVM model of the merged stage is established to correct S1 and REM sleep from the misclassified negative samples. Then, through analyzing the EEG characteristic between S1 and REM sleep and extracting the classification features of multiple sub-bands, we classify S1 and REM sleep using two-channel EEG signals. Finally, the proposed method is tested and analyzed for commonly used dataset of Sleep-EDFX. The results show that this method can effectively detect S1 and REM sleep and promote the application of sleep quality evaluation, fatigue detection, sleep disease diagnosis.

Trends in Hospital and Surgeon Charges and Reimbursements for Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundThe relationship between surgeon and hospital charges and reimbursements for revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has not been well examined. The objective of this study is to report trends and variations in hospital charges and payments compared to surgeons for stage 1 (S1) vs stage 2 (S2) septic revision TKA and aseptic revision (AR) TKA. MethodsThe 5% Medicare sample was used to capture hospital and surgeon data for revision TKA from 2005 to 2014. The charge multiplier (CM) and ratio of hospital to surgeon charges, and the payment multiplier (PM) and ratio of hospital to surgeon payments were calculated. Year-to-year variation and regional trends in-patient demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index, length of stay (LOS), CM, and PM were evaluated. ResultsIn total, 4570 AR, 1323 S1, and 863 S2 TKA patients were included. CM increased for all cohorts: 8.1-13.8 for AR (P < .001), 21.0-22.5 (P = .07) for S1, and 11.8-22.0 (P < .001) for S2. PM followed a similar trend, increasing 8.1-13.8 (P < .001) for AR, 19.8-27.3 (P = .005) for S1, and 14.7-30.7 (P < .001) for S2. Surgeon reimbursement decreased for all cohorts. LOS decreased for AR (3.8-2.8 days), S1 (12.8-6.9 days), and S2 (4.5-3.9 days). Charlson Comorbidity Index remained stable for AR patients but increased significantly for S1 and S2 cohorts. ConclusionHospital charges and payments relative to the surgeons have significantly increased for revision TKA in the setting of stable or increasing patient complexity and decreasing LOS.

Bioactive components, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Paeonia rockii fruit during development

In last ten years, much attention focused on tree peony fruit (TPF) for edible oil production despite other potential utilization. The present study identified and quantified 29 bioactive components by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QqQ-MS) targeted approach during the development of TPF. Trans-resveratrol, benzoic acid, luteolin, and methyl gallate were selected as predominant chemical markers between seeds and pods through principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Extremely high levels of paeoniflorin (1893 mg/100 g) and trans-resveratrol (1793 mg/100 g) were observed at stage 2 (S2) and S6 in seeds, respectively. Antioxidant activities determined by ABTS+•, DPPH•, and FRAP assays showed significant correlations with total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The strongest antibacterial effects of pod and seed against Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus vulgaris occurred at initial stages and maturation stages. TPF could be a potential source of bioactive compounds with functional properties.

Genome-Wide Identification of CsATGs in Tea Plant and the Involvement of CsATG8e in Nitrogen Utilization.

Nitrogen (N) is a macroelement with an indispensable role in the growth and development of plants, and tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen perennial woody species with young shoots for harvest. During senescence or upon N stress, autophagy has been shown to be induced in leaves, involving a variety of autophagy-related genes (ATGs), which have not been characterized in tea plant yet. In this study, a genome-wide survey in tea plant genome identified a total of 80 Camellia Sinensis autophagy-related genes, CsATGs. The expression of CsATG8s in the tea plant showed an obvious increase from S1 (stage 1) to S4 (stage 4), especially for CsATG8e. The expression levels of AtATGs (Arabidopsis thaliana) and genes involved in N transport and assimilation were greatly improved in CsATG8e-overexpressed Arabidopsis. Compared with wild type, the overexpression plants showed earlier bolting, an increase in amino N content, as well as a decrease in biomass and the levels of N, phosphorus and potassium. However, the N level was found significantly higher in APER (aerial part excluding rosette) in the overexpression plants relative to wild type. All these results demonstrated a convincing function of CsATG8e in N remobilization and plant development, indicating CsATG8e as a potential gene for modifying plant nutrient utilization.

Morphological, Transcriptomic and Hormonal Characterization of Trimonoecious and Subandroecious Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) Suggests Important Roles of Ethylene in Sex Expression.

Sex expression is a complex process, and in-depth knowledge of its mechanism in pumpkin is important. In this study, young shoot apices at the one-true-leaf stage and 10-leaf stage in Cucurbita maxima trimonoecious line ‘2013–12’ and subandroecious line ‘9–6’ were collected as materials, and transcriptome sequencing was performed using an Illumina HiSeqTM 2000 System. 496 up-regulated genes and 375 down-regulated genes were identified between shoot apices containing mostly male flower buds and only female flower buds. Based on gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the ethylene and auxin synthesis and signal transduction pathways. In addition, shoot apices at the 4-leaf stage were treated with the ethylene-releasing agent 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (Ethrel), aminoethoxyvinyl glycine (AVG), AgNO3 and indoleacetic acid (IAA). The number of female flowers up to node 20 on the main stem of ‘2013–12’ increased significantly after Ethrel and IAA treatment and decreased significantly after AVG and AgNO3 treatment. The female flowers in ‘9–6’ showed slight changes after treatment with the exogenous chemicals. The expression of key genes in ethylene synthesis and signal transduction (CmaACS7, CmaACO1, CmaETR1 and CmaEIN3) was determined using quantitative RT-PCR, and the expression of these four genes was positively correlated with the number of female flowers in ‘2013–12’. The variations in gene expression, especially that of CmaACS7, after chemical treatment were small in ‘9–6’. From stage 1 (S1) to stage 7 (S7) of flower development, the expression of CmaACS7 in the stamen was much lower than that in the ovary, stigma and style. These transcriptome data and chemical treatment results indicated that IAA might affect pumpkin sex expression by inducing CmaACS7 expression and indirectly affecting ethylene production, and the ethylene synthesis and signal transduction pathways play crucial roles in pumpkin flower sex expression. A possible reason for the differences in sex expression between pumpkin lines ‘2013–12’ and ‘9–6’ was proposed based on the key gene expression. Overall, these transcriptome data and chemical treatment results suggest important roles for ethylene in pumpkin sex expression.

Opposite effect of motivated forgetting on sleep spindles during stage 2 and slow wave sleep.

Memories selectively benefit from sleep. In addition to the importance of the consolidation of relevant memories, the capacity to forget unwanted memories is also crucial. We investigated the effect of suppressing unwanted memories on electroencephalography activity of subsequent sleep using a motivated forgetting (MF) paradigm as compared with a control non-forgetting task. Subjects were randomly assigned to nap or no-nap groups. We used a modified version of the think/no-think paradigm with dominant number of no-think words cued to be forgotten and included only subjects capable of suppressing unwanted memories by performing an initial subject inclusion experiment. In both groups and conditions, the performance of the subjects in recalling the word pairs learned in the beginning of the day was evaluated in a final recall test. We found that both nap and no-nap groups recalled significantly less no-think words in the MF condition compared to the control condition. Moreover, for the nap group, in the MF compared to the control condition, spindle power and density increased during stage 2 (S2) whereas they decreased during slow wave sleep (SWS). Interestingly, recall performance of no-think words was negatively correlated with spindle power during S2 whereas it was positively correlated with spindle power during SWS. These results indicate that sleep spindles are sensitive to the previous MF experiences and suggest a differential role of sleep spindles during S2 and SWS in memory processing during sleep.

Effects of Operating Parameters on Gas-phase PAH Emissions from a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

ABSTRACT This study aims at investigating the emissions of cathode gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from a single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) at different operating parameters (methanol concentration, methanol flowrate, oxygen flowrate, and cell temperature). At the standard test condition (run A1), the concentrations of stage 1 (S1) and S2 PAHs ranged from non-detect (ND) to 10.3 ± 2.54 (Nap) and ND to 0.148 ± 0.047 (IND) µg Nm–3, respectively; furthermore, the Total-PAHs and Total-BaPeq concentrations of S1 + S2 were 21.2 ± 4.48 µg Nm–3 and 409 ± 226 ng Nm–3, respectively. The operating parameters significantly influenced the patterns of PAH concentration profiles. Decreasing with increasing methanol flowrate and concentration or decreasing oxygen flowrate and cell temperature, the ranges of Total-PAHs and Total-BaPeq concentrations of S1 + S2 for different runs were (36.4 ± 10.9)‒(0.98 ± 0.21) µg Nm–3 and (409 ± 226)‒(98.7 ± 30.3) ng Nm–3, respectively, with corresponding emission factors from 0.07 ± 0.03 to 2.44 ± 0.52 µg g-electrode–1 and from 7.58 ± 2.32 to 47.1 ± 26.0 ng g-electrode–1, respectively. At the same operating condition, more cathode gas-phase Total-PAHs and Total-BaPeq emissions were observed for the DMFC using a HE membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) than for using an E-TEK MEA. The DMFC had the lowest performance when the cell temperature was 60°C.

Global Methylome and gene expression analysis during early Peanut pod development

BackgroundEarly peanut pod development is an important process of peanut reproductive development. Modes of DNA methylation during early peanut pod development are still unclear, possibly because its allotetraploid genome may cause difficulty for the methylome analysis.ResultsTo investigate the functions of the dynamic DNA methylation during the early development of the peanut pod, global methylome and gene expression analyses were carried out by Illumina high throughput sequencing. A novel mapping strategy of reads was developed and used for methylome and gene expression analysis. Differentially methylated genes, such as nodulin, cell number regulator-like protein, and senescence-associated genes, were identified during the early developmental stages of the peanut pod. The expression levels of gibberellin-related genes changed during this period of pod development. From the stage one (S1) gynophore to the stage two (S2) gynophore, the expression levels of two key methyltransferase genes, DRM2 and MET1, were up-regulated, which may lead to global DNA methylation changes between these two stages. The differentially methylated and expressed genes identified in the S1, S2, and stage 3 (S3) gynophore are involved in different biological processes such as stem cell fate determination, response to red, blue, and UV light, post-embryonic morphogenesis, and auxin biosynthesis. The expression levels of many genes were co-related by their DNA methylation levels. In addition, our results showed that the abundance of some 24-nucleotide siRNAs and miRNAs were positively associated with DNA methylation levels of their target loci in peanut pods.ConclusionA novel mapping strategy of reads was described and verified in this study. Our results suggest that the methylated modes of the S1, S2, and S3 gynophore are different. The methylation changes that were identified during early peanut pod development provide useful information for understanding the roles of epigenetic regulation in peanut pod development.

Association of hypertension cut-off values with 10-year cardiovascular mortality and clinical consequences: a real-world perspective from the prospective MONICA/KORA study.

To investigate the clinical value of a lower blood pressure (BP) cut-off for Stage 1 (S1) hypertension (130-139 mmHg systolic or 80-89 mmHg diastolic) in comparison to the currently established Stage 2 (S2) cut-off (≥140/90 mmHg) in a population-based cohort. We assessed the hypertension prevalence and associated cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in a sample of 11603 participants (52% men, 48% women; mean 47.6 years) from the MONICA/KORA prospective study. The implementation of the new S1 cut-off increased the prevalence of hypertension from 34% to 63%. Only 24% of S2 hypertension patients were under treatment. Within a follow-up period of 10 years (70148 person-years), 370 fatal CVD events were observed. The adjusted CVD-specific mortality rate per 1000 persons was 1.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-2.25] cases in S2 and 1.07 (95% CI 0.71-1.64) cases in S1 hypertension in comparison to normal BP. Cox proportional regression models were significant for the association of S2 and CVD mortality (1.54, 95% CI 1.04-2.28, P = 0.03), also in the presence of competing risks (1.47, P = 0.05). However, statistical significance for S1 hypertension was not reached (0.93, 95% CI 0.61-1.44, P = 0.76). Among S2 participants, there was a significantly higher prevalence of depressed-mood in treated patients (47%) in comparison to non-treated patients (33%) (P < 0.0001). The lower BP cut-off substantially increased hypertension prevalence, while capturing a population with lower CVD mortality. Additionally, participants under treatment were more likely to have depressed-mood in comparison to non-treated participants, which might reflect a negative labelling effect.

Physico-textural and cellular structure changes of Carissa congesta fruit during growth and development

A study on the changes in physical and physiological characteristics of Carissa congesta fruit was conducted on weekly intervals from 1 until 13 weeks after anthesis (WAA) to establish its growth pattern. Based on the results obtained from the fruit length, diameter, fresh weight, and volume, C. congesta fruit exhibited a single sigmoidal growth pattern with three physiological stages; stage 1 (S1), stage 2 (S2) and stage 3 (S3). Cells of C. congesta fruit at S1 underwent rapid division, followed by cell expansion at S2 before it reached physiological maturity at S3. Color of C. congesta fruit appeared whitish-pink at early weeks of development, and then changed to red and dark purple at later weeks while fruit firmness increased initially before decreased during ripening. The fruit moisture content increased until third week then decreased during fruit growth and development. The respiration rate was high at the initial stage of growth before it declined at later stages. There was no ethylene detected throughout 13 weeks of observation considering C. congesta as a non-climacteric fruit.

Impact of Synoptic‐Scale Factors on Rainfall Forecast in Different Stages of a Persistent Heavy Rainfall Event in South China

AbstractThis study investigates the stage‐dependent rainfall forecast skills and the associated synoptic‐scale features in a persistent heavy rainfall event in south China, Guangdong Province, during 29–31 March 2014, using operational global ensemble forecasts from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts. This persistent rainfall was divided into two stages with a better precipitation forecast skill in Stage 2 (S2) than Stage 1 (S1) although S2 had a longer lead time. Using ensemble‐based sensitivity analysis, key synoptic‐scale factors that affected the rainfall were diagnosed by correlating the accumulated precipitation of each stage to atmospheric state variables in the middle of respective stage. The precipitation in both stages was found to be significantly correlated with midlevel trough, low‐level vortex, and particularly the low‐level jet on the southeast flank of the vortex and its associated moisture transport. The rainfall forecast skill was mainly determined by the forecast accuracy in the location of the low‐level jet, which was possibly related to the different juxtapositions between the direction of the movement of the low‐level vortex and the orientation of the low‐level jet. The uncertainty in rainfall forecast in S1 was mainly from the location uncertainty of the low‐level jet, while the uncertainty in rainfall forecast in S2 was mainly from the width uncertainty of the low‐level jet with the relatively accurate location of the low‐level jet.

PRETREATMENT VARIATIONS IN HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Objective: The objective of the presented study was to analyze the haematological parameters in female breast cancer (BC) patients before the start of the treatment.Methods: The study was conducted among female BC patients, visited King Fahd Hospital (KFH), Al Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from January 2013 to December 2016. A retrospective analytical study was conducted. We analyzed the relationship of haematological parameters with various stages of breast cancer before the start of any treatment. We used complete blood count (CBC) reports to analyze the haematological parameters. The mean age of the patients was 57 y (31-83 y). Most of the patients were postmenopausal (51-59 y old). We divided the patients into 4 groups according to the disease stage, i.e., stage 1 (S1) to stage 4 (S4).Results: Among altered blood parameters, decreased haemoglobin (Hb 4.5-11 g/dl) and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR 37–49 mm/first hour) in S1 to S4, increased neutrophil count in S3 and S4 (8.3-9.6 x103/mm3), and increased lymphocyte count (4-7.2 x103/mm3) in S1 and S2 patients were found.Conclusion: We found significant variations in haematological parameters at different stages of breast cancer. CBC is indeed an efficient and cost-effective investigation. By managing these parameters, treatment efficacy and survival rate of BC patients may be augmented.

Energetic valorization of algal biomass in a hybrid anaerobic reactor

This study evaluated the operation of a hybrid anaerobic reactor fed with algal biomass cultivated in effluent from the brewery industry. Three stages of operation were distinguished during the 72 days of semi-continuous functioning of the reactor: Stage 1 (S1), in which algal biomass was used as substrate; Stage 2 (S2), in which 10% (v/v) of the algal biomass was substituted by olive mill wastewater (OMW); and Stage 3 (S3), in which algal biomass was heat pre-treated. During S1, a loss of solids was observed, with an increment of organic matter in the outlet. The substitution of 10% of the volume of algal biomass by OMW tripled the methane productivity obtained in the previous stage by digestion of pure algal biomass. Heat pre-treatment was not efficient in rupturing the cell wall, and consequently did not have any effect on the increase in biogas production. The complementarity of substrates in the assessed conditions led to better results than the pre-treatment of the algal biomass.

Textures and high field strength elements in hydrothermal magnetite from a skarn system: Implications for coupled dissolution-reprecipitation reactions

There is increasing evidence to suggest that high field strength elements (HFSE) could be mobile to some extent in hydrothermal fluid due to the influence of halogens (e.g., fluorine and chlorine). However, in natural hydrothermal (fluid) systems, “coupled dissolution reprecipitation” (CDR) reactions at fluid-mineral interfaces that have been emphasized in the past decade may play a key role in controlling the final textures and mineral assemblages. The influences of the CDR reactions in hydrothermal systems on HFSE enrichment or depletion at the mineral scale are enigmatic. In this study, we show that enrichment of Nb and Zr can occur in magnetite on the mineral scale formed by hydrothermal fluids at medium-to-lower temperature in a skarn system. Four stages of mineralization and alteration of magnetite have been identified in the Baishiya iron skarn deposit of the East Kunlun Mountains of China. Magnetite formed in stage 1 (S1) developed obvious oscillatory zonation, whereas that formed in stages 2 (S2) and 3 (S3) shows hydrothermal alteration and metasomatic textures, and that in stage 4 (S4) developed euhedral crystals with simple zoning. Systematic variations in the trace element compositions of different magnetite grains analyzed by EMPA and LA-ICP-MS suggest that the magnetite from S1 to S3 may have formed in a metasomatic process at relatively constant temperature, whereas the magnetite from S4 formed by re-equilibrium processes at lower temperature. The magnetite from each stage can be divided into light and dark domains based on backscattered electron images. The dark domains in the magnetite from S1 and S2 have higher Nb/Ta (8.52–27.00) and Zr/Hf (18.22–52.64) ratios and silicon contents than the light domains (0.55–5.66 and 2.54–16.43, respectively). Compared with other magnetite ores, the ores from S1 and S2 are depleted of V and Ni. This depletion may be induced by increased oxygen and co-crystallized sulfide. However, these variations are unlikely to be responsible for the enrichment of Nb and Zr in magnetite at equilibrium conditions. Conversely, the dark domains of the magnetite from S1 and S2 are porous, irregular, and/or oscillatory with quartz inclusions, indicating nonequilibrium conditions. These textural features could be attributed to the CDR reactions that are ubiquitous in skarn systems. The increased silicon concentrations in magnetite due to the CDR reactions could affect the lattice parameters of the magnetite structure, leading to an overall change in the volume of magnetite ores. The reduplicative processes of volume change, dissolution, and porosity formation within magnetite are further imporved due to an incresed oxygen fugacity and co-crystallized sulfide (e.g., decreased temperature or increased sulfur fugacity) at far-from-equilibrium or local equilibrium conditions, resulting in oscillatory magnetite dark domains of S1. Ripening of the transient porosity can trap nanoscale precipitates of columbite and zircon within pores of Si-magnetite, and this precipitation could be attributed to the co-crystallized phlogopite that would incorporate fluorine from the hydrothermal fluid, and subsequently decrease the solubility of Nb and Zr in the skarn system. This scenario highlights that Nb and Zr could be scavenged and enriched into in the reaction fronts (porosity) by controlling the reaction pathway at a local scale that does not reflect the overall fluid-rock interaction history of the mineral assemblage.

Intra-Night Sleep Perception in Patients with Sleep Disorders

Measured and rated sleep differ in normal sleepers and even more in patients with sleep disorders. The study aimed to asses sleep/wake perception in electrophysiologically defined sleep in patients with sleep disorders. 117 consecutively referred patients (75 females), median age 50.3 years, range 20–73 years) with various sleep disorders were randomized for one induced waking, either out of stage 2 (S2) or REM sleep, as part of a clinical routine polysomnography. Patients were classified as either non-sleepy (Epworth Sleepiness Scale score ESS ≤ 10) or sleepy (ESS ≥ 11). The most frequent diagnoses of non-sleepy patients were insomnia and RLS, while sleepy patients suffered predominantly from OSAS, hypersomnia and insufficient sleep syndrome. Subjects were deliberately aroused once, either out of consolidated stage 2 sleep (n = 66) or REM sleep (n = 51) and asked for sleep/wake perception (sleep/wake and related questions). While 81 (69.2%) of the subjects estimated that they had been sleeping or dozing before they were aroused, 36 (30.8%) reported that they had been awake. Awake ratings were significantly more frequent for S 2 (45.5%) than for REM sleep (11.8%). The difference between sleep states was most pronounced for insomniacs (58.1% awake ratings in S2 vs. 5.3% in REM sleep). Mismatches between measured sleep and perceived state are quite frequent, with a greater disparity for S2 than for REM sleep, especially in insomniac patients. We suggest that state judgement is contingent not only on the state of the sleep regulating system but also on cognitive processes associated with processing of external and internal stimuli, and dreaming.

Microstructure and tensile behavior of Fe-8Mn-6Al-0.2C low density steel

The microstructure and tensile behavior of Fe-8Mn-6Al-0.2C low density steel were investigated in the present study. The results show that, after being solution treated at 900°C for 1h, the steel has a duplex microstructure consisting of ferrite and ~ 30% austenite, and it exhibits an excellent combination in mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 846MPa and a total elongation of 32%, which were attributed to significant contribution of TRIP effect and three stages work hardening behavior. During tensile test, the work hardening behavior can be defined as three-stage characteristics, in which the stage 2(S2) was linked to the TRIP effect. In S2, with the increase of tensile strain, austenite volume fraction decreased while martensite volume fraction increased gradually. During this process, some austenite grains, positioned at grain boundaries among multiple ferrite grains, were the first ones to transform, while, some austenite grains, located between ferrite laths or embedded in large ferrite grains were often found to undergo rotations. The TRIP effect and the high dislocation density in ferrite and martensite significantly contributed to the excellent mechanical property. In addition, the volume fraction of small angle grain boundaries increased greatly, with a value of over 51% being observed at the true strain of 0.27. The steel possessed a density of 6.95g/cm3, which is about 11% lower than pure iron.

Transcriptome Analysis of Calcium- and Hormone-Related Gene Expressions during Different Stages of Peanut Pod Development.

Peanut is one of the calciphilous plants. Calcium serves as a ubiquitous central hub in a large number of signaling pathways. In the field, free calcium ion (Ca2+)-deficient soil can result in unfilled pods. Four pod stages were analyzed to determine the relationship between Ca2+ excretion and pod development. Peanut shells showed Ca2+ excretion at all four stages; however, both the embryo of Stage 4 (S4) and the red skin of Stage 3 (S3) showed Ca2+ absorbance. These results showed that embryo and red skin of peanut need Ca2+ during development. In order to survey the relationship among calcium, hormone and seed development from gene perspective, we further analyzed the seed transcriptome at Stage 2 (S2), S3, and S4. About 70 million high quality clean reads were generated, which were assembled into 58,147 unigenes. By comparing these three stages, total 4,457 differentially expressed genes were identified. In these genes, 53 Ca2+ related genes, 40 auxin related genes, 15 gibberellin genes, 20 ethylene related genes, 2 abscisic acid related genes, and 7 cytokinin related genes were identified. Additionally, a part of them were validated by qRT-PCR. Most of their expressions changed during the pod development. Since some reports showed that Ca2+ signal transduction pathway is involved in hormone regulation pathway, these results implied that peanut seed development might be regulated by the collaboration of Ca2+ signal transduction pathway and hormone regulation pathway.

Simulated forecasts for primordial B -mode searches in ground-based experiments

Detecting the imprint of inflationary gravitational waves on the $B$-mode polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is one of the main science cases for current and next-generation CMB experiments. In this work we explore some of the challenges that ground-based facilities will have to face in order to carry out this measurement in the presence of Galactic foregrounds and correlated atmospheric noise. We present forecasts for Stage-3 (S3) and planned Stage-4 (S4) experiments based on the analysis of simulated sky maps using a map-based Bayesian foreground cleaning method. Our results thus consistently propagate the uncertainties on foreground parameters such as spatially-varying spectral indices, as well as the bias on the measured tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$ caused by an incorrect modelling of the foregrounds. We find that S3 and S4-like experiments should be able to put constraints on $r$ of the order $\sigma(r)=(0.5-1.0)\times10^{-2}$ and $\sigma(r)=(0.5-1.0)\times10^{-3}$ respectively, assuming instrumental systematic effects are under control. We further study deviations from the fiducial foreground model, finding that, while the effects of a second polarized dust component would be minimal on both S3 and S4, a 2\% polarized anomalous dust emission (AME) component would be clearly detectable by Stage-4 experiments.

Effectiveness of medicines authentication technology to detect counterfeit, recalled and expired medicines: a two-stage quantitative secondary care study

ObjectivesTo identify the authentication and detection rate of serialised medicines using medicines authentication technology.Design and intervention4192 serialised medicines were entered into a hospital dispensary over two separate 8-week stages in...