Working-memory training improves developmental dyslexia in Chinese children

Although plasticity in the neural system underlies working memory, and working memory can be improved by training, there is thus far no evidence that children with developmental dyslexia can benefit from working-memory training. In the present study, thirty dyslexic children aged 8-11 years were recruited from an elementary school in Wuhan, China. They received working-memory training including training in visuospatial memory, verbal memory, and central executive tasks. The difficulty of the tasks was adjusted based on the performance of each subject, and the training sessions lasted 40 minutes per day, for 5 weeks. The results showed that working-memory training significantly enhanced performance on the nontrained working memory tasks such as the visuospatial, the verbal domains, and central executive tasks in children with developmental dyslexia. More importantly, the visual rhyming task and reading fluency task were also significantly improved by training. Progress on working memory measures was related to changes in reading skills. These experimental findings indicate that working memory is a pivotal factor in reading development among children with developmental dyslexia, and interventions to improve working memory may help dyslexic children to become more proficient in reading.

Preparation and Dielectric Properties of Nonstoichiometric β-SiC Powder by Combustion Synthesis

The nonstoichiometric β-SIC powders were synthesized via combustion reaction of Si and C system in a 0.1 MPa nitrogen atmosphere, using Teflon as the chemical activator. The prepared powders were invistigated by XRD and Raman spectra. The results indicates that the cell parameters of all the prepared β-SIC powder are smaller than the standard value of β-SIC because of generation of CSi defects. The complex permittivity of prepared products was carried out in the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz. It shows that the dielectric property of prepared β-SiC powder decrease with increasing PTFE content. The effect of CSi defects on dielectric property of β-SiC powder has been discussed.

Knockdown of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 alleviates LPS-induced myocardial dysfunction through the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1αpathway

Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction is primarily accompanied by severe sepsis,which is associated with high morbidity and mortality.11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1(11β-HSD1),encoded by Hsd11b1,is a reductase that can convert inactive cortisone into metabolically active cortisol,but the role of 11β-HSD1 in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction remains poorly understood.The current study aimed to investigate the effects of 11β-HSD1 on a lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced mouse model,in which LPS(10 mg/kg)was administered to wild-type C57BL/6J mice and 11β-HSD1 global knockout mice.We asscessed cardiac function by echocardiography,performed transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemical staining to analyze myocardial mitochondrial injury and histological changes,and determined the levels of reactive oxygen species and biomarkers of oxidative stress.We also employed polymerase chain reaction analysis,Western blotting,and immunofluorescent staining to determine the expression of related genes and proteins.To investigate the role of 11β-HSD1 in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction,we used LPS to induce lentivirus-infected neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes.We found that knockdown of 11β-HSD1 alleviated LPS-induced myocardial mitochondrial injury,oxidative stress,and inflammation,along with an improved myocardial function;furthermore,the depletion of 11β-HSD1 promoted the phosphorylation of adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α(PGC-1α),and silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)protein levels both in vivo and in vitro.Therefore,the suppression of 11β-HSD1 may be a viable strategy to improve cardiac function against endotoxemia challenges.

DVCast:denoising and variable dct for analog visual communications

Recently,analog visual transmission has attracted considerable attention owing to its graceful performance degradation for various wireless channels.In this study,we propose a novel analog visual communications system,named DVCast,in which an image denoising algorithm is used to fully utilize spatial correlation;moreover,the variable block size Discrete Cosine Transform(DCT)is used to preserve more correlation information in an image.Obviously,there is a tradeoff between system performance and computing complexity.Therefore,to improve the real-time performance of the proposed system,implementation of Block Matching with 3D filtering(BM3D)and DCT by Graphics Processing Units(GPUs)is introduced.According to DCT block size,i.e.,88,1616,and 3232,the schemes DVCast8,DVCast16,and DVCast32,respectively,are designed and implemented.Simulations show that DVCast with larger block size achieves better gain and visual quality than reference schemes.Moreover,it requires less computing time.DVCast32 outperforms conventional digital schemes by approximately 3.51 dB and achieves a 1.12 dB gain over state-of-the-art reference schemes.Furthermore,the analysis shows that DVCast can reduce overhead by at least 75%.

Food odors alter behavioral responses and olfactory receptors expression in grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

Olfaction,the sense of smell,is crucial for animal survival,especially in localizing prey or food.However,little is known about the fish behavioral responses to specific food odors and which olfactory receptor might be activated by the food odors.Here,we examined the evolutionary relationships and classified the subfamilies of olfactory receptors(ORs),and conducted behavioral and gene expression analysis in grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idellus).We identified 196 intact ORs in the grass carp genome and classified them into 8 subfamilies:β,δ,ε,η,γ,κ,θ,andζ.12 representative ORs(4β,4δ,and 4ε)were highly expressed in the olfactory epithelium(OE)of 24-month-old grass carp.Behavioral exploration found that grass carp showed different behaviors to different food odors at a series of concentrations.Specifically,0.01μmol/L amino acid mixtures and 0.005×Hydrilla verticillata extracts strongly changed the preference index and swimming trajectories in 6-month-old grass carp.In addition,the two food odors stimulation differentially induced ORs expression in three tissues,especially strong in the olfactory bulb and brain.Altogether,our results suggest that olfaction plays an important role in the regulation of fish feeding behavior and provide a basis for further studies on the function and specific recognition of olfactory receptors in fish.

链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品的研制

研制链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,可以更加科学地评价活菌计数结果的准确性和有效性。首先,制备了一批链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,对其物理性状、纯粹性、真空度、剩余水分进行检验,并对其均一性、运输稳定性、热稳定性进行测定,另组织3家单位通过协作标定的方式对参考品活菌数进行赋值,用协作标定法统计参考品在12个月内的保存期。参考品的性状检查、纯粹检验、真空度测定和剩余水分测定结果均符合《中国兽药典》的规定;均一性试验结果显示,参考品计数结果的变异系数小于10%,均一性良好;运输稳定性试验证明,参考品在夏季和冬季用泡沫盒加冰袋的方式运输3日内数值仍能保持稳定;加速热稳定性试验验证,参考品在–20℃条件下保存3个月、4℃条件下保存21 d内均可活菌数稳定;通过协作标定,统计出参考品活菌数的赋值范围为(8.5–12.1)×107CFU/支;保存期试验结果证实,参考品在–70℃以下保存一年内活菌数可维持稳定状态。链球菌病类活疫苗活菌计数参考品,不仅可以为链球菌病类活疫苗的活菌计数实验提供参照物,而且可以用于评价马丁琼脂培养基的质量,为兽用生物制品质量控制提供保障。

Molecular dynamics simulation of aluminum inhibited leaching during ion-adsorbed type rare earth ore leaching process

Molecular dynamics simulation was adopted to study the interaction between sulfosalicylic acid and aluminum,lanthanum and yttrium,and adsorption on kaolinite surfaces.A complexation reaction occurs between sulfosalicylic acid and aluminum,with an interaction energy of-10472.05 kJ/mol.O—Al covalent bonds are formed with a peak value of 7.93,while there is only weak adsorption between sulfosalicylic acid and rare earth ions.A hydrogen bonding reaction with 13605.82 kJ/mol energy occurs between sulfosalicylic acid and the surface of kaolinite(100).Thus,sulfosalicylic acid can form a complex with free aluminum ions,and can also be adsorbed on kaolinite by hydrogen bonding with aluminum in kaolinite(100)surfaces.Leaching of ion-adsorbed type rare earth ore was performed with aluminum inhibited,results show that when sulfosalicylic acid dosage increases from 0 to 0.15 wt%,aluminum ion concentration in the leaching solution decreases from 273.23 to 47.19 mg/L.And the effect of leaching pH value on the effect of sulfosalicylic acid on aluminum inhibition was studied,the result shows that,when the leaching pH value is 4.0—5.0,the rare earth leaching rate and the aluminum ion concentration basically remain unchanged.The molecular dynamics simulation results were verified by detection and analysis of XPS and SEM.

Rare earth recovery from fluoride molten-salt electrolytic slag by sodium carbonate roasting-hydrochloric acid leaching

Fluorinated rare earth molten-salt electrolytic slag contains a considerable amount of rare earth elements,as well as a variety of heavy metals and fluorides that cause environmental pollution.Therefore,it is of great importance to fully utilise this resource.In this study,the transformation mechanism of fluorinated rare earth molten-salt electrolytic slag roasted with sodium carbonate,and the regulation mechanism of rare earth leaching under different roasting conditions were investigated with the help of thermodynamic calculation of the reactions and kinetic analysis.The thermodynamic and differential thermal thermogravimetric(DTA-TG)analysis shows that the transformation of rare earth fluoride to rare earth oxide is promoted at elevated temperature.Furthermore,the leaching experimental results show that increasing the temperature,time,hydrochloric acid concentration,and liquid-solid ratio can effectively promote the recovery of rare earths.The optimum experimental conditions are a roasting temperature of 700℃,roasting time of 2 h,and sodium carbonate to molten salt electrolytic slag mass ratio of 0.6,followed by leaching at 80℃with a liquid-solid ratio of 10:1 by adding 3 moI/L hydrochlo ric acid with stirring for 2 h.Under these conditions,the rare earths in the molten salt electrolytic slag are biologically transformed at a lower temperature and the leaching efficiency of rare earths exceeds 98%.

Protein trafficking in plant cells:tools and markers

Eukaryotic cells consist of numerous membrane-bound organelles,which compartmentalize cellular materials to fulfil a variety of vital functions.In the post-genomic era,it is widely recognized that identification of the subcellular organelle localization and transport mechanisms of the encoded proteins are necessary for a fundamental understanding of their biological functions and theorganization of cellular activity.Multiple experimental approaches are now available to determine the subcellular localizations and dynamics of proteins.In this review,we provide an overview of the current methods and organelle markers for protein subcellular localization and trafficking studies in plants,with a focus on the organelles of the endomembrane system.We also discuss the limitations of each method in terms of protein colocalization studies.

Optimization of rare earth carbonate reactive-crystallization process based on response surface method

Rare earth carbonate precipitation is mainly amorphous,of large volume and difficult to filter.To prepare crystalline rare earth carbonate,mother liquor of heavy rare earth was taken as research object,and the experimental scheme was designed based on the response surface central composite design(CCD)method.The concentration of mother liquor,aging time and seed crystal dosage were taken as independent variables,and the particle size of rare earth carbonate was taken as the response value to establish a quadratic polynomial numerical model to optimize the reactive-crystallization process of rare earth carbonate.The results show that these three factors have significant effect on the particle size of rare earth carbonate,and the influence order is mother liquid concentration>aging time>seed crystal dosage.Moreover,the interaction between mother liquor concentration and seed crystal dosage has a significant effect on the size of rare earth carbonate particles.The optimal parameters predicted by the model are as follows:the concentration of mother liquid is 1.75 g/L,seed crystal dosage is 13.56 wt%,and aging time is 8 h.Under these conditions,the predicted particle size is 28.74μm,and the experiment particle size is 28.23μm,between both,the relative error is 0.73%,which indicates that the established response surface model has a good prediction effect and a certain practical significance to guide the reactive-crystallization process of rare earth carbonate.The obtained rare earth carbonate has a crystallinity of 97.82%,uniform particles size,and low-hydrated crystals with a tengerite structure.

OsCPL3 is involved in brassinosteroid signaling by regulating OsGSK2 stability

Glycogen synthase kinase 3(GSK3)proteins play key roles in brassinosteroid(BR)signaling during plant growth and development by phosphorylating various substrates.However,how GSK3 protein stability and activity are themselves modulated is not well understood.Here,we demonstrate in vitro and in vivo that C-TERMINAL DOMAIN PHOSPHATASELIKE 3(Os CPL3),a member of the RNA Pol II CTD phosphatase-like family,physically interacts with Os GSK2 in rice(Oryza sativa).Os CPL3 expression was widely detected in various tissues and organs including roots,leaves and lamina joints,and was induced by exogenous BR treatment.Os CPL3 localized to the nucleus,where it dephosphorylated Os GSK2 at the Ser-222 and Thr-284 residues to modulate its protein turnover and kinase activity,in turn affecting the degradation of BRASSINAZOLERESISTANT 1(BZR1)and BR signaling.Loss of Os CPL3 function resulted in higher Os GSK2 abundance and lower Os BZR1 levels,leading to decreased BR responsiveness and alterations in plant morphology including semi-dwarfism,leaf erectness and grain size,which are of fundamental importance to crop productivity.These results reveal a previously unrecognized role for Os CPL3 and add another layer of complexity to the tightly controlled BR signaling pathway in plants.

Construction of PS/PNIPAM core-shell particles and hollow spheres by using hydrophobic interaction and thermosensitive phase separation

This paper reports an easy and effective way to fabricate polystyrene/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PS/PNIPAM)core-shell particles and PNIPAM hollow spheres.The main point of the method is to take advantage of the hydrophobic interaction between initiator and PS particles.The hydrophobic azodiisobutyronitriles automatically concentrate around the PS particles and initiate polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide(NIPAM)and the crosslinkermethylene bisacrylamide(MBA),which dissolve in the aqueous phase,at the surface of the PS nanoparticles.Then,PNIPAM adheres to the PS particles to form a coreshell structure as a result of their hydrophobic interaction.This interaction is due to the unique property of PNIPAM,namely,its ability to transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic when the temperature rises to 32℃.Furthermore,the hollow PNIPAM spheres were obtained by etching the PS core with chloroform.

Na/K RATIOS DEPENDENCE OF PIEZOELECTRIC AND FERROELECTRIC PROPERTIES IN(K_(1-x)Na_(x))TNbO_(3)LEAD-FREE CERAMICS

In order to clarify the Na/K ratios dependence of piezoelectric properties,(K_(1-x)Na_(x))TNbO_(3)cer-amics were prepared by conventional solid-state sintering at a=0.4-0.6 with a smaller com-positional interval(0.02 mol).The results demonstrate that the Na/K ratios have obvious effecton piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of(K_(1-x)Na_(x))NbO_(3)ceramics.Piezoelectric and fer-roelectric properties show the maximum(d_(33)147 pc/N,k_(p)=0.40,and P_(r)=24μC/cm^(2))at=0.54,which is not consistent with conventional viewpoint.The reasons should be attributedto the existence of a phase boundary at a=0.54 mol,which is similar to the morphotropic phaseboundary in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_(3)ceramics.