Isolation, identification, and tolerance analysis of yeast during the natural fermentation process of Sidamo coffee beans.

Yeast, which plays a pivotal role in the brewing, food, and medical industries, exhibits a close relationship with human beings. In this study, we isolated and purified 60 yeast strains from the natural fermentation broth of Sidamo coffee beans to screen for indigenous beneficial yeasts. Among them, 25 strains were obtained through morphological characterization on nutritional agar medium from Wallerstein Laboratory (WL), with molecular biology identifying Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain YBB-47 and the remaining 24 yeast strains identified as Pichia kudriavzevii. We investigated the fermentation performance, alcohol tolerance, SO2 tolerance, pH tolerance, sugar tolerance, temperature tolerance, ester production capacity, ethanol production capacity, H2S production capacity, and other brewing characteristics of YBB-33 and YBB-47. The results demonstrated that both strains could tolerate up to 3% alcohol by volume at a high sucrose mass concentration (400 g/L) under elevated temperature conditions (40 ℃), while also exhibiting a remarkable ability to withstand an SO2 mass concentration of 300 g/L at pH 3.2. Moreover, S. cerevisiae YBB-47 displayed a rapid gas production rate and strong ethanol productivity. whereas P. kudriavzevii YBB-33 exhibited excellent alcohol tolerance. Furthermore, this systematic classification and characterization of coffee bean yeast strains from the Sidamo region can potentially uncover additional yeasts that offer high-quality resources for industrial-scale coffee bean production.

Optimizing Triage: Assessing Shock Index, Pediatric Age-Adjusted as an Adjunct to Improve Emergency Severity Index Mistriage.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the diagnostic value of shock index, pediatric age-adjusted (SIPA) in predicting Emergency Severity Index level 3 patients' outcomes. Secondary objectives included exploring the impact of fever and participant variables on SIPA's predictive ability. METHODS: A retrospective chart review identified children aged 1 to 15 years triaged as a level 3 in the emergency department between January 2018 and December 2021. Shock index, pediatric age-adjusted thresholds based on age, 1 to 6 years (>1.2), 7 to 12 years (>1.0), and 13 to 17 years (>0.9), were used. We assessed elevated SIPA and SIPA corrected for fever to evaluate associations with outcomes and interventions. RESULTS: Our findings, involving 192 patients, revealed that elevated SIPA demonstrated enhanced discrimination relative to nonelevated SIPA. Patients with elevated SIPA had more average interventions: 1.14 versus 0.74, P < 0.016; average interventions using SIPA corrected for fever: 1.14 versus 0.77, P < 0.006; average interventions controlling for race and sex: 1.15 versus 0.71, P < 0.001; hospital admission: 64.4% versus 42.9%, P = 0.004; hospital length of stay (LOS): 3.06 days (SE, 0.42) versus 1.46 days (SE, 0.23); hospital LOS using SIPA corrected for fever: 2.75 days (SE, 0.44) versus 1.72 days (SE, 0.24); ventilatory support: 16.44% versus 3.36%, P < 0.002; fluid bolus: 28.77% versus 14.29%, P < 0.015; intravenous medications (antibiotics, antiepileptics, immune globulin, albumin): 45.21% versus 30.25%, P < 0.036. There was no difference between other interventions, pediatric intensive care admission, and LOS between the 2 groups. Importantly, SIPA was unaffected by fever, race, or sex. CONCLUSIONS: Shock index, pediatric age-adjusted identifies level 3 Emergency Severity Index pediatric patients more likely to require hospital admission, longer LOS, and a lifesaving intervention especially ventilatory support, intravenous fluids, or specific intravenous medications. Shock index, pediatric age-adjusted's predictive ability remained unaffected by fever, race, or sex, making it a valuable tool in preventing mistriage and justifying inclusion in the Emergency Severity Index danger zone vitals criteria for up-triage.

[Mechanism of Yupingfeng Powder on hepatic insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats by regulating IRS/PI3K/Akt pathway].

Based on the insulin receptor substrate(IRS)/phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt) pathway, the intervention effect of Yupingfeng Powder on type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) rats was studied, and the potential mechanism of improving T2DM hepatic insulin resistance was explored. A T2DM rat model was established by feeding with high-fat and high-sugar feed combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Successfully modeled rats were selected and divided into a model group, a positive control group(MET), and a Yupingfeng Powder group. At the same time, a blank group was set up, and corresponding drugs were given by gavage. The model group and blank group were given an equal amount of physiological saline by gavage. During the experiment, body mass and fasting blood glucose were regularly measured, and glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance were measured at the end of the experiment. After the experiment, the levels of blood glucose, insulin, blood lipids, and related liver function indicators were measured; changes in liver pathological damage were observed, levels of liver monoamine oxidase were detected, and qRT-PCR was used to detect mRNA expression levels of IRS/PI3K/Akt pathway related genes. Compared with the model group, the Yupingfeng Powder group had an increase in body weight, a decrease in fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and steady-state model evaluation index, a decrease in the area under the curve of glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance tests, a decrease in serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol content, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol content. Compared with the model group, the Yupingfeng Powder group showed a decrease in liver monoamine oxidase levels, a decrease in serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin levels, and an increase in total protein and albumin levels. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining showed a reduction in pathological liver cell damage. Compared with the model group, the Yupingfeng Powder group showed a significant increase in the mRNA expression levels of IRS1, PI3K, and Akt in the liver of rats, as well as a significant decrease in the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). This indicates that Yupingfeng Powder can regulate the IRS/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, increase insulin sensitivity, improve hepatic insulin resistance, and thus play a therapeutic role in T2DM.

[Integrated strategy for mechanism of Shenling Baizhu San in treating ulcerative colitis based on colonic metabolomics and network pharmacology].

Shenling Baizhu San(SLBZS) is a commonly used medicine for the treatment of ulcerative colitis(UC). This study aims to explore the mechanism of SLBZS in treating UC by using colonic metabolomics and network pharmacology. BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups: a blank group, a model group, an SLBZS group, and a sulfasalazine group. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS technology was utilized to analyze the metabolic profiles of colonic tissue in mice, and differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways were screened. Based on the online database, active ingredients, action targets, and UC disease targets of SLBZS were screened. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of core targets of SLBZS in treating UC was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape 3.9.1. Gene Ontology(GO) functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the DAVID database. A "metabolite-reaction-enzyme-gene" network was constructed to conduct a combined analysis of metabolomics and network pharmacology. SLBZS reversed the levels of 25 metabolites involved in various pathways such as D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, caffeine metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, lysine degradation, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism in UC colonic tissue. 47 core targets of SLBZS in treating UC were involved in pathways including the MAPK signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and Th17 cell differentiation. Integrated analysis showed that glycerophospholipid metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism were key metabolic pathways in the treatment of UC with SLBZS. The results suggested that SLBZS improved colonic mucosal morphology by regulating colonic metabolites, down-regulated the expression of inflammation-related core target genes to reduce inflammation levels, and alleviated lipid metabolism disorders, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on UC.

[Risk factors for neonatal asphyxia and establishment of a nomogram model for predicting neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture: a multicenter study]. / æ¹–åŒ—æ©æ–½åœŸå®¶æ—è‹—æ—è‡ªæ²»å·žæ–°ç”Ÿå„¿çª’æ¯å±é™©å› ç´ åˆ†æžåŠåˆ—çº¿å›¾é¢„æµ‹æ¨¡åž‹çš„æž„å»ºï¼šä¸€é¡¹å¤šä¸­å¿ƒç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.

Combined effects of air pollutants on gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

Exposures to multiple air pollutants during pregnancy have been associated with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, their combined effects are unclear. We aimed to evaluate the combined associations of five air pollutants from pre-pregnancy to the 2nd trimester with GDM. This study included 20,113 participants from the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study (BIGCS). The inverse distance-weighted models were used to estimate individual air pollutant exposure, namely ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter less than 10 µm in diameter (PM10), and less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5). We estimated stage-specific associations of air pollutants with GDM using generalized estimating equation, and departures from additive joint effects were assessed using the relative excess risk (RERI) and the joint relative risk (JRR). Of the 20,113 participants, 3440 women (17.1%) were diagnosed with GDM. In the adjusted model, increased concentrations of O3 and SO2 3-6 months before pregnancy were associated with GDM occurrence, as well as O3 and PM10 in the 1st trimester, the adjusted relative risk (95% confident intervals) [RRs (95%CI)] ranged from 1.05 (1.00, 1.09) to 1.21 (1.04, 1.40). The largest JRR for GDM was the combination of SO2, NO2, and PM10 in the 1st trimester (JRR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.59). The JRR for O3 and SO2 was less than their additive joint effects [RERI = -0.25 (-0.47, -0.04), P for interaction = 0.048]. Associations of air pollutants with GDM differed somewhat by pre-pregnancy BMI and season. This study added new evidence to the current understanding of the combined effects of multiple air pollutants on GDM. Public health strategies were needed to reduce the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on pregnant women.

Research agendas and organizational commitment among academics in mainland China.

This research pioneered the investigation of the statistically predictive power of academics' research agendas for their organizational commitment-beyond age, gender, academic rank, and academic discipline. Three hundred and thirty-two academics from nine research-oriented comprehensive universities in Zhejiang province and Shanghai, mainland China, responded to the Multi-Dimensional Research Agendas Inventory-12 Items (MDRAI-12) and the Organizational Commitment Inventory. Three main findings were obtained. First, the MDRAI-12 was confirmed to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the research agendas of academics in mainland China. Second, both academics' research agendas and their organizational commitment varied as a function of demographics. Third and most importantly, when age, gender, academic rank, and academic discipline were put under control, three of the four trailblazing research agendas (scientific ambition, collaboration, and discovery) predicted the three adaptive organizational commitments (affective, normative, and ideal), whereas the two cohesive research agendas (convergence and conservative) chiefly contributed to the two maladaptive organizational commitments (economic and choice). These findings have shed new light on the literature concerning research agendas and that on organizational commitment. At the same time, the findings have practical implications for university academics and senior managers in their respective efforts to promote innovative research and adaptive organizational commitment among academics.

Genome editing of Corynebacterium glutamicum mediated with Cpf1 plus Ku/LigD.

OBJECTIVES: Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) has been harnessed for multi-million-ton scale production of glutamate and lysine. To further increase its amino acid production for fermentation industry, there is an acute need to develop next-generation genome manipulation tool for its metabolic engineering. All reported methods for genome editing triggered with CRISPR-Cas are based on the homologous recombination. While, it requires the generation of DNA repair template, which is a bottle-neck for its extensive application. RESULTS: In this study, we developed a method for gene knockout in C. glutamicum via CRISPR-Cpf1-coupled non-homologous end-joining (CC-NHEJ). Specifically, CRISPR-Cpf1 introduced double-strand breaks in the genome of C. glutamicum, which was further repaired by ectopically expressed two NHEJ key proteins (Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ku and ligase D). We provide the proof of concept, for CC-NHEJ, by the successful knockout of the crtYf/e gene in C. glutamicum with the efficiency of 22.00 ± 5.56%, or something like that. CONCLUSION: The present study reported a novel genome manipulation method for C. glutamicum.

Career choice and influential factors among medical students majoring in psychiatry in China.

BACKGROUND: The undergraduate program of psychiatry has been widely established in recent years to improve the education and recruitment of psychiatrists in China. We aim to investigate the career choice of medical students majoring in psychiatry in China and the influential factors. METHOD: This multicenter study was conducted in 26 medical schools in China from May to October of 2019. Participants included 4610 medical students majoring in psychiatry and 3857 medical students majoring in clinical medicine. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the influential factors of students' choices of psychiatry at matriculation and as a career. RESULTS: 44.08% of psychiatry majored students gave psychiatry as a first choice at matriculation, and 56.67% of them would choose psychiatry as a career, which was in sharp contrast to the proportion of clinical medicine majored students who would choose psychiatry as a career (0.69%). Personal interest (59.61%), suggestions from family members (27.96%), and experiencing mental problems (23.19%) were main reasons for choosing psychiatry major at matriculation. Personal interest (odds ratio [OR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.87-2.40), experiencing a psychiatry clerkship (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.28-3.08), being female (OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.30-1.68), experiencing mental problems (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.28-1.56), and suggestions from family members (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.08-1.46) correlated positively with students' choice of psychiatry as career. Students who lacked psychiatry knowledge (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.29-0.85) or chose psychiatry because of lower admission scores (OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.63-0.97) were less likely to choose psychiatry as a career. CONCLUSION: More than half of psychiatry majored medical school students planned to choose psychiatry as their career, whereas very few students in the clinic medicine major would make this choice. Increasing students' interest in psychiatry, strengthening psychiatry clerkships, and popularizing psychiatric knowledge are modifiable factors to increase the psychiatry career intention. The extent to which medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry can be changed through medical school education and greater exposure to psychiatry will need further investigation.

Identification and genetic analysis of qCL1.2, a novel allele of the "green revolution" gene SD1 from wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) that enhances plant height.

BACKGROUND: The exploitation of novel alleles from wild rice that were lost during rice cultivation could be very important for rice breeding and evolutionary studies. Plant height (PH) was a target of artificial selection during rice domestication and is still a target of modern breeding. The "green revolution" gene semi-dwarf 1 (SD1) were well documented and used in the past decades, allele from wild rice could provide new insights into the functions and evolution of this gene. RESULTS: We identified a PH-related quantitative trait locus, qCL1.2,from wild riceusing a set of chromosome segment substitution lines. qCL1.2encodesa novel allele of SD1 gene. The wild allele of SD1 is a dominant locus that can significantly promote rice internode length by regulating the expression levels of genes involved in gibberellin biosynthesis and signal transduction. Nucleotide diversity and haplotype network analyses of the SD1 gene were performed using 2822 rice landraces. Two previously reported functional nucleotide polymorphisms clearly differentiated japonica and indica rice; however, they were not associated with PH selection. Other new functional nucleotide polymorphisms in the coding, but not promoter, regions were involved in PH selection during rice domestication. Our study increasesunderstanding of the rice SD1 gene and provides additional evidence of this gene's selection during rice domestication. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide evidence thatSD1 gene from wild rice enhances plant height and new functional nucleotide polymorphisms of this gene were artificially selected during cultivated rice differentiation.

[A clinical epidemiological investigation of neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome in southwest Hubei, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and outcome of neonatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in southwest Hubei, China. METHODS: According to the Montreux definition of neonatal ARDS, a retrospective clinical epidemiological investigation was performed on the medical data of neonates with ARDS who were admitted to Department of Neonatology/Pediatrics in 17 level 2 or level 3 hospitals in southwest Hubei from January to December, 2017. RESULTS: A total of 7 150 neonates were admitted to the 17 hospitals in southwest Hubei during 2017 and 66 (0.92%) were diagnosed with ARDS. Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 23 (35%) had mild ARDS, 28 (42%) had moderate ARDS, and 15 (23%) had severe ARDS. The main primary diseases for neonatal ARDS were perinatal asphyxia in 23 neonates (35%), pneumonia in 18 neonates (27%), sepsis in 12 neonates (18%), and meconium aspiration syndrome in 10 neonates (15%). Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 10 neonates (15%) were born to the mothers with an age of ≥35 years, 30 neonates (45%) suffered from intrauterine distress, 32 neonates (49%) had a 1-minute Apgar score of 0 to 7 points, 24 neonates (36%) had abnormal fetal heart monitoring results, and 21 neonates (32%) experienced meconium staining of amniotic fluid. Intraventricular hemorrhage was the most common comorbidity (12 neonates), followed by neonatal shock (9 neonates) and patent ductus arteriosus (8 neonates). All 66 neonates with ARDS were treated with mechanical ventilation in addition to the treatment for primary diseases. Among the 66 neonates with ARDS, 10 died, with a mortality rate of 15% (10/66), and 56 neonates were improved or cured, with a survival rate of 85% (56/66). CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal ARDS in southwest Hubei is mostly mild or moderate. Perinatal asphyxia and infection may be the main causes of neonatal ARDS in this area. Intraventricular hemorrhage is the most common comorbidity. Neonates with ARDS tend to have a high survival rate after multimodality treatment.

Comparison of the INTERGROWTH-21st standard and a new reference for head circumference at birth among newborns in Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies proposed that there were racial or ethnic disparities in fetal growth, challenging the use of international standards in specific populations. This study was to evaluate the validity of applying the INTERGROWTH-21st standard to a Chinese population for identifying abnormal head circumference (HC), in comparison with a newly generated local reference. METHODS: There were 24,257 singletons delivered by low-risk mothers in four perinatal health-care centers in Southern China. New HC reference was constructed and comparison in distribution of HC categories was performed between the INTERGROWTH-21st standard and new reference after applying these two tools in study population. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between abnormal HC and adverse neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: There were 4.40% of the newborns identified with microcephaly (HC > 2 standard deviation below the mean) using the INTERGROWTH-21st standard, comparing to the proportion of 2.83% using new reference. The newborns identified with microcephaly only by the INTERGROWTH-21st standard were not at a higher risk of adverse neonatal outcome, compared with those identified as non-microcephaly by both tools (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.47-1.13). CONCLUSION: The new HC reference may be more appropriate for newborn assessment in Chinese populations than the INTERGROWTH-21st standard.

[Expression of Translocator Protein in Early Brain Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the expression of translocator protein (TSPO) in brain tissue within 72 h after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in mice. METHODS: Forty-four C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into two groups, 17 in the Sham group and 27 in the SAH group. SAH mice model was performed by endovascular perforation as previously described with slight modifications. Sham group mice were performed by the same method but without piercing the blood vessels. Before and 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h after modeling, the two groups were scored with modified Garcia score for neurological function. At 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h after modeling, the mice were sacrificed. Sham group mice were sacrificed at 24 h after modeling. The expression of TSPO in brain tissue was evaluated by Western blot, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) and immunofluorescence staining. Fluorescent double staining was used to assess the relationship of TSPO and microglia. RESULTS: The neurological function scores of the SAH group mice decreased with time and then increased. The expression of TSPO in the brain tissue increased first and then decreased with time, and there was a negative correlation between them (r=-0.615 6, P < 0.01). PET-CT showed that the tracer intake of mouse brain tissue after SAH was higher than that of Sham group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed that TSPO increased in the parietal cortex and basal cortex of the SAH group. And fluorescent double staining suggested that TSPO colocalized with Iba-1 which was a specific marker of microglia. CONCLUSIONS: In the early brain injury after SAH, the expression of TSPO in brain is widely increased, and the expression level increases first and then decreases. TSPO could participate in the activation of microglia and regulate the occurrence and development of brain injury after SAH.

[C_(19)-diterpenoid alkaloids from Aconitum austroyunnanense].

Eight C_(19)-diterpenoid alkaloids( 1-8) were isolated from the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of 95% ethanol extract of the ground roots of Aconitum austroyunnanense through various column chromatographies on silica gel,ODS,Sephadex LH-20 and MCI gel.Their structures were elucidated as 14α-benzoyloxy-13ß,15α-dihydroxy-1α,6α,8ß,16ß,18-pentamethoxy-19-oxoaconitan( 1),N-deethylaconitine( 2),spicatine B( 3),leucanthumsine A( 4),acofamine B( 5),macrorhynine B( 6),aconitilearine( 7),and ambiguine( 8) based on their chemical and physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was a new compound and alkaloids 2-8 were isolated from this plant for the first time. Some isolated alkaloids were tested in vitro for cytotoxic potential by employing the MTT method. As a result,alkaloid 1 exhibited weak cytotoxic activity against three tested tumor cell lines( A-549,He La,and Hep G2) with IC_(50) values less than 20 µmol·L~(-1).

[Amaryllidaceae alkaloids from Lycoris radiata].

Three aporphine-type alkaloids (1-3), three lycorine-type alkaloids (4-6), two crinane type alkaloids (7, 8) and one phenanthridine-type alkaloid (9) were isolated from the chloroform soluble fraction of 70% ethanol extract of the bulbs of Lycoris radiata through various column chromatographies over silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 and MCI. Their structures were elucidated as (+)-N-methoxylcarbonyl-1,2-methylenedioxyl-isocorydione (1), isocorydione (2), 8-demethyl-dehydrocrebanine (3), (+)-3-hydroxy-anhydrolycorine N-oxide (4), vasconine (5), pancratinine D (6), yemenine A (7), 11-O-acetylhaemanthamine (8), and 5,6-dihydro-5-methyl-2-hydroxyphenanthridine (9) based on their chemical and physicochemical properlies and spectroscopic data. Compound 1 was a new compound and alkaloids 2-9 were isolated and identified from this plant for the first time.

Field-Induced Slow Magnetic Relaxation in an Octacoordinated Fe(II) Complex with Pseudo-D2d Symmetry: Magnetic, HF-EPR, and Theoretical Investigations.

An octacoordinated Fe(II) complex, [FeII(dpphen)2](BF4)2·1.3H2O (1; dpphen = 2,9-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline), with a pseudo-D2d-symmetric metal center has been synthesized. Magnetic, high-frequency/-field electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR), and theoretical investigations reveal that 1 is characterized by uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with a negative axial zero-field splitting (ZFS) (D ≈ -6.0 cm-1) and a very small rhombic ZFS (E ≈ 0.04 cm-1). Under applied dc magnetic fields, complex 1 exhibits slow magnetic relaxation at low temperature. Fitting the relaxation time with the Arrhenius mode combining Orbach and tunneling terms affords a good fit to all the data and yields an effective energy barrier (17.0 cm-1) close to the energy gap between the ground state and the first excited state. The origin of the strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy for 1 has been clearly understood from theoretical calculations. Our study suggests that high-coordinated compounds featuring a D2d-symmetric metal center are promising candidates for mononuclear single-molecule magnets.

Thinking Styles and University Self-Efficacy Among Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Hearing Students.

This study explores how students' thinking styles are related to their university self-efficacy, by administering the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II and the University Self-Efficacy Scale to 366 deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) and 467 hearing university students in mainland China. Results showed that, among all participants, those with Type I styles (i.e., more creativity-generating, less structured, and cognitively more complex) had higher levels of university self-efficacy. At the same time, DHH students with Type II styles (i.e., more norm-favoring, more structured, and cognitively more simplistic) had lower levels of university self-efficacy. The contributions, limitations, and implications of the present research are discussed.

[The Experimental Research on Reducing the Minimum Measureable Limit of Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy with Wavelet Analysis].

To obtain the weaker second harmonic signal of low concentration, reduce the minimum measurable limit and improve the sensitivity and accuracy of absorption measurement, a serious of data processing methods are proposed based on tunable diode laser wavelength modulation spectroscopy. The experiment on lower NH3 concentration at 2.25 µm was carried out in a 10.13 m absorption cell with different concentration. The peak height of the second harmonic signal is maximum at m=2.2, which optimizes the signal-to-noise ratio. In order to guarantee the optimal signal-to-noise ratio, the experiment was carried out by loading the optimal high frequency modulation signal. WMS-2f was performed at a repetitive scan rate of 200 Hz and a current-modulation rate of 15 kHz, wavelength modulation spectroscopy with the optimal signal-to-noise ratio was adopted for its better noise immunity to measure different lower NH3 concentration in the Herriott cell. This survey is focused on the ν2+ν3 bands of absorption spectra near 2.25 µm in near-infrared region at ambient temperature and pressure, the line strengths of 2.25 µm are much larger than the absorption lines in the telecommunication bands, using stronger NH3 absorption lines can offer the potential of lower detection limits. During the data processing, the background signal of the original harmonic should be deducted at first, the second harmonic signal of 0.6×10-6 was obtained in a 10 m long-path Herriott cell after data processing, these signal processing mainly consist of cross-correlation analysis, multiple averages and wavelet transform analysis, the cross-correlation analysis was used to control the shift of center wavelength, the multiple averages and wavelet transform analysis were used to reduce influences of the environment noise, after that we get the revised second harmonic signal and improve the accuracy of the measurement results. The experimental results show that these data processing methods can obviously improve the signal quality and reduce the minimum measurable limit about 100 times lower than before. The experiment doesn't need to add any laboratory equipment and can well restrain the influence of the environmental noise and other disturbance, so these signal process combined with wavelength modulation technique will be more useful for on-line gas detection technology.

[Research on the Distribution of Gas Concentration of Two-Dimensional Reconstruction Based on Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy with Multispectral Absorption].

The two-dimensional concentration distribution was reconstructed by using algebraic iterative reconstruction algorithm. This paper mainly focused on the effects of multispectral H2O absorptions on condition that the laser beam was less and the temperature was known, i.e. the influence of temperature on spectral line-strength was not considered as to this concentration distribution. Based on ART algorithm, increased spectral lines and increased laser beam were compared under the same concentration model. Three H2O lines were selected to reconstruct two-dimensional distribution of non-uniform gas concentration, and these three transitions were selected within the external cavity diode laser turning range in the simulated system. The interested region was discretized to 10×10 grid points, and the temperature and concentration of the reconstruction model were not evenly distributed, so the unimodal distribution and bimodal distribution were used to describe the concentration distribution. The simulated system also calculated the effective utilization of laser beams and absorption lines. The results showed that the reconstruction quality quickly increased with increasing H2O absorption lines when the laser beams were very few, the increased absorption lines could get more spectral information related to the concentration. The increased laser beam is also effective to improve the accuracy of reconstruction results, but increasing the absorption lines can better reconstruct a two-dimensional concentration distribution. Improving the absorption lines can also effectively reduce the costs of the hardware and the complexity of the measurement system, which shows that the multispectral absorption lines are applicable to in-situ measurements.

Incidence trend of nasopharyngeal carcinoma from 1987 to 2011 in Sihui County, Guangdong Province, South China: an age-period-cohort analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In the past several decades, declining incidences of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have been observed in Chinese populations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Los Angeles, and Singapore. A previous study indicated that the incidence of NPC in Sihui County, South China remained stable until 2002, but whether age, diagnosis period, and birth cohort affect the incidence of NPC remains unknown. METHODS: Age-standardized rates (ASRs) of NPC incidence based on the world standard population were examined in both males and females in Sihui County from 1987 to 2011. Joinpoint regression analysis was conducted to quantify the changes in incidence trends. A Poisson regression age-period-cohort model was used to assess the effects of age, diagnosis period, and birth cohort on the risk of NPC. RESULTS: The ASRs of NPC incidence during the study period were 30.29/100,000 for males and 13.09/100,000 for females. The incidence of NPC remained stable at a non-significant average annual percent change of 0.2% for males and -1.6% for females throughout the entire period. A significantly increased estimated annual percent change of 6.8% (95% confidence interval, 0.1%-14.0%) was observed from 2003 to 2009 for males. The relative risk of NPC increased with advancing age up to 50-59 and decreased at ages >60 years. The period effect curves on NPC were nearly flat for males and females. The birth cohort effect curve for males showed an increase from the 1922 cohort to the 1957 cohort and a decrease thereafter. In females, there was an undulating increase in the relative risk from the 1922 cohort to the 1972 cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence trends for NPC remained generally stable in Sihui from 1987 to 2011, with an increase from 2003 to 2009. The relative risks of NPC increased in younger females.