Transcriptome analysis of Apis mellifera antennae reveals molecular divergence underlying the division of labour in worker bees.

The olfactory system plays a fundamental role in mediating insect behaviour. Worker bees exhibit an age-dependent division of labour, performing discrete sets of behaviours throughout their lifespan. The behavioural states of bees rely on their sense of the environment and chemical communication via their olfactory system, the antennae. However, the olfactory adaptation mechanism of worker bees during their behavioural development remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of antennal gene expression in the Apis mellifera of newly emerged workers, nurses, foragers and defenders using RNA-seq. We found that the antenna tissues of honey bees continued developing after transformation from newly emerged workers to adults. Additionally, we identified differentially expressed genes associated with bee development and division of labour. We validated that major royal jelly protein genes are highly and specifically expressed in nurse honey bee workers. Furthermore, we identified and validated significant alternative splicing events correlated with the development and division of labour. These findings provide a comprehensive transcriptome profile and a new perspective on the molecular mechanisms that may underlie the worker honey bee division of labour.

Fluorine Modification Promoted Water Dissociation into Atomic Hydrogen on a Copper Electrode for Efficient Neutral Nitrate Reduction and Ammonia Recovery.

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia (NITRR) offers an attractive solution for alleviating environmental concerns, yet in neutral media, it is challenging as a result of the reliance on the atomic hydrogen (H*) supply by breaking the stubborn HO-H bond (∼492 kJ/mol) of H2O. Herein, we demonstrate that fluorine modification on a Cu electrode (F-NFs/CF) favors the formation of an O-H···F hydrogen bond at the Cu-H2O interface, remarkably stretching the O-H bond of H2O from 0.98 to 1.01 Å and lowering the energy barrier of water dissociation into H* from 0.64 to 0.35 eV at neutral pH. As a benefit from these advantages, F-NFs/CF could rapidly reduce NO3- to NH3 with a rate constant of 0.055 min-1 and a NH3 selectivity of ∼100%, far higher than those (0.004 min-1 and 9.2%) of the Cu counterpart. More importantly, we constructed a flow-through coupled device consisting of a NITRR electrolyzer and a NH3 recovery unit, realizing 98.1% of total nitrogen removal with 99.3% of NH3 recovery and reducing the denitrification cost to $5.1/kg of N. This study offers an effective strategy to manipulate the generation of H* from water dissociation for efficient NO3--to-NH3 conversion and sheds light on the importance of surface modification on a Cu electrode toward electrochemical reactions.

Cu1-Fe Dual Sites for Superior Neutral Ammonia Electrosynthesis from Nitrate.

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) is able to convert nitrate (NO3 -) into reusable ammonia (NH3), offering a green treatment and resource utilization strategy of nitrate wastewater and ammonia synthesis. The conversion of NO3 - to NH3 undergoes water dissociation to generate active hydrogen atoms and nitrogen-containing intermediates hydrogenation tandemly. The two relay processes compete for the same active sites, especially under pH-neutral condition, resulting in the suboptimal efficiency and selectivity in the electrosynthesis of NH3 from NO3 -. Herein, we constructed a Cu1-Fe dual-site catalyst by anchoring Cu single atoms on amorphous iron oxide shell of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) for the electrochemical NO3RR, achieving an impressive NO3 - removal efficiency of 94.8 % and NH3 selectivity of 99.2 % under neutral pH and nitrate concentration of 50 mg L-1 NO3 --N conditions, greatly surpassing the performance of nZVI counterpart. This superior performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of enhanced NO3 - adsorption on Fe sites and strengthened water activation on single-atom Cu sites, decreasing the energy barrier for the rate-determining step of *NO-to-*NOH. This work develops a novel strategy of fabricating dual-site catalysts to enhance the electrosynthesis of NH3 from NO3 -, and presents an environmentally sustainable approach for neutral nitrate wastewater treatment.

A Genetic Bottleneck of Mitochondrial DNA During Human Lymphocyte Development.

Mitochondria are essential organelles in eukaryotic cells that provide critical support for energetic and metabolic homeostasis. Although the elimination of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in somatic cells has been observed, the mechanisms to maintain proper functions despite their mtDNA mutation load are poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed somatic mtDNA mutations in more than 30,000 single human peripheral and bone marrow mononuclear cells. We observed a significant overrepresentation of homoplasmic mtDNA mutations in B, T, and natural killer (NK) lymphocytes. Intriguingly, their overall mutational burden was lower than that in hematopoietic progenitors and myeloid cells. This characteristic mtDNA mutational landscape indicates a genetic bottleneck during lymphoid development, as confirmed with single-cell datasets from multiple platforms and individuals. We further demonstrated that mtDNA replication lags behind cell proliferation in both pro-B and pre-B progenitor cells, thus likely causing the genetic bottleneck by diluting mtDNA copies per cell. Through computational simulations and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), we recapitulated this lymphocyte-specific mutational landscape and estimated the minimal mtDNA copies as <30 in T, B, and NK lineages. Our integrative analysis revealed a novel process of a lymphoid-specific mtDNA genetic bottleneck, thus illuminating a potential mechanism used by highly metabolically active immune cells to limit their mtDNA mutation load.

Quorum Sensing Is Required for the Colony Establishment of a Plant Phyllosphere Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris Strain GJ-22.

The phyllosphere presents a hostile environment for many biocontrol agents; however, it is as significant as is the rhizosphere for plant health. Deploying biocontrol bacteria into the phyllosphere can efficiently suppress diseases; however, the lack of knowledge on the phyllosphere adaptive traits of biocontrol bacteria poses challenges. In this study, we demonstrated that Rhodopseudomonas palustris GJ-22 colonizes the phyllosphere by forming cell aggregates. The formation of cell aggregates required the production of exopolysaccharides (EPS), which depended on the function of the rpaI-rpaR quorum sensing (QS) mechanism, mediated by the signaling molecule p-coumaroyl-HSL (pC-HSL). The mutation of the EPS biosynthesis gene Exop1 or the signaling molecule biosynthesis gene rpaI compromised the ability of GJ-22 to tolerate reactive oxygen intermediates (ROIs), such as H2O2, in vitro and to form cell aggregates in vivo. Collectively, the results revealed that QS mediates EPS production and consequently leads to bacterial cell aggregation. IMPORTANCE Quorum sensing is used by various bacteria for coordinating the multiplication of bacterial cells in a group and for modulating the behaviors of surrounding microbial species. Host plants can benefit from this interspecies modulation, as it can disrupt the QS circuits of pathogenic bacteria. Some N-acyl homoserine lactone- (AHL-) producing bacteria that were introduced into the phyllosphere as biocontrol agents may establish AHL-based crosstalk with indigenous microbes to steer the nutritional and microecological conditions toward their own and the host plant's benefit. Here, we showed that biocontrol bacteria introduced into the phyllosphere require a functioning QS circuit to establish colonies and suppress pathogens. Furthermore, our findings provoked a broader investigation into the role of the QS circuit in beneficial microorganism-plant interactions.

A Sensitive Method for Detecting Beauveria bassiana, an Insecticidal Biocontrol Agent, Population Dynamics, and Stability in Different Substrates.

Beauveria bassiana is a well-known insecticidal biocontrol agent. Despite its broad field applications, its survival, colonization, and stability under field conditions remained unclear, mainly due to the lack of a quick and reliable detection method. In this study, we developed a quantitative real-time PCR technology to monitor the stability and population dynamics of B. bassiana in different substrates (water, soil, and on the cotton leaves surface), different spores of B. bassiana applied on Chinese cabbage leaves surface, and the lethality of Pieris rapae spraying with different spores of B. bassiana. Our results showed a decreased concentration of B. bassiana DNA in all three substrates from the 1st day till 9th day of post inoculation (dpi) period, possibly due to the death of B. bassiana. After this decrease, a quick and significant rebound of B. bassiana DNA concentration was observed, starting from the 11th dpi in all three substrates. The B. bassiana DNA concentration reached the plateau at about 13th dpi in water and 17th dpi in the soil. On cotton leaves surface, the B. bassiana DNA concentration reached the highest level at the 17th dpi followed by a small decline and then stabilized. This increase of DNA concentration suggested recovery of B. bassiana growth in all three substrates. We found that the most suitable killing effectiveness of P. rapae was the 1.0 × 107 spores/mL of B. bassiana. In summary, we have established a detection technology that allows a fast and reliable monitoring for the concentration and stability of B. bassiana under different conditions. This technology can benefit and help us in the development of proper management strategies for the application of this biocontrol agent in the field.

Non-targeted lipidomics and transcriptomics analysis reveal the molecular underpinnings of mandibular gland development in Apis mellifera ligustica.

The mandibular gland is an important exocrine gland of worker bees, which mainly secretes fatty acids and pheromones. Lipids have important roles in energy storage, membrane structure stabilization, and signaling. However, molecular underpinnings of mandibular gland development and lipid remodeling at the different physiological stages of worker bees is still lacking. In this study, we used scanning and transmission electron microscopy to reveal the morphological changes in secretory cells, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and RNA-seq to investigate the lipidome and gene transcripts during development. The morphology of secretory cells was flat in newly emerged workers, becoming vacuolated and turgid when they were activated in nurse bees and foragers. Transport vesicles became denser from newly emerged bees to 21-day worker bees. Concentrations of 10-HDA reached a maximum within 15d workers and changes in genes expression were consistent with 10-HDA content. Non-targeted lipidomics analysis of newly emerged, 6d, and 15d worker bees revealed that PC and TAG were the main lipids in mandibular gland, and lipids dramatically altered across developmental stages. TAG 54:4 was increased most strongly at 6d and 15d worker bees, meanwhile, the abundances of TAG 54:1 and TAG 54:2 were decreased sharply. Further, transcriptomics analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in key nutrient metabolic pathways, particularly lipid metabolism, in 6d and 15d bees. This multi-omic perspective provides a unique resource and deeper insight into bee mandibular gland development and baseline data for further study of the mandibular gland in worker bees.

The prevalence of HLA-I LOH in Chinese pan-cancer patients and genomic features of patients harboring HLA-I LOH.

HLA-I LOH may facilitate immune evasion. However, large population studies on the prevalence of HLA-I LOH across different cancer types and in relation to mutational profiles are lacking, in particular, in the Chinese population. In this study, analysis was performed in 1504 advanced pan-cancer patients and 134 early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer patients using a 1021-gene panel. The consistency between the 1021-gene panel and whole-exome sequencing was evaluated in 45 samples, where concordant results were obtained in 95.6% (43/45) of the samples. Analytical results revealed that the prevalence of HLA-I LOH in tumor tissue presents considerable differences across cancer types. HLA-I LOH was relevant to genomic instability, reflected in higher tumor mutation burden level. HLA-I LOH occurs more frequently in MSS samples than in MSI-H samples. The alteration frequencies of p53 pathway, RTK/RAS pathway, Notch pathway, Hippo pathway, and Nrf2 pathway in HLA-I LOH group were significantly higher than that in HLA-I stable group (p < .0001, p < .0001, p = .032, p = .013, p = .003, respectively). In DNA damage response pathways, alterations in the checkpoint factor pathway and Fanconi anemia pathway are enriched in HLA-I LOH group (p < .0001, p = .023, respectively). Besides, HLA-I LOH was accompanied by higher mutation rates of several tumor suppressors, including TP53 and LRP1B. These results may shed light on follow-up tumor immunology research.

Identification of a new P450s gene (AccCYP4AV1) and its roles in abiotic stress resistance in the Apis cerana cerana Fabricius.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) play significant roles in protecting organisms from abiotic stress damage. Here, we report the sequence and characterization of a P450s gene (AccCYP4AV1), isolated from Apis cerana cerana Fabricius. The open reading frame of AccCYP4AV1 is 1506 base pairs long and encodes a predicted protein of 501 amino acids and 57.84 kDa, with an isoelectric point of 8.67. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis indicated that AccCYP4AV1 is more highly expressed in the midgut than in other tissues. In addition, the highest expression occurs in newly emerged adult workers, followed by the first instar of the larval stage. In addition, the expression of the AccCYP4AV1 was upregulated by low temperature (4 °C), ultraviolet radiation, hydrogen peroxide, paraquat, and dichlorvos treatments. In contrast, AccCYP4AV1 transcription was downregulated by other abiotic stress conditions: exposure to increased temperature (44 °C), deltamethrin, cadmium chloride, and mercury (II) chloride. Moreover, when AccCYP4AV1 was knocked-down by RNA interference, the results suggested that multiple antioxidant genes (AccsHSP22.6, AccSOD2, AccTpx1, and AccTpx4) were downregulated and antioxidant genes AccGSTO1 and AccTrx1 were upregulated. The activity levels of peroxidase and catalase were upregulated in the AccCYP4AV1-knocked-down samples, compared with those in the control groups. These findings suggest that the AccCYP4AV1 protein might be involved in the defense against abiotic stress damage.

The dietary arachidonic acid improved growth and immunity of honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica).

Honeybees cannot synthesize arachidonic acid (ARA) themselves, only obtain it from food. Most pollen is deficient or contains a small amount of ARA. The necessity of supplementary ARA in bees' diet has not been studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary ARA levels on the growth and immunity of Apis mellifera ligustica. A total of 25 honeybee colonies were randomly assigned to five dietary groups which were fed basic diets supplemented with 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8% of ARA. The diet with 4% ARA improved the body weight of newly emerged worker bees compared with the control group. Supplement of ARA in honeybee diets changed the fatty acid composition of honeybee body. SFA and MUFA contents of bees' body declined, and PUFA content rised in the ARA group. Compared with the control group, the supplement of ARA in honeybee diets increased the contents of ARA, C22:6n-3 (DHA) and C18:3n-6 in bees' body significantly, but decreased the contents of C16:1 and C18:3n-3. The diet supplied with 4% ARA reduced the mortality rate of honeybee infected with Escherichia coli. The activity of immune enzymes (phenoloxidase, antitrypsin, and lysozyme) and the mRNA expression levels of immune genes (defensin-2, toll, myd88, and dorsal) were improved by ARA diets to varying degrees depending on the ARA levels, especially 4% ARA. These results suggested that dietary ARA could improve the growth, survival, and immune functions of honeybees. Supplement of ARA in bees' diet would be valuable for the fitness of honeybees.

The prediction value of Glasgow coma scale-pupils score in neurocritical patients: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: External validation is necessary before  its clinical recommendation in new setting. The aim is to externally validate Glasgow Coma Scale-pupils score (GCS-P) in neurocritical patients and to compare its performances with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and its derivatives. METHODS: GCS-P at admission was calculated for individual based on the model developed by Brennan et al. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs), Nagelkerke's R2 and Brier scores were used to assess external validity of GCS-P to predict mortality in neurocritical patients and to compare predictive performance with GCS and its derivatives. SUBJECTS: 4372 neurocritical patients from intensive care units of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, United States between 2001 and 2012. RESULTS: GCS-P showed good discrimination (AUC 0.847 for in-hospital mortality and 0.774 for ninety-day mortality), modest calibration (Nagelkerke's R2 33.1% for in-hospital mortality and 23.3% for ninety-day mortality). Predictive performances of GCS and its derivatives was inferior to GCS-P. CONCLUSIONS: GCP-P discriminated well in between death in neurocritical patients. GCP-P improved predictive performance for short-term mortality over GCS and its derivatives in neurocritical patients. It would be a simple, early and reasonable daily routine option for prognosis assessment in neurocritical setting.

Instant ghost imaging: algorithm and on-chip implementation.

Ghost imaging (GI) is an imaging technique that uses the correlation between two light beams to reconstruct the image of an object. Conventional GI algorithms require large memory space to store the measured data and perform complicated offline calculations, limiting practical applications of GI. Here we develop an instant ghost imaging (IGI) technique with a differential algorithm and an implemented high-speed on-chip IGI hardware system. This algorithm uses the signal between consecutive temporal measurements to reduce the memory requirements without degradation of image quality compared with conventional GI algorithms. The on-chip IGI system can immediately reconstruct the image once the measurement finishes; there is no need to rely on post-processing or offline reconstruction. This system can be developed into a realtime imaging system. These features make IGI a faster, cheaper, and more compact alternative to a conventional GI system and make it viable for practical applications of GI.

[Blood biochemical indexes in ED patients with kidney deficiency or non-kidney deficiency: A comparative analysis of 156 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the blood biochemical characteristics of the ED patients with different types of kidney deficiency or non-kidney deficiency. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data on 156 ED patients treated in our Department of Andrology from May to July 2018 and, according to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, divided them into four groups: kidney-yang deficiency (n = 48), kidney-yin deficiency (n = 34), kidney-yin+yang deficiency (n = 36) and non-kidney deficiency control (n = 38). We obtained and compared their blood biochemical indexes, including the levels of testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), cortisol (CORT), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), nitric oxide (NO), total nitric oxide synthase (tNOS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the mean age, course of disease, IIEF-5 score and erection hardness score (EHS) among the four groups of patients. Pairwise comparison showed that, compared with the non-kidney deficiency controls, the patients in the kidney-yin deficiency group exhibited a dramatically higher level of CORT (ï¼»87.97 ± 45.59ï¼½ vs ï¼»121.78 ± 41.87ï¼½ µg/L, P = 0.002) and those in the kidney-yang deficiency group a remarkably lower level of FT3 (ï¼»5.44 ± 0.38ï¼½ vs ï¼»5.11 ± 0.54ï¼½ pmol/L, P = 0.008). The iNOS level was significantly higher in the kidney-yin deficiency group (14.42 ± 2.49 U/ml) than in either the control (12.71 ± 2.58 U/ml) (P = 0.039) or the kidney-yang deficiency group (13.05 ± 2.17 U/ml) (P =0.049). CONCLUSIONS: ED patients with different types of kidney deficiency syndromes have different blood biochemical indexes, which may help clarify the biological basis of the TCM syndromes of kidney deficiency in ED patients.

[Factors influencing recovery from childhood inguinal herniorrhaphy-induced vas deferens obstruction after microscopic vasovasostomy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors influencing the recovery from childhood inguinal herniorrhaphy (IH)-induced vas deferens obstruction following microscopic vasovasostomy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data on 41 cases of microscopic vasovasostomy for obstructive azoospermia in our hospital from July 2015 to September 2018. All the patients had a history of inguinal hernia treated by IH in the childhood. We performed scrotal ultrasonography, semen analysis and seminal plasma biochemistry to confirm vas deferens obstruction preoperatively. If sperm was observed for ≥2 times in semen examination after vasovasostomy, we considered the vas deferens successfully unobstructed. RESULTS: Microscopic vasovasostomy was successfully completed in 39 of the cases, of which2 were lost to follow-up, with a follow-up rate of 94.8% (37/39). The patients, at the mean age of (25.54 ± 2.85) years and with body mass index (BMI) of (24.92 ± 2.79) kg/m2 and post-IH time of (18.97 ± 2.58) years, were followed up for (13.05 ± 3.74) months. Successful recovery from vas deferens obstruction was observed in 78.4% (29/37) of the patients after IH, 80.0% (16/20) in the < 26-year-olds, 76.5% (13/17) in the ≥26-year-olds (P = 0.795), 75.0% (12/16) in those with BMI < 24.92 kg/m2 , 81.0% (17/21) in those with BMI ≥24.92 kg/m2 (P = 0.807), 78.6% (11/14) in those with post-IH time of < 19 years, 18.3% (18/23) in those with post-IH time of ≥19 years (P = 0.982), 60.0% (12/20) in those with sperm and 82.4% (14/17) in those without sperm found intraoperatively (P = 0.428), 42.9% (3/7) in those treated by unilateral and 82.4% (26/30) in those by bilateral vasovasostomy (P = 0.027). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a close correlation between the operation side and postoperative recovery from vas deferens obstruction (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: For male patients undergoing microscopic vasovasostomy for childhood IH-induced vas deferens obstruction, the operation side is an independent factor influencing postoperative recovery, while age, BMI, post-IH time, and intraoperative presence or absence of sperm are not significantly correlated with it.

[Correlation of male libido with the levels of serum reproductive hormones].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between male libido and the levels of serum reproductive hormones. METHODS: We collected the clinical data on 134 men complaining of low or decreased sexual desire at our clinic of andrology from January 2013 to July 2018. According to the scores on the 13-item Self-Rating Libido Scale for Males (SRLS-M), we divided the subjects into a low libido (n = 68) and a normal libido group (n = 66), none with thyroid and adrenal diseases, liver and kidney diseases, or administration of drugs affecting sexual function and reproductive hormones in the past two weeks. We compared the age, history and course of disease, SRLS-M scores, levels of serum T, E2, LH, FSH and PRL, and T/E2 ratio between the two groups, and analyzed the correlation of the parameters obtained with the SRLS-M scores of the patients by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the males of the normal libido group, the low-libido patients showed a significantly longer course of disease (ï¼»1.83 ± 0.44ï¼½ vs ï¼»2.91 ± 0.08ï¼½ yr, P < 0.05), but lower SRLS-M score (31.47 ± 1.28 vs 19.56 ± 0.89, P < 0.01), T level (ï¼»17.51 ± 3.68ï¼½ vs ï¼»11.46 ± 1.62ï¼½ nmol/L, P < 0.01) and T/E2 ratio (17.27 ± 3.94 vs 12.42 ± 1.38, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were found between the normal and low libido groups in age (ï¼»32.22 ± 2.29ï¼½ vs ï¼»31.98 ± 2.19ï¼½ yr) or the levels of E2 (ï¼»103.97 ± 15.70ï¼½ vs ï¼»94.45 ± 10.37ï¼½ pmol/L), FSH (ï¼»9.98 ± 5.26ï¼½ vs ï¼»7.43 ± 3.84ï¼½ IU/L), LH (ï¼»5.70 ± 3.17ï¼½ vs ï¼»5.20 ± 3.37ï¼½ IU/L), or PRL (ï¼»281.96 ± 82.68ï¼½ vs ï¼»371.85 ± 243.38ï¼½ mIU/L). Pearson correlation analysis showed that the SRLS-M scores of the patients in the normal and low libido groups were positively correlated with the T level (r = 0.329 and 0.535, P<0.01) and T/E2 ratio (r = 0.542 and 0.603, P<0.01), and so was the T level with E2 (r = 0.743 and 0.644, P<0.01) and T/E2 (r = 0.387 and 0.618, P<0.01). The areas under the ROC curves for T, E2 and T/E2 were 0.660, 0.527 and 0.669, respectively. A T/E2 ratio of 12.15－15.73 exhibited a relatively high sensitivity (>0.5) and specificity (>0.5) in the diagnosis of low libido. CONCLUSIONS: The T level and T/E2 ratio are important factors, and E2 may also be a factor, influencing male libido, which, however, is more correlated with T/E2. A T/E2 ratio of 12.15－15.73 may be an indicator of normal libido, while a lower or higher T/E2 ratio may suggests low libido.

[Efficacy and safety of regular use of sildenafil in the treatment of penile erectile dysfunction].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of regular oral use of sildenafil in the treatment of ED. METHODS: We randomly divided 334 ED patients into three groups to be treated orally with sildenafil tablets at 50 mg qd (sildenafil regular), sildenafil tablets at 100 mg 30 minutes before intercourse (sildenafil on-demand), and tadalafil tablets at 10 mg qd (tadalafil regular), all for 3 months. Then we recorded the IIEF-5 score and penile erection hardness score (EHS) and adverse reactions and compared them among the three groups of patients. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups of patients in age, body mass index, education, ED duration, or baseline IIEF-5 and EHS (P > 0.05). After 3-month medication, both IIEF-5 score and EHS were significantly improved in the three groups of patients as compared with the baseline (P < 0.05), with no statistically significant difference in the IIEF-5 score among the sildenafil regular, sildenafil on-demand and tadalafil regular groups (15.15 ± 2.05 vs 15.55 ± 2.36 vs 15.54 ± 2.27, P > 0.05), but the EHS markedly higher in the sildenafil on-demand than in the sildenafil regular group (3.48 ± 1.80 vs 3.12 ± 1.52, P < 0.05). The effectiveness rates in the sildenafil regular, sildenafil on-demand and tadalafil regular groups were 76.2%, 62.4% and 80.8%, respectively, significantly lower in the sildenafil on-demand than in the other two groups (P < 0.05). Adverse reactions were mild and showed no statistically significant difference in the incidence rate among the three groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Regular use of sildenafil has a therapeutic effect similar to that of tadalafil but better than that of sildenafil on-demand, without more adverse effects.

Using Deep Learning to Identify Utility Poles with Crossarms and Estimate Their Locations from Google Street View Images.

Traditional methods of detecting and mapping utility poles are inefficient and costly because of the demand for visual interpretation with quality data sources or intense field inspection. The advent of deep learning for object detection provides an opportunity for detecting utility poles from side-view optical images. In this study, we proposed using a deep learning-based method for automatically mapping roadside utility poles with crossarms (UPCs) from Google Street View (GSV) images. The method combines the state-of-the-art DL object detection algorithm (i.e., the RetinaNet object detection algorithm) and a modified brute-force-based line-of-bearing (LOB, a LOB stands for the ray towards the location of the target [UPC at here] from the original location of the sensor [GSV mobile platform]) measurement method to estimate the locations of detected roadside UPCs from GSV. Experimental results indicate that: (1) both the average precision (AP) and the overall accuracy (OA) are around 0.78 when the intersection-over-union (IoU) threshold is greater than 0.3, based on the testing of 500 GSV images with a total number of 937 objects; and (2) around 2.6%, 47%, and 79% of estimated locations of utility poles are within 1 m, 5 m, and 10 m buffer zones, respectively, around the referenced locations of utility poles. In general, this study indicates that even in a complex background, most utility poles can be detected with the use of DL, and the LOB measurement method can estimate the locations of most UPCs.

A New Zenith Tropospheric Delay Grid Product for Real-Time PPP Applications over China.

Tropospheric delay is one of the major factors affecting the accuracy of electromagnetic distance measurements. To provide wide-area real-time high precision zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD), the temporal and spatial variations of ZTD with altitude were analyzed on the bases of the latest meteorological reanalysis product (ERA-Interim) provided by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). An inverse scale height model at given locations taking latitude, longitude and day of year as inputs was then developed and used to convert real-time ZTD at GPS stations in Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) from station height to mean sea level (MSL). The real-time ZTD grid product (RtZTD) over China was then generated with a time interval of 5 min. Compared with ZTD estimated in post-processing mode, the bias and error RMS of ZTD at test GPS stations derived from RtZTD are 0.39 and 1.56 cm, which is significantly more accurate than commonly used empirical models. In addition, simulated real-time kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP) tests show that using RtZTD could accelerate the BDS-PPP convergence time by up to 32% and 65% in the horizontal and vertical components (set coordinate error thresholds to 0.4 m), respectively. For GPS-PPP, the convergence time using RtZTD can be accelerated by up to 29% in the vertical component (0.2 m).

[Comparison of short-term outcomes between minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy and Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy for esophageal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the outcomes of 74 patients with minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (MIE-McKeown), and to discuss the short-term outcomes by comparing with Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy (ILE) procedure.
 Methods: A total of 74 patients with esophageal carcinoma underwent MIE-McKeown in Xiangya Hospital from November 2014 to July 2016 were retrospectively reviewed, and 85 patients underwent ILE procedure were selected as a control group. Perioperative and short-term outcomes were analyzed.
 Results: Compared with the ILE group, patients underwent MIE-McKeown had less blood loss, less pulmonary infection, longer resection length and more harvested lymph nodes (P<0.05), but they had more anastomotic leakage and stricture rate, longer operation time and hospital stay as well (P<0.05). The total rate of lymph node metastatic in all patients was 52.8%, and the rate of cervical lymph node metastases was 9.5% in the MIE-McKeown group. Multiple carcinomas were found in 16 cases, and 7 were proximally located. The distance from the distal margin of the second lesion to the center of the main lesion was 20-85 (50.7±23.0) mm, while the distance in 9 second carcinomas distally located was 30-90 (57.8±20.5) mm.
 Conclusion: Compared with Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy procedure, MIE-McKeown procedure has a more complete lesion dissection and more harvested lymph nodes with smaller incisions, better short-term outcomes and more safety. It is an appropriate procedure for esophagectomy. However, it should be optimized for its high rate of anastomotic leakage and stricture.

Molecular cloning, expression, and stress response of the estrogen-related receptor gene (AccERR) from Apis cerana cerana.

Estrogen-related receptor (ERR), which belongs to the nuclear receptor superfamily, has been implicated in diverse physiological processes involving the estrogen signaling pathway. However, little information is available on ERR in Apis cerana cerana. In this report, we isolated the ERR gene and investigated its involvement in antioxidant defense. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) revealed that the highest mRNA expression occurred in eggs during different developmental stages. The expression levels of AccERR were highest in the muscle, followed by the rectum. The predicted transcription factor binding sites in the promoter of AccERR suggested that AccERR potentially functions in early development and in environmental stress responses. The expression of AccERR was induced by cold (4 °C), heat (42 °C), ultraviolet light (UV), HgCl2, and various types of pesticides (phoxim, deltamethrin, triadimefon, and cyhalothrin). Western blot was used to measure the expression levels of AccERR protein. These data suggested that AccERR might play a vital role in abiotic stress responses.