Diversity and Evolution of Iron Uptake Pathways in Marine Cyanobacteria from the Perspective of the Coastal Strain Synechococcus sp. Strain PCC 7002.

Marine cyanobacteria contribute to approximately half of the ocean primary production, and their biomass is limited by low iron (Fe) bioavailability in many regions of the open seas. The mechanisms by which marine cyanobacteria overcome Fe limitation remain unclear. In this study, multiple Fe uptake pathways have been identified in a coastal strain of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002. A total of 49 mutants were obtained by gene knockout methods, and 10 mutants were found to have significantly decreased growth rates compared to the wild type (WT). The genes related to active Fe transport pathways such as TonB-dependent transporters and the synthesis and secretion of siderophores are found to be essential for the adaptation of Fe limitation in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. By comparing the Fe uptake pathways of this coastal strain with other open-ocean cyanobacterial strains, it can be concluded that the Fe uptake strategies from different cyanobacteria have a strong relationship with the Fe bioavailability in their habitats. The evolution and adaptation of cyanobacterial iron acquisition strategies with the change of iron environments from ancient oceans to modern oceans are discussed. This study provides new insights into the diversified strategies of marine cyanobacteria in different habitats from temporal and spatial scales. IMPORTANCE Iron (Fe) is an important limiting factor of marine primary productivity. Cyanobacteria, the oldest photosynthetic oxygen-evolving organisms on the earth, play crucial roles in marine primary productivity, especially in the oligotrophic ocean. How they overcome Fe limitation during the long-term evolution process has not been fully revealed. Fe uptake mechanisms of cyanobacteria have been partially studied in freshwater cyanobacteria but are largely unknown in marine cyanobacterial species. In this paper, the characteristics of Fe uptake mechanisms in a coastal model cyanobacterium, Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, were studied. Furthermore, the relationship between Fe uptake strategies and Fe environments of cyanobacterial habitats has been revealed from temporal and spatial scales, which provides a good case for marine microorganisms adapting to changes in the marine environment.

[Mechanism of Buyang Huanwu Decoction in protecting ischemic myocardium by regulating platelet autophagy in rats with acute myocardial infarction].

This study explored the effects of Buyang Huanwu Decoction(BYHWD) on platelet activation and differential gene expression after acute myocardial infarction(AMI). SD rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group, a model group, a positive drug(aspirin) group, and a BYHWD group. Pre-treatment was conducted for 14 days with a daily oral dose of 1.6 g·kg~(-1) BYHWD and 0.1 g·kg~(-1) aspirin. The AMI model was established using the high ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery method. The detection indicators included myocardial infarct size, heart function, myocardial tissue pathology, peripheral blood flow perfusion, platelet aggregation rate, platelet membrane glycoprotein CD62p expression, platelet transcriptomics, and differential gene expression. The results showed that compared with the sham-operated group, the model group showed reduced ejection fraction and cardiac output, decreased peripheral blood flow, and increased platelet aggregation rate and CD62p expression, and activated platelets. At the same time, TXB_2 content increased and 6-keto-PGF1α content decreased in serum. Compared with the model group, BYHWD increased ejection fraction and cardiac output, improved blood circulation in the foot and tail regions and cardiomyocytes arrangement, reduced myocardial infarct size and inflammatory infiltration, down-regulated platelet aggregation rate and CD62p expression, reduced serum TXB_2 content, and increased 6-keto-PGF1α content. Platelet transcriptome sequencing results revealed that BYHWD regulated mTOR-autophagy pathway-related genes in platelets. The differential gene expression levels were detected using real-time quantitative PCR. BYHWD up-regulated mTOR, down-regulated autophagy-related FUNDC1 and PINK genes, and up-regulated p62 gene expression. The results demonstrated that BYHWD could regulate platelet activation, improve blood circulation, and protect ischemic myocardium in AMI rats, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of the mTOR-autophagy pathway in platelets.

Special roles for efflux systems in iron homeostasis of non-siderophore-producing cyanobacteria.

In oligotrophic oceans, low bioavailability of Fe is a key factor limiting primary productivity. However, excessive Fe in cells leads to the Fenton reaction, which is toxic to cells. Cyanobacteria must strictly maintain intracellular Fe homeostasis. Here, we knocked out a series of genes encoding efflux systems in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and found eight genes that are required for high Fe detoxification. Unexpectedly, the HlyBD-TolC efflux system plays an important role in the adaptation of Synechocystis under Fe-deficient conditions. Mutants of HlyD and TolC grew worse than the wild-type strain under low-Fe conditions and showed significantly lower intracellular Fe contents than the wild-type strain. We excluded the possibility that the low Fe sensitivity of the HlyBD-TolC mutants was caused by a loss of the S-layer, the main extracellular protein secreted via this efflux system. Inactivation of the HlyD protein influenced type IV pili formation and direct inactivation of type IV pili related genes affected the adaptation to low-Fe conditions. HlyBD-TolC system is likely involved in the formation of type IV pili and indirectly influenced Fe acquisition. Our findings suggest that efflux system in non-siderophore-producing cyanobacteria can facilitate Fe uptake and help cells adapt to Fe-deficient conditions via novel pathways.

Non-clinical assessment of cell therapy products: the perspective from five Asian countries/regions based on regulatory guidelines and the underpinning rationales.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Cell-based regenerative medicine is an innovative field that can potentially alter the overall survival and quality of life of patients with devastating diseases. Several cell therapy products (CTPs) have been approved within the last two decades, and more are under development. The establishment of an effective developmental strategy in accordance with the regulatory bodies of each country/region is crucial for fast delivery of each respective CTP. In particular, facilitating investigational new drug (IND) approval is important for accelerating the transition from non-clinical to clinical research/trial phases. METHODS: Here the authors compared the non-clinical prerequisites for initiating clinical studies in five Asian countries/regions (India, China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan) from an industry viewpoint. The authors first identified the differences and tried to clarify the perspectives/considerations underpinning the different requirements. RESULTS: The authors' findings revealed that differences in regulations and development experiences, especially with CTPs, have led to clear differences in the non-clinical study package and its corresponding study design. CONCLUSIONS: By sharing experiences of the research and development of CTPs among Asian countries/regions and including not only industry but also regulatory authorities, we will be able to expedite cross-border IND approval and eventually contribute to the early delivery of innovative CTPs to many Asian patients.

Analysis of risk factors for unplanned reoperation following primary repair of gastrointestinal disorders in neonates.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to identify the factors associated with unplanned reoperations among neonates who had undergone primary repair of gastrointestinal disorders. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted for neonates who underwent primary gastrointestinal surgery between July 2018 and September 2020. The neonates were divided into two cohort, depending on whether they had an unplanned reoperation. The primary outcome was the occurrence of unplanned reoperation. The risk factors that associated the occurrence of unplanned reoperation were examined. MAIN RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-six neonates fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The incidence of unplanned reoperation was 9.8%. Analyses of all patients with respect of developing unplanned reoperation showed that the length of operative time was an independent risk factor [Odds Ratio 1.02; 95% confidence interval 1.00, 1.04; p = 0.03]. Patients with unplanned reoperation had a longer postoperative hospital length-of-stay [19.9 ± 14.7 vs. 44.1 ± 32.1 days; p<0.01]. CONCLUSION: The current study is the first analysis of risk factors associated with an unplanned reoperation in neonates undergoing primary repair of gastrointestinal disorders. The length of operative time is the only risk factor for an unplanned reoperation, and the unplanned reoperation can directly prolong the postoperative hospital length-of-stay. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx with No. ChiCTR2000040260 .

Discovery of isopenicin A, a meroterpenoid as a novel inhibitor of tubulin polymerization.

Microtubules are involved in celluar processes of movement, intracellular trafficking and mitosis, thus microtubule-targeting agents have been widely used in cancer therapy. Herein, we report isopenicin A, a novel meroterpenoid isolated from the plant endophytic fungus of Penicillium sp. sh18, as a novel microtubule binding molecule that efficiently depolymerizes microtubule polymerization to evoke G2/M cell cycle arrest and subsequent cell apoptosis, contributing to proliferation inhibition of human tumor cell lines. The discovery of isopenicin A provides a new chemotype for discovery and development of promising microtubule inhibitors.

Preoperative Tumor Staging of Gastric Cancer: Comparison of Double Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Multidetector Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of double contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) in the preoperative tumor staging of gastric cancer (GC) to stratify patients for suitable treatment. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with GC proved by histologic findings were included. The sensitivity and specificity of double CEUS and MDCT for tumor staging were calculated and compared. The differences between these methods were evaluated by using the area under the curve (AUC) from a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in AUC values for T1 and T2 stages between double CEUS and MDCT (P = .190 and .256, respectively). However, the sensitivity of double CEUS in the detection of the T1 stage was higher than that of MDCT (88% versus 75%). The AUC values of MDCT for T3 and T4 stages were 0.833 and 0.905, which were both significantly higher than those of double CEUS (0.759 and 0.696; P < .05). The sensitivities of double CEUS and MDCT for the T3 stage were both 89%, but the accuracy and specificity of double CEUS were lower than those of MDCT (76% versus 83% and 63% versus 78%). The specificities of double CEUS and MDCT for the T4 stage were both 98%, but the accuracy and sensitivity of double CEUS were lower than those of MDCT (85% versus 94% and 42% versus 83%). CONCLUSIONS: Multidetector CT is superior to double CEUS for T3 and T4 GC, and double CEUS may be regarded as an important complementary method to MDCT.

Physalis peruviana-Derived 4ß-Hydroxywithanolide E, a Novel Antagonist of Wnt Signaling, Inhibits Colorectal Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo.

Deregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway leads to colorectal cancer progression. Natural dietary compounds serve as promising candidates for development as chemopreventive agents by suppressing the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Physalis peruviana-derived 4ßHWE showed a significant inhibitory activity with a calculated IC50 of 0.09 µΜ in a screening of novel inhibitors of Wnt signaling with the dual-luciferase reporter assay. This study investigated the anti-tumor effect of 4ßHWE and the potential Wnt signaling inhibitory mechanism. Both the western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay showed that 4ßHWE promoted the phosphorylation and degradation of ß-catenin and the subsequent inhibition of its nuclear translocation to attenuate the endogenous Wnt target gene expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The cell viability assay indicated that 4ßHWE preferentially inhibited the proliferation of CRC compared with CCD-841-CoN, a normal human colonic epithelial cell line. 4ßHWE-mediated G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction contributed to the suppression of the proliferation of CRC in the cell cycle and Annexin V-FITC/Propidium Iodide apoptosis analysis. Moreover, in vivo, 4ßHWE dramatically inhibited tumor growth in HCT116 xenografts by attenuating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, our study suggested that 4ßHWE could be of potential use in anti-tumor agent development as a novel Wnt signaling inhibitor.

[Protective effect of safflower yellow injection against rat MIRI by TLR-NF-κB inflammatory pathway].

This study was to investigate the mechanism of safflower yellow injection for regulating inflammatory response against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury( MIRI) in rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into sham operation group,model group,Hebeishuang group,safflower yellow injection high,medium and low dose groups. MIRI model was established by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery. Myocardial histopathological changes were observed by HE staining; myocardial infarct size was detected by TTC staining; content and changes of tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) and interleukin-6( IL-6),serum creatine kinase( CK),aspartate aminotransferase( AST),and lactate dehydrogenase( LDH) were detected by biochemical method or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay( ELISA). Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4( TLR4) and nuclear factor-κB( NF-κB p65) in myocardial tissues. The results showed that as compared with the sham operation group,the myocardial arrangement of the model group was disordered,with severe edemain the interstitial,significantly increased area of myocardial infarction,increased activities of AST,CK and LDH in serum,and significantly increased contents of TNF-α and IL-6; the expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB( p65) protein in myocardial tissues were also increased. As compared with the model group,the myocardial tissues were arranged neatlyin the Hebeishuang group and safflower yellow injection high,medium and low dose groups; the edema was significantly reduced; the myocardial infarct size was significantly reduced; the serum AST,CK,LDH activity and TNF-α,IL-6 levels were significantly decreased,and the expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB( p65) protein in myocardial tissues were decreased. As compared with the Hebeishuang group,the myocardial infarct size was larger in the safflower yellow injection high,medium and low dose groups; the activities of AST,CK and LDH in serum and the contents of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum were higher,but there was no statistically significant difference in the expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB( p65) protein in tissues. It is suggested that safflower yellow injection has a significant anti-MIRI effect,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of TLR-NF-κB pathway to inhibit inflammatory response.

Creating Hierarchical Pores by Controlled Linker Thermolysis in Multivariate Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Sufficient pore size, appropriate stability, and hierarchical porosity are three prerequisites for open frameworks designed for drug delivery, enzyme immobilization, and catalysis involving large molecules. Herein, we report a powerful and general strategy, linker thermolysis, to construct ultrastable hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (HP-MOFs) with tunable pore size distribution. Linker instability, usually an undesirable trait of MOFs, was exploited to create mesopores by generating crystal defects throughout a microporous MOF crystal via thermolysis. The crystallinity and stability of HP-MOFs remain after thermolabile linkers are selectively removed from multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MTV-MOFs) through a decarboxylation process. A domain-based linker spatial distribution was found to be critical for creating hierarchical pores inside MTV-MOFs. Furthermore, linker thermolysis promotes the formation of ultrasmall metal oxide nanoparticles immobilized in an open framework that exhibits high catalytic activity for Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions. Most importantly, this work provides fresh insights into the connection between linker apportionment and vacancy distribution, which may shed light on probing the disordered linker apportionment in multivariate systems, a long-standing challenge in the study of MTV-MOFs.

Enantioselective N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Synthesis of Spirocyclic Oxindole-benzofuroazepinones.

Herein, we report an enantioselective synthesis of azepinones via the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed [3+4] annulation reaction of isatin-derived enals and aurone-derived azadienes. The corresponding spirocyclic oxindole-benzofuroazepinones were obtained in good yields, with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. The resulted azepinones were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against six human tumor cell lines, with two compounds showing significant inhibitory activity comparable with that of cisplatin.

Peptidomic Analysis of Amniotic Fluid for Identification of Putative Bioactive Peptides in Ventricular Septal Defect.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases and to date the role of peptides in human amniotic fluid in the pathogenesis of VSD have been rarely investigated. METHODS: To gain insight into the mechanisms of protein and peptides in cardiovascular development, we constructed a comparative peptidomic profiling of human amniotic fluid between normal and VSD fetuses using a stable isobaric labeling strategy involving tandem mass tag reagents, followed by nano liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: We identified and quantified 692 non-redundant peptides, 183 of which were differentially expressed in the amniotic fluid of healthy and VSD fetuses; 69 peptides were up regulated and 114 peptides were down regulated. These peptides were imported into the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and identified putative roles in cardiovascular system morphogenesis and cardiogenesis. CONCLUSION: We concluded that 35 peptides located within the functional domains of their precursor proteins could be candidate bioactive peptides for VSD. The identified peptide changes in amniotic fluid of VSD fetuses may advance our current understanding of congenital heart disease and these peptides may be involved in the etiology of VSD.

Effect of LYRM1 knockdown on proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and mitochondrial function in the P19 cell model of cardiac differentiation in vitro.

To explore the effects of LYRM1 knockdown on proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and mitochondrial function in the embryonic carcinoma (P19) cell model of cardiac differentiation. Knockdown of LYRM1 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) proliferation assays and cell cycle analysis demonstrated that LYRM1 gene silencing significantly inhibited P19 cell proliferation. Flow cytometry and measurement of their caspase-3 activities revealed that knockdown of LYRM1 increased P19 cell apoptosis. Observation of morphological changes using an inverted microscope and expression analysis of specific differentiation marker genes using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting revealed that knockdown of LYRM1 significantly inhibited the differentiation of P19 cells into cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, real-time quantitative PCR applied to detect mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number implied that there was no significant difference in the LYRM1 knockdown group compared with the control group. Cellular ATP production investigated by luciferase-based luminescence assay was dramatically decreased in differentiated cells transfected with LYRM1 RNAi. Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometery were used to detect the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) showed that the level of ROS was dramatically increased and MMP was obviously decreased in differentiated cells transfected with LYRM1 RNAi. Collectively, knockdown of LYRM1 promoted apoptosis and suppressed proliferation and differentiation in P19 cells. In addition, knockdown of LYRM1 induced mitochondrial impairment in P19 cells during differentiation, which was reflected by decreased ATP synthesis, lower MMP and increased ROS levels.

Thiamin deficiency induces impaired fish gill immune responses, tight junction protein expression and antioxidant capacity: Roles of the NF-κB, TOR, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling molecules.

In this study, we investigate the effects of dietary thiamin deficiency on immune responses, tight junctions, antioxidant capacity and related signaling molecules in the gills of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fish were fed diets that contained 0.12-2.04 mg thiamin kg(-1) for 8 weeks. We found that dietary thiamin deficiency resulted in reduced complement 3 content, lysozyme and acid phosphatase activities, mRNA levels of hepcidin, liver-expressed antimicrobial peptides 2, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, interleukin (IL)-10, inhibitor protein-κBα (IκBα), ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 and target of rapamycin (TOR) and increased expression of interferon-γ2, tumor necrosis factor-α, TGF-ß2, IL-1ß, IL-8, IκB kinases (IKKß and IKKγ) and nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65). Our findings showed that thiamin deficiency reduced the immune status of fish gills. Furthermore, thiamin deficiency resulted in reduced mRNA transcript levels of claudin b, claudin 3, claudin 12, zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin and increased mRNA transcript levels of claudin 15a, myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in fish gill tissues. These data suggested that thiamin deficiency disrupted tight junction-mediated fish gill barrier function. Additionally, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels and both the activities and expression levels of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferases and glutathione reductase, as well as NF-E2-related factor 2 gene expression in fish gills, were lower in fish fed a thiamin-deficient diet. By contrast, thiamin deficiency increased levels of Kelch-like-ECH-associated protein 1a (Keap1a) and Keap1b mRNA transcript expression in fish gills. Taken together, our findings indicated that thiamin deficiency impaired fish gill health by effects on the expression of genes encoding cytokines, tight junction proteins, antioxidant enzymes, NF-κB p65, MLCK and Nrf2.

Evaluation of Adenosine Triphosphate-Binding Cassette Transporter A1 (ABCA1) R219K and C-Reactive Protein Gene (CRP) +1059G/C Gene Polymorphisms in Susceptibility to Coronary Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND This meta-analysis investigated the correlation of ABCA1 R219K and C-Reactive Protein Gene (CRP) +1059G/C gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to coronary heart disease (CHD). MATERIAL AND METHODS We searched PubMed, Springer link, Wiley, EBSCO, Ovid, Wanfang database, VIP database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases to retrieve published studies by keyword. Searches were filtered using our stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. Resultant high-quality data collected from the final selected studies were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2.0 software. Eleven case-control studies involving 3053 CHD patients and 3403 healthy controls met our inclusion criteria. Seven studies were conducted in Asian populations, 3 studies were done in Caucasian populations, and 1 was in an African population. RESULTS Our major finding was that ABCA1 R219K polymorphism increased susceptibility to CHD in allele model (OR=0.729, 95% CI=0.559~0.949, P=0.019) and dominant model (OR=0.698, 95% CI=0.507~0.961, P=0.027). By contrast, we were unable to find any significant association between the CRP +1059G/C polymorphism and susceptibility to CHD (allele model: OR=1.170, 95% CI=0.782~1.751, P=0.444; dominant model: OR=1.175, 95% CI=0.768~1.797, P=0.457). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provides convincing evidence that polymorphism of ABCA1 R219K is associated with susceptibility to CHD while the CRP +1059G/C polymorphism appears to have no correlation with susceptibility to CHD.

Prediction of spontaneous closure of isolated ventricular septal defects in utero and postnatal life.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a highly prevalent fetal congenital heart defect, which can become spontaneously closed during infancy. The current study aims to characterize fetal VSDs that were subsequently spontaneously closed in the first 2 years of life in eastern China. METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2013, 257 fetal patients diagnosed with isolated VSD by fetal echocardiography at Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, China, were enrolled in the study. Subjects were divided into three groups: group 1 = persistent VSD; group 2 = closed after birth; group 3 = closed during gestation. Fetal echocardiography data, physical features at birth and follow-up outcomes for 2 years were compared to identify factors contributing to spontaneous closure (SC) of VSD. A predictive formula was applied to patients admitted to hospital in the first quarter of 2014 (n = 23) for validation. RESULTS: SC occurred in 42.8% patients. Birth weight (3.095 ± 0.774, 3.174 ± 0.535, 3.499 ± 0.532 kg in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively) and defect diameter (3.422 ± 0.972, 2.426 ± 0.599, 2.292 ± 0.479 mm, in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively) showed statistically significant differences between the three groups (P = 0.004 and P = 0.000, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves identified cut-off value for the defect diameter as 2.55 mm, and logistic regression analysis identified the SC probability = (1 + exp -[-2.151 - 0.716*birth weight + 1.393*diameter])-1. Results indicated that male fetuses, full-term birth, muscular VSD, and defects without blood flow crossing the septum, have higher incidence of SC. CONCLUSIONS: The major determinants of SC of isolated VSD are birth weight and diameter of the defect. In addition, VSD location may also affect the SC incidence.

Rasch Analysis of the Malaysian Secondary School Student Leadership Inventory (M3SLI).

The importance of instilling leadership skills in students has always been a main subject of discussion in Malaysia. Malaysian Secondary School Students Leadership Inventory (M3SLI) is an instrument which has been piloted tested in year 2013. The main purpose of this study is to examine and optimize the functioning of the rating scale categories in M3SLI by investigating the rating scale category counts, average and expected rating scale category measures, and steps calibrations. In detail, the study was aimed to (1) identify whether the five-point rating scale was functioning as intended and (2) review the effect of a rating scale category revision on the psychometric characteristics of M3SLI. The study was carried out on students aged between 13 to 18 years (2183 students) by stratified random sampling in 26 public schools in Sabah, Malaysia, with the results analysed using Winsteps. This study found that the rating scale of Personality and Values constructs needed to be modified while the scale for Leadership Skills was maintained. For future studies, other aspects of psychometric properties like differential item functioning (DIF) based on demographic variables such as gender, school locations and forms should be researched on prior to the use of the instrument.

[Polarization Modeling and Analysis of Light Scattering Properties of Multilayer Films on Slightly Rough Substrate].

To satisfy the demand of multilayer films on polarization detection, polarized bidirectional reflectance distribution function of multilayer films on slightly rough substrate is established on the basis of first-order vector perturbation theory and polarization transfer matrix. Due to the function, light scattering polarization properties are studied under multi-factor impacts of two typical targets-monolayer anti-reflection film and multilayer high-reflection films. The result shows that for monolayer anti-reflection film, observing positions have a great influence on the degree of polarization, for the left of the peak increased and right decreased compared with the substrate target. Film target and bare substrate can be distinguished by the degree of polarization in different observation angles. For multilayer high-reflection films, the degree of polarization is significantly associated with the number and optical thickness of layers at different wavelengths of incident light and scattering angles. With the increase of the layer number, the degree of polarization near the mirror reflection area decreases. It reveals that the calculated results coincide with the experimental data, which validates the correctness and rationality of the model. This paper provides a theoretical method for polarization detection of multilayer films target and reflection stealth technology.

Evaluation the effect of thiamin deficiency on intestinal immunity of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).

Our study explored the effect of dietary thiamin on growth and immunity (intestine, head kidney, spleen and liver) of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fish were fed diets containing six graded levels of thiamin at 0.12-2.04 mg/kg diet for 8 weeks. The percentage weight gain (PWG), feed intake and feed efficiency were lower in fish fed the 0.12 mg/kg diet. Thiamin deficiency decreased complement 3 content, lysozyme (LA) and acid phosphatase activities, mRNA levels of hepcidin and interleukin (IL) 10, elevated mRNA levels of interferon γ2, tumor necrosis factor α, IL-1ß and IL-8 in intestine, head kidney, spleen and liver. The mRNA levels of inhibitor protein-κBα, target of rapamycin (TOR) and NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), the activities and mRNA levels of copper/zinc superoxide dismutase, manganese superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione reductase were down-regulated, mRNA levels of myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), IκB kinases (IKKß and IKKγ), nuclear factor κB P65 (NF-κB P65) and Kelch-like-ECH-associated protein 1a (Keap1a) were up-regulated in the intestine of fish fed the thiamin-deficient diet. Additionally, thiamin deficiency decreased claudin b, c and 3, ZO-1 and occludin mRNA levels in each intestinal segment, increased claudin 12 and claudin 15a mRNA levels in distal intestine. In conclusion, thiamin deficiency decreased fish growth and immunity of intestine, head kidney, spleen and liver. The dietary thiamin requirement of young grass carp (242-742 g) based on intestinal LA activity or PWG were determined to be 1.15 or 0.90 mg/kg diet, respectively.

Efficient two-step chemo-enzymatic synthesis of all-trans-retinyl palmitate with high substrate concentration and product yield.

A new two-step chemo-enzymatic approach for highly efficient synthesis of all-trans-retinyl palmitate is constructed in this study. In the first step, retinyl acetate as starting material was fully hydrolyzed to retinol by potassium hydroxide. In the hydrolysis system, anhydrous ethanol was the best co-solvent to increase the solubility of retinyl acetate. The addition amounts of 5 M potassium hydroxide and anhydrous ethanol were 8 and 10 mL against 10 g retinyl acetate, respectively, and 100 % hydrolysis rate was obtained. In the second step, esterification was catalyzed by immobilized lipase on macroporous acrylic resin AB-8 using the extracted retinol and palmitic acid as substrates in non-aqueous system. After optimization, the parameters of esterification reaction were confirmed as follows: non-aqueous solvent was selected as n-hexane, washing times of extraction solution was four times, retinol concentration was 300 g/L, substrate molar ratio of retinol to palmitic acid was 1:1.1, the amount of immobilized enzyme was 10 g/L, and the esterification temperature was 30 °C. Under the optimal conditions, this protocol resulted in a 97.5 % yield of all-trans-retinyl palmitate in 700-L reactor. After purification, all-trans-retinyl palmitate was obtained with above 99 % of purity and 88 % of total recovery rate. This methodology provides a promising strategy for the large-scale production of all-trans-retinyl palmitate.