Perovskite CoSn(OH) nanocubes with tuned d-band states towards enhanced oxygen evolution reactions.

The CoSn(OH) perovskite hydroxide is a structure stable and inexpensive electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the OER activity of CoSn(OH) is still unfavorable due to its limited active sites. In this work, an Fe doping strategy is used to optimize the d-band state of the CoSn(OH) perovskite hydroxide.

Linking New Alleles at the Oscillator Loci to Flowering and Expansion of Asian Rice.

The central oscillator is believed to be the key mechanism by which plants adapt to new environments. However, impacts from hybridization, the natural environment, and human selection have rarely been assessed on the oscillator of a crop. Here, from clearly identified alleles at oscillator loci (, , , , and ) in ten diverse genomes of , additional accessions, and functional analysis, we show that rice's oscillator was rebuilt primarily by new alleles from recombining parental sequences and subsequent 5' or/and coding mutations.

A study on etiology of incontinence in double knockout mouse model.

Introduction And Objective: Stress urinary incontinence is of concern in both pediatric and adult population. Double mutant GLI family zinc finger Gli2; Gli3 murine model of stress incontinence has been recently developed as a reliable model which does not require surgical manipulation to create incontinence and is shown to survive to adulthood. The aim of this study was to establish the etiology of incontinence in the double mutant Gli2; Gli3 mice.

Association between periodic limb movements during sleep and neuroimaging features of cerebral small vessel disease: A preliminary cross-sectional study.

Evidence on the relationship between periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) and cerebral small vessel disease is lacking. This study aimed to assess the association between the PLMS index and the neuroimaging features of cerebral small vessel disease on magnetic resonance imaging. Consecutive patients diagnosed with cerebral small vessel disease were enrolled.

Ectopic expression of and in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus contributes to defects in haploinsufficiency.

The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH) contains a heterogeneous cluster of -expressing neurons critical for feeding regulation. haploinsufficiency results in hyperphagic obesity with disruption of PVH neurons, yet the molecular profiles of PVH neurons and the mechanism underlying the defects of haploinsufficiency are not well understood. By single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified two major populations of PVH neurons, which are differentially affected by haploinsufficiency.

Irx3 and Irx5 in Ins2-Cre cells regulate hypothalamic postnatal neurogenesis and leptin response.

Obesity is mainly due to excessive food intake. IRX3 and IRX5 have been suggested as determinants of obesity in connection with the intronic variants of FTO, but how these genes contribute to obesity via changes in food intake remains unclear. Here, we show that mice doubly heterozygous for Irx3 and Irx5 mutations exhibit lower food intake with enhanced hypothalamic leptin response.

Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation Performance in Bilayer TiO /α-Fe O Nanorod Arrays Photoanode with Cu : NiO as Hole Transport Layer and Co-Pi as Cocatalyst.

Efficient charge transfer and excellent surface water oxidation kinetics are key factors in determining the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance in photoelectrodes. Herein, a bilayer TiO /α-Fe O nanorod (NR) arrays photoanode was prepared with deposited Cu-doped NiO (Cu : NiO ) hole transport layer (HTL) and Co-Pi oxygen evolution reaction (OER) cocatalyst for PEC water oxidation. The hierarchical TiO /α-Fe O composite obtained by a secondary hydrothermal process exhibited an inapparent bilayer structure by embedding the underlayer TiO NR arrays at the bottom part of the post-grown α-Fe O NR arrays.

The effects of the seat cushion contour and the sitting posture on surface pressure distribution and comfort during seated work.

Objectives: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the seat cushion contour and the sitting posture on the seat pan interface pressure distribution and subjective comfort perception.

Material And Methods: Overall, 16 volunteers typed a text passage on a laptop while seated, by assuming 3 kinds of common sitting postures (forward, relaxed and upright) in 4 seat cushion configurations: chair only, and chair with 1 of 3 supplementary cushions. Pressure data and cushion comfort ratings were collected in the experiment.

Hospital and healthcare insurance system record-based epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis in southern and northern China.

Objective: This is the first cross-region epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis (MG) in China. We estimated the incidence, prevalence, and medical costs of MG in southern China and explored the differences between the southern and northern Chinese populations.

Methods: We collected and analyzed records from 20 hospitals in the southern city, Guangzhou, 13 hospitals in the northern city, Harbin, and two healthcare insurance systems: job based and residence based in Guangzhou during 2000-2017.

The impact of sex hormones on genital wound healing in mice: a comparative study.

Introduction And Objective: The effects estrogen and testosterone have on penile wound healing are still uncertain. This study evaluated the effects of these hormones on the wound healing process of penile and non-penile skin in wild-type (Mus musculus species) 4-5-week-old mice.

Methodology: Seventy wild-type Mus musculus species were randomly assigned to four groups control (n = 17), 1-week post-operative topical estrogen (n = 18), 1-week pre-operative testosterone (n = 17), and immediate post-operative testosterone (n = 18).

GLI2 Modulated by SUFU and SPOP Induces Intestinal Stem Cell Niche Signals in Development and Tumorigenesis.

Gut mesenchyme provides key stem cell niche signals such as Wnt ligands, but how these signals are regulated is unclear. Because Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is critical for gut mesenchymal development and tumorigenesis, we investigated Hh-mediated mechanisms by analyzing mice deleted for key negative regulators of Hh signaling, Sufu and/or Spop, in the gut mesenchyme, and demonstrated their dosage-dependent roles. Although these mutants exhibit abnormal mesenchymal cell growth and functionally defective muscle layers, villification is completed with proper mesenchymal clustering, implying a permissive role for Hh signaling.

Dual Regulatory Functions of SUFU and Targetome of GLI2 in SHH Subgroup Medulloblastoma.

SUFU alterations are common in human Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) subgroup medulloblastoma (MB). However, its tumorigenic mechanisms have remained elusive. Here, we report that loss of Sufu alone is unable to induce MB formation in mice, due to insufficient Gli2 activation.

A genetic female mouse model with congenital genitourinary anomalies and adult stages of urinary incontinence.

Aims: To characterize the urinary incontinence observed in adult Gli2 ; Gli3 female mice and identify the defects underlying the condition.

Methods: Gli2 and Gli3 mice were crossed to generate: wild-type, mutant Gli2 (Gli2 ), mutant Gli3 (Gli3 ), and double mutant (Gli2 ; Gli3 ) female mice, verified via Polymerase Chain Reactions. Bladder functional studies including cystometrogram (CMG), leak point pressure (LPP), and voiding testing were performed on adult female mice.

Adult Gli2+/-;Gli3Δ699/+ Male and Female Mice Display a Spectrum of Genital Malformation.

Disorders of sexual development (DSD) encompass a broad spectrum of urogenital malformations and are amongst the most common congenital birth defects. Although key genetic factors such as the hedgehog (Hh) family have been identified, a unifying postnatally viable model displaying the spectrum of male and female urogenital malformations has not yet been reported. Since human cases are diagnosed and treated at various stages postnatally, equivalent mouse models enabling analysis at similar stages are of significant interest.

Flexible calibration of phase-to-height conversion in fringe projection profilometry.

A flexible new technique is presented to calibrate the monocular system of phase-based fringe projection profilometry, which is made of a camera, a projector, and a computer. The proposed algorithm mainly consists of a more flexible phase-to-height conversion model and a minimum norm solution, followed by a nonlinear optimization based on the maximum likelihood criterion. In the whole calibration procedure, this method only requires the camera to capture a few two-dimensional checkerboard target images and several deformed fringe images with at least three different orientations.

Invalid phase values removal method for absolute phase recovery.

A novel approach is presented for more effectively removing invalid phase values in absolute phase recovery. The approach is based on a detailed study involving the types and cases of invalid phase values. Meanwhile, some commonalities of the existing removal algorithms also are thoroughly analyzed.

Production Task Queue Optimization Based on Multi-Attribute Evaluation for Complex Product Assembly Workshop.

The production task queue has a great significance for manufacturing resource allocation and scheduling decision. Man-made qualitative queue optimization method has a poor effect and makes the application difficult. A production task queue optimization method is proposed based on multi-attribute evaluation.

Cobalt phosphate modified TiO2 nanowire arrays as co-catalysts for solar water splitting.

Cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) is photo-electrodeposited on TiO2 nanowire arrays in Co(2+) containing phosphate buffer. The resulting composite photoanode shows a generally enhanced photocurrent near the flat band potential region, and represents a 2.3 times improved photoconversion efficiency compared to that of pristine TiO2 in a neutral electrolyte.

T396I mutation of mouse Sufu reduces the stability and activity of Gli3 repressor.

Hedgehog signaling is primarily transduced by two transcription factors: Gli2, which mainly acts as a full-length activator, and Gli3, which tends to be proteolytically processed from a full-length form (Gli3FL) to an N-terminal repressor (Gli3REP). Recent studies using a Sufu knockout mouse have indicated that Sufu is involved in regulating Gli2 and Gli3 activator and repressor activity at multiple steps of the signaling cascade; however, the mechanism of specific Gli2 and Gli3 regulation remains to be elucidated. In this study, we established an allelic series of ENU-induced mouse strains.

A switch from low to high Shh activity regulates establishment of limb progenitors and signaling centers.

The patterning and growth of the embryonic vertebrate limb is dependent on Sonic hedgehog (Shh), a morphogen that regulates the activity of Gli transcription factors. However, Shh expression is not observed during the first 12 hr of limb development. During this phase, the limb bud is prepatterned into anterior and posterior regions through the antagonistic actions of transcription factors Gli3 and Hand2.

Formation of proximal and anterior limb skeleton requires early function of Irx3 and Irx5 and is negatively regulated by Shh signaling.

Limb skeletal pattern relies heavily on graded Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. As a morphogen and growth cue, Shh regulates identities of posterior limb elements, including the ulna/fibula and digits 2 through 5. In contrast, proximal and anterior structures, including the humerus/femur, radius/tibia, and digit 1, are regarded as Shh independent, and mechanisms governing their specification are unclear.

Kif3a controls murine nephron number via GLI3 repressor, cell survival, and gene expression in a lineage-specific manner.

The primary cilium is required during early embryo patterning, epithelial tubulogenesis, and growth factor-dependent signal transduction. The requirement for primary cilia during renal epithelial-mesenchymal tissue interactions that give rise to nephrons is undefined. Here, we used Cre-mediated recombination to generate mice with Kif3a deficiency targeted to the ureteric and/or metanephric mesenchyme cell lineages in the embryonic kidney.

Antagonistic and cooperative actions of Kif7 and Sufu define graded intracellular Gli activities in Hedgehog signaling.

Graded Hedgehog (Hh) signaling governs the balance of Gli transcriptional activators and repressors to specify diverse ventral cell fates in the spinal cord. It remains unclear how distinct intracellular Gli activity is generated. Here, we demonstrate that Sufu acts universally as a negative regulator of Hh signaling, whereas Kif7 inhibits Gli activity in cooperation with, and independent of, Sufu.