Nondestructive imaging of fiber structure in articular cartilage using optical polarization tractography.

Collagen fiber orientation plays an important role in determining the structure and function of the articular cartilage. However, there is currently a lack of nondestructive means to image the fiber orientation from the cartilage surface. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the newly developed optical polarization tractography (OPT) can image fiber structure in articular cartilage.

Alterations in the expression of Hs1-associated protein X-1 in the rat retina after optic nerve crush.

HS-1-associated protein X-1 (Hax-1) has been suggested to be expressed in various rodent and human tissues. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that Hax‑1 exerts an anti‑apoptotic effect in neurological diseases. Furthermore, it has also been reported that Hax‑1 interacts with various apoptosis‑associated proteins, including high temperature-regulated A2 (HtrA2) and caspase‑3.

Active tunable plasmonically induced polarization conversion in the THz regime.

A plasmon-induced polarization conversion (PIPC) structure based on periodically patterned graphene was demonstrated in the THz regime. By varying the Fermi level of two connected T-shape graphene strips through the electrostatic gating, the peak frequency and the group index in the transparency window can be tuned, which is good agreement with the coupled Lorentz oscillator model. Due to interference between two polarization selective graphene plasmonic resonances coexisting in the planar metamaterial, polarization conversion can be achieved.

, a new combination for the Chinese Caryophyllaceae.

The generic name (Bartl. ex Rchb.) Rchb.

Adaptive finite difference for seismic wavefield modelling in acoustic media.

Efficient numerical seismic wavefield modelling is a key component of modern seismic imaging techniques, such as reverse-time migration and full-waveform inversion. Finite difference methods are perhaps the most widely used numerical approach for forward modelling, and here we introduce a novel scheme for implementing finite difference by introducing a time-to-space wavelet mapping. Finite difference coefficients are then computed by minimising the difference between the spatial derivatives of the mapped wavelet and the finite difference operator over all propagation angles.

Preparation of chicken IgY against recombinant E2 protein of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and development of ELISA and ICA for BVDV detection.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infects cattle and may lead to persistent infection (PI). The PI animals harbor BVDV throughout their life and become immune tolerant against BVDV. Thus, diagnosis of this virus in herd is highly important.

First record of Bombylisoma Rondani (Diptera: Bombyliidae) from China and an identification key to the Chinese genera of Bombyliinae.

Bombylisoma Rondani is a genus of bee flies belonging to the subfamily Bombyliinae (Hull, 1973). It is easily identified by the following characters: Head usually as broad as thorax; hind-margin of eyes indented; wings often small, narrowed at base with at least alula reduced; hind femora often without macrochaetae; body usually more elongate even narrow conical or cylindrical, macrochaetae usually weak often hair-like especially those posterior to the wings; cell r open, pulvilli well-developed; male terminalia with gonocoxite without prominent crest; parameral sheath, bearing paired horn-like outgrowths (Greathead & Evenhuis, 2001). Bombylisoma includes two known species from the Oriental Region: B.

Meta-analysis of association between Helicobacter pylori infection and multiple sclerosis.

Despite recent research focus on the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and multiple sclerosis (MS) there is no consensus about the findings. To obtain a more comprehensive estimate of the association we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of H.

The complete mitochondrial genome of .

The gray-headed flying squirrel is a cryptic mammal which is not well known. Our study sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of . The mitochondrial genome is 16 520 bp in size, including 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and 1 control region.

Dual-band tunable perfect metamaterial absorber in the THz range.

In this paper, a dual-band perfect absorber, composed of a periodically patterned elliptical nanodisk graphene structure and a metal ground plane spaced by a thin SiO(2) dielectric layer, is proposed and investigated. Numerical results reveal that the absorption spectrum of the graphene-based structure displays two perfect absorption peaks in the terahertz band, corresponding to the absorption value of 99% at 35μm and 97%at 59μm, respectively. And the resonance frequency of the absorber can be tunned by controlling the Fermi level of graphene layer.

Salvianolic acid B ameliorates CNS autoimmunity by suppressing Th1 responses.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), is a Th1 and Th17 cell-mediated CNS autoimmune disease. Therefore, immune regulation is a key target for therapy. Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is a major water-soluble bioactive component of the famous traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza, which is notable for its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.

High resolution imaging of the fibrous microstructure in bovine common carotid artery using optical polarization tractography.

The biomechanical properties of artery are primarily determined by the fibrous structures in the vessel wall. Many vascular diseases are associated with alternations in the orientation and alignment of the fibrous structure in the arterial wall. Knowledge on the structural features of the artery wall is crucial to our understanding of the biology of vascular diseases and the development of novel therapies.

Cell-Based Selection Expands the Utility of DNA-Encoded Small-Molecule Library Technology to Cell Surface Drug Targets: Identification of Novel Antagonists of the NK3 Tachykinin Receptor.

DNA-encoded small-molecule library technology has recently emerged as a new paradigm for identifying ligands against drug targets. To date, this technology has been used with soluble protein targets that are produced and used in a purified state. Here, we describe a cell-based method for identifying small-molecule ligands from DNA-encoded libraries against integral membrane protein targets.

Regulation of polycystin-1 ciliary trafficking by motifs at its C-terminus and polycystin-2 but not by cleavage at the GPS site.

Failure to localize membrane proteins to the primary cilium causes a group of diseases collectively named ciliopathies. Polycystin-1 (PC1, also known as PKD1) is a large ciliary membrane protein defective in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Here, we developed a large set of PC1 expression constructs and identified multiple sequences, including a coiled-coil motif in the C-terminal tail of PC1, regulating full-length PC1 trafficking to the primary cilium.

LDL suppresses angiogenesis through disruption of the HIF pathway via NF-κB inhibition which is reversed by the proteasome inhibitor BSc2118.

Since disturbance of angiogenesis predisposes to ischemic injuries, attempts to promote angiogenesis have been made to improve clinical outcomes of patients with many ischemic disorders. While hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) stimulate vascular remodeling and angiogenesis, hyperlipidemia impairs angiogenesis in response to various pro-angiogenic factors. However, it remains uncertain how HIFs regulate angiogenesis under hyperlipidemia.

Major histocompatibility complex class II genetic variation in forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) in China.

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays an important role in the immune system of vertebrates. We used the second exon of four MHC class II genes (DRA, DQA1, DQA2 and DRB3) to assess the overall MHC variation in forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii). We also compared the MHC variation in captive and wild populations.

Efficacy of radical and conservative surgery for hepatic cystic echinococcosis: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of radical surgery (RS) and conservative surgery (CS) in the treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, SCI, CNKI, CBM, and WanFang databases, and the Cochrane Library (2013, Issue 3) for references published before December 2013. Both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials of radical and conservative surgery for HCE were collected.

Dynamic integral imaging display with electrically moving array lenslet technique using liquid crystal lens.

Integral imaging (InIm) has been widely investigated for three-dimensional (3-D) display applications. Aliasing due to the lenslet arrays is one of the limitations of InIm displays. In this paper, we propose a dynamic InIm display using electrically movable liquid crystal (LC) lens array to implement the moving array lenslet technique (MALT) and to eliminate the multifacet the 3-D images.

Phylogenetic analysis of the endangered takin in the confluent zone of the Qinling and Minshan Mountains using mtDNA control region.

The takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is an Endangered ungulate. We analyzed the variation within mtDNA control region sequences of takin populations in the Qinling Mountains, the Minshan Mountains and the confluence of these two mountain ranges. We did not find any shared haplotypes among the populations.

Therapeutic effects of lipo-prostaglandin E1 on angiogenesis and neurogenesis after ischemic stroke in rats.

Previous studies have demonstrated that prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has a neuroprotective effect on cerebral ischemia. However, it remains unknown whether PGE1 promotes angiogenesis and neurogenesis after ischemic stroke. In this study, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to permanently distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Inhibition of PAD4 activity is sufficient to disrupt mouse and human NET formation.

PAD4 has been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune, cardiovascular and oncological diseases through clinical genetics and gene disruption in mice. New selective PAD4 inhibitors binding a calcium-deficient form of the PAD4 enzyme have validated the critical enzymatic role of human and mouse PAD4 in both histone citrullination and neutrophil extracellular trap formation for, to our knowledge, the first time. The therapeutic potential of PAD4 inhibitors can now be explored.

Night Activity Reduction is a Signature Physiological Biomarker for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Dogs.

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked lethal muscle disease. Dystrophic dogs are excellent models to test novel therapies for DMD. However, the use of the dog model has been hindered by the lack of an effective method to evaluate whole-body mobility.