Trehalose and Mannitol Based Lyoprotetion of Taq DNA Polymerase for Cold-chain-free Long-term Storage.

Polymerase chain reactions (PCR) are most reliable and precise means for nucleic acid analysis of biological samples. A cold-chain system with temperature at around -20°C is generally necessary for storage and transportation of PCR-related reagents. In order to facilitate ambient temperature storage and transportation, this study prepared Taq DNA polymerase and 5 × HS-Taq Mix (as low as 0.

Molecular Profiling of Rice Straw Degradability Discrepancy in Core Germplasm.

The rice- pattern is a rapidly growing agricultural practice for straw disposal and mushroom production in China. However, different strains show a large variation in rice straw degradability. Here, we constructed a core collection of containing 14 strains with rich genetic diversity.

The impact of artificial liver support system on intestinal microbiota and serum bile acid profiles in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients exhibit an imbalance in intestinal microbiota, and bile acids (BAs) can affect the composition of intestinal microbiota. Although Artificial liver support system (ALSS) is a treatment for ACLF, the impact of ALSS on intestinal microbiota and serum BA profiles of ACLF patients remains unclear.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted, which included 51 patients diagnosed with ACLF.

Impact of the First-Wave COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Expenditure for Older Adults in China: Lessons from a Natural Experiment.

Older adults' access to healthcare services may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored the effect of the first wave pandemic on the medical expenditure of older adults in China. Difference-in-Difference models captured both temporal and geographical variation in COVID-19 exposure to estimate the impacts of the pandemic on medical expenditure through a quasi-natural experiment.

Precise healing of oral and maxillofacial wounds: tissue engineering strategies and their associated mechanisms.

Precise healing of wounds in the oral and maxillofacial regions is usually achieved by targeting the entire healing process. The rich blood circulation in the oral and maxillofacial regions promotes the rapid healing of wounds through the action of various growth factors. Correspondingly, their tissue engineering can aid in preventing wound infections, accelerate angiogenesis, and enhance the proliferation and migration of tissue cells during wound healing.

The early-stage impacts of shock events on adult sleep: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The present study aims to estimate the early-stage association of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with sleep duration, 4 months after the initial outbreak, at a national level. Using the China Family Panel Studies in 2018 and its follow-up in 2020, 16,563 adult participants were analyzed in our study. The first wave transmissibility of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China was used as a quasi-natural experiment.

Multi-modal cross-linguistic perception of Mandarin tones in clear speech.

Clearly enunciated speech (relative to conversational, plain speech) involves articulatory and acoustic modifications that enhance auditory-visual (AV) segmental intelligibility. However, little research has explored clear-speech effects on the perception of suprasegmental properties such as lexical tone, particularly involving visual (facial) perception. Since tone production does not primarily rely on vocal tract configurations, tones may be less visually distinctive.

Development of a novel prognostic assessment model for hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure based on reexamination results.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a common clinical emergency and critical illness with rapid progression and poor prognosis. This study aims to establish a more efficient system for the prognostic assessment of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF), which will provide a guiding scheme for subsequent treatment and improve the survival rate of patients. Data on 623 patients with HBV-ACLF were recorded.

Isolation and Characterization of an Unknown Process-Related Impurity in Furosemide and Validation of a New HPLC Method.

Furosemide is a widely used loop diuretic in the treatment of congestive heart failure and edema. During the preparation of furosemide, a new process-related impurity G in the levels ranging from 0.08% to 0.

Encoding category-level and context-specific phonological information at different stages: An EEG study of Mandarin third-tone sandhi word production.

Pronunciation of words or morphemes may vary systematically in different phonological contexts, but it remains unclear how different levels of phonological information are encoded in speech production. In this study, we investigated the online planning process of Mandarin Tone 3 (T3) sandhi, a case of phonological alternation whereby a low-dipping tone (T3) changes to a Tone 2 (T2)-like rising tone when followed by another T3. To examine the time course of the encoding of the abstract category-level (underlying form) and context-specific phonological form (surface form) of T3, we conducted an electroencephalographic (EEG) study with a phonologically-primed picture naming task and examined the event-related potentials (ERPs) time-locked to the stimulus onset as well as speech response onset.

The effect of COVID-19 on public confidence in the World Health Organization: a natural experiment among 40 countries.

Background: At a time when a highly contagious pandemic and global political and economic turmoil are intertwined, worldwide cooperation under the leadership of an international organization has become increasingly important. This study aimed to estimate the effect of COVID-19 on public confidence in the World Health Organization (WHO), which will serve as a reference for other international organizations regarding the maintenance of their credibility in crisis management and ability to play a greater role in global health governance.

Methods: We obtained individual data from the World Values Survey (WVS).

Electrophysiological Signatures of Perceiving Alternated Tone in Mandarin Chinese: Mismatch Negativity to Underlying Tone Conflict.

Although phonological alternation is prevalent in languages, the process of perceiving phonologically alternated sounds is poorly understood, especially at the neurolinguistic level. We examined the process of perceiving Mandarin 3rd tone sandhi (T3 + T3 → T2 + T3) with a mismatch negativity (MMN) experiment. Our design has two independent variables (whether the deviant undergoes tone sandhi; whether the standard and the deviant have matched underlying tone).

Dutch listeners' perception of English lexical stress: A cue-weighting approach.

We investigate whether acoustic cue weightings are transferred from the native language to the second language [research question 1 (RQ1)], how cue weightings change with increasing second-language proficiency (RQ2), and whether individual cues are used independently or together in the second language (RQ3). Vowel reduction is a strong cue to lexical stress in English but not Dutch. Native English listeners and Dutch second-language learners of English completed a cue-weighting stress perception experiment.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and their association with cancer mortality among workers in one automobile foundry factory.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) have been reported as possible carcinogenic hazards to humans. However, epidemiological studies on their carcinogenic roles are limited. The current study was designed to determine the concentrations and characteristics of PCDD/Fs and evaluate their association with cancer mortality in exposed workers in one automobile foundry factory.

[Cohort mortality study of workers in an automobile foundry factory].

Objective: To understand the major causes of death in automobile foundry workers and investigate casting manipulations hazards to health.

Methods: A cohort study of 3529 foundry workers registered in one big automobile factory in Shiyan city of China was performed. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for the main causes of death by using Chinese national mortality rates as reference.