In view of Nevanlinna theory, we study the growth and poles of solutions of some complex q-difference differential equations. We obtain the estimates on the Nevalinna order, the lower order, and the counting function of poles for meromorphic solutions of such equations.
The relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on obesity-related phenotypes remains unclear, and few studies have targeted the Chinese population. Here, we used Chinese twins reared apart and together to explore genetic and environmental influences on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist–height ratio (WHtR), further to differentiate phenotype heritability between different age groups and genders separately and to differentiate influences of rearing environment and correlated environment. Phenotype heritability was calculated using the structural equation model in 11,401 twin pairs aged 25–85 years. BMI (0.70, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.74) of the total population was highly heritable, while WC (0.53, 95 %CI 0.50–0.57) and WHtR (0.48, 95 %CI 0.45–0.51) were moderately heritable. Age and gender stratified analyses found higher heritability in the younger group and males than the older group and females. The correlated environment had a greater influence on the phenotypes than the rearing environment, especially on WC and WHtR, indicating that more correlated environment actions should be taken to prevent the rising trend of abdominal obesity.
Since the first appearance of vascular plants during evolution, the plant body has become specialized for adaption to land conditions. Much of our knowledge of plant body specialization and the origins of tissues from stem cells have been obtained from studies on the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana. However, less is known about plant body specialization in monocots, another important branch of angiosperms. In this study, we analyzed stem cell lineage and differentiation during development of the root and leaf of the monocot model plant rice (Oryza sativa). Our results showed that three body layers of rice are established from stem cells accompanied by progressively reduced pluripotency. Layer 1 (L1) is a single-cell layer of epidermis; L2 is the cortex/endodermis in the root and the mesophyll in the leaf; and L3 is the site of vascular initiation. At least two common steps in vascular development are shared between rice root and leaf. The preprocambium divides to form the procambium and root pericycle or leaf outer sheath. The procambium further differentiates into the xylem, phloem and circumambient cells. We found that the outer sheath of leaf vascular bundles originates not only from the preprocambium of L3, but also from the mesophyll precursor cells of L2. In addition, WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) genes are expressed in not only the stem cell niche but also metaxylem precursor in rice. This pattern differs from that of homologs in Arabidopsis, suggesting that WOX functions have been recruited in different stem cells in dicots and monocots.
Tungsten was incorporated into mesoporous alumina via a one pot sol–gel route. The structure and properties of the as-synthesized materials were well characterized by N2 sorption, XRD, 27Al NMR, XPS, DR–UV–Vis, Py-FTIR, HR-TEM and EDS. These samples possess high surface area, uniform pore size and large pore volume. Tungsten was evidently introduced into the framework of all samples, while extra-framework WO3 crystals were detected when W/Al mole ratio increased to 0.12 . The Py-FTIR results indicate that the Lewis acidity sites are predominant in W(x)-MA samples, and Brønsted acid sites are detected in W(0.24)-MA. The catalytic performance of the mixed W(x)-MA + Ru/C catalyst was evaluated in the hydrogenolysis conversion of cellulose. The notably enhanced selectivity of ethylene glycol was obtained when using W(0.24)-MA catalyst.
0.998[0.95(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3–0.05LiSbO3]–0.002BiFe0.8Co0.2O3 (KNN–LS–BFC) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by the traditional sintering method. The effects of sintering temperature on the structure and properties of KNN–LS–BFC ceramics were studied. The results reveal that the sintering temperature has significant influence on crystallizability and piezoelectric properties of KNN–LS–BFC ceramics, but not on the ferroelectric properties. The KNN–LS–BFC ceramics sintered at different temperature are perovskite structure with the tetragonal phase and the crystal lattice constant of specimens varied with the sintering temperature. With the sintering temperature increases from 1010 to 1060 °C, the grains become more homogeneous and more tight-arrangement. The maximum values of d33 = 282 pC/N, kp = 49.41 % and Qm = 32.52 all can be obtained when the sintering temperature is 1020 °C, but the minimum value of tanδ = 1.95 % can be obtained when the sintering temperature is 1030 °C, meanwhile the εr, Pr and Ec maintain 1266.76–1395.82, 19.85–22.49 μC/cm2 and 1.46–1.56 kV/mm, respectively.
No standard chemotherapy regimens have been defined yet for extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma (ENKTL), and the prognosis of patients with advanced or relapsed disease is very poor. Daratumumab, an investigated anti-cancer drug targeting CD38, has been of great interest in the treatment of CD38-expressing malignancies, especially multiple myeloma. In this study, we reviewed the clinical data of 94 patients with ENKTL, investigated the expression of CD38, and analyzed the prognostic value of CD38 expression. Forty-seven patients had weak expression of CD38, and the other 47 patients had strong expression. The complete response (CR) rate was significantly higher in patients who were treated with asparaginase-based therapy (83.8 vs. 59.6 %, p = 0.025). There was a trend towards higher CR rate in CD38 weak expression group (78.7 vs. 59.6 %, p = 0.074). At a median follow-up time of 42 months, the 2-year and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 53.0 and 39.0 %, respectively, and the 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 68.0 and 58.0 %, respectively. In multivariate survival analysis including CD38 expression status, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, local tumor invasion, and chemotherapy regimens, it was found that strong expression of CD38 and non-asparaginase-based chemoregimens were independent adverse prognostic factors for PFS (p = 0.009 and 0.027, respectively), while local tumor invasion and higher IPI score were independent adverse prognostic factors for OS (p = 0.002 and 0.035, respectively). In subgroup analysis, strong expression of CD38 significantly correlated with inferior survival outcomes in patients without local tumor invasion (p = 0.011) or with stage I–II disease (p = 0.008). In conclusion, we firstly found that the majority of ENKTL cases were CD38 positive, with half had strong expression of CD38, which significantly correlated with poor outcomes, indicating the potential role of CD38 as a therapy target for ENKTL.
Hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose requires both functionalities of a metal and acid site. HZSM-5 has strong acid sites inside the micropores. However, those sites are not easily accessible to large molecules derived from cellulose. In this work, NaOH treatment of ZSM-5 was applied to introduce mesopores to the crystallite of ZSM-5. Characterizations showed that mesopores of 4–20 nm were successfully created on the surface of ZSM-5, and mesopore volume and total acid density (particularly Lewis acid density) increased as the severity of treatment increased. Loading of Ru on the mesoporous HZSM-5 resulted in a highly active and selective catalyst for conversion of cellulose to hexitols. The optimized hexitols yield of 39.4 % is 6 times higher than that of Ru supported on the parent HZSM-5. Model reaction studies (hydrolysis of cellobiose and hydrogenation of glucose) indicated that the enhanced acid density (particularly Lewis acid in mesopores) promotes the hydrolysis of oligosaccharides from primary depolymerization of cellulose. Furthermore, the uniform dispersion of smaller Ru nanoparticles due to the increased surface area caused by the mesopore enhanced the activity of the hydrogenation reaction. Consequently, a high yield of hexitols with reduced yield of small polyols was achieved on the optimized mesoporous Ru/HZSM-5.
A series of low band gap terpolymers (PBDT–DFBx–DPPy) incorporating various ratios of two acceptor units, difluorobenzene (DFB) and diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole (DPP), were synthesized by Pd-catalyzed Stille polymerization. The effects of the DFB and DPP units on UV–Vis absorption, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels, and terpolymer: PC60BM solar cell performance, especially the short-circuit current (Jsc), were investigated. The polymer films exhibited broad and intense absorption spectra, covering the spectral range from 300 nm up to 900 nm. The optical properties of these random terpolymers can be easily controlled by tuning the ratio between DFB and DPP; an increase in DFB induced increased absorption between 300 and 550 nm and a lower HOMO energy level. The terpolymer PBDT–DFB50–DPP50 with the percentage of DFB up to 50 % in the bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell showed a high open-circuit voltage of 0.74 V and a Jsc of 7.83 mA cm−2. This study demonstrated that significant changes in polymer electronic properties can be tuned by the strategic combination of simple electron-deficient monomers and their composition in the random terpolymers.
In active rift basins, syndepositional faults exert a major control on sequence stratigraphic patterns and depositional system features, which together determine reservoir distribution, geometry, and quality. In this study, we analyze syndepositional fault characteristics of the main rift I stage in the southeastern fault zone of the Qingxi Sag, Jiuquan Basin. The syndepositional faults are marked by boundary fault with high dip angle and strong activity in the western section, and both boundary fault and associated secondary fault with relatively low dip angles and weak activity in the eastern section. In response to these different fault patterns and activity intensities, the resulting sequence stratigraphic and depositional system features are different in the western and eastern fault zones. The southeastern basin margin is divided into steep slope fault belt in the west and fault terrace belt in the east, and two corresponding types of sequence stratigraphic patterns developed. Contrastive analysis of the depositional systems highlights that they differed in sediment dispersal patterns, distribution scales, development positions, and sediment physical properties. Reservoirs associated with the depositional systems were further differentiated into four types. Analyzing the characteristics of the four types of reservoirs and their corresponding traps provides a useful reference for the deployment of future hydrocarbon exploration in the study area.
Dual connectivity (DC) allows user equipments (UEs) to receive data simultaneously from different eNodeBs (eNBs) in order to boost the performance in a heterogeneous network with dedicated carrier deployment. Yet, how to efficiently operate with DC opens a number of research questions. In this paper we focus on the case where a macro and a small cell eNBs are inter-connected with traditional backhaul links characterized by certain latency, assuming independent radio resource management (RRM) functionalities residing in each eNB. In order to fully harvest the gain provided by DC, an efficient flow control of data between the involved macro and small cell eNBs is proposed. Moreover, guidelines for the main performance determining RRM algorithms such as UE cell association and packet scheduling are also presented. It is demonstrated how proper configuration of the proposed flow control algorithm offers efficient trade-offs between reducing the probability that one of the eNBs involved in the DC runs out of data and limiting the buffering time. Simulation results show that the performance of DC over traditional backhaul connections is close to that achievable with inter-site carrier aggregation (CA) and virtually zero-latency fronthaul connections, and in any case it is significantly higher compared to the case without DC.
Few studies have been conducted on the links between histological and hormonal variation during shoot regeneration. Therefore, we investigated this link in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa cv. ‘Honeoye’). Main plant growth regulators were measured using reverse-phase liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Histological observations were conducted to understand the pattern of adventitious shoot regeneration from the leaf segments. After 14 days of dark culture, a mean shoot regeneration frequency of 94.7 % was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg L−1 thidiazuron, 30 g L−1 sucrose, and 6 g L−1 agar (pH 5.9). During shoot regeneration, indole acetic acid (IAA) concentrations increased, abscisic acid (ABA) decreased, and gibberellic acid (GA3) and zeatin showed peaks. The results could be correlated with the cell division and differentiation that occurred during shoot regeneration. Histological observation showed that the adventitious shoots were derived from subepidermal cells and the epidermal cells of the midrib near the cut. The meristemoids, primordia and shoots were formed sequentially on day 6, day 12, and day 18 after culture. During the meristemoids formation on day 6 after culture, IAA rapidly increased from 1.49 to 1.72 ng g−1 fresh weight (Fw), ABA rapidly decreased from 52.61 to 13.47 ng g−1 Fw, and zeatin increased from 1.68 to 5.98 ng g−1 Fw. During primordia formation on day 12 after culture, IAA rapidly increased to 1.88 ng g−1 Fw, ABA rapidly decreased to 2.69 ng g−1 Fw, GA3 peaked at 73.91 ng g−1 Fw, and zeatin peaked at 7.69 ng g−1 Fw. Our results suggested that the histological variations were consistent with the plant hormonal changes during shoot regeneration, and that changes in hormone concentration could be used as a reference to characterize the mode of shoot regeneration.
“Excess air” caused by the excessive dissolution of air bubbles is often observed and discussed in groundwater studies [e.g., noble gas temperature (NGT) calculations and 4He dating]. However, “gas loss” is inevitable for groundwater degassing whenever temperatures change or the groundwater head fluctuates, which can lead to a misunderstanding of the initial gas content, resulting in the false assessment of groundwater recharge temperature and age. Twenty-two groundwater samples were observed with a He and Ne excess, Kr loss, and Ar and Xe excess and loss in different samples from the third aquifer of the North China Plain. The loss of Kr and Xe in groundwater samples indicated that groundwater degassing had occurred, because the loss of Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe in sequences in groundwater is caused by a continuous degassing. A temperature increase can also cause groundwater degassing, for the recharge groundwater temperatures (δD-calculated 0.6–5.0 °C) are much lower than the NGTs (3.4–32.1 °C) in the same groundwater samples. All the groundwater were speculated to have uniformly experienced temperatures as high as 32.1 °C in the recharge zone before entering the third aquifer and resulted in groundwater degassing.
Three s-triazine/carbazole based bipolar molecules: 9,9′,9″-(1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triyl)tris(3,6-di-tert-butyl-carbazole) (TazTCz), 9,9′-(6-phenyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diyl)bis(3,6-di-tert-butyl-carbazole) (PhTazDCz) and 9-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)-3,6-di-tert-butyl-carbazole (DPhTazCz) were synthesized and applied as host materials for blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs). The triplet state energy levels are ~2.86 eV for these compounds, ensured their application in blue PHOLEDs. X-ray single crystal structural analysis revealed a non-planar structure of TazTCz, which prevented the intermolecular close-packing in the solid state. X-ray diffraction spectra also confirmed that TazTCz and PhTazDCz could form amorphous films with spin-coating method. The bipolar characteristics of as-synthesized compounds were confirmed by carrier mobility measurement. The device parameters of blue PHOLEDs based on these compounds as host materials exhibit that the balance of electron and hole mobilities is benefit for reducing turn-on voltage and efficiency roll-off at high current density.
Using different Ziegler—Natta catalysts, we have prepared two samples of isotactic polypropylene with similar molecular weight and average isotacticity, but different stereo-defect distributions. The influence of ultrasonic irradiation on the conformation and crystallization behavior of those samples were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The ultrasonic treatment induced a decrease in the degree of crystalline perfection and a wider distribution range of the crystalline perfection of polypropylene. Meanwhile, the crystal particles pack looser and the crystallite size decreased under the influence of ultrasonic irradiation. On the conformation aspect, the molecular movement in polypropylene became more intensive, the molecular entanglement was reduced when ultrasound was applied. Moreover, it was found that the uniformity of stereo-defect distribution also played important role in determining the conformation and crystallization behavior of polypropylene samples irradiated by ultrasound.
In the epikarst-diffusing infiltration layer, the water–carbonate rock–CO2 gas interaction takes place under the driving force of biotic/abiotic CO2. Therefore, it is necessary to study the changes of carbon isotopic composition relating to biotic/abiotic CO2 in the karst system. This paper presents some hydrogeochemical and biological characterization in the Yaji karst experimental site of SW China. Based on the hydrogeochemical studies, it was found that spring 31 (S31) mainly flowing out from doline 1, was primarily characterized as a HCO3−–Ca type, with a mean magnesium/calcium ratio of only 0.87 %, and a positive relationship (R2 = 0.9591) existed between calculated PCO2 and SIC in S31 which generally originates from the complex water–carbonate rock–CO2 gas interactions. The difference of soil CO2–δ13C in two soil layers (0 to −10 and −20 to −30 cm) from doline 1 is 6.6 ‰ and the CO2-fixation bacteria has the significant positive correlation with soil organic carbon (SOC) in doline 1(P < 0.0003). Moreover, the difference between soil CO2–δ13C in doline 1 and δ13CDIC in S31 is 10.93 and 76 % CO2 in S31 comes from soil biotic CO2 based on O’Neil equation. The above results indicate that when atmospheric CO2 transfers through the epikarst-diffusing infiltration layer, 12CO2 will be requested by the CO2-fixation bacteria with high priority, and soil CO2 probably originates from heterotrophic microbial respiration in the bulk soil. Then, under the intervention of CO2-fixation bacteria, the epikarst-diffusing infiltration layer will produce the “placenta” function to spur the stable isotopic equilibrium fractionation between soil CO2 and spring DIC, which could be used to predict the value of soil CO2–δ13C or δ13CDIC when we only have one aspect result of the samples, especially for monitoring drip water in the cave. Moreover, the future research on the isotopic fractionation of CO2-fixation bacteria could provide more surprising information to explain the function of epikarst-diffusing infiltration layer.
Many studies have demonstrated that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were a prognostic indicator in patients with B cell lymphoma. But, we know little about the clinical significance of TAMs in extranodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma(ENKTL), nasal type. CD68 expression was detected using immunohistochemistry to determine the numbers of TAMs in 70 ENKTL patients, and the data were used to evaluate its relationship with clinicopathological features, treatment response, and prognosis. Patients with high number of infiltrated CD68+ TAMs (>60/hpf) at diagnosis tended to have more adverse clinical characteristics. Patients with low CD68+ TAM content (<60/hpf) at diagnosis had better overall survival (P = 0.003) and progression-free survival (P = 0.002) and achieved higher complete remission rates (P = 0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that CD68 + TAM content, Ki-67 index, and stage III and IV were independent prognostic factors for both OS and PFS. Using the International Prognostic Index or Korean Prognostic Index for extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type, the majority of patients were in the low-risk category. CD68 + TAM content was helpful to differentiate the low-risk patients with different survival outcomes. Our data suggest that CD68+ TAM content at diagnosis is a powerful predictor of prognosis for ENKTL, which suggests a role for TAMs in the pathogenesis of this disease and offers new insight into potential therapeutic strategies.
To assess the association between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and risk of congenital malformations (CM) by conducting a meta-analysis of cohort studies.
PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Libraries and Chinese database were searched through August 2014 to identify studies that met pre-stated inclusion criteria. Either a fixed- or a random-effects model was used to calculate the overall combined risk estimates. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore potential heterogeneity moderators.
Fifty-seven studies involving 119,874 infants conceived following ART and 1,212,320 infants conceived naturally were included in the analysis. The ART-conceived infants were associated with a higher risk of CM [relative risk (RR) = 1.33; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.24–1.43] when compared with those conceived naturally. When data were restricted to singleton births (RR = 1.38; 95 % CI 1.30–1.47), major CM (RR = 1.47; 95 % CI 1.29–1.68), matched/adjusted studies (RR = 1.37; 95 % CI 1.27–1.47) or high quality studies (RR = 1.40; 95 % CI 1.27–1.55), the increased risk of CM still existed in ART pregnancies. Additionally, an increased risk of CM was also found when the ART twin (RR = 1.18; 95 % CI 1.06–1.32) or multiple births (RR = 1.16; 95 % CI 1.05–1.27) were separately compared with spontaneously conceived twin or multiple births. Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies (I2 = 68, 44, 39, and 33 % for all infants, singletons, twins and multiples, respectively). Whether confounding factors were matched or adjusted, study quality and sample size as the first three of the most relevant heterogeneity moderators have been identified. No evidence of publication bias was observed (P > 0.10).
The ART-conceived infants have a higher risk of CM compared with those conceived naturally. However, these estimates have to be viewed with caution because of heterogeneity.
We report a simple method for the direct and quantitative determination of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) using a single-walled carbon nanohorn (SWCNH) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemically activated SWCNH modified GCE (SWCNH/GCE) substantially lowers the overpotential necessary for NADH oxidation compared to the inactivated SWCNH/GCE or bare GCE. We observe a 89-mV shift in the peak potential of NADH from GCE to SWCNH/GCE and another 101-mV shift from inactivated SWCNH/GCE to activated SWCNH/GCE in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) at a scan rate of 50 mV/s. The activated SWCNH/GCE shows a linear response toward NADH between 1 and 100 μM with the detection limit of 0.2 μM. The activated SWCNH/GCE displays good reproducibility, high sensitivity, and excellent stability. Furthermore, the fabricated electrochemical sensors were used to detect NADH in serum by standard addition method and the recoveries are satisfactory.
Adult sporadic Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a rare subtype of lymphoma. In this retrospective study, we investigated the prognostic value of pretreatment lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) in a cohort of 62 patients. Using LMR <2.6 as the optimal cutoff point, 24 patients (38.7 %) had LMR <2.6. The complete response rates in high-LMR group and low-LMR group were 90.9 and 65.0 %, respectively (P = 0.019). At a median follow-up time of 41 months, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rates were 76 and 80 %, respectively. In a multivariate Cox regression model, it was found that the presence of bone marrow infiltration and low LMR were independently adverse prognostic factors for both PFS and OS. In the whole group, the addition of rituximab to treatment did not benefit patients significantly in PFS and OS. In subgroup analysis, in patients with high LMR, addition of rituximab can significantly improve survival outcomes (P = 0.046). In conclusion, we firstly found that low LMR (<2.60) was an independently adverse prognostic factor in adult patients with sporadic BL. Intensive chemotherapy could cure the majority of patients in our study, and the pretreatment LMR might predict the value of rituximab in this age population.
Waterfowl parvoviruses are divided into Muscovy duck parvoviruses (MDPVs) and goose parvoviruses (GPVs). Phylogenetic analysis based on structural gene nucleotide sequences showed that the strains of three GPVs (DY, PT and D strains) and two MDPVs (GX5 and SAAH-SHNH) are closely related and formed one cluster. Recombination analysis showed that recombination between GPV-GDFsh and MDPV-89384/FRANCE strains led to five recombinant strains: GPV-DY, GPV-PT, GPV-D, MDPV-GX5 and MDPV-SAAH-SHNH. The recombinant event was confirmed using the Simplot program and phylogenetic analysis. This is the first comprehensive investigation of recombination between MDPV and GPV structural genes.
