Association of Apolipoprotein E Polymorphisms with White Matter Lesions and Brain Atrophy

ZhiLi Niu,PingAn Zhang,Dong Li,ChengLiang Zhu,LiNa Feng,Ge Xiong,NaNa Song,Pei Tang,Feng Liu 대한신경정신의학회 2020 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.17 No.2

Objective Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is mainly synthesized in the liver. So far, it is unknown the relationship among APOE gene polymorphisms and WML, brain atrophy. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the associations of APOE gene polymorphisms in patients with WML and brain atrophy. Methods A total of 58 patients with WML, 128 patients with brain atrophy, 112 patients with co-occurrence of WML and brain atrophy and 95 healthy elderly volunteers were recruited from Renmin Hospital of WuHan University. Results Allele E3 was the most common allele. The alleles E2 had significantly higher levels of ApoB and lower age in WML group. The alleles E2 was associated with the lower level of ApoB, LDL-Ch, TCh, and sdLDL in co-occurrence group. The E3/E3 genotype has higher level of sdLDL, but lower age and female frequency in WML. The E3/E4 genotype had higher level of TG, but lower age in WML. Gender, Age, E2, Hyperhomocysteinemia and UA were also significantly associated with disease progression. Conclusion This study found that clinical data, lipids and metabolic complications were closely related to ApoE genotypes and alleles, and also disease progression and type.

Multivalency-Driven Formation of Te-Based Monolayer Materials: A Combined First-Principles and Experimental study

Zhu, Zhili,Cai, Xiaolin,Yi, Seho,Chen, Jinglei,Dai, Yawei,Niu, Chunyao,Guo, Zhengxiao,Xie, Maohai,Liu, Feng,Cho, Jun-Hyung,Jia, Yu,Zhang, Zhenyu American Physical Society 2017 Physical Review Letters Vol.119 No.10

<P>Contemporary science is witnessing a rapid expansion of the two-dimensional (2D) materials family, each member possessing intriguing emergent properties of fundamental and practical importance. Using the particle-swarm optimization method in combination with first-principles density functional theory calculations, here we predict a new category of 2D monolayers named tellurene, composed of the metalloid element Te, with stable 1T-MoS2-like (alpha-Te), and metastable tetragonal (beta-Te) and 2H-MoS2-like (gamma-Te) structures. The underlying formation mechanism is inherently rooted in the multivalent nature of Te, with the central-layer Te behaving more metal-like (e.g., Mo), and the two outer layers more semiconductorlike (e.g., S). We also show that the alpha-Te phase can be spontaneously obtained from the magic thicknesses divisible by three layers truncated along the [ 001] direction of the trigonal structure of bulk Te, and both the alpha- and alpha-Te phases possess electron and hole mobilities much higher than MoS2. Furthermore, we present preliminary but convincing experimental evidence for the layering behavior of Te on HOPG substrates, and predict the importance of multivalency in the layering behavior of Se. These findings effectively extend the realm of 2D materials to group-VI elements.</P>

A Novel EYA1 Mutation Causing Alternative RNA Splicing in a Chinese Family With Branchio-Oto Syndrome: Implications for Molecular Diagnosis and Clinical Application

Anhai Chen,Chufeng He,Yong Feng,Jie Ling,Xin Peng,Xianlin Liu,Shuang Mao,Yongjia Chen,Mengyao Qin,Shuai Zhang,Yijiang Bai,Jian Song,Zhili Feng,Lu Ma,Dinghua He,Lingyun Mei1 대한이비인후과학회 2023 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.16 No.4

Objectives. Branchio-oto syndrome (BOS) primarily manifests as hearing loss, preauricular pits, and branchial defects. EYA1is the most common pathogenic gene, and splicing mutations account for a substantial proportion of cases. However,few studies have addressed the structural changes in the protein caused by splicing mutations and potential pathogenicfactors, and several studies have shown that middle-ear surgery has limited effectiveness in improving hearing in thesepatients. BOS has also been relatively infrequently reported in the Chinese population. This study explored the ge-netic etiology in the family of a proband with BOS and provided clinical treatment to improve the patient’s hearing. Methods. We collected detailed clinical features and peripheral blood samples from the patients and unaffected individualswithin the family. Pathogenic mutations were identified by whole-exome sequencing and cosegregation analysis andclassified according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. Alternative splicing wasverified through a minigene assay. The predicted three-dimensional protein structure and biochemical experimentswere used to investigate the pathogenicity of the mutation. The proband underwent middle-ear surgery and was fol-lowed up at 1 month and 6 months postoperatively to monitor auditory improvement. Results. A novel heterozygous EYA1 splicing variant (c.1050+4 A >C) was identified and classified as pathogenic (PVS1(RNA),PM2, PP1). Skipping of exon 11 of the EYA1 pre-mRNA was confirmed using a minigene assay. This mutation mayimpair EYA1-SIX1 interactions, as shown by an immunoprecipitation assay. The EYA1-Mut protein exhibited cellularmislocalization and decreased protein expression in cytological experiments. Middle-ear surgery significantly improvedhearing loss caused by bone-conduction abnormalities in the proband. Conclusion. We reported a novel splicing variant of EYA1 in a Chinese family with BOS and revealed the potential molec-ular pathogenic mechanism. The significant hearing improvement observed in the proband after middle-ear surgeryprovides a reference for auditory rehabilitation in similar patients.

X-Ray and Neutron Diffraction Measurements of Dislocation Density and Subgrain Size in a Friction-Stir-Welded Aluminum Alloy

Woo, Wanchuck,Ungá,r, Tamá,s,Feng, Zhili,Kenik, Edward,Clausen, Bjørn Springer-Verlag 2010 Metallurgical and materials transactions. A, Physi Vol.41 No.5

Highly Oriented Monolayer Graphene Grown on a Cu/Ni(111) Alloy Foil

Huang, Ming,Biswal, Mandakini,Park, Hyo Ju,Jin, Sunghwan,Qu, Deshun,Hong, Seokmo,Zhu, Zhili,Qiu, Lu,Luo, Da,Liu, Xiaochi,Yang, Zheng,Liu, Zhongliu,Huang, Yuan,Lim, Hyunseob,Yoo, Won Jong,Ding, Feng,Wa American Chemical Society 2018 ACS NANO Vol.12 No.6

<P>Fast-growth of single crystal monolayer graphene by CVD using methane and hydrogen has been achieved on “homemade” single crystal Cu/Ni(111) alloy foils over large area. Full coverage was achieved in 5 min or less for a particular range of composition (1.3 at.% to 8.6 at.% Ni), as compared to 60 min for a pure Cu(111) foil under identical growth conditions. These are the bulk atomic percentages of Ni, as a superstructure at the surface of these foils with stoichiometry Cu<SUB>6</SUB>Ni<SUB>1</SUB> (for 1.3 to 7.8 bulk at.% Ni in the Cu/Ni(111) foil) was discovered by low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Complete large area monolayer graphene films are either single crystal or close to single crystal, and include folded regions that are essentially parallel and that were likely wrinkles that “fell over” to bind to the surface; these folds are separated by large, wrinkle-free regions. The folds occur due to the buildup of interfacial compressive stress (and its release) during cooling of the foils from 1075 °C to room temperature. The fold heights measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) prove them to all be 3 layers thick, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging shows them to be around 10 to 300 nm wide and separated by roughly 20 μm. These folds are always essentially perpendicular to the steps in this Cu/Ni(111) substrate. Joining of well-aligned graphene islands (in growths that were terminated prior to full film coverage) was investigated with high magnification SEM and aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) as well as AFM, STM, and optical microscopy. These methods show that many of the “join regions” have folds, and these arise from interfacial adhesion mechanics (they are due to the buildup of compressive stress during cool-down, but these folds are different than for the continuous graphene films-they occur due to “weak links” in terms of the interface mechanics). Such Cu/Ni(111) alloy foils are promising substrates for the large-scale synthesis of single-crystal graphene film.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>

Influence of a community of buildings on tornadic wind fields

Zhi Li,Ryan Honerkamp,Gui-rong Yan,Ruoqiang Feng 한국풍공학회 2020 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.30 No.2

To determine tornadic wind loads, the wind pressure, forces and moments induced by tornadoes on civil structures have been studied. However, in most previous studies, only the individual building of interest was included in the wind field, which may be suitable to simulate the case where a tornado strikes rural areas. The statistical data has indicated that tornadoes induce more significant fatalities and property loss when they attack densely populated areas. To simulate this case, all buildings in the community of interest should be included in the wind field. However, this has been rarely studied. To bridge this research gap, this study will systematically investigate the influence of a community of buildings on tornadic wind fields by modeling all buildings in the community into the wind field (designated as “the Community case under tornadic winds”). For comparison, the case in which only a single building is included in the tornadic wind field (designated as “the Single-building case under tornadic winds”) and the case where a community of buildings are included in the equivalent straight-line wind field (designated as “the Community case under straight-line winds”) are also simulated. The results demonstrate that the presence of a number of buildings completely destroys the pattern of regular circular strips in the distribution of tangential velocity and pressure on horizontal planes. Above the roof height, the maximum tangential velocity is lower in the Community case under tornadic winds than that in the Single-building case under tornadic winds because of the higher surface friction in the Community case; below the roof height, greater tangential velocity and pressure are observed in the Community case under tornadic wind fields, and more unfavorable conditions are observed in the Community case under tornadic winds than under the equivalent straight-line winds.

Dynamic modeling and control of industrial crude terephthalic acid hydropurification process

Zhi Li,Weimin Zhong,Yang Liu,Na Luo,Feng Qian 한국화학공학회 2015 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.32 No.4

Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is critical to the development of the polyester industry. PTA productionconsists of p-xylene oxidation reaction and crude terephthalic acid (CTA) hydropurification. The hydropurificationprocess is necessary to eliminate 4-carboxybenzaldehyde (4-CBA), which is a harmful byproduct of the oxidation reactionprocess. Based on the dynamic model of the hydropurification process, two control systems are studied usingAspen Dynamics. The first system is the ratio control system, in which the mass flows of CTA and deionized water arecontrolled. The second system is the multivariable predictive control-proportional-integral-derivative cascade controlstrategy, in which the concentrations of 4-CBA and carbon monoxide are chosen as control variables and the reactiontemperature and hydrogen flow are selected as manipulated variables. A detailed dynamic behavior is investigatedthrough simulation. Results show that the developed control strategies exhibit good control performances, thereby providingtheoretical guidance for advanced control of industry-scale PTA production.