DISCOVERY OF AN X-RAY-EMITTING CONTACT BINARY SYSTEM 2MASS J11201034−2201340

Hu, Chin-Ping,Yang, Ting-Chang,Chou, Yi,Liu, L.,Qian, S.-B.,Hui, C. Y.,Kong, Albert K. H.,Lin, L. C. C.,Tam, P. H. T.,Li, K. L.,Ngeow, Chow-Choong,Chen, W. P.,Ip, Wing-Huen American Astronomical Society 2016 The Astronomical journal Vol.151 No.6

<P>We report the detection of orbital modulation, a model solution, and the X-ray properties of a newly discovered contact binary, Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) J11201034-2201340. We serendipitously found this X-ray point source outside the error ellipse when searching for possible X-ray counterparts of 7-ray millisecond pulsars among the unidentified objects detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The optical counterpart of the X-ray source (unrelated to the 7-ray source) was then identified using archival databases. The long-term Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey detected a precise signal with a period of P = 0.28876208 (56) days. A follow-up observation made by the Super Light Telescope of Lulin Observatory revealed the binary nature of the object. Utilizing archived photometric data of multi-band surveys, we construct the spectral energy distribution (SED), which is well fit by a K2V spectral template. The fitting result of the orbital profile using the Wilson Devinney code suggests that 2MASS J11201034-2201340 is a short-period A-type contact binary and the more massive component has a cool spot. The X-ray emission was first noted in observations made by Swift, and then further confirmed and characterized by an XMM-Newton observation. The X-ray spectrum can be described by a power law or thermal Bremsstrahlung. Unfortunately, we could not observe significant X-ray orbital modulation. Finally, according to the SED, this system is estimated to be 690 pc from Earth with a calculated X-ray intensity of (0.7 - 1.5) x 10(30) erg s(-1), which is in the expected range of an X-ray emitting contact binary.</P>

Cas5d Protein Processes Pre-crRNA and Assembles into a Cascade-like Interference Complex in Subtype I-C/Dvulg CRISPR-Cas System

Nam, K.,Haitjema, C.,Liu, X.,Ding, F.,Wang, H.,DeLisa, Matthew P.,Ke, A. Current Biology 2012 Structure Vol.20 No.9

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs), together with an operon of CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, form an RNA-based prokaryotic immune system against exogenous genetic elements. Cas5 family proteins are found in several type I CRISPR-Cas systems. Here, we report the molecular function of subtype I-C/Dvulg Cas5d from Bacillus halodurans. We show that Cas5d cleaves pre-crRNA into unit length by recognizing both the hairpin structure and the 3' single stranded sequence in the CRISPR repeat region. Cas5d structure reveals a ferredoxin domain-based architecture and a catalytic triad formed by Y46, K116, and H117 residues. We further show that after pre-crRNA processing, Cas5d assembles with crRNA, Csd1, and Csd2 proteins to form a multi-sub-unit interference complex similar to Escherichia coli Cascade (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense) in architecture. Our results suggest that formation of a crRNA-presenting Cascade-like complex is likely a common theme among type I CRISPR subtypes.

Further Study on Infectivity of Zoophilic and Anthropophilic Strains of Schistosoma Japanicum to Different Races of Oncomelania hupensis Snails

Lee, K.M.,Fan, P.C.,Wu, C.C.,Liu, C.Y. INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL MEDICINE YONSEI UNIVERSITY 1994 YONSEI REPORTS ON TROPICAL MEDICINE Vol.25 No.1

In the present study, Oncomelnia snails were collected from Chen-shan District of I-lan County, Pu-yen District of Chang-hua County, Chang-hu District of Yun-lin County, Pali District and A-li-lao of Taipei County, and Liu-kuei District of Kao-hsiung County. The Oncomelania snails from A-li-lao were infected with Hupei/China strain of Schistosoma japonicum (anthropophilic type). The remaining five races of Oncomelania snails were infected with Han-pao/Taiwan strain of S. japonicum (zoophilic type). Each snail was infected with five miracidia and examined six times after infection. Except for the snails from Liu-Kuei, those from the other five areas were found positive. The infection rate of the snails infected with the zoophilic strain of S. japonicum was the highest in those from Pa-li (42.9%), followed by Chang-Hu (38.4%), Pu-Yen (17.1%). and Chen-Shan (10%). The Oncomelania snails from A-li-lao infected with the anthropophilic strain of S. japonicum gave an infection rate of 53%. The snails from A-il-lao and Pa-li were O. hupensis chiui and those from the other four areas were O. hypensis formosana. In contrast to the order of infection rate. the size of the Chang-hua strain of O. h. formosana was the largest (6.3×2.9mm ) and the A-li-lao strain of O. h. chiui was the smallest (4.2×2.3mm). The Pa-li strain of O. h. chiui snails was middle size (4.8×2.7mm). The infection rate and the size of snails were turned out to be negatively correlated.

Cytoskeletal Patterns, In Vitro Maturation and Parthenogenetic Development of Rabbit GV Oocytes

Ju, J.C.,Chen, T.H.,Tseng, J.K.,Tsay, C.,Yeh, S.P.,Chou, P.C.,Chen, C.H.,Liu, C.T. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2002 Animal Bioscience Vol.15 No.12

The purposes of this study were to optimize the in vitro maturation (IVM) and culture (IVC) systems of rabbit oocytes. Cytoskeletal structures in the germinal vesicle stage (GV) and during IVM are also investigated. Ovaries were transported from local slaughterhouses and the cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from ovarian follicles (${\geq}1mm$). COCs were randomly allocated to TCM199-based medium ($T_1$, TCM-199) supplemented with $NaHCO_3$, glucose, sodium pyruvate and FSH ($T_2$), $T_2+E_2+LH$ ($T_3$), $T_3+FBS$ ($T_4$), or $T_1+E_2+LH+FSH+FBS$ ($T_5$), for IVM. In Experiment 1, COCs were retrieved from the follicles and 51 GV oocytes were fixed in the fixative (MTSB-XF) for nuclear and cytoplasmic examinations. In Experiment 2, progressive changes of both the nucleus and the cytoskeleton were examined at 0, 6, 16, and 20 h after IVM. Maturation (MR) and developmental rates were assessed in Experiment 3. Cytoplasmic microtubules (MT) were clearly observed in rabbit GV oocytes. To our knowledge, this is the first report that describes the appearance of MT structures in the GV stage ooplasm. Tremendous variations in cytoskeletal alterations were observed among treatments with the exception of the vitelline ring (VR), which is constantly visible and unchanged during maturation. Germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) does not occur at 6 h after onset of maturation culture. When the oocytes for IVM were collected within 2 h, results from Experiment 3 showed that rates of nuclear maturation were 42, 8, 42, 37 and 65% at 16 h of IVM for $T_1$ through $T_5$, respectively, in which $T_1$, $T_4$ and $T_5$ had significantly greater MR than those in other groups (p<0.05). Morula/blastocyst development after parthenogenetic activation ranged from 20 to 63% with significantly greater rates in $T_3$, $T_4$ and $T_5$ (p<0.05). These results suggested that oocytes recovered from slaughterhouse ovaries can be matured and parthenogenetically activated in vitro, but the MR remained low in this study. Addition of $E_2$ and LH in the medium may be beneficial for cytoplasmic maturation, but FBS exerts a nega- tive role in the subsequent development of parthenogenetic embryos when energy substrates are provided in the IVC media. More studies are required for improving the MR and further development of the GV stage rabbit oocytes.

Effect of night light regimen on growth performance, antioxidant status and health of broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age

R.X. Zhao,C.H. Cai,P. Wang,L. Zheng,J.S. Wang,K.X. Li,W. Liu,X.Y. Guo,X. A. Zhan,K.Y. Wang 아세아·태평양축산학회 2019 Animal Bioscience Vol.32 No.6

Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of night light regimen on growth performance, antioxidant status and health of Lingnan Yellow broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age. Methods: A completely randomized factorial design involved 2 photoperiods (constant lighting [CL], 24 L:0 D and intermittent lighting [INL], 17 L:3 D:1 L:3 D)×2 light intensities (10 lx and 30 lx). A total of one thousand six hundred and eighty 1-d-old Lingnan Yellow broiler chicks were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 6 replicates (70 birds per replicate). The experiment lasted for 21 d. Results: Photoperiods and light intensities had no effect on average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and mortality of the broiler chickens (p>0.05). The INL had a significant effect on average daily feed intake (p<0.05) of broiler chickens compared with CL. Photoperiod and light intensity had an interactive effect on melatonin (MT) concentration (p<0.05). At CL, reducing light intensity increased MT concentration; INL birds had higher MT but MT concentration was not affected by light intensity. There was an interactive effect on glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) in serum and total antioxidant capability (T-AOC) in liver between photoperiod and light intensity. With the decrease of light intensity, the activities of GPx and CAT in serum and T-AOC in liver increased in CL group (p<0.05). Broiler chickens reared under INL had better antioxidant status and 10 lx treatments had higher activities of CAT in serum than 30 lx (p<0.05). Different photoperiods and light intensities had no effect on malondialdehyde. There was an interaction between photoperiod and light intensity on serum creatine kinase (CK) concentration (p<0.05). At CL, the elevated light intensity resulted in an increase in CK content; INL birds had lower CK concentration especially in low light intensity group. Besides, INL and low light intensity significantly reduced the concentration of serum corticosterone and heat shock protein 70 (p<0.05). Serum immunoglobulin M contents were increased in broiler chickens reared under the INL compared with CL group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Results above suggest that the night light regimen of INL and 10 lx could be beneficial to the broiler chickens from 1 to 21 days of age due to the better health status and electricity savings.

Tissue Expanders in Staged Calvarial Reconstruction: A Systematic Review

Andrea Y. Lo,Roy P. Yu,Anjali C. Raghuram,Michael N. Cooper,Holly J. Thompson,Charles Y. Liu,Alex K. Wong 대한성형외과학회 2022 Archives of Plastic Surgery Vol.49 No.6

Cranioplasties are common procedures in plastic surgery. The use of tissue expansion (TE) in staged cranioplasties is less common. We present two cases of cranioplasties with TE and systematically review literature describing the use of TE in staged cranioplasties and postoperative outcomes. A systematic review was performed by querying multiple databases. Eligible articles include published case series, retrospective reviews, and systematic reviews that described use of TE for staged bony cranioplasty. Data regarding study size, patient demographics, preoperative characteristics, staged procedure characteristics, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Of 755 identified publications, 26 met inclusion criteria. 85 patients underwent a staged cranioplasty with TE. Average defect size was 122 cm2, and 30.9% of patients received a previous reconstruction. Average expansion period was 14.2 weeks. The most common soft tissue closures were performed with skin expansion only (75.3%), free/pedicled flap (20.1%), and skin graft (4.7%). The mean postoperative follow-up time was 23.9 months. Overall infection and local complication rates were 3.53 and 9.41%, respectively. The most common complications were cerebrospinal fluid leak (7.1%), hematoma (7.1%), implant exposure (3.5%), and infection (3.5%). Factors associated with higher complication rates include the following: use of alloplastic calvarial implants and defects of congenital etiology (p¼0.023 and 0.035, respectively). This is the first comprehensive review to describe current practices and outcomes in staged cranioplasty with TE. Adequate soft tissue coverage contributes to successful cranioplasties and TE can play a safe and effective role in selected cases.

Alternative optical concept for electron cyclotron emission imaging.

Liu, J X,Milbourne, T,Bitter, M,Delgado-Aparicio, L,Dominguez, A,Efthimion, P C,Hill, K W,Kramer, G J,Kung, C,Kubota, S,Kasparek, W,Lu, J,Pablant, N A,Park, H,Tobias, B American Institute of Physics 2014 Review of scientific instruments Vol.85 No.11

<P>The implementation of advanced electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) systems on tokamak experiments has revolutionized the diagnosis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activities and improved our understanding of instabilities, which lead to disruptions. It is therefore desirable to have an ECEI system on the ITER tokamak. However, the large size of optical components in presently used ECEI systems have, up to now, precluded the implementation of an ECEI system on ITER. This paper describes a new optical ECEI concept that employs a single spherical mirror as the only optical component and exploits the astigmatism of such a mirror to produce an image with one-dimensional spatial resolution on the detector. Since this alternative approach would only require a thin slit as the viewing port to the plasma, it would make the implementation of an ECEI system on ITER feasible. The results obtained from proof-of-principle experiments with a 125 GHz microwave system are presented.</P>

Prediction of Digestible and Metabolizable Energy Content of Rice Bran Fed to Growing Pigs

C.X. Shi,Z.Y. Liu,M. Shi,P. Li,Z.K. Zeng,L. Liu,C.F. Huang,Z.P. Zhu,D.F. Li 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.5

Two experiments were conducted to determine the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) content of 19 rice bran samples and to develop prediction equations for DE and ME based on their chemical composition. The 19 rice bran samples came from different rice varieties, processing methods and regions. The basal diet was formulated using corn and soybean meal (74.43% corn and 22.91% soybean meal and 2.66% vitamins and minerals). The 19 experimental diets based on a mixture of corn, soybean meal and 29.2% of each source of rice bran, respectively. In Exp. 1, 108 growing barrows (32.1±4.2 kg) were allotted to 1 of 18 treatments according to a completely randomized design with 6 pigs per treatment. The treatment 1 was the control group which was fed with basal diet. The treatments 2 to 18 were fed with experimental diets. In Exp. 2, two additional rice bran samples were measured to verify the prediction equations developed in Exp. 1. A control diet and two rice bran diets were fed to 18 growing barrows (34.6±3.5 kg). The control and experimental diets formulations were the same as diets in Exp. 1. The results showed that the DE ranged from 14.48 to 16.85 (mean 15.84) MJ/kg of dry matter while the ME ranged from 12.49 to 15.84 (mean 14.31) MJ/kg of dry matter. The predicted values of DE and ME of the two additional samples in Exp. 2 were very close to the measured values.

Surface segregation and oxidation of Pt₃Ni(111) alloys under oxygen environment

Lee, H.C.,Kim, B.M.,Jeong, C.K.,Toyoshima, R.,Kondoh, H.,Shimada, T.,Mase, K.,Mao, B.,Liu, Z.,Lee, H.,Huang, C.Q.,Li, W.X.,Ross, P.N.,Mun, B.S. Elsevier Science Publishers 2016 CATALYSIS TODAY - Vol.260 No.-

<P>Utilizing ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS), the surface segregation and oxidation of Pt3Ni(1 1 1) alloys are investigated as a function of temperature and oxygen pressure. The in situ AP-XPS measurements of oxygen oxidation process show that the Pt 'skin' surface is not stable under the exposure of oxygen pressure of 100 mTorr at room temperature. As the temperature and pressure are elevated, the formations of Ni2O3, NiOx, and NiO are observed on surface while Pt atom starts to reduce its adsorbed oxygen, which is a clear sign of surface segregation of Ni to surface. Upon the evacuation of oxygen gas, i.e. ultrahigh vacuum condition, both of NiOx and NiO oxide get reduced and Ni2O3 remains on the surface. The DFT calculation is employed to explain the formation of surface oxides under oxidation condition. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

Reduction of pertechnetate [Tc(VII)] by aqueous Fe(II) and the nature of solid phase redox products

Zachara, John M.,Heald, Steve M.,Jeon, Byong-Hun,Kukkadapu, Ravi K.,Liu, Chongxuan,McKinley, James P.,Dohnalkova, Alice C.,Moore, Dean A. Elsevier 2007 Geochimica et cosmochimica acta Vol.71 No.9

<P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>The subsurface behaviour of <SUP>99</SUP>Tc, a contaminant resulting from nuclear fuels reprocessing, is dependent on its valence (e.g., IV or VII). Abiotic reduction of soluble Tc(VII) by Fe(II)<SUB>(aq)</SUB> in pH 6–8 solutions was investigated under strictly anoxic conditions using an oxygen trap (<7.5×10<SUP>−9</SUP>atmO<SUB>2</SUB>). The reduction kinetics were strongly pH dependent. Complete and rapid reduction of Tc(VII) to a precipitated Fe/Tc(IV) form was observed when 11μmol/L of Tc(VII) was reacted with 0.4mmol/L Fe(II) at pH 7.0 and 8.0, while no significant reduction was observed over 1 month at pH 6.0. Experiments conducted at pH 7.0 with Fe(II)<SUB>(aq)</SUB>=0.05–0.8mmol/L further revealed that Tc(VII) reduction was a combination of homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction. Heterogeneous reduction predominated after approximately 0.01mmol/L of Fe(II) was oxidized. The heterogeneous reaction was more rapid, and was catalyzed by Fe(II) that adsorbed to the Fe/Tc(IV) redox product. Wet chemical and Fe–X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy measurements (XANES) showed that Fe(II) and Fe(III) were present in the Fe/Tc(IV) redox products after reaction termination. <SUP>57</SUP>Fe-Mössbauer, extended X-ray adsorption fine structure (EXAFS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements revealed that the Fe/Tc(IV) solid phase was poorly ordered and dominated by Fe(II)-containing ferrihydrite with minor magnetite. Tc(IV) exhibited homogeneous spatial distribution within the precipitates. According to Tc-EXAFS measurements and structural modeling, its molecular environment was consistent with an octahedral Tc(IV) dimer bound in bidentate edge-sharing mode to octahedral Fe(III) associated with surface or vacancy sites in ferrihydrite. The precipitate maintained Tc(IV)<SUB>aq</SUB> concentrations that were slightly below those in equilibrium with amorphous Tc(IV)O<SUB>2</SUB>·<I>n</I>H<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>(s)</SUB>. The oxidation rate of sorbed Tc(IV) in the Fe/Tc precipitate was considerably slower than Tc(IV)O<SUB>2</SUB>·<I>n</I>H<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>(s)</SUB> as a result of its intraparticle/intragrain residence. Precipitates of this nature may form in anoxic sediments or groundwaters, and the intraparticle residence of sorbed/precipitated Tc(IV) may limit <SUP>99</SUP>Tc remobilization upon the return of oxidizing conditions.</P>