An Improved Bioassay to Study Arabidopsis Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) Against Bacterial Pathogens and Insect Pests.

The plant immune system is essential for plants to perceive and defend against bacterial, fungal and insect pests and pathogens. Induced systemic resistance (ISR) is a systemic immune response that occurs upon root colonization by beneficial microbes. A well-studied model for ISR is the association of specific beneficial strains of Pseudomonas spp. with the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we describe a robust, increased throughput, bioassay to study ISR against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas cannabina pv. alisalensis (formerly called Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola) strain ES4326 and the herbivore Trichoplusia ni by inoculating Pseudomonas simiae strain WCS417 (formerly called Pseudomonas fluorescens WCS417) on Arabidopsis plants grown in Jiffy-7® peat pellets. While most commonly used for Pseudomonas-triggered ISR on Arabidopsis, this assay is effective for diverse rhizosphere bacterial strains, plant species, pathogens and herbivores.

Mexican Hat Wavelet Kernel ELM for Multiclass Classification.

Kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) is a novel feedforward neural network, which is widely used in classification problems. To some extent, it solves the existing problems of the invalid nodes and the large computational complexity in ELM. However, the traditional KELM classifier usually has a low test accuracy when it faces multiclass classification problems. In order to solve the above problem, a new classifier, Mexican Hat wavelet KELM classifier, is proposed in this paper. The proposed classifier successfully improves the training accuracy and reduces the training time in the multiclass classification problems. Moreover, the validity of the Mexican Hat wavelet as a kernel function of ELM is rigorously proved. Experimental results on different data sets show that the performance of the proposed classifier is significantly superior to the compared classifiers.

National Trends in Hemoglobin Concentration and Prevalence of Anemia among Chinese School-Aged Children, 1995-2010.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the trend of sex disparity in hemoglobin concentration and prevalence of anemia among Chinese school-aged children from 1995 to 2010. STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected from 360 866 children aged 7, 9, 12, 14, and 17 years during 4 cross-sectional surveys (1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010) of the Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health. Shifts in hemoglobin concentration distributions were compared by sex. Average shifts and sex differences were calculated with quantile regression models. Logistic regression was used to estimate the prevalence odds ratio of sex for prevalence of anemia in different surveys. RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin concentration increased among Chinese children between 1995 and 2010, from 132.7 to 138.3 g/L in boys, and from 127.7 to 132.3 g/L in girls. The prevalence of anemia decreased from 18.8% in 1995 to 9.9% in 2010. It was higher in rural than urban children among all age groups. The prevalence odds ratios of girls versus boys for anemia increased in both urban and rural areas over time. CONCLUSION: Hemoglobin concentration and prevalence of anemia improved among Chinese school-aged children over time. Hemoglobin concentration improved faster in boys than girls and as a result the relative prevalence of anemia in girls compared with boys increased. Sex-specific preventive guidelines and public health policies for childhood anemia are needed in China.

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor prevents the development of hepatic steatosis in rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Previously, we reported that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) improves hepatic steatosis in experimental animals. It may also have preventive effects on the development of hepatic steatosis. Therefore, we investigated the preventive effects of G-CSF by using a high-fat diet (HFD) rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve rats were fed HFD and 6 rats were fed control diet from 10 weeks of age. Once little steatosis was confirmed in the liver (after 10 weeks of feeding the HFD; at 20 weeks of age), HFD rats were randomly divided into two groups and treated with either G-CSF (100 µg kg-1 day-1 for 5 consecutive days every other week; HFD/G-CSF rats) or saline (HFD/saline rats) for 10 weeks at 20 weeks of age. All rats were sacrificed at 30 weeks of age. Histology was examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) and Oil Red O staining, and the expression levels of genes of associated with lipogenesis and ß-oxidation enzymes were determined by qRT-PCR. RESULTS: Histological examinations revealed that HFD/G-CSF rats had significantly lower lipid accumulation in their hepatocytes than did HFD/saline rats (p < 0.05). HFD/G-CSF rats also showed lower expression levels of genes associated with lipogenesis and higher expression levels of genes associated with ß-oxidation than HFD/saline rats (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we found that G-CSF prevented development of hepatic steatosis in an HFD rat model. The preventive effect may be associated with the regulation of gene expression involved in hepatic lipogenesis and ß-oxidation.

Trends of age at menarche and association with body mass index in Chinese school-aged girls, 1985-2010.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the shifts in age at menarche from 1985 to 2010, compare the differences of average age at menarche between urban and rural groups, and determine the association of menarche with body mass index (BMI). STUDY DESIGN: The data were obtained from 4 cross-sectional Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (1985, 1995, 2005, and 2010). In this representative sample of Chinese school-aged girls, the average age at menarche was determined using probit analysis and compared between urban and rural areas. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of BMI with the likelihood of having reached menarche. RESULTS: The age at menarche in Chinese girls dropped from 13.41 years to 12.47 years from 1985 to 2010. There was a significant difference in age at menarche between urban and rural girls over time, with urban girls having their menarche earlier than rural girls. Logistic regression showed that a higher BMI was strongly associated with an increased likelihood of having reached menarche, even after controlling for age, urban or rural residence, province, social economic status, and school. CONCLUSION: The analysis suggests a drop of about 4.5 months per decade in the average age at menarche over the past 25 years, and a significant inverse association between BMI and having reached menarche. Considering that both early menarche and higher BMI are significant risk factors for chronic diseases, and may act together in later years to the detriment of a woman's health, greater attention should be paid to the health of girls with earlier menarche and higher BMI.

Direct transfer of graphene onto flexible substrates.

In this paper we explore the direct transfer via lamination of chemical vapor deposition graphene onto different flexible substrates. The transfer method investigated here is fast, simple, and does not require an intermediate transfer membrane, such as polymethylmethacrylate, which needs to be removed afterward. Various substrates of general interest in research and industry were studied in this work, including polytetrafluoroethylene filter membranes, PVC, cellulose nitrate/cellulose acetate filter membranes, polycarbonate, paraffin, polyethylene terephthalate, paper, and cloth. By comparing the properties of these substrates, two critical factors to ensure a successful transfer on bare substrates were identified: the substrate's hydrophobicity and good contact between the substrate and graphene. For substrates that do not satisfy those requirements, polymethylmethacrylate can be used as a surface modifier or glue to ensure successful transfer. Our results can be applied to facilitate current processes and open up directions for applications of chemical vapor deposition graphene on flexible substrates. A broad range of applications can be envisioned, including fabrication of graphene devices for opto/organic electronics, graphene membranes for gas/liquid separation, and ubiquitous electronics with graphene.

Therapeutic effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis in the rat.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE: Non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis refers to the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver in the absence of alcohol consumption. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been reported to be an effective treatment for a variety of liver diseases. We examined the possible therapeutic effects of G-CSF on non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-week-old Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats received water containing 30% sucrose for 8 weeks to promote the development of non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis. After development of the model, the rats were injected with G-CSF (100 µg/kg/day) or saline for 5 days. Four weeks after this treatment, serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and free fatty acids (FFA) were measured. Histology was examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H-E) and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining, and levels of expression of hepatic lipogenic enzymes were determined by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The G-CSF-treated rats displayed significantly fewer lipid droplets than the saline-treated rats (P < 0.01), and their levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c, fatty acid synthase (FAS), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNAs were also lower (P < 0.01), as were their liver weight and serum levels of TG and FFA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that G-CSF ameliorated non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis in the OLETF rat, and this therapeutic effect involved a reduction of SREBP-1c expression. Therefore, G-CSF deserves further study as a potential treatment for non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis.