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5 mAh cm-2 ) and oxygen for advanced Li metal batteries with high energy density.

The authors compare two approaches to assessment of the quality of early psychosis intervention services, the National Clinical Audit of Psychosis used in the United Kingdom and the First Episode Psychosis Services Fidelity Scale used in North America and Europe.

We compare the two approaches on the source of standards, measurement type, data collection, time requirements, scoring and reliability. Finally, we review their strengths and limitations.

Both measures are based on standards derived from the same research evidence base. Both methods rely on data from health records and administrative data. The audit is supplemented with user survey data, the fidelity scale with clinician interviews. The audit requires more time. The audit is based on quality indicators rated as present or absent which yields a statistical benchmark. The Fidelity Scale is based on quality indicators that are rated on a five-point scale yielding a standards-based measure. The two methods cover similar service components, but the FEPS-FS has a broader coverage of team functioning. The National audit also collects data on the user experience directly from patients. The fidelity scale has achieved good to excellent inter-rater reliability, the reliability of the audit has not been tested.

Both methods have face validity and provide reliable and useful measures of quality of care. The NCAP works in the context of a single provider health system, the FEPS-FS works in a more variable health system. Comparing the two systems in the field would support international comparison of standards of care.

Both methods have face validity and provide reliable and useful measures of quality of care. The NCAP works in the context of a single provider health system, the FEPS-FS works in a more variable health system. Comparing the two systems in the field would support international comparison of standards of care.High-Ni-rich layered oxides [e.g., LiNix Coy Mnz O2 ; x > 0.5, x + y + z = 1] are considered one of the most promising cathodes for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIB). However, extreme electrode-electrolyte reactions, several interfacial issues, and structural instability restrict their practical applicability. Here, a shortened unconventional atomic surface reduction (ASR) technique is demonstrated on the cathode surface as a derivative of the conventional atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, which brings superior cell performances. The atomic surface reaction (reduction process) between diethyl-zinc (as a single precursor) and Ni-rich NMC cathode [LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 ; NCM811] material is carried out using the ALD reactor at different temperatures. The temperature dependency of the process through advanced spectroscopy and microscopy studies is demonstrated and it is shown that thin surface film is formed at 100 °C, whereas at 200 °C a gradual atomic diffusion of Zn ions from the surface to the near-surface regions is taking place. This unique near-surface penetration of Zn ions significantly improves the electrochemical performance of the NCM811 cathode. This approach paves the way for utilizing vapor phase deposition processes to achieve both surface coatings and near-surface doping in a single reactor to stabilize high-energy cathode materials.PCR techniques, both quantitative (qPCR) and nonquantitative, have been used to estimate the frequency of a specific allele in a population. However, the labour required to sample numerous individuals and subsequently handle each sample renders the quantification of rare mutations (e.g., pesticide resistance gene mutations at the early stages of resistance development) challenging. Meanwhile, pooling DNA from multiple individuals as a "bulk sample" combined with qPCR may reduce handling costs. The qPCR output for a bulk sample, however, contains uncertainty owing to variations in DNA yields from each individual, in addition to measurement errors. In this study, we have developed a statistical model to estimate the frequency of the specific allele and its confidence interval when the sample allele frequencies are obtained in the form of ΔΔCq in the qPCR analyses on multiple bulk samples collected from a population. We assumed a gamma distribution as the individual DNA yield and developed an R package for parameter estimation, which was verified using real DNA samples from acaricide-resistant spider mites, as well as a numerical simulation. Our model resulted in unbiased point estimates of the allele frequency compared with simple averaging of the ΔΔCq values. The confidence intervals suggest that dividing the bulk samples into more parts will improve precision if the total number of individuals is equal; however, if the cost of PCR analysis is higher than that of sampling, increasing the total number and pooling them into a few bulk samples may also yield comparable precision.

Curcumin is a polyphenolic compound found in Curcuma longa. This bioactive molecule has several reported health-benefit effects, being the anticarcinogenic activity among the most promising ones. However, curcumin extraction from natural sources is hampered by impure products obtained from harsh chemicals and limited by plant seasonality and high prices. Therefore, curcumin heterologous production emerged as an interesting alternative. Escherichia coli has been explored as chassis but the implementation of the pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can have several advantages, including its generally regarded as safe status. Hence, S. cerevisiae was engineered for the first time to produce curcumin from its precursor ferulic acid.

The enzymes 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL1) from Arabidopsis thaliana or feruloyl-CoA synthetase (FerA) from Pseudomonas paucimobilis and type III polyketide synthases (PKSs) from Oryza sativa or C. longa were expressed in BY4741 strain. To avoid ferulic acid deviation, the gene FDC1 coding a ferulic acid decarboxylase was deleted. The maximum curcumin titer was obtained with FerA combined with C. longa PKSs (2.7mg L

).

Up to our knowledge, this is the first work reporting the expression of a feruloyl-CoA synthase and also curcuminoid biosynthetic enzymes in S. cerevisiae, and consequently, curcumin production.

Up to our knowledge, this is the first work reporting the expression of a feruloyl-CoA synthase and also curcuminoid biosynthetic enzymes in S. cerevisiae, and consequently, curcumin production.Various treatments for hypertrophic scars (HS) are applied after wound re-epithelialization. However, the lack of early intervention within the wound bed leads to poor HS treatment outcomes. In this study, quaternized chitin (QC) derivatives with different degrees of deacetylation (7.4% and 78.9%) are synthesized and their effects on HS formation are evaluated in a rabbit ear scar model. Early application of QC alleviates scar hypertrophy without delayed wound healing. Fibroblast count, collagen content, and α-smooth muscle actin expression are decreased, while matrix metalloproteinase-1 is upregulated on day 35 in the QC treatment group. QC suppresses inflammatory cell infiltration and IL-6 expression. A subsequent reduction in transforming growth factor β1 expression is also observed. The inhibitory effect of QC on HS formation is eliminated through the administration of exogenous IL-6. Taken together, early application of QC inhibits HS formation by downregulating IL-6 expression, and QC with a low degree of deacetylation tends to be more effective. Considering its potential for accelerating wound healing, inhibiting HS formation, and its antibacterial activity, QC may be used as an effective dressing in clinical wound management.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common and significant syndrome. Our previous studies have shown that surgery reduces dendritic arborization and spine density and that environment enrichment (EE) reduces POCD. Neuroligin 1 is a postsynaptic protein involved in the formation of postsynaptic protein complex. This study was designed to determine the role of neuroligin 1 in the protection of EE against POCD and the mechanisms for EE to affect neuroligin 1 expression.

Eight-week-old C57BL/6J male mice with or without EE for 3, 7, or 14days had right carotid artery exposure under isoflurane anesthesia. An anti-neuroligin 1 antibody at 1.5µg/mouse was injected intracerebroventricularly at one and two weeks before the surgery. Mice were subjected to the Barnes maze and fear conditioning tests from one week after the surgery. Cerebral cortex and hippocampus were harvested after surgery.

Mice with surgery had poorer performance in the Barnes maze and fear conditioning tests than control mice. EE for 2weeks, but not EE for 3 or 7days, improved the performance of surgery mice in these tests. Surgery reduced neuroligin 1 in the hippocampus. Rapamycin concentration Preoperative EE for 2weeks attenuated this reduction. The anti-neuroligin 1 antibody worsened the performance of mice with surgery plus EE in the Barnes maze and fear conditioning tests. Surgery increased histone deacetylase activity and decreased the acetylated histone in the hippocampus. EE attenuated these surgery effects.

Our results suggest that preoperative EE for 2weeks reduces POCD. This effect may be mediated by preserving neuroligin 1 expression via attenuating surgery-induced epigenetic dysregulation in the brain.

Our results suggest that preoperative EE for 2 weeks reduces POCD. This effect may be mediated by preserving neuroligin 1 expression via attenuating surgery-induced epigenetic dysregulation in the brain.Schistosomiasis, a tropical disease caused by flatworms, may affect the liver, spleen, bladder, and intestine. Casearia sylvestris Swartz, a medicinal plant, displays antiprotozoal, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiulcer activities. We have evaluated the in vitro schistosomicidal activity of two C. sylvestris varieties against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms at concentrations between 12.5 and 200 μg/mL. At 100 and 200 μg/mL, the ethanolic C. sylvestris var. sylvestris leaf extract enriched in casearin-like diterpenes eliminated 100 % of the parasites after incubation for 72 h and 48 h, respectively, whilst the same extract at 200 μg/mL eliminated 96 %, 100 %, and 100 % of the parasites after incubation for 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. On the other hand, the hydroalcoholic C. sylvestris var. lingua leaf extract at 200 μg/mL eliminated 60.4 and 66.7 % of the parasites after incubation for 48 and 72 h, respectively. The presence of casearin-like diterpenes and glycosylated flavonoids was confirmed based on chromatographic techniques and mass spectrometry data.Various chimeric receptors have been developed and used for biological experiments. In the present study, we constructed three types of chimeric receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANK) with the glutathione S-transferase (GST) protein in the extracellular domain, and stimulated them using newly synthesized chemical trimerizers with three glutathiones. Although this stimulation did not activate these proteins, we unexpectedly found that the chimera named RANK-GST-SC, in which GST replaced a major part of the RANK extracellular domain, activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling approximately sixfold more strongly than wild-type RANK without the ligand. The dimerization of extracellular GST is considered to function as a switch outside the cell, and signal transduction then occurs. GST has been widely employed as a tag for protein purification; GST-fusion protein can be conveniently captured by glutathione-conjugated beads and easily purified from impurity. The present study is a pioneering example of the novel utility of GST and provides information for the development of new chemical biology systems.