Description: [1]  One of the primary goals for the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) is to provide the science and user communities with the data continuity of the Environmental Data Records (EDR) (or Level-2 products) over global oceanic waters for various research and applications, including assessment of climatic and environmental variations. The ocean color EDR is one of the most important products derived from VIIRS. Since ocean color EDR is processed from the upstream Sensor Data Records (SDR) (or Level-1B data), the objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the SDR on the VIIRS ocean color EDR. The quality of the SDR relies on pre-launch sensor characterizations as well as on-orbit radiometric calibrations, which are used to develop the sensor F-factor lookup tables (F-LUTs). VIIRS F-LUTs derived from solar and lunar calibrations have been used in processing data from the VIIRS Raw Data Records (RDR) (or Level-0 data) to SDR. In this study, three sets of F-LUTs with different generation schemes have been used to reprocess the SDR and then the ocean color EDR for product evaluations. VIIRS ocean color products are compared with in situ data from the Marine Optical Buoy (MOBY) and products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the satellite Aqua. It is found that the data quality of VIIRS operational ocean color products before 6 February 2012 is poor due to the inappropriate use of the at-launch F-LUTs for the SDR calibration, and that the recently updated VIIRS F-LUTs have significantly improved the SDR and ocean color EDR. Using reprocessed SDR with updated F-LUTs and including vicarious calibration, VIIRS ocean color EDR products are consistent with those from MODIS-Aqua in global deep waters. Although there are still some significant issues with VIIRS ocean color EDR, e.g., poor data quality over coastal regions, our results demonstrate that VIIRS has great potential to provide the science and user communities with consistently high quality global ocean color data records that are established from heritage ocean color sensors such as MODIS-Aqua.

Description: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of the Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implant and the Baerveldt implant for the treatment of refractory glaucoma.

Description: Unusual cold filaments are uncovered during the spring intermonsoon season in the South China Sea (SCS) using a suite of satellite observations. They have a width of about 100 km on average and extend several hundreds of kilometers offshore on the sea surface, providing significant cross-shelf transport of heat and nutrients. The eastward current associated with mesoscale eddies in spring in the western SCS is found to play an important role in the filament formation by advecting coastal cold waters far offshore. The meridional location of the cold filament displays considerable interannual variability ranging between 9 o N and 18 o N, which can be attributed to the interannual south-north shift of the eastward current associated with eddies. It is also found that in the spring, cold filaments have profound effects on the chlorophyll a concentration in the upper ocean and the overlying atmosphere. These findings provide new insights into the role of eddies in cross-shelf exchange and mesoscale air-sea interaction in the marginal seas.

Description: P-n junction BiOBr/ZnO composites were prepared by a facile solvothermal process with double Br sources of CTAB and KBr. The samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, DRS, BET and PL. The BiOBr/ZnO composites exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than single BiOBr and ZnO for the degradation of phenol under simulated sunlight irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of BiOBr/ZnO composites could be mainly ascribed to the high-efficiency separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs through BiOBr/ZnO p-n junction. The reaction mechanism for the removal of phenol was also discussed. Hole and ·OH were the main reactive species. Moreover, the influence of disparate ratios of double Br sources to BiOBr/ZnO composites was also investigated. The results indicated that the BiOBr/ZnO composites prepared by double Br sources showed better photocatalytic activities than the sample prepared by single Br source. P-n junction BiOBr/ZnO composites were prepared by a facile solvothermal process with double Br sources and the composites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than BiOBr and ZnO for the degradation of phenol, which could be ascribed to two reasons. One reason may be the high efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs through BiOBr/ZnO p-n junction. Another one would be the high surface area achieved by adjusting the content of CTAB.

Description: AmyP is a raw-starch-degrading α-amylase newly identified from a marine metagenome library. It shares low sequence similarity with characterized glycoside hydrolases and was classified into a new subfamily of GH13. In particular, it showed preferential degradation to raw rice starch. Full-length AmyP was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli , then purified and crystallized in the presence of its substrate analogue β-cyclodextrin. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 2.1 Å. The crystal belonged to space group P 2 1 2 1 2, with unit-cell parameters a = 129.824, b = 215.534, c = 79.699 Å, α = β = γ = 90°, and was estimated to contain two molecules in one asymmetric unit.

Description: Purpose To investigate the diffusion abnormalities in the brain of children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) with generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS) by using diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Materials and Methods Twenty-one IGE children with GTCS and 16 controls were recruited. DKI was performed and maps of radial diffusivity (λ ⊥ ), axial diffusivity (λ // ), mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), radial kurtosis (K ⊥ ), axial kurtosis (K // ) and mean kurtosis (MK) were calculated. Voxel-based analyses were employed to compare diffusion metrics in epilepsy versus the controls. Results In the case group, MD was found significantly higher in the right temporal lobe, the right occipital lobe, hippocampus, and some subcortical regions, while FA increased in bilateral supplementary motor area and the left superior frontal lobe (false discovery rate corrected P  〈 0.05). Analysis of λ ⊥ and λ // showed that the increased MD was mainly due to the elevated λ // . Significantly decreased MK was also detected in bilateral temporo-occipital regions, the right hippocampus, the left insula, the left post-central area, and some subcortical regions (false discovery rate corrected P  〈 0.05). In most regions the changed MK were due to the decreased K // . Conclusion The kurtosis parameters (K ⊥ , K // , and MK) reflect different microstructural information in the IGE children with GTCS, and this support the value of DKI in studying children GTCS. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .

Description: Abstract. The asymmetrical crystal [Na(15C5) 2 ][Na(15C5)] 2 (AsMo 12 O 40 )] · CH 3 CN ( 1 ) was synthesized. Interestingly, the huge α-keggin ion AsMo 12 is distorted by introduction of CH 3 CN molecules and adopts a chiral assembly with space group P 4 . In contrast, the analogous compound AsW 12 co-crystallizes with trace H 2 O molecules. The hydrogen atoms of H 2 O are positionally disordered with 50 % occupation to correlate with AsW 12 in space group P 4/ m . Solid and solution CD spectra indicate that the crystals of 1 are in R configuration. This leads to the conclusion that molybdenum has greater affinity toward organic CH 3 CN, whereas tungsten has greater affinity to inorganic H 2 O. Additionally, AsMo 12 shows greater deformability than AsW 12 . It is suggested that POMo shows a greater potential as chiral material than POW because of the flexibility of Mo. As a highlight, CH 3 CN can function as a general chiral inducer for the innovation of other chiral crystals, if fixed along one dimension.

Description: Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the choroidal thickness of patients with high myopia using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and compare them with healthy subjects. Methods: We first conducted a cross-sectional study and then performed a meta-analysis to address this issue further. Using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), the macular choroidal thickness of high myopic eyes and normal control eyes were measured and compared at each location. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association between choroidal thickness and clinical factors such as axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), and central corneal thickness. In the high myopic eyes, subgroup analysis of macular choroidal thickness was performed in eyes with or without lacquer cracks and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The meta-analyses were conducted using the Stata software package. Results: The high myopic eyes had a thinner choroid than the control eyes at all macular locations (all P 

Description: Background: Hepatocyte carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Despite many achievements in diagnosis and treatment, HCC mortality remains high due to the malignant nature of the disease. Novel approaches, especially for targeted therapy, are being extensively explored. Gene therapy is ideal for such purpose for its specific expression of exogenous genes in HCC cells driven by tissue-specific promoter. However strategies based on correction of mutations or altered expressions of genes responsible for the development/progression of HCC have limitations because these aberrant molecules are not presented in all cancerous cells. In the current work, we adopted a novel strategy by targeting the DNA replication step which is essential for proliferation of every cancer cell. Methods: A recombinant adenovirus with alpha fetoprotein (AFP) promoter-controlled expressions of artificial microRNAs targeting DNA polymerases α, δ, ε and recombinant active Caspase 3, namely Ad/AFP-Casp-AFP-amiR, was constructed. Results: The artificial microRNAs could efficiently inhibit the expression of the target polymerases in AFP-positive HCC cells at both RNA and protein levels, and HCC cells treated with the recombinant virus Ad/AFP-Casp-AFP-amiR exhibited significant G0/1 phase arrest. The proliferation of HCC cells were significantly inhibited by Ad/AFP-Casp-AFP-amiR with increased apoptosis. On the contrary, the recombinant adenovirus Ad/AFP-Casp-AFP-amiR did not inhibit the expression of DNA polymerases α, δ or ε in AFP-negative human normal liver cell HL7702, and showed no effect on the cell cycle progression, proliferation or apoptosis. Conclusions: Inhibition of DNA polymerases α, δ and ε by AFP promoter-driven artificial microRNAs may lead to effective growth arrest of AFP-positive HCC cells, which may represent a novel strategy for gene therapy by targeting the genes that are essential for the growth/proliferation of cancer cells, avoiding the limitations set by any of the individually altered gene.

Description: The cloud water content (CWC) in rainy clouds is a crucial parameter to determine the onset and the growth rate of precipitation, and to quantify the associated latent heating rate. No direct retrieval of CWC in rainy cloud from satellite observations is reported due to the difficulties of separating cloud particles from precipitation sized particles. However, based on multiple cloud simulations from the Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model, we have found that the CWC profile in warm rains can be well determined by three macro-physical cloud properties of cloud water path (CWP), cloud top height (CTH), and cloud bottom height (CBH). The CBH can be estimated using CWP, CTH and near surface rain rate. We proposed an algorithm with a lookup table for estimating the CWC profile using CWP, CTH and near surface rain rate as inputs. The performance of this algorithm was tested with WRF model simulations and a real drizzle case observed by the CloudSat satellite. Testing verified that the algorithm can retrieve the vertical distribution of CWC correctly with few errors at different spatiotemporal scales. In addition, the algorithm is not confined to particular microphysics schemes and is valid for multiple cloud systems in different areas over the world. This algorithm is expected to improve current knowledge of cloud water content in rainy clouds.