The Zones of Regulation (The Zones) is an 18-lesson curriculum that is aimed at helping students develop an awareness of emotions and skills for regulation. Although used by schools globally, no peer-reviewed evidence currently exists to support the use of The Zones. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of teachers implementing The Zones curriculum with autistic students. Feedback was gathered from 26 teachers throughout their implementation of The Zones. In this study, we employed a qualitative methodology to analyse the feedback from teachers. Descriptive statistics were used to report on acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. Our findings revealed that teachers described high levels of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility when reflecting on the delivery of The Zones. However, teachers reported that The Zones was not suitable for all students and classrooms. For students for whom The Zones was deemed appropriate, teachers modified the lessons and required peer support to deliver these modifications. With modifications, the teachers observed growth in areas such as students’ comprehension of others’ emotions and improved language around emotions. This study highlights the importance of further research to refine and tailor interventions like The Zones to better meet the diverse needs of autistic students in educational settings.

Novel tools for early diagnosis and monitoring of schistosomiasis are urgently needed. This study aimed to validate parasite-derived miRNAs as potential novel biomarkers for the detection of human Schistosoma japonicum infection. A total of 21 miRNAs were initially validated by real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using serum samples of S. japonicum-infected BALB/c mice. Of these, 6 miRNAs were further validated with a human cohort of individuals from a schistosomiasis-endemic area of the Philippines. RT-PCR analysis showed that two parasite-derived miRNAs (sja-miR-2b-5p and sja-miR-2c-5p) could detect infected individuals with low infection intensity with moderate sensitivity/specificity values of 66%/68% and 55%/80%, respectively. Analysis of the combined data for the two parasite miRNAs revealed a specificity of 77.4% and a sensitivity of 60.0% with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.6906 (P = 0.0069); however, a duplex RT-PCR targeting both sja-miR-2b-5p and sja-miR-2c-5p did not result in an increased diagnostic performance compared with the singleplex assays. Furthermore, the serum level of sja-miR-2c-5p correlated significantly with faecal egg counts, whereas the other five miRNAs did not. Targeting S. japonicum-derived miRNAs in serum resulted in a moderate diagnostic performance when applied to a low schistosome infection intensity setting.

Hepatitis E is an important zoonosis that is prevalent in China. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a pathogen that affects humans and animals and endangers public health in China. In this study, the detection of HEV epidemics in swine in Sichuan Province, China, was carried out by nested real-time PCR. A total of 174 stool samples and 160 bile samples from swine in Sichuan Province were examined. In addition, software was used to analyse the biological evolution of HEV. The results showed that within 2 years of swine HEV (SHEV) infection in China, SHEV was first detected in Sichuan Province. HEV was endemic in Sichuan; the positive rate for pig farms was 11.1%, and the total positive sample rate was 10.5%. The age of swine with the highest positive rate (17.9%) was 5–9 weeks. The examined swine species in order of highest to lowest HEV infection rates were Chenghua pig, Large White, Duroc, Pietrain, Landrace and Hampshire. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis showed that the HEV epidemic in swine in Sichuan Province was related to genotype IV, which had the highest homology to HEV in Beijing. Sichuan strains have greater variation than Chinese representative strains, which may indicate the presence of new HEV strains.

β-Casomorphin is an opioid-like bioactive peptide derived from β-casein of milk that plays a crucial role in modulating animal’s feed intake, growth, nutrient utilization and immunity. However, the effect of β-casomorphin on lipid metabolism in chickens and its mechanism remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of β-casomorphin on fat deposition in broiler chickens and explore its mechanism of action. A total of 120 21-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers (747.94±8.85 g) was chosen and randomly divided into four groups with six replicates of five birds per replicate. Three groups of broilers were injected with 0.1, 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg BW of β-casomorphin in 1 ml saline for 7 days, whereas the control group received 1 ml saline only. The results showed that subcutaneous administration of β-casomorphin to broiler chickens increased average daily gain, average daily feed intake and fat deposition, and decreased feed : gain ratio (P<0.05). The activity of malate dehydrogenase in the pectoral muscle, liver and abdominal adipose tissue was also increased along with the concentrations of insulin, very-low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride in the plasma (P<0.05). The activity of hormone-sensitive lipase in the liver and abdominal adipose tissue and the concentration of glucagon in the plasma were decreased by injection with β-casomorphin (P<0.05). Affymetrix gene chip analysis revealed that administering 1.0 mg/kg BW β-casomorphin caused differential expression of 168 genes in the liver with a minimum of fourfold difference. Of those, 37 genes are directly involved in lipid metabolism with 18 up-regulated genes such as very low density lipoprotein receptor gene and fatty acid synthase gene, and 19 down-regulated genes such as lipoprotein lipase gene and low density lipoprotein receptor gene. In conclusion, β-casomorphin increased growth performance and fat deposition of broilers. Regulation of fat deposition by β-casomorphin appears to take place through changes in hormone secretion and enzyme activities by controlling the gene expression of lipid metabolism and feed intake, increasing fat synthesis and deposition.

The current World Health Organization strategic plan targets the elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem by 2025 and accurate diagnostics will play a pivotal role in achieving this goal. DNA-based detection methods provide a viable alternative to some of the commonly used tests, notably microscopy and serology, for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis. The detection of parasite cell-free DNA in different clinical samples is a recent valuable advance, which provides significant benefits for accurate disease diagnosis. Here we validated a novel duplex droplet digital PCR assay for the diagnosis of Chinese (SjC) and Philippine (SjP) strains of Schistosoma japonicum infection in a mouse model. The assay proved applicable for both SjC and SjP infections and capable of detecting infection at a very early intra-mammalian stage in conveniently obtainable samples (urine and saliva) as well as in serum and feces. The target DNA copy numbers obtained in the assay showed a positive correlation with the infection burden assessed by direct traditional parasitology. The potential to detect parasite DNA in urine and saliva has important practical implications for large-scale epidemiological screening programmes in the future, particularly in terms of logistical convenience, and the assay has the potential to be a valuable additional tool for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica.

Three epidemic waves of human influenza A(H7N9) were documented in several different provinces in China between 2013 and 2015. With limited understanding of the potential for human-to-human transmission, it was difficult to implement control measures efficiently or to inform the public adequately about the application of interventions. In this study, the human-to-human transmission rate for the epidemics that occurred between 2013 and 2015 in Zhejiang Province, China, was analysed. The reproduction number (R), a key indicator of transmission intensity, was estimated by fitting the number of infections from poultry to humans and from humans to humans into a mathematical model. The posterior mean R for human-to-human transmission was estimated to be 0·27, with a 95% credible interval of 0·14–0·44 for the first wave, whereas the posterior mean Rs decreased to 0·15 in the second and third waves. Overall, these estimates indicate that a human H7N9 pandemic is unlikely to occur in Zhejiang. The reductions in the viral transmissibility and the number of poultry-transmitted infections after the first epidemic may be attributable to the various intervention measures taken, including changes in the extent of closures of live poultry markets.

New-type oilseed rape (Brassica napus, ArArCcCc) with introgressed exotic subgenomic components from Brassica rapa (ArAr) and Brassica carinata (BcBcCcCc) showed strong heterosis in both vegetative and reproductive growth. The aim of the current study was to analyse the tolerance of the new-type B. napus with different exotic subgenomic contents to low nitrogen (N) stress. Under hydroponic culture and pot experiments, root system parameters, photosynthetic parameters, relative chlorophyll concentration (SPAD values), biomass, seed yield, seed yield components, N concentration and expressions of genes involved in N transport and assimilation were determined with two new-type B. napus genotypes (N-efficient genotype D4-15 and N-inefficient genotype D1-1) under high-N and low-N levels. Furthermore, N accumulation, N transfer efficiency and N use efficiency (NUE) were analysed in the two genotypes. The hydroponic and potted growth tests showed consistent characteristics in N uptake and utilization efficiency at the seedling stage, and N-efficient genotype (D4-15) showed better growth phenotypes across cultured conditions and N levels. Under the low-N condition, D4-15 produced a larger root system and accumulated more N, and had higher N transfer efficiency and NUE than D1-1. Moreover, D4-15 had significantly higher photosynthetic parameters, photosynthetic NUE and expression levels of the N transporter genes, BnNRT1·1, BnNRT2·5, BnNRT2·7 and BnAMT1·1, in roots or leaves, as well as higher seed yield than that of D1-1 under low-N supply. These results indicated that the N-efficient new-type B. napus D4-15 possessed excellent adaptability to low-N stress, which may be attributed to the highly introgressed exotic subgenomic components from B. rapa and B. carinata, suggesting the possibility of identifying high-nutrient-efficiency germplasm from inter-specific hybrids.

Crystal structure of a new compound KBaB5O9 has been investigated from X-ray powder diffraction data. This compound is isostructural with KSrB5O9 and crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group P21/c. Unit-cell parameters are a=6.7200(2) Å, b=8.3256(2) Å, c=14.3674(4) Å, and β=92.6103(3) deg. Its structure contains both B3O7 and B3O8 rings, which share a common B atom to form a complex two dimensional network constituting the basic B5O9 unit in the formula. Adjacent networks are bound together by Ba and K atoms, which have eight- and nine-coordinate sites, respectively. In addition, DTA and TGA curves reveal that KBaB5O9 decomposes at 798 °C. Photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of KBaB5O9:Eu3+ have been studied. The PL spectra show the strongest emission at 618 nm and the quench concentration of Eu3+ is 4 at. %.

New compounds Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd,Sm,Eu,Tm,Er) were synthesized by solid-state reaction. The crystal structure of Li6NdB3O9 was analyzed from both powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction data. The results obtained by powder diffraction analysis and Rietveld refinement are a=7.2725(4) Å, b=16.6398(9) Å, c=6.7529(5) Å, β=105.398(8)°, and space group P21/c, which agree with the results obtained by single crystal diffraction analysis: a=7.2712(4) Å, b=16.6268(9) Å, c=6.7484(4) Å, β=105.411(1)°, and space group P21/c. This compound is isostructural with Li6YB3O9. Single crystal structure analysis showed that the fundamental building unit of these isostructural compounds comprises three isolated [BO3]3− triangles, one distorted [NdO8]13− triangulated dodecahedron, four distorted [LiO5]9− five-coordinated polyhedra, and two [LiO4]7− tetrahedron. An analysis of the infrared spectrum of Li6NdB3O9 confirmed the presence of isolated [BO3]3− triangles in Li6NdB3O9. The remaining four Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd, Sm, Eu, Tm, and Er) compounds were found to be isostructural with Li6NdB3O9. Their unit cell dimensions decrease with an increase in the atomic number of the rare-earth atoms. DTA and TGA measurements of Li6MB3O9 (M=Nd, Sm, Eu, Tm, and Er) revealed that these borates congruently melt from 800 °C to 860 °C.

K2Zn3(P2O7)2 was synthesized by solid state reaction and its crystal structure was determined by ab initio method from powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data. The title compound was determined to be orthorhombic with space group P212121, Z=4, and lattice parameters a=12.901(8) Å, b=10.102(6) Å, and c=9.958(1) Å. Values of lattice parameters from 303 to 573 K were measured by temperature-dependent XRD. Thermal expansion coefficients α0, lattice parameters, and cell volume at 0 K were determined to be α0(a)=1.62327×10−4/K, a0=12.855(4) Å, α0(b)=1.17921×10−4/K, b0=10.070(8) Å, α0(c)=2.62364×10−4/K, c0=9.880(4) Å, and α0(V)=6.599×10−2/K, V0=1278.967(0) Å3. The specific heat equation as a function of temperature was determined to be Cp=0.77115+0.00231T−1241.60027T−2−1.4133×10−6T2 (J/K g), for temperatures from 198 to 710 K. The melting point estimated from the μ-DTA heating curve is 795 °C.

Field experiments were conducted in Chile and western Canada to measure short-distance (0 to 100 m) outcrossing from transgenic safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) intended for plant molecular farming to non-transgenic commodity safflower of the same variety. The transgenic safflower used as the pollen source was transformed with a construct for seed-specific expression of a high-value protein and constitutive expression of a gene conferring resistance to the broad-spectrum herbicide glufosinate. Progeny of non-transgenic plants grown in plots adjacent to the transgenic pollen source were screened for glufosinate resistance to measure outcrossing frequency. Outcrossing frequency differed among locations: values closest to the transgenic pollen source (0 to 3 m) ranged from 0.48 to 1.67% and rapidly declined to between 0.0024 to 0.03% at distances of 50 to 100 m. At each location, outcrossing frequency was spatially heterogeneous, indicating insects or wind moved pollen asymmetrically. A power analysis assuming a binomial distribution and a range of alpha values (type 1 error) was conducted to estimate an upper and lower confidence interval for the probable transgenic seed frequency in each sample. This facilitated interpretation when large numbers of seeds were screened from the outcrossing experiments and no transgenic seeds were found. This study should aid regulators and the plant molecular farming industry in developing confinement strategies to mitigate pollen mediated gene flow from transgenic to non-transgenic safflower.