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Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a breathing disorder during sleep. The work was to evaluate the relationship between vasoactive and oxidative stress indicators and cardiac function in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) patients. Methods: OSAS patients (n = 120) were treated with CPAP from May 2021 to June 2022. According to the clinical efficacy, the patients were divided into effective and ineffective groups. Vasoactive factors and oxidative stress indices were compared between the two groups to evaluate their clinical efficacy. The changes in cardiac function indices in the two groups were tested, and the correlation between vasoactive factors and oxidative stress indices and cardiac function was analysed. Results: The effective rate of CPAP was 63.33% (76/120). Ang II, ET-1, and MDA levels were lower, and the SOD level was higher in the effective group than in the ineffective group after treatment. The AUC of the four indicators was all greater than 0.75. L.PWT and IVST values of the effective group were lower than the ineffective group. A positive correlation was identified between the levels of Ang II, ET-1, and MDA with LPWT, between levels of ET-1 and MDA with I VST, and a negative correlation between SOD with LPWT and I VST. Conclusions: CPAP treatment can effectively improve vascular activity and reduce the oxidative stress response in OSAS patients, and the combined detection of vasoactive factors and oxidative stress indicators is valuable for evaluating the efficacy of CPAP and is related to the cardiac function of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral infarction is characterized by a high morbidity, disability, and fatality rate. This study explored the relationship between serum β2 microglobulin (β2-MG), HGF, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with hypertension combined with cerebral infarction and their prognostic value. A total of 320 patients with cerebral infarction complicated with hypertension who were hospitalized from January 2015 to January 2020 were collected. HGF, Lp-PLA2 and β2-MG levels were detected. Plaque score (Crouse score) was the patient’s cumulative plaque thickness measurements. Additionally, the maximum plaque thickness and the number of plaques were measured.. The correlation was found between high β2-MG levels and the poor prognosis (HR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03-1.52, P = .022). Patients who had elevated levels of HGF were also less likely to have a positive outcome (HR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.26-1.56, P = .015). High Lp-PLA2 levels were associated with a worse prognosis than low levels (HR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.29-2.32, P = .015). In conclusion, the levels of β2-MG, HGF, and Lp-PLA2 in patients with hypertension combined with cerebral infarction were substantially linked with carotid plaques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the decline and loss of memory, language and behavioural disorders, decreased thinking ability, and cognitive dysfunction. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is the most active component of yellow pigment extracted from safflowers and possesses strong neuroprotective properties. However, the underlying neuroprotective mechanism of HSYA is not well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of HSYA and related mechanisms in mice with cognitive dysfunction. Six-month-old male C57BL/6 and APP/PS1 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 20 per group): C57, C57 + HSYA, APP/PS1, and APP/PS1 + HSYA. Mice in the C57 + HSYA and APP/PS1 + HSYA groups were treated with HSYA (4 mg/kg for 2 weeks), and mice in the C57 and APP/PS1 groups were administered an equal volume of saline by intraperitoneal injection. Next, the behavioural changes, biochemical indicators, histology and Western blot manifestations of the mice were determined. The results showed that supplementation with HSYA significantly improved memory and attenuated oxidative stress, apoptosis of hippocampal neurons and proinflammatory cytokine expression. Our findings showed that HSYA might be a promising therapeutic candidate for improving AD-like pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the issue of strong convergence of inexact proximal point algorithms (introduced by Rockafellar in [SIAM J. Control Optim., 14 (1976), pp. 877-898]) for maximal monotone operators on Hilbert spaces. A unified global/local strong convergence of inexact proximal point algorithms is established under the Hölder metrically subregular condition. Furthermore, quantitative estimates on the convergence rate of inexact proximal point algorithms are also provided. Applying to the special case of the classical (exact) proximal point algorithm, our results improve the corresponding ones in [G. Li and B. S. Mordukhovich, SIAM J. Optim., 22 (2012), pp. 1655-1684]. Finally, as applications, global/local strong convergence and estimates on the convergence rate of inexact proximal point algorithms for optimization problems are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the number of samples is large, the scale of the Bayesian network (BN) structure search space increases exponentially with the number of nodes, resulting in a sharp increase in the difficulty of learning the BN structure. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis model construction method combining association rules and a BN network. The Euclidean distance under the Symbolic Aggregation Approximation (SAX) algorithm is utilized to compute and average the distance between the standard and faulty samples and filter the candidate nodes by the average value, which in turn reduces the search sample space. The method of combining Association Rules algorithm with traditional BN structure learning results is used to solve the problem of wrong edges in structure learning. Finally, the maximum likelihood estimation method is used for parameter learning to complete the construction of the diagnostic network. The experimental results show that the running time of the Bayesian Network based on the Association Rules (AR-BN) model proposed in this paper is short and that the Hamming distance with the original structure is small, so this model can effectively reduce the search space and solve the problem of wrong edges, and it also has a good performance in fault diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Conditional Gaussian Bayesian networks are used to fuse discrete and continuous information, and the discrete information in the residuals is used to compensate for the insufficient feature information problem caused by small amounts of data. • An approach using single classification ideas combined with T2 statistics to address high modeling complexity and improve the classification of novel faults. Data-driven methods are the mainstream methods applied in current fault diagnosis research; however, in natural mechanical systems, fault samples are difficult or even impossible to obtain, and physical model-based methods cannot easily model the faults of complex systems. To address the respective limitations of data-driven and model diagnosis methods in fault diagnosis, in this paper, a Bayesian network fault diagnosis method based on a joint model and data modelling is proposed. Conditional Gaussian Bayesian networks are used to fuse discrete and continuous information, and the discrete information in the residuals is used to compensate for the insufficient feature information problem caused by small amounts of data. To address the exponential modeling complexity growth in the case of multiple fault types cases, a single classification method is chosen for fault classification. Meanwhile, the T 2 statistics distance suppression method is introduced into the Bayesian network to improve the diagnostic capabilities for new types of faults. By comparing the mainstream methods that address small sample diagnosis and the existing fusion methods, the experimental results show that in cases with small numbers of samples, the method in this paper has good fault diagnosis capabilities by effectively utilizing the model's diagnostic results to compensate for the diagnostic errors caused by a lack of data, and it has an improved ability to recognize unknown faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solid-phase synthesis of Cr-Ca-Sn-Si purple red pigment, the preparation of chrome tin pink stains are studied by using eggshell, which is used as the raw materials introducing the calcium carbonate. Through the experiment of formula is optimized, and by controlling the calcinations temperature and mineralizer measures a series of Cr-Ca-Sn-Si purple red pigments are prepared. The results showed that Cr-Ca-Sn-Si purple red pigments are prepared by using eggshell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the convergence issue for the gradient algorithm (employing general step sizes) for optimization problems on general Riemannian manifolds (without curvature constraints). Under the assumption of the local convexity/quasi-convexity (resp., weak sharp minima), local/global convergence (resp., linear convergence) results are established. As an application, the linear convergence properties of the gradient algorithm employing the constant step sizes and the Armijo step sizes for finding the Riemannian Lp (p ∈ [1, + ∞)) centers of mass are explored, respectively, which in particular extend and/or improve the corresponding results in [B. Afsari, R. Tron, and R. Vidal, SIAM J. Control Optim., 51 (2013), pp. 2230-2260; G. C. Bento et al., J. Optim. Theory Appl., 183 (2019), pp. 977-992]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exciton is an electron-hole pair bound by attractive Coulomb interaction. Short-lived excitons have been detected by a variety of experimental probes in numerous contexts. An excitonic insulator, a collective state of such excitons, has been more elusive. Here, thanks to Nernst measurements in pulsed magnetic fields, we show that in graphite there is a critical temperature (T = 9.2 K) and a critical magnetic field (B = 47 T) for Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons. At this critical field, hole and electron Landau subbands simultaneously cross the Fermi level and allow exciton formation. By quantifying the effective mass and the spatial separation of the excitons in the basal plane, we show that the degeneracy temperature of the excitonic fluid corresponds to this critical temperature. This identification would explain why the field-induced transition observed in graphite is not a universal feature of three-dimensional electron systems pushed beyond the quantum limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the extended Newton method for approaching a Pareto optimum of a multiobjective optimization problem, establish quadratic convergence criteria, and estimate a radius of convergence ball under the assumption that the Hessians of objective functions satisfy an L-average Lipschitz condition. These convergence theorems significantly improve the corresponding ones in [J. Fliege, L. M. G. Drummond, and B. F. Svaiter, SIAM J. Optim., 20 (2009), pp. 602--626]. As applications of the obtained results, convergence theorems under the classical Lipschitz condition or the γ -condition are presented for multiobjective optimization, and the global quadratic convergence results of the extended Newton method with Armijo/Goldstein/Wolfe line-search schemes are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Butylphthalide, a component extracted from seeds of Chinese celery, is an effective neuroprotective agent used for the treatment of ischemic stroke and dementia. Diabetes may cause central nervous system damage, and diabetes is closely associated with dementia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of butylphthalide on cognitive impairment in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model, and the underlying mechanisms of action. A total of 30 healthy male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following 2 groups: Normal control (NC; n=10) and diabetes model (DM) groups (n=20). Diabetes was induced in rats in the DM group by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin, and these rats were further subdivided into the following 2 groups: Diabetic control (n=10) and butylphthalide-treated groups (n=10). Following 8 consecutive weeks of treatment, a Morris water maze test was performed and the levels of blood fasting plasma glucose (FPG), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malo-ndialdehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus were measured. FPG levels were significantly decreased in the butylphthalide-treated group when compared with the DM group. In addition, cognitive deficits in diabetic rats were improved following butylphthalide treatment. Furthermore, butylphthalide significantly increased the level of SOD, reduced MDA levels, and reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels in the hippocampus when compared with the DM group. The results of the present study suggest that butylphthalide may be an effective neuroprotective agent to improve cognitive dysfunction during diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasible, reliable and selective multi-template molecularly imprinted polymers (MT-MIPs) based on SBA-15 (SBA-15@MT-MIPs) for the selective separation and determination of the trace level of ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) and notoginsenoside R1 (R1) simultaneously from biological samples were developed. The polymers were constructed by SBA-15 as support, Rb1, Rg1, R1 as multi-template, acrylamide (AM) as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as cross-linker. The new synthetic SBA-15@MT-MIPs were satisfactorily applied to solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the separation and determination of trace Rb1, Rg1 and R1 in plasma samples. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) of the proposed method for Rb1, Rg1 and R1 were in the range of 0.63-0.75 ng·mL-1 and 2.1-2.5 ng·mL-1, respectively. The recoveries of R1, Rb1 and Rg1 were obtained between 93.4% and 104.3% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the range of 3.3-4.2%. All results show that the obtained SBA-15@MT-MIPs could be a promising prospect for the practical application in the selective separation and enrichment of trace Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) in the biological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a reasonable statistical method of predicting the concentrations of fine-particle-bound heavy metals remains challenging. In this study, daily PM2.5 samples were collected within four different seasons from a Chinese mega-city. The annual average PM2.5 concentrations determined in industrial, city center, and suburban areas were 90, 81, and 85 µg m-3, respectively. Environmental magnetic measurements, including magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanent magnetization, isothermal remanent magnetization, hysteresis loops, and thermomagnetism, indicated that the main magnetic mineral of PM2.5 is low-coercivity pseudosingle domain (PSD) magnetite. Using a support vector machine (SVM), both the volume- and mass-related concentrations of heavy metals were predicted by the PM2.5 mass concentrations and meteorological factors, with or without magnetic properties as input variables. The inclusion of magnetic variables significantly improved the prediction results for most heavy metals. Predictions based on models that included the magnetic properties of the metals Al, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Ti were promising, with R values of >0.8 in both the training and the test stages as well as relatively low errors. Our results demonstrate that the inclusion of environmental magnetism in a SVM approach aids in the effective monitoring and assessment of airborne heavy-metal contamination in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we consider inexact proximal point algorithms for finding singular points of multivalued vector fields on Hadamard manifolds. The rate of convergence is shown to be linear under the mild assumption of metric subregularity. Furthermore, if the sequence of parameters associated with the iterative scheme converges to 0, then the convergence rate is superlinear. At the same time, the finite termination of the inexact proximal point algorithm is also provided under a weak sharp minima-like condition. Applications to optimization problems are provided. Some of our results are new even in Euclidean spaces, while others improve and/or extend some known results in Euclidean spaces. As a matter of fact, in the case of exact proximal point algorithm, our results improve the corresponding results in [G. C. Bento and J. X. Cruz Neto, Optim., 63 (2014), pp. 1281-1288]. Finally, several examples are provided to illustrate that our results are applicable while the corresponding results in the Hilbert space setting are not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the effects of resveratrol on cognitive impairment in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and to explore the mechanisms of that phenomenon. Methods: Sixty healthy male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal control group (Con group, n = 15), Res group (normal Sprague Dawley rats treated with resveratrol, n = 15), diabetes mellitus group (DM group, n = 15) and DM + Res group (diabetic rats treat with resveratrol, n = 15). Streptozotocin (STZ) was injected intraperitoneally to establish the diabetic model. One week after diabetic model induction, the animals in the Res group and the DM + Res group received resveratrol intraperitoneally once a day for consecutive 4 weeks. The Morris water maze test was applied to assess the effect of resveratrol on learning and memory. To explore the mechanisms of resveratrol on cognition, we detected the protein expression levels of Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, NMDAR1 (N-Methyl-d-Aspartate receptor) and BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor) via western blotting analysis. Results: Resveratrol has no obvious effect on normal SD rats. Compared to Con group, cognitive ability was significantly impaired with increased expression of Caspase-3, Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2, NMDAR1 and BDNF in diabetic rats. By contrast, resveratrol treatment improved the cognitive decline. Evidently, resveratrol treatment reversed diabetes-induced changes of protein expression. Conclusions: Resveratrol significantly ameliorates cognitive decline in STZ-induced diabetic model rats. The potential mechanism underlying the protective effect could be attributed to the inhibition of hippocampal apoptosis through the Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 signaling pathways and improvement of synaptic dysfunction. BDNF may also play an indispensable role in this mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For semilinear wave equations with null form nonlinearities on R3+1, we exhibit an open set of initial data which are allowed to be large in energy spaces, yet we can still obtain global solutions in the future. We also exhibit a set of localized data for which the corresponding solutions are strongly focused, which in geometric terms means that a wave travels along a specific incoming null geodesic in such a way that almost all of the energy is concentrated in a tubular neighborhood of the geodesic and almost no energy radiates out of this neighborhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the Einstein's hyperbolic geometric flow, which provides a natural tool to deform the shape of a manifold and to understand the wave character of metrics, the wave phenomenon of the curvature for evolutionary manifolds. For an initial manifold equipped with an Einstein metric and assumed to be a totally umbilical submanifold in the induced space-time, we prove that, along the Einstein's hyperbolic geometric flow, the metric is Einstein if and only if the corresponding manifold is a totally umbilical hypersurface in the induced space-time. For an initial manifold which is equipped with an Einstein metric, assumed to be a totally umbilical submanifold with constant mean curvature in the induced space-time, we prove that, along the Einstein's hyperbolic geometric flow, the metric remains an Einstein metric, and the corresponding manifold is a totally umbilical hypersurface in the induced space-time. Moreover, the global existence and blowup phenomenon of the constructed metric is also investigated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premixed flame speed under a small four stock homogeneous charge compression ignition engine fueled with dimethyl ether was investigated. The effects of intermediate species, initial temperature, initial pressure, exhaust gas re-circulation, and equivalence ratio were studied compared to the baseline condition. Results show that under all conditions, the flame speeds calculated without intermediates are larger than those considered the intermediates. Flame speeds increase with the increase of crank angle. The increasing rate is divided into three regions and the increasing rate is obviously large when low temperature heat release occurs. Initial temperature and pressure only affect the crank angle of flame speed, but have little influence on its value. Equivalence ratio and exhaust gas re-circulation ratio not only distinctly decrease the flame speed but also advance the crank angle of flame speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimation of uniqueness ball of a zero point of a mapping on Lie group is established. Furthermore, we obtain a unified estimation of radius of convergence ball of Newton's method on Lie groups under a generalized L-average Lipschitz condition. As applications, we get estimations of radius of convergence ball under the Kantorovich condition and the γ-condition, respectively. In particular, under the γ-condition, our results improve the corresponding results in (Li et al. 2009, Corollary 4.1) as showed in Remark 17. Finally, applications to analytical mappings are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel submicrometer particle embedment technique has been used to determine the shear modulus of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphotidylcholine (DPPC) lipid multibilayers. The depth of the spontaneous embedment of polystyrene and silica spherical particles of 200 nm nominal size has been determined from atomic force microscopy measurements on colloidal particles dispersed onto the surfaces of the DPPC multibilayers. The standard JKR model was used to relate the shear modulus of the lipid multibilayer films to the depth of embedment of the particles. The thus-determined modulus of the DPPC is within the range of reported literature values. Gold particles are also considered, and it is found that for the smallest particles (13 nm) complete engulfment by the DPPC multibilayer film takes place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mTOR mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal transduction pathway has been demonstrated to play a key role in a broad spectrum of cancers. Starting from the mTOR selective inhibitor 1(Torin1), a focused medicinal chemistry effort led to the discovery of an improved mTOR inhibitor 3(Torin2), which possesses an EC50of 0.25 nM for inhibiting cellular mTOR activity. Compound 3exhibited 800-fold selectivity over PI3K (EC50: 200 nM) and over 100-fold binding selectivity relative to 440 other protein kinases. Compound 3has significantly improved bioavailability (54%), metabolic stability, and plasma exposure relative to compound 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider boundary value problem for nonlinear fractional differential equation DDue to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed. u(t) + f(t, u(t)) = 0, 0 < t < 1, n - 1 < α ≤ n, n > 3, u(0) = u'(1) = u"(0) = … = u(n-1)(0) = 0, where DDue to image rights restrictions, multiple line equation(s) cannot be graphically displayed. denotes the Caputo fractional derivative. By using fixed point theorem, we obtain some new results for the existence and multiplicity of solutions to a higher-order fractional boundary value problem. The interesting point lies in the fact that the solutions here are positive, monotone, and concave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer cells have an efficient antioxidant system to counteract their increased generation of ROS. However, whether this ability to survive high levels of ROS has an important role in the growth and metastasis of tumors is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that the redox protein thioredoxin-like 2 (TXNL2) regulates the growth and metastasis of human breast cancer cells through a redox signaling mechanism. TXNL2 was found to be overexpressed in human cancers, including breast cancers. Knockdown of TXNL2 in human breast cancer cell lines increased ROS levels and reduced NF-κB activity, resulting in inhibition of in vitro proliferation, survival, and invasion. In addition, TXNL2 knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis and metastasis of these cells upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice. Furthermore, analysis of primary breast cancer samples demonstrated that enhanced TXNL2 expression correlated with metastasis to the lung and brain and with decreased overall patient survival. Our studies provided insight into redox-based mechanisms underlying tumor growth and metastasis and suggest that TXNL2 could be a target for treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were modified with the surfactant of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) to form a new adsorbent. The modified HNTs were characterized by the FTIR spectra and thermogravimetric analysis. The results show that quaternary ammonium cations were grafted on the nanotubes surface successfully. While the modified HNTs were used as adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal from its aqueous solution, they exhibited rapid adsorption rate for chromates and approached to 90% of the maximum adsorption capacity within 5min. The effects of pH and ionic strength on the adsorption capacity were also investigated, which showed the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent decreased significantly with the increase of ionic strength and pH. The adsorption data of Cr(VI) on the modified HNTs are well consistent with Langmuir model. The regeneration of modified HNTs could be realized by eluents and the recovered adsorbent could be used again for Cr(VI) removal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Let P be the Petersen graph, and K the complete multipartite graph with u parts of size h. A decomposition of K into edge-disjoint copies of the Petersen graph P is called a P-decomposition of K or a P-group divisible design of type h. In this paper, we show that there exists a P-decomposition of K if and only if $${h^2u(u-1)\equiv 0 \pmod {30}}$$ , $${h(u-1)\equiv 0\pmod 3}$$ , and u ≥ 3 with a definite exception ( h, u) = (1, 10). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let ( v, u× c, λ)-splitting BIBD denote a ( v, u× c, λ)-splitting balanced incomplete block design of order v with block size u× c and index λ. Necessary conditions for the existence of a ( v, u× c, λ)-splitting BIBD are v≥ uc, λ( v−1)≡0 (mod c( u−1)) and λ v( v−1)≡0 (mod ( c2 u( u−1))). We show in this paper that the necessary conditions for the existence of a ( v,3×3, λ)-splitting BIBD are also sufficient with possible exceptions when (1) ( v, λ)∈{(55,1),(39,9 k): k=1,2,...}, (2) λ≡0 (mod 54) and v≡0 (mod 2). We also show that there exists a ( v,3×4,1)-splitting BIBD when v≡1 (mod 96). As its application, we obtain a new infinite class of optimal 4-splitting authentication codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the existence and uniqueness of positive solution to nonzero boundary values problem for a coupled system of fractional differential equations. The differential operator is taken in the standard Riemann-Liouville sense. By using Banach fixed point theorem and nonlinear differentiation of Leray-Schauder type, the existence and uniqueness of positive solution are obtained. Two examples are given to demonstrate the feasibility of the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the existence and multiplicity of concave positive solutions for boundary value problem of nonlinear fractional differential equation with p-Laplacian operator D 0+γ(Φp(D0+αu(t)))+ f(t, u(t),D0+ρu(t)) = 0, 0 < t < 1, u(0) = u′(1) = 0, u″(0) = 0, D0+αu(t)∣t=0 = 0, where 0 < γ < 1, 2 < α < 3, 0 < ρ ⩽ 1, D0+α denotes the Caputo derivative, and f : [0, 1] x [0, +∞) x R → [0, +∞) is continuous function, Φp(s) = ∣s∣p-2s, p > 1, (Φp)-1 = Φq, 1/p + 1/q = 1. By using fixed point theorem, the results for existence and multiplicity of concave positive solutions to the above boundary value problem are obtained. Finally, an example is given to show the effectiveness of our works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of the BRCA2 tumor suppressor gene is tightly linked to its roles in DNA damage repair and maintenance of chromosomal stability and genomic integrity. Three transcription factors that activate (USF, NF-κB, and Elf1) and a single factor that represses (SLUG) BRCA2 promoter activity have been reported. In addition, a 67-bp region (-582 to -516) associated with inhibition of promoter activity has been identified. However, it remains unclear how the 67-bp region contributes to regulation of BRCA2 expression. Here, we describe the affinity purification of a 120-kDa protein that binds to a silencerbinding region within the 67-bp repression region of the BRCA2 promoter. Mass spectrometry revealed the identity of the protein as poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase1 (Parp1). Gel shift, antibody super-shift, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays demonstrated that Parp-1 is associated with the BRCA2 promoter both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, Parp-1 inhibitors (either 3-AB or NU1025) and Parp-1 gene specific siRNA resulted in increased levels of endogenous BRCA2 expression. Inhibition of Parp-1 activity (by 3-AB) reduced histone 3 lysine 9 acetylation and blocked Parp-1 binding to the BRCA2 promoter. These results indicate that Parp-1 down-regulates BRCA2 expression through an interaction with a repression region of the BRCA2 promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The Hagberg falling number (HFN) is one of the most important quality characteristics of wheat. Six winter wheat cultivars from three locations in Germany were analysed to assess the factors influencing the HFN. The cultivars and locations affected significantly the HFN of all the samples. The infection with Fusarium culmorum, determined in another cultivar, also led to an increase in HFN, which suggested that the HFN method is not adequate enough for the true determination of the alpha-amylase activity of fungus-infected, wheat flour. Furthermore, there was no clear correlation between HFN and thousand-kernel weight, starch content or pentosan content. The crude protein content was positively related to the HFN, while the total dietary fibre content depended on the cultivar and location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erythroblasts were obtained from murine spleen. After cultured for 12 hr, the cells were divided into four groups with the use of the following cytokines in culture: EPO, EPO+SCF, EPO+IL-3, and EPO+IL-3+SCF. Cell proliferation assay was done. Apoptosis rates were obtained by using a flow cytometer. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed in flow cytometry (FCM) by labeling with rhodamine 123. Mitochondrial enzyme activity (MEA) was evaluated with MTT colorimetric assay. The cells were labeled with Fluo-3/Am Ester and Ca2+ concentration was measured. The expression of Bax mRNA and Bcl-2 mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR. At same time, the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was analyzed by western blotting. Our results showed that IL-3 and SCF have synergistic effects with EPO on the proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of erythroid progenitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The optimization of nutrient levels for the production of inulinase by a newly strain Kluyveromyces S120 in solid-state fermentation (SSF) was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) based on Plackett–Burman design and Box–Behnken design. In the first optimization step, a Plackett–Burman design was used to evaluate the influence of related factors. Inulin, corn steep liquor and (NH4)2SO4 were found to be more compatible supplement with the substrate of wheat bran and positively influenced on inulinase production. In the second step, the concentrations of the three nutrients above were further optimized using a Box–Behnken design. The final concentration of medium optimized with RSM was 12.72% inulin, 10.76% corn steep liquor and 1.61% (NH4)2SO4 by employing wheat bran as the solid substrate. The average inulinase activity (409.8U/g initial dry substrate) in triplicate under optimal medium was obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study was to develop a model of chronic rejection of the entire small intestine transplantation and to analyze the features of chronic rejection. Allogenic small bowel transplantation was performed in a rat combination of Lewis to F344. Intestines were procured at the 60th and the 90th day after operation. We compared the semiquantitative score of histological parameters. The immunological components involved in the chronic rejection process were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and the cytokine levels in grafts. The significant characteristics of the allograft on histology were changes of villous architecture, interstitial fibrosis, leukocyte infiltration, and obliterative arteriopathy. Allografts on the 60th day post-transplantation had more score in inflammatory events, while the grafts on the 90th day after operation had more values in ischemia/fibrotic events. The number of infiltrating CD4, CD8 and macrophage cells in allografts progressively decreased over time. The level of intrgraft cytokines such as IL-6, TNF- α and IL-10 in the 90th day after transplantation also decreased compared with that in the 60th day. These data suggested that in the early stage (POD 60), there were more active and intense inflammatory events; later (POD 90) allografts manifested less inflammation and more arterial obliteration and fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish oil had been shown to have an immunomodulating effect and had favorable effect on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of fish oil on the graft arteriosclerosis and graft immune response after rat allogenic small intestinal transplantation. Since two wk pretransplantation, the Lewis rats were supplemented by gavage with: (i) phosphate buffer saline, 0.6% volume of body weight (V/W), as control group; (ii) fish oil (0.6%, V/W); (iii) fish oil (0.3%, V/W). Total intestine from donor F344 was heterotopically transplanted into the Lewis recipient. The recipient rats were killed on the 60th day post-transplantation. The cytokine levels, the activity of NF-kappa B and the arteriosclerosis of grafts were analyzed. Intragastrical supplementation with 0.6% fish oil induced pronounced inhibition of the pro-inflammtory cytokine expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- α, and the increase of anti-inflammtory cytokine expression of IL-10 in graft. Suppression of the TNF- α and IL-6 expression by fish oil was attributed to its inhibitory effect on NF- κB activation. Intragastric 0.6% fish oil infusion ameliorated the development of graft arteriosclerosis. Fish oil was therefore considered to have an immunosuppressive effect on rat allogenic small intestinal transplant model based on the intra-graft IL-6, TNF- α and IL-10 levels. It might result in ameliorating the arteriosclerosis of the grafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports the effect of HNO3 on radiation stability and radiolysis product of N,N-Diethylhydroxylamine (DEHA), which is used as a reducer in the reprocessing of spent fuel. Results show that with the addition of HNO3, radiation stability of DEHA is weakened obviously, the volume fraction of H2, CH4 and C2H4 decreases but the concentration of CH3COOH increases. As to 1.0 and 2.0M HNO3, the concentration of CH3CHO increases, but it decreases when HNO3 is 3.0M. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective • To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in patients with endometriosisassociated ovarian cancer. Methods • In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 135 ovarian cancer patients admitted to our hospital from January 2016 to January 2018. Based on the presence of concomitant endometriosis (EMs), the patients were divided into two groups: the Endometriosis- Associated Ovarian Cancer (EAOC) group (n=64) and the non-EAOC (NEAOC) group (n=71). We compared the clinical characteristics of the two groups. Additionally, in the EAOC group, we followed up with patients for 5 years, categorized them into the survival group (n=40) and the deceased group (n=24) based on their prognosis, and conducted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify influencing factors. Results • In comparison to the NEAOC group, patients in the EAOC group exhibited higher rates of menopause occurrence, pathological stages I-II, vaginal bleeding, and history of cesarean section, with statistical significance (P < .05). They also had a lower incidence of dysmenorrhea, lymph node metastasis, and abdominal distension, as well as an earlier age of onset, all of which were statistically significant (P < .05). There were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) between the two groups in terms of parity, gravidity, tumor diameter, abdominal pain incidence, and body mass index. Based on prognosis, the patients were categorized into a survival group (n=40) and a deceased group (n=24). Comparison between the two groups showed statistically significant differences (P < .05) in terms of postoperative residue, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and lymph node metastasis. In contrast, there were no statistically significant differences (P > .05) in terms of tumor laterality, histological type, tumor stage, differentiation degree, and vaginal bleeding. The variables with P < .05 were assigned as independent variables, with the prognosis of death as the dependent variable. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for mortality in EAOC patients (P < .05). Conclusion • Clinical characteristics of EAOC patients show significant differences, with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lymph node metastasis being identified as independent adverse prognostic factors associated with poor outcomes in EAOC patients. However, this study has limitations such as a relatively small sample size, and further research is therefore necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the small perturbations of the 1  +  3-dimensional Milne model for the Einstein–Klein–Gordon (EKG) system. We prove the nonlinear future stability, and show that the perturbed spacetimes are future causally geodesically complete. For the proof, we work within the constant mean curvature (CMC) gauge and focus on the 1  +  3 splitting of the Bianchi–Klein–Gordon equations. Moreover, we treat the Bianchi–Klein–Gordon equations as evolution equations and establish the energy scheme in the sense that we only commute the Bianchi–Klein–Gordon equations with spatially covariant derivatives while normal derivative is not allowed. We propose some refined estimates for lapse and the hierarchies of energy estimates to close the energy argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we consider the varying stepsize CQ algorithm for solving the split feasibility problem in Hilbert spaces, investigate the linear convergence issue and explore an application in systems biology. In particular, we introduce a notion of bounded linear regularity property for the split feasibility problem, and use it to establish the linear convergence property for the varying stepsize CQ algorithm when using some suitable types of stepsizes, which covers most types of stepsizes used in the literature of CQ algorithms. We also provide some mild sufficient conditions for ensuring this bounded linear regularity property, and then conclude the linear convergence rate of the varying stepsize CQ algorithm for many application cases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to study the linear convergence rate of CQ algorithms. In the aspect of application, we consider the gene regulatory network inference arising in systems biology, which is formulated as a group Dantzig selector and then cast into a split feasibility problem. The numerical study on gene expression data of mouse embryonic stem cell shows that the varying stepsize CQ algorithm is applicable to gene regulatory network inference in the sense that it obtains a reliable solution matching with biological standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the mechanism of plant resistance has become the basis for selection of resistance varieties but reports on revealing resistant mechanism in Brassica napus against Plasmodiophora brassicae are rare. In this study, RNA-seq was conducted in the clubroot-resistant B. napus breeding line ZHE-226 and in the clubroot-susceptible rapeseed cultivar Zhongshuang 11 at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 days after inoculation. Strong alteration was detected specifically in ZHE-226 as soon as the root hair infection happened, and significant promotion was found in ZHE-226 on cell division or cell cycle, DNA repair and synthesis, protein synthesis, signaling, antioxidation, and secondary metabolites. Combining results from physiological, biochemical, and histochemical assays, our study highlights an effective signaling in ZHE-226 in response to P. brassicae. This response consists of a fast initiation of receptor kinases by P. brassicae', the possible activation of host intercellular G proteins which might, together with an enhanced Ca2+ signaling, promote the production of reactive oxygen species; and programmed cell death in the host. Meanwhile, a strong ability to maintain homeostasis of auxin and cytokinin in ZHE-226 might effectively limit the formation of clubs on host roots. Our study provides initial insights into resistance mechanism in rapeseed to P. brassicae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the development of a controllable microscale gas generator with interchangeable ground-glass joints. Structure and principle of operation; Instructions for use; Evaluation of the generator; Technological requirements.

Urease is a key enzyme affecting microbial metabolic activity, and its activity is affected by various pollutants,and pollutants have more complex effects on the activity of microbial urease. This study researched the effect of calcium and magnesium ions in landfill leachate on urease activity of anaerobic microorganism according to designing three kinds of calcium and magnesium ion mixtures with different concentration ratios by direct average ray method, investigating the concentration-effect curves of calcium and magnesium ions by BiPhasic and Logistic functions, analyzing the interaction relationship between calcium magnesium ions and microbial urease activity by equivalent line graphic method. The results indicated that with the increase of calcium concentration, the inhibitory effect of urease activity showed a trend of falling first and then rising, and the inhibitory effect of magnesium ions on urease activity increased with the increase of magnesium concentration. The inhibitory effect of calcium magnesium ions on urease activity was obviously time-dependent. The interaction of calcium magnesium ions mixed pollutants on urease activity was synergistic in the 1-4 reaction cycles, and the interaction was antagonistic in the 5 reaction cycles according to the equivalent line diagram. This paper provided support for further study on the action mechanism of pollutants on microbial urease by studying effect of calcium and magnesium ions in landfill leachate on urease . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semiliquidambar cathayesis (SC) is often used as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the market, and its wild resources are now severely damaged and on the verge of extinction. In order to preserve and apply SC resources preferably, artificially cultivated SC is generated. In the present study, the variations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the artificially cultivated and wild SC were analyzed by headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA). The medicinal value of artificially cultivated SC was determined by comparing the differences between these SCs. The results showed that the artificially cultivated and wild SCs had the same composition for the VOCs, and the VOCs in the bark and stem used to adjust the efficacy of liquid medicine in SCs were not significantly different. Collectively, the findings provided a scientific theory for the application of artificially cultivated SC and the replacement of wild SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, most exposure fusion algorithms are put forward on the assumption that the source images are aligned prior to fusion. As a result, some artifacts, such as haloing, may be caused due to the slight misalignment in the source images. In order to reduce the influence induced by the misalignment, a novel shift-invariant and rotation-invariant steerable pyramid-based exposure fusion (SPBEF) algorithm is proposed. It can combine multiple color images of a scene with different exposures to one image with high quality. First, instead of processing of R, G, and B channels separately, the chrominance information of the scene is obtained by the average image of the median two images. The strategy can greatly reduce the computational complexity. Second, the luminance images of source images are then transferred to frequency domain and are fused to one luminance image using different fusion rules in different frequencies. In this process, fusion is performed in a hierarchical fashion. Last, the final color image is generated by combining the data of the fused luminance image and the chrominance information. Experiments show that SPBEF can give comparative or even better results compared to other exposure fusion algorithms, as well as other traditional pyramid-based fusion algorithms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidence of immunological dysfunction have been described in endometriosis. Dendritic cells (DCs), one of the main antigen-presenting cells, are specialized in the initiation and modulation of the adaptive immune response. Emerging studies demonstrated both endometrial and circulating differences in DCs populations in women with endometriosis. However, the role and mechanism of peritoneal DCs in endometriosis is still unclear. The present study was undertaken to explore the features of peritoneal DCs in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. This study is beneficial to further clarify the cause of endometriosis and provide a new insight into the medical treatment for endometriosis. Methods: The study included 12 women with endometriosis and 11 women without endometriosis. The C57BL6 mouse model of endometriosis was established by intraperitoneal injection of endometrial segments. The peritoneal DCs of endometriosis patients and mouse models were analyzed by fluorescence associated cell sorting (FACS) examination. Results: Increased cell density of peritoneal DCs were observed in endometriosis patients. Moreover, the proportion of mature DCs (mDCs, CD80highCD1alow cells) in the peritoneal DCs was lower whereas the proportion of immature DCs (iDCs, CD80lowCD1ahigh cells) was increased in endometriosis patients. Similarly, the cell density of peritoneal DCs in murine models increased immediately after the injection of endometrial tissues and reached the highest level at 14 days. In addition, the proportion of mDCs (CD11chighCD80high cells) in the peritoneal DCs decreased immediately after the injection of endometrial tissues and then increased with the time until 42 days, but still lower than the control group. In contrast, the proportion of iDCs (CD11chighCD80low cells) in the peritoneal DCs showed the opposite dynamic changes. However, after treated with LPS, the mDCs proportion was significantly increased, leading to lower volume and weight of the endometriosis lesions. Conclusions: Increased level of peritoneal DCs facilitated the pathogenesis of endometriosis lesions, especially in the early stage of the disease. Furthermore, peritoneal DCs maturation played an important role in the development of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that the activation of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 reduces autophagy stimulated by oxidative stress injury, in which the supra-physiological production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is detected. However, the potential mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the function of HO-1 activation in the regulation of autophagy in glomerular mesangial cells subjected to H2O2-induced oxidative stress injury. The results demonstrated that the HO-1 agonist, hemin, reduces the LC3 protein level, which was enhanced by H2O2 treatment. Furthermore, hemin-activated HO-1 may function as a regulator of oxidative stress-induced autophagy in a dose-dependent manner. Pharmacological activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibited the effect of hemin, indicating that the JNK signaling pathway is associated with the mechanism of HO-1 in impeding excessive autophagy. In addition to successfully alleviating H2O2-induced oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis, hemin-activated HO-1 may provide cytoprotection against rapamycin, a specific autophagy agonist. The present result suggested the inhibitory action of HO-1 in the avoidance of a potentially enhanced linkage between autophagy and apoptosis, particularly in the setting of excessive ROS. Therefore, enhancing the intracellular activity of HO-1 may assist the crosstalk between oxidative stress, autophagy and apoptosis, and represent a novel therapeutic strategy for renal ischemic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial hydatidiform mole and coexisting fetus (PHMCF) is a rare condition that presents a dilemma for physicians and the parents of the fetus, particularly when PHMCF is detected during the second trimester of pregnancy. The present study reports a case of PHMCF terminated by induction of labor via administration of Rivanol at 17 weeks. Follow-up measurements of serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) levels, as well as imaging studies, indicated the presence of persistent trophoblastic disease (PTD) and lung metastases. The patient was therefore admitted for three courses of chemotherapy. Subsequently, the metastases receded and β-HCG levels decreased to within the normal range. The patient demonstrated no disease recurrence for 1 year. Following a review of the relevant literature, to the best of our knowledge, all PHMCF cases terminated by medical induction of labor during the second trimester resulted in the development of PTD and lung metastases. However, three cases of PHMCF that were terminated by caesarean section during the third trimester did not develop PTD or metastases. The present study therefore hypothesized that medical termination may not be a safe therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PHMCF during the second trimester, and that pregnancy should be allowed to continue empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the convergence issue of the subgradient algorithm for solving the convex feasibility problems in Riemannian manifolds, which was first proposed and analyzed by Bento and Melo [J. Optim. Theory Appl., 152 (2012), pp. 773-785]. The linear convergence property about the subgradient algorithm for solving the convex feasibility problems with the Slater condition in Riemannian manifolds are established, and some step sizes rules are suggested for finite convergence purposes, which are motivated by the work due to De Pierro Iusem [Appl. Math. Optim., 17 (1988), pp. 225-235]. As a by-product, the convergence result of this algorithm is obtained for the convex feasibility problem without the Slater condition assumption. These results extend and/or improve the corresponding known ones in both the Euclidean space and Riemannian manifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnosis of basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) remains a bottleneck to conducting effective clinical trials for this aggressive subtype. We postulated that elevated expression of Forkhead Box transcription factor C1 (FOXC1) is a simple and accurate diagnostic biomarker for BLBC. Methods: Accuracy of FOXC1 expression in identifying BLBC was compared with the PAM50 gene expression panel in gene expression microarray (GEM) (n = 1992) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (n = 349) datasets. A FOXC1-based immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was developed and assessed in 96 archival formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded (FFPE) breast cancer samples that also underwent PAM50 profiling. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: A FOXC1-based two-tier assay (IHC +/- qRT-PCR) accurately identified BLBC (AUC = 0.88) in an independent cohort of FFPE samples, validating the accuracy of FOXC1-defined BLBC in GEM (AUC = 0.90) and qRT-PCR (AUC = 0.88) studies, when compared with platform-specific PAM50-defined BLBC. The hazard ratio (HR) for disease-specific survival in patients having FOXC1-defined BLBC was 1.71 (95% CI = 1.31 to 2.23, P < .001), comparable to PAM50 assay-defined BLBC (HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.40 to 2.17, P < .001). FOXC1 expression also predicted the development of brain metastasis. Importantly, unlike triple-negative or Core Basal IHC definitions, a FOXC1-based definition is able to identify BLBC in both ER+ and HER2+ patients. Conclusion: A FOXC1-based two-tier assay, by virtue of being rapid, simple, accurate, and cost-effective may emerge as the diagnostic assay of choice for BLBC. Such a test could substantially improve clinical trial enrichment of BLBC patients and accelerate the identification of effective chemotherapeutic options for this aggressive disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diagnosis of basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) remains a bottleneck to conducting effective clinical trials for this aggressive subtype. We postulated that elevated expression of Forkhead Box transcription factor C1 (FOXC1) is a simple and accurate diagnostic biomarker for BLBC. Methods: Accuracy of FOXC1 expression in identifying BLBC was compared with the PAM50 gene expression panel in gene expression microarray (GEM) (n = 1992) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (n = 349) datasets. A FOXC1-based immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was developed and assessed in 96 archival formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded (FFPE) breast cancer samples that also underwent PAM50 profiling. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: A FOXC1-based two-tier assay (IHC +/- qRT-PCR) accurately identified BLBC (AUC = 0.88) in an independent cohort of FFPE samples, validating the accuracy of FOXC1-defined BLBC in GEM (AUC = 0.90) and qRT-PCR (AUC = 0.88) studies, when compared with platform-specific PAM50-defined BLBC. The hazard ratio (HR) for disease-specific survival in patients having FOXC1-defined BLBC was 1.71 (95% CI = 1.31 to 2.23, P < .001), comparable to PAM50 assay-defined BLBC (HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.40 to 2.17, P < .001). FOXC1 expression also predicted the development of brain metastasis. Importantly, unlike triple-negative or Core Basal IHC definitions, a FOXC1-based definition is able to identify BLBC in both ER+ and HER2+ patients. Conclusion: A FOXC1-based two-tier assay, by virtue of being rapid, simple, accurate, and cost-effective may emerge as the diagnostic assay of choice for BLBC. Such a test could substantially improve clinical trial enrichment of BLBC patients and accelerate the identification of effective chemotherapeutic options for this aggressive disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]