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Casing treatment has been used to enhance the stability of axial-flow compressor by extending the stall margin; it also induces strong interaction with compressor blades, as demonstrated in the open literature. Revealing the mechanism of this interaction is a key to fully exploit the potential of the stability-enhancing capability of casing treatment without efficiency penalty. For this purpose, an integrated optimization design of rotor and axial slot casing treatment is implemented for a low-speed axial-flow compressor, and the stall margin is increased by 10.89% without penalty on the peak efficiency. Through detailed analysis, two important driving factors for the improvement of stall margin are illustrated: the suction effect that decreases the axial momentum of tip leakage flow, and the injection effect that increases the axial momentum of main flow. Meanwhile, it is found that the combination of forward-deflection axial slot casing treatment and forward-sweep rotor can maximize the enhancement of the momentum exchange, thereby adequately reducing the blockage region induced by tip leakage flow. More specially, the stator is then redesigned based on the matching mechanism between the stator and rotor with axial slot casing treatment in a stage. This redesign can considerably reduce entropy generation and flow separation in the passage and achieve an improvement of 0.87% in efficiency. The results hence demonstrate the superiority of integrated design of axial slot casing treatment and blades in improving both stall margin and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclophilin A regulates the biological behavior of placental trophoblast cells in severe preeclampsia by regulating oxygen inducible factor (hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha) signal pathway. JEG3 cell line was selected and randomly divided into control group (minimum essential medium 1 l containing 10 % fetal bovine serum) (group A), low dose group (cyclophilin A protein concentration was 1 pg/ml) (group B) and high dose group (cyclophilin A protein concentration was 3 pg/ml) (group C). The apoptosis of JEG3 cells was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling method, the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta messenger ribonucleic acid in JEG3 cells was detected by quantitative read-time polymerase chain reaction method, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3, caspase-3, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1, p53 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha protein was detected by Western bolting. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay showed that the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta in group B and group C were raised than those in group A, and the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta increased with the increase of cyclophilin A concentration. Western blotting detection showed that the cleaved caspase-3 expression level of JEG3 cells in group B and C was raised than that in group A, and increased with the increase of concentration, while the expression of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 in group C was raised than that in group A. The levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha in JEG3 cells were higher in both the group B and C compared to the group A, and they further increased with the rise in concentration. Cyclophilin A can promote inflammation by increasing the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6 and interleukin-1 beta in trophoblasts, and accelerate the apoptosis of trophoblasts by activating caspase-3 pathway, which is an important pathogenic factor of preeclampsia. This mechanism may be related to the regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha signal pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the outcome of nutritional intervention in child health care on infant growth and disease prevention. Methods: It was a retrospective study. Ninty-two infants who received child health intervention in The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from September 2020 to June 2022 were selected as the research objects. According to the random number table method, they were divided into control group (46 cases, routine health intervention) and observation group (46 cases, nutritional intervention based on the control group) using the sealed envelope system. The growth and development, nutritional diseases and guardian satisfaction of the two groups were compared. Results: The scores of the observation group were higher than those of the control group in gross motor, fine motor, language and individual-social aspects. The total incidence of nutritional diseases in the observation group (2.17%) was lower than that in the control group (17.39%); In terms of total satisfaction rate, the observation group (100.00%) was higher than the control group (86.96%), with a statistical difference (P<0.05). Conclusion: Applying nutrition intervention to child health care plays an important role in maintaining the healthy growth and development of infants and reducing the incidence of nutritional diseases such as anemia and rickets. It needs to be promoted in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Ultra-) deep oil and gas reservoirs are the focus of attention in oil and gas exploration and development, with the characteristics of (ultra-) high temperature. There are problems such as fast acid-rock reaction rate and severe corrosion. Compared with ubiquitous acid systems (e.g. HCl, gelling acid, foam acid, etc.), self-generating acids achieve slow acidification and low corrosion by adding a reaction process, that is, controls the dissociation rate of H+. Therefore, self-generating acid was systematically investigated to provide a reference base for researchers interested in high temperature reservoirs acidizing stimulation. According to the type of product, it is subdivided into self-generating hydrochloric acid, self-generating organic acid, self-generating hydrofluoric acid and composite self-generating acid, and reviewed them specifically. However, existing research mainly focuses on the system development, lacking systematic literature reports on acidogenic mechanism. And it has not formed a set of systematic evaluation criteria. After investigation, it is considered that self-generating acid acidogenic mechanism includes nucleophilic substitution reaction and hydrolysis reaction. The authors suggest that factors such as acidogenic capacity, retarded performance and corrosion inhibition performance should be considered to evaluate self-generating acid systems, and more detailed evaluation indicators need to be further studied. After comparing and analyzing application conditions, results have shown composite self-generating acid has superior performance (applicable temperature up to 200°C, acidogenic capacity up to 4.8 mol/L) and accord with the likely future development trends in oil and gas resource exploitation. Thus, great efforts should be made to improve and optimize the performance of composite self-generating acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a member of the enteroviruses, coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) has been a major cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) since 2008. It can infect both pediatric and adult populations, often leading to atypical HFMD. The host innate immune system plays a vital role in the development of enteroviral infections. However, the interplay between the host antiviral response and CV-A6 has not been well investigated. In the present study, we demonstrated that the 2C protein from CV-A6 (2CCV-A6) suppresses interferon beta (IFN-ß) production in HEK293T cells. Further results indicated that 2CCV-A6 interacts with both melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) and retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and induces the degradation of these RNA sensors through proteases in the lysosomal pathway. This function also applies to 2C proteins from enterovirus A71 (2CEV-A71) and coxsackievirus B3 (2CCV-B3) but not CV-A16 2C (2CCV-A16) for its incompetence in MDA5 and RIG-I recognition. Partial depletion and amino acid substitution analyses indicated that the F28A, V75A, and I96V mutations significantly compromised 2CCV-A6-induced MDA5/RIG-I depletion. Surprisingly, unlike V75A and I96V that interrupt the 2CCV-A6-MDA5/RIG-I interaction, 2CCV-A6 F28A remained competent in MDA5/RIG-I binding, suggesting that the interaction alone is not sufficient for 2C-mediated reduction. Additional tests indicated that CV-A6 viruses containing the 2C F28A mutation were less efficient in IFN-ß suppression, which is associated with compromised viral replication and release in infected rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells, suggesting that 2C-mediated immune regulation plays a vital role in enteroviral replication. Taken together, our data reveal a novel mechanism by which enteroviral 2C proteins antagonize the host innate antiviral immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which explores how interleukin (IL)-6/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)/Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) axis mediates heart-liver cross-talk after myocardial infarction . It mentions the protective role of liver in myocardial infarction.

This study optimised the conditions for ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of defatted wheat germ protein (WGP) and evaluated its effect on the functional properties. Single-factor and orthogonal experiment designs were combined to optimise the UAE extraction condition. The extraction of WGP reached the highest level, at 88.66%, with a solid : liquid ratio of 1 : 25 g·mL-1, pH value of 9.0, ultrasonic time of 10 min, and ultrasonic power at 400 W. Under these conditions, albumin, globulin, prolamin, and glutenin accounted for 32.26, 28.52, 5.42, and 22.40% of total protein, respectively. In addition, this study compared the functional properties of WGP extracted by UAE with the results based on a commercially available soy protein (SP) isolate (SPI). The UAE of WGP had better oil absorption, foaming, and emulsifying properties. Therefore, UAE is a promising technique for food protein extraction because it can change the protein efficiencies and properties of the extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mantle plume rich in gold is considered to be important for the formation of giant epigenetic gold deposits. The Youjiang basin, SW China, is the world's second largest Carlin-type gold province, but the ultimate source of its gold remains enigmatic. In this study, we report that the Middle-Late Permian basaltic rocks in the basin are rich in native gold grains. These gold grains are scattered in the interstices of pyrite and marcasite and in the amorphous silica cavities. Mineralogy and S-Pb isotope geochemistry of the auriferous sulfides suggest that the gold was largely derived from the gold-rich Late Permian (ca. 260 Ma) Emeishan plume and was released to a near-surface volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) metallogenic system, where it accumulated. The native gold grains from the basalts may have been inherited by the younger (ca. 140 Ma) Carlin-type ores in the Youjiang basin, which are indicative of gold pre-enrichment in the basin. Our study highlights that golden plume upwelling could carry abundant gold into the upper crust, even into shallow-level metallogenic systems, and thus provides an alternative view on the source of gold in the Youjiang basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a cross-flow plate-fin heat exchanger with offset fins is optimized by considering the effects of flow maldistribution for air side. For this purpose, the study is focused on an increase in the rate of heat transfer, which can be achieved by using non-equally fin structure. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the thermodynamic characteristics of the non-equally full-size plate-fin heat exchanger by using the porous media approach. Based on the numerical model, flow distribution, total heat rate and pressure drop of the plate-fin heat exchanger are studied. A asymmetric structure with heat transfer enhancement is presented in this study. After comparing numerical predictions of the total heat transfer rate and the pressure drop under various Reynolds number. It is observed that, the percentages of increase in effectiveness for the final non-equally structure are in the range of 2.5-6.2% and the pressure drop remains almost constant in the cases of air inlet velocity fixed at 9.5627 m/s. The increasing asymmetric structure is numerically verified to improve the flow distribution of the plate-fin heat exchanger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of axial-slot casing treatment (ASCT) on the performance and unsteady tip region flow are experimentally and numerically investigated in a highly-loaded mixed-flow compressor. The total pressure ratio, stall margin, and efficiency of the compressor are improved with ASCT. Static wall pressure was measured using unsteady pressure taps installed on the casing to identify the stall inception and resolve the tip region flow. The compressor stalls through spike-stall inception with the spillage of tip leakage flow (TLF). FFT analysis of dynamic pressure data shows that unsteady tip clearance flow (TCF) characterized by a frequency band of 0.4-0.6 blade passing frequency exists for both cases with and without ASCT. The addition of ASCT alleviates fluctuating amplitude of TCF in the blade passage but enhances oscillating strength of the main flow located upstream of blade leading-edge. Time-averaged solutions of unsteady simulations indicate that ASCT suppresses the spillage of TLF through suction and injection effects. However, flow separation located downstream of slots is enlarged by ASCT, which is attributed to the increased blade tip load. To reveal the underlying mechanisms, the tip flow field was further studied at various time instants. The fluids with high enthalpy are injected from slots and then divided into two parts by the rotor blade. One part of the fluids attaches on blade pressure side causing the local high static pressure spot, which leads to the increment of pressure loading at blade tip. The other part interacts with TLF periodically, thus pushing it into passage and delaying rotating stall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic structures of two-dimensional (2D) InSe monolayers doped with group II and IV elements. The results show that substituting Mg, Ca, Ge, and Sn for indium clearly modifies the electronic and magnetic properties of InSe monolayers and that these substitutions should be easily achieved in a Se-rich environment. Mg- and Cadoped InSe monolayers develop deep acceptor states and magnetism, whereas substituting Ge and Sn for In induces shallow donor impurity states in these monolayers. Furthermore, the results show that substituting Sn for In provides effective n-type carriers in the InSe monolayer because of the low formation energy and transition level (~61.10meV). These results should be helpful for related experimental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced three-dimensional (3D) scanning technology has been widely used in many industries to collect the massive point cloud data of artifacts for part dimension measurement and shape analysis. Though point cloud data has product surface quality information, it is challenging to conduct effective surface anomaly classification due to the complex data representation, high-dimensionality, and inconsistent size of the 3D point cloud data within each sample. To deal with these challenges, this paper proposes a tensor voting-based approach for anomaly classification of artifact surfaces. A case study based on 3D scanned data obtained from a manufacturing plant shows the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore clinical and nursing efficacy of clopidogrel combined with oxiracetam in the treatment of patients with cerebral infarction. Selected 162 patients with cerebral infarction in our hospital from March 2018 to December 2020. Divided those who were treated with routine nursing as Group A (n=70) and the other was treated with individualized symptomatic nursing as Group B (n=92). Compared with both groups after treatment with different nursing methods on activities of daily living scores, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scores, hospital stay, clinical efficacy, nursing satisfaction, nursing quality compliance rate and nursing adverse events. The general clinical baseline data of both groups had no difference (p>0.05). Activities of daily living scores and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scores of both groups after different nursing methods were remarkably different (p<0.05). The length of hospital stay of Group B had a remarkably shorter time compared with Group A. The clinical efficacy, nursing satisfaction and nursing quality compliance rate of Group B were better than Group A. Nursing adverse event rate of Group B was lower than Group A. Comparison of both groups had significant difference, which possessed statistical significance (p<0.05). Treated patients with cerebral infarction by clopidogrel combined with oxiracetam, after individualized symptomatic nursing intervention, the clinical efficacy, patient satisfaction and nursing compliance rate have been improved to a certain extent. At the same time, it can reduce length of stay and improve the post-treatment ability of daily living and neurological deficit function. Individualized symptomatic care for clinical management of patients with cerebral infarction has important clinical significance and is worthy wide spreading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous retrotransposons are considered the "molecular fossils" of ancient retroviral insertions. Several studies have indicated that host factors restrict both retroviruses and retrotransposons through different mechanisms. Type 1 long interspersed elements (LINE-1 or L1) are the only active retroelements that can replicate autonomously in the human genome. A recent study reported that LINE-1 retrotransposition is potently suppressed by BST2, a host restriction factor that prevents viral release mainly by physically tethering enveloped virions (such as HIV) to the surface of producer cells. However, no endoplasmic membrane structure has been associated with LINE-1 replication, suggesting that BST2 may utilize a distinct mechanism to suppress LINE-1. In this study, we showed that BST2 is a potent LINE-1 suppressor. Further investigations suggested that BST2 reduces the promoter activity of LINE-1 59 untranslated region (UTR) and lowers the levels of LINE-1 RNA, proteins, and events during LINE-1 retrotransposition. Surprisingly, although BST2 apparently uses different mechanisms against HIV and LINE-1, two membrane-associated domains that are essential for BST2-mediated HIV tethering also proved important for BST2-induced inhibition of LINE-1 59 UTR. Additionally, by suppressing LINE-1, BST2 prevented LINE-1-induced genomic DNA damage and innate immune activation. Taken together, our data uncovered the mechanism of BST2-mediated LINE-1 suppression and revealed new roles of BST2 as a promoter regulator, genome stabilizer, and innate immune suppressor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor calculation efficiency is a major issue in the investigation of time-domain aerodynamics of turbomachinery bladings by fluid–structure coupling. In this work, a numerical methodology for 3D time-domain fluid–structure coupling analysis was carried out to investigate aerodynamic stability of blades. Based on an assumptive gross elastic structure, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mesh-deformation is generated effectively, while the structural response is calculated using a modal approach. Accuracy of the method is validated by the traditional two-way fluid–structure interaction (FSI) approach on ANSYS Workbench and the literature, while computational efficiency is improved notably. The flutter boundary of the compressor at rotating speeds ranging from 100% to 80% was performed. When the flow rate is low enough, the second-order modal response is more likely to run into surge than the first-order modal response. The aerodynamic characteristics of the blades on two interblade phase angles (IBPAs) were also studied. The results indicate a much more significant increase in aerodynamic stability at 180° IBPA than that at 0° IBPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a ship assembly process, a large number of compliant parts are involved. The ratio of the part thickness to the length or the width is typically 0.001-0.012. Fixture design is a critical task in the ship assembly process due to its impact on the deformation and dimensional variation of the compliant parts. In current practice, fixtures are typically uniformly distributed under the part to be assembled, which is non-optimal, and large dimensional gaps may occur during assembly. This paper proposed a methodology for the optimal design of the fixture layout in the ship assembly process by systematically integrating direct stiffness method and simulated annealing algorithm, which aims to minimize dimensional gaps along the assembly interface to further improve the quality and efficiency of seam welding. The case study shows that the proposed method significantly reduced the dimensional gaps of the compliant curved panel parts in a ship assembly process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a ship assembly process, a large number of compliant parts are involved. The ratio of the part thickness to the length or the width is typically 0.001-0.012. Fixture design is a critical task in the ship assembly process due to its impact on the deformation and dimensional variation of the compliant parts. In current practice, fixtures are typically uniformly distributed under the part to be assembled, which is non-optimal, and large dimensional gaps may occur during assembly. This paper proposed a methodology for the optimal design of the fixture layout in the ship assembly process by systematically integrating direct stiffness method and simulated annealing algorithm, which aims to minimize dimensional gaps along the assembly interface to further improve the quality and efficiency of seam welding. The case study shows that the proposed method significantly reduced the dimensional gaps of the compliant curved panel parts in a ship assembly process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the paper is to propose a new method to achieve separating periodic impulse signal among multi-component mixture signal and its application to the fault detection of rolling bearing. In general, as local defects occur in a rotating machinery, the vibration signal always consists of periodic impulse components along with other components such as harmonic component and noise; impulse component reflects the condition of rolling bearing. However, different components of multi-component mixture signal may approximately have same center frequency and bandwidth coincides with each other that is difficult to disentangle by linear frequency-based filtering. In order to solve this problem, the author introduces a proposed method based on resonance-based sparse signal decomposition integrated with empirical mode decomposition and demodulation that can separate the impulse component from the signal, according to the different Q -factors of impulse component and harmonic component. Simulation and application examples have proved the effectiveness of the method to achieve fault detection of rolling bearing and signal preprocessing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the distribution of nosocomial infection pathogens in severe patients in emergency department and its effect on serum inflammatory reaction. 270 severe patients treated in our emergency department from January 2017 to September 2018 were selected and were divided into an infection group (180 cases) and a non-infection group (90 cases) according to whether they had been infected. Another 90 healthy people who came to our hospital for physical examination were selected as a control group. The distribution of infectious pathogens in patients was analyzed by retrospectively analyzing all clinical data, the univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were adopted to analyze the clinical factors infecting the patients, and the ELISA method was used to test the levels of serum inflammatory factors [IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), hypersensitive C-reactive protein, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). 180 pathogens were separated from 180 severe patients in emergency department, including 107 Gram-negative bacteria (59.44%) and 73 Gram-positive bacteria (40.56%). The results of the univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, length of stay, clinical invasive treatment and use of antibiotics were significantly related to nosocomial infections. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, length of stay, clinical invasive treatment and excessive use of antibiotics could be risk factors for nosocomial infection. Serum levels of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-a, hs-CRP and TGF-beta of the patients in the infection group were significantly higher than those in the non-infection and control groups, of which the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Gram-negative bacteria are main pathogens of nosocomial infection in severe patients in emergency department and are closely related to the age, length of stay, invasive treatment and excessive use of antibiotics of the patients. Therefore, it is required to improve the concept of preventing nosocomial infections and reduce the use of invasive treatment and antibiotics to lower the nosocomial infection rate of severe patients in the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape control is a critical task in the composite fuselage assembly process due to the dimensional variabilities of incoming fuselages. To realize fuselage shape adjustment, actuators are used to pull or push several points on a fuselage. Given a fixed number of actuators, the locations of actuators on a fuselage will impact on the effectiveness of shape control. Thus, it is important to determine the optimal placement of actuators in the fuselage shape control problem. In current practice, the actuators are placed with equal distance along the edge of a fuselage without considering its incoming dimensional shape. Such practice has two limitations: (1) it is non-optimal and (2) larger actuator forces may be applied for some locations than needed. This paper proposes an optimal actuator placement methodology for efficient composite fuselage shape control by developing a sparse learning model and corresponding parameter estimation algorithm. The case study shows that our proposed method achieves the optimal actuator placement for shape adjustments of the composite fuselage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new corrosion inhibitor was synthesized from chloroacetyl chloride, 1,3‐propanediamine, and dodecyldimethyl tertiary amine. The structure of the synthesized product was characterized using Fourier transform infrared(FTIR). The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined from surface tension measurements. The inhibition behavior of the corrosion inhibitor for 2024 Al‐Cu‐Mg alloy was studied using the weight‐loss method and electrochemical measurements in hydrochloric acid solution. Experimental results show: The CMC is 7.767 × 10−4 mol L−1 and IE (Cpro = 1 × 10−3 mol L−1) ≈ 87.9%. The adsorption free energy is calculated to be −33.12 kJ mol−1. Therefore, the adsorption mode is more inclined to physical adsorption. When the concentration of the synthesized product is lower than the CMC, it satisfies the Langmuir adsorption model; when the concentration is higher than the CMC, it no longer follows the Langmuir adsorption model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal conversion of phytoremediation plant waste into biochar was performed as a safe approach for organic waste management. In this work, a promising phytoremediation plant-Silphium perfoliatum L. was pyrolyzed for biochar production at 350, 550 and 750 °C. The long-term leaching risk of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in the derived biochars and the oxidation resistance of the biochars were investigated. The results showed that PTMs in the biochar could transform into more stable and less toxic forms with the elevated pyrolysis temperature. PTMs leaching behavior in the 350 °C biochar was considerably sensitive to the leaching while that in the 750 °C biochar was not affected. The biochar produced at a higher temperature possessed a greater oxidation resistance with little amount of C loss, and the stronger oxidation resistance would prevent the release of metals bound to the organic matter. The findings of this study demonstrated that high-temperature pyrolysis was able to reduce the potential risk of PTMs and ensure carbon stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic guidance of agricultural vehicles requires automatic execution of operation commands received from the navigation controller by using electronically controlled mechanisms for wheel steering, speed changing and work implementing. Automatic steering contributes as a prerequisite technique in automatic and semi-automatic agricultural navigation. This research aimed to develop an electric automatic steering system that was compact in its structure and integrated into original steering mechanism in a simply and convenient way for aftermarket modification. A brushless motor and reducer assembly was utilized to provide an adequate steering torque instead of manual maneuver. A rapid assembling approach was proposed by passing the steering shaft through the hollow output shaft. A digital proportional-integral-differential (PID) algorithm was implemented to calculate the rotation speeds and directions by comparing the desired angle and the actual angle, which was implemented in a printed circuit board with a microcontroller unit (MCU) and interface chips. An unmanned wheeled tractor was applied as test platform to integrate the newly developed electric automatic steering system. Tests were conducted to evaluate its performance in terms of stability and responsiveness. An autonomous navigation system guided the tractor along target paths in the field by sending steering commands to the electric automatic steering system. The results show that the steering angle error was less than 0.81° when desired steering angle was less than 10°. The lateral error difference was no more than 4.76 cm when repeating following the same target path, which indicated that the electric automatic steering system responded accurately and robustly to steering commands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global ocean oxygen levels have declined in the past decades, posing threats to marine life and human society. High-quality and bias-free observations are crucial to understanding the ocean oxygen changes and assessing their impact. Here, we propose a new automated quality control procedure for ocean profile oxygen data. This procedure consists of a suite of nine quality checks, with outlier rejection thresholds being defined based on underlying statistics of the data. The procedure is applied to three main instrumentation types: bottle casts, CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) casts, and Argo profiling floats. Application of the quality control procedure to several manually quality-controlled datasets of good quality suggests the ability of the scheme to successfully identify outliers in the data. Collocated quality-controlled oxygen profiles obtained utilizing the Winkler titration method are used as unbiased references to estimate possible residual biases in the oxygen sensor data. The residual bias is negligible for electrochemical sensors typically used on CTD casts. We explain this as the consequence of adjusting to the concurrent sample Winkler data. However, our analysis finds a prevailing negative residual bias for the delayed-mode qualitycontrolled adjusted Argo profiling floats varying from -4 to -1 µmol kg-1 among the data adjusted by different Argo data assembly centers (DACs). The respective overall DAC-specific corrections are suggested. Applying the new QC procedure and bias adjustment resulted in a new global ocean oxygen dataset from 1920 to 2022 with consistent data quality across bottle samples, CTD casts, and Argo floats. The adjusted Argo profile data is available at the Marine Science Data Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Gouretski et al., 2023, http://dx.doi.org/10.12157/IOCAS.20231208.001) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice transplanting requires the operator manipulate the rice transplanter in straight trajectories. Various markers are proposed to help experienced drivers in keeping straightforward and parallel to the previous path, which are extremely boring in terms of large-scale fields. The objective of this research was to develop an autonomous navigation system that automatically guided a rice transplanter working along predetermined paths in the field. The rice transplanter used in this research was commercially available and originally manually-operated. An automatic manipulating system was developed instead of manual functions including steering, stop, going forward and reverse. A sensor fusion algorithm was adopted to integrate measurements of the Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and calculate the absolute moving direction under the UTM coordinate system. A headland turning control method was proposed to ensure a robust turning process considering that the rice transplanter featured a small turning radius and a relatively large slip rate at extreme steering angles. Experiments were designed and conducted to verify the performance of the newly developed autonomous navigation system. Results showed that both lateral and heading errors were less than 8 cm and 3 degrees, respectively, in terms of following straight paths. And headland turns were robustly executed according to the required pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Significance of platelet distribution width (PDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) in assessing disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unclear. This study was aimed to evaluate PDW and MPV as potential disease activity markers in adult SLE patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 204 study participants, including 91 SLE patients and 113 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, were selected in this cross-sectional study. They were classified into three groups: control group (n = 113), active SLE group (n = 54), and inactive SLE group (n = 37). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were analyzed. Results: In patient group, PDW was statistically higher than that in control group (13.54 ± 2.67 vs. 12.65 ± 2.34, P = 0.012), and in active group, PDW was significantly increased compared to inactive group (14.31 ± 2.90 vs. 12.25 ± 1.55, P < 0.001). However, MPV was significantly lower in SLE group than in control group (10.74 ± 0.94 vs. 11.09 ± 1.14, P = 0.016). PDW was positively correlated with SLE disease activity index (P < 0.001, r = 0.529) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.002, r = 0.321) and negatively correlated with C3 (P < 0.001, r = -0.419). However, there was no significant association between MPV and these study variables. A PDW level of 11.85% was determined as a predictive cutoff value of SLE diagnosis (sensitivity 76.9%, specificity 42.5%) and 13.65% as cutoff of active stage (sensitivity 52.6%, specificity 85.3%). Conclusion: This study first associates a higher PDW level with an increased SLE activity, suggesting PDW as a novel indicator to monitor the activity of SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through first-principles calculations we study the electronic structures and optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) Sn1-xTi(Zr)xS2 alloys. The results indicate that the band gap value of Sn1-xTi(Zr)xS2 alloys is decreased continuously when Ti(Zr) concentration is increased, which is very beneficial to optoelectronic devices applications. Moreover, the static dielectric constant is increased when the Ti(Zr) concentration is increased in the 2D Sn1-xTi(Zr)xS2 alloys. In addition, we also calculate the imaginary part ε2(ω) dispersion of Sn1-xTi(Zr)xS2 alloys along the plane with different Ti(Zr) concentrations. The threshold energy values decrease with increasing Ti(Zr) concentrations in the Sn1-xTi(Zr)xS2 ternary alloys. Moreover, the calculations of formation energy also indicate that these 2D alloys can be fabricated under some experimental conditions. These results suggest that Ti(Zr) substituting Sn atom is an efficient way to tune the band gap and optical properties of 2D SnS2 nanosheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the study was focused on a double flow plate-fin heat exchanger (PFHE) whose heat transfer element was offset staggered fin. Numerical simulations have been carried out to investigate the thermodynamic characteristics of a full-size PFHE via the porous media approach. Based on the numerical model, the effects of the dynamic viscosity and the locations of the inlet and outlet tubes on flow distribution and pressure drop of the PFHE were studied. The results showed that flow distribution of the PFHE was improved by increasing the dynamic viscosity. Therefore, the relationship between flow distribution and pressure drop was analyzed under various inlet velocity, and a correlation among flow distribution, pressure drop, and Reynolds number was derived. Finally, the middle-based strategy was proposed and numerically verified to improve flow distribution of the PFHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type I IFN production and signaling in macrophages play critical roles in innate immune responses. High salt (i.e. high concentrations of NaCl) has been proposed to be an important environmental factor that influences immune responses in multiple ways. However, it remains unknown whether high salt regulates type I IFN production and signaling in macrophages. Here, we demonstrated that high salt promoted IFNβ production and its signaling in both human and mouse macrophages, and consequentially primed macrophages for strengthened immune sensing and signaling when challenged with viruses or viral nucleic acid analogues. Using both pharmacological inhibitors and RNA interference we showed that these effects of high salt on IFNβ signaling were mediated by the p38 MAPK/ATF2/AP1 signaling pathway. Consistently, high salt increased resistance to vesicle stomatitis virus (VSV) infection in vitro. In vivo data indicated that a high-salt diet protected mice from lethal VSV infection. Taken together, these results identify high salt as a crucial regulator of type I IFN production and signaling, shedding important new light on the regulation of innate immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of vinyl epoxides with α,β-unsaturated ketones, the single activated electron-deficient alkenes, has been achieved under Pd-catalysis in excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. The utilities of the protocol are demonstrated by transformation of the products into other useful chiral molecules. Density functional theory calculations rationalize the stereocontrol of the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was aimed at investigating whether metformin can reverse the resistance of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin and exploring the underlying mechanism.Methods: Ovarian cancer cell proliferation in vitro was evaluated using a CCK-8 assay. The resistance index of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells was determined and cell cycle and apoptosis rate determined by annexin V/propidium iodide double-staining in CP70 cells. Western blotting was used to determine IGF1, IGF1R, AKT, p-IGF1, p-IGF1R, p-AKT, and MRP2 levels in cells treated with different concentrations of metformin and LY29400, an inhibitor of the insulin-like growth factor pathway. Changes in gene expression levels of MRP2, IGF1, IGF1R, and AKT were determined by fluorescence real-time quantitative PCR assay of CP70 cells treated with metformin. Tumors of human ovarian cancer cell lines CP70 and A2780 were established by subcutaneous transplantation of cells in nude mice and the effect of metformin on MRP2 expression and tumor inhibition assessed.Results: The IC50 value of cisplatin in CP70 cells decreased significantly as metformin concentration increased (P < 0.05). The cell cycle distribution in CP70 cells changed with metformin treatment; the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase, as well as the natural apoptosis rate was significantly increased with metformin treatment (P < 0.05). IGF1, IGF1R, AKT p-IGF1, p-IGF1R, and p-Akt protein expression was enhanced dose-dependently with metformin, and was also significantly changed by treatment of CP70 cells with 0 mM metformin +10 mM LY294002. Moreover, changes in the expression of MRP2, IGF1, IGF1R, and AKT was metformin-concentration dependent, and was significantly different from that in the untreated control group (P < 0.05). In nude mice, the tumor volumes of the cisplatin-treated groups were significantly less than in the control group, and was further suppressed by co-treatment with cisplatin and metformin (P < 0.05), indicating that these 2 drugs had a synergistic effect on tumor inhibition.Conclusion: Metformin can improve the sensitivity of ovarian cancer CP70 cells to cisplatin in a concentration-dependent manner by activating the AKT signaling pathway, inhibiting the IGF1R signaling pathway, and reducing MRP2 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ACI) has been demonstrated to be a promising cancer therapeutic; however, the inefficient migration of adoptive immune cells to tumors is one of the rate-limiting factors of ACI. The present study investigated whether 2 Gy low dose irradiation (LDI) was able to increase the migration of adoptive lymphocytes to gastric cancer cells. Treatment with 2 Gy LDI resulted in marked chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9) and CXCL10 production from gastric cancer cell lines. A Transwell chamber migration assay demonstrated enhanced transmigration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes to gastric cancer cells following LDI treatment. After 2 Gy LDI application to established gastric carcinoma in nude mice, labeled immune cells were infused by intravenous injection and concentrated fluorescence signals were observed at the tumor sites within the mice, with a peak signal at 8-h LDI. Increased numbers of adoptive T cells at the tumor sites were also observed using flow cytometry. Furthermore, a case study of a patient with metastatic gastric cancer who had received ACI treatment combined with 2 Gy LDI provided further evidence that 2 Gy LDI is able to recruit antitumor effector T cells to tumor sites. Therefore, the ability of 2 Gy LDI to convert tumors into inflamed peripheral tissues may be exploited to overcome obstacles at the effector phase of the antitumor immune response and improve the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) is deemed to be the most potentially useful material for CO2 adsorption due to its rich porous structure, large specific surface area, and stable chemical properties. Herein, HPC with high CO2 adsorption capacity has been prepared using waste chrysanthemum tea as a carbon precursor via simple ZnCl2 activation followed by the annealing process. N2 adsorptiondesorption isotherms revealed that both the activation temperature and the ZnCl2/precursor ratio are important to form high specific surface area and abundant pores. Scanning electron microscopy images, X-ray diffraction, and Raman analysis showed that the HPC possessed a rich porous structure, attributing to amorphous carbon. Serving as an adsorbent for CO2, the HPC materials showed a maximum CO2 adsorption capacity of 3.8mmol g-1 at 25 °C under atmospheric pressure and a remarkable reusability of 90.8% retention after 20 adsorption/regeneration cycles. Overall, the waste chrysanthemum tea derived HPC showed promising application in CO2 capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of threaded pipe connections is one of the key quality characteristics of drill pipes, risers, and pipelines. This quality characteristic is evaluated mainly by a pair of critical points, which are corresponding to the mechanical deformations formed in the pipe connection process. However, these points are difficult to detect because of nonlinear patterns generated by latent process factors in torque signals, which conceal the true critical points. To address this problem, we propose a novel three-phase state-space model that incorporates physical interpretations of connection process to detect pairwise critical points. We also develop a two-stage recursive particle filter to estimate the locations of the underlying critical points. Results of a real threaded pipe connection case show that the detection performance of the proposed method is more powerful than that of other existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several fundamental concepts with respect to the second-law analysis (SLA) of the turbulent flows in gas turbines are discussed in this study. Entropy and exergy equations for compressible/incompressible flows in a rotating/non-rotating frame have been derived. The exergy transformation efficiency of a gas turbine as well as the exergy transformation number for a single process step have been proposed. The exergy transformation number will indicate the overall performance of a single process in a gas turbine, including the local irreversible losses in it and its contribution to the exergy obtained the combustion chamber. A more general formula for calculating local entropy generation rate densities is suggested. A test case of a compressor cascade has been employed to demonstrate the application of the developed concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo residue was treated with an active oxygen (O2) and solid alkali (MgO) (CAOSA) process, which was developed recently by the authors owing to its environmentally friendly and high-efficiency characteristics. During the cooking process, 93.0% of lignin and 62.1% of hemicellulose were removed from the raw material, which resulted in a cellulose-rich pulp. This indicated that this cooking process is efficient to fractionate the bamboo residue into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin as a pretreatment for biomass conversion. The structural features of the hemicellulose from the pretreated bamboo residue were analyzed for comparison with that of the raw materials. The molecular structure of the hemicellulose fractions obtained from both the raw bamboo and pulp consisted of a (1→4)-β-DXylp backbone substituted with α-L-Araf and 4-O-methyl-α-D-glucuronic acid. The hemicellulose with more side chains tended to be more easily removed from the bamboo cell wall during the CAOSA process. Furthermore, the fractions of hemicellulose exhibited much lower thermal stabilities after the cooking process than the raw material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the gene expression networks controlling soybean seed set and size, transcriptome analyses were performed in three early seed developmental stages, using two genotypes with contrasting seed size. The two-dimensional data set provides a comprehensive and systems-level view on dynamic gene expression networks underpinning soybean seed set and subsequent development. Using pairwise comparisons and weighted gene coexpression network analyses, we identified modules of coexpressed genes and hub genes for each module. Of particular importance are the discoveries of specific modules for the large seed size variety and for seed developmental stages. A large number of candidate regulators for seed size, including those involved in hormonal signaling pathways and transcription factors, were transiently and specifically induced in the early developmental stages. The soybean homologs of a brassinosteroid signaling receptor kinase, a brassinosteroid-signaling kinase, were identified as hub genes operating in the seed coat network in the early seed maturation stage. Overexpression of a candidate seed size regulatory gene, GmCYP78A5, in transgenic soybean resulted in increased seed size and seed weight. Together, these analyses identified a large number of potential key regulators controlling soybean seed set, seed size, and, consequently, yield potential, thereby providing new insights into the molecular networks underlying soybean seed development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To investigate the relationships among blood glucose, mixed saliva glucose, and parotid glucose in type 2 diabetes patients and to evaluate the diagnostic and monitoring value of salivary gland glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes (type 2DM). Material and Methods. Thirty patients with type 2DM and 30 healthy age- and sex-matched individuals were included in this study. Glucose levels in unstimulated mixed saliva and in unstimulated parotid saliva were measured by the glucose oxidase peroxidase method. Results. The blood glucose and parotid salivary glucose levels in type 2DM patients were significantly higher than those in the controls (P < 0.05). The blood glucose, parotid salivary glucose, and mixed salivary glucose were 7.46 ± 1.44 mmol/L, 0.18 ± 0.19 mmol/L, and 3.17 × 10-2 ± 2.84 × 10-2 mmol/L, respectively, in the type 2DM group; the corresponding glucose levels in the control group were 5.56 ± 0.71 mmol/L, 7.70 × 10-2 ± 6.02 × 10-2 mmol/L, and 3.47 × 10-2 ± 2.79 × 10-2 mmol/L. The parotid salivary and blood glucose levels in type 2DM patients were strongly correlated; the linear regression equation for blood glucose and parotid salivary glucose was Y = 6.267X + 6.360, with r = 0.810. However, mixed salivary glucose levels were not significantly different in the type 2 diabetes group compared with the control group. Conclusion. Our results suggest that parotid salivary glucose has potential as a biomarker to monitor type 2DM and as a painless, noninvasive method for the management of type 2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great attention has been attached to the quality of nursing along with the development of medical treatment, which gives rise to the higher demand for colleges to cultivate high-quality nursing students, as well as the higher standard for teaching performance of the nursing faculty. This study aimed to investigate the effect of teachers' job burnout on teaching ability among nursing teachers in Chinese colleges and to examine the mediating role of social support in this relationship based on the Person-context interaction theory. A cross-sectional descriptive design has been adopted. From February to June 2021, a total of 416 Chinese nursing teachers from 27 colleges filled out the questionnaires with a response rate of 97.42%. The questionnaire included general demographic questionnaire, teaching ability in nursing scale, teacher burnout scale and social support scale. The data were analyzed by SPSS26.0 statistical software in terms of Pearson's correlation the Structural Equation Model (SEM) was adopted to test the mediating effect of social support between job burnout and teaching ability in nursing of nursing teachers using Mplus 8.3. Job burnout of nursing teachers was negatively and significantly correlated with the teaching ability in nursing and social support (p < 0.01). And Structural Equation Model results showed that social support mediated the relationship between teacher burnout and teaching ability in nursing. Social support could help nursing teachers manage their job burnout, and eventually help them overcome the negative impact of teachers' job burnout on teaching ability in nursing. Social support could promote the teaching ability of nursing teachers by playing an intermediary role between them. Practice points The teaching ability of nursing teachers is related to the cultivation of nursing students and it is particularly important to attach importance to and improve their teaching ability in practical teaching. Person-context interaction theory provide a favorable theoretical framework to explore how variables such as individual factors (teacher job burnout) and external factors (social support) affect nursing teachers' teaching ability. Nursing teachers' job burnout can affect their teaching ability, which requires attention from educators. Social support plays a mediating role between teachers' job burnout and teaching ability, and educators should attach importance to the role of social support. To help nursing educators in colleges overcome the negative effects of job burnout, we should fully utilize the role of social support and develop their ability in nursing teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary plugging and diverting fracturing technology is of utmost importance in stimulating fractured reservoirs. However, studies investigating the mechanisms of new fracture initiation and propagation during far-field temporary plugging and diverting fracturing have been scarce, and the optimal technique parameters are still unknown. To address this issue, a two-dimensional fracturing model is developed via the finite element method in this work, which simulates the temporary plugging effect using the equivalent viscosity temporary blockage method and the unrestrained growth of hydraulic fractures by globally embedding the cohesive element of zero-thickness. Then, some key parameters for far-field temporary plugging and diverting fracturing in fractured reservoirs are discussed and some interesting insights are given. Firstly, a lower-permeability plugging zone expedites the pressure increase within the fracture, thereby boosting the probability of achieving temporary plugging and diverting fracturing. The size of the plugging zone significantly impacts the pressure increase within the fracture. Secondly, the plugging position should be determined considering the density and arrangement of natural fractures in the layer, and the temporary plugging construction should be performed after maximizing the elongation of initial hydraulic fracture. Thirdly, an increase in fluid viscosity and injection displacement promotes the pressure rise inside the fracture. Nonetheless, the impact of injection displacement on temporary plugging and diverting fracturing surpasses that of fluid viscosity. Overall, the established model can inform the design of temporary plugging and diverting fracturing in fractured reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Propofol is a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptor (GABAAR) and has potent antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of propofol on damage to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in a lithium chloride (LiCl)- pilocarpine animal model of status epilepticus (SE). Materials and methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were injected with LiCl-pilocarpine to induce SE. They were then randomized and injected 30 min later with vehicle saline (SE+saline), propofol (SE+PPF, 50 mg/kg), Diazepam (SE+DZP, 10 mg/kg), Scopolamine (SE+SCOP, 10 mg/kg), or MK-801 (SE+MK-801, 2 mg/kg). Another group of rats received saline only and served as the naïve control (BLK). The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum, cortex and hippocampus were analyzed 2 and 24 h posttreatment. The degree of tissue damage in the cortex and hippocampus of individual rats was assessed 24 h posttreatment, together with expression of the GABAAR a1 subunit. Results: The propofol group showed reduced levels of tissue damage in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, decreased levels of MDA, and increased levels of GSH compared to the SE+saline group. No changes in SOD level were observed in serum and tissue samples from the cortex and hippocampus of SE+saline rats. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot assays showed that propofol treatment significantly increased the expression of GABAAR a1 subunit in the cortical and hippocampal tissues of SE rats. Conclusion: Propofol treatment protected against SE-induced tissue injury in the cortex and hippocampus of rats. This was due at least in part to its antioxidant activity and to its induction of GABAAR a1 subunit expression in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, gene expression profiles were analyzed to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma (GNCA). A gene expression dataset (accession number GSE29272) was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus, and consisted of 62 GCA samples and 62 normal controls, as well as 72 GNCA samples and 72 normal controls. The two groups of differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were compared to obtain common and unique DEGs. A differential analysis was performed using the Linear Models for Microarray Data package in R. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted for the DEGs using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed for the DEGs with information from the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes. Subnetworks were extracted from the whole network with Cytoscape. Compared with the control, 284 and 268 genes were differentially-expressed in GCA and GNCA, respectively, of which 194 DEGs were common between GCA and GNCA. Common DEGs [e.g., claudin (CLDN)7, CLDN4 and CLDN3] were associated with cell adhesion and digestion. GCA-unique DEGs [e.g., MAD1 mitotic arrest deficient like 1, cyclin (CCN)B1, CCNB2 and CCNE1] were associated with the cell cycle and the regulation of cell proliferation, while GNCA-unique DEGs (e.g., GATA binding protein 6 and hyaluronoglucosaminidase 1) were implicated in cell death. A PPI network with 141 nodes and 446 edges were obtained, from which two subnetworks were extracted. Genes [e.g., fibronectin 1, collagen type I α2 chain (COL1A2) and COL1A1] from the two subnetworks were implicated in extracellular matrix organization. These common DEGs could advance our understanding of the etiology of gastric cancer, while the unique DEGs in GCA and GNCA could better define the properties of specific cancers and provide potential biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis or therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a gastric cancer cell line treated with celecoxib. The human gastric carcinoma cell line NCI-N87 was treated with 15 µM celecoxib for 72 h (celecoxib group) and an equal volume of dimethylsulfoxide (control group), respectively. Libraries were constructed by NEBNext Ultra RNA Library Prep kit for Illumina. Paired-end RNA sequencing reads were aligned to a human hg19 reference genome using TopHat2. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and lncRNAs were identified using Cuffdiff. Enrichment analysis was performed using GO-function package and KEGG profile in Bioconductor. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING database and module analysis was performed using ClusterONE plugin of Cytoscape. ATP5G1, ATP5G3, COX8A, CYC1, NDUFS3, UQCRC1, UQCRC2 and UQCRFS1 were enriched in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL5 and CXCL8 were enriched in the chemokine signaling and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathways. ITGA3, ITGA6, ITGB4, ITGB5, ITGB6 and ITGB8 were enriched in the integrin-mediated signaling pathway. DEGs co-expressed with lnc-SCD-1:13, lnc-LRR1-1:2, lnc-PTMS-1:3, lnc-S100P-3:1, lnc-AP000974.1-1:1 and lnc-RAB3IL1-2:1 were enriched in the pathways associated with cancer, such as the basal cell carcinoma pathway in cancer. In conclusion, these DEGs and differentially expressed lncRNAs may be important in the celecoxib treatment of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon entry into host cells, intracellular bacterial pathogens establish a variety of replicative niches. Although some remodel phagosomes, others rapidly escape into the cytosol of infected cells. Little is currently known regarding how professional intracytoplasmic pathogens, including Shigella, mediate phagosomal escape. Shigella, like many other Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, uses a type III secretion system to deliver multiple proteins, referred to as effectors, into host cells. Here, using an innovative reductionist-based approach, we demonstrate that the introduction of a functional Shigella type III secretion system, but none of its effectors, into a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli is sufficient to promote the efficient vacuole lysis and escape of themodified bacteria into the cytosol of epithelial cells. This establishes for the first time, to our knowledge, a direct physiologic role for the Shigella type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) in mediating phagosomal escape. Furthermore, although protein components of the T3SA share a moderate degree of structural and functional conservation across bacterial species, we show that vacuole lysis is not a common feature of T3SA, as an effectorless strain of Yersinia remains confined to phagosomes. Additionally, by exploiting the functional interchangeability of the translocator components of the T3SA of Shigella, Salmonella, and Chromobacterium, we demonstrate that a single protein component of the T3SA translocon--Shigella IpaC, Salmonella SipC, or Chromobacterium CipC--determines the fate of intracellular pathogens within both epithelial cells and macrophages. Thus, these findings have identified a likely paradigm by which the replicative niche of many intracellular bacterial pathogens is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphoepithelioma-like gastric carcinoma (LELC) is a type of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer, characterized by the presence of a lymphoid stroma with cells arranged primarily in microalveolar, thin trabecular and primitive tubular patterns, or isolated cells. In situ hybridization is usually used to confirm the presence of EBV. LELC is a rare type of cancer, with an incidence of 1-4% among all gastric cancers. Despite its rarity, this tumor has attracted attention due to its distinct clinicopathological characteristics and its association with the immune system. This is the report of a rare case of gastric LELC located in the lesser curvature of the gastric body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is a member of the TNF superfamily that preferentially induces apoptosis in cancer cells while exhibiting little or no toxicity in normal cells. In this study, we evaluated the clinicopathological significance of TRAIL signalling members' expression profiles in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Methods TRAIL, DR5, caspase-8 and cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) protein expression was investigated in 72 stage IA2-IIIA CSCC patients using immunohistochemistry. Correlation between protein expression and clinicopathological features, radiotherapy response and survival was statistically analysed. Results Positive c-FLIP expression was an independent negative indicator for disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.015) in multivariate Cox regression analysis. The DR5 nuclear positive group (p=0.069 by log rank test) showed some advantage of radiotherapy for overall survival (OS) compared with the DR5 nuclear negative cohort (p=0.568 by log rank test). In addition, loss of TRAIL expression was associated with worse differentiation (p=0.004), while absence of caspase-8 staining was more frequently observed in cases with lymphovascular invasion ( p=0.035). Conclusions High c-FLIP expression is shown to be an independent prognostic variable, DR5 nuclear expression may serve as a predictive biomarker for radiotherapy, and TRAIL as well as caspase-8 loss may be associated with malignant progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionarily conserved Notch signaling is highly sensitive to changes in Notch receptor dose caused by intrinsic and environmental fluctuations. It is well known that epigenetic regulation responds dynamically to genetic, cellular and environmental stresses. However, it is unclear whether the Notch receptor dose is directly regulated at the epigenetic level. Here, by studying the role of the upstream epigenetic regulator Stuxnet (Stx) in Drosophila developmental signaling, we find that Stx promotes Notch receptor mRNA expression by counteracting the activity of Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). In addition, we provide evidence that Notch is a direct PRC1 target by identifying and validating in vivo the only bona fide Polycomb response element (PRE) among the seven Polycomb group (PcG)-binding sites revealed by DamID-seq and ChIP-seq analysis. Importantly, in situ deletion of this PRE results in increased Notch expression and phenotypes resembling Notch hyperactivation in cell fate specification. These results not only underscore the importance of epigenetic regulation in fine-tuning the Notch activity dose, but also the need to assess the physiological significance of omics-based PcG binding in development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant cellulose synthases (CesAs) form a family of membrane proteins that are associated with hexagonal structures in the plasma membrane called CesA complexes (CSCs). It has been difficult to purify plant CesA proteins for biochemical and structural studies. We describe CesA activity in a membrane protein preparation isolated from protoplasts of Physcomitrella patens overexpressing haemagglutinin (HA)-tagged PpCesA5. Incubating the membrane preparation with UDP-glucose predominantly produced cellulose. Negative-stain EM revealed microfibrils. Cellulase bound to and degraded these microfibrils. Vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopic analysis detected the presence of crystalline cellulose in the microfibrils. Putative CesA proteins were frequently observed attached to the microfibril ends. Combined cross-linking and gradient centrifugation showed bundles of cellulose microfibrils with larger particle aggregates, possibly CSCs. These results suggest that P. patens is a useful model system for biochemical and structural characterization of plant CSCs and their components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) gene is a well-defined tumor suppressor linked to human heredity cancer syndromes. As a component of the VHL-elongin B/C E3 ligase complex, pVHL performs its tumor function by targeting proteins for proteasomal degradation. It is largely unknown whether pVHL functions in antiviral immunity. In this article, we identify that pVHL negatively regulates innate antiviral immunity, which acts mainly by inducing degradation of mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS, also known as Cardif, IPS-1, or VISA). Overexpression of pVHL abrogated the cellular response to viral infection, whereas knockdown of pVHL exerted the opposite effect. pVHL targeted the K420 residue of MAVS to catalyze the formation of K48-linked polyubiquitin chains, leading to proteasomal degradation of MAVS. After viral infection, Mavs levels remained low in wild type zebrafish embryos but became much higher in vhl-deficient (vhl-/-) zebrafish embryos. Higher MAVS levels correlated with a greatly exaggerated antiviral response. In this work, we demonstrate that pVHL exhibits a previously unknown role in innate antiviral immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]