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DREB is a plant-specific transcription factor family that plays a pleiotropic regulatory role in response to abiotic stresses such as drought and cold. In this study, we identified 51 DREB genes of Camellia oleifera. These CoDREBs ranged from 88 to 518 amino acids (average/median 259/237 aa). The predicted molecular weights (MW) of the CoDREB proteins ranged from 9.7 kDa to 59.6 kDa, and the isoelectric points (pI) ranged from 4.62 to 10.44. A gene structure analysis showed that 43/51 (84.3%) CoDREBs were intronless, and the number of exons varied from one to three. Then, we focused on the response of CoDREB genes in terms of plant drought and cold acclimation. Under short-/long-term drought stress, CoDREB1.2/4.1/4.4/4.8/4.12/4.15/5.1/5.3/5.5/6.2 have different regulations in response to long-term drought response, and CoDREB1.4/2.5/4.6/4.1/6.3/6.5 specifically in the short term. Additionally, in response to mild/severe drought and followed by recovery, we found that CoDREBs may be involved in a complex drought-responsive regulatory network. Under cold stress, CoDREB5.2 and CoDREB6.5 are significantly up-regulated, and CoDREB may participate in the regulation of the low-temperature response of C. oleifera.

Mitophagy is a type of autophagy that can selectively eliminate damaged and depolarized mitochondria to maintain mitochondrial activity and cellular homeostasis. Several pathways have been found to participate in different steps of mitophagy. Mitophagy plays a significant role in the homeostasis and physiological function of vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and macrophages, and is involved in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). At present, many medications and natural chemicals have been shown to alter mitophagy and slow the progression of AS. This review serves as an introduction to the field of mitophagy for researchers interested in targeting this pathway as part of a potential AS management strategy.

This Letter reports two kinds of oxygen-containing plasma treated β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), including N2O plasma treatment and O2 plasma treatment, and the SBD without plasma is prepared for comparison. I–V characteristics, breakdown characteristics, and trap state characteristics of three devices have been studied. It is found that the turn-on voltage of SBDs with N2O plasma can reduce to 0.6 V, and the better current density of 750 A/cm2 and an on-resistance of 3.5 mΩ cm2 are obtained after the N2O plasma treatment. Moreover, the breakdown voltage of SBDs with N2O plasma is 50.2% higher than the conventional one, whose value reaches 323 V. In addition, the trap states' characteristics of the devices are studied, which show that the oxygen-containing plasma can reduce the deep level trap states density partly in the anode region, which can improve the surface quality effectively.

Background Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is positively associated with all-cause readmission in patients with heart failure (HF) in western countries. However, there is a scarcity of strong scientific evidence supporting the correlation in China. This study aimed at testing this hypothesis in Chinese. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of 1,946 patients with HF in Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital in China between December 2016 to June 2019. Logistic regression models were used to study the hypotheses, with adjustments for the four regression models. We also explore the linear trend and possible nonlinear relationship between CCI and readmission within six months. We further conducted subgroup analysis and tests for interaction to examine the possible interaction between CCI and the endpoint. Additionally, CCI alone and several combinations of variables based on CCI were used to predict the endpoint. Under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were reported to evaluate the performance of the predicted model. Results In the adjusted II model, CCI was an independent prognostic factor for readmission within six months in patients with HF (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03–1.26, P = 0.011). Trend tests revealed that there was a significant linear trend for the association. A nonlinear association was identified between them and the inflection point of CCI was 1. Subgroup analyses and tests for interaction indicated that cystatin played an interactive role in the association. ROC analysis indicated neither CCI alone nor combinations of variables based on CCI were adequate for prediction. Conclusion CCI was independently positively correlated with readmission within six months in patients with HF in Chinese population. However, CCI has limited value on predicting readmission within six months in patients with HF.

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop a deep-learning based detection and diagnosis technique for carotid atherosclerosis using a portable freehand 3D ultrasound (US) imaging system. Methods: A total of 127 3D carotid artery datasets were acquired using a portable 3D US imaging system. A U-Net segmentation network was firstly applied to extract the carotid artery on 2D transverse frame, then a novel 3D reconstruction algorithm using fast dot projection (FDP) method with position regularization was proposed to reconstruct the carotid artery volume. Furthermore, a convolutional neural network was used to classify the healthy case and diseased case qualitatively. 3D volume analysis including longitudinal reprojection algorithm and stenosis grade measurement algorithm was developed to obtain the clinical metrics quantitatively. Results: The proposed system achieved sensitivity of 0.714, specificity of 0.851 and accuracy of 0.803 respectively in diagnosis of carotid atherosclerosis. The automatically measured stenosis grade illustrated good correlation (r=0.762) with the experienced expert measurement. Conclusion: the developed technique based on 3D US imaging can be applied to the automatic diagnosis of carotid atherosclerosis. Significance: The proposed deep-learning based technique was specially designed for a portable 3D freehand US system, which can provide carotid atherosclerosis examination more conveniently and decrease the dependence on clinician's experience.

Background Albumin (ALB) levels are negatively associated with mortality in patients with sepsis. However, among sepsis patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), there has been no similar study on the correlation between ALB levels and mortality alone. This study tested the hypothesis that ALB levels are negatively associated with mortality among such patients. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of 794 septic patients who were diagnosed with AKI and underwent CRRT in South Korea. For the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards models were used to study the hypotheses, with adjustments for the pertinent covariables. We also explore the possible nonlinear relationship and conducted sensitivity analyses including subgroup analyses and tests for interactions to investigate the association further. Additionally, ALB was used to construct model and we then compared the performance of ALB with that of APACHE II and SOFA in predicting mortality. Results The ALB level was an independent prognostic factor for death at 28 and 90 days after CRRT initiation (HR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.62–0.90, P = 0.0024 for death at 28 days and HR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.63–0.86, P 3 and CRP played an interactive role in the association. ROC analysis indicated ALB, SOFA and APACHE-II were separately inadequate for clinical applications. Conclusion A 1 g/dL increase in ALB levels was independently associated with a 25 and 27% decrease in the risk of death at 28 and 90 days, respectively. However, this conclusion needs to be taken with caution as this study has several limitations.

Alfalfa represents one of the most important legume forages, and it is also applied as an organic fertilizer to improve soil quality. However, this perennial plant is native to warmer temperate regions, and its valuable cold-acclimation-related regulatory mechanisms are still less known. In higher plants, the bHLH transcription factors play pleiotropic regulatory roles in response to abiotic stresses. The recently released whole genome sequencing data of alfalfa allowed us to identify 469 MsbHLHs by multi-step homolog search. Herein, we primarily identified 65 MsbHLH genes that significantly upregulated under cold stress, and such bHLHs were classified into six clades according to their expression patterns. Interestingly, the phylogenetic analysis and conserved motif screening of the cold-induced MsbHLHs showed that the expression pattern is relatively varied in each bHLH subfamily, this result indicating that the 65 MsbHLHs may be involved in a complex cold-responsive regulatory network. Hence, we analyzed the TFBSs at promoter regions that unraveled a relatively conserved TFBS distribution with genes exhibiting similar expression patterns. Eventually, to verify the core components involved in long-term cold acclimation, we examined transcriptome data from a freezing-tolerant species (cv. Zhaodong) in the field and compared the expression of cold-sensitive/tolerant subspecies of alfalfa, giving 11 bHLH as candidates, which could be important for further cold-tolerance enhancement and molecular breeding through genetic engineering in alfalfa.

Background Heart failure (HF) is one of the most prevalent diseases in China and worldwide with poor prognosis. A prognostic model for predicting readmission for patients with HF could greatly facilitate risk stratification and timely identify high-risk patients. Various HF prediction models have been developed worldwide; however, there is few prognostic models for HF among Chinese populations. Thus, we developed and tested an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)model for predicting 90-day readmission for patients with HF. Methods Clinical data for 1,532 HF patients retrospectively admitted to Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital in Sichuan Province from December 2016 to June 2019 were used to develop and test two prognostic models: XGBoost and logistic models. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method was applied to filter variables and select predictors. The XGBoost model tuning was performed in a 10-fold cross validation and tuned models were validated in test set (7:3 random split). The performance of the XGBoost model was assessed by accuracy (ACC), kappa, area under curve (AUC) and other metrics, and was compared with that of the logistic model. Results systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, type of HF, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, total cholesterol were screened out as predictors through LASSO regression. In training set, we optimized four major parameters, max depth, eta, nrounds and early stopping rounds with optimal values of 6, 0.5, 1000 and 5 for XGBoost. In test set, we obtained a ACC of 0.99 with kappa of 0.98 and the AUC, sensitivity and specificity achieved were of 1.00, 1.00 and 0.99 in the XGBoost model, which has significantly higher prediction performance than the logistic model. Conclusion The XGBoost model developed in our study had excellent prediction performance in test set and the model can contribute to the assessment of 90-day readmission risk for patients with HF in Chinese population.

We will assess hypothalamic microstructure in children with and without obesity enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging technique diffusion basis spectrum imaging (DBSI). Detailed project description and proposed study design are registered here.

Dehydration-responsive element-binding proteins (DREBs) belong to members of the AP2/ERF transcription factor superfamily, which has been reported to involve various abiotic-stress responses and tolerance in plants. However, research on the

In this study, the homojunction thin-film transistors (TFTs) with amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) as active channel layers and source/drain electrodes were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of oxygen partial pressure on the phase, microstructure, optical and electrical properties of IGZO thin films was investigated. The results showed that amorphous IGZO thin films always exhibit a high transmittance above 90% and wide band gaps of around 3.9 eV. The resistivity increases as the IGZO thin films are deposited at a higher oxygen partial pressure due to the depletion of oxygen vacancies. In addition, the electrical behaviors in homojunction IGZO TFTs were analyzed. When the active channel layers were deposited with an oxygen partial pressure of 1.96%, the homojunction IGZO TFTs exhibited optimal transfer and output characteristics with a field-effect mobility of 13.68 cm2 V−1 s−1. Its sub-threshold swing, threshold voltage and on/off ratio are 0.6 V/decade, 0.61 V and 107, respectively.

To improve the wear resistance, toughness, and hardness of alloy, the quenching and partitioning (Q&P) technology was applied in the VC particulate (VCp) reinforced wear-resistant alloys, which were prepared by adding different Mn contents (2–5 wt%). The effects of partitioning time on the distribution of alloying elements shown by EDX mapping, retained austenite fraction, microstructure, macro-hardness, and impact toughness were investigated. The results showed that the effect of carbon partitioning time on the hard phase of the wear-resistant alloy was not significant. However, the carbon partitioning time greatly affected the microstructure and the mechanical properties of alloys, such as retained austenite, hardness, and impact toughness, and there was also a strong correlation with the Mn content. When the Mn content was lower (2.51 wt%), the retained austenite content increased with the carbon partitioning time, which resulted in decreased hardness and increased impact toughness. However, when the Mn content was higher (4.52 wt%), the opposite results occurred. This study provided an application of the Q&P technology in a VCp-reinforced wear-resistant alloy.

In arc-ion plating, the droplets ejected from the cathodic target inevitably contaminate the coating with macro-particles (MPs), causing defects that usually reduce the mechanical properties of the...

Many plants grown with low-millimolar concentration of NH4 + as a sole nitrogen source develop NH4 + -toxicity symptoms. To date, crucial molecular identities and a practical approach involved in the improvement of plant NH4 + -tolerance remain largely unknown. By phenotyping of upland cotton grown on varied nitrogen forms, we came across a phenomenon that caused sub-millimolar concentrations of urea (e.g., up 50 μM) to repress the growth inhibition of roots and whole plant cultivated in a NH4 + -containing nutrient solution. A growth-recovery assay revealed that the relief in NH4 + -inhibited growth required only a short-term exposure (≧12 h) of the roots to urea, implying that urea could elicit an internal signaling and be involved in antagonizing NH4 + -sensitivity. Intriguingly, split-root experiments demonstrated that low urea occurrence in one root-half could efficaciously stimulate not only supplied root but also the root-half grown in NH4 + -solution without urea, indicating the existence of urea-triggered local and systemic long-distance signaling. In the split-root experiment we also observed high arginase activity, strong arginine reduction and remarkable upregulation of polyamine biosynthesis-related genes (ADC1/2, SPDS and SPMS). Therefore, we suggest that external urea might serve as an effective cue (signal molecule) in an arginine-/polyamine-related process for ameliorating NH4 + -suppressed root growth, providing a novel aspect for deeper exploring and understanding plant NH4 + -tolerance.

Background Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is positively associated with readmission in patients with heart failure (HF) in western countries. However, there is a scarcity of strong scientific evidence supporting the correlation in China. This study aimed at testing this hypothesis among patients with HF in China. Methods We conducted an analysis of 2,003 patients with HF in Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital in China between December 2016 to June 2019. Logistic regression models were used to study the hypotheses, with adjustments for the four regression models. We also explore the linear trend and possible nonlinear relationship between CCI and the endpoints. Additionally, CCI alone was used to predict the readmission within six months and areas under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity and specificity and were reported to evaluate the performance of the predicted model. Results In the adjusted II model, CCI was an independent prognostic factor for readmission within six months in patients with HF (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03–1.26, P = 0.0127). Trend tests revealed that there was a significant linear trend for the association. A nonlinear association was identified between them and the inflection point of CCI was 1. ROC analysis indicated CCI alone were inadequate for prediction with low AUC, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion CCI was independently positively correlated with readmission within six months in patients with HF in Chinese population. However, CCI alone has limited value on predicting readmission within six months in patients with HF.

The pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is complex and remains unclear. Nucleus pulposus stem cells (NPSCs) and annulus fibrosus cells (AFCs) play a critical role in the maintenance of intervertebral disc structure and function. Exosome-mediated miRNAs regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and degradation. However, it is not clear whether the degenerative intervertebral disc-derived nucleus pulposus stem cells (D-NPSCs) can regulate the function of AFCs by delivering exosomes. Here, we show that exosomes secreted by nucleus pulposus stem cells derived from degenerative intervertebral disc (D-DPSC-exo) can exacerbate AFC degeneration via inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, matrix synthesis, and promoting apoptosis. Specifically, let-7b-5p was highly expressed in D-DPSC-exo. Transfection of let-7b-5p mimic was found to promote apoptosis and inhibit proliferation migration and matrix synthesis of AFCs. In addition, transfection with let-7b-5p inhibitor caused the effect of D-DPSC-exo on AFCs to be reversed. Furthermore, we found that D-DPSC-exo and let-7b-5p inhibited IGF1R expression and blocked the activation of the PI3K–Akt pathway. Results suggested that NPSC-exo exacerbated cell degeneration of AFCs via let-7b-5p, accompanied by inhibition of IGF1R expression, and PI3K–Akt pathway activation. Therefore, insights from this work may provide a clue for targeted molecular therapy of intervertebral disc degeneration.

We consider using the preconditioned-Krylov subspace method to solve the system of linear equations with a three-by-three block structure. By making use of the three-by-three block structure, eight inexact block factorization preconditioners, which can be put into a same theoretical analysis frame, are proposed based on a kind of inexact factorization. By generalizing Bendixson Theorem and developing a unified technique of spectral equivalence, the bounds of the real and imaginary parts of eigenvalues of the preconditioned matrices are obtained. The comparison to eleven existed exact and inexact preconditioners shows that three of the proposed preconditioners can lead to high-speed and effective preconditioned-GMRES in most tests.

Previous researches demonstrate that mean arterial pressure (MAP) is associated with major cardiovascular events, but there are few research on the correlation between MAP and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (BaPWV). Thus, the present study is designated to examine the association between MAP and BaPWV. Our study is a cross-sectional study in Japanese. They participated in a medical check-up program which included BaPWV and standardized questionnaires. The main measurements include systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, BaPWV, ankle-brachial index (ABI), fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography, etc. It needs to be emphasized that Fukuda et al. finished the study and their data are used for secondary analysis. MAP is positively related with BaPWV [effect size = 10.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.2-11.6] after adjusting age, sex, BMI, smoking status, alcohol consumption, exercise, glutamyltranspeptidase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), fatty liver, fasting-blood glucose, uric acid, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and ABI. The nonlinear association is identified between MAP and BaPWV whose inflection point is 94 mmHg. The effect size and 95% CI on the bilateral sides of the inflection point are 8.0 (4.4-11.6) and 14.8 (12.5-17.1), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicates that MAP has a more significantly positive association with BaPWV in ex-smokers, old people (age ≥60), and participants with lower HDL (

To better understand the stress-corrosion behavior of friction stir welding (FSW), the effects of the microstructure on the stress-corrosion behavior of the FSW in a 2198-T34 aluminum alloy were investigated. The experimental results show that the low-angle grain boundary (LABs) of the stir zone (SZ) of FSW is significantly less than that of heated affected zone (HAZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and parent materials (PM), but the grain boundary precipitates (GBPs) T1 (Al2CuLi) were less, which has a slight effect on the stress corrosion. The dislocation density in SZ was greater than that in other regions. The residual stress in SZ was +67 MPa, which is greater than that in the TMAZ. The residual stress in the HAZ and PM is −8 MPa and −32 MPa, respectively, and both compressive stresses. The corrosion potential in SZ is obviously less than that in other regions. However, micro-cracks were formed in the SZ at low strain rate, which indicates that the grain boundary characters and GBPs have no significant effect on the crack initiation in the stress-corrosion process of the AA2198-T34. Nevertheless, the residual tensile stress has significant effect on the crack initiation during the stress-corrosion process.

To study the pharmacological mechanism of Guanxin II formula (冠心II号方) for treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD). A network pharmacology-based method was utilized. First candidate compounds, targets of GX II were collected using PharmMapper, BATMAN-TCM, DrugBank and SwissTargetPrediction, and targets on CHD were mined from GeneCards, DisGenet, DrugBank and GEO. Afterwards, the big hub compounds and targets were chosen in the candidate compounds-direct therapeutic targets on the CHD (C-T) network and the direct therapeutic targets on the CHD (T-D) network. Furthermore, the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis were performed to identify the enriched terms. Finally, a molecular docking simulation strategy was adopted to verify the binding capacity between the big hub compounds and big hub targets on CHD. First, 114 candidate compounds were selected with the following criteria: OB⩾30%, DL⩾0.18, and HL ⩾4 h. Then, 1,035 targets of GX II were gathered, while 928 targets on CHD were collected. Afterwards, 196 common targets of compound targets and therapeutic targets on CHD were defined as direct therapeutic targets acting on CHD. In addition, the contribution index (CI) in the C-T network was calculated, and 4 centrality properties, including degree, betweenness, closeness and coreness, in the T-D network, 4 big hub compounds, and 6 big hub targets were eventually chosen. Furthermore, the GO and KEGG analysis indicated that GX II acted on CHD by regulating the reactive oxygen species metabolism, steroid metabolism, lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The docking results manifested excellent binding capacity between the 4 big hub compounds and 6 big hub targets on CHD. This network pharmacology-based exploration revealed that GX II might prevent and inhibit the primary pathological processes of CHD.

To evaluate the effect of baicalin on subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats and explore the potential mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent experimental SAH and received treatment with baicalin at 10 or 50 mg/kg after 2 and 12 h of SAH. Neurological scores, brain water content, Evans-blue extravasation, and levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured 24 h after SAH. Expression of nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), aquaporin 4 (AQP4), occludin, and zonulaoccludens-1 (ZO-1) were detected in the brain by Western blot. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Baicalin attenuated EBI 24 h after SAH in rats (P

The wear resistance of iron (Fe)-matrix materials could be improved through the in situ formation of vanadium carbide particles (VCp) with high hardness. However, brittleness and low impact toughness limit their application in several industries due to addition of higher carbon content. Carbon-partitioning treatment plays an important role in tuning the microstructure and mechanical properties of in situ VCp-reinforced Fe-matrix composite. In this study, the influences of carbon-partitioning temperatures and times on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of in situ VCp-reinforced Fe-matrix composite were investigated. The experimental results indicated that a certain amount of retained austenite could be stabilized at room temperature through the carbon-partitioning treatment. Microhardness of in situ VCp-reinforced Fematrix composite under carbon-partitioning treatment could be decreased, but impact toughness was improved accordingly when wear resistance was enhanced. In addition, the enhancement of wear resistance could be attributed to transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect, and phase transformation was caused from γ-Fe (face-centered cubic structure, fcc) to α-Fe (body-centered cubic structure, bcc) under a certain load.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate neurological damage in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). This study aimed to investigate the biological roles of lncRNA CEBPA-AS1 in CIRI. Middle cerebral artery occlusion and ischemia-reperfusion injury (MCAO/IR) rat model and oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R) cell lines were generated; the expression of CEBPA-AS1 was evaluated by qRT-PCR. The effects of CEBPA-AS1 on cell apoptosis and nerve damage were examined. The downstream microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA of CEBPA-AS1 were predicted and verified. We found that overexpression of CEBPA-AS1 could attenuate MCAO/IR-induced nerve damage and neuronal apoptosis in the rat model. Knockdown of CEBPA-AS1 aggravated cell apoptosis and enhanced the production of LDH and MDA in the OGD/R cells. Upon examining the molecular mechanisms, we found that CEBPA-AS1 stimulated APPL1 expression by combining with miR-340-5p, thereby regulating the APPL1/LKB1/AMPK pathway. In the rescue experiments, CEBPA-AS1 overexpression was found to attenuate OGD/R-induced cell apoptosis and MCAO/IR induced nerve damage, while miR-340-5p reversed these effects of CEBPA-AS1. In conclusion, CEBPA-AS1 could decrease CIRI by sponging miR-340-5, regulating the APPL1/LKB1/AMPK pathway.

Polyamine(s) (PA, PAs), a sort of N-containing and polycationic compound synthesized in almost all organisms, has been recently paid considerable attention due to its multifarious actions in the potent modulation of plant growth, development, and response to abiotic/biotic stresses. PAs in cells/tissues occur mainly in free or (non- or) conjugated forms by binding to various molecules including DNA/RNA, proteins, and (membrane-)phospholipids, thus regulating diverse molecular and cellular processes as shown mostly in animals. Although many studies have reported that an increase in internal PA may be beneficial to plant growth under abiotic conditions, leading to a suggestion of improving plant stress adaption by the elevation of endogenous PA via supply or molecular engineering of its biosynthesis, such achievements focus mainly on PA homeostasis/metabolism rather than PA-mediated molecular/cellular signaling cascades. In this study, to advance our understanding of PA biological actions important for plant stress acclimation, we gathered some significant research data to succinctly describe and discuss, in general, PA synthesis/catabolism, as well as PA as an internal ameliorator to regulate stress adaptions. Particularly, for the recently uncovered phenomenon of urea-antagonized NH4+-stress, from a molecular and physiological perspective, we rationally proposed the possibility of the existence of PA-facilitated signal transduction pathways in plant tolerance to NH4+-stress. This may be a more interesting issue for in-depth understanding of PA-involved growth acclimation to miscellaneous stresses in future studies.

To determine whether Schisandrin B (Sch B) attenuates early brain injury (EBI) in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham (sham operation), SAH, SAH+vehicle, and SAH+Sch B groups using a random number table. Rats underwent SAH by endovascular perforation and received Sch B (100 mg/kg) or normal saline after 2 and 12 h of SAH. SAH grading, neurological scores, brain water content, Evan's blue extravasation, and terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining were carried out 24 h after SAH. Immunofluorescent staining was performed to detect the expressions of ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the rat brain, while the expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bax, Caspase-3, nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated specklike protein containing the caspase-1 activator domain (ASC), Caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-18 in the rat brains were detected by Western blot.Compared with the SAH group, Sch B significantly improved the neurological function, reduced brain water content, Evan's blue content, and apoptotic cells number in the brain of rats (P0.05 or P0.01). Moreover, Sch B decreased SAH-induced expressions of Iba-1 and MPO (P0.01). SAH caused the elevated expressions of Bax, Caspase-3, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 in the rat brain (P0.01), all of which were inhibited by Sch B (P0.01). In addition, Sch B increased the Bcl-2 expression (P0.01).Sch B attenuated SAH-induced EBI, which might be associated with the inhibition of neuroinflammation, neuronal apoptosis, and the NLRP3 inflammatory signaling pathway.

Background: GLI-Kruppel family member 3 (GLI3), a zinc finger transcription factor of the sonic hedgehog pathway, is essential for organ development. Mutations in GLI3 cause several congenital conditions, including Pallister-Hall syndrome (PHS), which is characterized by polydactyly and hypothalamic hamartoma. Most patients are diagnosed soon after birth, and surgical removal of hypothalamic hamartoma in the very young is rarely performed because of associated risks.Case presentation: A 7-month-old boy with PHS features, including a suprasellar lesion, bifid epiglottis, tracheal diverticulum, laryngomalacia, left-handed polydactyly and syndactyly, and omental hernia was referred to our service. His suprasellar lesion was partially removed, and whole-exome sequencing was applied to the resected tumor, his peripheral blood, and blood from his parents. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of hypothalamic hamartoma, and molecular profiling revealed a likely pathogenic de novo variant, c.2331C>G (p. H777Q), in GLI3. Magnetic resonance imaging follow-up 1 year later showed some residual tumor, and the patient experienced normal development post operation.Conclusions: We presented a case of PHS that carries a novel GLI3 variant. Hypothalamic hamartoma showed a distinct genetic landscape from germline DNA. These data offer insights into the underlying etiology of hypothalamic hamartoma development in patients with PHS.

Background Albumin (ALB) levels are negatively associated with mortality in patients with sepsis. However, among sepsis patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), there has been no similar study on the correlation between ALB levels and mortality alone. This study tested the hypothesis that ALB levels are negatively associated with mortality among such patients. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of 794 patients with sepsis who were diagnosed with AKI and underwent CRRT in South Korea. For the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards models were used to study the hypotheses, with adjustments for the pertinent covariables. Results The ALB level was an independent prognostic factor for death at 28 and 90 days after CRRT initiation (HR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.62–0.90, P=0.0024 for death at 28 days and HR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.63–0.86, P3 levels (P for interaction=0.0235), and there was a significantly increased mortality at 90 days among patients with high CRP levels (P for interaction=0.0195). Conclusion A 1 g/dL increase in ALB levels was independently associated with a 25% and 27% decrease in the risk of death at 28 and 90 days, respectively. It is feasible to predict mortality using ALB levels in sepsis patients with AKI undergoing CRRT.

In this research, we demonstrate the design and manufacture of an ultrasonic transducer for medical imaging. The PZT film is used as a piezoelectric material because it has a high piezoelectric coefficient. The COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation shows that the resonant frequency of the transducer is 980 kHz, which is suitable for medical imaging. The structure of 16×16 is adopted as the array of ultrasonic transducer. Furthermore, the equivalent circuit of the device is analyzed and the experimental results show that the Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) array has a suitable resonance frequency and a higher effective electromechanical coupling coefficient, suitable for medical imaging.

Because of its high stability, good wear resistance, and high mechanical hardness, SiC is widely used in various mechanical parts as a protective film. However, there have been few reports ...

In this paper the cavitation phenomenon and bubble collapse in submerged water jet added with CTAC were studied. The cavitation simulation was based on an improved cavitation model established by introducing coefficients into traditional cavitation model. The coefficients were obtained by fitting the numerical solutions of Rayleigh-Plesset equation in which the viscosity term and surface tension term were not neglected. Cross model was also employed to express the shear-thinning character of the surfactant solution. Simulation results show that the whole cavitation intensity decreased but the scale of cavitation region increased in drag-reducer solution. The submerged water jet added with drag-reducer was less dispersed and the stagnation pressure near the wall was significantly improved. Simulation results of the bubble collapse process show that the bubble collapsed more slowly in drag-reducer solution in comparison with that in pure water. The two pressure peaks near the wall during the collapse process appeared later in drag-reducer solution and the maximum value of the pressure generated in drag-reducer solution was less than that in pure water.

A numerical study on cavitation in the centrifugal pump during the transportation of pure water and diesel is carried out. An improved cavitation model based on the Zwart–Gerber–Belamri Model is employed in the simulation. A Cash–Karp fourth–fifth order Runge–Kutta method was used to solve the original Rayleigh-Plesset equation to get the numerical solution. The effects from viscosity and surface tension on bubbles’ expansion and compression are taken into account in the improved model instead of the traditional simplification in which the bubble radius is just a function of pressure and density. The coefficients got by fitting the numerical solution are added to the constant pre-multiplier of the Zwart-Gerber-Belrami cavitation model and finally enhance the model. The vapor volume fraction was predicted to be larger in diesel compared to water. The distribution of pressure in diesel is more homogenous than that in pure water. Keywords: Pump, Cavitation, Viscosity, Surface tension, Simulation

High boron steel is prone to brittle failure due to the boride distributed in it with net-like or fishbone morphology, which limit its applications. The Quenching and Partitioning (Q&amp, P) heat treatment is a promising process to produce martensitic steel with excellent mechanical properties, especially high toughness by increasing the volume fraction of retained austensite (RA) in the martensitic matrix. In this work, the Q&amp, P heat treatment is used to improve the inherent defect of insufficient toughness of high boron steel, and the effect mechanism of this process on microstructure transformation and the change of mechanical properties of the steel has also been investigated. The high boron steel as-casted is composed of martensite, retained austensite (RA) and eutectic borides. A proper quenching and partitioning heat treatment leads to a significant change of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the steel. The net-like and fishbone-like boride is partially broken and spheroidized. The volume fraction of RA increases from 10% in the as-cast condition to 19%, and its morphology also changes from blocky to film-like. Although the macro-hardness has slightly reduced, the toughness is significantly increased up to 7.5 J·cm−2, and the wear resistance is also improved.

High boron steel is prone to brittle failure due to the boride distributed in it with net-like or fishbone morphology, which limit its applications. The Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) heat treatment is a promising process to produce martensitic steel with excellent mechanical properties, especially high toughness by increasing the volume fraction of retained austensite (RA) in the martensitic matrix. In this work, the Q&P heat treatment is used to improve the inherent defect of insufficient toughness of high boron steel, and the effect mechanism of this process on microstructure transformation and the change of mechanical properties of the steel has also been investigated. The high boron steel as-casted is composed of martensite, retained austensite (RA) and eutectic borides. A proper quenching and partitioning heat treatment leads to a significant change of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the steel. The net-like and fishbone-like boride is partially broken and spheroidized. The volume fraction of RA increases from 10% in the as-cast condition to 19%, and its morphology also changes from blocky to film-like. Although the macro-hardness has slightly reduced, the toughness is significantly increased up to 7.5 J·cm−2, and the wear resistance is also improved.

Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of frameless stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) electrode implantation in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy using the VarioGuide system. Methods The VarioGuide frameless navigation system was used to implant SEEG electrodes in patients with medically drug-resistant epilepsy. Demographic data, surgery duration, number of electrodes, and complications were retrospectively analyzed. Accuracy was compared by measuring the distance between the planned and actual electrode positions as determined by postoperative computed tomography images. Results A total of 141 SEEG electrodes were implanted in 19 patients from May 2015 to December 2018 with an average of 7.42 (range: 4–10) leads per patient. The average entry point localization error (EPLE) was 1.96 ± 0.47 mm (range: 0.32–3.29) and average target point localization error (TPLE) was 2.47 ± 0.79 mm (range: 0.72–4.83). The average operating time per lead (OTPL) was 14.16 ± 2.68 minutes (range: 8.64–21.58). No complications occurred. Conclusion The VarioGuide frameless navigation system can be an effective method for SEEG electrode implantation in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, particularly when the electrodes are concentrated in a relatively small region and the number of implanted electrodes is small.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-msj-10.1177_13524585211023345 for Characterization of multiple sclerosis neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration with relaxation and diffusion basis spectrum imaging by Irene M Vavasour, Peng Sun, Carina Graf, Jackie T Yik, Shannon H Kolind, David KB Li, Roger Tam, Ana-Luiza Sayao, Alice Schabas, Virginia Devonshire, Robert Carruthers, Anthony Traboulsee, GR Wayne Moore, Sheng-Kwei Song and Cornelia Laule in Multiple Sclerosis Journal