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This paper proposes an online monitoring and defect identification method for XLPE power cables using harmonic visualization of grounding currents. Four typical defects, including thermal aging, water ingress and dampness, insulation scratch, and excessive bending, were experimentally conducted. The AC grounding currents of the cable specimens with different defects were measured during operation. By using the chaotic synchronization system, the harmonic distortion was transformed into a 2D scatter diagram with distinctive characteristics. The relationship between the defect type and the diagram features was obtained. A YOLOv5 (you only look once v5) target recognition model was then established based on the dynamic harmonics scatter diagrams for cable defect classification and identification. The results indicated that the overall shape, distribution range, density degree, and typical lines formed by scatter aggregation can reflect the defect type effectively. The proposed method greatly reduces the difficulty of data analysis and enables rapid defect identification of XLPE power cables, which is useful for improving the reliability of the power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant-specific SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL) transcription factors play a pivotal role in various developmental processes, including leaf morphogenesis and vegetative to reproductive phase transition. Liriodendron chinense and Liriodendron tulipifera are widely used in landscaping due to their tulip-like flowers and peculiar leaves. However, the SPL gene family in Liriodendron has not been identified and systematically characterized. We systematically identified and characterized the SPL family members in Liriodendron , including phylogeny, gene structure and syntenic analyses. Subsequently, we quantified the expression patterns of LcSPLs across various tissue sites through transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays and identified the target gene, LcSPL2. Finally, we characterized the functions of LcSPL2 via ectopic transformation. Altogether, 17 LcSPL and 18 LtSPL genes were genome-widely identified in L. chinense and L. tulipifera , respectively. All the 35 SPLs were grouped into 9 clades. Both species had three SPL gene pairs arising from segmental duplication events, and the LcSPLs displayed high collinearity with the L. tulipifera genome. RT-qPCR assays showed that SPL genes were differentially expressed in different tissues, especially. Because LcSPL2 is highly expressed in pistils and leaves, it was selected to describe the SPL gene family of L. chinense by ectopic expression. We showed that overexpression of LcSPL2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in earlier flowering and fewer rosette leaves. Moreover, we observed that overexpression of LcSPL2 in A. thaliana up-regulated the expression levels of four genes related to flower development. This study identified SPL genes in Liriodendron and characterized the function of LcSPL2 in advancing flower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the abuse of antibiotics, bacterial antibiotic resistance is becoming a major public healthcare issue. Natural plants, especially traditional Chinese herbal medicines, which have antibacterial activity, are important sources for discovering potential bacteriostatic agents. This study aimed to develop a fast and reliable method for screening out antimicrobial compounds targeting the MRSA membrane from Psoralea corylifolia Linn. seed. A UPLC-MS/MS method was applied to identify the prenylated flavonoids in major fractions from the extracts of Psoralea corylifolia Linn. seed. The broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of different fractions and compounds. The morphological and ultrastructural changes of MRSA were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The membrane-targeting mechanism of the active ingredients was explored by membrane integrity assays, membrane fluidity assays, membrane potential assays, ATP, and ROS determination. We identified eight prenylated flavonoids in Psoralea corylifolia Linn. seed. The antibacterial activity and mechanism studies showed that this type of compound has a unique destructive effect on MRSA cell membranes and does not result in drug resistance. The results revealed that prenylated flavonoids in Psoralea corylifolia Linn. seeds are promising candidates for the development of novel antibiotic agents to combat MRSA-associated infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A series of mesoporous Pt@KIT−6/SAPO−11 catalysts with SiO2:Al2O3 molar ratios of 0.3, 0.4, or 0.5 and Pt loadings of 0.4, 0.8, or 1.2 wt% were prepared via an in situ encapsulation process using a PEO − PPO − PEO triblock copolymer (EO20PO70EO20, P123) as the mes. China 750001 oporous template and KIT−6 molecular sieves as the silicon source. RESULTS: These catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), specific surface area analysis, and pyridine–infrared spectroscopy (Py − IR). The results showed that Pt nanoparticles with particle sizes of 3–7 nm were uniformly dispersed on the supports. These materials also exhibited good mesoporous structures with specific surface areas of 138–197 m2/g and average pore sizes of 7.1–9.9 nm. The specimens having a SiO2:Al2O3 molar ratio of 0.4 also showed an orderly strip−shaped pore structure. The Py − IR results indicated that the catalysts had both Brønsted acid and Lewis acid sites, with total acid contents in the range of 77.8–131.1 μmol/g. CONCLUSION: The decarboxylation of oleic acid using these materials under CO2 was examined. The catalyst with a SiO2:Al2O3 molar ratio of 0.4 and a Pt loading of 0.8 exhibited the best catalytic performance and a C8 − C17 alkanes yield as high as 85.1% at 340 °C by using a catalyst−to−oil mass ratio of 1:10 and a reaction time of 5 h. This performance was attributed to the ordered mesoporous structure of this catalyst along with its high surface area (173 m2/g), good crystallinity (92.8%), suitable acid content (98.6 μmol/g), and abundant Pt metal active sites. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many films and televisions (FATs) on the Internet, but the quality is uneven. This study explores the ability of college students to screen good films and resist bad films in television works in such a large environment. In the deep learning model of FAT, the ability of college students to think about the ideas expressed and the degree of influence on college students' values are analyzed. Based on this conceptual basis, a questionnaire is designed for the intention and influencing factors of college students' FAT innovation and entrepreneurship. It reflects the influence of concentration on FAT learning, the cognitive level of deep learning, the ability to process deep learning ideas, the feeling of the teaching process, and the process of self-learning, which all positively impact college students' FAT entrepreneurial intentions. The importance of innovative deep learning is highlighted, which proves that a good deep learning course guidance method can improve students' interest and ability and provide a reference for relevant colleges and universities to cultivate pertinent talents of the field of FAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) with endothelial function and atherosclerosis degree in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus admitted and treated in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2018 were selected and randomly divided into two groups (n = 40). Patients who were definitely diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected as observation group, and individuals who received health examination and were excluded from type 2 diabetes mellitus were enrolled as control group. The diagnosed proportions of carotid plaque, Crouse scores, endothelial-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) function and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation (NMD) function of the brachial arteries in the two groups were compared. The indexes related to vascular endothelial functions [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) levels] in the two groups were detected. The correlations of Crouse score with brachial arterial FMD value, VEGF level, ET-1 level and NO level in observation group were analyzed. RESULTS: The diagnosed proportion of carotid plaque in observation group was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.05), and the Crouse score in observation group was higher than that in control group (P < 0.05). The brachial arterial FMD value in observation group was remarkably lower than that in control group (P < 0.05). Compared with control group, VEGF and ET-1 levels were significantly reduced in observation group (P < 0.05), with the statistical increase of NO level (P < 0.05). In observation group, the Crouse score was negatively correlated with the brachial arterial FMD value, VEGF level and ET-1 level, whereas positively correlated with the NO level (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data show that the carotid IMT is increased significantly among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the vascular endothelial function is impaired. Moreover, after the occurrence of atherosclerosis, we found the carotid IMT is negatively correlated with endothelial-dependent FMD, as well as levels of VEGF and ET-1, whereas shows positive correlation with the vasodilative factor NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) is a widely used organophosphate flame retardant and has biological toxicity. Previous studies showed TPHP can restrain testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, C57BL/6J male mice were exposed to 0, 5, 50, and 200 mg/kg B.W. of TPHP for 30 d by oral, as well as TM3 cells were treated with 0, 50, 100, and 200 μM of TPHP for 24 h. Results showed that TPHP induced testes damage, including spermatogenesis disorders and testosterone synthesis inhibition. Meanwhile, TPHP can cause apoptosis in testicular Leydig cells and TM3 cells, as evidenced by the increased apoptosis rate and decreased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Moreover, TPHP disrupted mitochondrial ultrastructure of testicular Leydig cells and TM3 cells, reduced healthy mitochondria content and depressed mitochondrial membrane potential of TM3 cells, as well as inhibited mitochondrial fusion proteins mitofusin 1 (Mfn1), mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), and optic atrophy 1 (Opa1) expression, without effect on mitochondrial fission proteins dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and fission 1 (Fis1) in testicular tissue and/or TM3 cells. Then, the mitochondrial fusion promoter M1 was used to pre-treat TPHP-exposed TM3 cells to determine the roles of mitochondrial fusion inhibition in TPHP-induced Leydig cells apoptosis. The results showed M1 pretreatment alleviated the above changes and further mitigated TM3 cells apoptosis and testosterone levels decreased, indicating TPHP induced TM3 cells apoptosis by inhibited mitochondrial fusion. Intriguingly, the intervention experiment of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) showed that TPHP-induced mitochondrial fusion inhibition is ROS dependent, because inhibition of ROS overproduction alleviated mitochondrial fusion inhibition, and subsequently relieved TPHP-induced apoptosis in TM3 cells. In summary, above data revealed that apoptosis is a specific mechanism for TPHP-induced male reproductive toxicity, and that ROS-mediated mitochondrial fusion inhibition is responsible for Leydig cells apoptosis caused by TPHP. [Display omitted] • TPHP induced mitochondrial damage and apoptosis in Leydig cells and TM3 cells. • ROS inhibits mitochondrial fusion, promoting TPHP-induced TM3 cells apoptosis. • Mitochondria may be a potential target for male reproductive toxicity of TPHP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) is an essential process for virus infection, such as HIV and hepatitis C, and plays a role in immune escape. However, the role of DC-SIGN in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of DC-SIGN in mediating the maturation and activation of dendritic cells (DCs) when infected by HBV. Highly mannosylated HBV particles were obtained by treating HBV-producing HepG2.2.15 cells with the a-mannosidase I-inhibitor kifunensine. Highly mannosylated HBV or wild type HBV was added to infect the DCs of the DC-SIGN gene-silencing group and normal group, respectively. Then, the expression of CDla, CD80, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR on DCs was detected by flow cytometry, the capacity of stimulating lymphocyte proliferation was tested by MTT assay, the level of IL-12p70 that was released by DCs was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of the proteins NF-κBp65 and p38 was detected by western blot. Both wild type and highly mannosylated HBV could promote DCs maturation and activation. However, the highly mannosylated HBV could promote DCs immune activation more strongly. The difference in the effect on DCs between the two types of HBV could be eliminated by DC-SIGN gene silencing. DC-SIGN can promote the maturation and activation of DCs when recognized HBV, but wild type HBV can escape recognition by DC-SIGN to a certain extent with the help of demannosylated modification, leading to defective DCs function and chronic HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photolysis behavior of a new herbicide propisochlor in water media as well as the effects of light sources, initial concentration of propisochlor, pH value, dissolved oxygen (DO) level, and salinity on the photolysis process was investigated. It was found that the relationship between initial concentration of propisochlor and its photodegradation rate was negatively correlated. The changes in acidity and alkalinity of the reaction medium influenced the photoreaction rate evidently. In the alkaline solution the degradation was accelerated. In the reaction media with different pH values, the photolysis followed the first-order kinetics. The presence of dissolved oxygen may promote the photolysis and there existed an optimum of dissolved oxygen concentrations. Increasing the DO level can weaken the promotion and even have an adverse effect. It was demonstrated that with dissolved oxygen the photodegradation of propisochlor followed the first-order kinetics equation. The addition of salt ions Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ changed the ionic strength and solvent polarity, resulting in the effect on propisochlor photolysis. The photoproducts were detected by both HPLC and GC-MS methods. It was found that photolysis products varied under different light sources. Conclusions may be reached that in the photodegradation of propisochlor, the benzene ring remained intact under irradiation of both solar light and high-pressure mercury lamp, and the amido link was relatively stable, while dechlorination was liable to take place; moreover, a-hydrogen at the substituent of benzene ring was active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamivudine, adefovir, telbivudine, and entecavir are nucleoside analogues that can inhibit hepatitis B virus replication and are licensed in China by the Food and Drug Administration. This study presents the cases of 2 patients who were chronically infected with HBV and suffered hepatic failure resulting from withdrawal of telbivudine and adefovir, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors function as critical regulators in numerous abiotic stress responses. Massive bZIPs have been systematically identified in plants, but not in sweetpotato. In this study, 87 sweetpotato IbbZIPs unevenly distributed onto 15 chromosomes were identified, and segmental duplications were shown to play dominant roles in the diversity of IbbZIPs. The collinearity between IbbZIPs and the related orthologs from nine plants depicted evolutionary insights into bZIP gene family. Additionally, IbbZIP proteins were clustered into 11 subfamilies while no members were found in the M subfamily, and the regularity of gene structures and conserved motifs was consistent with the subgroup classification. Evidence from transcriptome data and qRT-PCR analysis of 12 selected IbbZIPs revealed that they were significantly and varyingly induced under multiple abiotic stresses (salt, drought, heat and cold) and hormone treatments (ABA, ACC, JA and SA). Consistently, the promoters of IbbZIPs harbored multiple stress- and hormone-related cis-acting elements. Besides, IbbZIP17 and IbbZIP61 exhibited transactivation activity in yeasts, while IbbZIP-14/-69/-84 did not. These findings supply worthy foundations for further functional investigation of IbbZIPs , and multiple members may serve as promising regulators to enhance the abiotic stress tolerance of transgenic plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the largest tubular reticular organelle spanning the cell. As the main site of protein synthesis, Ca 2+ homeostasis maintenance and lipid metabolism, the ER plays a variety of essential roles in eukaryotic cells, with ER molecular chaperones participate in all these processes. In recent years, it has been reported that the abnormal expression of ER chaperones often leads to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including abnormal neuronal migration, neuronal morphogenesis, and synaptic function. Neuronal development is a complex and precisely regulated process. Currently, the mechanism by which neural development is regulated at the ER level remains under investigation. Therefore, in this work, we reviewed the recent advances in the roles of ER chaperones in neural development and developmental disorders caused by the deficiency of these molecular chaperones., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Sun, Wu, Wang, Zhang and Zhu.)

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of treprostinil injection on the control of pulmonary blood pressure in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) complicated by severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)., Methods: Eighty children with CHD complicated by severe pulmonary arterial hypertension admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to June 2018 were selected and randomly divided into a control group (N.=40) and a treatment group (N.=40). Based on standard treatment, the treatment group was intravenously infused with 8-12 ng/kg·min treprostinil, while the control group received the same dose of normal saline. Hemodynamic parameters such as BP, AP, P and SpO2% were monitored before anesthesia induction (T0), before cardiopulmonary bypass (T1), 1 h after cardiopulmonary bypass (T2) and at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass (T3). Pulmonary arterial pressure parameters (PASP, PADP and PAMP) were measured at T1, T2 and T3 by transesophageal echocardiography., Results: For the treatment group, the HR values at T2 and T3 were lower than that at T0 (P<0.05). For the control group, HR at T3 was lower than that at T0 (P<0.05). HR at T3 of the treatment group was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). SpO2 of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group at T3 (P<0.05). At T2 and T3, PASP, PADP and PAMP of both groups were lower than those before surgery (P<0.05), and the values of the treatment group were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Treprostinil can improve cardiac function and reduce pulmonary circulation resistance in PAH children.

Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy is the common choice for diagnosis of the suspected thyroid nodule. An algorithm(s) that finds the malignant potential of a nodule preoperatively, to overcome unnecessary diagnostic methods, does not exist. The objective of the study was to correlate thyroid nodule sizes measured by ultrasonography and risk of malignancy assessed by cytologic and histologic examinations. Data regarding fine-needle aspiration cytology and the results of histologic examinations of surgical specimens of 260 nodules were collected and analyzed. The macro or multiple calcifications, the complex echo pattern, and posterior region homogeneity were considered suspicious in ultrasonography. Bethesda system for classification of thyroid nodules was used for cytopathology. Histopathology performed as per the 2004 World Health Organization classification system. The benefit score analysis was performed for determination of clinical usefulness. Twenty-eight of 49 malignant nodules and 46 of 68 malignant nodules detected through ultrasound following fine-needle aspiration cytopathology and histopathology were <2 cm in size. A correlation was found for malignancy rate detected by ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology and those of the surgical specimen ( r = 0.945, P = .015, R 2 = 0.894). Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology had 0.994 sensitivities, 0.721 accuracies, and 0.08 to 0.945 diagnostic confidence for the detection of malignant nodules. Nodule size less than 2 mm ( P = .011) was associated with the malignancy potential of thyroid nodules. Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology had 19 (7%) results as a false negative and 1 (1%) results were false positive. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytopathology reported oversize of thyroid nodule than original but can predict the risk of malignancy. Level of Evidence: III.

Presently, there have been a lot of documents confirmed that aflatoxin B1 could promote the incident rate of hepato-cellular carcinoma, but the specific mechanism is not completely clear. Some evidences showed that it might relate to oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction. So the rat hepato-cellular carcinoma model was applied in this study for being discussed. Aflatoxin B1 was applied for inducing the rats to produce hepato-cellular carcinoma model to evaluate the expression of histopathology and glutathione transferase. At the same time, we also detected the expression of antioxidase, pro-inflammatory cytokine, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and etc in rat hepato-cellular carcinoma tissues. The histo-pathological results showed that the necrosis of liver cells could be observed after being induced by Aflatoxin B1 for 4 weeks. We could observe obvious hepato-cellular carcinoma in 10 th week. The level of reactive oxygen species in liver cancer rose obviously, and the activity of antioxidant enzymes reduced. At the same time, the expression level of pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNFα, IL-1α, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and etc all increased significantly. In conclusion, the histological characteristics of hepato-cellular carcinoma could be induced by aflatoxin B1, and the progression of hepato-cellular carcinoma related closely to inflammatory reaction.

The pathogenesis of acute liver failure has not been fully elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of the serum from patients with hepatitis E virus (HEV)-related acute liver failure on human liver cell survival and apoptosis, and evaluated the protective effects of anti-lipopolysaccharide(LPS) antibody recognizing core polysaccharide against acute liver failure serum-induced apoptosis. Serum was collected from patients with HEV-related acute liver failure. The levels of endotoxin (LPS) in the serum were measured using a quantitative tachypleus amebocyte lysate endotoxin detection kit with a chromogenic endpoint. Serum with a mean concentration of LPS was incubated with L02 human liver cells and the rate of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The apoptotic rate was also evaluated in liver cells incubated with antibody and the HEV-related acute liver failure serum. The results indicated that the concentration of LPS in the serum of patients with HEV-related acute liver failure was 0.26±0.02 EU/ml, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The rate of apoptosis in the human liver cells induced by acute liver failure serum was 5.83±0.42%, which was significantly increased compared with that in the cells treated with the serum of healthy individuals (P<0.05). The apoptotic rate of the cells incubated with antibody and the acute liver failure serum was 5.53±0.51%, which was lower than that of the cells incubated with acute liver failure serum alone (P>0.05). These results indicate that the serum of patients with HEV-related acute liver failure induces the apoptosis of human liver cells. LPS may be directly involved in the apoptosis of human liver cells. Moreover, the presence of the antibody did not significantly reduce the level of apoptosis of liver cells exposed to HEV-related acute liver failure serum.