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Grassland degradation poses a serious threat to biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. In this study, we investigated grassland degradation in Zhaosu County, China, between 2001 and 2020, and analyzed the impacts of climate change and human activities using the Miami model. The actual net primary productivity (ANPP) obtained with CASA (Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach) modeling, showed a decreasing trend, reflecting the significant degradation that the grasslands in Zhaosu County have experienced in the past 20 years. Grassland degradation was found to be highest in 2018, while the degraded area continuously decreased in the last 3 years (2018–2020). Climatic factors for found to be the dominant factor affecting grassland degradation, particularly the decrease in precipitation. On the other hand, human activities were found to be the main factor affecting improvement of grasslands, especially in recent years. This finding profoundly elucidates the underlying causes of grassland degradation and improvement and helps implement ecological conservation and restoration measures. From a practical perspective, the research results provide an important reference for the formulation of policies and management strategies for sustainable land use. • Annual average of grassland ANPP shows a clear downward trend. • Grassland degradation has improved in recent years. • Climate change and the human activities response are important for grassland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the mechanism of Shenmai injection (SMI) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) through heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling. A total of 40 male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (220-260 g) were grouped into the following four categories (n = 10): SAP + SMI + Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), SAP + SMI, SAP, and sham surgery groups. ZnPP is a specific inhibitor of HO-1. Four percent of sodium taurocholate (1 mL/kg) was retrogradely injected via the pancreatic duct to induce the SAP model. The SAP group rats received 1.6 mL/kg saline by intravenous injection 30 min after the induction of SAP. The SAP + SMI group rats received 1.6 mL/kg SMI by intravenous injection 30 min after the induction of SAP. The SAP + SMI + ZnPP group rats received an intravenous injection of 1.6 mL/kg SMI and intraperitoneal administration of 30 mg/kg ZnPP 30 min after the SAP induction. Twenty-four hours after the SAP induction, blood samples were collected for the measurement of amylase, lipase, creatinine, myeloperoxidase, interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and HO-1 level, while tissue specimens were harvested for the determination of HO-1, TNF-α, and IL-10 mRNA level. Meanwhile, histopathological changes in organs (pancreas, lung, and kidney) were stored. The serum concentration of amylase, lipase, creatinine, and myeloperoxidase was higher in the SAP group than in the SAP + SMI group. Treatment with SMI increased HO-1 and IL-10 level and reduced TNF-α level in serum and tissues compared to the SAP group (P < 0.05). Treatment with SMI abolished the organ-damaging effects of SAP (P < 0.05). Furthermore, suppression of HO-1 expression by ZnPP canceled the aforementioned effects. SMI confers protection against the SAP-induced systemic inflammatory response and multiple organs damage via HO-1 upregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the main driving factors of oasis river nutrients in arid areas is important to identify the sources of water pollution and protect water resources. Twenty-seven sub-watersheds were selected in the lower oasis irrigated agricultural reaches of the Kaidu River watershed in arid Northwest China, divided into the site, riparian, and catchment buffer zones. Data on four sets of explanatory variables (topographic, soil, meteorological elements, and land use types) were collected. The relationships between explanatory variables and response variables (total phosphorus, TP and total nitrogen, TN) were analyzed by redundancy analysis (RDA). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to quantify the relationship between explanatory as well as response variables and fit the path relationship among factors. The results showed that there were significant differences in the TP and TN concentrations at each sampling point. The catchment buffer exhibited the best explanatory power of the relationship between explanatory and response variables based on PLS-SEM. The effects of various land use types, meteorological elements (ME), soil, and topography in the catchment buffer were responsible for 54.3% of TP changes and for 68.5% of TN changes. Land use types, ME and soil were the main factors driving TP and TN changes, accounting for 95.56% and 94.84% of the total effects, respectively. The study provides a reference for river nutrients management in arid oases with irrigated agriculture and a scientific and targeted basis to mitigate water pollution and eutrophication of rivers in arid lands. • There were significant differences between TP and TN in rivers along the oasis. • Catchment buffer is the optimal scale to evaluate the variation of TP and TN. • Land use types, ME and soil were the main factors affecting TP and TN in river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Live Virtual Machine (VM) migration within a data center is an important technology for cloud management, and has brought many benefits to both cloud providers and users. With the development of cloud computing, across-data-center VM migration is also desired. Normally, there is no shared storage system between data centers, hence the storage data (disk image) of a VM will be migrated to the destination data center as well. However, the slow network speed of the Internet and the comparatively large size of VM disk image make VM storage data migration become a bottleneck for live VM migration across data centers. In this paper, based on a detailed analysis of VM deployment models and the nature of VM image data, we design and implement a new migration system, called CBase. The key concept of CBase is a newly introduced central base image repository for reliable and efficient data sharing between VMs and data centers. With this central repository, further performance optimizations to VM storage data migration are made possible. Two migration mechanisms (data deduplication and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing) are utilized to accelerate base image migration, and a strategy is designed to elevate the synchronization of newly-written disk blocks. The results from an extensive experiment show that CBase significantly outperforms existing migration mechanisms under different conditions regarding total migration time and total network traffic. In particular, CBase with data deduplication is better than P2P file sharing for base image migration in our experimental environment. Highlights • A central repository is introduced to deploy and store base images for data centers. • Data deduplication and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing are used to accelerate the migration of a base image. • A mechanism is proposed to lower the overhead of migrating the writable layer of VM storage data. • An orchestration strategy is designed to improve the robustness of the migration system. • Experimental results validate the efficiency of our new approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of present study is to explore the endogenous dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory peptides from the edible truffle species Tuber sinense. The 4038 endogenous peptides from fresh ascocarps were identified using a peptidomics analysis based on the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-Orbitrap-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS2). Afterward, ten DPP-IV inhibitory peptides were screened through Peptide Ranker software and BIOPEP database. According to the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicities (ADMET) analysis and molecular docking analysis, two peptides (APIKIPVGPGTL and IEDPDAPPPPPPREVIKN) were finally confirmed. The affinity values of APIKIPVGPGTL and IEDPDAPPPPPPREVIKN were − 8.8 and − 8.4 Kcal/mol, respectively. Two peptides had hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interaction with amino acid residue in the S1 and S2 pockets of DPP-IV enzyme. Furthermore, the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of two peptides were 643.14 ± 1.79 µM and 668.29 ± 1.31 µM, respectively. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) of two peptides showed excellent hypoglycemic effect at 30 min after gavage. Our work may have important theoretical significance and practical value for further exploring the endogenous peptides of truffle species. • 4038 endogenous peptides were identified by peptidomics analysis. • DPP-IV inhibitory peptides were screened to be APIKIPVGPGTL and IEDPDAPPPPPPREVIKN. • The IC 50 values of two peptides were 643.14 ± 1.79 and 668.29 ± 1.31 μM, respectively. • Two peptides showed excellent hypoglycemic effects in vivo. • Two peptides formed H-bond and hydrophobic interactions with DPP-IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A moving mesh finite element method is studied for the numerical solution of a phase-field model for brittle fracture. The moving mesh partial differential equation approach is employed to dynamically track crack propagation. Meanwhile, the decomposition of the strain tensor into tensile and compressive components is essential for the success of the phase-field modeling of brittle fracture but results in a non-smooth elastic energy and stronger nonlinearity in the governing equation. This makes the governing equation much more difficult to solve and, in particular, Newton's iteration often fails to converge. Three regularization methods are proposed to smooth out the decomposition of the strain tensor. Numerical examples of fracture propagation under quasi-static load demonstrate that all of the methods can effectively improve the convergence of Newton's iteration for relatively small values of the regularization parameter but without compromising the accuracy of the numerical solution. They also show that the moving mesh finite element method is able to adaptively concentrate the mesh elements around propagating cracks and handle multiple and complex crack systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes A and D are prevalent in many parts of the world and show overlapping geographic distributions. We amplified the entire HBV genome from sera of patients with genotypes A and D and generated overlength constructs for transient transfection into Huh7 or HepG2 cells. Genotype D clones were associated with less HBsAg in culture supernatant and even less intracellular HBsAg. They produced less 2.1-kb RNA due to a weaker SPII promoter. Chimeric promoter constructs identified three divergent positions as most critical, and their exchange reversed extracellular HBsAg phenotype. The S protein of genotype D was more efficient at secretion, while its L protein possessed greater inhibitory effect. Swapping the S gene diminished genotypic difference in intracellular S protein but widened the difference in secreted HBsAg. In conclusion, HBV genotypes A and D differ in S protein expression, secretion and modulation by L protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune and systemic inflammatory disease affecting 1% of the population worldwide. Immune suppression of the activity and progress of RA is vital to reduce the disability and mortality rate as well as improve the quality of life of RA patients. However, the immune molecular mechanism of RA has not been clarified yet. Our results indicated that exosomes derived from TNFα-stimulated RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs) suppressed chondrocyte proliferation and migration through modulating cartilage extracellular matrix (CECM) determining by MTS assay, cell cycle analysis, Transwell assay and Western blot (WB). Besides, RNA sequencing and verification by qRT-PCR revealed that exosomal long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) tumor necrosis factor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1)-4:1 derived from RA-FLSs treated with TNFα was a candidate lncRNA, which also inhibited chondrocyte proliferation and migration through degrading CECM. Moreover, RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis identified that C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) was a target mRNA of miR-27a-3p while miR-27a-3p was a target miRNA of lnc-TRAF1-4:1 in chondrocytes. Mechanistically, lnc-TRAF1-4:1 upregulated CXCL1 expression through sponging miR-27a-3p as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in chondrocytes identifying by Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Summarily, exosomal lncRNA TRAFD1-4:1 derived from RA-FLSs suppressed chondrocyte proliferation and migration through degrading CECM by upregulating CXCL1 as a sponge of miR-27a-3p. This study uncovered a novel RA-related lncRNA and investigated the roles of RA-FLS-derived exosomes and exosomal lnc-TRAF1-4:1 in articular cartilage impairment, which might provide novel therapeutic targets for RA. • Exosomes derived from TNFα-stimulated RA-FLSs suppressed chondrocyte proliferation and migration through modulating (CECM). • Exosomal lnc-TRAF1-4:1 derived from RA-FLSs treated with TNFα can inhibited chondrocyte proliferation and migration through enhancing CECM degradation. • CXCL1 as a target mRNA and miR-27a-3p as a target miRNA of lnc-TRAF1-4:1 in chondrocytes. • Lnc-TRAF1-4:1 upregulated CXCL1 expression through sponging miR-27a-3p as a ceRNA in chondrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeon breeding is associated with exposure to airborne microorganisms and endotoxin and with symptoms of the airways. Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health. Some pigeons participate in national and international indoor exhibitions. This study aims to obtain knowledge about the potential human exposure to dust, endotoxin, fungi, and bacteria including the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a pigeon exhibition in Denmark. In walking areas for visitors, airborne microorganisms in different size fractions able to enter the airways were sampled and following identified. The average concentrations were: 5000 cfu fungi/m3, 1.8 × 104 cfu bacteria/m3, 37 endotoxin units/m3, and 0.18 mg dust/m3 air with the highest concentrations in-between rows with pigeon cages. The fungal species Wallemia sp. and Aspergillus versicolor and the bacterial species S. equorum and S. aureus were found in high concentrations. MRSA spa type t034 described to be associated with livestock was found in the air. Most of the S. aureus was present in the size fraction of 1.1–2.1 μm, which are particles able to enter the human terminal bronchi. In conclusion, fungi, bacteria, and endotoxin, respectively, were found in concentrations 10, 2000, and 200 times higher than outdoor references. The airborne bacteria in the exhibition were mainly species found previously in pigeon coops showing that the pigeons are the sources of exposure. The presence of airborne MRSA in the pigeon exhibition highlights the importance of also considering this environment as a potential place of exchange of resistant bacteria between animals and between animals and humans. [Display omitted] • First study to measure microorganisms, dust, and endotoxin in a pigeon exhibition. • Pigeons are identified as a source of airborne microorganisms. • Elevated levels of airborne allergenic and infectious microorganisms and endotoxin. • Staphylococcus aureus was found – also as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). • Airborne MRSA was of the livestock spa type t034. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis remains a global major problem. The immune responses of host against Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M . tuberculosis ) are complicated. M . tuberculosis lives mainly within host cells, usually macrophages which constitute the first line of host defense. Mycobacterial proteins, especially cell wall-associated proteins, interact with macrophages of host to regulate the functions and cytokine production. Recent studies indicate that glycoproteins are involved in this process. Here, we investigated the function of Rv0431, a cell wall-associated protein in the M . tuberculosis H37Rv strain. Rv0431 protein was heterologously overexpressed in the fast-growing and nonpathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis ( M . smegmatis ). Binding assay to concanavalin A (ConA) lectin was performed and the result indicated that Rv0431 protein was a potentially mannosylated protein. M . smegmatis MSMEG_5447 gene encoding a polyprenol-phosphate-mannose-protein mannosyl-transferase (PMT) which catalyzes the O-mannosylation of protein was knocked out. The Rv0431 protein overexpressed in MSMEG_5447 gene knockout stain, ΔM5447, lost its reactivity to ConA, providing evidence that Rv0431 was likely O-mannosylated. M . smegmatis overexpressed Rv0431 evaded the killing of RAW264.7 macrophages and altered the cytokine production of macrophages compared to M . smegmatis carrying empty vector. These results suggested that Rv0431, a probably mannosylated protein might promote the evasion of immune responses during mycobacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The α-Fe 2 O 3 /In 2 O 3 composite hollow microspheres were first synthesized through a well-designed two-step hydrothermal approach with an aim to promote the photocatalytic activity of the pure In 2 O 3 . The morphologies, phase structures, and optical properties of the resultant samples were systematically characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse-reflectance, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles acted as visible-light sensitizer, which were well-decorated on the surface of the In 2 O 3 hollow microspheres. Meanwhile, the investigation of photocatalytic performance confirmed that the visible-light induced photocatalytic degradation rate of gaseous toluene was improved after the introduction of α-Fe 2 O 3 component, which was about 1.6 times higher than that of pure In 2 O 3 sample under identical conditions. Furthermore, some intermediates formed during the photocatalytic oxidation process were also indentified by in␣situ FTIR spectroscopy. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the α-Fe 2 O 3 /In 2 O 3 composites mainly stemmed from the strong visible-light-harvesting ability and the efficient spatial separation of photo-generated electron–hole pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water provides a basic resource for life and is vital for maintaining climate stability, hydrological cycles, and natural ecosystems. Lakes, which are an important part of surface water, play a crucial role in sustaining the hydrological balance and maintaining a healthy environment. The onset of climate change and anthropogenic disturbance on lakes and the environment, however, have drastically changed the morphological characteristics of lakes, leading to undesirable negative effects on the ecological environment. In recent years, many lakes around the world are undergoing phenomenal changes due to climate change and human activities. These changes have greatly affected the availability of freshwater resources, leading to a series of regional ecological and environmental problems, which constrain the regional sustainable development. Changes in lake parameters often indicate environmental change. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to extract lake water information to reflect the water quantity changes in the lake, understand its implications, and come up with timely solutions. This paper summarizes the existing research methods of lake water estimation in China and abroad and draws the following conclusions: (1) In the study of lake water volume estimation, it can be roughly divided into with topographic data and without topographic data. The most representative methods are the estimation methods based on topographic parameters and the Triangle Irregular Network (TIN) model method. In the actual research process, most of the scarce data that are difficult to obtain are lake topographic data, prompting researchers to constantly put forward new methods; (2) From the perspective of research methods, estimation of lake water volume can be divided into remote sensing-based and non-remote sensing-based research. With the continuous improvement of scientific and technological levels, current geographical researchers tend to use remote sensing to monitor lake water volume; (3) Although researchers have proposed a series of models for lake water volume estimation for the long-time process. However, many models are based on the ideal static estimation process, which poses challenges for researchers to make a long-term dynamic estimation of lake storage capacity in the future. At the same time, the accuracy of the model can be a problem that researchers need to work out solutions in the future. Finally, combined with the current development of remote sensing technology, the application potential and the future prospect of remote sensing in lake monitoring are briefly discussed. • Lake water volume estimation, it can roughly be divided into with topographic data and without topographic data. • Estimation of lake water volume can be divided into remote sensing-based and non-remote sensing research. • The application potential and the future prospect of remote sensing in lake monitoring are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional parameters and acute toxicities of antibiotic wastewater collected from each treatment unit of an antibiotic wastewater treatment plant have been investigated. The investigation of the conventional parameters indicated that the antibiotic wastewater treatment plant performed well under the significant fluctuation in influent water quality. The results of acute toxicity indicated that the toxicity of antibiotic wastewater could be reduced by 94.3 percent on average after treatment. However, treated antibiotic effluents were still toxic to Vibrio fischeri. The toxicity of antibiotic production wastewater could be attributed to the joint effects of toxic compound mixtures in wastewater. Moreover, aerobic biological treatment processes, including sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and aerobic biofilm reactor, played the most important role in reducing toxicity by 92.4 percent. Pearson׳s correlation coefficients revealed that toxicity had a strong and positive linear correlation with organic substances, nitrogenous compounds, S2−, volatile phenol, cyanide, As, Zn, Cd, Ni and Fe. Ammonia nitrogen ( ) was the greatest contributor to toxicity according to the stepwise regression method. The multiple regression model was a good fit for [TU50-15min] as a function of [ ] with the determination coefficient of 0.981. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study aims to analyze the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metal elements for the first time in the Zhundong mining area in Xinjiang using the linear regression model. Additionaly, the health risks with their probability and infleuencing factors on different groups of people's were also evaluated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulation approach. The results shows that 89.28% of Hg was from coal combustion, 40.28% of Pb was from transportation, and 19.54% of As was from atmospheric dust. The main source of Cu and Cr was coal dust, Hg has the greatest impact on potential ecological risks. which accounted for 60.2% and 81.46% of the Cu and Cr content in soil, respectively. The all samples taken from Pb have been Extremely polluted (100%). 93.3% samples taken from As have been Extremely polluted. The overall potential ecological risk was moderate. Adults experienced higher non-carcinogenic risks of heavy metals from their diets than children. Interestingly, body weight was the main factor affecting the adult's health risks. This research provides more comprehensive information for better soil management, soil remediation, and soil pollution control in the Xinjiang mining areas. • Quantitative assessment the source of heavy metal elements in soil. • Assessment the ecological and health risks of heavy metals in soil. • Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty were also assessed for health risk. • Heavy metal pollution has perturbed the soil environment to pose serious health hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence demonstrates that tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) exert important effects and are dysregulated in various human cancer types. However, their roles in gastric cancer (GC) remain unknown. Here we identified the functional effects of tRF-3019a (derived from tRNA-Ala-AGC-1-1) in GC. We demonstrated that tRF-3019a was upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Phenotypic studies revealed that tRF-3019a overexpression enhances GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Conversely, tRF-3019a knockdown inhibits GC cell malignant activities. Mechanistic investigation implies that tRF-3019a directly regulates tumor suppressor gene FBXO47. Furthermore, tRF-3019a levels may discriminate GC tissues from nontumorous tissues. Taken together, our results reveal that tRF-3019a modulates GC cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting FBXO47, and it may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for GC. • tRNA-derived fragment 3019a (tRF-3019a) is upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. • Overexpression of tRF-3019a enhances cell proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer. • tRF-3019a affects gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting FBXO47. • tRF-3019a could serve as a novel diagnostic biomarker in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various nonlinear energy harvesters that harvest energy from rotational motion have been investigated, but their performance at low frequencies is always deficiency. To realize the efficient harvesting of low frequency rotational motion energy, rotational nonlinear energy harvesting via an orthogonally arranged dual-beam is proposed for the first time. Based on the energy method, the electromechanical coupling equation of orthogonally arranged dual-beam in rotating motion is derived in detail. The harmonic balance method together with arc length continuation is employed to approximate the frequency response functions of the output power. To deeply explore the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the system, numerical analysis is conducted to obtain the output voltage and phase diagram in the time domain. Finally, the theoretical analysis results are verified through experiments. The results demonstrate that the vertical arrangement of nonlinear dual-beam in rotational motion effectively improved the energy harvesting efficiency at low frequencies, with excellent energy harvesting performance. This study provides an effective technical approach to energy harvesting for low frequency rotating systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal function of injured muscle with innervation loss is a challenge in sports medicine. The difficulty of rehabilitation is regenerating and reconstructing the skeletal muscle tissue and the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) releases various growth factors that may provide an appropriate niche for tissue regeneration. However, the specific mechanism of the PRP's efficacy on muscle healing remains unknown. In this study, we injected PRP with different concentration gradients (800, 1200, 1600 × 109 pl/L) or saline into a rat gastrocnemius laceration model. The results of histopathology and neuromyography show that PRP improved myofibers regeneration, facilitated electrophysiological recovery, and reduced fibrosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that PRP promotes the activity of satellite cells by upregulating the expression of the myogenic regulatory factor (MyoD, myogenin). Meanwhile, PRP promotes the regeneration and maturation of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters of the Neuromuscular junction (NMJ) on the regenerative myofibers. Finally, we found that the expression of the Agrin, LRP4, and MuSK was upregulated in the PRP-treated groups, which may contribute to AChR cluster regeneration and functional recovery. The conclusions proposed a hypothesis for PRP treatment's efficacy and mechanism in muscle injuries, indicating promising application prospects. • PRP with appropriate concentrations promotes muscle regeneration, improves reinnervation, and reduces fibrosis after laceration. • PRP upregulates the expression of myogenic regulatory factors, contributing to satellite cell-based regeneration after laceration. • PRP promotes the reconstruction of NMJ in association with upregulated synaptophysin, AChR, and AchE levels after laceration. • The Agrin/LRP4/MuSK signaling was enhanced by PRP treatment, involving AChR cluster regeneration and functional recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a disturbance observer based Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy controller is proposed for an active seat suspension; both simulations and experiments have been performed verifying the performance enhancement and stability of the proposed controller. The controller incorporates closed-loop feedback control using the measured acceleration of the seat and deflection of the suspension; these two variables can be easily measured in practical applications, thus allowing the proposed controller to be robust and adaptable. A disturbance observer that can estimate the disturbance caused by friction, model simplification, and controller output error has also been used to compensate a H ∞ state feedback controller. The TS fuzzy control method is applied to enhance the controller’s performance by considering the variation of driver’s weight during operation. The vibration of a heavy duty vehicle seat is largest in the frequency range between 2 Hz and 4 Hz, in the vertical direction; therefore, it is reasonable to focus on controlling low frequency vibration amplitudes and maintain the seat suspensions passivity at high frequency. Moreover, both the simulation and experimental results show that the active seat suspension with the proposed controller can effectively isolate unwanted vibration amplitudes below 4.5 Hz, when compared with a well-tuned passive seat suspension. The active controller has been further validated under bump and random road tests with both a 55 kg and a 70 kg loads. The bump road test demonstrated the controller has good transient response capabilities. The random road test result has been presented both in the time domain and the frequency domain. When with the above two loads, the controlled seat suspensions root-mean-square (RMS) accelerations were reduced by 45.5% and 49.5%, respectively, compared with a well-tuned passive seat suspension. The proposed active seat suspension controller has great potential and is very practical for application as it can significantly improve heavy duty driver’s ride comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A geriatric assessment is needed to identify high-risk elderly patients with gastric cancer. However, the current geriatric assessment has been considered to be either time-consuming or subjective. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive effect of sarcopenia on the postoperative complications for elderly patients who underwent radical gastrectomy. Materials and methods We conducted a prospective study of patients who underwent radical gastrectomy from August 2014 to December 2015. Computed tomography–assessed lumbar skeletal muscle, handgrip strength, and gait speed were measured to define sarcopenia. Results Sarcopenia was present in 69 of 240 patients (28.8%) and was associated with lower body mass index, lower serum albumin, lower hemoglobin, and higher nutritional risk screening 2002 scores. Postoperative complications significantly increased in the sarcopenic patients (49.3% versus 24.6%, P < 0.001), compared with nonsarcopenic patients. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that sarcopenia (odds ratio: 2.959, 95% CI: 1.629-5.373, P < 0.001) and the Charlson comorbidity index ≥2 (odds ratio: 3.357, 95% CI: 1.144-9.848, P = 0.027) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications. Conclusions Sarcopenia, presented as a new geriatric assessment factor, was a strong and independent risk factor for postoperative complications of elderly patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein 32B (ANP32B) is a member of a conserved superfamily of nuclear proteins whose functions are largely unknown. In our previous work, ANP32B was identified as a novel direct substrate for caspase-3 and acted as a negative regulator for leukemic cell apoptosis. In this work, we provided the first demonstration that ANP32B expression was down-regulated during differentiation induction of leukemic cells by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Knockdown of ANP32B expression by specific shRNA enhanced ATRA-induced leukemic cell differentiation, while ectopic expression of ANP32B attenuated it, indicating an inhibitory role of ANP32B against leukemic cell differentiation. Furthermore, luciferase reporter assay revealed that ANP32B might exert this role through inhibiting the ATRA dependent transcriptional activity of retinoic acid receptor (RARα). These data will shed new insights into understanding the biological functions of ANP32B protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phospholipids play an important role in mediating cell migration. In the present study, we investigated the role of cPLA2γ in chemotaxis of human breast cancer cells. Inhibition of cPLA2γ expression by small interference RNA severely inhibits EGF-induced chemotaxis in a dose-dependent manner in MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, T47D and ZR-75-30 cells. Furthermore, silencing cPLA2γ expression also impaired directional migration, adhesion and invasion in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which cPLA2γ regulated migration. Knockdown of cPLA2γ suppressed the phosphorylation of Akt at both Thr308 and Ser473. Phosphorylation of PKCζ, downstream of Akt, was also dampened. Knockdown of cPLA2γ also impaired the phosphorylation of integrin β1 and cofilin, key regulators of cell adhesion and actin polymerization, respectively. Taken together, our results suggest that cPLA2γ plays an important role in cancer cell chemotaxis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The sand and gravel fillers used in traditional bioretention cells are expensive and becoming increasingly scarce, and their performance is unstable. It is important to find a stable, reliable, and low-cost alternative filler for bioretention facilities. Using cement as a modified loess filler for bioretention cells is a low-cost and easily obtainable alternative. The loss rate and anti-scouring index of the cement-modified loess (CM) were analyzed under different curing times, cement addition amount, and compactness control conditions. This study found that the stability and strength of the cement-modified loess in water with a density of not less than 1.3 g/cm3, a curing time, of not less than 28 d and a cement addition amount not less than 10% meets the use requirements of the bioretention cell filler. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of cement-modified materials with a 10% cement addition and a curing time of 28 days (CM28) and 56 days (CM56). Cement-modified materials with 2% straw and a curing time of 56 days (CS56) showed that the three kinds of modified loess all contain calcium carbonate and that the surface contains hydroxyl and amino functional groups that can effectively remove phosphorus. The specific surface areas of the CM56, CM28, and CS56 samples were 12.53 m2/g, 24.731 m2/g, and 26.252 m2/g, respectively, which are significantly higher than that of sand (0.791 m2/g). At the same time, the adsorption capacity of the ammonia nitrogen and the phosphate that was present in the three modified materials is better than that of sand. CM56, like sand, has rich microbial communities, which can entirely remove nitrate nitrogen in water under anaerobic conditions, indicating that CM56 can be used as an alternative filler for bioretention cells. The production of cement-modified loess is simple and cost-effective, and using modified loess as a filler can reduce the use of stone resources or other on-site materials. Current methods for improving the filler of bioretention cells are mainly based on sand. This experiment used loess to improve the filler. The performance of loess is better than sand, and can completely replace sand as the filler in bioretention cells. [Display omitted] • Cement-modified loess can be used as a bioretention cell filler. • Cement-modified loess particles are sufficiently stable in water. • Cement-modified loess has outstanding adsorption performance for N and P. • Cement-modified loess is suitable for the growth of various denitrifying bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The effects of curcumin on regulating cardiac apoptosis and autophagy were analyzed in diabetic models both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, experimental diabetes was induced in mice by low-dose STZ injection combined with a high-fat diet. In vitro, cultured H9c2 cardiomyoblasts were exposed to high d -glucose concentrations combined with palmitate. Our results showed that apoptosis was increased and autophagy was suppressed in the hearts of diabetic mice, which was ameliorated by curcumin treatment, ultimately improving cardiac function. Moreover, the inhibition of autophagy exacerbated apoptotic death in cardiac cells under diabetic condition. Curcumin activated AMPK and JNK1, which phosphorylated Bcl-2 and Bim and subsequently disrupted their interactions with Beclin1, thereby promoting autophagy and alleviating apoptosis respectively. In addition, AMPK-mediated inhibition of mTORC1 pathway likely played a role in regulating autophagy by curcumin under diabetic condition. Our study suggests that curcumin protects against diabetic cardiomyopathy by modulating the crosstalk between autophagic and apoptotic machinery. Modulation of autophagy may be an effective strategy for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many high-value secondary metabolites are assembled by very large multifunctional polyketide synthases or non-ribosomal peptide synthetases encoded by giant genes, for instance, natamycin production in an industrial strain of Streptomyces gilvosporeus . In this study, a large operon reporter-based selection system has been developed using the selectable marker gene neo to report the expression both of the large polyketide synthase genes and of the entire gene cluster, thereby facilitating the selection of natamycin-overproducing mutants by iterative random mutagenesis breeding. In three successive rounds of mutagenesis and selection, the natamycin titer was increased by 110%, 230%, and 340%, respectively, and the expression of the whole biosynthetic gene cluster was correspondingly increased. An additional copy of the natamycin gene cluster was found in one overproducer. These findings support the large operon reporter-based selection system as a useful tool for the improvement of industrial strains utilized in the production of polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gait and static body measurement are important biometric technologies for passive human recognition. Many previous works argue that recognition performance based completely on the gait feature is limited. The reason for this limited performance remains unclear. This study focuses on human recognition with gait feature obtained by Kinect and shows that gait feature can effectively distinguish from different human beings through a novel representation – relative distance-based gait features. Experimental results show that the recognition accuracy with relative distance features reaches up to 85%, which is comparable with that of anthropometric features. The combination of relative distance features and anthropometric features can provide an accuracy of more than 95%. Results indicate that the relative distance feature is quite effective and worthy of further study in more general scenarios (e.g., without Kinect). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The genome of the first bat lyssavirus from China has been completely sequenced. [•] Genomic regions of the isolate are similar to those of other lyssaviruses. [•] Alignment of sequences revealed significant variability between lyssavirus species. [•] The nucleoprotein and matrix protein were found to be the most conserved. [•] Differences in the antigenic sites may result in only partial protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seoul virus glycoprotein Gn is a major structural protein and candidate antigen of hantavirus that induces a highly immunogenic response for hantavirus vaccine. In this study, a replication-competent recombinant canine adenovirus type-2 expressing Gn was constructed by the in vitro ligation method. The Gn expression cassette, including the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) promoter/enhancer and the SV40 early mRNA polyadenylation signal, was cloned into the SspI site of the E3 region which is not essential for proliferation of CAV-2. Expression of Gn was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hierarchical zeolite T aggregates with the size range of 200–400 ​nm were successfully synthesized by zeolite seed solution-assisted method. The addition of zeolite seed solution can provide active precursors such as secondary building units and organic template to promote crystallization rate and enhance the purity and crystallinity. Compared to zeolite T samples synthesized under the similar synthesis conditions in the previous literatures, zeolite crystals obtained in the presence of zeolite seed solution have 1/10–1/5 crystal size and 1/5–1/2 synthesis time. The synthesized samples typically display the elliptic-like zeolite T aggregates composed of tightly packed nanosized fiber-like shaped crystals, resulting in the additional intercrystalline mesopores of samples between these nanocrystals. Crystal growth of zeolite samples synthesized using zeolite seed solution was investigated at 353–393 ​K. Both of nucleation and crystal growth rate increase when the crystallization temperature increase from 353 ​K to 393 ​K, and the nucleation is rate-limiting step since the value of nucleation rate is less than that of crystal growth rate at each temperature. Moreover, the magnitudes of nucleation and crystal growth activation energies obtained from crystallization data are 35.0 and 28.9 ​kJ ​mol−1, respectively, implying that crystal growth process is controlled by surface kinetics. Zeolite seed (or precursor) solution consisting of secondary building units and organic template were embedded in the initial aluminosilicate gel, which might be helpful for effectively generating nanocrystals then assembling T aggregates. Image 1 • Zeolite T aggregates with the size of ~300 nm were synthesized by zeolite seed solution–assisted method. • Zeolite seed solution added can greatly reduce crystal size, synthesis time and improve the mesoporous structure. • Zeolite seed solution can provide active precursors to promote crystallization rate and enhance the purity. • Crystal growth of zeolite samples using zeolite seed solution was investigated at 353–393 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]