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The impact of currently clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) for patients with early-stage HCC after surgery remains controversial. The purpose of this study is to understand the specific effect of CSPH on patients with early-stage (BCLC A stage) HCC after surgery. We collected data from 386 HCC patients treated at two centers from December 2009 to January 2017.224 patients (all treated by hepatectomy) were in BCLC stage A, of which, 122 had no CSPH, and 102 had CSPH. There were 162 patients in BCLC stage B (who underwent surgery, TACE, and conservative treatment). The prognosis of the CSPH and non-CSPH groups in BCLC stage A was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. We used multivariate Cox regression to analyze prognostic factors in patients in BCLC stage A and compared the prognosis of the two groups with the BCLC stage B group. Among the 224 BCLC stage A patients after surgery, the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of the CSPH group were worse than those of the non-CSPH group (P < 0.001, HR = 2.340[1.554–3.523]; P < 0.001, HR = 2.577[1.676–3.812]) The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model indicated that CSPH was an independent prognostic factor for OS and RFS in BCLC stage A patients. BCLC stage A patients with CSPH treated by hepatectomy had a comparable prognosis to BCLC B stage patients (P = 0.378), and the OS and RFS (P = 0.229; P = 0.077) in the CSPH (BCLC A) group were also comparable to BCLC stage B patients treated with surgery alone. CSPH can affect the surgical prognosis of early-stage (BCLC stage A) HCC. BCLC stage A patients with CSPH have a prognosis comparable to patients with BCLC stage B. An additional stage, such as the BCLC stage A-B, can be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) in patients undergoing low or ultra-low anterior resection (LAR) is a common problem and significantly impacts the quality of life. Patients with an ileostomy after LAR are more likely to develop LARS. However, there hasn't been a model predicting LARS occurrence in these patients. This study aims to construct a nomogram to predict the probability of LARS occurrence in patients with temporary ileostomy and guide preventive strategies before reversal. 168 patients undergoing LAR with ileostomy from one center were enrolled as the training cohort, and 134 patients of the same inclusion criteria from another center were enrolled as the validation cohort. The training cohort was screened for risk factors for major LARS using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The nomogram was constructed using the filtered variables, the ROC curve was used to describe the model's discrimination, and the calibration was used to describe the accuracy. The optimal cut-off value for stoma closure time was 128 days. Three risk factors were identified using logistic regression analysis: preoperative radiotherapy (OR = 3.038, [95%CI 1.75–5.015], P = 0.005), stoma closure time (OR = 2.298, [95%CI 1.088–4.858], P = 0.029) and pN stage (OR = 1.739, [95%CI 1.235–3.980], P = 0.001). A nomogram was constructed based on these three variables and showed good performance predicting major LARS after stoma reversal. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.827 in the training group and 0.821 in the validation group; The calibration curve suggested good precision in both groups. This novel nomogram can accurately predict the probability of major LARS occurrence after ileostomy reversal for rectal cancer patients. This model can help screen ileostomy patients with high risks and guide individualized preventive strategies before stoma reversal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (rHCC) generally has a very poor prognosis and is currently classified as T4 in the tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) staging system. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the actual impact of rHCC, as well as the positive effect of hepatectomy in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0/A rHCC. We enrolled 86 patients with rHCC after surgery and 526 patients with non-rHCC after surgery or transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method to compare the postoperative prognosis of patients with rHCC with that of patients with non-rHCC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors affecting patient survival. BCLC stage 0/A rHCC treated with surgery had a worse prognosis than BCLC stage 0/A non-rHCC treated with surgery (overall survival [OS]: hazard ratio [HR] = 3.12 [2.24–4.34], P < 0.001; recurrence-free survival [RFS]: HR = 2.26 [1.65–3.09], P < 0.001). Rupture was an independent prognostic factor in patients with BCLC stage 0/A rHCC (OS: HR = 1.685 [1.416–2.006], P < 0.001; RFS: HR = 1.484 [1.267–1.737], P < 0.001), and patients with BCLC stage 0/A rHCC who underwent surgery had a comparable prognosis to patients with BCLC stage B HCC who underwent surgery or TACE (OS: P = 0.78). Patients classified as having BCLC stage 0/A rHCC can achieve comparable outcomes to patients with BCLC stage B HCC after hepatectomy. However, not all patients with rHCC should be classified as T4 in the TNM staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edwardsiella piscicida is an acute marine pathogen that causes severe damage to the aquaculture industry worldwide. The pathogenesis of E. piscicida is dependent mainly on the type III secretion system (T3SS) and type VI secretion system (T6SS), both of which are critically regulated by EsrB and EsrC. In this study, we revealed that fatty acids influence T3SS expression. Unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), but not saturated fatty acids (SFAs), directly interact with EsrC, which abolishes the function of EsrC and results in the turn-off of T3/T6SS. Moreover, during the in vivo colonization of E. piscicida , host fatty acids were observed to be transported into E. piscicida through FadL and to modulate the expression of T3/T6SS. Furthermore, the esrC R38G mutant blocked the interaction between EsrC and UFAs, leading to dramatic growth defects in DMEM and impaired colonization in HeLa cells and zebrafish. In conclusion, this study revealed that the interaction between UFAs and EsrC to turn off T3/T6SS expression is essential for E. piscicida infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a highly-sensitive phase-interrogated RI sensor based on twin-core fiber with inherent noise suppression. • It is the first time that optical fiber sensing structure is combined with digital holography technology, which works as the phase interrogation method, for measuring environmental parameters. • The background signal is reduced to 1/25 of the original noise level by using phase subtraction method within a single measurement. • Experimental results show that a short response time of about 13 s and a high sensitivity of about 835 rad/refractive index unit (RIU) are obtained. • The achieved high sensitivity is about 47 times higher than the sensitivity of a refractive index plasmonic sensor realized by enabling its quadrupole resonance in phase interrogation (17.46 rad/RIU). In this work, we propose a highly-sensitive phase-interrogated RI sensor based on twin-core fiber with inherent noise suppression. This is the first time that optical fiber sensing structure is combined with digital holography technology, which works as the phase interrogation method, for measuring environmental parameters. The proposed system consists of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer formed by interference between the reference Gauss beam and the sensing dual-beam from the twin-core fiber (TCF). In the sensing optical path, a non-core fiber (NCF) and TCF offset splicing structure works as the differential fluid RI sensing element, which provides the capability of suppressing background signal by calculating the phase difference between the two cores of the TCF. This simple and practical phase subtraction method realizes direct background subtraction within a single measurement and reduces the background signal to 1/25 of the original noise level. The fluid is continuously introduced into a fluid tube in which the sensing fiber is installed to realize in-line measurement of fluid RI. Experimental results show that a short response time of about 13 s and a high sensitivity of about 835 rad/refractive index unit (RIU) are obtained. The high sensitivity benefits from direct interaction between light path and fluid, which is about 47 times higher than the sensitivity of a refractive index plasmonic sensor realized by enabling its quadrupole resonance in phase interrogation (17.46 rad/RIU). This scheme will find many applications in little sample consumption and high sensitivity required analytical measurement owing to its merits of high sensitivity, little sample consumption, fast response, and inherent background noise suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • OAM modes are generated by a simple offset splicing and fiber rotating technology. • OAM modes are demonstrated in a broad wavelength range of 1530–1566 nm. • The complexity of the OAM generation system can be reduced by employing PM fibers. • PM fiber can avoid coupling of modes with orthogonal polarizations. Abstract We demonstrate a simple, compact, and cost-effective all-fiber structure to generate the first-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes over a broad wavelength range. The offset splicing between a polarization-maintaining single mode fiber (PM-SMF) and a two-mode fiber (TMF) is adopted to excite LP 11 mode in the TMF from LP 01 mode in SMF. Then the OAM ±1,1 modes are generated by rotating a customized fiber rotator, which can modulate the phase difference of the two degenerate LP 11 modes (OAM ±1,1 = LP 11a ± i × LP 11b). The interference phenomenon formed between OAM and Gaussian beams, which displays a fork-shape or spiral interference pattern, is used to confirm the generation of OAM modes. It should be noted that a PM fiber coupler and PM-SMFs are utilized in the experiment, which can avoid coupling of modes with orthogonal polarizations and then improves the OAM mode stability. Besides, the complexity of the OAM generation system is also reduced because the devices like polarization controller and half-wave plate are omitted by employing PM fibers. Based on this simple offset splicing and fiber rotating technology, the broadband generation of OAM ±1,1 modes are experimentally demonstrated in wavelength range of 1530–1566 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diode-pumped continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switched Nd:LuLiF 4 laser was investigated. Under an incident pump power of 11.2 W, an output power of up to 1.92 W was generated, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 17.4%. By using a Cr4+:YAG wafer as saturable absorber, stable Q-switched pulse trains with an average output power of 1.13 W and a pulse duration of 13.8 ns were captured at a repetition rate of 32.5 kHz, delivering a pulse energy of 36.4 μJ. A rate equation model was further introduced to theoretically analyze the dynamical mechanism, in which the Gaussian spatial distribution theory was taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Scientific teamwork collaboration is an integral element of the scientific process that often leads to significant findings. Systematic analysis of scientific teamwork collaboration continues to influence both the advance in science and knowledge production. This paper presents an overview of Science of Scientific Team Science (SSTS). SSTS explores the behaviors and attributes of teamwork and team-based collaboration specific to scientific teams from the perspective of quantitative analysis, which refers to a branch of science that analyzes and discovers scientific collaboration patterns inter- or extra-team. Aiming at assisting scientific team formation, improving collaboration environment, evaluating team performance, and fostering collaborative behaviors, this survey presents an overview in SSTS. Theoretical background of SSTS at different team development stages has been discussed. In addition, three classifications of SSTS, including interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research approaches have been investigated. Their associated similarities and differences, challenges and benefits, are also examined. This paper also summarizes web-based tools that enhance one's understanding and opinion of SSTS. Key technologies and open issues are then discussed. The association among scientific collaboration, scientific teamwork, SSTS, and cross-disciplinary research gives rise to critical implications for scholars who wish to employ and invest in those issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) has been implicated in the development of central nervous system and brain diseases such as brain tumors, ischemic stroke and neurodegenerative disorders. However, it remains unclear that the spatiotemporal distribution of NDRG2 in the human fetal brain. In this study, we examined the expression pattern of NDRG2 in different regions of human fetal brain at 16–28 gestational weeks (GWs) by using RT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. Firstly, RT-PCR revealed that mRNA of NDRG2 was detected in the human brain regions of fetuses at 16–28 GWs such as medulla oblongata (MdO), mesencephalon (MeE), cerebellum (Cbl), frontal lobe (Fr), ventricular (VZ)/subventricular zone (SVZ) and hippocampus (hip), and the expressions of NDRG2 mRNA in these human fetal brain regions were increased with gestational maturation. Furthermore, western blot and immunohistochemistry results revealed that at 28 GWs, the expression of NDRG2 protein was restricted to the MdO's olivary nucleus, MeE's aqueduct, cerebellar internal granular layers, cerebral cortex of the Fr, VZ/SVZ of lateral ventricle, and hippocampal dentate gyrus, and highest expression in the VZ/SVZ, and lowest in the MeE. Finally, double immunohistochemistry results showed that NDRG2 in the MdO, Cbl and VZ/SV at 28 GWS was mainly expressed in neurons (NeuN positive cells), and in some astrocytes (GFAP positive cells). Taken together, these results suggest that NDRG2 is mainly expressed in human fetal neurons of various brain regions during development, which may be involved in neuronal growth and maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structured measurements have been widely used to measure the impact of scholarly entities based on scholarly networks. Existing methods use heterogeneous scholarly networks and the PageRank algorithm to quantify the impact of scientific collaboration. However, by ignoring important higher-order relationships in citation networks, the impact of scientific collaboration is quantified by relying on first-order relationships, which leads to indistinguishable self-citations. In this paper, to address these shortcomings, we propose a Motif-based Scientific Collaboration Impact Rank framework, named as MSCIRank, which leverages the triangular motifs from the reconstructed collaboration-citation networks and integrates the first-order and higher-order relationships in the PageRank algorithm to quantify the impact of scientific collaboration and scholarly papers. MSCIRank consists of two models, i,e, linear and non-linear. Extensive experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of MSCIRank. The experimental results show that MSCIRank is better than SCIRank in identifying Nobel Prize papers in terms of Recall. The MSCIRank model can weaken or strengthen the impact of self-citation. Linear MSCIRank is consistent with Pareto's principle, while non-linear MSCIRank is inconsistent. In addition, the average impact of pairs of co-authors with high impact in the linear MSCIRank is much higher than that in the non-linear MSCIRank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and in-line fiber low-frequency vibration sensor based on Butterfly-Shape Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (BSMZI) is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The sensing element is a tapered hollow-core fiber (HCF) sandwiched between two single-mode fibers (SMFs). The frequency measured by the Butterfly-Shape vibration sensor can well match with the applied frequency, and the presence of the higher harmonics can verify that the sensor does not distort the measured vibration signal. The maximum relative error of vibration frequency is 0.27%. The intensity of vibration signal (of the fiber sensor) is linearly proportional to the driving power of vibration platform. The vibration measurement sensitivity is 13.575 dB/w in the range of 0.1 w to 0.5 w under a constant vibration frequency of 50 Hz, and the linear fitting coefficient is 0.9556. The proposed sensor has a negligible temperature sensitivity in the range of 30.3 °C–69.5 °C. Because of its compact structure, easy preparation, low production cost, high frequency measurement accuracy of low-frequency vibration, and good linearity of vibration sensing, the proposed BSMZI sensor has potential application prospect in low-frequency vibration sensing field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optical fiber axial contact force sensor based on bubble-expanded Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) is investigated in this paper. The FPI is packaged as a reflective sensing probe to measure the axial contact force which is applied on the end of sensing probe. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that intrinsic optical fiber FPI is used for axial contact force measurement, which has potential in application fields such as robotics. The sensing probe based on bubble-expanded FPI exhibits a high axial contact force measurement sensitivity of −750.17 pm/N, which is 3 times higher than that of the sensing probe based on traditional rectangular FPI fabricated in this work. This experimental results are well explained by the simulation analysis using Comsol software. The proposed optical fiber axial contact force sensor has advantages of compact size, simple structure and high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Vehicular Social Network (VSN) is an emerging field of communication where relevant concepts are being borrowed from two different disciplines, i.e., vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) and mobile social networks (MSNs). This emerging paradigm presents new research fields for content sharing, data dissemination, and delivery services. Based on social network analysis (SNA) applications and methodologies, interdependencies of network entities can be exploited in VSNs for prospective applications. VSNs involve social interactions of commuters having similar objectives, interests, or mobility patterns in the virtual community of vehicles, passengers, and drivers on the roads. In this paper, considering social networking in a vehicular environment, we investigate the prospective applications of VSNs and communication architecture. VSNs benefit from the social behaviors and mobility of nodes to develop novel recommendation systems and route planning. We present a state-of-the-art literature review on socially-aware applications of VSNs, data dissemination, and mobility modeling. Further, we give an overview of different recommendation systems and path planning protocols based on crowdsourcing and cloud-computing with future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Mach–Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) formed by cascading two vase-shaped tapers in a single mode fiber (SMF) is proposed in this work. The vase-shaped taper is fabricated by fusion splicing a fiber sphere with a fiber tip by applying strong arc discharge. The curvature sensing characteristic of the proposed vase-shaped taper-based MZI is experimentally investigated, displaying that the interference spectrum has a blue shift with the increase of applied curvature. The sensor realizes a large range measurement of curvature from 0.9284 m −1 to 4.0470 m −1 with sensitivities of −8.41 nm/m −1 and −16.72 nm/ m −1 in the curvature range of 0.9284 m −1 to 2.4564 m −1 and 2.6025 m −1 to 4.0470 m −1 , respectively. Its temperature-curvature cross-sensitivities are −0.0021 m −1 / °C and −0.0011 m −1 / °C in the two measurement ranges, which are lower than the corresponding curvature resolutions which are 0.0024 m −1 and 0.0012 m −1 . The proposed sensor exhibits the advantages of low cost, negligible temperature cross-sensitivity, fine curvature sensitivity and large measurement scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) working as curvature sensors have been attracting increasing attention. However, previously reported MZI-based curvature sensors with offset or abrupt-taper structures suffer from weak mechanical strength and low curvature sensitivity. In this letter, a robust and highly-sensitive MZI-based curvature sensor formed by cascading two up-tapers in a single mode fiber (SMF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By optimizing structural parameters of the MZI both in simulation and in experiment, a high quality interference spectrum with a maximum extinction ratio (ER) of around 20 dB is obtained, which is crucial in curvature sensing with spectrum intensity variation and interference dip identifiability being considered. Experimental results show that a high curvature sensitivity of −35.41 nm/m −1 is obtained in the range of 0.6846 m −1 – 1.0606 m −1 , which is 2.4 times higher than that of the interferometer with single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) structure. The two up-tapers, featured by great mechanical strength, are fabricated by only fusion pushing together a whole SMF without cleaving procedure, contributing to excellent repeatability and consistency in the sensor fabrication process. Such an all-fiber sensor exhibits advantages of simple configuration, ease of fabrication, excellent mechanical strength, low cost, and high curvature sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, anisotropy in stress relaxation aging (SRA) behavior and yield strength of AA2195 alloy has been investigated in solution heat treatment (ST), pre-deformation after solution heat treatment (PS),and artificial aging after pre-deformation (APS). It is found that the three different pre-treatments methods have significant effects on the anisotropic behavior of SRA, and the in planar anisotropy (IPA) value of the total relaxed stress from small to large is APS < PS < ST. We find that the T 1 phase hinders the anisotropy of relaxed stress, and the earlier and the faster the T 1 phase precipitates, the greater the hindering effect. Under the ST and PS pre-treatments, the yield strength anisotropy decreased after SRA, from 13.8% and 13.2% to 8.9% and 7.5%, the difference between the two pre-treatments may be due to the dislocation produced during PS pre-treatment promoting the precipitation of T 1 phase. Under the APS pre-treatment, the yield strength anisotropy increases from 6.2% to 6.5% after SRA, indicating that the T 1 phase produced by APS pre-treatment plays a role in reducing the yield strength anisotropy. The different pre-treatments lead to different initial structure states, which should be responsible for the difference in the anisotropy of SRA behavior, as is the yield strength. • • The different anisotropy in SRA behavior under differ ent pre-treatments is related to the T 1 phase. • The different pre-treatments lead to different initial structure states, causing the different anisotropy in SRA behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically predict and numerically simulate the discrete plasmonic Talbot effect in dielectric graphene plasmonic waveguide (DGPW) arrays at THz wavelengths. The super-modes in DGPW arrays are analyzed by using super-mode theory and the field intensity distributions in the designed DGPW arrays are explained by the superposition of different super-modes and simulated by using commercial software (COMSOL) based on finite element method (FEM). The discrete plasmonic Talbot effect is realized by superposition of different super-modes. The Talbot distance can be actively tuned by varying the Fermi energy of graphene and it decreases monotonically with increasing Fermi energy. In addition, it is found that the Talbot distance increases with the period of the DGPW arrays. Simulation results show a good agreement with the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We aimed to test whether abdominal girth and vertebral column length were predictors of spinal hyperbaric bupivacaine spread in term parturients.Methods: A total of 128 parturients having elective caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were enrolled. Combined spinal-epidural anaesthesia was performed at the L3/4 interspace, confirmed by ultrasonography. Two mL of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine was injected intrathecally and spinal spread assessed at three-minute intervals. If loss of discrimination of pinprick sensation at the T6 level was not obtained within 15min after injection, 5mL of 2% lidocaine was administered epidurally. Correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the relationship between patient variables, including age, height, weight, abdominal girth, vertebral column length and neonatal biparietal diameter, and the spread of spinal anaesthesia.Results: Two parturients were excluded. Significant univariate correlation with spinal spread existed for height, weight, abdominal girth and vertebral column length (r=-0.446, 0.201, 0.372, P<0.711, respectively, all P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that parturients' abdominal girth and vertebral column length were the key determinants of spinal spread (both P<0.0001). The adjusted R2 was 0.742 for the regression equation between abdominal girth, vertebral column length and height of block.Conclusion: Parturient abdominal girth and vertebral column length have significant predictive value in determining the cephalad spread of spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric bupivacaine in term parturients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PM 2.5 retrieval from space is still challenging due to the elusive relationship between PM 2.5 and aerosol optical depth (AOD), which is further complicated by meteorological factors. In this work, we investigated the diurnal cycle of PM 2.5 in China, using ground-based PM measurements obtained at 226 sites of China Atmosphere Watch Network during the period of January 2013 to December 2015. Results showed that nearly half of the sites witnessed a PM 2.5 maximum in the morning, in contrast to the least frequent occurrence (5%) in the afternoon when strong solar radiation received at the surface results in rapid vertical diffusion of aerosols and thus lower mass concentration. PM 2.5 tends to peak equally in the morning and evening in North China Plain (NCP) with an amplitude of nearly twice or three times that in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), whereas the morning PM 2.5 peak dominates in Yangtze River Delta (YRD) with a magnitude lying between those of NCP and PRD. The gridded correlation maps reveal varying correlations around each PM 2.5 site, depending on the locations and seasons. Concerning the impact of aerosol diurnal variation on the correlation, the averaging schemes of PM 2.5 using 3-h, 5-h, and 24-h time windows tend to have larger R biases, compared with the scheme of 1-h time window, indicating diurnal variation of aerosols plays a significant role in the establishment of explicit correlation between PM 2.5 and AOD. In addition, high cloud fraction and relative humidity tend to weaken the correlation, regardless of geographical location. Therefore, the impact of meteorology could be one of the most plausible alternatives in explaining the varying R values observed, due to its non-negligible effect on MODIS AOD retrievals. Our findings have implications for PM 2.5 remote sensing, as long as the aerosol diurnal cycle, along with meteorology, are explicitly considered in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of Haematococcus pluvialis exposed to high light was divided into three pigmentation phases: a green phase, a yellow phase and a red phase. Classification was based on astaxanthin and chlorophyll content and cell morphology. Metabolic profiling of the three pigmentation phases was performed. A total of 81 metabolites were identified and quantified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, including 23 amino acids, 19 sugars, 15 organic acids, 8 alcohols, 7 amines, 4 nucleic acids and 5 others. These were subdivided into four groups according to their changes during the three phases. The clustering of metabolites was revealed, and potential biomarkers were identified by principal component analysis, partial least squares analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, suggesting details of the metabolic pathways of cells. The contents of some cytoprotective metabolites were increased in the yellow phase, such as sucrose, proline and glutamic acid. The precursors of these metabolites are the intermediates of the Calvin cycle and the TCA cycle, indicated those two cycles provided more precursors for the synthesis of the cytoprotective metabolites. A hypothetical metabolic regulation model of H. pluvialis exposed to high light was proposed. Our study provides the first metabolomics view of the astaxanthin accumulation process that is induced by high light in H. pluvialis . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fine-grained collaborative team recognition method is proposed. • Collaborative teams are formulated with "core+extension" structure. • The underlying relationship between team output and collaboration intensity is found. • It is found that core members have broad collaboration relationships and fixed collaboration patterns. Scientific collaboration is a significant behavior in knowledge creation and idea exchange. To tackle large and complex research questions, a trend of team formation has been observed in recent decades. In this study, we focus on recognizing collaborative teams and exploring inner patterns using scholarly big graph data. We propose a collaborative team recognition (CORE) model with a "core + extension" team structure to recognize collaborative teams in large academic networks. In CORE, we combine an effective evaluation index called the collaboration intensity index with a series of structural features to recognize collaborative teams in which members are in close collaboration relationships. Then, CORE is used to guide the core team members to their extension members. CORE can also serve as the foundation for team-based research. The simulation results indicate that CORE reveals inner patterns of scientific collaboration: senior scholars have broad collaborative relationships and fixed collaboration patterns, which are the underlying mechanisms of team assembly. The experimental results demonstrate that CORE is promising compared with state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The efficacy of chemoradiotherapy regimen in the treatment of stage Ⅳ nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Ⅳ NPC) is not clear. This retrospective study aimed to reveal the benefit of chemoradiotherapy in Ⅳ-NPC and to develop a survival prognostic model for the disease prediction.Materials and Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database at https://seer.cancer.gov was retrieved for stage Ⅳ NPC patients between 2004 and 2016. The patients were divided into two groups of radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy according to the treatment method. Overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) between the groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank test, and propensity matching score (PSM). Cox proportional hazards model, nomogram, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were employed to establish the prognostic model.Results: A total of 729 patients with Ⅳ NPC were introduced, of whom 44 received radiotherapy and 685 received chemoradiotherapy. Results of statistical tests demonstrated that chemoradiotherapy was associated with improved OS and CSS, especially in the patients with ⅣA NPC (P < 0.05); further multivariate analysis with PSM confirmed that chemoradiotherapy benefited the patients' OS (HR: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.12-0.50; P < 0.001). Moreover, the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy was found significantly correlated to metastasis. Even though chemoradiotherapy had an obvious survival benefit in patients without metastasis, it only helped to improve the CSS in those with metastases.Conclusion: This study indicated that chemoradiotherapy could improve the survival of NPC patients at stage ⅣA and non-metastasis. The nomogram we established may provide reference for clinical treatment of NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recently showed that inter-keratin disulfide bonding plays an important role in the assembly, organization, and dynamics of keratin intermediate filaments in skin keratinocytes. In particular, cysteine 367 located in the central -helical rod domain of keratin 14 is necessary for the formation of a stable perinuclear network of keratin filaments (with type II partner keratin 5) in skin keratinocytes analyzed by static and live cell imaging. Here, we show that two additional cysteine residues located in the non-helical head domain of K14, Cys-4 and Cys-40, also participate in inter-keratin disulfide bonding and tandemly play a key role complementary to that of Cys-367 in the assembly, organization, and dynamics of keratin filaments in skin keratinocytes in primary culture. Analysis of K14 variants with single or multiple substitutions of cysteine residues points to a spatial and temporal hierarchy in how Cys-4/Cys-40 and Cys-367 regulate keratin assembly in vitro and filament dynamics in live keratinocytes in culture. Our findings substantiate the importance and complexity of a novel determinant, namely inter-keratin disulfide bonding, for the regulation of several aspects of keratin filaments in surface epithelia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel sandwich-like structure design of the grain boundaries was proposed. • The coercivity temperature coefficient and the irreversible loss of magnetic flux for Ce magnets added with Pr-Nd-Al alloy are enhanced. • The thermal stability analyses from various perspectives provide sufficient evidence for the proposed design concept. • The self-compensation effect of thermal stability is experimentally verified in Pr-Nd-Al Ce magnet. A novel design concept was proposed for optimizing the grain boundaries from the theoretical aspect, which could play the self-compensation effect on the thermal stability of the coercivity. The Pr-Nd-Al Ce magnet without critical elements was investigated that experimentally verified the self-compensation effect of grain boundaries structure on the thermal stability of the coercivity. As a result, the Pr-Nd-Al Ce magnet with 3 wt% (Pr 0.25 Nd 0.75) 80 Al 20 as the additive inside the grain boundaries had better thermal stability than that of Nd-Fe-B magnet. The coercivity temperature coefficient β of Pr-Nd-Al Ce magnet was improved by 5.7%, and the irreversible loss of magnetic flux h irr was enhanced by 58% at the temperature of 100 ℃ compared with the Nd-Fe-B magnet. The improvement of thermal stability was attributed to the special sandwich-like structure consisting of two amorphous nonmagnetic phases sandwiching a layer of Re 6 (Fe, TM) 11 Al 3 tetragonal phase, that compensated the coercivity of Ce magnets without critical elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] La5/3Sr1/3NiO4–YSZ composite powders have been synthesized by a simple method. [•] The effect of YSZ addition on the electrode microstructure and performance was investigated. [•] The effect of sintering temperature on the electrode microstructure and performance was investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Altered microRNA-205 (miR-205) expression has been found in glioma tissue samples and cell lines; however, the clinical significance of this is unclear. The aim of this study was to confirm the miR-205 expression pattern in human glioma and to investigate its clinical relevance. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays showed that miR-205 expression was significantly lower in glioma tissues than in non-neoplastic brain tissues (P <0.001). Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between low miR-205 expression and both high grade glioma (World Health Organization [WHO] criteria, P =0.008) and a low Karnofsky performance status score (P =0.02). Survival analysis demonstrated that the cumulative 5-year overall survival rate of patients with glioma in the high miR-205 expression group was significantly higher than that in the low miR-205 expression group (P <0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis further indicated that miR-205 expression (P =0.01) and WHO grade (P =0.01) were independent prognostic indicators of the overall survival of patients with glioma. Moreover, subgroup analyses revealed that the cumulative 5-year overall survival rate of patients with high grade (III–IV) glioma was significantly worse for the low miR-205 expression group than for the high miR-205 expression group (P <0.001), but no significant difference was found for patients with low grade (I–II) glioma (P =0.09). In conclusion, down-regulation of miR-205 was associated with glioma progression. Our data are the first to suggest that miR-205 holds potential as a prognostic factor for glioma, especially for patients with advanced disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Networked control systems (NCSs) offer many advantages over conventional control; however, they also demonstrate challenging problems such as network-induced delay and packet losses. This paper proposes an approach of predictive compensation for simultaneous network-induced delays and packet losses. Different from the majority of existing NCS control methods, the proposed approach addresses co-design of both network and controller. It also alleviates the requirements of precise process models and full understanding of NCS network dynamics. For a series of possible sensor-to-actuator delays, the controller computes a series of corresponding redundant control values. Then, it sends out those control values in a single packet to the actuator. Once receiving the control packet, the actuator measures the actual sensor-to-actuator delay and computes the control signals from the control packet. When packet dropout occurs, the actuator utilizes past control packets to generate an appropriate control signal. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated through examples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a hypervascular cancer characterized by rapid progression as well as resistance to conventional chemotherapy. It has been shown that microRNAs play critical roles in pathogenesis of HCC. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) is a liver-specific microRNA and is frequently downregulated in HCC. In the present study, we investigated whether restoration of miR-122 in HCC cells could render cells sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents adriamycin (ADM) or vincristine (VCR). Our data showed that overexpression of miR-122 in HCC cells induced by adenovirus expressing miR-122 could render cell sensitive to ADM or VCR. Analysis of cell cycle distribution showed that the anti-proliferative effect of miR-122 is associated with increase of cell number in the G2/M phase. Moreover, treatment with Ad-miR122 and ADM or VCR resulted in high accumulation of HCC cells in G2/M phase. We further demonstrated that overexpression of miR-122 could modulate the sensitivity of the HCC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs through downregulating MDR related genes MDR-1, GST-π, and MRP, antiapoptotic gene Bcl-w and cell cycle related gene cyclin B1. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that combination of Ad-miR122 with chemotherapeutic agents inhibited HCC cell growth by inducing G2/M arrest and that this arrest is associated, at least in part, with reduced expression of MDR related genes and Cyclin B1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Muscle VEGF expression is upregulated by exercise. Whether this VEGF response is regulated by transcription and/or post-transcriptional mechanisms is unknown. Hypoxia may be responsible: myocyte falls greatly during exercise and VEGF is a hypoxia-responsive gene. Whether exercise induces VEGF expression in other organs important to acute physical activity is also unknown. To address these questions, we created a VEGF-Luciferase reporter mouse and measured VEGF transcription, mRNA and protein responses to (a) acute exercise and (b) short-term hypoxia () in brain (brainstem, cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus and striatum), muscle, lung, heart and liver. Exercise increased VEGF transcription, mRNA and protein in brain (hippocampus only), lungs and skeletal muscles, but not liver or heart. Hypoxia increased VEGF expression only in brain (cortex, hippocampus and striatum). New transcription appears to be a major exercise-induced regulatory step for increasing VEGF expression in muscle, lung and brain. Hippocampal VEGF expression was the only component of the exercise response recapitulated by hypoxia equivalent to the Everest summit. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nogo-A and its Nogo receptor (NgR) have been shown to inhibit plasticity after central nervous system lesions. Therefore, we hypothesized that Nogo-A and its receptor NgR will be upregulated and will activate RhoA, and thus, they play a role in the damage in the infarction developed. To test this hypothesis, a focal cerebral infarction model was created by coagulation of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) and ipsilateral common carotid artery (CCA), as well as the simultaneous transient occlusion of the contralateral CCA for 30min in 60 adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The rat brains were treated at 6h, 12h, 24h, 48h, 96h, and 7 d after cerebral infarction. Sham controls were collected to determine histopathologic damage and Nogo-A, NgR, and RhoA expression using hematoxylin-eosin, immunohistochemical staining, Western blot analysis, and fluorimeter-based quantitive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. The results indicate that cerebral infarction produced damage and edema on nerve cells in the infarction area, becoming most prominent at 24h after modeling. Meanwhile, a marked increase of Nogo-A, NgR, and RhoA expression was found at 6h in model groups compared with the sham controls, which peaked at 24h after the operation. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis also showed upregulated Nogo-A located in the myelin sheath of the infarction area, NgR expressed on the surface of neurons and their processes, and RhoA expressed inside the cytoplasm of neurons in infarction brain. In conclusion, the upregulation of Nogo-A, NgR, and RhoA in the infarction area may be an important feature of cerebral infarction and may play a role in the pathologic progression of this lesion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We proposed a highly-sensitive temperature sensor based on a PDMS-coated microfiber MZIKR. • The spectrum is a combination of interference and resonance spectrum with vernier effect. • This is the first time that vernier effect is generated in a single few-mode MKR. • Temperature sensitivities are −1.79 nm/ °C and −3.5 nm/ °C in interference and vernier spectra. • The MZIKR has advantages of simple fabrication, robust structure and high sensitivity. In this work, spectral characteristics and temperature sensing characteristics of an in-line microfiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with an embedded microfiber knot resonator (MKR) is investigated. The microfiber MZI with an MKR (MZIKR) has a dual-effect composite spectrum with comb-like spectrum of the MKR loaded on the dominant interference spectrum. Vernier effect is generated by the MKR via superposition of resonant spectra with three resonant modes circulating in the MKR. This is the first time that Vernier effect is generated in a single MKR, which has advantages of easy fabrication and compact structure compared to the traditional resonant structures with Vernier effect such as two cascaded MKRs. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) and FFT filter are used to analyze and extract the different components of the transmission spectrum of the MZIKR. Temperature sensing characteristics of the different components of the polydimethylsiloxane-coated MZIKR are studied, showing that the interference dip of the MZI spectrum and the envelope dip of the MKR Vernier spectrum achieve a high temperature sensitivity of about -1.8 nm/ °C and about -3.5 nm/ °C, respectively. The proposed sensor has the advantages of easy fabrication, robust structure, and high sensitivity in temperature measurement. The MZIKR with dual-effect composite spectrum may have potential in two-parameter measurement and narrow-band filtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pleiotropic mechanisms beyond their cholesterol lowering effect of 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins such as pravastatin are known. We used a temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model in 114 Wistar rats to assess i) whether repeated injections of various doses of pravastatin (0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg) at 30 min, 6 h, 1, 2, 3, and 4 days after stroke onset are neuroprotective, ii) whether attenuation of striatal glutamate and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release is part of the neuroprotective mechanism, and iii) how local cerebral blood flow (CBF) is influenced by pravastatin both in the acute and late stage of ischemia. Animals were sacrificed 5 days after MCAO, infarct size was analyzed with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. As compared to saline (139±14 mm3, n =11), higher doses of pravastatin beyond 0.1 mg/kg significantly reduced infarct size with the greatest effect obtained with 1 mg/kg (60±14 mm3, n =11, P =0.0004). Using cerebral microdialyis in this dose group, we demonstrated that striatal glutamate increase in the ischemic hemisphere was attenuated by pravastatin compared to placebo. Likewise, IL-6 release was diminished at 2 h, but not at 6 h after tMCAO. Improvement of local CBF by pravastatin was observed at day 5, but not at 5 h after tMCAO, thus representing a more long term effect of pravastatin. In conclusion, a relatively high dose of pravastatin administered repetitively after stroke onset improved neurological outcome through various cholesterol-independent mechanisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is neuroprotective through various pharmacological action sites. We used a temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model in 56 Wistar rats to assess whether repeated ASA injections at 30 min, 6 h, 1, 2, 3, and 4 days after stroke onset are neuroprotective. Animals were sacrificed 5 days after MCAO; infarct size was analyzed with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. As compared to saline (164±13 mm3, n=14), only repeated injections of 40 mg/kg ASA (79±18 mm3, n=14, P=0.0029), but not of 20 mg/kg ASA (129±19 mm3, n=15), reduced infarct volume significantly. No significant change was noted with 40 mg/kg ASA injected only once at 30 min after MCAO (117±16 mm3, n=13). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

: BackgroundResection of a large hepatocellular carcinoma in the right liver or a small tumor located at the superior and posterior part of the right liver requires extensive hepatic mobilization. A thoracoabdominal approach might facilitate hepatic resection in such situations, but the safety and benefits of this approach remain unclear.: Study designA retrospective study based on a prospectively collected database of 488 patients was performed to evaluate the perioperative outcomes of right-sided hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma using the thoracoabdominal approach (n = 92) in comparison with the conventional abdominal approach (n = 396).: ResultsThe two groups were comparable in age, comorbid illnesses, liver function, tumor size, and underlying cirrhosis. There were more extended right hepatectomies in the thoracoabdominal approach group than in the abdominal approach group, but the difference was not significant (33.7% versus 26.0%, p = 0.14). A significantly higher proportion of patients in the thoracoabdominal approach group did not require blood transfusion compared with the abdominal approach group (66.3% versus 54.8%, p = 0.04). The operating time for the former group was longer (median 450 min versus 360 min, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in hospital stay (median 12.5 days versus 13.0 days, p = 0.82), overall morbidity (41.3% versus 38.6%, p = 0.64), or hospital mortality (4.3% versus 7.3%, p = 0.37) between the two groups.: ConclusionsThe thoracoabdominal approach is a safe operative approach that can facilitate resection of massive tumors in the right liver or tumors involving segments 7 and 8 without increased morbidity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]