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The translation control tumor protein (TCTP) is a kind of conservative, common and important molecule, several functions (such as regulating cell cycle, apoptosis and calcium binding) have been reported. However, few academic researches for role of TCTP in insecticides stress were made so far. In this research, Drosophila kc cells treated with different doses of deltamethrin at different times, indicated that the expression of TCTP reached the highest level when the cells were treated with 20 ppm of deltamethrin at 24 h. The results showed that TCTP expression is associated with deltamethrin stress. To investigate the functional relationship between this gene and deltamethrin resistance, RNA interference (RNAi) and cell transfection were utilized. TCTP knockdown significantly reduced the level of resistance of RNAi-treated cells, and the overexpressions of TCTP in Drosophila kc cells conferred a degree of protection against deltamethrin. Flow cytometry data showed increased apoptosis rate of RNAi-treated cells and decreased apoptosis following cell transfection. These results represent the first evidence that TCTP plays an important role in the regulation of deltamethrin resistance. Therefore, this study could help us to elucidate the environmental toxicity of deltamethrin and new target genes associated with resistance.

Objective This study aims to explore the possible role of fenofibrate in inhibiting choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in Brown Norway (BN) rats. Methods BN rats underwent binocular retinal laser photocoagulation to induce CNV. On day one, fenofibrate was injected into the vitreous cavity of rats in the control and experimental groups. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), isolectin B4-FITC staining, immunofluorescence staining, qRT-PCR and western blot were performed at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks to observe the morphological changes of CNV and the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3). Results CNV with the spontaneous gradual regression and scarring phenomenon appeared in BN rats. In neovascularization, VEGF-C was mainly distributed in the ganglion cell layer, while VEGFR-3 was mainly expressed in the choroid. In the control group, choroidal VEGF-C initially increased, and subsequently decreased, while VEGFR-3 level maintained a constant level after the decrease. Both had a decreasing expression in the retina. The early formation of CNV was significantly weakened in the experimental group, but there was no difference in the later period. VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 expression in the choroid and retina were lower than in the control group. Furthermore, VEGFR-3 protein was not expressed in the retina. However, this gradually increased in the early period and declined in the terminal stage in the choroid. Conclusion VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 participated in the laser-induced CNV formation in BN rats. Fenofibrate could inhibit CNV formation.

Introduction The clinical influence of smoking cessation on pain tolerance before surgery and postoperative pain perception is not fully understood. This clinical study investigated the effect of smoking cessation on pain threshold during the perioperative period in patients undergoing hepatic resection. Methods We enrolled 148 male patients (68 non-smokers and 80 abstinent smokers) who underwent hepatic resection and received postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia. Patients were tested for preoperative pain thresholds in response to electrical stimuli. We recorded the cumulative amount of extra morphine equivalent required during the first 48 h after surgery. Pain intensity was evaluated at 1 h, 6 h, 24 h and 48 h after surgery using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Additionally, button-pressing consumption was recorded by a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Results The groups did not differ with respect to baseline clinical characteristics. Compared with non-smokers, abstinent smokers exhibited lower pain thresholds before surgery and demanded a larger quantity of extra morphine equivalent during the first 48 h after surgery. Abstinent smokers also exhibited more severe postoperative pain than non-smokers. Postoperative complications, such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sedation, and respiratory depression, did not significantly differ between the two groups. Conclusions In this study, smokers deprived of cigarettes exhibited decreased pain tolerance before surgery and required a larger quantity of postoperative extra morphine equivalent than non-smokers. Health care providers must be aware of the potential for increased narcotic requirements in smokers.

Under fault condition, primary current of a current transformer (CT) has high magnitude and may include decaying dc offset. This can result in saturation of magnetizing core of the CT and the secondary current is thus distorted. The distorted current is likely to cause malfunction of protection relays or control devices. Therefore error compensation methods are studied. Most attentions are paid to a single CT. However, CTs are usually connected together for different protections and control devices. For example, three CTs are linked for three-phase current protection and zero-sequence current protection of transmission lines. This paper proposes a novel error compensation algorithm for 3-CT connection. Due to the existence of neutral circuit, the three CTs are affected each other and error compensation methods for a single CT cannot be applied. The error compensation algorithm is derived based on the physical configuration of the 3-CT connection. It is evaluated by EMTP simulation data and case studies are included. Protection relays and control devices can achieve better performance using the compensated current measurements.

The study investigates the backscattering cross section of small spheroid particles in air with their rotary axis orientation in a normal distribution. Backscattering cross section as a function of distribution parameters (mean and variance) and wavelength has been numerically calculated and analyzed in order to provide scientific basis for atmospheric microwave transfer and remote sensing, and especially for improvement of quantitatively rainfall measuring accuracy with Doppler weather radar.

Recent stabilizer design using wide-area measurement systems (WAMS) signals has been suggested to enhance the dynamic performance of large interconnected power systems. However, there is an unavoidable delay involved before these signals are received at the stabilizer site. Long time-delay may be detrimental to system stability and may degrade system performance. Therefore, the delay-independent robust control problem of large interconnected power systems based on WAMS is studied via H∞ fuzzy control method. First, a set of equivalent Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model is employed to represent the large interconnected power systems. A wide-area state feedback decentralized control scheme is developed to stabilize the T–S fuzzy systems without any wide-area signals delay information such that the H∞ performance is achieved. The H∞ fuzzy robust control design problem is parameterized in terms of a linear matrix inequality (LMI) problem, and the LMI problem can be solved very efficiently using the convex optimization techniques. Finally, the performance of the robust control is studied using a fourteen-machine interconnected power system example.

The angular diameters of 4 stars, SAO 109718, 092556, 128427 and 098755, are reported, which are obtained from photoelectric observations taken during the events of lunar occultation of the 4 stars. The results are listed in Table 2 and the light curves and the corresponding fitting ones for the stars are shown in Fig. 1–4, respectively.