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Purpose. The study aimed to examine the effects of a cartoon text version of a health education manual with sandplay on the psychological status and cognitive function of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods. Eighty cases of children with ADHD admitted from February 2019 to September 2021 were selected for the study. They were numbered according to the order of consultation, and after obtaining family consent, they were divided into the control group (n = 40) and the observation group (n = 40) using the random number table method. The control group received only medication and verbal health education, while the observation group received a cartoon text version of the health education manual together with sandplay on top of the above, and both groups were treated for 30 weeks. The attention test results and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV rating scales (SNAP-IV) were used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment for both groups of children. The awareness rate of health education knowledge of children and their families in both groups was counted. The Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Combined Raven’s test (CRT) were used to assess the psychological status and cognitive functioning of the children in both groups. Results. After treatment, the response time, the number of errors, and the number of missed alarms in the attention test results were lower in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the inattention, antagonism and defiance, and impulsiveness and hyperactivity scores on SNAP-IV were lower in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the knowledge of disease and treatment, medical and nursing cooperation, safety and protection, and dietary precautions were higher in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the learning problems, conduct problems, psychosomatic problems, anxiety, impulsivity-hyperactivity, and hyperactivity index scores on the PSQ were lower in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the A, B, C, D, and E theme scores in the CRT were higher in the observation group than in the control group, and the IQ score was also higher in the observation group than in the control group ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. The cartoon text version of the health education manual with sandplay can significantly improve the attention deficit, hyperactive behaviour, psychological status, and cognitive function of children with ADHD on the basis of pharmacological treatment, which has a good clinical application.

Background. The study aimed to examine the effect of self-practice oriented teaching plus psychological intervention on blood glucose level and psychological status of type 2 diabetic patients on first insulin therapy. Methods. A total of 80 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted from April 2020 to November 2020 were assessed for eligibility and included. They were then assigned to a control group and an observation group via the random number table method, with 40 cases in each group. In addition to insulin injection treatment in both groups prior to intervention, the control group received health education and psychological intervention, whereas the observation group adopted a self-practice oriented teaching strategy plus psychological intervention. Insulin injections, nursing satisfaction, blood glucose level, and disease awareness were compared between the two groups. The Exercise of Self-Care Agency (ESCA) scale was used to assess the patients’ self-care ability, the Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOLI-74) scale was used to assess their quality of life, and the emotional state of patients was evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. Results. Patients in the observation group outperformed the control group in terms of insulin injection after intervention ( P < 0.05 ). Significantly higher nursing satisfaction and ESCA scores were observed after intervention ( P < 0.05 ). Self-practice oriented teaching plus psychological intervention resulted in remarkably lower postintervention glycemic indexes ( P < 0.001 ). Markedly higher disease knowledge scores and GQOLI-74 scores were witnessed in the observation group in contrast to those of the control group ( P < 0.001 ). The observation group patients showed lower HAD scores than those of the control group ( P < 0.001 ). Conclusion. Self-practice oriented teaching plus psychological intervention could effectively alleviate the negative emotions of type 2 diabetic patients on first insulin therapy, stabilize glycemic indexes, and improve quality of life, demonstrating good potential for clinical promotion.

Grouting technology is widely used to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the permeability of the rock in underground engineering. Fluidity is important to promote the grout to be injected into longer fractures, so chemical grouts with low viscosity and adjustable gel time are usually chosen to increase this property. However, the high temperature in some deep engineering leads to a faster hydration rate of the chemical grout than that in the room temperature environment, resulting in the decrease of fluidity. The heat exchange between the grout and the environment is usually ignored in the existing researches, so the aim of the numerical study is therefore to analyse the seepage process of chemical grout in the temperature field, where heat exchange between the grout and environment is considered. A sandstone model with a fracture is established in COMSOL, which is validated using laboratory experiments to confirm the accuracy of the results. The grouting time rises exponentially with the increasing of the flow distance in a single fracture, and a higher environmental temperature leads to a larger grouting time because the gap in the viscosity of the grout at different temperatures enlarges with the increasing hydration time. The effect of the temperature field on the grouting time becomes more significant when the temperature is higher and the hydration time is longer because the viscosity of the grout rises more slowly. The grouting time reduces dramatically when injection pressure is raised because an increasing pressure results in a larger aperture and less hydration time, which is one of the best ways to improve the efficiency of the grouting. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the seepage process of chemical grout in fractures under high temperature and provide guidance for the selection of chemical grout in grouting engineering.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) can promote osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs), and CTLA4-modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells possess immunoregulatory effects. In the present study, we aimed to construct a new tissue engineering bone using demineralized bone matrix and CTLA4 protein, designated as DBM-CTLA4 (+). The effects of DBM-CTLA4 (+) on the osteogenic differentiation of hBMMSCs and T lymphocyte activation were evaluated through in vitro experiments. The cumulative release of CTLA4 from DBM-CTLA4 (+) was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. DBM-CTLA4 (+) was co-cultured in a Transwell chamber with either phytohemagglutinin-treated hBMMSCs or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMCs). Osteogenic differentiation of hBMMSCs was assessed by calcium deposition, ALP activity, and the protein levels of COL1A1, RUNX2, BMP2, and OPN. T lymphocyte activity was assessed by measuring the protein levels of IL-2, L-17, HLA-DRA1, IFN-γ, and RANKL. Our results showed that the cumulative release rates of CTLA4 at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days were 12.6% ± 1.4%, 30.2% ± 2.3%, 49.8% ± 3.8%, and 60.5% ± 2.7%, respectively. Compared to the negative control, DBM-CTLA4 (+) promoted the proliferation of hBMMSCs, and enhanced calcium deposition, ALP activity, and protein levels of COL1A1, RUNX2, BMP2, and OPN. Moreover, DBM-CTLA4 (+) decreased the levels of IL-2, IL-17, HLA-DR, IFN-γ, and RANKL in hPBMCs treated with phytohemagglutinin. In conclusion, DBM-CTLA4 (+) promoted proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hBMMSCs and suppressed T lymphocyte activation.

The eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt is an important molybdenum resource base in Xinjiang and is characterized by large-scale porphyry Mo deposits formed during the Triassic. The Tieling Cu-Mo porphyry deposit, which is situated in the western part of the eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt, was recently recognized as being related to Carboniferous granite porphyry. Three stages of hydrothermal mineralization were identified, including quartz+K-feldspar+pyrite±molybdenite±magnetite (stage I), quartz+molybdenite+pyrite+chalcopyrite (stage II), and quartz+pyrite±molybdenite±epidote (stage III). Fluid inclusion petrography and microthermometry analyses indicate the presence of gas-liquid inclusions with a H2O-NaCl composition. The ore-forming fluids have a characteristic temperature ranging from 157 to 262°C under stage II and 135 to 173°C under stage III, which correspond to salinities of 7.2-17.2 wt% NaCl equiv. and 5.9 to 9.6 wt% NaCl equiv., respectively. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope data indicate that the ore-forming fluids of the Tieling deposit were originally derived from magmatic hydrothermal fluids and then mixed with meteoric water. The sulfur isotope compositions indicate that the ore-forming materials were mainly derived from the Late Carboniferous felsic magma. Furthermore, zircon U-Pb analysis of ore-bearing granite porphyry yields a concordant age of298.4±0.7 Ma, indicating that the Tieling Cu-Mo deposit formed during the Late Carboniferous and differed from that processed under pre-Early Carboniferous and Triassic mineralization in the eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt. These results also indicate that the Tieling porphyry deposit was formed in the transition condition between subduction-related accretion and postcollisional orogeny, and it should be given more attention in prospect evaluations.

Epithelial regeneration is an essential wound healing process, and recent work suggests that different types of exosomes (Exos) can improve wound repair outcomes by promoting such epithelial regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is known to facilitate enhanced wound healing, yet the mechanisms underlying its activity are poorly understood. To explore these mechanisms, we first isolated PRP-derived Exos (PRP-Exos). Using immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) treated with PBS, PRP, or PRP-Exos, we conducted a series of in vitro Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), EdU, scratch wound, and transwell assays. We then established a wound defect model in vivo in mice and assessed differences in the mRNA expression within these wounds to better understand the basis for PRP-mediated wound healing. The functions of PRP-Exos and USP15 in the context of wound healing were then confirmed through additional in vitro and in vivo experiments. We found that PRP-Exos effectively promoted the in vitro proliferation, migration, and wound healing activity of HaCaT cells. USP15 was further identified as a key mediator through which these PRP-Exos were able to promote tissue repair both in vitro and in vivo. At a mechanistic level, USP15 enhanced the functional properties of HaCaT cells by promoting EIF4A1 deubiquitination. Thus, PRP-Exos and USP15 represent promising tools that can promote wound healing via enhancing epithelial regeneration.

Cavernous nerve injury is the main cause of erectile dysfunction (ED) after radical prostatectomy (RP). In our previous study, injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) into the cavernosum can repair damaged cavernosum nerves and ED can be restored to a certain extent. In order to improve these therapeutic effects, we evaluated the efficacy of ADSCs co-modified with VEGF and Smad7 in a rat model. SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: a sham surgery group, and the five bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) groups were injected with ADSC or ADSCs genetically modified by VEGF (ADSC-V), Smad7 (ADSC-S), or VEGFSmad7 (ADSC-VS) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The results indicated that the erectile function of the ADSC-V, ADSC-S, and ADSC-VS groups was significantly recovered, and the erectile function of the ADSC-VS group was more distinctly recovered as compared to the other groups. The same results are shown in the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and the smooth muscle/collagen ratio of penile tissue comparing the ADSC-VS group to the ADSC-V and ADSC-S group. These experimental data suggest that ADSCs co-overexpressed with VEGF and Smad7 can significantly improve erectile function after BCNI. This study provides new therapeutic thoughts for ED following RP.

Tendon injury is a common but tough medical problem. Unsatisfactory clinical results have been reported in tendon repair using mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy, creating a need for a better strategy to induce MSCs to tenogenic differentiation. This study was designed to examine the effect of hypoxia on the tenogenic differentiation of different MSCs and their tenogenic differentiation capacities under hypoxia condition in vitro and to investigate the in vivo inductility of hypoxia in tenogenesis. Adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AMSCs) and bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMSCs) were isolated and characterized. The expression of hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha (Hif-1α) was examined to confirm the establishment of hypoxia condition. qRT-PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the expression of tendon-associated marker Col-1a1, Col-3a1, Dcn, and Tnmd in AMSCs and BMSCs under hypoxia condition, compared with Tgf-β1 induction. In vivo, a patellar tendon injury model was established. Normoxic and hypoxic BMSCs were cultured and implanted. Histological, biomechanical, and transmission electron microscopy analyses were performed to assess the improved healing effect of hypoxic BMSCs on tendon injury. Our in vitro results showed that hypoxia remarkably increased the expression of Hif-1α and that hypoxia not only promoted a significant increase in tenogenic markers in both AMSCs and BMSCs compared with the normoxia group but also showed higher inductility compared with Tgf-β1. In addition, hypoxic BMSCs exhibited higher potential of tenogenic differentiation than hypoxic AMSCs. Our in vivo results demonstrated that hypoxic BMSCs possessed better histological and biomechanical properties than normoxic BMSCs, as evidenced by histological scores, patellar tendon biomechanical parameters, and the range and average of collagen fibril diameters. These findings suggested that hypoxia may be a practical and reliable strategy to induce tenogenic differentiation of BMSCs for tendon repair and could enhance the effectiveness of MSCs therapy in treating tendon injury.

Oil well cement is a brittle material, which can not ensure the long-term sealing integrity of oil and gas wells when used in cementing operations directly. As a kind of polymer emulsion material, epoxy resin emulsion has a bright future for improving the properties of the cement slurry. Epoxy resin emulsion was added to oil well cement and its workability and mechanical properties were studied, the stress-strain behavior of cement samples was evaluated, and the microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show the epoxy resin emulsion used in oil well cement will affect the fluidity, but the rheological property of cement slurry with different content of resin meets the construction requirements. The resin reduces the water loss of cement paste and has no adverse effect on the thickening time. The compressive strength of cement stone decreases with the increase in resin content. When the content of resin is 6%, the flexural strength and impact strength of the cement sample are the largest, and 50.7% and 20.2% higher than that of the specimen without resin, respectively, after curing for 28 days. Further comparison shows that epoxy resin emulsion can improve the mechanical properties of oil well cement better than styrene-butadiene rubber latex. Meanwhile, the resin obviously improves the deformability and decreases the elastic modulus of cement stone. Compared with pure cement, resin cement slurry has no extra hydration products, but the formation of hydrated calcium silicate is inhibited. The microstructure shows that the resin forms a polymer film in the cement matrix and interweaves with cement hydration products, thus improving the flexibility of cement paste.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4- (CTLA4-) modified human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs) might be promising seed cells for bone tissue engineering. However, the underlying mechanism is not clear. In the present study, we investigated whether CTLA4-modified hBMMSCs are involved in the migration of allogeneic hBMMSCs (allo-hBMMSCs) by maintaining POSTN secretion. hBMMSCs were isolated from different groups, named hBMMSCs and allo-hBMMSCs. hBMMSCs that were infected with the negative control (NC), empty adenovirus- or recombinant adenovirus-expressing CTLA4, POSTN, or CTLA4 plus the shRNA of POSTN were named NC hBMMSCs, CTLA4-modified hBMMSCs, POSTN-modified hBMMSCs, or CTLA4+shPOSTN-modified hBMMSCs, respectively. They were then cocultured with PBMCs in a 1 : 5 ratio with 2.5 μg/mL phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The coculture supernatant was collected to treat allo-hBMMSCs with anti-integrin αvβ3 IgG, or negative control IgG, as a control. Following this, ELISA, Transwell assays, wound healing assays, and western blotting were performed. We found that the POSTN level was higher in the culture supernatant of CTLA4- and POSTN-modified hBMMSCs than in NC hBMMSCs cocultured with PBMCs treated with PHA. The migration capability of allo-hBMMSCs was enhanced, and the integrin αvβ3/FAK/ERK signaling pathway in allo-hBMMSCs was activated by the culture supernatant of CTLA4- and POSTN-modified hBMMSCs cocultured with PBMCs treated with PHA. Additionally, these induced effects can be weakened by POSTN knockdown, and the migration capability of allo-hBMMSCs was blocked by anti-integrin αvβ3 IgG. In conclusion, hCTLA4-gene-modified hBMMSCs maintain POSTN secretion to enhance the migration capability of allogeneic hBMMSCs through the integrin αvβ3/FAK/ERK signaling pathway in the T cell immune activation environment.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has enormous potential in many domains. According to the characteristics of UAV, it is important for UAV network to assure low latency and integrity and authentication of commands sent by command center or command stations to UAV. In this paper, we proposed a UAV network architecture based on mobile edge computing (MEC) which helps guarantee low latency in the UAV network. Afterwards, we proposed a designated verifier proxy blind signature (DVPBS) scheme for UAV network and proved that it is existentially unforgeable under an adaptive chosen message attack in the random oracle model. We compared the efficiency of our DVPBS scheme with other signature schemes by implementing them in jPBC and theoretically analyzing their signature length. The experiment results indicate that our DVPBS scheme is efficient. The signature length of our DVPBS is longer, but it is still short enough compared with the transmission capacity of UAV.

With comprehensive application of the theories of coating shear failure mechanism and fatigue cumulative damage, a life prediction method of a gun barrel is proposed based on the shear fatigue damage accumulation at the coating-substrate interface. The life of a small-caliber gun barrel is predicted by use of constant tensile strength at normal temperature and temperature-dependent tensile strength, respectively. The influence of the two kinds of tensile strength on barrel life prediction results is analyzed. Life test proves that the prediction method proposed here is credible and practical. The research results show that the reduction of interface tensile strength due to temperature rise in the firing process is an important inducement of interface damage and gun barrel failure. When the temperature-dependent tensile strength is considered in life prediction model, the prediction results are smaller than that predicted by use of constant tensile strength and well matched with the life test results. Therefore, the temperature-dependent tensile strength should be incorporated in the model of gun barrel life prediction.

In view of the drawback of most image inpainting algorithms by which texture was not prominent, an adaptive inpainting algorithm based on continued fractions was proposed in this paper. In order to restore every damaged point, the information of known pixel points around the damaged point was used to interpolate the intensity of the damaged point. The proposed method included two steps; firstly, Thiele’s rational interpolation combined with the mask image was used to interpolate adaptively the intensities of damaged points to get an initial repaired image, and then Newton-Thiele’s rational interpolation was used to refine the initial repaired image to get a final result. In order to show the superiority of the proposed algorithm, plenty of experiments were tested on damaged images. Subjective evaluation and objective evaluation were used to evaluate the quality of repaired images, and the objective evaluation was comparison of Peak Signal to Noise Ratios (PSNRs). The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm had better visual effect and higher Peak Signal to Noise Ratio compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Objectives of this study are to examine influence of the surface crackles fractal characteristics of CRTSII track slab on its propagation velocity and stress intensity factor (SIF) and to improve the service performance of track slab. In this paper, fractal dimension D of transverse crack on the surface of CRTSII track slab was calculated by image processing, digital image technology, and box-counting method. Based on the fractal structure of transverse crack on track slab surface, a fractal transverse crack propagation model was established. The impact of fractal effect on the surface crack propagation velocity and SIF of CRTSII track slab was analyzed quantitatively. The fractal dimension D of transverse crack is 1.0652 on the surface of CRTSII track slab. The actual measured crack propagation velocity V0 on the surface of the track slab can be corrected as the true crack propagation velocity V. When the V0/Cr=0.899<1, the SIF K′L1.0652,t,V of transverse dynamic fractal crack propagation on the surface of track slab has been equal to 0, and the V0 is always lower than Rayleigh wave velocity. In addition, the true attenuation rate of SIF for CRTSII track slab surface transverse dynamic crack propagation is faster than the actual measured value.

Liver biopsy still remains the gold standard for diagnosing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but with limitations. There is an urgent need to develop noninvasive tests that accurately distinguish NASH from simple steatosis. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum biomarkers including cytokeratin 18 (CK-18), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), and combined biomarker panel (CBP) in the diagnosis of NAFLD, especially NASH. A total of 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Pooled sensitivity and specificity values for chosen serum markers for diagnosing NASH are as follows: CK-18 (M30), 0.75 and 0.77; CK-18 (M65), 0.71 and 0.77; FGF-21, 0.62 and 0.78; and CBP, 0.92 and 0.85. CBP demonstrated better accuracy with higher sensitivity and specificity than those tested individually. Furthermore, the AUROC of CBP was 0.94 (95% CI, 0.92–0.96), compared to CK-18 or FGF-21 assay, which showed the most significant ability to distinguish NASH from simple steatosis. The results suggest that increased circulating CK-18 and FGF-21 are associated with NASH and may be used for initial assessment, but not enough. Importantly, CBP is potentially used as accurate diagnostic tools for NASH. Further prospective designed studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

The major virulence determinant of Legionella pneumophila is the type IVB secretion system (T4BSS), which delivers approximately 330 effector proteins into the host cell to modulate various cellular processes. However, the functions of most effector proteins remain unclear. WipA, an effector, was the first phosphotyrosine phosphatase of Legionella with unknown function. In this study, we found that WipA induced relatively strong growth defects in yeast in a phosphatase activity-dependent manner. Phosphoproteomics data showed that WipA was likely involved into endocytosis, FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, tight junction, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton pathways. Western blotting further confirmed WipA dephosphorylates several proteins associated with actin polymerisation, such as p-N-WASP, p-ARP3, p-ACK1, and p-NCK1. Thus, we hypothesised that WipA targets N-WASP/ARP2/3 complex signalling pathway, leading to disturbance of actin polymerisation. Indeed, we demonstrated that WipA inhibits host F-actin polymerisation by reducing the G-actin to F-actin transition during L. penumophila infection. Furthermore, the intracellular proliferation of wipA/legK2 double mutant was significantly impaired at the late stage of infection, although the absence of WipA does not confer any further effect on actin polymerisation to the legK2 mutant. Collectively, this study provides unique insights into the WipA-mediated regulation of host actin polymerisation and assists us to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of L. pnuemophila infection.

The microstructures and mechanical properties of a low-carbon steel, hot-rolled by a six-pass dynamic strain-induced transformation (DSIT) process, with different start rolling temperatures, are studied by combining experiments and finite element simulations. The start rolling temperatures of the last three passes are about 10°C higher and 20°C lower than theAr3temperature, for Processes 1 and 2, respectively. The results show that as the rolling process proceeds, rolling forces increase, while slab temperatures decrease. Before starting Pass 4, the temperature of the slab center is higher than that of the slab surface. During Pass 4 to Pass 6, however, the temperatures of the slab center and surface are nearly identical but fluctuate remarkably due to the large reduction rate. The simulated maximum rolling force and start rolling temperature of each pass agree reasonably with the experimental measurements. It is found that the simulated start temperatures of the slab center in the last three passes are about 5~25°C higher than theAr3temperature for Process 1, and the DSIT condition is better satisfied for Process 2. As a result, Process 2 produces finer grain sizes and higher yield strengths than Process 1.

MPC has the ability to optimize the system operation parameters for energy conservation. Recently, it has been used in HVAC systems for saving energy, but there are very few applications in radiant cooling systems. To implement MPC in buildings with radiant terminals, the predictions of cooling load and thermal environment are indispensable. In this paper, a simplified thermal model is proposed for predicting cooling load and thermal environment in buildings with radiant floor. In this thermal model, the black-box model is introduced to derive the incident solar radiation, while the genetic algorithm is utilized to identify the parameters of the thermal model. In order to further validate this simplified thermal model, simulated results from TRNSYS are compared with those from this model and the deviation is evaluated based on coefficient of variation of root mean square (CV). The results show that the simplified model can predict the operative temperature with a CV lower than 1% and predict cooling loads with a CV lower than 10%. For the purpose of supervisory control in HVAC systems, this simplified RC thermal model has an acceptable accuracy and can be used for further MPC in buildings with radiation terminals.

Pharmacologic Relevance.Resveratrol, an antioxidant derived from grapes, has been reported to modulate the inflammatory process. In this study, we investigated the effects of resveratrol and its mechanism of protection on concanavalin-A- (ConA-) induced liver injury in mice.Materials and Methods.Acute autoimmune hepatitis was induced by ConA (20 mg/kg) in Balb/C mice; mice were treated with resveratrol (10, 20, and 30 mg/kg) daily by oral gavage for fourteen days prior to a single intravenous injection of ConA. Eight hours after injection, histologic grading, proinflammatory cytokine levels, and hedgehog pathway activity were determined.Results.After ConA injection, the cytokines IL-2, IL-6, and TNF-αwere increased, and Sonic hedgehog (Shh), Glioblastoma- (Gli-) 1, and Patched (Ptc) levels significantly increased. Pretreatment with resveratrol ameliorated the pathologic effects of ConA-induced autoimmune hepatitis and significantly inhibited IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, Shh, Gli-1, and Ptc. The effects of resveratrol on the hedgehog pathway were studied by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Resveratrol decreased Shh expression, possibly by inhibiting Shh expression in order to reduce Gli-1 and Ptc expression.Conclusion.Resveratrol protects against ConA-induced autoimmune hepatitis by decreasing cytokines expression in mice. The decreases seen in Gli-1 and Ptc may correlate with the amelioration of hedgehog pathway activity.

Steer-by-wire system can improve the performance of vehicle handling stability. Removing the mechanical linkages between the front wheels and the steering wheel leads to a key technique of force feedback for steer-by-wire system. In view of the characteristic of variable torque transmission ratio for steer-by-wire system, this paper proposes a method for designing torque ratio based on the steering wheel torque characteristic for steer-by-wire system. It converts the torque ratio design into equivalent assist torque design by analyzing their relationship. It achieves the torque ratio design at different conditions based on the negative equivalent assist torque characteristic curve. Simulations and vehicle experiments are conducted by the proposed method, and the results show that the design goal has been achieved and the steering wheel torque characteristic obtained is very similar to that of the reference car.

The polymorphisms in the three main heat shock protein 70 (HSP70-1, HSP70-2, and HSP70-hom) genes were identified to be associated with cancer risk. However, the results are inconsistent. We perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the three HSP70 polymorphisms and cancer risk. Relevant studies were identified using PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases up to March 29, 2014. The cancer risk associated with the HSP70 polymorphisms was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively. Twenty case-control studies from eighteen publications were included; a significant association was observed for HSP70-2 polymorphism (dominant model: OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.11–2.09; recessive model: OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.06–3.45; AG versus AA: OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.03–1.84; GG versus AA: OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.21–4.54), while there was no significant association for HSP70-1 and HSP70-hom polymorphisms. Besides, in stratification analyses by ethnicity, cancer type, and source of control, significant association was detected for HSP70-2 polymorphism, while for HSP70-hom polymorphism, we found a significant association in hospital-based population under homozygote comparison model. This meta-analysis suggests that the HSP70-2 polymorphism rather than HSP70-hom and HSP70-1 polymorphisms was associated with the risk of cancer.

Liver fibrosis is a common pathway leading to cirrhosis and a worldwide clinical issue. Astaxanthin is a red carotenoid pigment with antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of astaxanthin on liver fibrosis and its potential protective mechanisms. Liver fibrosis was induced in a mouse model using CCL4 (intraperitoneal injection, three times a week for 8 weeks), and astaxanthin was administered everyday at three doses (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg). Pathological results indicated that astaxanthin significantly improved the pathological lesions of liver fibrosis. The levels of alanine aminotransferase aspartate aminotransferase and hydroxyproline were also significantly decreased by astaxanthin. The same results were confirmed in bile duct liagtion, (BDL) model. In addition, astaxanthin inhibited hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation and formation of extracellular matrix (ECM) by decreasing the expression of NF-κB and TGF-β1 and maintaining the balance between MMP2 and TIMP1. In addition, astaxanthin reduced energy production in HSCs by downregulating the level of autophagy. These results were simultaneously confirmed in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, our study showed that 80 mg/kg astaxanthin had a significant protective effect on liver fibrosis by suppressing multiple profibrogenic factors.

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems have already been used in civilian activities, although very limitedly. Confronted different types of tasks, multi UAVs usually need to be coordinated. This can be extracted as a multi UAVs system architecture problem. Based on the general system architecture problem, a specific description of the multi UAVs system architecture problem is presented. Then the corresponding optimization problem and an efficient genetic algorithm with a refined crossover operator (GA-RX) is proposed to accomplish the architecting process iteratively in the rest of this paper. The availability and effectiveness of overall method is validated using 2 simulations based on 2 different scenarios.

A meta-analysis was performed of RCTs comparing therapies that combine UDCA and corticosteroids with UDCA monotherapy. In this paper, we found that the combination therapy of UDCA and corticosteroids was more effective for PBC-AIH.

Based on characteristics of the nonlife joint-stock insurance company, this paper presents a compound binomial risk model that randomizes the premium income on unit time and sets the threshold $x$ for paying dividends to shareholders. In this model, the insurance company obtains the insurance policy in unit time with probability ${p}_{\mathrm{0}}$ and pays dividends to shareholders with probability ${p}_{\mathrm{1}}$ when the surplus is no less than $x$ . We then derive the recursive formulas of the expected discounted penalty function and the asymptotic estimate for it. And we will derive the recursive formulas and asymptotic estimates for the ruin probability and the distribution function of the deficit at ruin. The numerical examples have been shown to illustrate the accuracy of the asymptotic estimations.

In the article titled “Ethyl Pyruvate Ameliorates Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting Intrinsic Pathway of Apoptosis and Autophagy” [1], the name of the fifteenth author was given incorrectly as Yinqun Zhou. The author's name should have been written as Yingqun Zhou. The revised authors' list is shown above.