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The article selects relevant data from 283 cities in China from 2000 to 2020 and verifies the impact of the establishment of free trade zones on human capital levels based on the asymptotic PSM-DID model. It is found that the establishment of FTZs can significantly contribute to the improvement of regional human capital levels, but the promotion effect has a certain lag. Finally, the article gives constructive suggestions based on the empirical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To study the relationship between insulin resistance and urinary microalbumin creatinine ratio in postmenopausal women. Methods. The selected research group comprised 104 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to the Department of Endocrinology in the green card center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University between 2017 and 2019 inclusive. Ninety-eight postmenopausal women with the normal blood glucose metabolism hospitalized in the same period were used as the control group. The age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin (FINS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) were analyzed. The insulin resistance index (HOMR-IR) was calculated, and the correlation between IR and UACR was analyzed. Results. Levels of HOMA-IR, SBP, HbA1c, HDL-C, LDL-C, TC, TG, FPG, FINS, and UACR in the study group were higher than those in the control group, and a significant difference was found between the groups (P < 0.05). The level of DBP in the study group was lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that UACR was positively correlated with HOMA-IR and HbA1c (r = 0.254, r = 0.565, P < 0.01). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis further showed that HOMA-IR and age were positively correlated with UACR (P < 0.05). Conclusion. There is a correlation between IR and UACR in postmenopausal women. IR is an independent risk factor for UACR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Lung cancer is a relatively common type of cancer, and the incidence rate has been on the rise in recent years. MicroRNAs are a class of endogenous small RNA molecules, which are essential for the posttranscriptional regulation of genes. miR-29b is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors, including prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer. However, few studies have been performed to explore the expression and pathway of miR-29b in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods. Using bioinformatics analysis, we found that patients with low relative expression of the miR-29b gene have a low long-term survival rate. The results of in vitro research showed that when miR-29b expression was upregulated, the invasion, migration, and proliferation of A549 and NCI-H-1792 cells was inhibited, and the apoptosis was accelerated. Results. The results showed that FEM1B is a miR-29b target gene, and the expressions of FEM1B and miR-29b were negatively correlated. Like the upregulation of miR-29b expression, silencing the FEM1B expression could also impair the invasion, migration, and proliferation abilities of A549 and NCI-H-1792 cells. When FEM1B expression was restored, the inhibitory effect of miR-29b could be reversed. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot (WB) analysis showed that overexpression of miR-29b could inhibit the expression of FEM1B, AKT, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and Sirt3 in A549 and NCI-H-1792 cells and upregulate the expression of FOXO1 protein. Conclusion. The results of this study indicate that miR-29b inhibits the proliferation and deterioration of NSCLC cells by targeting FEM1B and inhibiting the activation of the FOXO1/AKT pathway. miR-29b may become a new target for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, and it is expected to become a new inhibitor of NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of high-speed rail in China, addressing the issue of safety assurance during the operation of the train is very important. A very important part of a train's power supply system is the pantograph and catenary system, which consists of a pantograph and a catenary. Failure of the pantograph-catenary system can cause significant damage to the normal operation of the train. The dynamic performance of the pantograph-catheter system must be detected in real time during the operation of the train. This paper is based on the study and analysis of pantograph-catheter dynamic performance parameters and developed a system for real-time detection of pantograph-catheter dynamic performance parameters based on a car visual system. The results are as follows: based on this detection method, the visual error is low and the accuracy is high. The machine-based directional height detection module developed in this paper has a good detection effect and high test accuracy; the arcing detection module designed in this paper can effectively detect the arcing and store the arcing pictures and can display the duration of single arcing and the arcing rate of the section in real-time. The practical application effect is good. The results show that the focal length of the camera lens is 16 mm, and the error of the machine vision system is low. The system designed in this paper may make a great contribution to the operation condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of the pantograph-catenary system of a high-speed train in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of Chinese native culture education based on Chinese native culture on the intercultural competence of undergraduate nursing students. Method. A quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest was used. We recruited nursing students from 4 classes of the School of Nursing in our hospital in 2016 as research subjects. Undergraduate nursing students (n = 79) who completed one semester of education in indigenous Chinese culture completed a demographic questionnaire and the transcultural self-efficacy tool (TSET). Chinese native culture education is the topics related to nursing, consistent with the culture of Chinese patients under the background of Chinese native culture, including the dietary habits, taboos, religions, values, particularly Chinese medicine, and specific diseases. The control group (n = 91) was students who did not participate in Chinese native culture education and completed the instrument during the same time frame. Result. Students who participated in Chinese native cultural education significantly improved their transcultural self-efficacy in three dimensions: cognition, emotion, and practice. Compared with the control group, the students in the cultural education group had higher change scores in three sizes of transcultural self-efficacy. Conclusion. When strengthening cultural education for undergraduate nursing students, adding content related to Chinese native culture can improve their transcultural self-efficacy and meet the growing cultural needs of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of liquid-phase synthesis of nano-ZnO, a photocatalytic performance study was proposed. In this study, the microwave homogeneous precipitation method was used to add different types and amounts of surfactants. The synthesis of nano-zinc oxide was controlled by changing the reaction system conditions. The photocatalytic properties of nano-zinc oxide for degrading three water-soluble dyes were preliminarily studied and discussed. The results show that the photocatalytic performance of nano-ZnO is closely related to its size, morphology, specific surface area, and even crystallographic direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To determine the level of critical cultural competence (CCC) among Chinese clinical nurses and explore its influencing factors. Background: Previous research has only focused on the theoretical model of CCC and the development of assessment tools; however, no large‐scale study has been conducted on the level of clinical nurses' CCC and its influencing factors. Method: Clinical nurses in 14 Level A tertiary hospitals (n = 3858) were surveyed using Almutairi's critical cultural competence scale (CCCS). Descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: The mean score of CCC was 4.44 (SD = 0.33). Critical empowerment (M = 4.85, SD = 0.58) and critical awareness (M = 3.57, SD = 0.99) had the highest and lowest scores, respectively. Female nurses, nurses in the nursing department and nurses with higher positions had higher CCC. Conclusion: The CCC of clinical nurses can be strengthened through targeted training, especially considering the fact that male and low‐ranking nurses who had the lower level of CCC work in different departments. Implications for Nursing Management: Hospital administrators should pay attention to the importance of culture and cultural differences among different countries or ethnic groups. Creating an equal and fair nursing environment and encouraging nurses to provide critical cultural nursing is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of neural machine algorithms for English translation is a hot topic in the current research. English translation using the traditional sequential neural framework, which is too poor at capturing long-distance information, has its own major limitations. However, the current improved frameworks, such as recurrent neural network translation, are not satisfactory either. In this paper, we establish an attention coding and decoding model to address the shortcomings of traditional machine translation algorithms, combine the attention mechanism with a neural network framework, and implement the whole English translation system based on TensorFlow, thus improving the translation accuracy. The experimental test results show that the BLUE values of the algorithm model built in this paper are improved to different degrees compared with the traditional machine learning algorithms, which proves that the performance of the proposed algorithm model is significantly improved compared with the traditional model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stock market prediction has always been an important research topic in the financial field. In the past, inventors used traditional analysis methods such as K-line diagrams to predict stock trends, but with the progress of science and technology and the development of market economy, the price trend of a stock is disturbed by various factors. The traditional analysis method is far from being able to resolve the stock price fluctuations in the hidden important information. So, the prediction accuracy is greatly reduced. In this paper, we design a new model for optimizing stock forecasting. We incorporate a range of technical indicators, including investor sentiment indicators and financial data, and perform dimension reduction on the many influencing factors of the retrieved stock price using depth learning LASSO and PCA approaches. In addition, a comparison of the performances of LSTM and GRU for stock market forecasting under various parameters was performed. Our experiments show that (1) both LSTM and GRU models can predict stock prices efficiently, not one better than the other, and (2) for the two different dimension reduction methods, both the two neural models using LASSO reflect better prediction ability than the models using PCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT), cloud, and fog computing paradigms provide a powerful large-scale computing infrastructure for a variety of data and computation-intensive applications. These cutting-edge computing infrastructures, however, are nevertheless vulnerable to serious security and privacy risks. One of the most important countermeasures against cybersecurity threats is intrusion detection and prevention systems, which monitor devices, networks, and systems for malicious activity and policy violations. The detection and prevention systems range from antivirus software to hierarchical systems that monitor the traffic of whole backbone networks. At the moment, the primary defensive solutions are based on malware feature extraction. Most known feature extraction algorithms use byte N-gram patterns or binary strings to represent log files or other static information. The information taken from program files is expressed using word embedding (GloVe) and a new feature extraction method proposed in this article. As a result, the relevant vector space model (VSM) will incorporate more information about unknown programs. We utilize convolutional neural network (CNN) to analyze the feature maps represented by word embedding and apply Softmax to fit the probability of a malicious program. Eventually, we consider a program to be malicious if the probability is greater than 0.5; otherwise, it is a benign program. Experimental result shows that our approach achieves a level of accuracy higher than 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical method for the determination of the resistant starch (RS) content in grains is time-consuming and labor intensive. Near-infrared (NIR) and attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared (ATR-MIR) spectroscopy are rapid and nondestructive analytical techniques for determining grain quality. This study was the first report to establish and compare these two spectroscopic techniques for determining the RS content in wheat grains. Calibration models with four preprocessing techniques based on the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm were built. In the NIR technique, the mean normalization + Savitzky–Golay smoothing (MN + SGS) preprocessing technique had a higher coefficient of determination (R c 2 = 0.672; R p 2 = 0.552) and a relative lower root mean square error value (RMSEC = 0.385; RMSEP = 0.459). In the ATR-MIR technique, the baseline preprocessing method exhibited a better performance regarding to the values of coefficient of determination (R c 2 = 0.927; R p 2 = 0.828) and mean square error value (RMSEC = 0.153; RMSEP = 0.284). The validation of the developed best NIR and ATR-MIR calibration models showed that the ATR-MIR best calibration model has a better RS prediction ability than the NIR best calibration model. Two high grain RS content wheat mutants were screened out by the ATR-MIR best calibration model from the wheat mutant library. There was no significant difference between the predicted values and chemical measured values in the two high RS content mutants. It proved that the ATR-MIR model can be a perfect substitute in RS measuring. All the results indicated that the ATR-MIR spectroscopy with improved screening efficiency can be used as a fast, rapid, and nondestructive method in high grain RS content wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data relevant to China's tourism industry and ecological environment from 2005 to 2018, the entropy method and the coupling coordination degree model were used to analyze the coupling degree and coupling coordination degree of the tourism industry's development and the ecological environment, and the GM (1.1) gray model was used to predict these values in the future. The model provided predictions and illustrated the trend in the changes in the degree of coordination between the development of China's tourism industry and the ecological environment for the next five years. The results show the following. (1) The coupling degree between China's tourism industry and the ecological environment was between 0.3 and 0.5. It was in the low-level coupling stage in 2005 and 2006 and generally low in 2005–2009, lower than the average level of 0.4204. In 2018, the coupling degree between the development of China's tourism industry and the ecological environment was mainly in a stage of antagonism, reaching a peak of 0.4998 in 2013. The coupling degree declined slightly from 2013 to 2015 and then began to show an upward trend again in 2016. (2) The average coupling coordination level of China's tourism industry development and ecological environment was 0.4266, which is in the medium coupling coordination stage. From 2007 to 2013, it was mainly in the phase of moderate coupling and coordination and high coupling and coordination from 2014 to 2018. (3) From the prediction results, the coupling degree will enter the coupling degree running-in stage in 2021 and the extreme coordination stage in 2023, but the coupling growth level during the running-in period will be significantly lower than the coupling coordination degree. Coordinated development of the two systems will take a long time, and active economic policies need to be adopted to promote their coordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To explore the thermal performance of vertical U‐tube ground heat exchanger (GHE) during short‐term thermal energy storage (TES) and heat extraction process, a novel and well‐controlled sandbox with a plate heat exchanger at the bottom of GHE was proposed and established. According to the experiments of short‐term TES and heat extraction under different inlet temperature with Re between 2677 and 2823, we found that the thermal performance of GHE was mainly determined by the dynamic soil temperature distribution around GHE, which was induced by the inlet temperature and operation process of GHE. Furthermore, the energy was concentrated within a limited radius (0.4 m) around the GHE during the 8 hours TES and heat extraction process, which was of benefit to the efficient operation of GHE and the thermal environment of soil. Moreover, compared to the simple extraction process C10 (−/8°C) without TES, the heat extraction process of C5 (35/8°C) obtained a 47.8% increase of average heat extraction rate. In addition, approximately 35% of the injected heat was left in the experimental soil under thermal balance conditions C3, C5, and C7. These results show the superiority and characteristic of short‐term TES and heat extraction for GHE operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aerospace vehicle in high-speed flight involves distributed multiple fields of view (FoVs) of a star sensor, and the maneuvering of the vehicle requires inertial-aided star pattern matching. Accordingly, an inertial-aided star pattern matching method for distributed multiple FoVs is proposed. First, the observation and fusion principles of distributed multiple FoVs are illustrated. Then, an inertial-aided star pattern matching scheme is designed based on the space-time distribution of the line-of sight (LoS) vector and inertial measurement information. Next, an LoS vector estimation method assisted by inertial information and the dynamic establishment of a distributed local catalog are proposed. Finally, in a simulation, the dynamic establishment of the part catalog improves the efficiency of star pattern matching by reducing the catalog scale, and the usability of inertial-aided star pattern matching is analyzed for different gyro and accelerometer precisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aerospace vehicle in high-speed flight involves distributed multiple fields of view (FoVs) of a star sensor, and the maneuvering of the vehicle requires inertial-aided star pattern matching. Accordingly, an inertial-aided star pattern matching method for distributed multiple FoVs is proposed. First, the observation and fusion principles of distributed multiple FoVs are illustrated. Then, an inertial-aided star pattern matching scheme is designed based on the space-time distribution of the line-of sight (LoS) vector and inertial measurement information. Next, an LoS vector estimation method assisted by inertial information and the dynamic establishment of a distributed local catalog are proposed. Finally, in a simulation, the dynamic establishment of the part catalog improves the efficiency of star pattern matching by reducing the catalog scale, and the usability of inertial-aided star pattern matching is analyzed for different gyro and accelerometer precisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ferrous sulfides have high theoretical capacity in the electrochemical storage of Na‐ion and K‐ion, but its obvious volume change during the storage process greatly affects its cycling performance at high current density. In this regard, we construct a unique composites structure of Nitrogen‐doped carbon shell coated FeS nanoparticle with inner void spaces. As an anode in Na‐ion and K‐ion batteries, this structure could provide excellent cycling performance at high rate of charge/discharge process (560 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g for 300 cycles in Na‐ion battery and 322 mAh/g at 1 A/g for 300 cycles in K‐ion battery). Further research finds the inner void space could not only provide buffer space for the volume change of FeS nanoparticles, but also maintain a stable outer carbon shell during the electrochemical process. These behaviors greatly promote the reversibility of FeS at high rate charge transfer process. Consequently, the construction of inner void space in graphitized carbon shell in this work could be considered as an important reference for the promotion of electrochemical storage in other transitional metal compound system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of China's ecological environment from 2006 to 2018, the paper uses the super-efficiency DEA and Malmquist index methods to evaluate China's ecological welfare performance from a static and dynamic perspective. Based on this, the Theil index is used to analyze the group's ecological welfare performance. The internal and intergroup differences show that, from the static evaluation results, China's ecological welfare performance is in a situation of "high in the east, low in the west, and average in the central region." There is not much difference between the eastern and central regions, while the ecological welfare performance in the western region is low. From the results of dynamic evaluation, the overall level of regional ecological welfare performance in China has improved in recent years, and the average Malmquist index has exceeded 1, indicating that the growth pattern of ecological welfare performance has shifted to high quality, but the degree of increase in each region is different. There is still much room for improvement in ecological welfare performance; from the perspective of intragroup and intergroup differences, the intragroup differences and intergroup differences in the three major regions have generally maintained a continuous downward trend, and the contribution of the differences in ecowelfare performance between group rate has a clear advantage. Finally, corresponding suggestions are put forward based on the empirical results of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Prediction of acute renal failure (ARF) and paraplegia after thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair (TAAAR) is helpful for decision-making during the postoperative phase. To find a more efficient method for making a prediction, we performed tests on the efficacy of different machine learning predicting models.Methods: Perioperative TAAAR data were retrospectively collected from Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Shanghai DeltaHealth Hospital. Operations were conducted under normothermia using a four-branched graft. Four commonly used machine learning classification models (ie, logistic regression, linear and Gaussian kernel support vector machine, and random forest) were chosen to predict ARF and paraplegia separately. The efficacy of the models was validated by five-fold cross-validation.Results: From 2009 to 2017, 212 TAAARs were performed. ARF was identified in 27 patients, and paraplegia was found in 18 patients. Five-fold cross-validation showed that among the four classification models, random forest was the most precise model for predicting ARF, with an average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.89 ± 0.08. Linear support vector machine was the most precise model for predicting paraplegia, with an average AUC of 0.89 ± 0.18. The prediction program has been uploaded to GitHub for open access.Conclusion: Machine learning models can precisely predict ARF and paraplegia during early stages after surgery. This program allows cardiac surgeons to address complications earlier and may help improve the clinical outcomes of TAAAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve better motion accuracy and higher robustness of the shipborne rocket launcher position servo system driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), a passivity-based controller based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) optimized by improved particle swarm optimization-back propagation (IPSO-BP) algorithm is proposed in this paper. The convenient method of interconnection and damping assignment and passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) is adopted to establish the port controlled Hamiltonian system with dissipation (PCHD) model of PMSM. To further enhance the robustness and adaptability of traditional ADRC, an BP algorithm is introduced to on-line update the proportional, integral, and derivative gains of ADRC. Furthermore, to improve the learning capability, the improved PSO algorithm is adopted to optimize the learning rates of the back propagation neural networks. The results of numerical simulation and prototype test indicate that the proposed IPSO-BP-ADRC-PBC controller has better static and dynamic performance than the ADRC-PBC and BP-ADRC-PBC controller with fixed learning rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at ST36 (EA-ST36) and at Ashi acupoints (EA-Ashi) on skeletal muscle repair. Methods. Seventy-five rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: normal, contusion, EA-Ashi, EA-ST36, and EA at Ashi acupoints and ST36 (EA-AS). EA (0.4 mA, 2 Hz, 15 min) was applied after an acute gastrocnemius contusion. The morphology of myofibers and neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and expressions of growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Neuregulin 1 (NGR1), and muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) were assessed 7, 14, and 28 days after contusion. Results. Compared with that in contusion group, there was an increase in the following respective parameters in treatment groups: the number and diameter of myofibers, the mean staining area, and continuities of NMJs. A comparison of EA-Ashi and EA-ST36 groups indicated that average myofiber diameter, mean staining area of NMJs, and expressions of AChE and NRG1 were higher in EA-Ashi group, whereas expression of GDF-8 decreased on day 7. However, increases in myofiber numbers, expressions of MuSK and AChE, as well as decreases in GDF-8 expression, and the discontinuities were observed in EA-ST36 group on the 28th day. Conclusion. Both EA-ST36 and EA-Ashi promoted myofiber regeneration and restoration of NMJs. EA-Ashi was more effective at earlier stages, whereas EA-ST36 played a more important role at later stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary composition may influence neuronal function as well as processes underlying synaptic plasticity. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of high and low caloric diets on a mouse model of learning and memory and to explore mechanisms underlying this process. Mice were divided into three different dietary groups: normal control (n = 12), high-caloric (HC) diet (n = 12), and low-caloric (LC) diet (n = 12). After 6 months, mice were evaluated on the Morris water maze to assess spatial memory ability. We found that HC diet impaired learning and memory function relative to both control and LC diet. The levels of SIRT1 as well as its downstream effectors p53, p16, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) were decreased in brain tissues obtained from HC mice. LC upregulated SIRT1 but downregulated p53, p16, and PPARγ. The expressions of PI3K and Akt were not altered after HC or LC diet treatment, but both LC and HC elevated the levels of phosphorylated-cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB) and IGF-1 in hippocampal CA1 region. Therefore, HC diet-induced dysfunction in learning and memory may be prevented by caloric restriction via regulation of the SIRT1-p53 or IGF-1 signaling pathways and phosphorylation of CREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large dynamic and high-speed flight of aerospace vehicle will bring unpredictable conditions to its navigation system, resulting in that its system random noise probability distribution will no longer meet the preconditions of Gaussian distribution preset by the existing filter algorithm, thus reducing the accuracy of the navigation system. So, it is very important to propose an effective method to solve the filter problem of the navigation system in non-Gaussian distribution to improve the accuracy of the navigation system. Therefore, an integrated navigation method of aerospace vehicle based on rank statistics (LRF) has been proposed in this paper. Firstly, based on the flight characteristics of aerospace vehicles, an accurate gravity calculation model has been established to improve the accuracy of system modelling. Then, the state equation and measurement equation of integrated navigation system have been established. In combination with the rank filter algorithm as well as the determined weights, sampling points are calculated and nonlinearly propagated through the transition matrix to achieve an accurate estimation about the predicted values of the state quantities and measurement quantities and the covariance matrix. In turn, it simulates the probability distribution of the system state effectively. Therefore, when the system random noise probability distribution of the aerospace vehicle does not meet the Gaussian distribution due to various interference factors in the actual flight process, the algorithm can simulate the probability distribution of the actual system to the greatest extent, to improve the accuracy of the integrated navigation system and enhance the reliability of the navigation system ultimately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant tumor in the digestive system and a significant health burden worldwide. In this study, we found that hsa-let-7d-5p was upregulated in GC cells, promoted GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and reduced apoptosis. Moreover, we found that the expression of PRDM5 (PR domain protein 5) was downregulated in GC cells and upregulated in GC cells treated with hsa-let-7d-5p inhibitor. Further investigation showed that hsa-let-7d-5p was the target of PRDM5, and the functions of hsa-let-7d-5p on GC progression were rescued by PRDM5 overexpression in GC cells. Collectively, our findings suggested that hsa-let-7d-5p promoted the development of GC by targeting PRDM5, indicating that hsa-let-7d-5p could be a promising therapeutic molecule for the treatment of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of aquatic environments by heavy metals can have detrimental effects on fish, impacting their growth and overall health, including the regulation of antioxidant genes. An investigation was carried out to assess the distribution and habitat of Gymnocypris eckloni in the Yellow River basin. Simultaneously, heavy metal concentrations in its habitat and in selected locations within the upper Yellow River were measured. In an effort to explore the potential roles of specific genes in antioxidant responses, G. eckloni was exposed to low concentrations of copper (Cu2+) and lead (Pb2+) for varying durations (12, 24, and 48 hours). The mRNA levels of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT were quantified in the gills, kidneys, and liver through qRT-PCR. The findings suggest that the habitat of G. eckloni is generally safe; however, occasional exceedances of safety standards could pose a potential threat to its growth. Importantly, the expression of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT exhibited responses to the low concentrations of copper-induced and lead-induced stress. Notably, GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, and GeMT demonstrated heightened sensitivity to lead compared to copper. Furthermore, the expression of these genes displayed tissue-specific responses under identical metal stress conditions. These results indicate that GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT genes have the potential to serve as early, sensitive biomarkers for the detection of metal toxicity induced by Cu2+ and Pb2+. This study also provides valuable insights into the functioning of antioxidant genes under oxidative stress in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous promotion of industrialization and urbanization, China's environmental pollution is becoming increasingly serious, which has caused considerable damage to the natural balance. Air pollution seriously harms people's physical and mental health, the ecological environment, and the social sustainable development of society. In this study, the backward trajectory model and multifractal methods were adopted to analyze air pollution in Zhengzhou. The backward trajectory analysis showed that most clusters of air pollution were from southern Hebei, eastern Shandong, and mid-western Henan, which were then transported to Zhengzhou. For the PSCF and CWT analyses, we selected four representative cities to explore how close the air pollution of Zhengzhou is to other areas on the basis of air polluted concentration. The results of several multifractal methods indicated that multifractality existed in the AQI time series of Zhengzhou and cross-correlations between Zhengzhou and each of the four cities. The widths of multifractal spectra showed that the air pollution in Zhengzhou was closest to that in Jinan, followed by Shijiazhuang, Zibo, and Luoyang. The CDFA analysis showed that carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and inhalable particulate matter (PM10) had important influences on air pollution in Zhengzhou. These findings offer a useful reference for air pollution sources and their potential contributions in Zhengzhou, which can support policy makers in environmental governance and in achieving sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Currently, immunotherapy is widely used for breast cancer (BC) patients, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) is regarded as a valuable independent predictor of response to immunotherapy. However, specific gene mutations and their relationship with TMB and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in BC are not fully understood. Methods. Comprehensive bioinformatic analyses were performed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) datasets. Survival curves were analyzed via Kaplan-Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for prognosis analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore regulatory mechanisms and functions. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to calculate the tumor-infiltrating immune cell fractions. Results. We analyzed somatic mutation data of BC from TCGA and ICGC datasets and found that 19 frequently mutated genes were reported in both cohorts, namely, SPTA1, TTN, MUC17, MAP3K1, CDH1, FAT3, SYNE1, FLG, HMCN1, RYR2 (ryanodine receptor 2), GATA3, MUC4, PIK3CA, KMT2C, TP53, PTEN, ZFHX4, MUC16, and USH2A. Among them, we observed that RYR2 mutation was significantly associated with higher TMB and better clinical prognosis. Moreover, GSEA revealed that RYR2 mutation-enriched signaling pathways were related to immune-associated pathways. Furthermore, based on the CIBERSORT algorithm, we found that RYR2 mutation enhanced the antitumor immune response by enriching CD8+ T cells, activated memory CD4+ T cells, and M1 macrophages. Conclusion. RYR2 is frequently mutated in BC, and its mutation is related to increased TMB and promotes antitumor immunity; thus, RYR2 may serve as a valuable biomarker to predict the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Currently, immunotherapy is widely used for breast cancer (BC) patients, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) is regarded as a valuable independent predictor of response to immunotherapy. However, specific gene mutations and their relationship with TMB and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in BC are not fully understood. Methods. Comprehensive bioinformatic analyses were performed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) datasets. Survival curves were analyzed via Kaplan-Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for prognosis analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore regulatory mechanisms and functions. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to calculate the tumor-infiltrating immune cell fractions. Results. We analyzed somatic mutation data of BC from TCGA and ICGC datasets and found that 19 frequently mutated genes were reported in both cohorts, namely, SPTA1, TTN, MUC17, MAP3K1, CDH1, FAT3, SYNE1, FLG, HMCN1, RYR2 (ryanodine receptor 2), GATA3, MUC4, PIK3CA, KMT2C, TP53, PTEN, ZFHX4, MUC16, and USH2A. Among them, we observed that RYR2 mutation was significantly associated with higher TMB and better clinical prognosis. Moreover, GSEA revealed that RYR2 mutation-enriched signaling pathways were related to immune-associated pathways. Furthermore, based on the CIBERSORT algorithm, we found that RYR2 mutation enhanced the antitumor immune response by enriching CD8+ T cells, activated memory CD4+ T cells, and M1 macrophages. Conclusion. RYR2 is frequently mutated in BC, and its mutation is related to increased TMB and promotes antitumor immunity; thus, RYR2 may serve as a valuable biomarker to predict the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the new energy vehicle industry is necessary for its advantages of saving energy and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. However, the industry is currently facing risks with regard to, for example, technology, market, and the policy. Most existing studies of industry risk focused on analyzing and evaluating risk factors and summarizing and interpreting risk phenomena. In this study, systematic classification and quantitative analysis for the risk of the new energy vehicle industry were investigated, in which the entropy weight method and cloud model were combined to evaluate and quantify the industry risk. The formation mechanism of the industry risk from endogenous and exogenous perspectives was analyzed to screen out risk-evaluation factors. Combining the expert-investigation and fuzzy-statistics methods, a risk-evaluation index system with six primary indicators and twenty-four secondary indicators was constructed. On the basis of the entropy weight-cloud model, the risk of the new energy automobile industry of Jiangsu province in July 2019 was evaluated. Results indicated that the impact of exogenous risk on the industry was greater than that of endogenous risk, and industry risk was higher than medium risk, which was close to a higher medium level. A series of suggestions are given for preventing industry risk, such as improving the industry's own ability to resist risk and building the industry's soft environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collaborative evaluation of enterprise innovation populations is a hot issue. The Lotka–Volterra model is a mature method used to evaluate the interaction mechanism of populations and is widely used in innovation ecology research studies. The Lotka–Volterra model mainly focuses on the quantitative characteristics of the interactive populations. The growth mechanisms cannot explain all the synergy mechanisms of the innovative populations. The collaborative evaluation between enterprise innovation populations is a typical multiobjective evaluation problem. The multichoice goal programming model is a mature method to solve multiobjective optimization problems. This paper combines the Lotka–Volterra model and multichoice goal programming method to construct a three-stage multiobjective collaboration evaluation method based on Lotka–Volterra equilibrium. An evaluation example is used to illustrate the application process of this method. The method proposed in this paper has excellent performance in computing, parameter sensitivity analysis, and model stability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible liver fibrosis is the consequence of diverse liver injuries. Oxidative stress combined with inflammation is the primary cause of carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced liver fibrosis. Neferine is a bibenzyl isoquinoline alkaloid, which has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The present study attempted to find its antiliver fibrosis effect and explore the potential mechanism to relieve oxidative stress and inflammation in rats with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. Herein, we found that neferine noticeably mitigated fibrosis and improved liver function. Furthermore, neferine increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and catalase (CAT), but decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). Neferine also decreased the levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and inflammatory factors. These results may demonstrate that neferine could effectively inhibit oxidative stress and inflammation in liver fibrosis. To account for the potential mechanism by which neferine relieves oxidative stress and inflammation in liver fibrosis rats, immunohistochemistry analyses and western blotting were performed. The results showed that neferine inhibited the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, as evidenced by the reduced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, ERK 1/2, and JNK. And it inhibited the nuclear factor- (NF-) κB/IκBα pathway, as evidenced by preventing the translocation of NF-κB into nuclei. Our findings indicated a protective role for neferine, acting as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent in CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers a wireless-powered communication network (WPCN) composed of a multiantenna hybrid access point (HAP) based on nonlinear energy harvesting (EH). To improve some distant WDs' throughput performance, one of them is allowed to be selected as a cluster head (CH) to help transfer information from other cluster members (CMs). Nevertheless, the proposed clustering collaboration's performance is essentially restricted by the CH's energy-intensive consumption (EC), which requires to transfer every WDs' information, covering its own. In order to figure out the question, the HAP's energy beamforming (EB) capability with multiple antennas is utilized that can concentrate greater transmission power into the CH to equilibrate its EC to assist other WDs. To be specific, each WD's throughput performance is firstly derived under the proposed approach. A high-efficiency optimization algorithm for addressing cooperative optimization problem is put forward. In addition, the simulations are carried out in the actual network environment, and the results demonstrate that our proposed clustering collaboration with multiple antennas can validly enhance the WPCN's throughput fairness based on nonlinear EH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of nanoparticles (NPs) and surface properties such as size and charge are affected by the amphiphilic property of polymer, which is vital for evaluating their function. Here, we synthesized cholesteryl-modified aminated pullulan polymers (CHPNs) with different amounts of cholesterol succinate (CHS). We characterized the three hydrophobically modified polymers (CHPN1, CHPN2, and CHPN3) (CHS: Pu ‐ N H 2 = 1 / 5 , 2 / 5 , 3 / 5) by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was used to measure particle size and zeta potential of CHPN NPs. The particle sizes of the three NPs CHPN1, CHPN2, and CHPN3 were 178.0, 144.4, and 97.8 nm, respectively. The particle size was related to the cholesteryl substitution of polymers to a certain extent: the stronger the hydrophobicity, the smaller the particle size. In 48 h, the drug release for CHPN3 and CHPN1 NPs was 57.8% and 72.7%. Thus, the NPs showed good sustained drug release: the greater the degree of hydrophobic substitution, the better the sustained release. The cytotoxicity findings were reversed: CHPN1 NPs, with low hydrophobic substitution, showed the best inhibition of Lewis lung cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is an ionotropic glutamate receptor and plays an important role in neuronal degradation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). According to molecular modeling docking studies, we have designed the compound Arg-Glu-Arg-Met-Ser-(3,5)-dimethyladamantan-1-amine (RERMS-MEM), consisting of an AβPP 5-mer peptide (RERMS) and memantine (MEM). This compound could dock into the active sites of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor type 2B (NMDAR2B) with a −64.14 kcal/mol CDOCKER interaction energy. The stability of RERMS-MEM was evaluated through a 50 ns molecular dynamics simulation. The results revealed that the docked ligand-receptor complex was stable. Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) revealed that the RERMS-MEM binding affinity to the NMDAR2B fragment exhibited over 15-fold enhancement compared to MEM. The SH-SY5Y cell assays showed that RERMS-MEM or RERMS at concentrations of 0.1, 1, 10, or 50 μM could enhance the metabolic rate, and MEM showed no difference compared to the control and indicated cytotoxic effects at 50 μM. RERMS-MEM at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, or 50 μM increased the number of viable cells and reduced the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). RERMS at concentrations of 10 or 50 μM was similar to RERMS-MEM for increasing viable cells, and MEM showed no difference compared to the control and decreased the number of viable cells at 50 μM. RERMS-MEM or RERMS at concentrations of 10 or 50 μM could antagonize Aβ25-35-induced cytotoxicity, and MEM at 50 μM strengthened the cytotoxicity effects. The results revealed that RERMS-MEM showed a strong NMDAR-blocking activity as a potential NMDAR antagonist, enhancing the neurotrophic effect and cellular growth in SH-SY5Y cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a major problem worldwide. The Notch signaling pathway plays an important role in neural progenitor cell differentiation and in the inflammatory response after central nervous system injury. This study evaluated whether the neuroprotective effect of cerebral ischemic preconditioning (cIPC) is mediated by the preactivation of the Notch signaling pathway. A rat middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) cell model were constructed to detect the neuroprotective effects of cIPC. In in vivo experiments, cIPC reduces the neurological functional deficit, cerebral infarction, and cellular apoptosis in the hippocampus induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R), thus indicating that cIPC can improve neurologic function. Moreover, cIPC can reveal the expression peak of Jagged1, Notch1, NICD, and Hes1 protein, thereby indicating that cIPC can preactivate Notch signaling. However, cIPC-induced improvements in neurologic function are compromised by the γ-secretase inhibitor N-(N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-1-alanyl)-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT). In in vitro experiments, OGD preconditioning (OGDPC) can clearly upregulate Notch1 expression in the OGD/R-treated neuron and neural stem cell. Notch1 pre-overexpression can decrease neuron death and apoptosis under OGD/R treatment. Notch1 pre-overexpression can decrease the percentage of G1 stage cells and increase the percentage of S stage cells in OGD/R-treated neural stem cell. Furthermore, Notch1 pre-knockdown has the opposite effect on cell survival, apoptosis, and cycle in both OGD/R-treated neuron and neural stem cell. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the neuroprotective effects of cIPC in a rat MCAO/R model are mediated by the preactivation of the Notch signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although hundreds of colorectal cancer- (CRC-) related genes have been screened, the significant hub genes still need to be further identified. The aim of this study was to identify the hub genes based on protein-protein interaction network and uncover their clinical value. Firstly, 645 CRC patients’ data from the Tumor Cancer Genome Atlas were downloaded and analyzed to screen the differential expression genes (DEGs). And then, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis was performed, and PPI network of the DEGs was constructed by Cytoscape software. Finally, four hub genes (CXCL3, ELF5, TIMP1, and PHLPP2) were obtained from four subnets and further validated in our clinical setting and TCGA dataset. The results showed that mRNA expression of CXCL3, ELF5, and TIMP1 was increased in CRC tissues, whereas PHLPP2 mRNA expression was decreased. More importantly, high expression of CXCL3, ELF5, and TIMP1 was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion, distance metastasis, and advanced tumor stage. In addition, a shorter overall survival was observed in patients with increased CXCL3, TIMP1, and ELF5 expression and decreased PHLPP2 expression. In conclusion, the four hub genes screened by our strategy could serve as novel biomarkers for prognosis prediction of CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by poor regulation of the immune response leading to chronic inflammation and multiple organ dysfunction. Glucocorticoid (GC) is currently one of the main treatments. However, a high dose or prolonged use of GC may result in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). Jiedu Quyu Ziyin decoction (JP) is effective in treating SLE and previous clinical studies have proved that JP can prevent and treat SLE steroid osteoporosis (SLE-GIOP). We aim to examine JPs main mechanism on SLE-GIOP through network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods. TCMSP and TCMID databases were used to screen potential active compounds and targets of JP. The SLE-GIOP targets are collected from GeneCards, OMIM, PharmGkb, TTD, and DrugBank databases. R software was used to obtain the cross-targets of JP and SLE-GIOP and to perform GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Cytoscape software was used to make the Chinese Medicines-Active Ingredient-Intersection Targets network diagram. STRING database construct protein–protein interaction network and obtain the core targets. Auto Dock Tools and Pymol software were used for docking. Results. Fifty eight targets overlapped between JP and SLE-GIOP were suggested as potential targets of JP in the treatment of SLE-GIOP. Network topology analysis identified five core targets. GO enrichment analysis was obtained 1,968 items, and the top 10 biological process, closeness centrality, and molecular function were displayed. A total of 154 signaling pathways were obtained by KEGG enrichment analysis, and the top 30 signaling pathways were displayed. JP was well bound by MAPK1, TP53, and MYC according to the molecular docking results. Conclusion. We investigated the potential targets and signaling pathways of JP against SLE-GIOP in this study. It shows that JP is most likely to achieve the purpose of treating SLE-GIOP by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts. A solid theoretical foundation will be provided for the future study of clinical and experimental topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of environment-friendly and efficient superhydrophobic filter screen still faces great challenges. Herein, a compact, solid cerium stearate superhydrophobic-coated stainless steel mesh (SSSM) was prepared by a simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly one-step electrodeposition process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurement were used to characterize the surface coating (composition, morphology, and contact angle) of SSSM. The results show that the SSSM surface is a dense mastoid cerium stearate micronanostructure coating, and its static contact angle with water can reach 162.73°. In addition, it has excellent self-cleaning performance for conventional simulated pollutants, and the contact angle can still reach 161° after 28 days of storage. In the wear resistance and corrosion resistance tests, the contact angle can still be kept above 150° after 600 mm abrasion under the load of 19.6 kPa, the corrosion current of SSSM is reduced by two orders of magnitude, and its corrosion inhibition efficiency reaches 99.74%. In addition, the oil/water separation performance of SSSM is also very good, and the separation efficiency for different oil/water mixtures exceeds 97%. This study will provide important data support and method reference for the preparation of metal anticorrosion superhydrophobic material coating and the development of environment-friendly and efficient oil–water separation materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis proteins play an important role in the mechanism of programmed cell death. Predicting subcellular localization of apoptosis proteins is an essential step to understand their functions and identify drugs target. Many computational prediction methods have been developed for apoptosis protein subcellular localization. However, these existing works only focus on the proteins that have one location; proteins with multiple locations are either not considered or assumed as not existing when constructing prediction models, so that they cannot completely predict all the locations of the apoptosis proteins with multiple locations. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel multilabel predictor named MultiP-Apo, which can predict not only apoptosis proteins with single subcellular location but also those with multiple subcellular locations. Specifically, given a query protein, GO-based feature extraction method is used to extract its feature vector. Subsequently, the GO feature vector is classified by a new multilabel classifier based on the label-specific features. It is the first multilabel predictor ever established for identifying subcellular locations of multilocation apoptosis proteins. As an initial study, MultiP-Apo achieves an overall accuracy of 58.49% by jackknife test, which indicates that our proposed predictor may become a very useful high-throughput tool in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study was aimed to investigate the reproductive toxicity of Zishen Yutai Pill (ZYP) on fertility and early embryonic development in rats. Methods. SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: vehicle control group (distilled water, i.g.), positive control group (80 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide, i.p.), and three ZYP-treated groups (3, 6, and 12 g/kg/d, i.e., 12x, 24x, and 48x clinical doses, i.g.). The high dose was set as the maximum gavage dosage. Results. Cyclophosphamide showed diverse hazards, such as decreased weight of male reproductive organs and sperm density (P<0.05). However, there were no obvious effects of ZYP on physical signs, animal behavior, and survival rate, as well as on weight and food intake during the premating and gestation periods. Importantly, there were no significant adverse effects of ZYP on indexes of copulation, fecundity and fertility indexes, weights and coefficients of male reproductive organs, epididymal sperm number and motility, estrous cycle, preimplantation loss rate, and implantation rate. Besides, the numbers of live and resorbed fetuses per litter were not significantly altered. Conclusions. ZYP had no reproductive toxicities on fertility and early embryonic development in rats at 48x equivalent clinical doses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of serum tumor markers is valuable for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. Tumor markers are frequently used for the management of cancer patients. However, single markers are less efficient but marker combinations increase the cost, which is troublesome for clinics. To find an optimal serum marker combination panel that benefits the patients and the medical management system as well, four routine lung cancer serum markers (SCCA, NSE, CEA, and CYFRA21-1) were evaluated individually and in combination. Meanwhile, the costs and effects of these markers in clinical practice in China were assessed by cost-effectiveness analysis. As expected, combinations of these tumor markers improved their sensitivity for lung cancer and different combination panels had their own usefulness. NSE + CEA + CYFRA21-1 was the optimal combination panel with highest Youden's index (0.64), higher sensitivity (75.76%), and specificity (88.57%), which can aid the clinical diagnosis of lung cancer. Nevertheless, the most cost-effective combination was SCCA + CEA, which can be used to screen the high-risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(J Card Surg 2011;26:70-70) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common intracranial tumor with characteristic of malignancy. Resveratrol, a natural originated polyphenolic compound, has been reported to act as a potential radiosensitizer in cancer therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the first choice for the diagnosis, pathological grading, and efficacy evaluation of GBM. In this study, MRI was applied to observe whether resveratrol could intensify the anti-GBM tumor effect by enhancing antitumor immunity during radiotherapy. We established an intracranial C6 GBM model in SD rats, treated with radiation and resveratrol. The increased body weight, the inhibition on mortality, and tumor volume in radiated- GBM rats were further enhanced by resveratrol addition, while the pathological damage of brain was alleviated. The modulation of radiation on inflammation, cell cycle, and apoptosis was strengthened by resveratrol; and Ki-67, PD-L1, and cell cycle- and apoptosis-related protein expressions were also improved by cotreatment. Besides, cotreatment attenuated DNA damage and induced G0/G1-phase cell arrest of GBM rats, accompanied with the changed expression of ATM-AKT-STAT3 pathway-related proteins. Moreover, the percentages of CD3+CD8+T cells and IFN-γ+CD8+T cells were enhanced, while (CD4+CD25+Foxp3)/CD4+T cells were decreased by radiation or resveratrol, which was strengthened by cotreatment. The modulation effect of cotreatment on CD3, Foxp3, and IFN-γ levels was also stronger than radiation or resveratrol alone. To conclude, resveratrol enhanced the effect of radiotherapy by inducing DNA damage and antitumor immunity in the intracranial C6 GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of pre‐maceration and pulp juice fermentation on physicochemical characteristics, organic acid composition, phenolic profiles, and sensory evaluation of raspberry cv. Qiufu wine obtained at the end of fermentation and 4 months of aging were investigated. Results showed hot pectinase maceration (50°C, 1.5 hr) significantly (p <.05) improved the extraction of the total flavanols, but it was intensified by pulp juice fermentation, which lead to continuous growth in turbidity during aging. However, cold pectinase maceration (10°C, 1.5 hr) significantly (p <.05) improved the extraction of ellagic acid, which was considered to be a good copigment factor for color intensity stability during aging. When the combination of cold pectinase maceration with pulp juice fermentation was used, the best result wine was observed with the highest total phenol content, highest sensory scores, and better stability. PCA analysis showed that a combination of pre‐maceration and fermentation was the more determining factor in defining the wine aging ability, which closely related to the proportion and chemical fate of phenolic compounds in raspberry wine. Practical application: As a deep processing product of the raspberry industry, raspberry wine possesses good development prospects. These results could conduce to the establishment of a proper way to produce raspberry wines with desirable quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking China's first application of domestic shield tunneling in a water-rich sand layer for crossing a high-speed railway as research background, the influence of changes in the shield tunneling parameters on ground settlement is analyzed based on field tests, and a construction control method suitable for shield tunneling under a risk source in a water-rich sand layer is proposed. The test results show that the use of 10% sodium bentonite as the soil modifier for soil pressure balance shield tunneling into the water-rich sand layer has advantages, while adding 50% loess into the bentonite slurry in the gravel sand layer can greatly improve the impermeability of the soil; the settlement of soil can be effectively reduced by using the special segment with grouting holes for deep grouting and applying the adaptive transformation of the shield cutter. Based on the statistical analysis results, a reasonable range for the cutter head torque, cutter head speed, chamber pressure, bentonite injection volume, and advanced speed in the water-rich sand layer can provide a construction control basis for similar projects and provide data support for the compilation of relevant specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a complex operation. Effective traction is crucial. We have successfully used an orthodontic rubber band (ORB) combined with the clip traction method to assist ESD (ORB-ESD). The aim of this retrospective study is to describe the method and to compare the efficacy and safety of ORB-ESD versus conventional ESD in the treatment of superficial colorectal tumors. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with superficial colorectal tumor (with diameter ≥ 20 mm) who received either ORB-ESD (n = 34) or conventional ESD (n = 90) between January 2019 and September 2020. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the clinical data of 31 pairs of patients in each group. Results. Operation time was significantly shorter for ORB-ESD than for conventional ESD (34.5 minutes vs. 56 minutes, P ≤ 0.001). In the propensity-matched cohorts, the operation time remained significantly shorter in the ORB-ESD patients (35 minutes vs. 50 minutes, P = 0.001). Postoperative adverse events, en bloc resection rate, and R0 resection rate were comparable between the two groups (P > 0.05), both before and after propensity score matching. In the ORB subgroup analysis, the trainee and expert ESD operation times were similar (37 (26–53) vs. 33.5 (26–37) minutes, respectively; P = 0.274). Conclusion. ORB-ESD appears to be an effective technique for ESD of colorectal cancer. Our findings need to be confirmed in large prospective multicenter studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Navigation plays an important role in the task execution of the micro-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm. The Cooperative Navigation (CN) method that fuses the observation of onboard sensors and relative information between UAVs is a research hotspot. Aiming at the efficiency and accuracy problems of previous studies, this article proposes a hybrid-CN method for UAV swarm based on Factor Graph and Kalman filter. A global Factor Graph is used to combine Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and ranging information to provide position estimations for modifying the distributed Kalman filter; distributed Kalman filter is established on each UAV to fuse inertial information and optimized position estimation to modify the navigation states. In order to provide time-consistent GNSS position information for the Factor Graph, a time synchronization filter is designed. The proposed method is tested and verified using standard Monte Carlo simulations, simulation results show that it can provide a more precise and efficient CN solution than traditional CN methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chuankezhi injection (CKZI) was an effective traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injection in adjuvant bronchial asthma therapy. In this report, we used a network pharmacology method to reveal the mechanisms of CKZI for the treatment of asthma. Methods. The candidate compounds in CKZI were determined by searching the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure website (CNKI). The targets of candidate compounds were searched in the TCMSP, DrugBank 5.0, and SwissTargetPrediction. The disease targets were screened from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneCards. The overlapping gene symbols between candidate compounds and disease were filtered via a Venn diagram and were considered as potential targets. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and disease-related candidate compound-target-pathway (DC-T-P) network were visualized by Cytoscape 3.6.1. Gene Ontology (GO) functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed by metascape to determine the pathways related to asthma. Results. A total of 70 overlapping gene symbols were recognized as potential targets. Cytokines (IL6, TNF, and IL1B) and chemokines (CXCL8 and CCL2) could be recognized as hub genes. Asthma-related candidate compounds were mainly flavonoids, such as quercetin, luteolin, and kaempferol. The cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, cytokine receptor binding, and membrane craft were the most significant biological process (BP), molecular function (MF), and cellular component (CC) of GO function results, respectively. The relevant pathways of CKZI against asthma mainly include IL-17, NF-kappa B, HIF-1, calcium, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways. Conclusion. Our research provided a theoretical basis for further investigating the mechanisms of CKZI in the treatment of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the targets of the effective active ingredients of Scutellariae radix-Coptidis rhizoma drug pair (SCDP) in ulcerative colitis (UC) by network pharmacology and molecular docking and to explore the associated therapeutic mechanism. The effective active ingredients and targets of SCDP were determined from the TCMSP database, and the drug ingredient-target network was constructed using the Cytoscape software. The disease targets related to UC were searched in GeneCards, DisGeNET, OMIM, and DrugBank databases. Then, the drug ingredient and disease targets were intersected to construct a protein-protein interaction network through the STRING database. The Metascape database was used for the Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses of the predicted targets of SCDP for UC. The Autodock software was used for molecular docking between the main active ingredient and the core target to evaluate the binding ability. SCDP has 43 effective active ingredients and 134 intersection targets. Core targets included AKT1, TP53, IL-6, VEGFA, CASP3, JUN, TNF, MYC, EGFR, and PTGS2. GO functional enrichment analysis showed that biological process was mainly associated with a cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, response to an inorganic substance, response to a toxic substance, response to lipopolysaccharide, reactive oxygen species metabolic process, positive regulation of cell death, apoptotic signaling pathway, and response to wounding. KEGG enrichment analysis showed main pathway concentrations were related to pathways in cancer, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, bladder cancer, IL-17 signaling pathway, apoptosis, p53 signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. The drug active ingredient-core target-key pathway network contains 41 nodes and 108 edges, of which quercetin, wogonin, baicalein, acacetin, oroxylin A, and beta-sitosterol are important active ingredients; PTGS2, CASP3, TP53, IL-6, TNF, and AKT1 are important targets; and the pathways involved in UC treatment include pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic, apoptosis, IL-17 signaling pathway and herpes simplex infection. The active ingredient has a good binding capacity to the core target. SCDP key active ingredients are mainly quercetin, wogonin, baicalein, acacetin, oroxylin A, and beta-sitosterol, which function mainly by regulating targets, such as PTGS2, CASP3, TP53, IL-6, TNF, and AKT1, and are associated with multiple signaling pathways as pathways in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, apoptosis, IL-17 signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the midterm outcomes of patients with isolated left anterior descending disease (iLAD) who underwent robotically assisted coronary artery bypass graft (R-CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug eluting stents (DES).Method: Clinic data was collected in 223 patients who underwent R-CABG in our hospital between July, 2007 to November, 2014. Cardiology Database System of our hospital was used to identify 4047 patients who underwent PCI with DES for LAD lesion between April, 2011 to November, 2014. Total 496 patients received DES and 108 patients underwent R-CABG after screening. Patients were propensity matched into 108 R-CABG and DES pairs according to vital statistic. Mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, repeat target lesion revascularization (r-TLR), main adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE), and angina relief were compared across pairs.Result: Kaplan-Meier estimates for R-CABG and DES had no significant difference in mortality (p = 1.00), MI (p = .32), Stroke (p = .80), and MACCE (p = .47), but the rate of r-TLR (p = .03) were lower in R-CABG group. Patients who underwent R-CABG had better angina relief (p = .02), lower rate of arrhythmia (p < .001), and recurrent angina (p = .02) after operation compared patients received DES.Conclusion: R-CABG offers lower r-TLR rate and better angina relief compared with DES for revascularization in patients with isolated proximal LAD stenosis and there was no difference in mortality, MI, stroke, and MACCE between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]