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Clustered data are a complex and frequently used type of data. Traditional factor analysis methods are effective for non-clustered data, but they do not adequately capture correlations between multiple observed individuals or variables in clustered data. This paper proposes a Bayesian approach utilizing MCMC and Gibbs sampling algorithms to accurately estimate parameters of interest within the clustered factor analysis model. The mean traversal graph of parameters ensures that the Markov chain converges, and the Bayesian case-deletion model is used to analyze the model's impact and identify outliers in clustered data using Cook's posterior mean distance. The applicability and validity of the principal-component-method-based factor analysis model for clustered data are demonstrated by comparing the parameter estimation of this method with the principal component method, the clustered data with and without internal relationships are compared by example analysis, and the anomalous groups are identified by the Cook's posterior mean distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent materials for monitoring the condition of the packaged food or its surroundings are highly desired to ensure food safety. In this paper, UV-curable silicone-modified materials for monitoring the freshness of high-protein food such as shrimp and pork were prepared from polyurethane acrylates with covalent-grafted neutral red groups and thiol silicone resin. The UV-curable materials exhibited visible pH-sensitive performance and long-term color stability because their color did not change when they were immersed in aqueous solutions with different pH values for 20 min, and the color remained even when they were immersed for over 5 h. The distinctive color variation in the UV coatings makes them suitable as potential pH-sensitive sensors. These pH-sensitive intelligent materials can be applied to monitor the freshness of high-protein food such as shrimp and pork. Additionally, the thermal stability and adhesive properties of the UV-curable materials were also studied. A conclusion can be drawn that the covalent bonding of neutral red groups onto a silicone-modified polymer matrix is an ideal strategy for developing pH-sensitive intelligent materials with good pH stability for monitoring the freshness of high-protein food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the effectiveness of coal mine gas control and enhance the level of coal mine safety production, the application of a microseismic monitoring system and hydraulic fracturing technology in coal mines was studied. Applying hydraulic fracturing technology to coal mine gas treatment, firstly, the geological structure and gas concentration in the mining area are detected using the radio tunnel perspective method and infrared differential absorption method. Then, the relevant parameters of hydraulic fracturing are determined, and finally, hydraulic fracturing technology is implemented. Microseismic monitoring technology is used to monitor the cracks formed during hydraulic fracturing construction and evaluate the fracturing effect. The instantaneous energy envelope is obtained from the microseismic data of each detection channel after stacking and Hilbert transform static correction. A microseismic in-phase inversion positioning objective function based on travel time residuals is constructed, and under the constraints of polarization analysis, the optimal solution is obtained through search iteration to complete microseismic in-phase inversion positioning. Experimental results have shown that after applying this method to coal mine gas control, the gas concentration decreases below the execution standard, achieving good control effects. Under microseismic monitoring in coal mines, the hydraulic fracturing effect can be effectively and reasonably evaluated, and the safety production level of coal mines can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous increase in global climate change and human activities, the risk of sudden debris flow disasters is becoming increasingly severe. In order to effectively evaluate and zone the potential hazards of debris flows, this paper proposes a method for zoning the potential sudden hazards of debris flows based on deep neural networks. According to hazard identification, ten risk indicators of potential sudden debris flows are determined. The risk indicators of a potential sudden debris flow in each region were used as the input factors of a deep trust network (DBN) composed of a back propagation (BP) neural network and a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM). The DBN is pre-trained using the contrast divergence method to obtain the optimal value of the parameter set of the DBN model, and a BP network is set at the last layer of the DBN for fine-tuning to make the network optimal. Using the DBN model with the best parameters, the risk probability of debris flows corresponding to each region is taken as an output. The risk grade is divided, the risk degree of potential sudden debris flow in each region is analyzed, and the potential sudden debris flow risk in each region is divided individually. The results show that this method can effectively complete the risk zoning of sudden debris flow. Moreover, the cumulative contribution of the indicators selected by this method is significant, and the correlation of indicators is not significant, which can play a role in the risk assessment of potential sudden debris flow. This study not only provides new ideas and methods for risk assessment of sudden debris flow disasters, but also fills a gap in the field of geological hazard susceptibility mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of rice straw (RS) and biochar (BC) addition affecting soil quality, enzyme activities, bacterial community structure and grain yield is crucial. The objective of this study was to examine the dynamics of the soil microbial community impacted by the application of rice straw and biochar, and to understand the relationship between the microbial communities, soil enzymes, nutrients and grain yield of paddies. We conducted a field experiment with organic amendments under the direct seeding of paddies. The bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere was characterized using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that RS amendment increased grain yields by 8.5 and 9.9% more than with BC and the control without organic amendment (CK), respectively (p < 0.05). The abundance of bacteria associated with nitrate reduction in RS was higher than that in BC and CK, which further showed the significance of the RS-treated soil bacteria in rice nutrient utilization. A cladogram plotted using linear discriminant analysis effect size showed that Proteobacteria (Alphaproteobacteria), Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia and Epsilonbacteraeota in the RS-treated soil increased in comparison with CK. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that enzymes activities (cellulase activity and protease activity), soil nutrition content (soil hydrolyzable nitrogen), and bacterial phyla (Nitrospinae) were positively correlated with grain yield, suggesting that the RS-treated soil improved enzyme activities, soil nutrition content, and bacterial abundance, which in turn increased grain yield. The results indicated that RS-treated bacterial communities combined with soil enzymatic activities strengthen the transformation of nutrients, suggesting that the interactions play an important role in enhancing the grain yield of paddy rice. These results provide new insights and a theoretical basis for studying the changes in soil microbial communities with the application of RS and BC in Northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the accuracy of debris flow forecasts and serve as disaster prevention and mitigation, an accurate and intelligent early warning method of debris flow initiation based on the IGWO-LSTM algorithm is proposed. First, the entropy method is employed to screen the early warning indicators. Then, the improved grey wolf algorithm (IGWO) is obtained by optimizing the grey wolf algorithm by combining elite reverse learning and adaptive convergence factors. Finally, the IGWO-LSTM algorithm is obtained by using IGWO to improve the total connection layer weight and bias parameters of LSTM, which takes the screened early warning indicators as input and outputs the early warning results of the debris flow formation risk level. In comparison with the methods introduced in earlier studies, the results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior outcomes in terms of assessing a single warning of multiple debris flow gullies, a multi-year warning of a single debris flow gully, and a multi-year warning of multiple debris flow gullies. The mean absolute error and root mean square error of the early warning results of the ANN model and PEEM method show low values, while the early warning hit rate shows high values, surpassing 90%. Also, the other two methods developed in the previous studies show low values of the early warning coverage rate, reaching 90% at most. Moreover, the triggered traffic model and MLPG method show high values in the early warning coverage rate, exceeding 90%, and low values in the early warning hit rate of less than 90%, and the average absolute error and root mean square error are high. On the other hand, the results of the proposed method show that the overall early warning hit rate is higher than 95%, the coverage rate is close to 100%, and the error is less than 1.5. Thus, the comprehensive analysis results show that the proposed method has better performance and higher reliability than other studied methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the limitations of the current pavement crack damage detection methods, this study proposes a method based on digital image processing technology for detecting highway asphalt pavement crack damage. Firstly, a non-subsampled contourlet transform is used to enhance the image of highway asphalt pavement. Secondly, the non-crack regions in the image are screened, and the crack extraction is completed by obtaining and enhancing the crack intensity map. Finally, the features of cracks are extracted and input into the support vector machine for classification and recognition to complete the detection of cracks in highway asphalt pavement. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively enhance the quality of a pavement image and precisely extract a crack area from the image with a high level of damage detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to accurately extract the characteristics of debris flow caused by group rainstorms, effectively identify the on-site information of debris flow, and provide a scientific basis for debris flow monitoring, early warning and disaster control, this paper proposes a method for extracting the characteristics of heavy rainstorm debris flow using multiregional ecological environment remote sensing. In the ecological environment where debris flows occur frequently, remote sensing data of heavy rainstorm debris flows are preprocessed using remote sensing technology, providing an important basis for the feature extraction of debris flows. The kernel principal component analysis method and Gabor filters are innovatively used to extract the spectral and texture features of rainstorm and debris flow remote sensing images, and the convolutional neural network structure is improved based on the open source deep learning framework, integrating multilevel features to generate debris flow feature maps. The improved convolution neural network is then used to extract the secondary features of the fusion feature map, and the feature extraction of heavy rainstorm debris flow is realized. The experiment shows that this method can accurately extract the characteristics of heavy rainstorm debris flow. Fused remote sensing images of debris flow effectively ameliorate the problem of insufficient informational content in a single image and improve image clarity. When the Gabor kernel function has eight different directions, the feature extraction effect of the debris flow image in each direction of the heavy rainstorm is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the construction of a diversion tunnel, geological problems often include faults, fragile strata, hard rock formations, karst landforms, etc., which may have adverse effects on the excavation and construction of the diversion tunnel. Based on the analysis of the engineering overview, this study designed a new construction technology for the excavation of water diversion tunnels in hard rock layers and high-karst areas. Based on tunnel seismic prediction (TSP) technology to achieve advanced geological prediction, combined with actual geological conditions, construction difficulties are analyzed. Then, detection technology is used to collect two-way travel time, amplitude, and waveform data. By processing and analyzing the detection image, the spatial orientation and length of the main tunnel during the construction of the diversion tunnel are calculated. After completing the construction ventilation and wind, water, and electricity layout, the excavation construction procedure is designed. In the specific excavation design, the tunnel curtain excavation technology, tunnel body excavation and support technology, excavation grouting technology, important unfavorable geological tunnel section excavation technology, upper/lower flat section excavation technology, upper/lower curved section excavation technology, and vertical shaft section excavation technology were elaborated. Finally, a plan was made for the reuse process of slag material and a construction quality control system was established. During the testing process, it was found that the antidamage coefficient of the side wall was above 0.9 after using the technology described in this article. Therefore, it indicates that the excavation construction technology designed in this article can ensure the support capacity of the side wall of the diversion tunnel, which is suitable for the excavation of the main tunnel during the construction of the diversion tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flake-shaped FeSiCr (FFSC) material is expected to be a promising microwave absorbent due to its excellent magnetic properties and environmental resistance. By introducing carbon-based materials through suitable coatings, the electromagnetic parameters and energy loss can be tuned to improve the performance of FFSC. A facile solution-blending method was deployed to prepare graphite- and epoxy resin-encapsulated FFSC (FFSC@G/E) powders with a core–shell structure. FFSC@G2000/E showed excellent performance in the X band (8–12 GHz), a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −42.77 dB at a thickness of 3 mm and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EABmax, RL < −10 dB) that reached 4.55 GHz at a thickness of 2.7 mm. This work provides a route for the production of novel high-performance microwave absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate morphology of porous media can considerably affect the progression of penetration and the diffusion of grouting slurry. In this study, a Newtonian fluid's refined seepage motion equation was proposed to incorporate the impact of tortuosity on the grouting process into gravel soil, and the column-hemispherical penetration grouting mechanism was analyzed using the method of theoretical analysis. Utilizing secondary-development programming techniques, a numerical simulation program was developed with COMSOL Multiphysics to model the penetration grouting mechanism of a Newtonian fluid in a column-hemispherical pattern, considering a medium's tortuosity. The penetration grouting process of Newtonian cement into gravel soils was then simulated. Finally, the theoretical analysis, experimental values, and numerically simulated values were compared.The findings suggested that incorporating the tortuosity of porous media is more efficacious in depicting the penetration and diffusion behavior for Newtonian fluid grouting in porous media, as compared to omitting the tortuosity. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of grouting engineering in porous media strata, guiding practical design and construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of the transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3) signaling pathway controls multiple biological processes, including cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Abnormally activated STAT3 signaling promotes tumor cell growth, proliferation, and survival, as well as tumor invasion, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. Hence, JAK/STAT3 signaling has been considered a promising target for antitumor therapy. In this study, a number of ageladine A derivative compounds were synthesized. The most effective of these was found to be compound 25. Our results indicated that compound 25 had the greatest inhibitory effect on the STAT3 luciferase gene reporter. Molecular docking results showed that compound 25 could dock into the STAT3 SH2 structural domain. Western blot assays demonstrated that compound 25 selectively inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 on the Tyr705 residue, thereby reducing STAT3 downstream gene expression without affecting the expression of the upstream proteins, p-STAT1 and p-STAT5. Compound 25 also suppressed the proliferation and migration of A549 and DU145 cells. Finally, in vivo research revealed that 10 mg/kg of compound 25 effectively inhibited the growth of A549 xenograft tumors with persistent STAT3 activation without causing significant weight loss. These results clearly indicate that compound 25 could be a potential antitumor agent by inhibiting STAT3 activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a comparative analysis to unveil the divergence among venoms from a subset of Old World habu snakes (Protobothrops) in terms of venomic profiles and toxicological and enzymatic activities. A total of 14 protein families were identified in the venoms from these habu snakes, and 11 of them were shared among these venoms. The venoms of five adult habu snakes were overwhelmingly dominated by SVMP (32.56 ± 13.94%), PLA2 (22.93 ± 9.26%), and SVSP (16.27 ± 4.79%), with a total abundance of over 65%, while the subadult P. mangshanensis had an extremely low abundance of PLA2 (1.23%) but a high abundance of CTL (51.47%), followed by SVMP (22.06%) and SVSP (10.90%). Apparent interspecific variations in lethality and enzymatic activities were also explored in habu snake venoms, but no variations in myotoxicity were found. Except for SVSP, the resemblance of the relatives within Protobothrops in other venom traits was estimated to deviate from Brownian motion evolution based on phylogenetic signals. A comparative analysis further validated that the degree of covariation between phylogeny and venom variation is evolutionarily labile and varies among clades of closely related snakes. Our findings indicate a high level of interspecific variation in the venom proteomes of habu snakes, both in the presence or absence and the relative abundance of venom protein families, and that these venoms might have evolved under a combination of adaptive and neutral mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debris flow, the most extensive and most severe geological hazard along the Karakoram Highway, frequently blocks the Karakoram Highway. Based on the methods of field measurement, indoor statistical analysis and theoretical research, this paper discusses the relationship between the four types of debris flow along the Karakoram Highway. The four types are the rain type, the rain glacier type, the glacier ice lake break type and the freeze–thaw type, and their particle characteristics and gully slope are also considered in the discussion. The results are as follows: (1) The provenance particle size of debris flow is controlled by the type of debris flow. Generally, the provenance average particle equivalent diameter of the debris flow induced by the glacier ice lake type is relatively small, followed by the freeze–thaw type and glacier ice lake break type, and the equivalent diameter of the debris flow induced by the rain type is relatively large; (2) The gully slope coefficient of the debris flow C along the Karakoram Highway is greater than 1, and it increases with the increase in gully slope α , that is, the larger C is, the steeper the gully slope will be; (3) The gully slope coefficient C and the average particle equivalent diameter D of the four types of debris flow are distributed in the ellipse with them as the axis. This ellipse quantitatively describes the relationship between the gully slope of the four types of debris flow and the corresponding provenance particle characteristics. This paper analyzes the formation and causes of debris flow along the Karakoram Highway. It accurately understands the scientific connotation of debris flow formation in the surface matrix layer and improves the diversity, stability, and sustainability of the ecosystem. The paper also proposes ideas and suggestions for promoting the ecological protection and restoration of the Karakoram Highway. Therefore, the research has a certain theoretical significance and practical application value for the appropriate selection and rational design of the debris flow prevention projects along the China–Pakistan Highway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway is aberrantly hyperactivated in many cancers, promoting cell proliferation, survival, invasiveness, and metastasis. Thus, inhibitors targeting JAK/STAT3 have enormous potential for cancer treatment. Herein, we modified aldisine derivatives by introducing the isothiouronium group, which can improve the antitumor activity of the compounds. We performed a high-throughput screen of 3157 compounds and identified compounds 11a, 11b, and 11c, which contain a pyrrole [2,3-c] azepine structure linked to an isothiouronium group through different lengths of carbon alkyl chains and significantly inhibited JAK/STAT3 activities. Further results showed that compound 11c exhibited the optimal antiproliferative activity and was a pan-JAKs inhibitor capable of inhibiting constitutive and IL-6-induced STAT3 activation. In addition, compound 11c influenced STAT3 downstream gene expression (Bcl-xl, C-Myc, and Cyclin D1) and induced the apoptosis of A549 and DU145 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The antitumor effects of 11c were further demonstrated in an in vivo subcutaneous tumor xenograft experiment with DU145 cells. Taken together, we designed and synthesized a novel small molecule JAKs inhibitor targeting the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, which has predicted therapeutic potential for JAK/STAT3 overactivated cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coarse primary and eutectic Mg2Si phases were generally precipitated in Mg-Al-Si alloys during solidification at a low cooling rate, which tends to deteriorate the strength and ductility of magnesium alloys due to stress concentration. Different volume fractions of TiB2 nanoparticles (1%, 3%, and 5%) were added to an Mg-4Al-1.5Si alloy to refine the coarse Mg2Si phases based on a heterogeneous nucleation mechanism. The nanoparticles were incorporated and dispersed in the molten Mg alloys and by using semi-solid stirring followed by ultrasonic treatment (SSUT), and TiB2/Mg-4Al-1.5Si composites were obtained. The effect of TiB2 content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites was studied. The results showed that the average size of primary Mg2Si phases and α-Mg grains decreased as the TiB2 content raised, the dendritic primary Mg2Si phases were refined into polygonal shapes with smaller sizes, and the refined primary Mg2Si phases were uniformly distributed in the alloys after adding 1 vol.% or 3 vol.% TiB2 nanoparticles. As the TiB2 content increased, the morphology of the eutectic Mg2Si phases was modified from coarse Chinese characters to short rod or fine dot shapes. Vickers hardness and yield strength of the composites reached a maximum (153 HV and 90.9 MPa, respectively) when TiB2 content was 5 vol.%, while the most superior ultimate tensile strength (142.4 MPa) and elongation (9.2%) were obtained when TiB2 content was 3 vol.%, which were improved by 173.2%, 31.5%, 69.8%, and 187.5%, respectively compared with the Mg-4Al-1.5Si alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the Niumian Gully landslide–debris-flow geohazard chain as an example, we analyze the disaster mechanism of the landslide–debris-flow geohazard chain and its evolution process through field investigation as a reference for disaster prevention and risk reduction in areas with strong earthquakes by analyzing the accumulative sliding amount and the critical rainfall for debris flow formed by loose deposits. Due to the 8.0 Ms earthquake in Wenchuan, the cumulative sliding of the slope reached 230.51 m, much greater than the critical sliding in the Longmen Mountain earthquake area. Permanent damage to the slope occurred, resulting in a landslide, which provided the material source for the occurrence of debris flows. When the study area experienced concentrated rainfall (e.g., exceeding 10.31 mm/h or 54.67 mm/d), loose deposits in the basin began to form a debris flow, causing a landslide–debris-flow geohazard chain. During the evolution process of the geohazard chain, the following stages were observed: pre-earthquake gestation, landslide starting during a strong earthquake, landslide blocking a channel and forming a dammed lake, bursting of the dammed lake flood–debris-flow, sliding of loose deposits, and reciprocating loose-deposit sliding and debris flows. Thus, the formation of the Niumian Valley geohazard chain can be attributed to the combined result of strong earthquake activities and rainfall. In addition, under the action of rainfall, the occurrence of the debris flow and unstable sliding of loose deposits also caused the reciprocating occurrence of debris flows, loose-deposit sliding, and flood-induced debris flows in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A waterborne epoxy coating with superior corrosion resistance was developed by using a novel amino-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) that was modified by 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid. A battery of characterization methods, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), was used to prove that DGO was successfully prepared by grafting the amino of 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic on GO. The results indicated that the surface of DGO became rougher than GO, but a complete sheet structure was still maintained after modification; the optimal modified GO could be achieved when the mass ratio of 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid and GO was 5:1. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests indicated that the impedance at 0.01 Hz of a coating with 0.2 wt.% DGO still remained at a relatively high value after immersion for 48 h in 3.5 wt.% NaCl, which was about one order higher than a pure waterborne epoxy resin coating, and the corrosion current density decreased from 3.76 × 10−11 A/cm2 to 3.62 × 10−12 A/cm2. The dry adhesion and wet adhesion increased to 1.90 and 1.22 MPa, respectively, and the adhesion loss decreased from 53% to 36%. These interesting features could make waterborne epoxy coatings a promising anticorrosion coating for metal in long-term protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMAD1, SMAD2, and SMAD3 are important transcription factors downstream of the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway that mediates several physiological processes. In the current study, we used cloning sequencing, RT-qPCR, bioinformatics methods and iMLDR technology to clone the coding region of Tibetan sheep genes, analyze the protein structure and detect the tissue expression characteristics of Tibetan sheep genes, and detect the polymorphisms of 433 Tibetan sheep and analyze their correlation with litter size. The results showed that the ORFs of the SMAD1, SMAD2 and SMAD3 genes were 1398 bp, 1404 bp and 1278 bp, respectively, and encoded 465, 467 and 425 amino acids, respectively. The SMAD1, SMAD2, and SMAD3 proteins were all unstable hydrophilic mixed proteins. SMAD1, SMAD2 and SMAD3 were widely expressed in Tibetan sheep tissues, and all were highly expressed in the uterus, spleen, ovary and lung tissues. Litter sizes of the genotype CC in the SMAD1 gene g.10729C>T locus were significantly higher than that of CT (p < 0.05). In the SMAD3 gene g.21447C>T locus, the genotype TT individuals showed a higher litter size than the CC and CT genotype individuals (p < 0.05). These results preliminarily demonstrated that SMAD1, SMAD2 and SMAD3 were the major candidate genes that affected litter size traits in Tibetan sheep and could be used as a molecular genetic marker for early auxiliary selection for improving reproductive traits during sheep breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 28 June 2012, a large debris flow occurred in Aizi gully, Ningnan County, Sichuan Province, China. It was the most significant debris flow disaster at a construction site in 2012 in China, which left 40 people dead or missing. Field investigations and model calculations were conducted following the event in order to determine dynamic parameters and execute engineering mitigation measures. Analyzing the collected data, it is found that earthquake and drought play a dominant role in debris flow initiation, and from 1 January 1986 to 31 December 2010, 43 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.0 occurred around the study area. Through calculation it was found that the inducive radius of 16 earthquakes was larger than the distance between the epicenter and the study area, and it proves that the study area is frequently affected by seismic activities. Furthermore, on the basis of calculation of rainfall anomaly index H from January 2011 to June 2012, it can be seen that the rainfall of 2011 is extremely low. The percentage of the rainfall anomaly index is almost less than −34%, which indicates that the drought in the basin is serious. Under the influences of repeated seismic activities and continuous droughts, the structure of soil was destroyed and its strength and permeability changed significantly, providing favorable conditions for debris flow initiation. On 28 June 2012, heavy rainfall with the intensity of 23.3 mm/h occurred, and the total amount of precipitation reached 66.1 mm before 6am of 28 June 2012. Debris flow was induced due to the triggering effect of the torrential rain. Studying the causes of the large-scale debris flows in construction sites can significantly facilitate the prevention and mitigation of future debris flow disasters, as well as reduce the potential of hazards caused by debris flows in major engineering areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Selection of molecular markers used in the marker-assisted selection of the litter size of sheep is critically essential. In this study, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), g.51537A>G in SMAD5 and g.319C>T in SMAD7, from Tibetan sheep, and they were genotyped. The expression patterns of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 in the tissues of Tibetan sheep were determined. Furthermore, we also performed an association analysis of the SNPs with litter size. The results indicated that SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 were extensively expressed in the various tissues of Tibetan sheep. Sequence analysis showed that SMAD4 contained 1662 bp encoding 533 amino acids, SMAD5 contained 1667 bp encoding 465 amino acids and SMAD7 contained 1408 bp encoding 427 amino acids. Alignment analysis showed that the amino acid sequence of the three proteins shared high similarity with sheep, yak, cattle, dog, human, pig, chimpanzee, rhesus monkey and house mouse. Furthermore, association analysis showed that both g.51537A>G in SMAD5 and g.319C>T in SMAD7 were not significantly associated with litter size of Tibetan sheep. SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 belonging to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily are indispensable for oocyte formation and development, ovarian organogenesis and folliculogenesis. However, only a few studies have investigated the characteristics of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 in Tibetan sheep and the effect of their polymorphism on litter size. In this study, we examined the expression of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 in 13 tissues of Tibetan sheep by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Further, cDNA of these genes was cloned, sequenced and subjected to bioinformatics analysis. DNA sequencing was also used to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, iM-LDRTM technology was used for SNP genotyping. Associations between polymorphisms and litter size were analyzed using data from genotyping of 433 Tibetan sheep. The results showed that the expression of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 genes was ubiquitous in the tissues of Tibetan sheep, such as the ovary, uterus and oviduct, hypothalamus, hypophysis, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, rumen, duodenum and longissimus dorsi. However, the expression was unbalanced and upregulated in the spleen, lung, ovary and uterus and downregulated in the longissimus dorsi. The bioinformatics analysis showed that SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 in Tibetan sheep encoded proteins of 533, 465 and 427 amino acids, respectively. Sequence homology analysis of the three proteins among other animals showed that the sequences of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 of Tibetan sheep were similar to those in sheep, yak, cattle, dog, human, pig, chimpanzee, rhesus monkey and house mouse. Two synonymous mutations, g.51537A>G and g.319C>T, were detected in SMAD5 and SMAD7, respectively. The associations of these SNPs and litter size were determined, and it was found that both g.51537A>G and g.319C>T have no significant effect on the litter size of Tibetan sheep. The results provided novel insights into the molecular characterization, expression profiles and polymorphisms of SMAD4, SMAD5 and SMAD7 in Tibetan sheep, but our results do not support associations between these genes and the litter size of Tibetan sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomal MicroRNA-21 (miRNA-21, miR-21) is significantly up-regulated in blood samples of patients with lung cancer. Exosomal-derived miR-21 can be used as a promising biomarker for the early diagnosis of lung cancer. This paper develops a fluorescent biosensor based on the combination of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), cascade strand displacement reaction (CSDR) and CRISPR/Cas12a to detect the exosomal miR-21 from lung cancer. The powerful separation performance of MNPs can eliminate the potential interference of matrix and reduce the background signal, which is very beneficial for the improvement of specificity and sensitivity. The CSDR can specifically transform one miR-21 into plenty of DNA which can specifically trigger the trans-cleavage nuclease activity of Cas12a, resulting in the cleavage of ssDNA bi-labeled with fluorescent and a quencher. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the developed fluorescence biosensor exhibited high sensitivity and specificity towards the determination of exosomal-derived miR-21 with a linear range from 10 to 1 × 105 fM and a low detection limit of about 0.89 fM. Most importantly, this method can be successfully applied to distinguish the exosomal miR-21 from the lung cancer patients and the healthy people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyse the dynamic evolution characteristics of soil arching during sliding processes, we conducted a series of model push-pile and direct shear tests. The tests' results were used to design a relative displacement monitoring system and to introduce two dimensionless parameters (the push–compaction ratio (e) and the different degrees of push–compaction (t)) to investigate the degree of uneven soil deformation during the sliding processes. This innovative method was used to analyse the rational spacing between adjacent anti-slide piles. The results revealed that there was a push-to-compaction effect in sliding soil during the sliding process. Firstly, in terms of space, the gradual transfer characteristics of the landslide thrust and push-to-compaction effect, rather than a uniform deformation over the entire area, were revealed. In terms of time, the results demonstrated a law for the variation in push-to-compaction ratios: The expansion of e occurred earlier in the rear sliding body than in the front e, while the growth rate of front e was faster than that of e in the rear sliding body. The dynamic evolution process was divided into three stages: an elastic formation stage, a plastic development stage, and a failure stage. Secondly, during the sliding process, the shear strength parameters of the sliding soil did not have constant values but underwent a dynamic process of strengthening, and cohesion responded more efficiently than friction. Finally, the degree of mobilisation of the anti-sliding effect of the sliding soil can be used as a new means of quantitative analysis for rational spacing. The results indicated that the rational spacing between adjacent piles should be five times the width of the pile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffusion progress of grout is hindered by groundwater, which means the diffusion distance cannot reach the designed values required in engineering for water plugging or reinforcement. In this study, based on the generalized Darcy's law and the continuity equation of steady column penetration, a column diffusion mechanism for Bingham fluid, considering the displacement effect of grout on groundwater, is proposed. This diffusion mechanism is then validated by the penetration grouting experiments that have been previously performed. The influences of the grouting pressure, groundwater pressure, water–cement ratio and penetration coefficient of porous media on the diffusion radius are analyzed. Based on the Comsol Multiphysics platform, a three-dimensional numerical simulation program for this mechanism is developed using computer programming technology. Numerical simulations of the penetration and diffusion morphology of Bingham cement grout in porous media are then carried out. The results show that the theoretical calculation values of diffusion radius obtained from this mechanism are closer to the experimental values than those obtained from the column penetration grouting theory of Bingham fluid, without considering the displacement effect. The results of this study can provide theoretical support for practical grouting engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many slope failures have been observed in deep-cutting gorges in Southwest China due to rainfall events. This study conducted model-based tests of the failure of a gently dipping accumulation slope caused by intermittent rainfall. The physical model was established by configuring soil samples based on similarity theory and direct shear test data. Intermittent rainfall was simulated by supplying surface runoff and bottom pressure water of the slope. The deformation, earth pressure, and pore pressure were observed during the test using a series of transducers. The results of this research showed that slope failure was first initiated at the toe of the slope. Staged sliding failure then occurred, which spread the unstable zone to the trailing edge of the slope. As infiltration of rainwater continued, the pore pressure increased and the matric suction and effective stress at the bedrock surface decreased, causing failure of the slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the effects of different substitution rates and basalt fiber (BF) contents on the deformation properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) are studied, and the correlation degree of the changing parameters on the deformation properties of basalt fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete (BFRAC) is evaluated by gray correlation analysis. A total of 48 cylindrical test blocks are designed in this experiment, the failure modes of the test blocks are observed and analyzed, and performance indicators such as stress–strain curve, peak strain, and elastic modulus are obtained. The results show that the test block mainly suffers longitudinal splitting failure under uniaxial compression. The longitudinal cracks become denser and narrower with the increase in BF content. With the increase in BF content, the stress–strain curve decreases gradually, and the peak strain in the fully recycled aggregate concrete increases. There is no obvious change rule toward the peak strain with the increase in the substitution rate. The peak strain and elastic modulus of most test blocks show a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. At each substitution rate, when the BF dosage is 6 kg/m3, the elastic modulus of the test block is the minimum. Based on gray correlation analysis, the substitution rate has a greater impact on the deformation performance of BFRAC than fiber content. Therefore, an appropriate substitution rate has a better effect on improving the stiffness of test blocks and reducing the deflection of bending members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the construction of expressways in eastern Henan, silt has been widely used as a filling material. However, the silt in this area is lacking clay, the content of active oxides in the soil is low, and the soil particles are bonded together. The property is poor, the erosion resistance is not strong, and the direct filling of the roadbed is prone to engineering problems. Due to the obvious regionality of silt in eastern Henan, this paper firstly analyzes the basic physical properties of silt in eastern Henan using compaction, compression, direct shear and particle gradation tests. The research displays that with the increase of the dosage of cement or lime, the optimal water content increases, while the maximum dry density decreases. The compressibility decreases linearly with the increase of the content. The improved soil has a significant increase in large particles. When the dosage of lime is 2%–6%, the improved soil has a good gradation, and the improved soil has a significant increase in large particles. When the dosage is 2%–6%, the improved soil has a good gradation, and the improvement effect on the cohesion is much greater than that on the internal friction angle. The comprehensive analysis of cement lime shows that the dosage of cement should be 4%–6%. In the early stage, the improvement effect of cement on silt is better than that of lime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentation basin is an important part of hydraulic engineering. Because the prototype size is too large and not easy to analyze, Mike 21 has the advantages of easy input, conversion, analysis, and demonstration of data results, which are flexible and convenient; however, this method has not been used in hydraulic engineering by previous researchers. This research used the sedimentation basin of the Yellow River Diversion Project as the research object, and a simulation model of the sedimentation basin channel #1 was developed using Mike 21 software to analyze its water and sediment characteristics and conditions in different periods. Using numerical simulation methods, three types of sedimentation basin operation schemes were targeted, the sedimentation changes and sedimentation law of channel #1 were evaluated in each scheme, and the sedimentation effects were compared. The results show that in conditions of different incoming water and sediment and diversion timings during the flood and non-flood seasons, the sedimentation basin adopts an operation scheme to lower the outlet water level, and the siltation volumes are 180,000 and 150,000 m3 lower than the high-outlet water levels, respectively. Moreover, its siltation status is significantly improved, which can effectively extend the service life of the sedimentation basin, prolong the period of silting removal by about 3.5 months, and provide a scientific basis and reference for the optimization of the operation mode of the sedimentation basin in other types of hydraulic engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is a consensus in academic circles that regulation works will change a channel's shape, the quantitative relationship between the finite control boundary and the channel's shape parameters is still unclear. In this study, a flume model test was carried out, and the evolution of channel's shape under different engineering densities was qualitatively analyzed. Based on the construction of river regulation works and measured hydrological data of the wandering channel in the lower Yellow River from 1960 to 2014, the channel shape parameters (bending coefficient, swing range of the main streamline and river facies coefficient) of the wandering channel in different periods were calculated, and the variation in the channel shape parameters with the density of regulation works in different periods was analyzed. The results showed that the river regime cannot be effectively controlled with less dense regulation works; in this case, the regulation works have little impact on the channel's morphology. With an increase in the density of regulation works, the evolution of channel morphology was obviously different. Specifically, the river bending coefficient increased as a whole from 1.14 in 1949–1960 to 1.32 in 2011–2014, indicating that the regulation works have had an obvious restraining and improving effect on the river's morphology. The swing range of the main stream obviously decreased, with an average value of about 500 m; the river facies coefficient decreased dramatically from 20~88 before 1960 to 15 in 2014, and the channel morphology has developed with a tendency to be narrow and deep. The research showed that a finite control boundary can significantly improve the channel's shape, limit the wandering characteristics of the river reach to a certain extent, stabilize the main stream and control the river's regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different soil anti scourability in the lower reaches of the Yellow River leads to different scouring and retreating speeds, which has a great influence on river regime evolution. Through the incipient motion scouring test of cemented cohesive soil in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the physical phenomena of the incipient motion of cohesive soil were expounded, the scouring rate of cohesive soil was calculated, and the relationship between the scouring rate and its influencing factors was established. The results show that when the moisture content of cohesive soil is 43%~61%, the scouring rate is about 0.001~0.03 kg/(m2·s). The scouring rate of cohesive soil with the same particle size varies with the flow shear stress under different deposition duration conditions. Under the same flow rate, the scouring rate of cohesive soil increases with the increase of water content, showing an exponential relationship of increment. Under the same shear stress condition, the scouring rate decreases with the increase of dry density, while the exponential relationship between dry density and scouring rate is not clear when the shear stress is small. With the increase of shear stress, there is an obvious exponential relationship between dry density and scouring rate. Finally, the relationship between the scouring rate and relative residual shear stress was established, and the scouring rate formula suitable for cohesive extremely fine sediment was fitted. The formula can better estimate the scouring rate of the riverbank composed of very fine cohesive sediment and provide support for predicting the scouring and retreating rate of riverbanks in natural rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperactivation of Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is an attractive therapeutic target for tumor therapy. Herein, forty-eight novel meridianin derivatives were designed and synthesized, and their antitumor activity was evaluated in vitro both for activity optimization and structure–activity relationship (SAR) study. The results indicated that most derivatives exhibited significantly improved antitumor activity, especially for compound 6e. The compound 6e contains an isothiouronium linked by an alkyl chain consisting of six carbon atoms with IC50 ranging from 1.11 to 2.80 μM on various cancer cell lines. Consistently, the 6e dose dependently induced the apoptosis of A549 and DU145 cells, in which STAT3 is constitutively active. Western blotting assays indicated that the phosphorylation levels of JAK1, JAK2 and STAT3 were inhibited by 6e at 5 μM without significant change in the total STAT3 level. Moreover, 6e also suppressed the expression of STAT3 downstream genes, including c-Myc, Cyclin D1 and Bcl-XL at 10 μM. An additional in vivo study revealed that 6e at the dose of 10 mg/kg could potently inhibit the DU145 xenograft tumor without obvious body weight loss. These results clearly indicate that 6e could be a potential antitumor agent by targeting the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal dose of vancomycin in critically ill patients receiving continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to identify factors that significantly affect pharmacokinetic profiles and to further investigate the optimal dosage regimens for critically ill patients undergoing CVVH based on population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic analysis. A prospective population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed at the surgical intensive care unit in a level A tertiary hospital. We included 11 critically ill patients undergoing CVVH and receiving intravenous vancomycin. Serial blood samples were collected from each patient, with a total of 131 vancomycin concentrations analyzed. Nonlinear mixed effects models were developed using NONMEM software. Monte Carlo Simulation was used to optimize vancomycin dosage regimens. A two-compartment model with first-order elimination was sufficient to characterize vancomycin pharmacokinetics for CVVH patients. The population typical vancomycin clearance (CL) was 1.15 L/h and the central volume of distribution was 16.9 L. CL was significantly correlated with ultrafiltration rate (UFR) and albumin level. For patients with normal albumin and UFR between 20 and 35 mL/kg/h, the recommended dosage regimen was 10 mg/kg qd. When UFR was between 35 and 40 mL/kg/h, the recommended dosage regimen was 5 mg/kg q8h. For patients with hypoalbuminemia and UFR between 20 and 25 mL/kg/h, the recommended dosage regimen was 5 mg/kg q8h. When UFR was between 25 and 40 mL/kg/h, the recommended dosage regimen was 10 mg/kg q12h. We recommend clinicians choosing the optimal initial vancomycin dosage regimens for critically ill patients undergoing CVVH based on these two covariates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with augmented renal clearance (ARC) have been described as having low vancomycin concentration. However, the pharmacokinetic model that best describes vancomycin in patients with ARC has not been clarified. The purpose of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetic of vancomycin in Chinese adults and the recommend dosage for patients with different renal function, including patients with ARC. We retrospectively collected 424 vancomycin serum concentrations from 209 Chinese patients and performed a population pharmacokinetic model using NONMEM 7.4.4. The final model indicated that the clearance rate of vancomycin increased together with the creatinine clearance, and exhibited a nearly saturated curve at higher creatinine clearance. The estimated clearance of vancomycin was between 3.46 and 5.58 L/h in patients with ARC, with 5.58 being the maximum theoretical value. The central volume of distribution increased by more than three times in patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to explore the probability of reaching the target therapeutic range (24-h area under the curve: 400–650 mg·h/L, trough concentration: 10–20 mg/L) when various dose regimens were administered. The simulations indicated that dose should increase together with the creatinine clearance until 180 mL/min. These findings may contribute to improving the efficacy and safety of vancomycin in patients with ARC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of hyperbranched silicone containing macrophotoinitiators (HBSMIs) were synthesized from 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl propanone (HMPP) and the UV-curing behaviors of HBSMIs were investigated in UV-cured transparent polyurethane-acrylate (PUA) coatings. HBSMIs show higher UV-initiating efficiency than HMPP. The migration of HBSMIs from the UV-cured coatings can be as low as 1.7–6.0 wt%, which is obviously lower than the migration of HMPP. There is a remarkable improvement of the tensile strength of the UV-cured materials initiated by HBSMI in comparison to that of the materials prepared with the same PUA initiated by HMPP. Especially for the UV-cured materials prepared from PUA with 20 wt% 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane (TMP), the tensile strength and the strain at break increased from 6.81 MPa to 12.14 MPa and from 43.0% to 71.9%, respectively. The fraction of improvement for the tensile strength and the strain at break is as high as 78.9% and 67.2%, respectively. The coatings prepared with HBSMI also have better UV resistance ability than those coatings prepared with HMPP because they turn slightly yellow when they are aged by UV for about 15 min while the coating prepared with 4 wt% of HMPP will turn yellow only aged by UV for 2 min. These results suggest that preparation hyperbranched silicone containing macrophotoinitiators will be one of the good strategies to improve the curing efficiency of the UV-curing system, reduce the migration of UV initiator from cured material, improve the mechanical and UV resistance performance of UV-cured materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the major risk factors for liver cancer have been established, preventive factors for liver cancer have not been fully explored. We evaluated the association between raw garlic consumption and liver cancer in a large population-based case-control study in Eastern China. The study was conducted in Jiangsu, China, from 2003 to 2010. A total of 2011 incident liver cancer cases and 7933 randomly selected population-controls were interviewed. Epidemiological data including raw garlic intake and other exposures were collected, and serum markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were assayed. Overall, eating raw garlic twice or more per week was inversely associated with liver cancer, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.62–0.96) compared to those ingesting no raw garlic or less than twice per week. In stratified analyses, high intake of raw garlic was inversely associated with liver cancer among Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative individuals, frequent alcohol drinkers, those having history of eating mold-contaminated food or drinking raw water, and those without family history of liver cancer. Marginal interactions on an additive scale were observed between low raw garlic intake and HBsAg positivity (attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) = 0.31, 95% CI: -0.01–0.62) and heavy alcohol drinking (AP = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.00–0.57). Raw garlic consumption is inversely associated with liver cancer. Such an association shed some light on the potential etiologic role of garlic intake on liver cancer, which in turn might provide a possible dietary intervention to reduce liver cancer in Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A waterborne epoxy coating with superior corrosion resistance was developed by using a novel amino-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) that was modified by 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid. A battery of characterization methods, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), was used to prove that DGO was successfully prepared by grafting the amino of 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic on GO. The results indicated that the surface of DGO became rougher than GO, but a complete sheet structure was still maintained after modification; the optimal modified GO could be achieved when the mass ratio of 2,5-diaminobenzenesulfonic acid and GO was 5:1. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests indicated that the impedance at 0.01 Hz of a coating with 0.2 wt.% DGO still remained at a relatively high value after immersion for 48 h in 3.5 wt.% NaCl, which was about one order higher than a pure waterborne epoxy resin coating, and the corrosion current density decreased from 3.76 × 10 -11 A/cm 2 to 3.62 × 10 -12 A/cm 2 . The dry adhesion and wet adhesion increased to 1.90 and 1.22 MPa, respectively, and the adhesion loss decreased from 53% to 36%. These interesting features could make waterborne epoxy coatings a promising anticorrosion coating for metal in long-term protection.

Reactivated varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which lies latent in the dorsal root ganglions and cranial nerves before its reactivation, is capable of causing herpes zoster (HZ), but the specific mechanism of virus reactivation and latency remains unknown. It was proposed that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in body fluids could potentially indicate infection. However, the connection between herpes zoster and circulating miRNAs has not been demonstrated. In this study, 41 HZ patients without superinfection were selected. The serum miRNA levels were analyzed by TaqMan low density array (TLDA) and confirmed individually by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Thirty-five age-matched subjects without any infectious diseases or inflammation were selected as controls. The results showed that the serum miRNA expression profiles in 41 HZ patients were different from those of control subjects. Specifically, 18 miRNAs were up-regulated and 126 were down-regulated more than two-fold in HZ patients compared with controls. The subsequent confirmation of these results by qRT-PCR, as well as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, revealed that six kinds of miRNAs, including miR-190b, miR-571, miR-1276, miR-1303, miR-943, and miR-661, exhibited statistically significant enhanced expression levels (more than four-fold) in HZ patients, compared with those of healthy controls and herpes simplex virus (HSV) patients. Subsequently, it is proposed that these circulating miRNAs are capable of regulating numerous pathways and some may even participate in the inflammatory response or nervous system activity. This study has initially demonstrated that the serum miRNA expression profiles in HZ patients were different from those of uninfected individuals. Additionally, these findings also suggest that six of the altered miRNA could be potentially used as biomarkers to test for latent HZ infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known to have the potential for articular cartilage regeneration, and are suggested for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we investigated whether intra-articular injection of xenogeneic human adipose-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (haMPCs) promoted articular cartilage repair in rabbit OA model and engrafted into rabbit articular cartilage. The haMPCs were cultured in vitro, and phenotypes and differentiation characteristics of cells were evaluated. OA was induced surgically by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and medical meniscectomy of knee joints. At six weeks following surgery, hyaluronic acid (HA) or haMPCs was injected into the knee joints, the contralateral knee served as normal control. All animals were sacrificed at the 16th week post-surgery. Assessments were carried out by macroscopic examination, hematoxylin/eosin (HE) and Safranin-O/Fast green stainings and immunohistochemistry. The data showed that haMPC treatment promoted cartilage repair. Signals of human mitochondrial can be directly detected in haMPC treated cartilage. The haMPCs expressed human leukocyte antigen I (HLA-I) but not HLA-II-DR in vivo. These results suggest that intra-articular injection of haMPCs promotes regeneration of articular cartilage in rabbit OA model, and support the notion that MPCs are transplantable between HLA-incompatible individuals.

To elucidate and compare the seroprevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among Chinese drug users, a cross-sectional study of 441 participants, was conducted in Shanghai, China, from 2012 through 2013. Seventy-seven (17.5%) participants were found to be positive for HHV8 antibodies, while 271 (61.5%) participants were positive for HCV. No significant association between HHV8 seropositivity and drug use characteristics, sexual behaviors, HCV, or syphilis was observed. In contrast, a statistically significant association between HCV seropositivity and injected drug history (OR, 2.18, 95% CI 1.41-3.37) was detected, whereas no statistically significant association between HCV seropositivity and syphilis infection (OR, 7.56, 95% CI 0.94-60.57) were observed. Pairwise comparisons showed no significant differences between latent and lytic antibodies regarding HCV and HHV8 serostatus. The study demonstrated a moderate but elevated prevalence of HHV8 infection among drug users. The discordance between HHV8 and HCV infections suggests that blood borne transmission of HHV8 might not be the predominant mode of transmission in this population, which is in contrast to HCV.