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The Asian-Australian monsoon (AAM) has far-reaching impacts on global and local climate. Accurate simulations of AAM precipitation and its variabilities are of scientific and social importance, yet remain a great challenge in climate modeling. The present study assesses the performance of the newly developed Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology Earth System Model version 3 (NESMv3), together with that of 20 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) models, in the simulation of AAM climatology, its major modes of variability, and their relationships with El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is concluded that NESMv3 (1) reproduces, well, the observed features of AAM annual mean precipitation; (2) captures the solstice mode (the first annual cycle mode) of AAM realistically, but has difficulty in simulating the equinox mode (the second annual cycle mode) of AAM; (3) underestimates the monsoon precipitation intensity over the East Asian subtropical frontal zone, but overestimates that over the tropical western North Pacific; (4) faithfully reproduces the first season-reliant empirical orthogonal function (SEOF) mode of AAM precipitation and the associated circulation anomalies, as well as its relationship with ENSO turnabout, although the correlation is underestimated. Precipitation anomaly patterns of the second SEOF mode and its relationship with El Nino are poorly simulated by NESMv3 and most of the CMIP5 models as well, indicating that the monsoon variability prior to the ENSO onset is difficult to reproduce. In general, NESMv3's performance in simulating AAM precipitation ranks among the top or above-average compared with the 20 CMIP5 models. Better simulation of East Asian summer monsoon and western Pacific subtropical high remains a major target for future improvement, in order to provide a reliable tool to understand and predict AAM precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer immunotherapy has produced impressive clinical results in recent years. Despite the success of the checkpoint blockade strategies targeting cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1), a large portion of cancer patients have not yet benefited from this novel therapy. T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) has been shown to mediate immune tolerance in mouse models of infectious diseases, alloimmunity, autoimmunity, and tumor Immunity. Thus, targeting TIM-3 emerges as a promising approach for further improvement of current immunotherapy. Despite a large amount of experimental data showing an immune suppressive function of TIM-3 in vivo, the exact mechanisms are not well understood. To enable effective targeting of TIM-3 for tumor immunotherapy, further in-depth mechanistic studies are warranted. These studies will also provide much-needed insight for the rational design of novel combination therapy with other checkpoint blockers. In this review, we summarize key evidence supporting an immune regulatory role of TIM-3 and discuss possible mechanisms of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study indicated that the combination of salvianolic acid B (SalB) and ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), the main components of Salvia miltiorrhizae and Panax notoginseng, improves myocardium structure and ventricular function in rats with ischemia/reperfusion injury. The present study aimed to determine the safety of the combined SalB and Rg1 (SalB-Rg1) in mice. The safety of SalB-Rg1 was evaluated through acute toxicity and repeated-dose toxicity. In the acute toxicity study, the up and down procedure was carried out firstly, and then, the Bliss method was applied. In the toxicity study for seven-day repeated treatment of SalB-Rg1, forty Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups. The intravenous median lethal dose (LD50) of the SalB-Rg1 combination was 1747 mg/kg using the Bliss method. For both the acute toxicity study and the seven-day repeated toxicity study, SalB-Rg1 did not induce significant abnormality on brain, heart, kidney, liver and lung structure at any dose based on H&E stain. There were no significant changes related to the SalB-Rg1 toxicity detected on biochemical parameters for two kinds of toxicity studies. The LD50 in mice was 1747 mg/kg, which was more than one hundred times higher than the effective dose. Both studies of acute toxicity and seven-day repeated dose toxicity indicated the safety of the SalB-Rg1 combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Smoking has been implicated as one of the most important extrinsic risk factors for its development and severity. Recent developments have shed light on the pathophysiology of RA in smokers, including oxidative stress, inflammation, autoantibody formation and epigenetic changes. The association of smoking and the development of RA have been demonstrated through epidemiologic studies, as well as through in vivo and animal models of RA. With increased use of biological agents in addition to standard disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), there has been interest in how smoking affects drug response in RA treatment. Recent evidence suggests the response and drug survival in people treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy is poorer in heavy smokers, and possible immunological mechanisms for this effect are presented in the current paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth hormone (GH) has been considered as a candidate gene for growth traits in fish. In this study, polymorphisms of the GH gene were evaluated for associations with growth traits in 282 Siniperca chuatsi individuals. Using directly sequencing, four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in GH gene, with two mutations in intron 4 (g.4940A>C, g.4948A>T), one mutation in exon 5 (g.5045T>C) and one in intron 5 (g.5234T>G). Notably, three of them were significantly associated with growth performance, particularly for g.4940A>C which was highly correlated with all the four growth traits. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that these SNPs in GH gene could influence growth performance of S.chuatsi and could be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium ion batteries have proven themselves the main choice of power sources for portable electronics. Besides consumer electronics, lithium ion batteries are also growing in popularity for military, electric vehicle, and aerospace applications. The present review attempts to summarize the knowledge about some selected membranes in lithium ion batteries. Based on the type of electrolyte used, literature concerning ceramic-glass and polymer solid ion conductors, microporous filter type separators and polymer gel based membranes is reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical fibers possess many advantages such as small size, light weight and immunity to electro-magnetic interference that meet the sensing requirements to a large extent. In this investigation, a Mach-Zehnder interferometric optical fiber sensor is used to measure the dynamic strain of a vibrating cantilever beam. A 3 × 3 coupler is employed to demodulate the phase shift of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The dynamic strain of a cantilever beam subjected to base excitation is determined by the optical fiber sensor. The experimental results are validated with the strain gauge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of massive amounts of toxic volatiles and smoke during combustion is a very serious problem facing epoxy resin (EP) composites. Therefore, flame retardants (FRs) can simultaneously enhance flame retardancy and reduce the release of smoke and fatal gases. Herein, a novel sulfur–phosphorous reactive flame retardant (SPMS) was synthesized for epoxy resin. The high efficiency of smoke suppression and flame retardancy of the EP/SPMS-APP hybrid was investigated using a cone calorimeter, a vertical burning test, and limited oxygen index measurements. Compared with those of pure EP, the composite with 20 wt% SPMS-APP reduced the peak heat release rate (pHRR), the peak smoke production rate (SPR), and total smoke production rate (TSR) by 82%, 94%, and 84%, respectively. The results showed a remarkable suppressed effect of alleviating the fire hazard of EP using a sulfur–phosphorus flame retardant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Currently, it is unknown whether secondary esophagectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is comparable to primary esophagectomy. The aim of our retrospective study was to compare short- and long-term clinical outcomes between the two groups. Propensity matching was performed, and 34 patients in each group were compared. Comparing primary and secondary surgery, lymph node metastasis (LNM), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS), were comparable between the two groups. Comparing the adverse events between the two groups, none of the patients in either group died within 60 days of treatment. There was no significant difference in the overall adverse events, but more early complications were observed in the primary surgery group than in the secondary surgery group. ESD and secondary esophagectomy can be recommended for patients with superficial esophageal cancer, as it does not compromise the outcomes of survival, recurrence, and complications. Even though the conventional treatment for T1 esophageal cancer is surgery, ESD is becoming the primary treatment. Currently, it is unknown whether secondary esophagectomy after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is comparable to primary esophagectomy when considering outcomes in patients with T1 esophageal cancer. We compared short- and long-term clinical outcomes between the two groups. Primary surgery (esophagectomy) was performed in 191 patients between 2003 and 2014, and 62 patients underwent secondary surgery (esophagectomy) after ESD for T1 esophageal cancer between 2007 and 2019. Propensity matching was performed for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), location, pathology, degree of differentiation, tumor size, and invasion depth. Lymph node metastasis (LNM), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and post-operative complications were compared between groups. Sixty-eight patients were included after propensity score matching; LNM, OS, DSS, and RFS were comparable between the two groups. Comparing primary and secondary surgery, the respective LNM rates were 23.5% and 26.5%, 6-year OS 78.0% and 89.7%, p = 0.15; DSS were 80.4% and 96.8%, p = 0.057; and RFS were 80.8% and 89.7%, p = 0.069. Comparing the adverse events between the two groups, there was no significant difference in the overall adverse events. However, more early complications were observed in the primary surgery group than in the secondary surgery group (50% vs. 20.6%, p = 0.021). Secondary surgery did not increase the risk of LNM. The long-term outcomes were comparable. Therefore, attempts to perform upfront ESD for superficial esophageal squamous cell cancers are justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Ionospheric Specification (GIS) is based on the Gauss–Markov Kalman filter to assimilate the slant total electron content (TEC) observed from ground-based GPS receivers and space-based radio occultation instrumentations in order to reconstruct three-dimensional (3D) ionospheric electron density structure, and it can remotely sense and monitor the weather condition in space. In this study, five minutes of high temporal resolution GIS is implemented in order to reconstruct the 3D electron density structure on the 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse and analyze the variations induced by the moon's shadow. To obtain more information of the ionosphere, from the extend 2200 GPS stations on the continental United States, are added for assimilation. The results show the ionosphere peak height (hmF2) uplift was 30–50 km altitude in latitude 25–40°N, and that the electron density depletion at higher altitudes (400 km) has a more noticeable time delay than at low altitudes (200 km), especially in low-latitude regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer patients using antithrombotic agents (ATA) is becoming more common than ever before due to the aging of society and rising ATA prescription rates. The relationship between perioperative ATA use and post-ESD bleeding is still debatable at this time. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the suggested duration of ATA cessation in current guidelines is sufficient to normalize the bleeding risk. This study examined the effects of ATA on post-ESD bleeding through propensity score-matching analysis between ATA users and non-users. We discovered that ATA use was independently associated with a higher incidence of post-ESD bleeding. This tendency was significantly observed in patients who either continued or insufficiently discontinued ATA and those who sufficiently discontinued ATA, according to current guidelines. Given these findings, we suggest careful observation after ESD for patients using ATA, regardless of their cessation status. Whether antithrombotic agent (ATA) usage increases the risk of gastric post-endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) bleeding remains controversial. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of usage, type, and cessation timing of ATA on post-ESD bleeding. A total of 4775 early gastric cancer patients undergoing ESD were analyzed; 1:3 propensity score matching between ATA and non-ATA groups resulted in 318 and 767 matched patients in each group, respectively. Outcomes were compared between the two groups using a generalized estimating equation method. After matching, post-ESD bleeding rates in ATA users and non-users were 9.1% and 4.2%, respectively (p = 0.001). In multivariable analysis, ATA usage was independently associated with an increased risk of post-ESD bleeding (adjusted odds ratio: 2.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.34–3.86). Both the continued or insufficient cessation groups and the sufficient cessation group had an increased incidence of post-ESD bleeding compared to their matched controls (12.5% versus 5.2%, p = 0.048; 8.1% versus 3.9%, p = 0.014). Post-ESD bleeding rates in antiplatelet agent users were significantly higher than those of their matched controls (8.3% versus 4.2%, p = 0.010). ATA usage increased the risk of post-ESD bleeding even after its sufficient cessation. Careful observation after ESD is required regardless of the cessation status of ATA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We described and characterized 11 expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived simple sequence repeats (SSR) and seven genomic (G)-derived SSRs in Coreoperca whiteheadi Boulenger. The EST-SSRs comprised 62.2% di-nucleotide repeats, 32.2% tri-nucleotide repeats and 5.5% tetra-nucleotide repeats, whereas the majority of the G-SSRs were tri-nuleotide repeats (81.4%). The number of alleles for the 18 loci ranged from 3 to 6, with a mean of 3.8 alleles per locus. The observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosities (He) values ranged from 0.375 to 1.000, and 0.477 to 0.757, respectively. The polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.466 to 0.706. The mean values number of alleles, Ho, He, and PIC of EST-SSRs were higher than those of the G-SSRs. Four microsatellite loci deviated significantly from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) after Bonferroni correction and no significant deviations in linkage disequilibrium (LD) were observed. These loci are the first to be characterized in C. whiteheadi and should be useful in the investigation of a genetic evaluation for conservation. Compared with 11 loci in C. whiteheadi, 37 potential polymorphic EST-SSRs were found in Siniperca chuatsi (Basilewsky), which will provide a valuable tool for mapping studies and molecular breeding programs in S. chuatsi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral administration of β-carotene (BC) was found to exert opposite effects on plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in two animal models. One study in nude mice injected via tail vein with hepatocarcinoma SK-Hep-1 cells showed that BC decreases the plasma VEGF level, whereas the other study in nude mice injected subcutaneously with prostate tumor PC-3 cells showed that BC increases the plasma VEGF level. Herein we investigated whether BC (0.5-20 μM) possesses diverse effects on VEGF secretion in SK-Hep-1, PC-3 and melanoma B16F10 cells. We found that incubation of SK-Hep-1 cells with BC (1-20 μM) for 6 h significantly decreased VEGF secretion, whereas BC (1-10 μM) significantly increased the VEGF secretion in PC-3 cells. However, these effects disappeared at 12 h of incubation. Similar effects occurred in VEGF mRNA and protein expression after treatment of SK-Hep-1 and PC-3 cells with BC for 6 h. In contrast, BC (0.5-20 μM) did not affect mRNA and protein expression and secretion of VEGF in B16F10 cells. We also found that the proliferation of SK-Hep-1 and B16F10 cells was significantly inhibited by 20 μM BC at 6 and 12 h of incubation, whereas the proliferation of PC-3 cells was significantly inhibited by 20 μM BC at 12 h of incubation. In summary, the present study demonstrated the tumor-specific effect of BC on VEGF secretion in different cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cancer risk after radiation exposure during childhood has been extensively documented in the literature, although cancer risk associated with recurrent computed tomography (CT) scans during adulthood is less understood. We found a significant relationship between the frequency of CT scans and the subsequent incidence of secondary primary malignancies in patients who have undergone curative resection for early gastric cancer (EGC). On the basis of the low incidence of extragastric recurrence and the risk of radiation exposure, we suggest that overzealous CT surveillance should be avoided in adult patients with EGC. Although computed tomography (CT) scans are very useful for identification or surveillance of malignancy, they are also associated with the risk of cancer caused by ionizing radiation. We investigated the risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs) after frequent abdominopelvic CT scans in a cohort of Korean patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). We performed a cohort study of 11,072 patients who underwent resection for EGC at Samsung Medical Center and validated the results using data from 7908 patients in a Korean National Health Insurance Service cohort. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for intra-abdominal SPM. During 43,766.5 person-years of the follow-up at our center, 322 patients developed intra-abdominal SPMs. Patients who underwent receiving >8 abdominopelvic CT scans had a significantly greater risk of developing SPM (HR, 2.73; 95% CI, 1.66–4.50; p < 0.001) than those who had with ≤8 scans. For each additional abdominopelvic CT scan, the adjusted HR for SPM was 1.09 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–1.14). Similar results were observed in the Korean National Health Insurance Service cohort (adjusted HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07–1.22). Significantly elevated risk of SPM was still observed when considering a 2-year latency period (adjusted HR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.37–4.48) and a 3-year latency period (adjusted HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.06–4.47). Frequent abdominopelvic CT scans are associated with an elevated risk of SPMs after the treatment of EGC. Thus, physicians need to weigh carefully the clinical benefits of CT examinations against the potential risks of radiation exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) coated carbon fabrics was fabricated using a facile dip coating process, and their performance in electrical conductivity, thermal stability, tensile strength, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and shielding effectiveness (SE) was investigated. A solution ofMWCNT oxide and sodiumdodecyl sulfate (SDS) in water was used in the coating process. MWCNTs were observed to coat the surfaces of carbon fibers and to fill the pores in the carbon fabric. Electrical conductivity of the composites was 16.42 S cm-1. An EMI shielding effectiveness of 37 dB at 2 GHz was achieved with a single layer of C/C composites, whereas the double layers resulted in 68 dB EMI SE at 2.7 GHz. Fabricated composites had a specific SE of 486.54 dB cm3 g-1 and an absolute SE of approximately 35,000 dB cm2 g-1. According to the above results, MWCNT coated C/C composites have the potential to be used in advanced shielding applications such as aerospace and auto mobile electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MgCl2-supported titaniumZiegler-Natta catalyst containing CO2-based poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols as a potential internal electron donor (IED) was synthesized and employed for 1-butene polymerization. When compared with the Ziegler-Natta catalyst using poly(polypropylene glycol) as IED, the catalyst preparedwith poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols showed good particlemorphology, higher activity and stereoselectivity. The results suggested that existence of the carbonate group within the structure of poly(propylene ether carbonate) diols truly plays an important role in improving the performance of the catalyst for the 1-butene polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new method for use in performing continuous scale transformations of linear features using Simulated Annealing-Based Morphing (SABM). This study addresses two key problems in the continuous generalization of linear features by morphing, specifically the detection of characteristic points and correspondence matching. First, an algorithm that performs robust detection of characteristic points is developed that is based on the Constrained Delaunay Triangulation (CDT) model. Then, an optimal problem is defined and solved to associate the characteristic points between a coarser representation and a finer representation. The algorithm decomposes the input shapes into several pairs of corresponding segments and uses the simulated annealing algorithm to find the optimal matching. Simple straight-line trajectories are used to define the movements between corresponding points. The experimental results show that the SABM method can be used for continuous generalization and generates smooth, natural and visually pleasing linear features with gradient effects. In contrast to linear interpolation, the SABM method uses the simulated annealing technique to optimize the correspondence between characteristic points. Moreover, it avoids interior distortions within intermediate shapes and preserves the geographical characteristics of the input shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nawrot-PorAlthough cisplatin is an anticancer drug that has activity against malignant tumor, it often causes nephrotoxicity. Previous reports have confirmed that the saponins from the leaves of P. quinquefolium (PQS) exerted many pharmacological activities. However, the renoprotective effects of PQS were still unknown. The purpose of the present research was to discuss renoprotective effect of PQS in a mouse model of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (CRE) were evidently increased in cisplatin-intoxicated mice, which were reversed by PQS. Renal oxidative stress, evidenced by increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level and decline of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, was significantly alleviated by PQS pretreatment. The suppression of inflammatory response by PQS was realized through the decrease the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in kidney tissues, which were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Simultaneously, the overexpression of cytochrome P450 E1 (CYP2E1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were attenuated by PQS. Furthermore, the effects of Western blotting demonstrated that PQS administration significantly suppressed the protein expression levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase type 4 (Nox4), cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved Caspase-9, Bax, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), suggesting the inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation response. Overall, PQS may possess protective effects in cisplatin-induced AKI through suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis.ąbka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of vector data at variable scales has been widely applied in geographic information systems and map-based services. When the scale changes across a wide range, a complex generalization that involves multiple operations is required to transform the data. To present such complex generalization, we proposed a matrix model to combine different generalization operations into an integration. This study was carried on a set of river network data, where two operations, i.e., network pruning accompanied with river simplification, were hierarchically constructed as the rows and columns of a matrix. The correspondence between generalization operations and scale, and the scale linkage of multiple operations were also explicitly defined. In addition, we developed a vario-scale data structure to store the generalized river network data based on the proposed matrix. The matrix model was validated and assessed by a comparison with traditional methods that conduct generalization operations in sequence. It was shown that the matrix model enabled complex generalization with good generalization quality. Taking advantage of the corresponding vario-scale data structure, the river network data could be obtained at any arbitrary scale, and the vario-scale representation was achieved across a wide scale range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new sesquiterpene, named neo-acorane A (1), and two known ones, acoric acid (2) and calamusin D (3), were isolated from a 95% ethanol extract of the rhizome parts of Acorus calamus L. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 are nonisoprenoid sesquiterpenoids, likely biosynthesized from an acorane-type sesquiterpene by oxidative fission of the six- or five-membered ring. Moreover, compounds 1 (10 μM), 2 (5 μM and 10 μM) and 3 (10 μM) showed cell proliferation activity on the SK-N-BE (2) cell line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug resistance remains a major clinical obstacle to successful treatment of cancer. As posttranslational modification is becoming widely recognized to affect the function of oncoproteins, targeting specific posttranslational protein modification provides an attractive strategy for anticancer drug development. CD147 is a transmembrane glycoprotein contributing to chemo-resistance of cancer cells in a variety of human malignancies. Ubiquitination is an important posttranslational modification mediating protein degradation. Degradation of oncoproteins, CD147 included, emerges as an attractive alternative for tumor inhibition. However, the ubiquitination of CD147 remains elusive. Here in this study, we found that deletion of the CD147 intracellular domain (CD147-ICD) prolonged the half-life of CD147 in HEK293T cells, and we identified that CD147-ICD interacts with FBXO22 using mass spectrometry and Western blot. Then, we demonstrated that FBXO22 mediates the polyubiquitination and degradation of CD147 by recognizing CD147-ICD. While knocking down of FBXO22 prolonged the half-life of CD147 in HEK293T cells, we found that FBXO22 regulates CD147 protein turnover in SMMC-7721, Huh-7 and A549 cells. Moreover, we found that the low level of FBXO22 contributes to the accumulation of CD147 and thereafter the cisplatin resistance of A549/DDP cells. To conclude, our study demonstrated that FBXO22 mediated the polyubiquitination and degradation of CD147 by interacting with CD147-ICD, and CD147 polyubiquitination by FBXO22 reversed cisplatin resistance of tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is currently the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the Asia-Pacific region. Our previous work showed that knockdown of CD98 significantly inhibits malignant HCC cell phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. The level of CD98 in the membrane is tightly regulated to mediate complex processes associated with cell-cell communication and intracellular signaling. In addition, the intracellular domain of CD98 (CD98-ICD) seems to be of vital importance for recycling CD98 to the membrane after it is endocytosed. The intracellular and transmembrane domains of CD98 associate with β-integrins (primarily β1 but also β3), and this association is essential for CD98 mediation of integrin-like signaling and complements dominant suppression of β1-integrin. We speculated that isolated CD98-ICD would similarly suppress β1-integrin activation and inhibit the malignant behaviors of cancer cells. In particular, the exact role of CD98-ICD has not been studied independently in HCC. In this study, we found that ectopic expression of CD98-ICD inhibited the malignant phenotypes of HCC cells, and the mechanism possibly involves β1-integrin suppression. Moreover, the expression levels of CD98, β1-integrin-A (the activated form of β1-integrin) and Ki-67 were significantly increased in HCC tissues relative to those of normal liver tissues. Therefore, our preliminary study indicates that ectopic CD98-ICD has an inhibitory role in the malignant development of HCC, and shows that CD98-ICD acts as a dominant negative mutant of CD98 that attenuates β1-integrin activation. CD98-ICD may emerge as a promising candidate for antitumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostatic sensor arrays (ESAs) are promising in industrial applications related to charged particle monitoring. Sensitivity is a fundamental and commonly-used sensing characteristic of an ESA. However, the usually used spatial sensitivity, which is called static sensitivity here, is not proper for moving particles or capable of reflecting array signal processing algorithms integrated in an ESA. Besides, reports on ESAs for intermittent particles are scarce yet, especially lacking suitable array signal processing algorithms. To solve the problems, the dynamic sensitivity of ESA is proposed, and a hemisphere-shaped electrostatic sensors’ circular array (HSESCA) along with its application in intermittent particle monitoring are taken as an example. In detail, a sensing model of the HSESCA is built. On this basis, its array signals are analyzed; the dynamic sensitivity is thereupon defined by analyzing the processing of the array signals. Besides, a component extraction-based array signal processing algorithm for intermittent particles is proposed, and the corresponding dynamic sensitivity is analyzed quantitatively. Moreover, simulated and experimental results are discussed, which validate the accuracy of the models and the effectiveness of the relevant approaches. The proposed dynamic sensitivity of ESA, as well as the array signal processing algorithm are expected to provide references in modeling, designing and using ESAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AA6061-T6 aluminum alloy samples including annealed Fe78Si9B13 particles were prepared by friction stir processing (FSP) and investigated by various techniques. The Fe78Si9B13-reinforced particles are uniformly dispersed in the aluminum alloy matrix. The XRD results indicated that the lattice parameter of α-Al increases and the preferred orientation factors F of (200) plane of α-Al reduces after friction stir processing. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for FSP samples increases at first with the temperature but then decreases as the temperature further increased, which can be explained by the dissolving of Mg and Si from β phase and Fe78Si9B13 particles. The corrosion and wear resistance of FSP samples have been improved compared with that of base metal, which can be attributed to the reduction of grain size and the CTE mismatch between the base metal and reinforced particles by FSP, and the lubrication effect of Fe78Si9B13 particles also plays a role in improving wear resistance. In particular, the FSP sample with reinforced particles in amorphous state exhibited superior corrosion and wear resistance due to the unique metastable structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed blades are often prone to fatigue due to severe blade vibrations. In particular, synchronous vibrations can cause irreversible damages to the blade. Blade tip-timing methods (BTT) have become a promising way to monitor blade vibrations. However, synchronous vibrations are unsuitably monitored by uniform BTT sampling. Therefore, non-equally mounted probes have been used, which will result in the non-uniformity of the sampling signal. Since under-sampling is an intrinsic drawback of BTT methods, how to analyze non-uniformly under-sampled BTT signals is a big challenge. In this paper, a novel reconstruction method for non-uniformly under-sampled BTT data is presented. The method is based on the periodically non-uniform sampling theorem. Firstly, a mathematical model of a non-uniform BTT sampling process is built. It can be treated as the sum of certain uniform sample streams. For each stream, an interpolating function is required to prevent aliasing in the reconstructed signal. Secondly, simultaneous equations of all interpolating functions in each sub-band are built and corresponding solutions are ultimately derived to remove unwanted replicas of the original signal caused by the sampling, which may overlay the original signal. In the end, numerical simulations and experiments are carried out to validate the feasibility of the proposed method. The results demonstrate the accuracy of the reconstructed signal depends on the sampling frequency, the blade vibration frequency, the blade vibration bandwidth, the probe static offset and the number of samples. In practice, both types of blade vibration signals can be particularly reconstructed by non-uniform BTT data acquired from only two probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) regulates the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL), but its mechanism is unknown. In this study, we detected the effects of BHBA on the activities of G protein signaling pathways, AMPK-α activity, GH, and PRL gene transcription, and GH and PRL secretion in dairy cow anterior pituitary cells (DCAPCs). The results showed that BHBA decreased intracellular cAMP levels and a subsequent reduction in protein kinase A (PKA) activity. Inhibition of PKA activity reduced cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, thereby inhibiting GH and PRL transcription and secretion. The effects of BHBA were attenuated by a specific Gαi inhibitor, pertussis toxin (PTX). In addition, intracellular BHBA uptake mediated by monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) could trigger AMPK signaling and result in the decrease in GH and PRL mRNA translation in DCAPCs cultured under low-glucose and non-glucose condition when compared with the high-glucose group. This study identifies a biochemical mechanism for the regulatory action of BHBA on GH and PRL gene transcription, translation, and secretion in DCAPCs, which may be one of the factors that regulate pituitary function during the transition period in dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrostatic sensors have been widely used in many applications due to their advantages of low cost and robustness. Their spatial sensitivity and time-frequency characteristics are two important performance parameters. In this paper, an analytical model of the induced charge on a novel hemisphere-shaped electrostatic sensor was presented to investigate its accurate sensing characteristics. Firstly a Poisson model was built for electric fields produced by charged particles. Then the spatial sensitivity and time-frequency response functions were directly derived by the Green function. Finally, numerical calculations were done to validate the theoretical results. The results demonstrate that the hemisphere-shaped sensors have highly 3D-symmetrical spatial sensitivity expressed in terms of elementary function, and the spatial sensitivity is higher and less homogeneous near the hemispherical surface and vice versa. Additionally, the whole monitoring system, consisting of an electrostatic probe and a signal conditioner circuit, acts as a band-pass filter. The time-frequency characteristics depend strongly on the spatial position and velocity of the charged particle, the radius of the probe as well as the equivalent resistance and capacitance of the circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Endoscopic resection (ER) is a treatment option for clinically T1a early gastric cancer (EGC) without suspicion of lymph node metastasis (LNM). In patients with non-curative resection after ER, additional surgery is recommended owing to the LNM risk. However, of those patients treated with additional surgery after ER, the actual rate of LNM was about 5–10%; that is, the other patients underwent unnecessary surgeries. Therefore, it is crucial to estimate LNM risk in EGC patients to determine additional management after ER. We derived a machine learning (ML) model to stratify the LNM risk in EGC patients and validate its performance. The constructed ML model, which showed good performance with an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.85 or higher, could stratify LNM risk into very low (<1%), low (<3%), intermediate (<7%), and high (≥7%) risk categories. These findings suggest that the ML model can stratify the LNM risk in EGC patients. Stratification of the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with non-curative resection after endoscopic resection (ER) for early gastric cancer (EGC) is crucial in determining additional treatment strategies and preventing unnecessary surgery. Hence, we developed a machine learning (ML) model and validated its performance for the stratification of LNM risk in patients with EGC. We enrolled patients who underwent primary surgery or additional surgery after ER for EGC between May 2005 and March 2021. Additionally, patients who underwent ER alone for EGC between May 2005 and March 2016 and were followed up for at least 5 years were included. The ML model was built based on a development set (70%) using logistic regression, random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) analyses and assessed in a validation set (30%). In the validation set, LNM was found in 337 of 4428 patients (7.6%). Among the total patients, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for predicting LNM risk was 0.86 in the logistic regression, 0.85 in RF, and 0.86 in SVM analyses; in patients with initial ER, AUROC for predicting LNM risk was 0.90 in the logistic regression, 0.88 in RF, and 0.89 in SVM analyses. The ML model could stratify the LNM risk into very low (<1%), low (<3%), intermediate (<7%), and high (≥7%) risk categories, which was comparable with actual LNM rates. We demonstrate that the ML model can be used to identify LNM risk. However, this tool requires further validation in EGC patients with non-curative resection after ER for actual application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-pressure ultrasound-assisted extraction technology was applied to extract ferulic acid, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H, senkyunolide A, ligustilide and levistolide A from Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizomes. Seven independent variables, including solvent type, pressure, particle size, liquid-to-solid ratio, extraction temperature, ultrasound power, and extraction time were examined. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using a Central Composite Design (CCD) was employed to optimize the experimental conditions (extraction temperature, ultrasonic power, and extraction time) on the basis of the results of single factor tests for the extraction of these six major components in L. chuanxiong rhizomes. The experimental data were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation using multiple regression analysis and were also examined using appropriate statistical methods. The best extraction conditions were as follows: extraction solvent: 40% ethanol; pressure: 10 MPa; particle size: 80 mesh; liquid-to-solid ratio: 100:1; extraction temperature: 70°C; ultrasonic power, 180 W; and extraction time, 74 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antidepressants are a new kind of pollutants being increasingly found in wastewater. In this study, a fast and sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the analysis of 24 antidepressant drugs and six of their metabolites in wastewater. This is the first time that the antidepressant residues in wastewater of Beijing (China) were systematically reported. A solid-phase extraction process was performed with 3 M cation disk, followed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry measurements. The chromatographic separation and mass parameters were optimized in order to achieve suitable retention time and good resolution for analytes. All compounds were satisfactorily determined in one single injection within 20 min. The limit of quantification (LOQ), linearity, and extraction recovery were validated. The LOQ for analytes were ranged from 0.02 to 0.51 ng/mL. The determination coefficients were more than 0.99 within the tested concentration range (0.1-25 ng/mL), and the recovery rate for each target compound was ranged from 81.2% to 118% at 1 ng/mL. This new developed method was successfully applied to analysis the samples collected from Beijing municipal astewater treatment plants. At least ten target antidepressants were found in all samples and the highest mean concentration of desmethylvenlafaxin was up to 415.6 ng/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication can prevent metachronous gastric cancer (MGC) after the performance of an endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (EGC). However, 50% of infections persist after eradication, and the identification of MGC protective factors is important. The anti-tumor activity of aspirin has been demonstrated, but its efficacy in preventing MGC remains controversial. We evaluated the effect of aspirin on metachronous recurrence in H. pylori-negative patients. Methods: A total of 4351 patients were evaluated between January 2007 and December 2016, and 2151 patients who met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The primary outcome was the cumulative incidence of MGC after an endoscopic resection for EGC. Results: During a 5-year median follow-up (interquartile range, 3.5–6.2), MGC developed in 176 (7.7%) patients, with a cumulative incidence of 89.4% in aspirin users and 92.7% in non-users; this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.64). The duration of aspirin uses and the occurrence of MGC in both groups were not significantly different. There was no significant difference between groups when the duration of aspirin use was categorized into ≤1 year (hazard ratio (HR), 0.64; 0.20–2.01, p = 0.45), 1–4 years (HR, 1.35; 0.66–2.76, p = 0.41), and >4 years (HR, 1.17; 0.67–2.03, p = 0.58). Conclusions: Aspirin use was not associated with a lower risk of MGC in H. pylori-negative patients. Further prospective studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Statins have been shown to reduce the risk of gastric cancer (GC). Little is known about their effects on metachronous GC in H. pylori negative patients after endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (EGC). In this cohort study among patients with EGC without H. pylori infection, we found that statins are associated with a decrease in the risk of recurrence of GC. There was a dose-response relationship between the use of statins and the risk of metachronous GC. This study provides evidence about the additional benefits of statins as chemopreventive agents against metachronous GC among patients who underwent endoscopic resection for EGC. Previous studies have shown that statins reduce the risk of gastric cancer; however, their role has not been adequately studied in patients without Helicobacterpylori infection. We aimed to investigate whether statins reduced the risk of metachronous gastric cancer (GC) in H. pylori-negative patients who underwent endoscopic resection for early gastric cancer (EGC). Retrospective data of 2153 patients recruited between January 2007 and December 2016, with no H. pylori infection at baseline, who underwent resection for EGC, were analyzed. Metachronous GC was defined as a newly developed GC at least 1 year after endoscopic resection. Patients who used statins for at least 28 days during the follow-up period were considered as statin users. During a median follow-up of 5 years (interquartile range, 3.5–6.2), metachronous GC developed in 165 (7.6%) patients. In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, statin use was an independent factor associated with GC recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.46; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.26–0.82). Moreover, the risk of GC reduced with increasing duration (<3 years: HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.14–1.13; ≥3 years: HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05–0.90; p trend = 0.011) and the dose of statin (cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) < 500: HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.16–1.28; cDDD ≥ 500: HR 0.19, 95% CI 0.04–0.80; p trend = 0.008) in the propensity score-matched cohort. Statin use was associated with a lower risk of GC recurrence in H. pylori-negative patients with resected EGC in a dose-response relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains unclear whether endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) can be indicated for differentiated-type-predominant early gastric cancer mixed with a minor undifferentiated component (EGC with histological heterogeneity (HH)). Here, we reviewed and compared clinicopathologic characteristics and long-term outcomes of ESD of 257 patients with EGC-HH and those of 2386 patients with pure differentiated-type EGC (PuD-EGC). After ESD, EGC-HH was managed in the same way as PuD-EGC. EGC-HHs were significantly associated with larger tumor size, more frequent submucosal invasion, and lymphovascular invasion compared to PuD-EGCs. Despite these aggressive features of EGC-HH, no local recurrence or gastric cancer-related death occurred during a median of 58 months of follow up after ESD for EGC-HH, if curative resection was achieved. After curative ESD for EGC-HH, six patients had metachronous recurrence (5.0%) and one patient underwent extragastric recurrence in a regional lymph node (0.8%). All these recurrence cases were curatively treated with ESD or gastrectomy. For patients with EGC-HH, five-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates after curative ESD were 97.0% and 94.8%, respectively, which were comparable to those of patients with PuD-EGC. In conclusion, ESD showed favorable long-term outcomes after curative resection and may be an acceptable treatment option for EGC-HH meeting curative endoscopic resection criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]