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Purpose: The aim of the study was to synthesize disparate studies to investigate potential impact of microbial presence in FF of infertile women on IVF outcomes. Methods: Following preliminary searches to find medical subject heading (MeSH) terms plus free terms, a systematic search was performed in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Clinicaltrials.gov databases from January 10, 2022, to July 5, 2023. Data collected for each study were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software available on the Cochrane website. Results: After correcting for contamination from the vagina, the FFs of 289 women were detected positively by microbial culture and identification, ELISA, and IPA. The pregnancy rate of the FF-positive group was significantly lower than the FF-negative group (19.7% vs. 32.2%) and (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.28–1.14, P=0.11; I2=56%) while the fertilization rate was almost equal (60.0% vs. 62.0%) and (OR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.88–1.20, P=0.72; I2=0%). Evidence quality was very low. Conclusions: The different species of microorganisms in FF of infertile women may have different effects on IVF outcomes. The Lactobacillus spp. may have a positive effect, while other microorganisms may have the opposite effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention can be biased towards previously reward-associated stimuli even when they are task-irrelevant and physically non-salient, although studies of reward-modulated attention have been largely limited to primate (including human and nonhuman) models. Birds have been shown to have the capacity to discriminate reward and spatial cues in a manner similar to primates, but whether reward history involuntarily affects their attention in the same way remains unclear. We adapted a spatial cueing paradigm with differential rewards to investigate how reward modulates the allocation of attention in peafowl (Pavo cristatus). The birds were required to locate and peck a target on a computer screen that was preceded by a high-value or low-value color cue that was uninformative with respect to the location of the upcoming target. All birds exhibited a validity effect (performance enhanced on valid compared to invalid cue), and an interaction effect between value and validity was evident at the group level, being particularly pronounced in the birds with the greatest amount of reward training. The time course of reward learning was conspicuously incremental, phenomenologically slower compared to primates. Our findings suggest a similar influence of reward history on attention across phylogeny despite a significant difference in neuroanatomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental imagery and perceptual cues can influence subsequent visual search performance, but examination of this influence has been limited to low-level features like colors and shapes. The present study investigated how the two types of cues influence low-level visual search, visual search with realistic objects, and executive attention. On each trial, participants were either presented with a colored square or tasked with using mental imagery to generate a colored square that could match the target (valid trial) or distractor (invalid trial) in the search array that followed (Experiments 1 and 3). In a separate experiment, the colored square displayed or generated was replaced with a realistic object in a specific category that could appear as a target or distractor in the search array (Experiment 2). Although the displayed object was in the same category as an item in the search display, they were never a perfect match (e.g., jam drop cookie instead of chocolate chip). Our findings revealed that the facilitation of performance on valid trials compared with invalid trials was greater for perceptual cues than imagery cues for low-level features (Experiment 1), whereas the influence of these two types of cues was comparable in the context of realistic objects (Experiment 2) The influence of mental imagery appears not to extend to the resolution of conflict generated by color-word Stroop stimuli (Experiment 3). The present findings extend our understanding of how mental imagery influences the allocation of attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of this research is based on the two devastating earthquake events that happened on October 8, 2005, and September 24, 2019, in the regions of Azad Kashmir and Muzaffarabad. This study aims to (i) identification of the susceptible zones where landslides can occur in the future; (ii) preparation of landslide inventory maps using vector data, satellite imagery, Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (STRM) and Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) DEM; (iii) implementation of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model using weighted overlay analysis (WOA). For this purpose, key factors such as land use, faults, slope, contours, soil, and seismology maps are used to develop a landslide hazard zonation map. The output landslide susceptibility map has four susceptibility levels such as low, medium, high, and very high vulnerable zones. The results indicated that a highly susceptible landslide zone is found in the northwestern part of Muzaffarabad, which is a metropolitan region. Moreover, there are 127 active landslides are identified and collectively about 9% of the study area is very highly susceptible to future landslides. Furthermore, research findings are helpful in tactful thinking for future infrastructure development, and ecological protection in high-susceptible landslide regions in Muzaffarabad. It also helps the Government to make strategies based on any specific zones on a priority basis to reduce the casualties and destruction in future landslide events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to concerns of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains from animal-derived food products, different countries or organizations have established their maximum residue limits for antibiotics. Current HPLC and ELISA methods are commonly used in testing antibiotic residues, but have their limitations for in-field rapid detections. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensors have shown great potential in biodetection, due to its sensitive, label-free and real-time features. Therefore, the objective of this project was to develop an LSPR biosensing method for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of enrofloxacin (ENRO), using polydopamine molecular imprinted polymer (PDA-MIP) as the recognition element. The PDA-MIP film was fabricated by polymerization of dopamine and ENRO in Tris buffer on the surface of LSPR sensor chip. After blocking with bovine serum albumin and removal with sodium dodecyl sulphate, the modified sensor chip was used to selectively capture ENRO in a sample. To amplify LSPR detection signals of ENRO, conjugates with protein molecules were synthesized, served as competitors, and reacted with the residual binding sites on the PDA-MIP film. The detection could be done within 20 min, with a detection range of 25–1000 ng/mL and a limit of detection of 61.1 ng/mL. The PDA-MIP film demonstrated a higher binding capacity to ENRO than the corresponding non-imprinted polymer film, and discriminated ENRO among structural analogues. Good reusability was achieved within seven binding-regeneration cycles, with a low relative standard deviation. With high sensitivity, specificity and stability, the developed LSPR/PDA-MIP sensor showed its potential for in-field rapid detection of ENRO residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors and time to occurrence of malignancy in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). The electronic medical records of 1100 patients with DM and 1164 patients with PM were studied between January 2001 and May 2019. Malignancies after myositis were diagnosed in 61 (5.55%) patients with DM and 38 (3.26%) patients with PM. The cumulative incidence of malignancies in patients with DM were significantly higher than patients with PM (hazard ratio = 1.78, log-rank p = 0.004). Patients with DM had a greater risk of developing malignancy than those with PM at 40–59 years old (p = 0.01). Most malignancies occurred within 1 year after the initial diagnosis of DM (n = 35; 57.38%). Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) was the most common type of malignancy in patients with DM (22.95%), followed by lung, and breast cancers. In patients with PM, colorectal, lung and hepatic malignancies were the top three types of malignancy. The risk factors for malignancy included old age (≥ 45 years old) and low serum levels of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) for patients with DM and male sex and low serum levels of CPK for patients with PM. Low serum levels of CPK in patients with myositis with malignancy represented a low degree of muscle destruction/inflammation, which might be attributed to activation of the PD-L1 pathway by tumor cells, thus inducing T-cell dysfunction mediating immune responses in myofibers. A treatment and follow-up algorithm should explore the occurrence of malignancy in different tissues and organs and suggested annual follow-ups for at least 5.5 years to cover the 80% cumulative incidence of malignancy in patients with DM and PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low pathogenic avian influenza A(H9N2) virus is endemic worldwide and continually recruit internal genes to generate human-infecting H5N1, H5N6, H7N9, and H10N8 influenza variants. Here we show that hemagglutinin cleavage sites (HACS) of H9N2 viruses tended to mutate towards hydrophilic via evolutionary transition, and the tribasic HACS were found at high prevalence in Asia and the Middle East. Our finding suggested that the tribasic H9N2 viruses increased the viral replication, stability, pathogenicity and transmission in chickens and the virulence of mice compared to the monobasic H9N2 viruses. Notably, the enlarged stem-loop structures of HACS in the RNA region were found in the increasing tribasic H9N2 viruses. The enlarged HACS RNA secondary structures of H9N2 viruses did not influence the viral replication but accelerated the frequency of nucleotide insertion in HACS. With the prevailing tendency of the tribasic H9N2 viruses, the tribasic HACS in H9N2 viruses should be paid more attention. Jiahao Zhang, Kaixiong Ma, and Bo Li et al. identify a variant of the H9N2 avian influenza virus within the hemagglutinin cleavage site required for viral infection. They show that this variant leads to higher viral replication in cells and more virulent disease in both chickens and mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian infectious bronchitis (IB) is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease, caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), that poses an important economic threat to the poultry industry. In recent years, genotypes GI-7, GI-13, and GI-19 have been the most prevalent IBV strains in China. However, in this study, we found that most IBV strains from southern China in 2016–2017 belonged to genotype GVI-1. This genotype, for which there is no vaccine, has been reported sporadically in the region. The GDTS13 strain, which caused severe IB outbreaks on the farms where it was isolated, was evaluated as a candidate vaccine strain. GDTS13 was serially passaged in specific-pathogen-free embryonated chicken eggs for 100 generations to produce GDTS13-F100. Safety testing indicated that GDTS13-F100 had no pathogenic effect on chickens. Additionally, GDTS13-F100 showed an excellent protective effect against GDTS13, with no clinical signs or virus shedding observed in immunized chickens challenged with the parent strain. These findings indicate that GVI-1 has become the most prevalent IBV genotype in southern China and that GDTS13-F100 may serve as an attenuated vaccine to protect against infection with this genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated attention can be driven by the desire to maximize gains or escape punishment. In the Stroop task, when rewards can be obtained by responding quickly to certain colors, corresponding color words are prioritized and produce enhanced interference, suggesting transfer of an attentional bias from color hues to color words. In the present study, we replicated this transfer effect using reward and conducted a parallel experiment exchanging the prospect of reward (appetitive motivation) with the opportunity to avert punishment (aversive motivation). Participants were required to identify the color (hue) of color words and received electric shocks for responses to particular hues that were slow or incorrect. Shock-related words similarly impaired color-ink naming performance. In contrast to prior studies with reward, however, responding to hues associated with shock was also impaired, with threat producing an increase in error rate that ironically resulted in more frequent shocks. Our results suggest that aversive and appetitive motivation affect attention to task-relevant information differently, although each produces a common bias in automatic stimulus processing presumably driven by valence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The non-Markovianity of open quantum dynamics can give rise to the oscillation of quantum coherence in time, and the interference between oscillations leads to quantum beat of coherence. We design two dynamical models of open quantum systems for revealing this kind of phenomenon of quantum interference, analyze the forming process and the producing conditions of the quantum beats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A colorimetric immunosensor was developed for the determination of Salmonella Typhimurium using rotating magnetic separation, gold nanorod (GNR) indication, and click chemistry amplification. The target bacteria were first separated from large-volume sample using a rotating magnetic field and a small amount (50 μg) of immunomagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), resulting in the forming of magnetic bacteria. Then, the magnetic bacteria were conjugated with catalase (CAT)-labeled antibodies, which were synthesized using trans-cyclooctene/1,2,4,5-tetrazine click chemistry reaction, resulting in the forming of enzymatic bacteria. Then the CATs on the enzymatic bacteria were used to decompose an excessive amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the remaining H2O2 was mixed with horseradish peroxidase to etch the GNRs, resulting in color change and absorbance peak shift of the GNRs. Finally, the peak shift was measured and analyzed for the quantitative determination of target bacteria. This immunosensor was able to detect Salmonella Typhimurium with a linear range of 101–105 CFU mL−1 in 3 h with a low detection limit of 35 CFU mL−1. The mean recovery for Salmonella Typhimurium in spiked chicken samples was 109%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever virus (ASFV), the aetiological agent of African swine fever (ASF), causes lethal haemorrhagic fever in domestic pigs with high mortality and morbidity and has devastating consequences on the global swine industry. On-site rapid and sensitive detection of ASFV is key to the timely implementation of control. In this study, we developed a rapid, sensitive and instrument-free ASFV detection method based on CRISPR/Cas12a technology and lateral flow detection (named CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD). The limit of detection of CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD is 20 copies of ASFV genomic DNA per reaction, and the detection process can be completed in an hour. The assay showed no cross-reactivity with other swine DNA viruses, and has 100% agreement with real-time PCR detection of ASFV in 149 clinical samples. Overall, the CRISPR/Cas12a-LFD method provides a novel alternative for the portable, simple, sensitive, and specific detection of ASFV and may contribute to the prevention and control of ASF outbreaks. Wang et al. developed a method to detect the African Swine Fever Virus on site using CRISPR/Cas12a technology and lateral flow detection. This method is portable, sensitive and specific for ASFV and can help in controlling ASFV outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disposable visual microfluidic immunosensor is described for the determination of foodborne pathogens using immunomagnetic separation, enzymatic catalysis and distance indication. Specifically, a sensor was designed to detect Salmonella typhimurium as a model pathogen. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were modified with the anti-Salmonella monoclonal antibodies and then used to enrich S. typhimurium from the sample. This is followed by conjugation to polystyrene microspheres modified with anti-Salmonella polyclonal antibodies and catalase to form the MNP-bacteria-polystyrene-catalase sandwich. The catalase on the complexes catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to produce oxygen after passing a micromixer. The generated oxygen gas increases the pressure in the chip and pushes the indicating red dye solution to travel along the channel towards the unsealed outlet. The travel distance of the red dye can be visually read and related to the amount of S. typhimurium using the calibration scale. The sensor can detect as low as 150 CFU·mL−1 within 2 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a decomposition of a diffusion process in a manifold that is invariant under the action of a Lie group. As applications, we consider a diffusion process in a Euclidean space that is invariant under translations in a subspace, and a skew-product in a general setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Avian virus infection remains one of the most important threats to the poultry industry. Pathogens such as avian influenza virus (AIV), avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) are normally controlled by antibodies specific for surface proteins and cellular immune responses. However, standard vaccines aimed at inducing neutralizing antibodies must be administered annually and can be rendered ineffective because immune-selective pressure results in the continuous mutation of viral surface proteins of different strains circulating from year to year. Chicken T cells have been shown to play a crucial role in fighting virus infection, offering lasting and cross-strain protection, and offer the potential for developing universal vaccines. This review provides an overview of our current knowledge of chicken T cell immunity to viruses. More importantly, we point out the limitations and barriers of current research and a potential direction for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection of chickens with virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is associated with severe pathology and increased morbidity and mortality. The innate immune response contributes to the pathogenicity of NDV. As professional antigen-presenting cells, dendritic cells (DCs) play a unique role in innate immunity. However, the contribution of DCs to NDV infection has not been investigated in chickens. In this study, we selected two representative NDV strains, i.e., the velogenic NDV strain Chicken/Guangdong/GM/2014 (GM) and the lentogenic NDV strain La Sota, to investigate whether NDVs could infect LPS-activated chicken bone-derived marrow DCs (mature chicken BM-DCs). We compared the viral titres and innate immune responses in mature chicken BM-DCs following infection with those strains. Both NDV strains could infect mature chicken BM-DC, but the GM strain showed stronger replication capacity than the La Sota strain in mature chicken BM-DCs. Gene expression profiling showed that MDA5, LGP2, TLR3, TLR7, IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, IL-8, CCL5, IL-10, IL-12, MHC-I, and MHC-II levels were altered in mature DCs after infection with NDVs at all evaluated times postinfection. Notably, the GM strain triggered stronger innate immune responses than the La Sota strain in chicken BM-DCs. However, both strains were able to suppress the expression of some cytokines, such as IL-6 and IFN-α, in mature chicken DCs at 24 hpi. These data provide a foundation for further investigation of the role of chicken DCs in NDV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H7N9 influenza A virus (IAV)-infected human cases are increasing and reported over 200 mortalities since its first emergence in 2013. Host inflammatory response contributes to the clearance of influenza virus; meanwhile, the induced 'cytokine storm' also leads to pathological lesions. However, what inflammation-related response of the host for H7N9 influenza A virus infection to survival from injures of exuberant cytokine release is still obscure. In this research, expression pattern and histological distribution of inflammation-related genes, RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, Slit2 and Robo4 in the lung of BALB/c mice infected with two H7N9 IAV strains with only a PB2 residue 627 difference were investigated, as well as the histopathological injury of the lung. Results showed that significantly higher expression level of NLRP3, RIP3, IL-1β and TNF-α in H7N9-infected groups compared with the control would play a key role in driving lung pathological lesion. While the expression level of Slit2 and Robo4 in H7N9 rV group had significantly increased trend than V which might be the main factor to inhibit the interstitial pneumonia and infiltration. Also, H7N9 induced the histopathological changes in the lung of infected mice, and RIP3, NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α, Slit2 and Robo4 showed cell-specific distribution in the lung. The results will provide basic data for further research on the mechanism of inflammatory response and understanding of the role of site 627 in PB2 in H7N9 IAVs infection. In addition, enhancing the resilience of the host vascular system to the inflammatory response by regulation of Slit2-Robo4 signaling pathway might provide a novel strategy for H7N9 IAVs infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression, proliferation, and apoptosis function of long-chain non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 ( MEG3) and antisense non-coding RNA at the INK4 locus ( ANRIL) in gallbladder cancer (GBC) tissues. GBC tissues and adjacent normal samples were collected from 84 patients from January 2008 to June 2010. Empty vector, pcDNA-MEG3, and pcDNA-ANRIL vectors were transfected into GBC-SD and QBC939 cells. An MTT assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), flow cytometry, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were applied. The effects of MEG3 and ANRIL were also verified in mice. Compared with normal tissues, the expression of MEG3 was significantly lower in GBC tissues, whereas the expression of ANRIL was significantly higher (both P < 0.05). The overexpression of MEG3 and underexpression of ANRIL were significantly associated with GBC prognosis (both P < 0.05). The expressions of MEG3 and ANRIL were higher in pcDNA- MEG3 and pcDNA- ANRIL-transfected cells than in empty vector-transfected cells in vitro (both P < 0.05). Most of the pcDNA- MEG3-transfected cells were in the G0-G1 phase, which showed reduced cell activity and clone counts and increased p53 and decreased cyclin D1, whereas the pcDNA- ANRIL-transfected cells were mostly in the S phase and showed contrasting behavior. Mice injected with pcDNA- MEG3-transfected cells had smaller and lighter tumors, decreased ki-67 levels, and increased caspase 3 levels, whereas those injected with pcDNA- ANRIL showed contrasting results (all P < 0.05). MEG3 can inhibit the proliferation of GBC cells and promote apoptosis, whereas ANRIL can improve the proliferation of gallbladder cells and inhibit apoptosis. Collectively, our results suggest that therapeutic strategies directed toward upregulating MEG3 and downregulating ANRIL may be clinically relevant for the inhibition of GBC deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a bandwidth-variable and optical-groomable (BVOG) transport network architecture based on time-modulated optical cross-connects that enables efficient switching of periodic burst-sequenced traffic in addition to wavelength streaming traffic; with an elastic control plane that shapes each sub-wavelength traffic stream at the network edge into a sequence of periodic bursts, and inverse-multiplexes a supra-wavelength traffic stream into a group of multiple wavelength traffic streams and a potential sub-wavelength traffic stream to match the bandwidth requirement. BVOG network enables variable-time-slotted lightpaths with variable-length time slots to meet the bandwidth requirements of sub-wavelength traffic; and inverse-multiplexed lightpath-group (IM-lightpath-group) with variable group size to meet the bandwidth requirements of supra-wavelength traffic. For the problem of 'routing and wavelength and time assignment' (RWTA) for sub-wavelength traffic; this paper presents an optimal integer linear programming (ILP) formulation that maximizes total network throughput, and a heuristic algorithm to minimize the blocking probability of future connection requests. For the problem of 'inverse-multiplexed routing and wavelength assignment' (IMRWA) for supra-wavelength traffic; this paper presents an optimal ILP formulation that minimizes the total number of hops and the total per-hop propagation delays of the IM-lightpath-group, and a heuristic algorithm that minimizes the total number of wavelength channels of the IM-lightpath-group. The RWTA ILP is solved by the ILOG CPLEX optimization tool, and it is used to check the optimality of the RWTA heuristic. Performance tuning of the IMRWA heuristic is investigated to balance the tradeoff between performance and computation complexity. Performance tuning of the BVOG network with the RWTA and IMRWA heuristic is examined through simulation experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study (weakly) continuous convolution semigroups of probability measures on a Lie group G or a homogeneous space G/ K, where K is a compact subgroup. We show that such a convolution semigroup is the convolution product of its initial measure and a continuous convolution semigroup with initial measure at the identity of G or the origin of G/ K. We will also obtain an extension of Dani-McCrudden's result on embedding an infinitely divisible probability measure in a continuous convolution semigroup on a Lie group to a homogeneous space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H9N2 avian influenza virus is a pandemic threat which has repeatedly caused infection in humans and shows enhanced replication and transmission in mice. Previous reports showed that host factors, the interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) protein, can block the replication of pathogens and affect their pathogenesis. BALB/c mice are routine laboratory animals used in influenza virus research, but the effects of H9N2 influenza virus on tissue distribution and expression pattern of IFITM in these mice are unknown. Here, we investigated the expression patterns and tissue distribution of IFITM1 and IFITM3 in BALB/c mice by infection with H9N2 AIV strains with only a PB2 residue 627 difference. The results showed that the expression patterns of ITITM1 and IFITM3 differ in various tissues of BALB/c mice at different time points after infection. IFITM1 and IFITM3 showed cell- and tissue-specific distribution in the lung, heart, liver, spleen, kidney and brain. Notably, the epithelial and neuronal cells all expressed the proteins of IFITM1 and IFITM3. Our results provide the first look at differences in IFITM1 and IFITM3 expression patterns in BALB/c mice infected by H9N2 influenza viruses. This will enhance research on the interaction between AIV and host and further will elucidate the pathogenesis of influenza virus infection based on the interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H5N1 and H9N2 viruses are important causes of avian influenza in China. H5N1 is typically associated with severe to fatal disease in poultry, while H9N2 is usually associated with mild disease. Differences in viral virulence prompted us to investigate whether innate immune responses would be differentially regulated following infection by H5N1 and H9N2 viruses. To address this hypothesis, expression of a panel of innate immune-related genes including IFN-α, IFN-β, Mx1, OASL, ISG12, IFIT5, IRF7, USP18, SST, and KHSRP in immortal DF-1 cells following H5N1 and H9N2 infection was analyzed and compared by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Cells infected by either virus overall exhibited a similar expression profile for four ISGs (Mx1, OASL, ISG12, and IFIT5), IFN-α, IFN-β, and SST gene. However, two immune-regulatory genes (IRF7 and KHSRP) were not responsive to highly pathogenic H5N1 infection but were strongly up-regulated in DF-1 cells infected with low pathogenic H9N2 infection. The subtype-dependent host response observed in this study offers new insights into the potential roles of IRF7 and KHSRP in control and modulation of the replication and virulence of different subtypes or strains of avian influenza A virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate buckling behaviors of open-tip carbon nanocones (CNCs) at elevated temperatures ranging from 300 to 700 K. Influences of cone height and apex angle on the buckling behaviors were examined. Some interesting findings, especially on the change in buckling mode shapes of the CNCs, were observed in the study. For the CNCs having an apex angle of 19.2°, the one with a lower cone height exhibited a shrinking/swelling buckling mode shape even at the higher temperature 700 K. However, as the cone height increased, the CNC displayed a deflective buckling mode shape at 300 K, but changed to a shrinking/swelling buckling mode shape when the temperature grew to 500 K. Regarding the influences of apex angle, the CNCs presented a deflective buckling mode shape even at 700 K as the apex angle expanded. This is opposite to the shrinking/swelling buckling mode shape of the CNC having the smallest apex angle of 19.2°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin fibroblasts modulate tissue repair, wound healing and immunological responses. Adrenergic receptors (ARs) mediate important physiological functions, such as endocrine, metabolic and neuronal activity. In this study, the expression α1A-ARs in human skin fibroblasts is examined and verified. Regulatory effects of α1-agonist cirazoline on cell migration and the production of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), hyaluronan (HA), fibronectin and procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide (PIP) by human skin fibroblasts are assessed and validated. α1A-AR mRNA and protein were found in human skin fibroblasts WS1. Exposure of cirazoline doubled skin fibroblast migration and the increase in cell migration was attenuated by α1-antagonist prazosin. TGF-β1 mRNA and production were enhanced after exposure to cirazoline and IGF-1 production was also increased after treatment with cirazoline. Exposure to cirazoline also enhanced HA and PIP production. The increases in TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production were partially abolished in fibroblasts transfected with α1A-AR short interfering RNAs, indicating that α1A-ARs are involved in the cirazoline-induced increases in TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production. Thus, α1A-ARs are stably expressed and stimulate cell migration and TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production in human skin fibroblasts. Moreover, TGF-β1, IGF-1, HA and PIP production and the cell migration of human skin fibroblasts are possibly modulated by natural catecholamines produced by the endocrine system or sympathetic innervation, which could directly or indirectly participate in cytokine secretion, fibroblast migration and matrix production of wound healing in the skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We obtain a representation of an inhomogeneous Lévy process in a Lie group or a homogeneous space in terms of a drift, a matrix function and a measure function. Since the stochastic continuity is not assumed, our result generalizes the well-known Lévy-Itô representation for stochastic continuous processes with independent increments in ℝ and its extension to Lie groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study on the use of Moringa oleifera's (Moringaceae) cytotoxicity and chemical constituents against doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 adenocarcinoma (MCF-7/ADR) or breast cancer cell lines. The study extracted air-dried and powdered root barks of the plant through methanol extraction, wherein the extracts were purified through conventional chromatographic techniques. The study identifies compounds such as N-benzylcarbamic acid and 4-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyloxy)benzalehyde.

The effects of film thickness and surface orientation on melting behaviors of copper nanofilms were investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. A stepwise heating scheme was adopted to make sure that the nanofilms reached thermal equilibrium before further temperature increase. Melting of the nanofilms was monitored by examining the equilibrium potential energy, radial distribution function, and mean square displacement of the simulated nanofilms. From the simulation, the melting was observed to occur at a specific temperature within 1 K error, unlike the progressive melting process reported in the literature. The melted temperature and the latent heat of fusion of the nanofilms were found to increase with film thickness and approach the bulk value. The nanofilms with (111) surface have the highest melted temperature and the largest latent heat of fusion as compared to the ones with (001) and (011) surfaces, which could be explained by the lowest surface energy of (111) surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactive multimedia services, which integrate and unify techniques from a variety of disciplines, have been an active research topic for many years. However, two major challenges need to be overcome to provide a better service: The first is that interactive multimedia systems have to provide the contents a user needs at the right time no matter where the user is located and what device the user is using; the second is that the performance of such systems needs to be improved. Apparently, classification and clustering (also called unsupervised classification) algorithms play an indispensable role in these respects. Thus, this paper contains a review of the classification algorithms for interactive multimedia systems. Also discussed in this paper are several important issues, open questions, and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) provides important information on the humoral immune status, and the IgE level is routinely detected in clinical practice. There are many diseases associated with IgE, such as atopic disease, autoimmune diseases, and so on. IgE is a genetically complex trait, but comprehensive genetic assessment of the variability in serum IgE levels is lacking. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on total serum IgE levels have identified FCER1A as the susceptibility locus; however, the candidate gene association study in southern Chinese patients reported no association. Given the genetic difference in different populations, we firstly conducted this two-stage GWAS in a Chinese population of 3,495 men, including 1,999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1,496 independent individuals replicated in the second stage. In the first stage, we totally identified three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which reached a P value of 1.0 × 10. Rs17090302 on chromosome 3 and Rs28708846 on chromosome 13 are intergenic. Rs432085 from chromosome 3p28 is located in the gene CCDC50. When the two-stage data was combined, none of the SNPs reached the genome-wide significant level. Collectively, we did not identify novel loci associated with the serum IgE level in Chinese males, but we hypothesized that CCDC50 was a candidate gene in regulation on IgE level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Genetic variations are related to individual differences of DNA repair ability and drug metabolism, which can greatly influence prognosis of antineoplastic agents, such as oxaliplatin. The aim was to explore the influences of X-ray repair cross-complementing 1( XRCC1) and Glutathione S-transferase P 1 ( GSTP1) genetic variants on prognosis of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis including 13 original studies with a total number of 1,234 patients in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. Tumor responses [complete response, partial response, stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD)] and progression-free survival were estimated. Results: Our results showed that XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was significantly associated with tumor chemotherapy when SD or PD was considered as non-response [risk ratio (RR) = 1.29; 95 % confidence intervals (CI): 1.05-1.60; P = 0.02]. No significant association was found between GSTP1 Ile105 Val polymorphism and tumor response (RR = 0.63; 95 % CI: 0.35-1.14; P = 0.13). In addition, our results also showed that there was no significant association between XRCC1 codon 399 Arg/Gln or Gln/Gln genotypes and hazard ratio for progression-free survival (Hazards ratio = 1.04 and 1.92; 95 % CI: 0.75-1.43 and 0.62-1.37; P = 0.826 and 0.677, respectively). Conclusion: In our meta-analysis, XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may be a valuable genetic marker for oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in colorectal cancer, and the results still need further confirmation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding solutions to green manufacturing, green production, and increasing energy efficiency is definitely our responsibility to resist changing the vulnerable environment dramatically. Over the past, several practical techniques have been proposed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, e.g., increasing energy efficiency, reducing power usage, using sustainable energy, and recycling. This paper first gives a brief review of green computing and then presents a case study for energy efficiency called energy efficient particle swarm optimization (EEPSO). The proposed algorithm integrates particle swarm optimization and triangle inequality for improving energy efficiency of computers, by using the clustering results to adjust the CPU frequency of network management system. Simulation results show that not only can the proposed algorithm significantly reduce the computation time, but it can also be extended to enhance the performance of network traffic control system to further reduce the power they consume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have demonstrated that N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) may reduce the metastatic potential of breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the expression of CD24, which is expressed in a large variety of solid tumors. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical value of NDRG2 and CD24 expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). One hundred and thirty GBC tissues were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for NDRG2 and CD24 expression. The associations of NDRG2 and CD24 expression with the clinicopathological characteristics and the overall survival of patients with GBC were analyzed. NDRG2 and CD24 were positively expressed in 49/130 (37.69%) and 107/130 (82.31%) of GBC tissues, respectively. In addition, the tumors with the down-regulation of NDRG2 and the up-regulation of CD24 more frequently had lymph node metastasis and lymphovascular invasion. Moreover, the tumors with the down-regulation of NDRG2 and the up-regulation of CD24 tended to show deeper invasion depth and higher TNM stage. There was a negative correlation between NDRG2 expression and CD24 expression in GBC tissues ( r = −0.86, P < 0.001). The patients with NDRG2 negative expression correlated with poor prognosis of GBC ( P = 0.01), as opposed to CD24 ( P = 0.01). The survival rate of the patients with NDRG2−/CD24+ expression was the lowest ( P < 0.001), and conjoined expression of NDRG2−/CD24+ was an independent prognostic indicator of GBC ( P = 0.003). Our data suggest that NDRG2 down-regulation or CD24 up-regulation is an important feature of GBC. A combined detection of NDRG2/CD24 co-expression may benefit us in prediction of the prognosis in GBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size and chain length effects on structural behaviors of liquid crystal nanoclusters were examined by a coarse-grained model and the configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulation. The nanoclusters investigated in this study are composed of the biphenylcyclohexane-based BCH5H liquid crystal molecule and its derivatives. Results of the study show that the average energy decreases (i.e., more negative) as the cluster size (i.e., the number of molecules) increases. With the increasing cluster size, the equilibrium conformation of the nanocluster changes gradually from a pipe-like structure (for the smaller systems) to a ball-like cluster (for the larger systems). The order parameter of the system reduces with the transition of the equilibrium conformation. Regarding the chain length effect, the pipe-like equilibrium conformation (for the smaller systems) was observed more close to a pipe as the length of the tail alkyl chain of the derivatives extended. However, due to the flexibility of the tail alkyl chain, the pipe conformation of the system deflects slightly about its cyclohexyl group as the tail extends further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen adsorption behaviors of single-walled open-tip (tip-truncated) carbon nanocones (CNCs) with apex angles of 19.2° at temperatures of 77 and 300 K were investigated by the molecular dynamics simulations. Four nanomaterials (including three CNCs with different dimensions and a reference CNT) were analyzed to examine the hydrogen adsorption behaviors and influences of cone sharpness on the behaviors of the CNCs. Physisorption of hydrogen molecules could be observed from the distribution pattern of the hydrogen molecules adsorbed on the nanomaterials. Because of the cone geometry effect, the open-tip CNCs could have larger storage weight percentage and less desorption of hydrogen molecules (caused by the temperature growth) on their outer surfaces, as compared with those of the reference CNT. The hydrogen molecules inside the CNCs and the reference CNT, however, were noted to have similar desorption behaviors owing to the confinement effects from the structures of the nanomaterials. In addition, the sharper CNC could have higher storage weight percentage but the cone sharpness does not have evident enhancement in the average adsorption energy of the CNC. Combination of confinement and repulsion effects existing near the tip region of the CNC would be responsible for the non-enhancement feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Na/H exchanger 1 (NHE1) transmembrane protein regulates intracellular pH, cell survival, cell growth, cell differentiation and plays a critical role in the progression of some diseases, including the pathogenesis of J avian leukosis. The chicken is an ideal model to study the function of NHE1 because it has developed highly efficient Na-absorptive mechanisms in its small and large intestines. To date, there has been no detailed expression analysis to determine NHE1 expression in various tissues of the chicken. We determined the mRNA and protein expression levels of avian NHE1 by real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical analysis. NHE1 mRNA was detected in all chicken tissues examined. Protein expression levels varied widely among tissues and did not always correlate with mRNA expression. Determining the mRNA and protein of NHE1 expression patterns in chicken should help to delineate the NHE1 role in different tissues and its contribution to physiological and pathological processes. These data provide the basis for examining the distinct function of chicken NHE1 compared with its mammalian counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carvacrol is one of the members of monoterpene phenol and is present in the volatile oils of Thymus vulgaris, Carum copticum, origanum and oregano. It is a safe food additive commonly used in our daily life, and few studies have indicated that carvacrol has anti-hepatocarcinogenic activities. The rationale of the study was to examine whether carvacrol affects apoptosis of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. In this study, we showed that carvacrol inhibited HepG2 cell growth by inducing apoptosis as evidenced by Hoechst 33258 stain and Flow cytometric (FCM) analysis. Incubation of HepG2 cells with carvacrol for 24 h induced apoptosis by the activation of caspase-3, cleavage of PARP and decreased Bcl-2 gene expression. These results demonstrated that a significant fraction of carvacrol treated cells died by an apoptotic pathway in HepG2 cells. Moreover, carvacrol selectively altered the phosphorylation state of members of the MAPK superfamily, decreasing phosphorylation of ERK1/2 significantly in a dose-dependent manner, and activated phosphorylation of p38 but not affecting JNK MAPK phosphorylation. These results suggest that carvacrol may induce apoptosis by direct activation of the mitochondrial pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway may play an important role in the antitumor effect of carvacrol. These results have identified, for the first time, the biological activity of carvacrol in HepG2 cells and should lead to further development of carvacrol for liver disease therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, intracellular signaling in ARV S1133-mediated apoptosis was investigated. A microarray was used to examine the gene expression profiles of cells upon ARV S1133 infection and ARV-encoded pro-apoptotic protein σC overexpression. The analysis indicated that in the set of DNA-damage-responsive genes, DDIT-3 and GADD45α were both upregulated by viral infection and σC overexpression. Further investigation demonstrated that both treatments caused DNA breaks, which increased the expression and/or phosphorylation of DNA damage response proteins. ROS and lipid peroxidation levels were increased, and ARV S1133 and σC caused apoptosis mediated by DNA damage signaling. ROS scavenger NAC, caffeine and an ATM-specific inhibitor significantly reduced ARV S1133- and σC-induced DNA breaks, DDIT-3 and GADD45α expression, H2AX phosphorylation, and apoptosis. Overexpression of DDIT-3 and GADD45α enhanced the oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by ARV S1133 and σC. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the involvement of the DNA-damage-signaling pathway in ARV S1133- and σC-induced apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RFID is applied to goods management, vehicle management, and medical equipments. The appliances of smart home are very popular today. To apply ICT (Information Communication Technology) to life is a popular study. People sometimes forget to take something away. He may take his laptop away, but forgets the battery or his mouse. Therefore, we proposed the HEMS (Household Effects Management System) which is used to remind family members to take their effects. Because we believe that the size of RFID tags will be smaller enough to be embedded on the household effects, we designed and implemented the HEMS based on RFID and OSGi. OSGi is an open platform based on JVM which supports the resource sharing of applications. We developed the RFID middleware to share the information of RFID tags with other applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we carried out a combination of permanent scatterer and quasi permanent scatterer time-series InSAR image analyses to extract geometric information over the area of the Three Gorges Dam. For the first time, we measured and analyzed the deformation of the Three Gorges Dam and its surrounding area using 40 SAR images acquired from 2003 to 2008. Our results indicate that the temporal deformation of the left part of the dam has ceased and that the deformation of the dam was influenced by the changing level of the Yangtze River. Seasonal deformation due to varying temperature is also observed. The obtained results agree well with the published results of the Three Gorges Dam deformation obtained by employing conventional survey methods. We also found that there is an area of abnormal subsidence near Zigui County. This paper demonstrates the potential of time-series InSAR image analysis in the monitoring of dam stability and measurement of subsidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the default of single search tendency, the ants in the colony are divided into several sub-groups. The ants in different subgroups have different trail information and expectation coefficients. The simulated annealing method is introduced to the algorithm. Through setting the temperature changing with the iterations, after each turn of tours, the solution set obtained by the ants is taken as the candidate set. The update set is obtained by adding the solutions in the candidate set to the previous update set with the probability determined by the temperature. The solutions in the candidate set are used to update the trail information. In each turn of updating, the current best solution is also used to enhance the trail information on the current best route. The trail information is reset when the algorithm is in stagnation state. The computer experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has higher stability and convergence speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recruited 49 patients with classical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) according to the latest guidelines of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, and divided them into an acute (≤30 days onset; 13 patients) and a chronic (>30 days onset; 36 patients) group. We used blink reflex study and current perception threshold (CPT) testing to evaluate the painful facial areas and contralateral non-painful areas of patients with classical TN. CPT 5 Hz examinations, which correlate with unmyelinated fiber function, showed significantly decreased CPTs in the acute stage (11.62 ± 6.99 vs. 18.69 ± 9.66, P = 0.025), but significantly increased CPTs in the chronic stage (26.67 ± 18.65 vs. 19.69 ± 13.70, P = 0.010) on the painful side when compared with the contralateral non-painful side. However, CPTs at 250 Hz (Aδ) and 2000 Hz (Aβ) examinations did not show significant differences between the painful and non-painful sides. In contrast, only three (3/49) patients showed an abnormal trigeminal nerve stimulation on the ipsilateral painful side by blink reflex study. The findings suggest that classical TN is not a simple large-myelinated nerve fiber dysfunction but a more complex process with a main dysfunction of unmyelinated nerve fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection of host cells with the influenza virus is mediated by specific interactions between the viral hemagglutinin and its cell receptor, oligosaccharides containing sialic acid (SA) residues. Avian and human influenza viruses preferentially bind to α-2, 3-linked and α-2, 6-linked sialic acids, respectively. Therefore, differential expression of these receptors may be crucial to influenza virus infection. To date, the distribution of these two receptors has never been investigated in the tissues of BALB/c mice, which is the routine animal model for influenza research. Here, the expression pattern of alpha-2,3 and alpha-2,6 sialic acid-linked receptors in various organs (respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, brain, cerebellum, spleen, liver, kidney and heart) of BALB/c mice were determined. Histochemical staining of mouse tissue sections was performed by using biotinylated Maackia amurensis lectin II (MAAII), and Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) were performed to detect the alpha-2,3 and alpha-2,6 sialic acid-linked receptors, respectively. The results showed that the alpha-2,3 and alpha-2,6 sialic acid-linked receptors were both expressed on trachea, lung, cerebellum, spleen, liver and kidney. Only the epithelial cells of cecum, rectum and blood vessels in the heart express the alpha-2,6 sialic acid-linked receptors. The distribution patterns of the two receptors may explain why this model animal can be infected by the AIV and HuIV and the pathological changes when infection occurred. These data can account for the multiple organ involvement observed in influenza infection and should assist investigators in interpreting results obtained when analyzing AIV or HuIV in the mouse model of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although induction of apoptosis by bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) in several cell lines has been previously demonstrated by our laboratory, less information is available on the process of BEFV-induced apoptosis in terms of cellular pathways and specific proteins involved. In order to determine the step in viral life cycle at which apoptosis of infected cells is triggered, chemical and physical agents were used to block viral infection. Treatment of BHK-21 infected cells with ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) or cells infected with UV-inactivated BEFV was seen to abrogate virus apoptosis induction, suggesting that virus uncoating and gene expression are required for the induction of apoptosis. Using soluble death receptors Fc:Fas chimera to block Fas signaling, BEFV-induced apoptosis was inhibited in cells. BEFV infection of BHK-21 cells results in the Fas-dependent activation of caspase 8 and cleavage of Bid. This initiated the dissipation of the membrane potential and the release of cytochrome c but not AIF or Smac/DIABLO from mitochondrial into cytoplasm leading to activation of caspase 9. Combined activation of the death receptor and mitochondrial pathways results in activation of the downstream effecter caspase 3 leading to cleavage of PARP. Fas-mediated BEFV-induced apoptosis could be suppressed by the overexpression of Bcl-2 or by treatment with caspase inhibitors and soluble death receptors Fc:Fas chimera. Taken together, this study provided first evidence demonstrating that BEFV-induced apoptosis requires viral gene expression and occurs through the activation of Fas and mitochondrion-mediated caspase-dependent pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few data have evaluated the relationship between caregiving and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of caregiver strain and to evaluate the association between caregiving and CVD lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors among family members of recently hospitalized CVD patients.Design and Participants: Participants in the NHLBI Family Intervention Trial for Heart Health (FIT Heart) who completed a 6-month follow-up were included in this analysis (n = 263; mean age 50 +/- 14 years, 67% female, 29% non-white).Measurements: At 6 months, standardized information was collected regarding depression, social support, and caregiver strain (high caregiver strain = > or =7). Information on lifestyle risk factors, including obesity, physical activity, and diet, were also collected using standardized questionnaires. Logistic regression models on the association between caregiving and CVD risk factors were adjusted for significant confounders.Results: The prevalence of serving as a CVD patient's primary caregiver or caring for the patient most of the time was 50% at 6 months. Caregivers (primary/most) were more likely to be women (81% vs 19%, p < .01), married/living with someone (p < .01), >50 years old (p < .01), have < or = high school education (p < .01), be unemployed (p < .01), get less physical activity (p < .01), and have a higher waist circumference (p < .01) than non-caregivers (some/occasional/none). Mean caregiver strain scores were significantly higher among those with depressive symptoms (p < .01) and low social support (p < .01) in a multivariable adjusted model.Conclusions: Caregivers of cardiac patients may be at increased risk themselves for CVD morbidity and mortality compared to non-caregivers due to suboptimal lifestyle and psychosocial risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider isometric stochastic flows on the sphere S n−1 with the same one point motion. In particular, we will show that when n>3, the set of such flows with Brownian motion as one point motion can be represented by a cube in some Euclidean space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]