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Objective: The goal of the present study was to investigate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and disease remission in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) patients. Methods: This retrospective study included 59 patients in the study group and 80 patients in the validation cohort with TAK. After 6 months of therapy, patients were re-evaluated, and serum 25(OH)D levels were compared before and after treatment. Correlations between changes in 25(OH)D levels and changes in disease activity scores (NIH, ITAS2010, ITAS.A) were analyzed. Additionally, a predictive cut-off value for disease remission was determined. Results: After 6 months of therapy, serum 25(OH)D levels in TAK patients significantly increased compared to baseline [(18.33 ± 7.25)µg/L vs (11.77 ± 4.14) µg/L] (P < 0.001). Positive correlations were observed between the increasing changes in the 25(OH)D level and the decreasing changes in the reduced NIH, ITAS2010, and ITAS.A scores (r = 0.455, P < 0.001; r = 0.495, P < 0.001; and r = 0.352 P = 0.006, respectively). A change of 8.45 µg/L in 25(OH)D level was identified as the predictive cut-off value for TAK remission (sensitivity 54.1%, specificity 90.9%, area under the curve = 0.741). Similarly for patients with normal baseline ESR, sensitivity is 68.0%, specificity is 92.3%, and area under the curve is 0.831, and for patients with normal baseline CRP, sensitivity is 58.3%, specificity is 90.0%, and area under the curve is 0.748. Validation in an additional 80 patients demonstrated a higher remission rate in those with a 25(OH)D level change > 8.45 µg/L. Conclusion: Serum 25(OH)D levels significantly increased after treatment in TAK patients, and an increase of ≥ 8.45 µg/L was predictive of disease remission, especially in individuals with normal baseline ESR and/or CRP levels. Key Points • Following treatment, there was a significant increase in serum 25(OH)D levels among TAK patients. • The elevated changes in 25(OH)D levels before and after treatment demonstrated a positive correlation with the reduction in disease activity scores. • In patients with TAK before and after treatment, an elevation in serum 25(OH)D levels exceeding 8.45 µg/L serves as an indicator for disease remission, particularly prominent in individuals with normal baseline ESR and/or CRP levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet parameters have been recognized as important markers for disease severity in various types of diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate whether platelet count could be used as a potential predictor of refractory Takayasu arteritis (TAK). In this retrospective study, fifty-seven patients were selected as development data group to identify the associated risk factors and potential predictors of refractory TAK. Ninety-two TAK patients were included in the validation data group to verify the predictive value of platelet count for refractory TAK. Refractory TAK patients had higher levels of platelet (PLT) than non-refractory TAK patients (305.5 vs. 272.0 × 109/L, P = 0.043). For PLT, the best cut-off value was 296.5 × 109/L to predict refractory TAK. Elevated PLT (> 296.5 × 109/L) was found to be statistically related to refractory TAK (OR [95%CI] 4.000 [1.233–12.974], p = 0.021). In the validation data group, the proportion of refractory TAK in patients with elevated PLT was significantly higher than that in patients with non-elevated PLT (55.6% vs. 32.2%, P = 0.037). The 1-, 3- and 5-year cumulative incidence of refractory TAK were 37.0%, 44.4% and 55.6% in patients with elevated PLT, respectively. Elevated PLT (p = 0.035, hazard ratio (HR) 2.106) was identified as a potential predictor of refractory TAK. Clinicians should pay close attention to platelet levels in patients with TAK. For TAK patients with PLT greater than 296.5 × 109/L, closer monitoring of the disease and comprehensive assessment of disease activity are recommended to be alert to the occurrence of refractory TAK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multivariate regression analysis, a coefficient matrix is used to relate multiple response variables to regressor variables in a noisy linear system from given data. Optimization is a natural approach to find such coefficient matrix with few nonzero rows. However, the relationship of most group sparse optimization models with cardinality penalty or cardinality constraints is not clear. In this paper, we give a comprehensive description of the relationship between three widely used group sparse optimization problems with cardinality terms: (i) the number of nonzero rows is minimized subject to an error tolerance for regression; (ii) the error for regression is minimized subject to a row cardinality constraint; (iii) the sum of the number of nonzero rows and error for regression is minimized. The first two problems have convex constraints and cardinality constraints respectively, while the third one is an unconstrained optimization problem with a cardinality penalty. We provide sufficient conditions under which the three optimization problems have the same global minimizers. Moreover, we analyze the relationship of stationary points and local minimizers of the three problems. Finally, we use two examples to illustrate our theoretical results for finding solutions of constrained optimization problems involving cardinality terms by unconstrained optimization problems with penalty functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: It has been known that aorta, subclavian, and extracranial arteries are commonly involved in Takayasu arteritis (TA). However, the involvement of intracranial artery in TA has not been well explored. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of intracranial artery lesions in TA patients and identify associated risk factors. Methods: A total of 160 patients diagnosed with TA at Beijing Anzhen Hospital from November 2012 to November 2019 were retrospectively enrolled in this study and assigned to different groups according to the presence or absence of intracranial artery lesions. Results: Our data showed that 20% of the enrolled 160 patients developed intracranial artery lesions and the right internal carotid artery (ICA) was the most common involved artery (53%). The average age of patients with intracranial artery lesions was significantly older compared to that of patients without intracranial artery involvement (43.56 ± 11.40 vs 36.41 ± 12.22, p = 0.003). In addition, more patients in the intracranial artery group had concomitant disease histories of stroke and/or hypertension (p = 0.010, 0.033). Chest tightness, chest pain, palpitation, coronary artery lesions, and extracranial segment lesions of ICA were more commonly observed in patients with intracranial artery lesions (p < 0.001, 0.017, 0.015, < 0.001, 0.003). Furthermore, we discovered that patients with coronary artery involvement, extracranial segment lesions of ICA, and higher Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI) score had an increased risk of developing intracranial artery lesions (p = 0.013, 0.019, 0.019). Conclusion: Our study showed that the intracranial artery disease was common in TA and was associated with coronary artery lesions, extracranial segment lesions of ICA, and higher VDI score. Key Points •Intracranial artery disease in TA patients had advanced age and higher triglyceride level. •Besides coronary artery lesions, intracranial artery disease in TA patients was associated with the extracranial segment lesions of ICA and higher VDI score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and the noncoding telomerase RNA (TR) subunit constitute the core of telomerase. Additional subunits are required for ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and in some cases remain stably associated with the active holoenzyme. Pof8, a member of the LARP7 protein family is such a constitutive component of telomerase in fission yeast. Using affinity purification of Pof8, we have identified two previously uncharacterized proteins that form a complex with Pof8 and participate in telomerase biogenesis. Both proteins participate in ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and are required for wildtype telomerase activity and telomere length maintenance. One factor we named Thc1 (Telomerase Holoenzyme Component 1) shares structural similarity with the nuclear cap binding complex and the poly-adenosine ribonuclease (PARN), the other is the ortholog of the methyl phosphate capping enzyme (Bin3/MePCE) in metazoans and was named Bmc1 (Bin3/MePCE 1) to reflect its evolutionary roots. Thc1 and Bmc1 function together with Pof8 in recognizing correctly folded telomerase RNA and promoting the recruitment of the Lsm2-8 complex and the catalytic subunit to assemble functional telomerase. Most eukaryotes maintain telomeres using a specialized reverse transcriptase. Here the authors report that Thc1 (Telomerase Holoenzyme Component 1) and Bmc1 (Bin3/MePCE 1) form a complex with Pof8, a constitutive member of telomerase in fission yeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: T cell-mediated immune response plays a key role in Takayasu arteritis (TAK). Although previous studies have showed the roles of CD4+T cell and its subsets in TAK, the change of CD8+ T cell subsets remains unclear. This study investigated the role of CD8+ T cell subsets in TAK. Methods: The study consisted of 56 TA patients and 51 healthy controls. The percentages of CD8+T cells, CD8+GranzymeB+ T cells, CD8+Perforin+ T cells, and CD8+IFN-γ+ T cells in blood samples were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: We found that the percentages of CD8+GranzymeB+ T cells (P = 0.030), CD8+Perforin+ T cells (P = 0.000), and CD8+IFN-γ+ T cells (P = 0.002) in CD8+T cells were higher in TAK patients compared to control group. After 6 months of treatment, the proportion of CD8+T cells in lymphocytes were significantly lower in TAK patients than the baseline assessment (P = 0.033). A lower ratio of CD8+GranzymeB+ T cells/CD8+ T cells were showed in TAK patents after treatment compared with TAK patients before treatments (P = 0.011). The change of CD8+GranzymeB+ T cells/CD8+ T cells ratio was positively correlated with the change of ITAS (r = 0.721, P = 0.002) and ITAS-A (r = 0.637, P = 0.008). Finally, the immunofluorescence staining showed the infiltration of CD8+ Granzyme B + cells in the aortic tissue of TAK patients. Conclusion: Our results disclose that the CD8+ T lymphocytes may play a role in TAK pathogenesis. Targeting CD8+GranzymeB+ T lymphocytes or Granzyme B inhibitors could be a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of TAK. Key Points • Our study investigated role the of CD8+T cell subsets in TAK. • We found the percentages of CD8+GranzymeB+T cells, CD8+Perforin+T cells, and CD8+IFN-γ+T cells in CD3+CD8+T cells were higher in TAK patients. • The proportion of CD8+T cells in lymphocytes and the ratio of CD8+GranzymeB+T cells/CD8+T cells were significantly lower in TAK patients after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a tractable approach, regularization is frequently adopted in sparse optimization. This gives rise to regularized optimization, which aims to minimize the ℓ0 norm or its continuous surrogates that characterize the sparsity. From the continuity of surrogates to the discreteness of the ℓ0 norm, the most challenging model is the ℓ0-regularized optimization. There is an impressive body of work on the development of numerical algorithms to overcome this challenge. However, most of the developed methods only ensure that either the (sub)sequence converges to a stationary point from the deterministic optimization perspective or that the distance between each iteration and any given sparse reference point is bounded by an error bound in the sense of probability. In this paper, we develop a Newton-type method for the ℓ0-regularized optimization and prove that the generated sequence converges to a stationary point globally and quadratically under the standard assumptions, theoretically explaining that our method can perform surprisingly well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the imaging and serological features in Takayasu arteritis (TA) patients with valvular involvement and determine the relationship between them. Method: This is a retrospective single-center study enrolled 103 TA patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria. An independent medical chart review was performed by two senior rheumatologists from Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University. The logistic analysis was used to investigate the relationship between valvular involvement in TA patients and the imaging and serological features of them. Results: Sixty-six TA patients (64.08%) had cardiac valvular involvement in our study. Aortic insufficiency (62.12%) was the most common valvular involvement. Twelve (22.22%) patients developed heart failure. In patients with valvular involvement, the most common angiographic type was Numano type V, which was significantly higher than that in patients without valvular involvement (53.30% vs 32.43%, p = 0.044), followed by coronary involvement (28.79% vs 10.81%, p = 0.036) and Numano type IIb (21.21% vs 5.41%, p = 0.034). Serum levels of immunoglobulin A (2.84 ± 1.42 g/L vs 2.26 ± 0.97 g/L, p = 0.032) and immunoglobulin G (13.5 ± 4.71 g/L vs 11.42 ± 3.01 g/L, p = 0.015) were significantly higher in patients with valvular involvement. Numano type IIb is significantly related to moderate-severe aortic valvular regurgitation in TA patients (4.10 [1.03–16.33], p = 0.04). Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level is associated with moderate-severe mitral valve involvement in TA patients (p = 0.05, OR = 17.75, 95% CI 1.07–295.41). Conclusions: CRP elevation and Numano type IIb are significantly related to different types of valvular involvement in TA patients. Key Points • The Numano types IIb and V were common in TA patients with valvular involvement. • CRP elevation and Numano type IIb are close related to valvular involvement in TA patient. • Echocardiogram screening and CRP level examination are reasonable to TA patients which might have valvular involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Takayasu's arteritis (TA) may involve the pulmonary artery, which signifies a poor prognosis. This study investigated the features of TA patients with pulmonary artery involvement. Methods: One hundred and twenty-six inpatients diagnosed with TA were retrospectively studied. The clinical data of TA patients with and without pulmonary artery involvement were compared. The imaging features of pulmonary artery lesions in TA patients were evaluated. The treatment responses of pulmonary artery lesions were described, and the drug regimens in different treatment response groups were compared. Results: Among the patients with TA, 15.9% showed associated pulmonary artery involvement. The disease durations were significantly longer in patients with pulmonary artery involvement than in those without (108.0 months (53.5, 222.0) vs. 36.0 months (12.0, 120.0); p = 0.038). Hemoptysis was more common in TA patients with pulmonary artery involvement than in those without (15.0%, 3 cases vs. 0.0%; p < 0.001). TA patients with disease duration longer than 5 years showed a 3.42-fold higher odds of pulmonary artery involvement than those with a disease duration of less than 5 years (adjusted odds ratio, 3.42 (95% confidence interval, 1.20–9.76); p = 0.02). The most common imaging manifestations of pulmonary artery involvement were stenosis and occlusion. Among the six patients who had good response to treatment of pulmonary artery lesions, five were treated with the interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab. Conclusions: TA patients with pulmonary artery involvement have a longer course of disease and more symptoms of hemoptysis. TA-related pulmonary artery lesions more commonly manifested as stenosis and occlusion. Tocilizumab may be effective for TA-related pulmonary vascular disease. Key Points • Disease duration longer than 5 years is associated with pulmonary artery involvement in TA. • Hemoptysis is a characteristic clinical symptom of TA with pulmonary artery involvement. • Tocilizumab may be more effective for pulmonary artery lesions of TA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly investigates the locally Lipschitz optimization problem (LLOP) with l 0 -regularization in a finite dimensional space, which is generally NP-hard but highly applicable in statistics, compressed sensing and deep learning. First, we introduce two classes of stationary points for this problem: subdifferential-stationary point and proximal-stationary point. Secondly, based on these two concepts, we analyze the first-order necessary/sufficient optimality conditions for the LLOP with l 0 -regularization. Finally, we present two examples to illustrate the validity of the proposed optimality conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare granulomatous vasculitis. Numano type V was the most frequently involved arteritis in China. In our study, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of the type V TA in Chinese people. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 143 medical charts of TA patients who were admitted to Beijing Anzhen Hospital from 2012 to 2019. All statistical studies were carried out with the SPSS program V.24.0. Results: The duration of disease at first admission of type V TA patients was longer than non-type V group (110.6 (21.0, 168.0) vs. 69.1 (12.0, 120.0) months, P = 0.034). The incidences of hypertension and coronary artery involvement were more common in type V TA patients compared with non-type V patients (59.5% vs. 30.4%, P < 0.001; 33.8% vs. 17.4%, P = 0.025; respectively). The numbers of platelet (PLT) and the plateletcrit (PCT) in type V TA patients were significantly smaller than those in non-type V group (244.9 (190.5, 293.8) vs. 281.6 (214.5, 332.0) × 109/L, P = 0.005; 0.25 (0.20, 0.28) vs. 0.28 (0.22, 0.32) %, P = 0.003; respectively). Lesions located in the left anterior descending coronary (LAD) and the left circumflex coronary (LCX) presented more frequently in type V TA patients than in non-type V patients (LAD 76.0 vs. 41.7%, P = 0.041; LCX 56.0 vs. 8.3%, P = 0.006; respectively). Conclusions: Type V TA patients had longer disease duration and higher incidence of hypertension and were more prone to have coronary artery involvement compared with non-type V patients. Key Points • This study is the first to assess characteristics of the type V TA in Chinese people. • Type V TA patients had longer disease duration and higher incidence of hypertension and were more prone to have coronary artery involvement compared with non-type V patients. • The numbers of platelet (PLT) and the plateletcrit (PCT) in type V TA patients were significantly smaller than those in non-type V group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Coronary artery involvement in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) leads to poor prognosis and high mortality. Tocilizumab (TCZ) has been used to effectively treat large vessel vasculitis. However, the efficacy of TCZ in resolving coronary artery involvement in TAK is unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of TCZ in the treatment of coronary artery involvement in TAK. Methods: Clinical features and manifestations of coronary artery lesions in 11 TAK patients were evaluated before and after TCZ treatment, and the results were compared with those of 11 patients treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Results: C-reactive protein (p = 0.006), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = 0.011), and Kerr score (p = 0.007) were significantly decreased post-TCZ treatment for 6 months. The Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score (ITAS) 2010 (p = 0.019) and ITAS-A (p = 0.019) were significantly lower in patients treated with TCZ compared with those treated with traditional DMARDs. The glucocorticoid (GC) dose was tapered to 2.50 (0.00, 7.50) mg day−1 after TCZ treatment for 6 months, which was significantly lower than the GC dose after traditional DMARDs treatment [10.0 (5.00, 11.25) mg.day−1, (p = 0.033)]. After 6-month TCZ treatment, the total number of coronary artery lesions was reduced from 23 to 15 in 6 patients. Vascular wall thickening was remarkably improved in 2 lesions (in the ostia of the left main and right coronary arteries). Conclusion: TCZ may decrease the disease activity and improve coronary artery lesion in patients with TAK. Key Points • TCZ treatment significantly decreased the disease activity in TAK patients with coronary artery involvement. • TCZ treatment significantly reduces the dosage of GC. • TCZ treatment led to an improvement in imaging findings of TAK patients with coronary artery involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is characterized by an inflammatory response. Angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8) is a hormone involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, the relationship between ANGPTL8 and TAD remains unknown. Methods: This case-control study included 78 TAD patients and 72 controls. The aortic diameter was evaluated by computed tomography and used to assess TAD severity. Circulating ANGPTL8 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Associations of ANGPTL8 with TAD were determined by multivariate logistic regression. Results: Serum ANGPTL8 levels were significantly higher in TAD patients compared with controls (562.50 ± 20.84 vs. 419.70 ± 22.65 pg/mL, respectively; P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors, circulating ANGPTL8 levels were an independent risk factor for TAD (odds ratio = 1.587/100 pg ANGPTL8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.121–2.247, P < 0.001) and positively associated with diameter (β = 1.081/100 pg ANGPTL8, 95% CI = 0.075–2.086, P = 0.035) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (β = 0.845/100 pg ANGPTL8, 95% CI = 0.020–1.480, P = 0.009). The area under the curve (AUC) on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of the combination of ANGPTL8, hs-CRP, and D-dimer was 0.927, and the specificity and sensitivity were 98.46% and 79.49%, respectively. ANGPTL8 was significantly increased in TAD tissue compared with controls. In vitro, ANGPTL8 was increased in angiotensin II (AngII)-treated macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), while ANGPTL8 siRNA-mediated knockdown decreased inflammatory factors in AngII-treated macrophages and decreased apoptosis in AngII-treated VSMCs. Conclusion: ANGPTL8 is associated with TAD occurrence and development, which may involve pro-inflammatory effects on macrophages. ANGPTL8 combined with D-dimer and hs-CRP might be a useful clinical predictor of TAD. Trial Registration: ChiCTR-COC-17010792 http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=18288 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate a harmonic velocity noise and its resonance effect in classical linear and bistable systems. The harmonic velocity noise can be obtained via RLC oscillation circuit driven by the classical Gaussian white noise. Our numerical results indicate that mean square displacement of a free Brownian particle under action of the noise tends to be zero. In the classical systems, the noise not only suppresses fluctuation of particle but also induces resonance effect. Moreover, a noise-enhanced stability phenomenon in the bistable system is also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and the non-coding telomerase RNA subunit (TR) constitute the core of telomerase. Here we now report that the putative F-box protein Pof8 is also a constitutive component of active telomerase in fission yeast. Pof8 functions in a hierarchical assembly pathway by promoting the binding of the Lsm2-8 complex to telomerase RNA, which in turn promotes binding of the catalytic subunit. Loss of Pof8 reduces TER1 stability, causes a severe assembly defect, and results in critically short telomeres. Structure profile searches identified similarities between Pof8 and telomerase subunits from ciliated protozoa, making Pof8 next to TERT the most widely conserved telomerase subunits identified to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) is one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) listed by the Stockholm Convention and poses potential risks to human health and ecosystems. To reveal the regional-scale pollution status of HCBD in agricultural soils from fast-developing areas, an extensive investigation was conducted in the core Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China. The detectable concentrations of HCBD in 241 soil samples ranged from 0.07 to 8.47 ng g−1 dry weight, with an average value of 0.32 ng g−1 and a detection rate of 59.3%. Industrial emissions and intensive agricultural activities were the potential source of HCBD. The concentrations of HCBD were highly associated with the soil physicochemical properties such as organic matter contents. Higher concentrations of HCBD were found in paddy fields than other land-use types. The concentrations of HCBD were much lower than those of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls. Significant positive correlations were found between HCBD and most organochlorine pesticides. HCBD was not found in ten vegetable samples due to its low concentration and detection rate. A positive relationship was observed between the level of HCBD and the biomass of fungi, indicating that the fungi in soils might be influenced by the existence of HCBD. The potential risks of HCBD to ecosystems and health of inhabitants were estimated to be negligible. The finding from this study provides an important basis for soil quality assessment and risk management of HCBD in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated phthalate esters (PAEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in agricultural soils and vegetables from eastern China. The concentrations of PAEs ranged from 109 to 5560 ng/g in soils and 60.1 to 2390 ng/g in cabbages, with average concentrations of 946 and 601 ng/g, respectively. The concentrations of OCPs ranged from <0.1 to 662 ng/g in soils and <0.1 to 42.8 ng/g in cabbages, with average concentrations of 134 and 11.6 ng/g, respectively. OCPs were mainly in the 0-30 cm surface soil layers, while PAEs could infiltrate in deep soil profiles to 70-80 cm layer. Potential source analysis traced the occurrence of OCPs to both historical application and current usage, whereas building materials and agricultural plastic film were possible input sources of PAEs in the ambient environment. OCPs showed no apparent effect on soil microbial communities, whereas significant negative relationship was observed between PAEs and fungi in soils ( R = −0.54, p < 0.01). Human health risk assessment data revealed marginal noncarcinogenic risks and low carcinogenic risks in these soils. Notably, PAEs posed a comparable or higher risk level compared with that of OCPs. This study suggests the need for better regulation on pollution control and management of PAE-elevated sites to protect soil quality and food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) are used worldwide and pose great risks to human health. However, information on their presence in agricultural soils at regional scale and the associated risks is limited. In this study, an extensive investigation on agricultural soils was conducted throughout the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of China to reveal the status of OPP pollution. The total concentrations of the nine OPPs ranged from <3.0 to 521 ng g dry weight, with a mean of 64.7 ng g dry weight and a detection rate of 93 %. Dimethoate was found to be the primary compound, followed by methyl parathion and parathion. The highest concentrations of OPPs were found in Jiangsu province due to the intensive agricultural activities. The pollution of OPPs is also highly associated with the land use types. The lower concentrations of OPPs found in vegetable fields could be attributed to their easy photodegradation and hydrolysis in aerobic soils. There was no significant difference in microbial communities among the sample sites, indicating that OPPs in agricultural soils of the YRD region cause negligible effects on microbiota. The risks of OPPs in the soils to human health were further evaluated. The hazard indexes in all the soil samples were below 1, suggesting absence of non-cancer risks. This study provides valuable information for a better understanding of the pollution status of OPPs in agricultural soils and a scientific basis for soil quality assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) have been found in the environment with high toxicity. Recently, methoxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (MeO-PCBs) were identified as new pollutants and detected in sewage sludge. This study presents a detailed investigation on the uptake, translocation, and metabolism of OH-PCBs and MeO-PCBs in typical crops including maize, wheat, and rice. The interconversion between OH-PCBs and MeO-PCBs were observed. Demethylation of MeO-PCBs was favored over methylation of OH-PCBs. The metabolites were mainly generated in the roots and then translocated to the shoots. Analog-specific differences showed that the accumulation amounts of MeO-PCBs were higher than those of OH-PCBs in the crops. The translocation abilities followed this order: 3′-OH-CB-65 > 4′-OH-CB-101 > 3′-MeO-CB-65 > 4′-MeO-CB-101. The conversion rates were generally higher for 4′-OH-CB-101 than 3′-OH-CB-65 and higher for 4′-MeO-CB-101 than 3′-MeO-CB-65. Interspecies variability among the crops was also observed. The amounts of metabolites and acropetal translocation inside the plants were the greatest for maize. However, the concentration of compounds normalized by the mass of corresponding plant tissue was highest in wheat. These findings provide valuable information for a better understanding of the phytoaccumulation and phytotransformation of OH-PCBs and MeO-PCBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, optimality conditions are presented and analyzed for the cardinality-constrained cone programming arising from finance, statistical regression, signal processing, etc. By introducing a restricted form of (strict) Robinson constraint qualification, the first-order optimality conditions for the cardinality-constrained cone programming are established based upon the properties of the normal cone. After characterizing further the second-order tangent set to the cardinality-constrained system, the second-order optimality conditions are also presented under some mild conditions. These proposed optimality conditions, to some extent, enrich the optimization theory for noncontinuous and nonconvex programming problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sparse nonlinear programming (SNP) is to minimize a general continuously differentiable function subject to sparsity, nonlinear equality and inequality constraints. We first define two restricted constraint qualifications and show how these constraint qualifications can be applied to obtain the decomposition properties of the Fréchet, Mordukhovich and Clarke normal cones to the sparsity constrained feasible set. Based on the decomposition properties of the normal cones, we then present and analyze three classes of Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions for the SNP. At last, we establish the second-order necessary optimality condition and sufficient optimality condition for the SNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of underground gas storage operating experience shows: the oil rim has a great impact on gas injection and production. Here, the underground gas storage in the Dagang Oilfield (G393) was taken as an example to study the oil rim impact mechanism. Firstly, the G393 gas reservoir developmental history was simulated, based thereon, the equations governing the distribution of gas, oil, and water in the reservoir before building the storage injection and production equipment was established. Then, the oil rim impact mechanism on the gas seepage of underground gas storage operation was studied using numerical simulation method and the factors affecting oil recovery from the oil rim for the gas diffusion were outlined. The result shows that oil rim may prevent seepage of gas, resulting in a one-way gas onrush, thus affecting the smooth operation of underground gas storage. In addition, crude oil recovery in the oil rim may affect the gas well's production capacity, the lower the degree of recovery of crude oil, the harder for the underground gas storage to run quickly and smoothly. Finally, the most appropriate injection wells for the G393 fault-block gas storage were designed, by which process the oil production period was shortened to 8 years, ensuring stable and efficient operation of the underground gas storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decades have witnessed significant advance in the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), however, their formation and morphology revolution mechanism have been rarely reported. Here, through an acid modulated dynamic covalent chemistry approach, pure and uniform micro-octahedral covalent imine frameworks were obtained for the first time. Formation mechanism based on the stacking of initially formed two-dimensional nanoplates followed by surface smoothing enabled by the dynamic nature of imine bonding was proposed. Furthermore, we revealed for the first time that nonstoichiometric method can be applied to the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks. Thus we provide novel strategy for the morphology control COFs which will surely facilitate their application in energy-related area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper carries out studies about LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic compositional analysis for detrital zircons in two metasedimentary samples that were taken from the Zhaochigou Formation-complex in the Helan Mountain. The results show that the Zhaochigou Formation-complex formed ~1.96 Ga, and it is a part of the Khondalite Series that is widespread in the North China Craton (NCC). The age spectrum of the detrital zircons indicates that the Zhaochigou Formation-complex shared the same provenance with the eastern edge of the Khondalite Series. Products of ancient magmatic activities within the Khondalite Belt may be the major source for the sedimentary materials that formed the Khondalite Series. Our age-dating results suggest that the Khondalite Series in the NCC may have experienced two stages of metamorphism, as the early stage occurred during 1.96-1.95 Ga, and the later stage occurred at about 1.87 Ga. The Hf isotopic data indicate that the Western Block of the NCC endured a stage of crustal growth at 2.5-2.3 Ga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Degradation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) in aqueous solution by high-voltage pulse corona discharges (HVPD) combined with ozone was investigated in this study. Experimental results showed that 96 % of PNP (380 mg/L) can be degraded within 30 min using a combined technology. Additionally, the effects of initial concentration of PNP, synergistic effect of both techniques, and pH of the aqueous solution on PNP degradation were evaluated. This combined technology achieved better results than using two mineralization techniques in series which indicates that synergistic effect of HVPD and ozone promoted pollutant decomposition. On the other hand, weak alkalinity was favorable for PNP removal. In the end, intermediate products resulting from PNP degradation processes were analyzed by ion chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Main intermediate products, including p-benzoquinone, nitro benzoquinone, trans-muconic acid, maleic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, NO and NO were identified. It was proposed a possible reaction pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diatomaceous earth (DE) solidifies hydrothermally with analcime formation. With analcime formation, strength development was much greater than that with calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) formation. NaOH addition conditioned analcime formation because NaOH solution not only promoted dissolution of quartz and montmorillonite but also provided Na to form the analcime. Curing temperature and time affected analcime formation, and, in this study, over 6 h (at 200 °C) and 175 °C (for 12 h), analcime seemed to form readily. After hydrothermal treatment, the skeletons of diatoms can still be seen in the solid after analcime formation but can hardly be found after CSH formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal solidification of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash has been conducted under saturated steam pressure at 200 °C for up to 48 h with quartz addition. To enhance the strength of solidified specimens further, the raw fly ash was pre-treated by water-washing and mixed with NaOH solution (2 M) as reaction solvent. Experimental results showed that curing time and temperature had significant effects on strength development. Strength development was found to be mainly due to tobermorite formation, and addition of quartz and NaOH solution promoted tobermorite formation. The raw fly ash could also be used as an additive to solidify MSWI bottom ash, and with raw fly ash addition (10%) the flexural strength of solidified specimens reached more than 21 MPa, suggesting high potential to recycle 100% MSWI ash (e.g. as 10% fly ash + 90% bottom ash). Leaching tests were conducted to determine amounts of heavy metals dissolved from solidified specimens. The results showed that under the hydrothermal conditions of this study, leaching of heavy metals was very low. As such, the hydrothermal processing method might have high potential for recycling/reusing MSWI fly ash on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public education as well as tourism and leisure are the two important functions of national wetland park, and tourist behaviors act as the guiding factor in the national wetland park construction and management. As the first national wetland park in China, Xixi National Wetland Park, located in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, will give constructive instructions to the construction and management of other wetland parks and ecotourism resorts. This paper analyzed the tourist behaviors in Xixi National Wetland Park. By the observation, in-depth interview and questionnaire, the results show that tourists in wetland parks are different from those in the other common destinations, and they are also different from those strict eco-tourists. In fact, the tourists in wetland park have unique characteristics, such as the intense perception to the functions of wetland ecosystem and the environment impact behaviors. Those tourists are preferred to natural landscapes in their motivations and expectations. Wetland landscapes are the main image to those tourists in the Xixi National Wetland Park. Tourist expectation, experience and satisfaction are all critical factors for the success of the planning and management in national wetland parks. Based on the results, some measures for the sustainable development of wetland parks, including to optimize wetland theme landscape and tourism products, to improve tourist facilities and services, to enhance quality of visitor experiences, and to implement total quality management based on tourist characteristics, are given to national wetland park ecotourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the relationship between P120ctn translocation and hepatocellular carcinoma cell malignant features and the relationship between p 120ctn and β-catenin translocation in cell signaling. Human hepatocellular carcinoma cells were over expressed with p 120ctn isoform 3A using a DNA transfection method. The effects of transfection and expression of p 120{ctn} and its binding capacity to E-cadherin were examined using immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting methods. p 120ctn subcellular localization and its relation with β-catenin were detected using immunofluorescent microscopy. p 120{ctn} phosphorylation was produced by EGF treatment. Cell adhesion, cell migration and cell proliferation were also examined in this study. We found that p120{ctn} expression was increased after transfection and the binding capacity of P 120{ctn} to E-cadherin was enhanced. Tyrosine phosphorylation of p 120{ctn} increased after transfection and EGF treatment. p 120{ctn} and β-catenin cellular localization displayd a membrane and cytoplasmic expression pattern, but they translocated into the nucleus for relocalization after p 120{ctn} overexpression plus EGF stimulation. Cell adhesion ability was increased and migration ability reduced after transfection without EGF. Following transfection without EGF cellular proliferation was reduced, but increased after EGF treatment. Our results suggest that p 120ctn plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. In addition there is a relationship between p 120ctn and β-catenin subcellular localization and signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an investigation of the self-assembled structures of 4,4'-dionoyl-2,2'-dipyridyl and its co-adsorption with stearic acid on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Use of the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in the study; Findings that as a result of 4,4'-dionyl-2,2'-dipyridyl forms a planar trans conformation in two cases; References to the process of co-adsorption with stearic acid.

We appreciate the letter submitted by Dr. Jia regarding our recently published article and very much appreciate the constructive suggestions. Lastly, Dr. Jia suggested that it is interesting if the authors can also assess the association between ANGPTL8 and thoracic aortic aneurysms without dissection. We might collect thoracic aortic aneurysm to assess the association between ANGPTL8 and thoracic aortic aneurysms in the further study. [Extracted from the article]

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has been associated with the occurrence of abdominal aortic aneurysm. However, whether LDL-C elevation associated with aneurysms in large vessel vasculitis is unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical and laboratory features of Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and explore the risk factors that associated with aneurysm in these patients. This retrospective study compared the clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters, and imaging results of 103 TAK patients with or without aneurysms and analyzed the risk factors of aneurysm formation. 20.4% of TAK patients were found to have aneurysms. The LDL-C levels was higher in the aneurysm group than in the non-aneurysm group (2.9 ± 0.9 mmol/l vs. 2.4 ± 0.9 mmol/l, p = 0.032). Elevated serum LDL-C levels increased the risk of aneurysm by 5.8-fold (p = 0.021, odds ratio [OR] = 5.767, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.302–25.543), and the cutoff value of level of serum LDL-C was 3.08 mmol/l. The risk of aneurysm was 4.2-fold higher in patients with disease duration >5 years (p = 0.042, OR = 4.237, 95% CI: 1.055–17.023), and 2.9-fold higher when an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate was present (p = 0.077, OR = 2.851, 95% CI: 0.891–9.115). In this study, elevated LDL-C levels increased the risk of developing aneurysms in patients with TAK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]