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Mushroom poisoning contributes significantly to global foodborne diseases and related fatalities. Amanita mushrooms frequently cause such poisonings; however, identifying these toxic species is challenging due to the unavailability of fresh and intact samples. It is often necessary to analyze residues, vomitus, or stomach extracts to obtain DNA sequences for the identification of species responsible for causing food poisoning. This usually proves challenging to obtain usable DNA sequences that can be analyzed using conventional molecular biology techniques. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a DNA mini-barcoding method for the identification of Amanita species. Following the evaluation and optimization of universal primers for DNA mini-barcoding in Amanita mushrooms, we found that the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene sequence primer ITS-a was the most suitable DNA barcode primer for identifying Amanita species. Forty-three Amanita samples were subsequently amplified and sequenced. The sequences obtained were analyzed for intra- and inter-species genetic distances, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The findings indicated that the designed primers had strong universality among the Amanita samples and could accurately identify the target gene fragment with a length of 290 bp. Notably, the DNA mini-barcode accurately identified the 43 Amanita samples, demonstrating high consistency with the conventional DNA barcode. Furthermore, it effectively identified DNA from digested samples. In summary, this DNA mini-barcode is a promising tool for detecting accidental ingestion of toxic Amanita mushrooms. It may be used as an optimal barcode for species identification and traceability in events of Amanita-induced mushroom poisoning. Key points: • Development of a DNA mini-barcoding method for Amanita species identification without fresh samples. • The ITS-a primer set was optimized for robust universality in Amanita samples. • The mini-barcode is suitable for screening toxic mushroom species in mushroom poisoning cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing deep learning techniques for image fusion either learn image mapping (LIM) directly, which renders them ineffective at preserving details due to the equal consideration to each pixel, or learn detail mapping (LDM), which only attains a limited level of performance because only details are used for reasoning. The recent lossless invertible network (INN) has demonstrated its detail-preserving ability. However, the direct applicability of INN to the image fusion task is limited by the volume-preserving constraint. Additionally, there is the lack of a consistent detail-preserving image fusion framework to produce satisfactory outcomes. To this aim, we propose a general paradigm for image fusion based on a novel conditional INN (named DCINN). The DCINN paradigm has three core components: a decomposing module that converts image mapping to detail mapping; an auxiliary network (ANet) that extracts auxiliary features directly from source images; and a conditional INN (CINN) that learns the detail mapping based on auxiliary features. The novel design benefits from the advantages of INN, LIM, and LDM approaches while avoiding their disadvantages. Particularly, using INN to LDM can easily meet the volume-preserving constraint while still preserving details. Moreover, since auxiliary features serve as conditional features, the ANet allows for the use of more than just details for reasoning without compromising detail mapping. Extensive experiments on three benchmark fusion problems, i.e., pansharpening, hyperspectral and multispectral image fusion, and infrared and visible image fusion, demonstrate the superiority of our approach compared with recent state-of-the-art methods. The code is available at https://github.com/wwhappylife/DCINN [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The opioid crisis resulting from its use disorder and overdose poses additional challenges for cancer pain management. The American Society of Clinical Oncology Practice Guideline recommends acupuncture therapy for the management of adult cancer-related pain (CRP), but the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on CRP remains uncertain. Methods: This 5-week prospective randomized clinical trial was conducted at 2 hospitals in China, and participants with CRP receiving chronic opioid therapy were randomized 1:1 into two groups between December 2014 and June 2018. The true TEAS group underwent 15 sessions of TEAS treatments over 3 consecutive weeks, while the control group received sham stimulation. The primary outcome was the numerical rating scale (NRS) score in the past 24h at week 3. The secondary outcomes included morphine equivalent daily dose, quality of life and adverse events. Results: A total of 159 participants were included in the modified intention-to-treat population. The baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. The mean NRS scores were 0.98 points at week 3 in the true TEAS group and 1.41 points in the sham group, with the mean difference between groups of -0.43 points (P < 0.001; OR = 0.68, P < 0.05). The proportion of patients with NRS reduction more than thirty percentage at week 3 was 50.00% in the true TEAS group and 35.44% in the sham group (RD = 0.15, P > 0.05; RR = 1.41, P > 0.05). No significant difference in pain intensity between the two groups was observed during the follow-up period without TEAS intervention (week 4, OR = 0.83, P > 0.05; week 5, OR = 0.83, P > 0.05). The Karnofsky Performance Status value suggested that patients in the true TEAS group experienced an improved quality of life (Between-group differences: week 3, 3.5%, P < 0.05; week 4, 4.6%, P < 0.001; week 5, 5.6%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The 3-week application of TEAS in patients with CRP receiving chronic opioid therapy resulted in a statistically significant reduction in pain scores, but the observed reduction was of uncertain clinical significance. The prolonged analgesic effect of TEAS was not confirmed in this trial. ClinicalTrial.gov: ChiCTR-TRC-13003803. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of de novo synthesis of hyaluronic acid (HA) using Pasteurella multocida hyaluronate synthase (PmHAS) is limited by its low catalytic activity during the initial reaction steps when monosaccharides are the acceptor substrates. In this study, we identified and characterized a β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase (EcGnT) derived from the O-antigen gene synthesis cluster of Escherichia coli O8:K48:H9. Recombinant β1,4 EcGnT effectively catalyzed the production of HA disaccharides when the glucuronic acid monosaccharide derivative 4-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucuronide (GlcA-pNP) was used as the acceptor. Compared with PmHAS, β1,4 EcGnT exhibited superior N-acetylglucosamine transfer activity (~ 12-fold) with GlcA-pNP as the acceptor, making it a better option for the initial step of de novo HA oligosaccharide synthesis. We then developed a biocatalytic approach for size-controlled HA oligosaccharide synthesis using the disaccharide produced by β1,4 EcGnT as a starting material, followed by stepwise PmHAS-catalyzed synthesis of longer oligosaccharides. Using this approach, we produced a series of HA chains of up to 10 sugar monomers. Overall, our study identifies a novel bacterial β1,4 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase and establishes a more efficient process for HA oligosaccharide synthesis that enables size-controlled production of HA oligosaccharides. Key points: • A novel β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase (EcGnT) from E. coli O8:K48:H9. • EcGnT is superior to PmHAS for enabling de novo HA oligosaccharide synthesis. • Size-controlled HA oligosaccharide synthesis relay using EcGnT and PmHAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibition of immunocyte infiltration and activation has been suggested to effectively ameliorate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Paired immunoglobulin-like receptor B (PirB) and its human ortholog receptor, leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B (LILRB2), are immune-inhibitory receptors. However, their role in NASH pathogenesis is still unclear. Here, we demonstrate that PirB/LILRB2 regulates the migration of macrophages during NASH by binding with its ligand angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8). Hepatocyte-specific ANGPTL8 knockout reduces MDM infiltration and resolves lipid accumulation and fibrosis progression in the livers of NASH mice. In addition, PirB−/− bone marrow (BM) chimeras abrogate ANGPTL8-induced MDM migration to the liver. And yet, PirB ectodomain protein could ameliorate NASH by sequestering ANGPTL8. Furthermore, LILRB2-ANGPTL8 binding-promoted MDM migration and inflammatory activation are also observed in human peripheral blood monocytes. Taken together, our findings reveal the role of PirB/LILRB2 in NASH pathogenesis and identify PirB/LILRB2-ANGPTL8 signaling as a potential target for the management or treatment of NASH. Inhibition of immunocyte infiltration and activation has been suggested to ameliorate hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Here, the authors show PirB/LILRB2 regulates the migration of macrophages during NASH by binding with ANGPTL8, which is involved in the regulation of NASH development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The weekend effect, i.e., the concentration of air pollutants is different from weekends to weekdays, has been explored since the 1970 s. In most studies, the weekend effect is referred to the change of O 3 , i.e., lower emission of NO x on weekends leads to a higher concentration of O 3 . Determining whether it is true can provide insight into the strategy of air pollution controlling. In this study, we explore the weekly cycle of cities of China based on the weekly cycle anomaly (WCA), which is proposed in this paper. The advantage of using WCA is that we can avoid the influence of other change components such as the daily cycle and the seasonal cycle. The p values of the significant tests from all cities are analyzed for obtaining a whole picture of the weekly cycle of air pollution. The result shows that the concept of the weekend effect is not proper for cities in China, as many cities reach the valley phase of the emission on weekdays but not weekends. Thus, researches should not pre-assume that the weekend is the low emission scenario. We focus on the anomaly of O 3 on the peak and the valley of the emission scenario estimated by the NO 2 concentration. Through the analysis of the distribution of the p values of all cities, we show that almost all cities in China have weekly cycle of O 3 corresponding to the weekly cycle emission of NO x , i.e., O 3 of the peak time of NO 2 is less than valley time. The cities of the strong weekly cycle are located in four regions, i.e., the Beijing-Tianjing-Hebei region, the Shandong Peninsula Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, and these regions are also the regions with relatively severe pollution levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) heavily pretreated with anthracycline and taxanes. Methods: In this single-arm, phase II study, patients with HER2-negative MBC previously treated with anthracycline and taxanes as second- to fifth chemotherapy received PLD (Duomeisu®, generic doxorubicin hydrochloride liposome) 40 mg/m2 every 4 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or completion of six cycles. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), and safety. Results: Of 44 enrolled patients (median age, 53.5 years; range, 34–69), 41 and 36 were evaluable for safety and efficacy, respectively. In total, 59.1% (26/44) of patients had ≥ 3 metastatic sites, 86.4% (38/44) had visceral disease, and 63.6% (28/44) had liver metastases. Median PFS was 3.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3–4.1) and median OS was 15.0 months (95% CI 12.1–17.9). ORR, DCR, and CBR were 16.7%, 63.9%, and 36.1%, respectively. The most common adverse events (AEs) were leukopenia (53.7%), fatigue (46.3%), and neutropenia (41.5%), with no grade 4/5 AEs. The most common grade 3 AEs were neutropenia (7.3%) and fatigue (4.9%). Patients experienced palmar-plantar-erythrodysesthesia (24.4%, 2.4% grade 3), stomatitis (19.5%, 7.3% grade 2), and alopecia (7.3%). One patient displayed a left ventricular ejection fraction decline of 11.4% from baseline after five cycles of PLD therapy. Conclusion: PLD (Duomeisu®) 40 mg/m2 every 4 weeks was effective and well-tolerated in patients with HER2-negative MBC heavily pretreated with anthracycline and taxanes, revealing a potentially viable treatment option for this population. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1900022568. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. And patient outcomes are poor due to tumor relapse and metastasis. To develop new therapeutic strategies, it is of great importance to explore the mechanism underlying the progression of gastric cancer. Methods: Primary gastric cancer samples with lymph node metastases (LNM) and without LNM were subjected to mRNA microarray assay. The differentially expressed genes were confirmed by RT-qPCR. HRCT1 protein expression was further detected using an immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to investigate the role of HRCT1 in tumor invasion, metastasis, and proliferation. The expressions of the downstream target genes of HRCT1 were detected by microarray, RT-qPCR and Western blot assays. Dual-luciferase reporter and Western blot assays were carried out to identify miRNAs target to HRCT1. Results: HRCT1 was upregulated in gastric cancer, and high expression of HRCT1 was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Moreover, HRCT1protein expression was an independent predictor for poor OS and DFS. HRCT1 could promote gastric cancer cells' migration, invasion, and proliferation in vitro as well as tumor metastasis and growth in vivo. Notably, our data showed that HRCT1 promoted gastric cancer progression by activating the ERBB2-MAPK signaling pathway. At least partially, the expression of HRCT1 could be negatively regulated by miR-124-3p. Conclusions: The upregulated expression of HRCT1 predicts poor survival for patients with gastric cancer. HRCT1 promotes tumor progression by activating the ERBB2-MAPK pathway. HRCT1, negatively regulated by miR-124-3p, may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuropeptides and neuropeptide receptors are crucial regulators to insect physiological processes. The 21.0 Gb bases were obtained from Illumina sequencing of two libraries representing the female and male heads of Phauda flammans (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Phaudidae), which is a diurnal defoliator of ficus plants and usually outbreaks in the south and south-east Asia, to identify differentially expressed genes, neuropeptides and neuropeptide receptor whose tissue expressions were also evaluated. In total, 99,386 unigenes were obtained, in which 156 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated genes were detected. Fifteen neuropeptides (i.e., F1b, Ast, NP1, IMF, Y, BbA1, CAP2b, NPLP1, SIF, CCH2, NP28, NP3, PDP3, ARF2 and SNPF) and 66 neuropeptide receptor genes (e.g., A2-1, FRL2, A32-1, A32-2, FRL3, etc.) were identified and well-clustered with other lepidopteron. This is the first sequencing, identification neuropeptides and neuropeptide receptor genes from P. flammans which provides valuable information regarding the molecular basis of P. flammans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Synthesis of high-entropy perovskite oxide for air electrode in reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cells. Triple-conducting high-entropy air electrodes exhibit excellent structural stability and oxygen catalytic activity. The peak power density and current density of the cell with high-entropy air electrode in the fuel cell and electrolysis modes are 1.21 W cm−2 and − 1.95 A cm−2 at 600 °C, respectively. Reversible proton ceramic electrochemical cell (R-PCEC) is regarded as the most promising energy conversion device, which can realize efficient mutual conversion of electrical and chemical energy and to solve the problem of large-scale energy storage. However, the development of robust electrodes with high catalytic activity is the main bottleneck for the commercialization of R-PCECs. Here, a novel type of high-entropy perovskite oxide consisting of six equimolar metals in the A-site, Pr1/6La1/6Nd1/6Ba1/6Sr1/6Ca1/6CoO3−δ (PLNBSCC), is reported as a high-performance bifunctional air electrode for R-PCEC. By harnessing the unique functionalities of multiple elements, high-entropy perovskite oxide can be anticipated to accelerate reaction rates in both fuel cell and electrolysis modes. Especially, an R-PCEC utilizing the PLNBSCC air electrode achieves exceptional electrochemical performances, demonstrating a peak power density of 1.21 W cm−2 for the fuel cell, while simultaneously obtaining an astonishing current density of − 1.95 A cm−2 at an electrolysis voltage of 1.3 V and a temperature of 600 °C. The significantly enhanced electrochemical performance and durability of the PLNBSCC air electrode is attributed mainly to the high electrons/ions conductivity, fast hydration reactivity and high configurational entropy. This research explores to a new avenue to develop optimally active and stable air electrodes for R-PCECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the pharmacodynamic material basis, mechanism of actions and targeted diseases of Salicornia europaea L. (SE) based on the network pharmacology method, and to verify the antidepressant-like effect of the SE extract by pharmacological experiments. Methods: Retrieval tools including Chinese medicine (CM), PubMed, PharmMapper, MAS 3.0 and Cytoscape were used to search the components of SE, predict its targets and related therapeutic diseases, and construct the "Component-Target-Pathway" network of SE for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Further, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) function annotation of depression-related targets were analyzed to predict the antidepressant mechanism of SE. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model was used to construct a mouse model with depression-like symptoms. And the animals were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10) including the normal group (nonstressed mice administered with distilled water), the CUMS group (CUMS mice administered with distilled water), the venlafaxine group (CUMS mice administered with venlafaxine 9.38 mg/kg), SE high-, medium-, and low-dose groups (CUMS mice administered with SE 1.8, 1.35 and 0.9 g/kg, respectively). Then some relevant indicators were determined for experimental verification by the forced swim test (FST), the tail suspension test (TST) and open-field test (OFT). Dopamine (DA) concentration in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, IL-2 and corticosterone (CORT) levels in blood, and nuclear factor E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), kelch-like epichlorohydrin related protein 1 (Keap1), NAD(P) H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels in mice were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot respectively to explore the possible mechanisms. Results: The "target-disease" network diagram predicted by network pharmacology, showed that the potential target of SE involves a variety of CNS diseases, among which depression accounts for the majority. The experimental results showed that SE (1.8, 1.35 g/kg) significantly decreased the immobility period, compared with the CUMS group in FST and TST in mice after 3-week treatment, while SE exhibited no significant effect on exploratory behavior in OFT in mice. Compared with CUMS group, the SE group (0.9 g/kg) showed significant differences (P<0.05) in DA levels in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In addition, compared with CUMS control group, SE (1.8 g/kg) group showed a significant effect on decreasing the activities of CORT (P<0.05), and serum IL-2 level with no statistical significance. Finally, Western blot results showed that compared with the model group, Nrf2, Keap1, NQO1 and HO-1 protein expressions in SE group (1.8 g/kg) were up-regulated (all P<0.01). Conclusion: The SE extract may have an antidepressant effect, which appeared to regulate Nrf2-ARE pathway and increased levels of DA and CORT in the hippocampus and cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate GT0918, a 2nd-generation AR antagonist, for its AR down-regulation activity among breast cancer patients. Methods: The effect of GT0918 on AR protein expression was evaluated in AR expression breast cancer cells and in breast cancer xenograft model. A 3 + 3 phase I dose-escalation study was launched in Peking University Cancer Hospital. The endpoints included dose finding, safety, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor activity. Results: GT0918 was demonstrated to effectively suppress the expression of AR protein and the growth of AR-positive breast cancer tumors in mouse xenograft tumor models. All patients treated with GT0918 were at a QD dose-escalation of five dose levels from 100 to 500 mg. The most common treatment-related AEs of any grade were asthenia, anemia, decreased appetite, increased blood cholesterol, increased blood triglycerides, decreased white blood cell count, and increased low-density lipoprotein. Grade 3 AEs were fatigue (2 of 18, 11.1%), aspartate aminotransferase increase (1 of 18, 5.6%), alanine aminotransferase increase (1 of 18, 5.6%), and neutrophil count decrease (1 of 18, 5.6%). Clinical benefit rate (CBR) in 16 weeks was 23.1% (3/13). Among 7 AR-positive patients, 6 can evaluate efficacy, and 2 completed 23.5- and 25-cycle treatment, respectively (as of 2020/1/20). PK parameters showed a fast absorption profile of GT0918 in the single-dose study. GT0918 and its major metabolite reached steady-state serum concentration levels at day 21 after multiple dosing. Conclusion: GT0918 can effectively inhibit AR-positive breast cancer tumor growth. GT0918 was demonstrated well tolerated with a favorable PK profile. The suitable dose of GT0918 was 500 mg QD and may provide clinical benefits for AR-positive mBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One challenge for the commercial development of solid oxide fuel cells as efficient energy-conversion devices is thermo-mechanical instability. Large internal-strain gradients caused by the mismatch in thermal expansion behaviour between different fuel cell components are the main cause of this instability, which can lead to cell degradation, delamination or fracture1–4. Here we demonstrate an approach to realizing full thermo-mechanical compatibility between the cathode and other cell components by introducing a thermal-expansion offset. We use reactive sintering to combine a cobalt-based perovskite with high electrochemical activity and large thermal-expansion coefficient with a negative-thermal-expansion material, thus forming a composite electrode with a thermal-expansion behaviour that is well matched to that of the electrolyte. A new interphase is formed because of the limited reaction between the two materials in the composite during the calcination process, which also creates A-site deficiencies in the perovskite. As a result, the composite shows both high activity and excellent stability. The introduction of reactive negative-thermal-expansion components may provide a general strategy for the development of fully compatible and highly active electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells.Highly active but durable perovskite-based solid oxide fuel cell cathodes are realized using a thermal-expansion offset, achieving full thermo-mechanical compatibility between the cathode and other cell components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) models have been applied to monthly streamflow forecasting in recent decades. In this study, forecasting skills of eight ML models are evaluated based on the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX) dataset. We consider two skill scores, i.e., the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and the adjusted NSE (ANSE), and the latter is the skill score based on the interannual mean monthly value (MMV) as the reference (benchmark) model. Furthermore, NSE of the MMV model (NSEmmv) is used as a measure of the seasonality of monthly streamflow, as it is the ratio of variance explained by the MMV process. An important result is that forecasting skills of ML models for monthly streamflow are largely controlled by NSEmmv. Moreover, based on comparisons of different ML models, we have found that the selection of models is not a dominating factor impacting the final skill. Three key factors influencing NSE, i.e., NSEmmv, the base flow index (BFI) and the aridity index (AI), are explored in this paper. Specifically, NSEmmv impacts NSE directly and is the predominant factor; BFI influences the memory of the monthly streamflow and therefore influences NSE. The relationship between AI and NSE is much complex and indirect. Firstly, basins with higher AI tend to have lower NSEmmv, and this will lead to lower NSE; secondly, basins with higher AI tend to have lower BFI, which will also lead to lower NSE; thirdly, for a given BFI level, basins with higher AI tend to have higher memory and higher NSE. For ANSE, basins with AI between 1 and 2 show higher ANSE, which corresponds to higher autocorrelation coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy (LA-SIBS) has been growing rapidly and continue to be extended to a broad range of materials analysis. Characterized by employing a specifically designed high voltage and pulse discharge circuit to generate a spark and used to enhance plasma emission produced by laser ablation, allows direct analysis of materials without prior sample preparation. This paper reviews recent development and application of laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy for material analysis. Following a summary of fundamentals and instrumentation of the LA-SIBS analytical technique, the development and applications of laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy for the analysis of conducting materials and insulating materials is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Year-round observation suggests that sap flow in growing season represents species-specific transpiration characteristics and sap flow of deciduous broadleaved species in non-growing season is related to daily changes in stem diameter. Year-round observation is necessary to investigate species-specific characteristics of sap flow and its possible contribution in non-growing season. The middle Loess Plateau in China is characterized by temperate climate and vegetation cover of generally drought-tolerant deciduous broadleaved and some evergreen coniferous trees. In this study, Granier-type thermal dissipation probes were applied to measure year-round xylem sap flow in three species from April 2017 to April 2018. Solar radiation, air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture were monitored continuously. The results showed that the peak time of sap flux density (Fd) in the diurnal courses of Robinia pseudoacacia was later than that of Quercus liaotungensis and Platycladus orientalis. The peak time of Fd for R. pseudoacacia was significantly postponed during the period with higher soil moisture when compared with that at lower soil moisture, whereas the peak time was reached slightly earlier in the other two species. Sap flow during the non-growing season was relatively higher in P. orientalis than in the two broadleaved species. The diurnal course of Fd in non-growing season showed high values at nighttime and low values in daytime, opposite to that in growing season. Daily variation in stem diameter was inverse of the change in sap flow in the two broadleaved species, whereas the daily change in stem diameter of P. orientalis was very small and showed no clear relation with sap flow. The results suggest that changes in transpiration characteristics with soil moisture conditions vary with tree species; sap flow in deciduous broadleaved trees in non-growing season is small and closely related to daily changes in stem diameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) played important regulatory roles in many cancer types. However, the role of lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) progression remains unclear.Methods: RT-qPCR assay was performed to detect the expression of HNF1A-AS1 in gastric cancer tissues and the non-tumourous gastric mucosa. Overexpression and RNA interference approaches were used to investigate the effects of HNF1A-AS1 on GC cells. Insight into competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms was gained via bioinformatics analysis, luciferase assays and an RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, RNA-FISH co-localisation analysis combined with microRNA (miRNA)-pulldown assay.Results: This study displayed that revealed expression of HNF1A-AS1 was associated with positive lymph node metastasis in GC. Moreover, HNF1A-AS1 significantly promoted gastric cancer invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, HNF1A-AS1 was demonstrated to function as a ceRNA for miR-30b-3p. HNF1A-AS1 abolished the function of the miRNA-30b-3p and resulted in the derepression of its target, PIK3CD, which is a core oncogene involved in the progression of GC.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that HNF1A-AS1 worked as a ceRNA and promoted PI3K/AKT signalling pathway-mediated GC metastasis by sponging miR-30b-3p, offering novel insights of the metastasis mechanism in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Acupuncture & Tuina Science is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: To evaluate the association between PD-L1 expression (PD-L1+) and clinicopathological characteristics and effect on prognosis in primary breast cancer (PBC). Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted in November 2018. Studies detecting PD-L1 using immunohistochemistry, and concerning its prognostic or clinicopathological significance in PBC were included. The HR with 95% CI for survival, and the events for clinicopathological features were pooled. Results: Forty-seven studies were included, with a total of 14,367 PBC patients. PD-L1+ tumor cells (TCs) were associated with ductal carcinomas, large tumor size, histological Grade 3 tumors, high Ki-67, ER and PR negative, and triple-negative breast cancer; and also, related to high tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and PD-1 expression. PD-L1+ TCs were significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS, HR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.21–1.70, P < 0.0001) and overall survival (OS, HR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.14–2.20, P = 0.006). And the HRs of PD-L1+ TCs on DFS and OS were higher (1.48 and 1.70, respectively) and homogeneous when using whole tissue section, compared with tumor microarrays. However, PD-L1+ TILs related to better DFS (HR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.28–0.73, P = 0.001) and OS (HR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.27–0.63, P < 0.0001). Conclusion: PD-L1 expression on TCs associates with high-risk clinicopathological parameters and poor prognosis in PBC patients, while PD-L1+ TILs may relate to a better survival. Comprehensive assessment of TCs and TILs is required when evaluating the clinical relevance of PD-L1 expression in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antecedent anomalies of sea surface temperature and atmospheric circulation are important signals for making long-term streamflow forecasts. In this study, four groups of ocean-atmospheric indices, i.e, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, the Southern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation (SAC), and the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean SST (WPI), are evaluated for forecasting summer streamflow of the Yangtze River. The gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT) is used to forecast streamflow based on each group of indices. The score based on receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, i.e., area under the ROC curve (AUC), is used to evaluate skills of models for identifying the high category and the low category of summer streamflow. It is found that the ENSO group and the SAC group show higher AUC values. Furthermore, both AUC values of GBRT models and individual indices show that the low flow years are easier to be identified than the high flow years. The result of this study highlights the skill from the Southern Hemisphere circulation systems for forecasting summer streamflow of the Yangtze River. Results of relative influences of predictors in GBRT models and AUC of individual indices indicate some key ocean-atmospheric indices, such as the Multivariate ENSO Index and the 500-hPa height of the east of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) derived from placental tissue show great therapeutic potential and have been used in medical treatment, but the similarity and differences between the MSCs derived from various parts of the placenta remain unclear. In this study, we compared MSCs derived from different perinatal tissues, including the umbilical cord (UC), amniotic membrane (AM), chorionic plate (CP) and decidua parietalis (DP). Using human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and karyotype analysis, we found that the first three cell types were derived from the foetus, while the MSCs from the decidua parietalis were derived from the maternal portion of the placental tissue. Our results indicate that both foetal and maternal MSCs share a similar phenotype and multi-lineage differentiation potential, but foetal MSCs show a significantly higher expansion capacity than do maternal MSCs. Furthermore, MSCs from all sources showed significant differences in the levels of several paracrine factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been regarded as an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and diabetic patients and animals have shown cognitive dysfunction. More research has shown that the amyloid-β (Aβ), which is a hallmark of AD, was found deposited in the hippocampus of diabetic rats. This Aβ accumulation is regulated by the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP-1). However, the expression of RAGE and LRP-1 in diabetic rats is not very clear. In the present study, we used streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats to investigate whether the expression of RAGE and LRP-1 is related to Aβ deposition at the hippocampus, prefrontal lobe, and amygdala in DM. We found that diabetic rats had longer escape latency and less frequency of entrance into the target zone than that of the control group ( P < 0.05) in the Morris water maze (MWM) test. The Aβ expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal lobe significantly increased in the DM group compared to the control group ( P < 0.05). RAGE increased ( P < 0.05), while LRP-1 decreased ( P < 0.05) in the hippocampus tissue and prefrontal lobe tissue of DM rats. The Aβ deposition was correlated with RAGE positively ( P < 0.05), but with LRP-1 negatively ( P < 0.05). Further, the expression levels of Aβ, RAGE, and LRP-1 were not changed in the amygdala between the diabetic rats and the control group. These findings indicated that upregulating RAGE and/or downregulating LRP-1 at the hippocampus and the prefrontal lobe contributed to the Aβ accumulation and then further promoted the cognitive impairment of diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in vegetable crops has become a serious problem in recent years. Owing to the limited availability of arable land resources, large areas of Cd-contaminated lands are inevitably being used for the production of vegetables, posing great risks to human health via the food chain. However, strategies to improve yield and reduce Cd concentration in crops grown in contaminated soils are being developed. In the present study, using pot experiments, we investigated the effects of two slow-release nitrogen fertilizers (SRNFs), resin-coated ammonium nitrate (Osmocote), and resin-coated urea (urea), on the growth and Cd concentration of the Cd-contaminated pakchoi. The results showed that pakchoi grown in soil containing 5 mg kg of Cd-induced oxidative stress (indicated by malondialdehyde (MDA), HO, and O ) and photosynthesis inhibition, which in turn was restored with the application of SRNFs. However, pakchoi grown in Cd-contaminated soil supplied with Osmocote and urea showed 103 and 203 % increase in fresh weight and 51-55 % and 44-56 % decrease in Cd concentration, respectively, as compared with their controls (pakchoi treated with instant soluble nitrogen fertilizers). On the basis of an increase in their tolerance index (47-238 %) and a decrease in their translocation factor (7.5-21.6 %), we inferred that the plants treated with SRNFs have a stronger tolerance to Cd and a lower efficiency of Cd translocation to edible parts than those treated with instant soluble nitrogen fertilizers. Therefore, in terms of both crop production and food safety, application of SRNFs could be an effective strategy for improving both biomass production and quality in pakchoi grown under Cd stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to study the correlation between the variation of phenolic compounds and sensory characteristics in white wine during bottle storage and to explore the compounds that affected sensory evolution. Chardonnay ( Vitis vinifera L. cv.) dry white wines were bottled under six types of stoppers and stored for 18 months. The composition of phenolic compounds was analyzed, and the sensory attributes of these wines were evaluated by professional panel. Multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated that bottle aging period exhibited a more important effect on phenolic compound evolution than stopper type. Most of the phenolic compounds disappeared after 18 months of bottle storage, whereas the wine sensory attributes were significantly improved after 15-month of bottle aging. No strong correlation existed between the phenolic variation and the dissolved oxygen content. Wine color characteristics developed towards better quality accompanying with the reduction of detectable hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavan-3-ols, while the wine mouth-feel was related mainly to gallic acid and ferulic acid ester. This work provided some references for wine producers to select appropriate storage duration for bottled white wine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the evolution of volatile compounds, odor activity value-based aroma notes, and sensory perception in Cabernet Sauvignon ( Vitis vinifera L. cv.) dry red wines during an 18-month bottle-aging period, and further to assess the correlation between them. The wines were sealed with six types of stoppers, including natural cork, agglomerated cork, technical cork, and three types of polymer synthetic plugs, to provide different oxygen environments during wine development. Results showed that volatile compounds in all of the wine samples exhibited three evolution trends during the bottle-aging process. Most of the volatiles followed the second evolution trend in which their concentration increased within the first 3-9 months of bottle aging, and subsequently declined. The wines bottle-aged within 9 months possessed obvious aroma characteristics, which resulted from the abundant volatile compounds in this period, in particular, the presence of esters and alcohols. The 15-month bottle-aged wines showed the highest sensory quality evolution, suggesting that this might be related to a good balance of various aroma attributes. Partial least squares regression analysis revealed that wine aroma could develop toward good perception with the increase in ethyl octanoate, 1-octen-3-ol, and ethyl dodecanoate. However, the increase in ( Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, 2-methoxy-phenol, decanal, isobutyric acid, octanoic acid, and isoamyl acetate resulted in a negative sensory feature of wine aroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message : A hypergeometric model is proposed explicitly instead of two previous stochastic models (the Poisson model and Neyman-A model) to describe the topological relationship of trees and the influence of the exclusion distance on gap fraction and clumping index of forest plantation canopies. Abstract: Gap fraction (GF) and clumping index (CI) play key roles in plant light interception, and therefore they have strong impacts on plant growth and canopy radiative transfer processes. Trees are usually assumed to be randomly distributed in natural forests in many previous studies. However, few studies have shown how trees are distributed in forest plantations and how these distribution patterns affect GF and CI in these forests. In this paper, a simple and general distance factor defined as relative allowable shortest distance between centers of two adjacent crowns divided by the mean diameter of the crowns (RASD) is proposed to describe quantitatively the degree of mutual exclusion among trees in forest plantations of various tree distribution patterns. A hypergeometric model is proposed instead of two previous stochastic tree distribution models (the Poisson model and Neyman-A model) to describe the topological relationship of trees and the influences of the exclusion distance on the GF and CI of the forest plantation canopies. The results show that: (1) the hypergeometric model is more suitable than the Poisson model and Neyman-A model for describing the topological relationship of trees in forest plantations; (2) the exclusion distance has strong impacts on GF and CI: there are significant differences between the results of the hypergeometric model and the Poisson model. Larger RASD causes lower GF and larger CI. The simulations are verified by field measurements in four forest plantation stands. Similarly, impacts of RASD on GF and CI are also found for other two crown shapes (prolate and oblate ellipsoids). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A uterine fibroid is a leiomyoma that originates from the smooth muscle layer of the uterus. A variety of endometrial abnormalities are associated with uterine fibroids. This study aims to investigate the methylation status of the E-cadherin gene (CDH1) promoter region in the endometrium of patients with uterine fibroids. The methylation of CDH1 was studied using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in the endometrial tissue of 102 patients with uterine fibroids and 50 control patients. The E-cadherin expression was examined by flow cytometry. The methylation rate of CDH1 promoter region was 33.3% in the endometrium of patients with uterine fibroids and 8% in the endometrium of women without fibroids. The frequency of CDH1 promoter methylation in the endometrium of patients with fibroids was significantly higher than that in the endometrium of women without fibroids (P = .001). Furthermore, the E-cadherin expression level in methylation-positive tissues was significantly lower than that in methylation-negative tissues (P = .017). These results suggest that epigenetic aberration of CDH1 may occur in the endometrium of patients with fibroids, which may be associated with E-cadherin protein expression in endometrial tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The average bit error rate ( ABER) performance of a decode-and-forward (DF) based relay-assisted free-space optical (FSO) communication system over gamma-gamma distribution channels considering the pointing errors is studied. With the help of Meijer's G-function, the probability density function (PDF) and cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the aggregated channel model are derived on the basis of the best path selection scheme. The analytical ABER expression is achieved and the system performance is then investigated with the influence of pointing errors, turbulence strengths and structure parameters. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is also provided to confirm the analytical ABER expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by high heritability. Recently, autism, the most profound form of ASD, has been increasingly attributed to synaptic abnormalities. Postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), encoding PSD protein-95, was found essential for synaptic formation, maturation and plasticity at a PSD of excitatory synapse. It is possibly a crucial candidate gene for the pathogenesis of ASD. To identify the relationship between the rs13331 of PSD95 gene and ASD, we performed a case-control study in 212 patients and 636 controls in a Chinese population by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymerase (PCR-RFLP) assay. The results showed that in genetic analysis of the heterozygous model, an association between the T allele of the rs13331 and ASD was found in the dominant model (OR=1.709, 95% CI 1.227-2.382, P=0.002) and the additive model (OR=1.409, 95% CI=1.104-1.800, P=0.006). Our data indicate that the genetic mutation C>T at the rs13331 in the PSD95 gene is strikingly associated with an increased risk of ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the space diversity reception, the binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulated free space optical (FSO) system over Málaga (M) fading channels is investigated in detail. Under independently and identically distributed and independently and non-identically distributed dual branches, the analytical average bit error rate (ABER) expressions in terms of H-Fox function for maximal ratio combining (MRC) and equal gain combining (EGC) diversity techniques are derived, respectively, by transforming the modified Bessel function of the second kind into the integral form of Meijer G-function. Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is also provided to verify the accuracy of the presented models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dilution effects of non-magnetic Y ions on spin-ice compound DyTiO by infrared and Raman spectra and magnetization measurements were investigated. An anomalous phonon softening with temperature decreasing is found in both the parent and diluted compounds, and Y doping can relax the softening of phonons except that of the IR mode near 233 cm, indicating a strong phonon-phonon coupling in the spin-ice material. The magnetization measurements reveal that the non-magnetic impurities do not severely influence the spin-ice rules in the ground state when the level of dilution is not very high. However, a large amount of dilution enhance the disorder and break the spin-ice state because the collective spin-flip clusters are no longer available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hollow graphene oxide spheres have been successfully fabricated from graphene oxide nanosheets utilizing a water-in-oil emulsion technique, which were prepared from natural flake graphite by oxidation and ultrasonic treatment. The hollow graphene oxide spheres were reduced to hollow graphene spheres at 500°C for 3 h under an atmosphere of Ar(95%)/H(5%). The first reversible specific capacity of the hollow graphene spheres was as high as 903 mAh g at a current density of 50 mAh g. Even at a high current density of 500 mAh g, the reversible specific capacity remained at 502 mAh g. After 60 cycles, the reversible capacity was still kept at 652 mAh g at the current density of 50 mAh g. These results indicate that the prepared hollow graphene spheres possess excellent electrochemical performances for lithium storage. The high rate performance of hollow graphene spheres thanks to the hollow structure, thin and porous shells consisting of graphene sheets. PACS: 81.05.ue; 61.48.Gh; 72.80.Vp [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with outstanding stability is presented. In the fiber laser system, two nested active optical fiber ring filters are configured to improve the comb spectrum performance, a saturable absorber is employed to form a gain grating for both filtering and frequency stabilizing, two cascaded fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are utilized to achieve dual-wavelength output, and a variable attenuator is arranged to adjust output power. Experimental results illustrate that the peak wavelength drift is less than 3 pm, and a good linear relationship between output power and pump power is realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil recovery enhancement is a major technical issue in the development of oil and gas fields. The smart oil field is an effective way to deal with the issue. It can achieve the maximum profits in the oil production at a minimum cost, and represents the future direction of oil fields. This paper discusses the core of the smart field theory, mainly the real-time optimization method of the injection-production rate of water-oil wells in a complex oil-gas filtration system. Computing speed is considered as the primary prerequisite because this research depends very much on reservoir numerical simulations and each simulation may take several hours or even days. An adjoint gradient method of the maximum theory is chosen for the solution of the optimal control variables. Conventional solving method of the maximum principle requires two solutions of time series: the forward reservoir simulation and the backward adjoint gradient calculation. In this paper, the two processes are combined together and a fully implicit reservoir simulator is developed. The matrixes of the adjoint equation are directly obtained from the fully implicit reservoir simulation, which accelerates the optimization solution and enhances the efficiency of the solving model. Meanwhile, a gradient projection algorithm combined with the maximum theory is used to constrain the parameters in the oil field development, which make it possible for the method to be applied to the water flooding optimization in a real oil field. The above theory is tested in several reservoir cases and it is shown that a better development effect of the oil field can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PIWIL2, a member of PIWI/AGO family, is expressed in germline stem cells and precancerous stem cells, but not in adult somatic cells. PIWIL2 plays an important role in tumor development. It is considered as a cancer-testis antigen (CT80). It has been reported that the spliced fragment of PIWIL2, PL2L60, was widely expressed in cancer cell lines. In this study, HLA-A2-restricted epitopes from PL2L60 were predicted by online tools. To improve the activity of the native epitope, a candidate peptide P281 with potent binding affinity was chosen to investigate the modification strategy. A series of aromatic amino acids were introduced to substitute the first residue of P281. Then, we tested the binding affinity and stability of the peptide analogs and their ability to elicit specific immune responses both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicated that the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by [4-Cl-Phe]P281 could elicit more potent activities than that of P281 and other analogs. The CTLs induced by this analog could lyze target cells in HLA-A2-restricted and antigen-specific manners. [4-Cl-Phe]P281 also showed the best resistance against degradation in human serum. In conclusion, the introduction of the unnatural amino acid, 4-Cl-Phe, into the first position could enhance the activity of the native epitope to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes. It might be a good strategy to modify other promising native epitopes. The novel epitopes identified in this study could be used as novel candidates to the immunotherapy of HLA-A2 positive patients with tumors expressing PL2L60. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]