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The adaptive fixed-time bipartite containment issue of p-normal multiagent systems (MASs) with unmodeled dynamics is investigated. In view of the structural characteristics of high-order systems, the technology of adding a power integrator is adopted which overcomes the difficulty caused by the high power of virtual control and real control items. In addition, to further optimize the rationality of resource utilization, an improved threshold strategy including saturation threshold, control input and decreasing function of errors is proposed. Based on practical fixed-time theory, a fixed-time containment control strategy is devised, which ensures that some followers converge to a convex hull spanned by leaders, others converge to the symmetric one spanned by leaders within fixed time. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed containment control scheme and the superiority of the improved threshold strategy are illustrated by comparison simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of optically active biomaterials on drug delivery remains a vital and hot topic. To reveal special advantages of optically active mesoporous silica nanoparticles in delivering drug in cells, optically active mesoporous silica nanoparticles deliver doxorubicin (DOX) with chiral behavior in cancer cells was studied. The present work focused on two types of optically active mesoporous silica nanoparticles named as levorotatory optically active mesoporous silica nanoparticles (LOA-MSNs) and dextrorotatory optically active mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DOA-MSNs) and examined their effects on cellular DOX delivery in cancer cells. The obtained LOA-MSNs and DOA-MSNs were regular spheres with particle diameters ranging from 200 to 250 nm, and their shell layer was filled with interlaced channels. Our results indicated that LOA-MSNs and DOA-MSNs did not exhibit cytotoxicity towards MCF-7 cells and B16 cells. The cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded LOA-MSNs and DOX-loaded DOA-MSNs were stronger than DOX owing to the synergistic retention and accumulation effect of nanoparticles. More importantly, DOX-loaded DOA-MSNs presented stronger cytotoxicity due to the higher synergistic retention and accumulation effect of DOA-MSNs. These findings suggest that DOA-MSNs with superior cellular delivery of DOX have great potential to advance the development of optical anti-tumor delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to rigorously assess the methodological quality of published clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) related to nutrition among colorectal cancer patients, to compile consensus recommendations, and to evaluate the quality of the included CPGs. Methods: The systematic search covered eight electronic databases, two relevant professional association websites, and six guideline websites from their inception up to January 22, 2023. The methodological quality of the eligible guidelines was evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument, and then, consensus recommendations were synthesized. The scores for each domain were expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). Using the mean score as the benchmark for comparison, they were subsequently ranked from highest to lowest. The included guidelines were then categorized as having “high,” “moderate,” or “low” quality based on their scores. Results: The literature search yielded ten guidelines. The findings indicated that the “Clarity of presentation” domain had the highest mean score (65.2 ± 7.7). This demonstrates how the guidelines effectively articulate recommendations. Additionally, the “Scope and purpose” domain achieved a mean score of 60.7 ± 10.9, followed by “Rigor of development” (51.7 ± 15.7), “Editorial independence” (51.1 ± 21), “Stakeholder involvement” (48 ± 16.8), and “Applicability” domains (47.5 ± 17.3). Two CPGs received an overall rating of “high quality” and were recommended; four CPGs received an overall rating of “moderate” and were recommended with modifications; and four CPGs received an overall rating of “low quality” and were not recommended. Furthermore, this study compiled twenty consensus recommendations related to nine distinct clinical issues. Conclusion: This study identified disparities in the methodological quality of the included CPGs, particularly in the “Applicability” domain, thus emphasizing the need for advancement in clinical feasibility and implementation. Notably, there is few guidelines specifically targeting colorectal cancer nutrition. These synthesized findings provided an intuitive, convenient, and comprehensive reference for evaluating nutrition among colorectal cancer patients. When applying these results, users should make careful decisions based on their specific situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Oncogenic alternation in RET is one of the important targets of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pralsetinib has shown great efficacy in RET fusion-positive NSCLC, but a series of adverse reactions will inevitably occur in the meantime. We aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of patients with pneumonia and recognition it in early stage, so patients could longer benefit from pralsetinib. Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective study. RET fusion-positive advanced NSCLC patients who developed pneumonia during pralsetinib treatment from January 2020 to December 2022 were included. Clinical data, time to onset of pneumonia, methods of pneumonia diagnosis, treatment with pneumonia, prognosis of pneumonia, and the effect of pneumonia on the efficacy of pralsetinib. Results: A total of 8 patients with pneumonia were included in the study, most of which were non-smoking female patients and the main fusion gene was KIF5B (87.5%), which was consistent with the general characteristics of RET fusion population. The median occurrence time of pralsetinib-associated pneumonia was 2.15 (range 1.1–6.63) months. All patients were infected by opportunistic pathogens, and the most common pathogen was human herpesviruses and pneumospora yerbii. Fever was always the first symptom, and timely anti-infective treatment including antibiotics, antiviral drugs, and antifungal drugs was effective. Until February 28, 2023, the median follow-up time was 18.7 months, the mean PFS of patients was 17.4 months, and the median PFS was not reached. Fortunately, patients who restarted pralsetinib after infection control continued to benefit. Conclusions: Opportunistic infection may be a unique adverse effect of pralsetinib. During the treatment of pralsetinib, we should be vigilant about the occurrence of pneumonia and achieve early recognition and timely treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) provides better option concerning pathological diagnosis and curative intention of small pulmonary nodules (SPNs) that are sometimes challenging to localize. We assess the safety and feasibility of a new localization technique for SPNs, and report experience accumulated over time. A retrospective review of the new claw-suture localization cases between February 2018 and May 2023 was performed. Nodules were localized by a novel system that has an anchor claw and a tri-colored suture, guided by computed tomography (CT). Localization and operative procedure outcomes were then assessed. A total of 590 SPNs were localized from 568 patients before operation. The median nodule size was 0.70 cm (range, 0.3–2.0 cm). The claw-suture localization was successful without dislodgment or device fracture in 574 of 590 lesions (97.3%). Failures included not meeting target distance between claw and lesion (n = 13 [2.2%]), and device displacement (n = 3 [0.5%]). Complications requiring no further medical intervention included asymptomatic pneumothorax (n = 68 [11.5%]), parenchymal hemorrhage (n = 51 [8.6%]), and hemothorax (n = 1 [0.2%]) with the exception of pleural reaction observed in 2 cases (0.3%). Additionally, the depth of pulmonary nodules was significantly associated with the occurrence of pneumothorax (P = 0.036) and parenchymal hemorrhage (P = 0.000). The median duration of the localization was 12 min (range, 7–25 min). No patient complained of remarkable pain during the entire procedure. Retrieve of device after operation was 100%. The new localization technique is a safe, feasible, and well-tolerated method to localize SPNs for VATS resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-in-the-loop (HiTL) control is promising for the cooperative control problem of multi-agent systems (MASs) under the complicated environment. By considering the effect of human intelligence and decision making, the system robustness and security are notably enhanced. Hence, a distributed fixed-time tracking control problem is investigated in this paper for heterogeneous MASs based on the HiTL idea. First, a lemma of practically fixed-time stable is given where an explicit relationship of settling time and convergence domain is clearly shown. Then, under the framework of the adaptive backstepping approach, a series of modified intermediate control signals is designed to avoid the singularity problem by taking advantage of power transformation, fuzzy logic systems, and inequality schemes. Finally, the numerical example and comparison results are utilized to testify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illumination estimation is crucial for surface detection methods based on visual image reconstruction. The luminance of the machined surface topography with desertification fractal structure is difficult to accurately describe using existing illumination models, which depend on the macrosurface geometric features and reflection characteristics. Therefore, machined surface topography illumination model under coaxial light microscopic vision is proposed in this paper for the online detection of complex surfaces and special functional surface topography in the manufacturing field. Based on light scattering theory, the luminance of the surface topography is studied under the coaxial light microscopic vision; the influencing factors of luminance of surface topography are revealed and the illumination model of machined surface topography is established. The experimental results show that less calculation error occurs when using the proposed illumination model, which can be used to more accurately describe the luminance of machined surface topography. The research results will lay a foundation for online detection and monitoring of machined surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimal stem structure affects stem strength and significantly contributes to wheat yield, for which internode diameter (ID) characteristics are considered important. To specify the genetic basis of wheat internode characteristics, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for the ID trait was performed using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population derived from a cross between Kenong 9204 (KN9204) and Jing 411 (J411), denoted as KJ-RIL. IDs of the 187 KJ-RILs were evaluated in five different environments, and all five IDs were found to be positively associated with thousand kernel weight (TKW) and negatively associated with spike number per plant (SNPP). A total of 47 putative additive QTLs associated with ID were detected, distributed across all 21 wheat chromosomes. Individually, these QTLs explained 3.7–12.3% of the phenotypic variance, and the LOD values ranged from 2.0 to 5.7. Of these 47 QTLs, 36.2% (17) were co-localized with QTLs for kernel number per spike (KNPS), 29.8% (14) for TKW and 25.5% (12) for yield per plant (YPP), respectively, indicating ID traits can influence yield-related traits (YRTs) to some extent. Moreover, three stable QTLs of qID-3-KJ-3D, qID-4-KJ-7A and qID-5-KJ-6B were identified in this study. The present study provides new insights into understanding the genetic relationships between ID and yield potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a distributed adaptive singularity-free fixed-time neural network tracking control problem for vehicular platoon with model uncertainties. The reference trajectory of platoon is modeled based on the actual driving conditions including four stages. Moreover, the adaptive neural network and H ∞ control theory are adopted to tackle unknown nonlinearities and mismatched complete disturbances of third-order vehicle dynamics. Bying integrating fixed-time control with backstepping technology, a distributed adaptive singularity-free fixed-time control protocol is constructed. Meanwhile, a smooth switching function is designed to effectively deal with the conventional fixed-time singularity problem caused by differentiation of a virtual control law. Compared with the existing results, both cases of the designed switching function are practically fixed-time stable. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented control strategy is further attested by simulation experiments of four different scenarios that may take place in actual traffic, including simulation comparisons and one noise analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of social networking services has created an increasing demand for selecting, editing, and generating impressive images. This trend increases the importance of evaluating image aesthetics as a fundamental function of automatic image processing. However, most existing methods for aesthetics score prediction require image rescaling for input, which can affect the prediction, especially for images with unusual aspect ratios. We propose a multi-patch method, called a multi-patch aggregation network (MPA-Net), to predict image aesthetics scores by maintaining the original aspect ratios of the contents in the images. One of our key contributions is the adoption of an equal-interval multi-patch selection approach for the prediction of the aesthetics score. The effectiveness of our strategy is shown through experiments involving the large-scale AVA dataset. Our MPA-Net outperformed the reported scores of the baseline methods and achieved a better performance in terms of the mean square error (MSE) than the state-of-the-art end-to-end continuous aesthetics score prediction methods. Most notably, MPA-Net yields a significantly lower MSE particularly for images with aspect ratios far from 1.0, indicating that MPA-Net is useful for a wide range of image aspect ratios. Moreover, MPA-Net has several benefits for training and evaluation procedures. MPA-Net meets the conditions of end-to-end learning and mini-batch learning simultaneously, and MPA-Net uses only images that do not require external information during the training or prediction stages. Thus, our easy-to-handle method improves the prediction of image aesthetics scores, outstandingly for images with extraordinary aspect ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple method was developed to tune the porosity of coal-derived activated carbons, which provided a model adsorbent system to investigate the volumetric CO2 adsorption performance. Specifically, the method involved the variation of the activation temperature in a K2CO3 induced chemical activation process which could yield activated carbons with defined microporous (< 2 nm, including ultra-microporous < 1 nm) and meso-microporous structures. CO2 adsorption isotherms revealed that the microporous activated carbon has the highest measured CO2 adsorption capacity (6.0 mmol·g−1 at 0 °C and 4.1 mmol·g−1 at 25 °C), whilst ultra-microporous activated carbon with a high packing density exhibited the highest normalized capacity with respect to packing volume (1.8 mmol·cm−3 at 0 °C and 1.3 mmol·cm−3 at 25 °C), which is significant. Both experimental correlation analysis and molecular dynamics simulation demonstrated that (i) volumetric CO2 adsorption capacity is directly proportional to the ultra-micropore volume, and (ii) an increase in micropore sizes is beneficial to improve the volumetric capacity, but may lead a low CO2 adsorption density and thus low pore space utilization efficiency. The adsorption experiments on the activated carbons established the criterion for designing CO2 adsorbents with high volumetric adsorption capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses an event-triggered H ∞ containment control problem for multi-agent systems (MASs) with state constraints. Initially, the problem of state constraints is formulated as an equivalent unconstrained case by designing proper barrier functions. After that, the H ∞ optimal control problem is transformed into a two-player zero-sum game, and the H ∞ containment performance can be realized by obtaining the Nash equilibrium for zero-sum game. Then a novel event-triggered condition is designed for the optimal control and the worst disturbance. Compared with the existing event-triggered control results, the restriction on the disturbance attenuation level is relaxed. In addition, to further solve the event-triggered Hamilton–Jacobi–Isaacs equation (HJIE), a simplified reinforcement learning algorithm based on actor-critic-disturbance network is proposed by calculating the negative gradient of a constructed simple positive function. Meanwhile, such an algorithm can remove the requirement of persistent excitation condition. We also prove that, with the proposed effective strategy, all followers are driven into the convex hall spanned by multiple leaders and the state of each follower does not violate the desired set. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified by two simulation examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 15# coal seam of Yangmei No.5 Mine, which produces anthracite, which is the least prone to spontaneous combustion, has a serious hidden danger of spontaneous combustion due to the high sulfur content in the coal. Based on the better conductivity of anthracite, we designed an electrolysis experiment to accelerate the electrochemical oxidation of pyrite in coal. Through experiments and analysis of thermodynamic characteristic parameters, it is obtained that the electrochemical oxidation of pyrite and its main products Fe3+ and Fe2+ have a coupled catalytic effect on the spontaneous combustion of high-sulfur coal in Yangquan. Combined with the FTIR test and analysis, it is found that the electrochemical process causes spatial polarization in the coal, so that polar groups such as –OH undergo spatial diversion and increase the activity. Due to the high content of –OH in Yangquan anthracite, the electrochemical process has the greatest effect on promoting –OH oxidation. Fe3+ and Fe2+ act as strong oxidants and free radicals to promote the –CH2– reaction to generate C=O and promote the generation of CO. This research provides a new direction for the exploration of the spontaneous combustion mechanism of high-sulfur anthracite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a radiomics signature for predicting survival and chemotherapeutic benefits of patients with lower-grade gliomas (LGG). Methods: Radiomics features were extracted from precontrast axial fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and contrast-enhanced axial T-1 weighted (CE-T1-w) sequence. Lasso Cox regression model was used for feature selection and radiomics signature building. The radiomics signature was developed in a primary cohort that consisted of 149 LGG patients and was then validated on an entirely new validation cohort that contained 66 LGG patients. A radiomics nomogram for the prediction of OS was established by adding the radiomics to clinicopathologic nomogram which developed with clinical data. Results: A radiomics signature derived from joint CE-T1-w and FLAIR images showed better prognostic performance (C-index, 0.798) than signatures derived from CE-T1-w (C-index, 0.744) or FLAIR (C-index, 0.736) sequences alone. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that the radiomics signature was an independent prognostic factor. One radiomics nomogram integrated the radiomics signature from joint CE-T1-w and FLAIR sequences with the clinicopathologic nomogram outperformed the clinicopathologic nomogram based on clinicopathologic data alone in predicting OS of LGG (C-index, 0.821 vs. 0.692; p < 0.001). Further analysis revealed that patients with higher radiomics signature were prone to benefit from chemotherapy. Conclusions: The radiomics signature was independent with clinicopathologic data and was a noninvasive pretreatment predictor for LGG patients' survival. Moreover, it could predict which patients with LGG benefit from chemotherapy. Key Points: • A radiomics signature derived from joint CE-T1-w and FLAIR sequences showed better prognostic performance than signatures derived from either single imaging modality. • The radiomics signature is an independent prognostic factor and outperformed clinicopathologic features in predicting overall survival of LGG patients. • The radiomics signature could help preoperatively identify LGG patients who may benefit from chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of the mixing of litters on their remediation efficiency in petroleum-contaminated soil, litters from two common plants in the petroleum-contaminated region of Northern Shaanxi, China, Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng and Sophora davidii Kom. ex Pavol., and their mixture were mixed with 45 g/kg petroleum-contaminated soil. Based on these, a 150-day simulated remediation experiment was conducted at 25 °C and consistent moisture conditions. The effects on the degradation of petroleum components and the restoration of nutrient contents, pH, and enzymatic activity in the disturbed soil were detected. The effects of the litter treatments on the community structure and carbon source utilization characteristics of soil microorganisms were also studied. The results indicated that all litter treatments significantly accelerated the degradation of petroleum components, while the mixing of litter exhibited significant synergistic effects, leading to significantly higher degradation rates of saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and nonhydrocarbon substances than the observed rates in the single-litter treatments and the predicted rates based on the single-litter treatments. Litter treatment significantly increased the N and P contents and enzymatic activity of contaminated soil. The effects of mixed litter on soil chemical and biological properties fell between the effects of the 2 types of single-litter treatments. However, the mixing of litters exhibited significant synergistic effects in supplementing available P and increasing sucrase, dehydrogenase, lignin peroxidase, and laccase activity, while it exhibited significant antagonistic effects in supplementing nitrate nitrogen and increasing urease, phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase, and manganese peroxidase activity. Litter treatment significantly altered the community structure of soil microorganisms. The relative abundances of some petroleum-degrading microbial phyla or genera in mixed litter-treated soil were significantly different from those in single litter-treated soils, which might contribute to the strengthened remediation effects of mixed litter treatment. The results might provide a theoretical basis for the more effect utilization of biomass resources in the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age is one of the most important risk factors of the occurrence for tumor patients. The majority of patients with urogenital cancers are the elderly, whose clinical characteristics are greatly affected by age and ageing. Our study aimed to explore age-related genes, cells, and biological changes in three common urogenital cancers via integrative bioinformatics analysis. First, mRNA (count format) and clinical data for bladder cancer, prostate cancer and renal cell carcinoma were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Through the comparison of clinicopathological characteristics, genes expression and cells infiltration between the old group and the young group, it was found that the clinical characteristics, genes and cells in the tumor microenvironment of different ages were quite different. And 4 key cells, 14 hub genes and some potential pathways were identified and considered as important factors. More importantly, we analyzed the differential landscape of the genes and cells from different perspectives, and confirmed its importance. In conclusion, we identified genes and cell types associated with age-related changes in the tumour microenvironment in urogenital cancer patients. These genes and cell types may play a critical role in the age-associated differences in clinicopathological characteristics among urogenital cancers, thus providing a link between ageing and cancer occurrence. The findings of this study may pave the way for the development of age-tailored approaches to treat cancer and other age-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017, there are 451 million people with diabetes worldwide. These figures were expected to increase to 693 million by 2045. The research and development of hypoglycemic drugs has become a top priority. Among them, sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs such as glipizide are commonly used in non-insulin-dependent type II diabetes. In order to adapt to the wide range of hypoglycemic drugs and the different individual needs of patients, this topic used glipizide as a model drug, and prepared glipizide preparations with 3D printing technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prescription applicability and control-release behavior of structure and explore the application prospects of 3D printing personalized drug delivery formulations. This article aims to establish a production process for personalized preparations based on 3D printing technology. The process is easy to obtain excipients, universal prescriptions, flexible dosages, exclusive customization, and integrated automation. In this paper, the UV method was used to determine the in vitro release and content analysis method of glipizide; the physical and chemical properties of the glipizide were investigated. The established analysis method was inspected and evaluated, and the experimental results met the methodological requirements. Glipizide controlled-release tablets were prepared by the semisolid extrusion (SSE) method using traditional pharmaceutical excipients combined with 3D printing technology. The formulation composition, in vitro release, and printing process parameters of the preparation were investigated, and the final prescription and process parameters (traveling speed 6.0–7.7 mm/s and extruding speed 0.0060–0.0077 mm/s) were selected through comprehensive analysis. The routine analysis results of the preparation showed that the performance of the preparation meets the requirements. In order for 3D printing technology to play a better role in community medicine and telemedicine, this article further explored the universality of the above prescription and determined the scope of application of prescription drugs and dosages. Glipizide, gliclazide, lornoxicam, puerarin, and theophylline were used as model drugs, and the range of drug loading percentage was investigated. The results showed when the solubility of the drug is 9.45 –8.34 mg/mL, and the drug loading is 3–43%; the release behavior is similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an efficient treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), however, it also brings memory impairment. The insula is a critical brain structure for coordinating affective, cognitive memory, saliency processing, and attention switching suggesting functional activity of insula maybe an important indicator to delineate the treatment and side effects of ECT. Here, Resting-state functional connectivity analyses of insular subregions were performed to reveal the changes of connectivity in 23 MDD patients before and after ECT and 25 healthy control (HC) and identified significantly increased functional connectivity of the right ventral anterior insular subregion with bilateral caudate, angular gyrus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex after ECT. Granger causality analyses identified significantly increased effective connectivity from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to right angular gyrus in MDD patients after ECT. Furthermore, increased effective connectivity from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to right angular gyrus exhibited significantly positive correlation with changed Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores. These results showed that ECT can normalize abnormal functional connectivity and effective connectivity in MDD. Our findings also indicated that the right ventral anterior insula and effective connectivity from dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to right angular gyrus are biomarkers of antidepressant effects during ECT of MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CuFe2O4 nanocrystals with the size about 60 nm were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions, and doped them into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes for enhancing their photocatalytic performance. The morphology, phase, and photoelectric performance of CuFe2O4/PVDF membranes were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS), scanning transmission microscopy (SEM), and transient photoelectrochemical analysis. As a result, the morphologies of CuFe2O4 nanocrystals could change with the concentration of NaOH solution under hydrothermal conditions. CuFe2O4 nanocrystals showed strong facet-dependent photoelectric and photocatalytic properties. PVDF membrane doped with CuFe2O4 nanocubes showed excellent photocatalytic activity of Congo red degradation (95%), and kept the good self-cleaning performance after five circles. The flux and rejection performance displayed the CuFe2O4 nanocubes/PVDF membrane kept high water flux (40 L/m2 h) and Congo red rejection (99%), and the composite membrane have good potential in water treatment applications. Highlights: CuFe2O4 nanocrystals were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The CuFe2O4 nanocubes showed the higher photoelectrochemical performance. The CuFe2O4 /PVDF membrane showed the better photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: SnFe2O4 nanocrystals (nanocubes and nanodisks) were synthesized without using any surfactant by hydrothermal method. The morphologies of SnFe2O4 nanocrystals were depended mainly on the concentration of NaOH solution in hydrothermal condition. Transient photoelectron chemical analysis showed that the photoelectric performance of SnFe2O4 nanocubes (1.3 μA/cm2) was better than that of SnFe2O4 nanodisks (0.8 μA/cm2). The photocatalytic activity of SnFe2O4 nanocrystals was measured by degradation of Congo red solution under visible light irradiation. As a result, SnFe2O4 nanocubes showed a superior photocatalytic degradation of Congo red with the degradation rate of 92% in 120 min. The SnFe2O4 nanocubes can be recovered easily be a magnet and reused for 5 times with remained degradation efficiency about 85%. A possible photocatalytic mechanism has also been proposed. The SnFe2O4 nanocubes have good potential in water treatment applications. SnFe2O4 nanocubes and nanodisks were synthesized without using any surfactant under hydrothermal condition;The concentration of NaOH solution played a critical role in morphology of SnFe2O4 nanocrystals;The SnFe2O4 nanocubes showed the higher photoelectrochemical performance than SnFe2O4 nanodisks;The SnFe2O4 nanocubes exhibited superior photocatalytic oxidation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apatinib has been proved to be effective and safe among patients in gastric cancer in Phase II and III Trials. We aimed to evaluate its efficacy and safety in real world practice, and to explore factors associated with efficacy. Between January 2015 and February 2017, totally 36 patients with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma or adenocarcinoma of gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) were enrolled and followed up retrospectively after failing at least two lines of systemic therapy. The mPFS was 2.65 months (95%CI 1.66–3.54), and mOS was 5.8 months (95%CI 4.77–6.83). Two patients achieved partial response, and nineteen achieved stable disease. The disease control rate (DCR) was 58.3%, and objective response rate (ORR) was 5.6%. Common grade adverse events were hypertension (38.9%), proteinuria (36.1%), and neutropenia (33.3%). And the most common adverse events over grade 3 were hand-foot syndrome (8.3%), anemia (5.6%), and diarrhea (5.6%). No treatment-related death was documented during the drug administration. Exploratory analyses indicated patients treated with antiangiogenic therapy previously were more likely to benefit from apatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is promising for AuNPs/RGO composites to be exploited for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), due to the collaborative effects between the electrocatalytic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and conductive reduced graphene oxide (RGO). In this work, we used a simple way to decorate AuNPs onto the RGO surface by one pot in situ reduction both HAuCl and GO, for which the controlled average size of AuNPs (2.7, 11.5 and 45.7 nm) is adjusting with the mass ratio of HAuCl and GO. The obtained materials, AuNPs/RGO composites, show excellent electrocatalytic activity for the HER that critical dependence on the particle size of AuNPs. The results show that AuNPs/RGO with AuNPs size of 11.5 nm exhibits superior electrochemical activity: low onset potential of 0.029 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode as well as a small Tafel slope of 86 mV per decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) treatment on parameters of photosynthesis and antioxidant defense system were measured in pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) leaves under low-light (LL) stress. Seedlings exposed to LL stress showed increased chlorophyll content as well as decreased net photosynthetic rate ( P ), stomatal conductance ( g ), maximum quantum yield of PSII ( F / F ), actual PSII photochemical efficiency (Φ), electron transport rates and photochemical quenching coefficient ( q ). However, almost all the photosynthetic parameters above were enhanced markedly in seedlings treated with GABA under LL stress. Moreover, LL stress increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide anion radical (O ) and hydrogen peroxide (HO) production. GABA-treated, LL-stressed seedlings exhibited lower MDA, O and HO production, and showed an activated antioxidant defense system, including increased activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, glutathione reductase, ascorbate and glutathione. Moreover, seedlings subjected to LL stress showed increased endogenous GABA levels, and the level was further improved by application of exogenous GABA. These results suggest that GABA mitigates the LL-induced stress via regulating the antioxidant defense system and maintaining a high level of photochemical efficiency in pepper seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the application of heat pipes in thermal management for high-power semiconductor lasers. The heat pipe cooling systems are used for heat dissipation in high-power semiconductor lasers. These systems are used instead of water cooling machines to realize a compact and lightweight laser module. The n-shaped heat pipe cooling system, which consists of eight 6 mm copper heat pipes with sintered powder wicks, can easily handle a heat load of up to 73 W from a single-laser unit. The fabricated U-shaped heat pipe cooling system, which consists of ten 12 mm copper heat pipes with sintered powder wicks, can easily handle a heat load of up to 300 W from five laser units. The optical power of the multi-laser module cooled by the U-shaped heat pipe cooling system reaches 210 W. These results indicate that high-power semiconductor lasers can be cooled using heat pipe cooling systems instead of water cooling machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) is diminished in patients of Parkinson's disease (PD). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is responsible for regulating expression of the DRD3 in the brain. Our previous study showed that hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) could increase BDNF content in the striatum of PD mice. This experiment aimed to evaluate whether HSYA can improve the motor dysfunction induced by rotenone through regulating the BDNF/TrkB/DRD3 signaling pathway in mice. Male C57/BL6 mice were intraperitoneally treated with HSYA. Thirty minutes later, they were intragastrically administered with rotenone at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Pole, rotarod and open field tests were investigated at 28 d. Then, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantia nigra was observed by immunohistochemistry. Dopamine content was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. The expressions of BDNF, phospho-tropomyosin-related kinase B (p-TrkB), tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), phospho-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (p-PI3K), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phospho-protein kinase B (p-AKT), protein kinase B (AKT), and DRD3 were assayed by western blotting. Behavioral tests showed that rotenone-challenged mice displayed motor dysfunction. However, treatment with HSYA improved motor dysfunction induced by rotenone. HSYA treatment increased not only the number of TH-containing dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra, but also the dopamine content in the striatum in PD mice. Moreover, the expressions of BDNF, p-TrkB/TrkB, DRD3, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT were significantly increased in rotenone plus HSYA group. Our results indicated that HSYA improved motor dysfunction in rotenone-induced PD model and the pharmacological action of HSYA was related to regulating BDNF/TrkB/DRD3 signaling pathway, at least, in part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For design situations in case of ambient temperature, both EN1992-1-1 and ACI318 provide guidelines for the design of columns, and for evaluating the structural capacity in case of biaxial bending. However, the effect of fire on these columns subjected to biaxial bending is not mentioned in the provisions. Hence, it is important to evaluate the mechanical behavior of columns in case of biaxial bending combined with fire and to provide guidelines for fire resistance design. In this paper, first a simplified method proposed by Bresler is presented for design under ambient temperature in order to predict the interaction curves of concrete columns subjected to biaxial bending and axial loading, based on a calculation of the uniaxial bending capacity. In order to verify whether this method can be adopted in case of fire, a cross-sectional calculation tool is introduced and validated with experimental data. Further, the results from the simplified method are compared with those obtained with the calculation tool. Subsequently, the simplified method is elaborated further in order to take into account the effect of an ISO 834 standard fire for a column loaded by a symmetrical biaxial load. Finally, the results of a parametric study are presented. Suggestions are given for implementing this method for design of relatively short concrete columns subjected to biaxial bending in case of an ISO 834 fire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the anti-tumor effect of sunitinib in combination with dopamine in the treatment of nu/nu nude mice bearing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells and to develop the combination PK/PD model. Further, simulations were conducted to optimize the administration regimens. Methods: A PK/PD model was developed based on our preclinical experiment to explore the relationship between plasma concentration and drug effect quantitatively. Further, the model was evaluated and validated. By fixing the parameters obtained from the PK/PD model, simulations were built to predict the tumor suppression under various regimens. Results: The synergistic effect was observed between sunitinib and dopamine in the study, which was confirmed by the effect constant (GAMA, estimated as 2.49). The enhanced potency of dopamine on sunitinib was exerted by on/off effect in the PK/PD model. The optimal dose regimen was selected as sunitinib (120 mg/kg, q3d) in combination with dopamine (2 mg/kg, q3d) based on the simulation study. Conclusions: The synergistic effect of sunitinib and dopamine was demonstrated by the preclinical experiment and confirmed by the developed PK/PD model. In addition, the regimens were optimized by means of modeling as well as simulation, which may be conducive to clinical study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to design a polyethylene oxide (PEO) binary hydrophilic matrix controlled system and investigate the most important influence(s) on the in vitro water-insoluble drug release behavior of this controlled system. Direct-compressed PEO binary matrix tablets were obtained from a variety of low viscosity hydrophilic materials as a sustained agent, using anhydrous drugs as a model drug. Water uptake rate, swelling rate, and erosion rate of matrices were investigated for the evaluation of the PEO hydrophilic matrix systems. The effect of the dose, the solubility of water-insoluble drug, and the rheology of polymers on in vitro release were also discussed. Based on the in vitro release kinetics study, three optimized PEO binary matrices were selected for further research. And, these PEO binary matrices had shown the similar release behavior that had been evaluated by the similarity factor f . Further study indicated that they had identical hydration, swelling, and erosion rate. Moreover, rheology study exhibited the similar rheological equation of Herschel-Bulkley and their viscosity was also within the same magnitude. Therefore, viscosity plays the most important role to control drug release compared to other factors in PEO binary matrix system. This research provides fundamental understanding of in vitro drug release of PEO binary hydrophilic matrix tablets and helps pharmaceutical workers to develop a hydrophilic controlled system, which will effectively shorten the process of formulation development by reducing trial-and-error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology creates new opportunities in the design of novel SnO nanomaterials for photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical. Herein, we firstly highlight a facile method to prepare three-dimensional porous networks of ultra-long SnO nanotubes through the single capillary electrospinning technique. Compared with the traditional SnO nanofibers, the as-obtained three-dimensional porous networks show enhancement of photocurrent and photocatalytic activity, which could be ascribed to its improved light-harvesting efficiency and high separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Besides, the synthesis route delivered three-dimensional sheets on the basis of interwoven nanofibrous networks, which can be readily recycled for the desirable circular application of a potent photocatalyst system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Before the new round of healthcare reform in China, primary healthcare providers could obtain a fixed 15 % or greater mark-up of profits by prescribing and selling medicines. There were concerns that this perverse incentive was a key cause of irrational medicine use. China's new Essential Medicines Program (EMP) was launched in 2009 as part of the national health sector reform initiatives. One of its core policies was to eliminate primary care providers' economic incentives to overprescribe or prescribe unnecessarily expensive drugs, which were regarded as consequences of China's traditional financing system for health institutions. Objectives: The objective of the study was to measure changes in prescribing patterns in primary healthcare facilities after the removal of the economic incentives for physicians to overprescribe as a result of the implementation of the EMP. Methods: A comparison design was applied to 8,258 prescriptions in 2007 and 8,278 prescriptions in 2010, from 83 primary healthcare facilities nationwide. Indicators were adopted to evaluate medicine utilization, which included overall number of medicines, average number of Western and traditional Chinese medicines, pharmaceutical expenditure per outpatient prescription, and proportion of prescriptions that contained two or more antibiotics. We further assessed the use of medicines (antibiotics, infusion, hormones, and intravenous injection) per disease-specific prescription for hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery heart disease, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infection, and gastritis. A difference-in-difference analysis was employed to evaluate the net policy effect. Results: Overall changes in indicators were not found to be statistically significant between the 2 years. The results varied for different diseases. The number of Western drugs per outpatient prescription decreased while that of traditional Chinese medicines increased. Overuse of antibiotics remained an extensive problem in the treatment of many diseases, though there was some significant improvement in certain diseases, like diabetes in rural areas. Medicine expenditure per prescription also decreased. Conclusions: It seems that the removal of a perverse economic incentive alone would not lead to improvement of healthcare providers' prescribing patterns. The rationality of the Essential Medicines List and the lack of payers' and providers' meaningful involvement in the development of the policy possibly contribute to the lack of significant changes in prescribing behaviors. It is suggested that China should adopt more comprehensive policies for healthcare facilities, physicians, patients, and payers, rather than just relying on economic incentives to improve rational use of medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the capture of radiocadmium (Cd(II)) by adsorption onto the titanate nanotube/iron oxide (TNT/IOM) magnetic composite as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign cation and anion ions, humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) was studied using batch technique. The results indicated that the adsorption of Cd(II) onto the TNT/IOM magnetic composite was dependent on ionic strength at pH <9.0, but was independent of ionic strength at pH >9.0. Outer-sphere surface complexation were the main mechanism of Cd(II) adsorption onto the TNT/IOM magnetic composite at low pH values, whereas the adsorption was mainly dominated via inner-sphere surface complexation at high pH values. The adsorption of Cd(II) onto the TNT/IOM magnetic composite was dependent on foreign cation and anion ions at low pH values, but was independent of foreign cation and anion ions at high pH values. A positive effect of HA/FA on Cd(II) adsorption onto the TNT/IOM magnetic composite was found at low pH values, while a negative effect was observed at high pH values. From the results of Cd(II) removal by the TNT/IOM magnetic composite, the optimum reaction conditions can be obtained for the maximum removal of Cd(II) from water. It is clear that the best pH values of the system to remove Cd(II) from solution by using the TNT/IOM magnetic composite are 7.0–8.0. Considering the low cost and effective disposal of Cd(II)-contaminated wastewaters, the best condition for Cd(II) capture by the TNT/IOM magnetic composite is at room temperature and solid content of 0.5 g L −1. These results are quite important for estimating and optimizing the removal of Cd(II) and related metal ions by the TNT-based magnetic composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is a copper-dependent amine oxidase that plays important roles in development and homeostasis of the lungs. The aim of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms in the LOX gene were associated with susceptibility to nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We sequenced the promoter region of LOX gene and tested the previously reported polymorphism 473 G/A in the Han Chinese population. A novel polymorphism, −22 G/C, was identified in the promoter region of LOX. However, it did not show any correlation with NSCLC. Frequencies of the 473AA genotype and 473A allele were significantly higher in the NSCLC cases than in control group ( p = 0.004 and p = 0.006, respectively). Further, our results showed that survival time of NSCLC patients with 473AA genotype was significantly shorter compared to the cases carrying 473 G allele (20.0 months vs. 28.0 months, p = 0.011). These data indicate that LOX 473 G/A polymorphism is associated with increased risk of NSCLC and can be a prognostic predictor for this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Cooperative Directional inter-cell Handover Scheme (CDHS) for High Altitude Platform (HAP) communications systems is proposed, in which the handover target cell and the two cells adjacent to this handover target cell work cooperatively to exploit the traffic fluctuation to improve handover performance. Users in the overlap area of the overloaded handover target cell will be forced to handover directionally before their optimal handover boundary in order to free up resources for the handover calls which would otherwise be dropped due to the shortage of resources and queue time out. Simulation results show that the handover call dropping probability is greatly reduced (at least 60%) compared with the general queue handover scheme, with little performance reduction to the call blocking probability, and the Not in the Best Cell (NBC) average time is only increased moderately. Moreover, an optimal cell radius can be achieved for a specific platform speed by minimizing the unified system performance, which is the linear combination of the handover call dropping probability and the NBC average time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

composite layer was prepared on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment, and its microstructure and phase structure were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The tribological performance was measured to investigate its dependence on the nitriding-sulfurizing composite treatment process. The results indicated that the composite layer was mainly comprised of TiN, TiN, and TiS. It was found that the composite layer exhibited superior tribological properties under dry friction and absolute sliding conditions due to the formation of sulfides with self-lubricating function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physical vapor transport process for growing vanadium-doped 6H-SiC single crystals was developed. Some 2-inch 6H-SiC wafers with resistivity larger than 1012 Ω cm were obtained. A yield of semi-insulating wafers of 89% for the whole ingot was achieved, which indicates that a decrease in the incorporation of nitrogen and control of the consumption of vanadium during the whole growth run was successful. The concentrations of vanadium NV and nitrogen NN, determined by secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), and the calculated relation of resistivity versus NV/ NN helped us explore the reason for this high resistivity and high semi-insulating yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intestinal electrical stimulation on small intestinal dysrhythmia and motion sickness-like symptoms induced by vasopressin. Female dogs chronically implanted with two pairs of electrodes on jejunum serosa were used in a four-session study. Saline and vasopressin were infused in sessions 1 and 2, respectively. Sessions 3 and 4 were the same as session 2, except a long- or short-pulse intestinal electrical stimulation was applied on the proximal pair of electrodes. Intestinal slow waves and motion sickness-like symptoms were recorded in each session. Results were as follows. (1) Vasopressin induced intestinal dysrhythmia, uncoupling of slow waves, and vomiting and motion sickness-like symptoms (P < 0.05, ANOVA). (2) Intestinal electrical stimulation with long pulses, but not short pulses, was capable of preventing vasopressin-induced intestinal dysrhythmia. (3) Intestinal electrical stimulation with short pulses, but not long pulses, prevented vomiting and the motion sickness-like symptoms. It is concluded that vasopressin induces intestinal dysrhythmia. Long-pulse intestinal stimulation normalizes vasopressin-induced intestinal slow-wave abnormalities with no improvement in symptoms. Short-pulse stimulation prevents emetic symptoms induced by vasopressin but has no effect on slow waves. These data suggest different mechanisms involved with different methods of intestinal stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fat in the proximal and distal gut inhibits intestinal transit as the jejunal brake and the ileal brake. It is unknown, however, whether the intestinal transit response to fat in the proximal vs distal gut is different. Since surgical removal of the distal small intestine induced faster transit and greater steatorrhea than removal of the proximal small intestine, we hypothesized that the ileal brake inhibited intestinal transit more potently than the jejunal brake. In six dogs equipped with duodenal (10 cm from pylorus) and midintestinal (160 cm from pylorus) fistulas, we compared intestinal transit across an isolated 150-cm test segment (between fistulas), while 0 (buffer), 15, 30, or 60 mM oleate was delivered into either the proximal (between fistulas) or the distal (beyond the midintestinal fistula) half of the gut. The half of the gut not receiving oleate was perfused with buffer. Buffer perfused into both the proximal and the distal half of the gut served as the control. A meal was administered and diverted completely out of the duodenal fistula so that the studies were all done in the fed state. Intestinal transit was measured by counting for the recovery of a radioactive marker from the temporarily diverted output of the midintestinal fistula. We found that (1) intestinal transit was inhibited more potently by oleate in the distal than in the proximal half of the gut (region effect; P < 0.01), (2) oleate inhibited intestinal transit in a load-dependent fashion (dose effect; P < 0.05), and (3) load-dependent inhibition of intestinal transit by oleate depended on the region of exposure (interaction between load and region; P < 0.01). We conclude that intestinal transit is more potently inhibited by fat-induced ileal than jejunal brake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we bridge the gap between carbon mineralization and laundry detergent builder with sodium oxalate. Daily laundry can help mineralize carbon dioxide. First, we screen an environment-friendly process to produce sodium oxalate, using CO2 as a raw material. Then, we evaluate the properties of sodium oxalate as a detergent builder and prove the formation of calcium oxalate under laundry conditions. Our data suggest that sodium oxalate has excellent calcium-removing properties. Detergents based on sodium oxalate have good detergency. Furthermore, solid calcium oxalates (calcium oxalate monohydrate or calcium oxalate dihydrate, which has good stability in water and thermal stability), is obtained from washing waters. These results demonstrate the possibility of using sodium oxalate as detergent builder. The whole process can transform the greenhouse gas CO2 into commodity chemicals and can mineralize carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is thought to play a key role in cognitive and affective regulation, has been widely reported to have a high degree of morphological inter-individual variability and asymmetry. An obvious difference is in the morphology of the paracingulate sulcus (PCS). Three types of PCS have been identified: prominent, present, and absent. In this study, we examined the relationship between PCS asymmetry and whether the asymmetry of the PCS is affected by sex, handedness, or race. PCS measurements were obtained from four datasets. The statistical results revealed that the PCS was more often prominent and present in the left hemisphere than in the right. The percentage of right-handed males with a prominent PCS was greater than that of right-handed females, but the percentage of left-handed males with a prominent PCS was lower than that of left-handed females. In addition, both male and female and both left-handed and right-handed subjects showed a leftward asymmetry of the PCS. Furthermore there were no significant racial differences in the leftward asymmetry of the PCS. Our findings about the morphological characteristics of the PCS may facilitate future clinical and cognitive studies of this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridizing battery and capacitor materials to construct lithium ion capacitors (LICs) has been regarded as a promising avenue to bridge the gap between high-energy lithium ion batteries and high-power supercapacitors. One of the key difficulties in developing advanced LICs is the imbalance in the power capability and charge storage capacity between anode and cathode. Herein, we design a new LIC system by integrating a rationally designed Sn-C anode with a biomass-derived activated carbon cathode. The Sn-C nanocomposite obtained by a facile confined growth strategy possesses multiple structural merits including well-confined Sn nanoparticles, homogeneous distribution and interconnected carbon framework with ultra-high N doping level, synergically enabling the fabricated anode with high Li storage capacity and excellent rate capability. A new type of biomass-derived activated carbon featuring both high surface area and high carbon purity is also prepared to achieve high capacity for cathode. The assembled LIC (Sn-C//PAC) device delivers high energy densities of 195.7 Wh kg−1 and 84.6 Wh kg−1 at power densities of 731.25 W kg−1 and 24375 W kg−1, respectively. This work offers a new strategy for designing high-performance hybrid system by tailoring the nanostructures of Li insertion anode and ion adsorption cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]