Search

This paper presents a novel and fast EMD-based (empirical mode decomposition-based) image fusion approach via morphological filter. Firstly, we develop a multi-channel bidimensional EMD method based on morphological filter to conduct image fusion. It uses the morphological expansion and erosion filters to compute the upper and lower envelopes of a multi-channel image in the sifting processing, and can decompose the input source images into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) with different scales and a residue. It significantly improves the computation efficiency of EMD for multi-channel images while maintaining the decomposition quality. Secondly, we adopt a patch-based fusion strategy with overlapping partition to fuse the IMFs and residue instead of the pixel-based fusion way usually used in EMD-based image fusion, where an energy-based maximum selection rule is designed to fuse the IMFs, and the feature information extracted by IMFs is used as a guide to merge the residue. Such strategy can extract the salient information of the source images well and can also reduce the spatial artifacts introduced by the noisy characteristics of the pixel-wise maps. A large number of comparative experiments on the fusion of several commonly used image data sets with multi-focus and multi-modal images, show that our newly proposed fusion method can obtain much better results than the existing EMD-based image fusion approaches. Furthermore, it is very competitive with the state-of-the-art image fusion methods in visualization, objective metrics, and time performance. The code of the proposed method can be downloaded from: https://github.com/neepuhjp/MFMBEMD-ImageFusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) present with diverse phenotypes and complicated genetic causes. Precise genetic diagnosis contributes to accurate management, and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) and whole-exome sequencing are powerful tools for investigating DSD. However, the prevalent variants resulting in 46,XY DSD remain unclear, especially those associated with mild forms, such as isolated hypospadias, inguinal cryptorchidism, and micropenis. From 2019 to 2021, 74 patients with 46,XY DSD (48 typical and 26 mild) from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were enrolled in our cohort study for targeted NGS or whole-exome sequencing. Our targeted 46,XY DSD panel included 108 genes involved in disorders of gonadal development and differentiation, steroid hormone synthesis and activation, persistent Müllerian duct syndrome, idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, syndromic disorder, and others. Variants were classified as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, variant of uncertain significance, likely benign, or benign following the American College of Medical Genetics guidelines. As a result, 28 of 74 (37.8%) patients with pathogenic and/or likely pathogenic variants acquired genetic diagnoses. The Mild DSD patients acquired a diagnosis rate of 30.7%. We detected 44 variants in 28 DSD genes from 31 patients, including 33 novel and 11 reported variants. Heterozygous (65%) and missense (70.5%) variants were the most common. Variants associated with steroid hormone synthesis and activation were the main genetic causes of 46,XY DSD. In conclusion, 46,XY DSD manifests as a series of complicated polygenetic diseases. NGS reveals prevalent variants and improves the genetic diagnoses of 46,XY DSD, regardless of severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For scalar theories accommodating spherically symmetric Q-balls, there are also towers of quasi-stable composite Q-balls, called charge swapping Q-balls (CSQs). We investigate the properties, particularly the lifetimes, of these long-lived CSQs in 2+1D and 3+1D using numerical simulations with efficient second order absorbing boundary conditions. We find that the evolution of a CSQ typically consists of 4 distinct stages: initial relaxation, first plateau (CSQ stage), fast decay and second plateau (oscillon stage). We chart the lifetimes of CSQs for different parameters of the initial conditions and of the potential, and show the attractor behavior and other properties of the CSQs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart city can improve the efficiency of managing assets and resources, optimize urban services and improve the quality of citizens' life. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can solve many problems in smart city, such as smart transportation, smart healthcare and smart energy. However, security and privacy are the biggest challenges for WSN. Recently, Banerjee et al. proposed a security-enhanced authentication and key agreement scheme for WSN, but their scheme cannot resist offline password guessing attack, impersonation attack, and does not achieve session key secrecy, identity unlinkability, and perfect forward secrecy. In order to fix these flaws, a secure and privacy-preserving authentication protocol for WSN in smart city is proposed. We prove the security of the proposed protocol by using applied pi calculus-based formal verification tool ProVerif and show that it has high computational efficiency by comparison with some related schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease of the bone and joints. Immune-related genes and immune cell infiltration are important in OA development. We analyzed immune-related genes and immune infiltrates to identify OA diagnostic markers. The datasets GSE51588, GSE55235, GSE55457, GSE82107, and GSE114007 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. First, R software was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs), and functional correlation analysis was conducted. Second, CIBERSORT was used to evaluate infiltration of immune cells in OA tissue. Finally, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression algorithm and support vector machine-recurrent feature elimination algorithm were used to screen and verify diagnostic markers of OA. A total of 711 DEGs and 270 DEIRGs were identified in this study. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the DEGs and DEIRGs are closely related to cellular calcium ion homeostasis, ion channel complexes, chemokine signaling pathways, and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. Differential analysis of immune cell infiltration showed that M1 macrophage infiltration was increased but that mast cell and neutrophil infiltration were decreased in OA samples. The machine learning algorithm cross-identified 15 biomarkers (BTC, PSMD8, TLR3, IL7, APOD, CIITA, IFIH1, CDC42, FGF9, TNFAIP3, CX3CR1, ERAP2, SEMA3D, MPO, and plasma cells). According to pass validation, all 15 biomarkers had high diagnostic efficacy (AUC > 0.7), and the diagnostic efficiency was higher when the 15 biomarkers were fitted into one variable (AUC = 0.758). We developed 15 biomarkers for OA diagnosis. The findings provide a new understanding of the molecular mechanism of OA from the perspective of immunology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was found that the corrosion resistance of WC was significantly improved with the addition of a TiN coating. Erosion testing was done using solid particles to quantify dynamic erosion processes in TiN-coated specimens. TiN coatings were deposited on different specimens using physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or plasma chemical vapor deposition (PCVD). Results from the erosion tests indicated that the corrosion resistances of the WC-Co cemented carbide samples were improved following all three coating processes. The order of corrosion resistance in terms of strength was TiN-PVD > TiN-CVD > TiN-PCVD > uncoated specimen. The TiN-PVD sample also had the highest resistance to erosion of the three sample types. The principal factors that influence erosion resistance are adhesion forces and the ratio of the hardness (H) of a material to the elastic modulus (E) of the material. Experimental results from this study demonstrated that the TiN-PVD sample had a large adhesion force (42 N) and higher H/E and H3/E2 values relative to the other sample types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For weed detection in wheat field, it is difficult to identify weeds against the complex field background using single-modal red–green–blue (RGB) images due to similar appearance of grass weeds and wheat. To overcome limitations of single-modal information in grass weed detection, a dual-path weed detection network (WeedsNet) based on multi-modal information is proposed. At first, the single-channel depth image is encoded as a new three-channel image having similar structures with RGB color space, so that they are suitable for feature extraction using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Then, WeedsNet comprising a dual-path feature extraction network is constructed to extract features of weeds from RGB and depth images simultaneously. Finally, weights are assigned to features in different modalities in tandem with the idea of multi-scale object detection and the attention mechanism, thus effectively fusing multi-modal information. The results of the interpretability analysis of the model demonstrate that depth information is beneficial to achieve the detection of grass weeds, and effectively improves the weed detection accuracy in wheat field by complementing with RGB image features. WeedsNet has better detection accuracy than both traditional machine learning methods and integrated learning-based weight assignment methods. The weed detection accuracy is 62.3% based on WeedsNet in natural wheat field and the detection speed of single image was about 0.5s. Weed detection software is designed and developed based on WeedsNet to achieve real-time output of weeds distribution information in natural wheat field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene over silica-doped TiO2 supported Au catalysts was investigated. The silica doping of TiO2 support greatly improved the dehydrogenation activity of Au supported catalysts, which can be ascribed to the reduced Au particle size. An ethane conversion of 15.8% and ethylene selectivity of 94.8% can be obtained over the catalyst with SiO2 doping of 20 wt%. However, the activity would begin to decrease with further increasing of SiO2 content, since the proportion of Auδ+ species decreased monotonically with SiO2 amount, which may also play an important role in ethane dehydrogenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new function is introduced to generate various multi-double-scroll and multi-double-wing hidden attractors. In order to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method, three chaotic systems are taken into consideration: a 3D chaotic system with stable equilibria, a 4D chaotic system and a 4D hyper-chaotic system both without equilibrium. And the dynamical behaviors of these systems are theoretically analyzed and numerically simulated, such as analysis of equilibria and their stability, Lyapunov exponent spectra and bifurcation diagrams. Moreover, a corresponding electronic circuit is designed based on the 4D chaotic system. The hardware experimental results are in agreement with the numerical simulations on the Matlab platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permian marine strata have gradually become a research focus in the world. The marine strata of the Late Permian Dalong Formation (P3d) in the Fenghai area, Fujian Province, have become more and more important as their geochemical characteristics record important geological information and are a good indicator for recovering and reconstructing the paleo-sedimentary environments and tectonic attributes. The major elements, trace elements and rare earth elements were analyzed by XRF and ICP-MS, respectively. Based on the results of detailed field geological surveys, profile measurements as well as typical sample collection, the tectonic setting and provenance of Permian marine mudstone were comprehensively discussed. The results showed that the Dalong Formation (P3d) was deposited in an active continental margin tectonic environment as revealed by the relation between Fe2O3 + MgO and TiO2 and Al2O3/SiO2. The fingerprint characteristics of Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and REE and the ratio of U/Th, V/Cr, Sr/Ba, (La/Yb)N and V/(V + Ni) indicated that the sedimentary provenance was mainly derived from potassium feldspar, followed by muscovite. Sedimentary water bodies showed a gradually decreasing depositional rate trend, water depth gradually shallowing and paleo-salinity and productivity gradually increasing. Moreover, since transient delamination occurred during sedimentary processes, sedimentary water bodies showed obvious neritic characteristics. It was consistent with the results revealed by lithological and geochemical characteristics. Calcareous mudstone and siltstone transitioned into fine sandstone from bottom to top, indicating paleo-water bodies became shallow. The research results provided good reference and guidance for understanding Permian paleo-sedimentary environments and tectonic attributes of the Yong'an area, Fujian Province, southeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a convex relaxation of the rank minimization model, the nuclear norm minimization (NNM) problem has been attracting significant research interest in recent years. The standard NNM regularizes each singular value equally, composing an easily calculated convex norm. However, this restricts its capability and flexibility in dealing with many practical problems, where the singular values have clear physical meanings and should be treated differently. In this paper we study the weighted nuclear norm minimization (WNNM) problem, which adaptively assigns weights on different singular values. As the key step of solving general WNNM models, the theoretical properties of the weighted nuclear norm proximal (WNNP) operator are investigated. Albeit nonconvex, we prove that WNNP is equivalent to a standard quadratic programming problem with linear constrains, which facilitates solving the original problem with off-the-shelf convex optimization solvers. In particular, when the weights are sorted in a non-descending order, its optimal solution can be easily obtained in closed-form. With WNNP, the solving strategies for multiple extensions of WNNM, including robust PCA and matrix completion, can be readily constructed under the alternating direction method of multipliers paradigm. Furthermore, inspired by the reweighted sparse coding scheme, we present an automatic weight setting method, which greatly facilitates the practical implementation of WNNM. The proposed WNNM methods achieve state-of-the-art performance in typical low level vision tasks, including image denoising, background subtraction and image inpainting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many two-factor challenge-response based session initiation protocol (SIP) has been proposed, but most of them are vulnerable to smart card stolen attacks and password guessing attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel three-factor SIP authentication scheme using biometrics, password and smart card, and utilize the pi calculus-based formal verification tool ProVerif to prove that the proposed protocol achieves security and authentication. Furthermore, our protocol is highly efficient when compared to other related protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In telecare medicine information systems (TMIS), identity authentication of patients plays an important role and has been widely studied in the research field. Generally, it is realized by an authenticated key agreement protocol, and many such protocols were proposed in the literature. Recently, Zhang et al. pointed out that Islam et al.'s protocol suffers from the following security weaknesses: (1) Any legal but malicious patient can reveal other user's identity; (2) An attacker can launch off-line password guessing attack and the impersonation attack if the patient's identity is compromised. Zhang et al. also proposed an improved authenticated key agreement scheme with privacy protection for TMIS. However, in this paper, we point out that Zhang et al.'s scheme cannot resist off-line password guessing attack, and it fails to provide the revocation of lost/stolen smartcard. In order to overcome these weaknesses, we propose an improved protocol, the security and authentication of which can be proven using applied pi calculus based formal verification tool ProVerif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uvula flapping is one of the most distinctive features of snoring and is critical in affecting airway aerodynamics and vibrations. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism of pharyngeal vibration and pressure fluctuation due to uvula flapping employing fluid–structure interaction simulations. The followings are the methodology part: we constructed an anatomically accurate pediatric pharynx model and put attention on the oropharynx region where the greatest level of upper airway compliance was reported to occur. The uvula was assumed to be a rigid body with specific flapping frequencies to guarantee proper boundary conditions with as little complexity as possible. The airway tissue was considered to have a uniform thickness. It was found that the flapping frequency had a more significant effect on the airway vibration than the flapping amplitude, as the flapping uvula influenced the pharyngeal aerodynamics by altering the jet flow from the mouth. Breathing only through the mouth could amplify the effect of flapping uvula on aerodynamic changes and result in more significant oropharynx vibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) co-opt the neuronal high affinity glucose transporter, GLUT3, to withstand metabolic stress. We investigated another mechanism critical to brain metabolism, mitochondrial morphology, in BTICs. BTIC mitochondria were fragmented relative to non-BTIC tumor cell mitochondria, suggesting that BTICs increase mitochondrial fission. The essential mediator of mitochondrial fission, dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), showed activating phosphorylation in BTICs and inhibitory phosphorylation in non-BTIC tumor cells. Targeting DRP1 using RNA interference or pharmacologic inhibition induced BTIC apoptosis and inhibited tumor growth. Downstream, DRP1 activity regulated the essential metabolic stress sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and targeting AMPK rescued the effects of DRP1 disruption. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) phosphorylated DRP1 to increase its activity in BTICs, whereas Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase 2 (CAMK2) inhibited DRP1 in non-BTIC tumor cells, suggesting that tumor cell differentiation induces a regulatory switch in mitochondrial morphology. DRP1 activation correlated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma, suggesting that mitochondrial dynamics may represent a therapeutic target for BTICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient's privacy-preserving, security and mutual authentication between patient and the medical server are the important mechanism in connected health care applications, such as telecare medical information systems and personally controlled health records systems. In 2013, Wen showed that Das et al.'s scheme is vulnerable to the replay attack, user impersonation attacks and off-line guessing attacks, and then proposed an improved scheme using biometrics, password and smart card to overcome these weaknesses. However, we show that Wen's scheme is still vulnerable to off-line password guessing attacks, does not provide user's anonymity and perfect forward secrecy. Further, we propose an improved scheme to fix these weaknesses, and use the applied pi calculus based formal verification tool ProVerif to prove the security and authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has been widely used as transducers, actuators,and sensors due to its exceptional electroactive properties among polymer materials and the electroactive properties of PVDF heavily depend on its polymorphs. The effects of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) on the crystallization behavior of PVDF during isothermal crystallization and annealing process were studied, and the results showed that the polar phases (β, γ) were induced by CTAB when PVDF was isothermally crystallized at 145-160 °C. Increasing the isothermal crystallization temperature resulted in an increased γ-phase formation with a concomitant decrease of α and β phases. A 100 % γ-phase formation occurred when the sample isothermally crystallized at 155 and 160 °C. The crystalline phase transition of the sample annealed at 160 °C for various time revealed that CTAB induced the transformation from α to γ′ phase and a higher concentration of CTAB resulted in shorter transformation time, as well as higher transformation degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Previous studies have shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, activators of the cortex, apparently improved language functional recovery after brain damage rather than simply affective disorders. Objective: Our aim was to determine whether venlafaxine (an agonist of both norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine) could modulate language cortex function. Methods: A double-blind, crossover, randomized design was used to compare two 7-day treatment sessions with either venlafaxine (75 mg per day) or placebo. A functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment and two language function tests were performed on eight healthy males (mean age, 28.25 ± 3.15 years) at the end of each session, i.e., study entry, after venlafaxine, and after placebo (days 0, 7, and 18). Hyperactivation (venlafaxine minus placebo >0) or hypoactivation (placebo minus venlafaxine >0) by venlaxafine was assessed on the basis of the activation-baseline contrast. Results: The naming score ( P < .001) and spontaneous language fluency ( P < .001) were significantly higher after venlafaxine than after placebo. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that (1) picture naming activated the left posterior gyrus frontalis medius and the bilateral fusiform gyrus and the bilateral outer occipital lobes, (2) hyperactivation was observed in the adjoining area of posterior upper Broca area and premotor area in the dominant hemisphere in venlafaxine session (after venlafaxine), (3) the hyperactivation of the left gyrus frontalis medius on fMRI and the increase in naming test score were positively correlated, and (4) by contrast, we observed hypoactivation in the temporo-parieto-occipital region in venlafaxine session (after venlafaxine). This improvement may be related to increased phonics-related output in the frontal language cortex of the dominant hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the oral mucosa that represents T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. The regulation and roles of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cellular adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), a novel immune molecule, in the immunopathogenesis of T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases remain unclear. In the current paper, CEACAM1 was found to be overexpressed in peripheral T cells and epithelial cells in oral lichen planus patients. A fraction of infiltrating inflammatory mononuclear cells in the lamina propria of the oral lichen planus mucosa also expressed CEACAM1. Importantly, for the first time, CEACAM1 expression in T cells and in normal human oral keratinocytes was demonstrated to be regulated differently by osteopontin in vitro. Furthermore, the apoptosis of oral keratinocytes and activated T cells can be markedly suppressed by CEACAM1-specific monoclonal antibodies. In conclusion, OPN-regulated CEACAM1 expression may play a critical role in the immunopathogenesis of oral lichen planus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to compare the long-term clinical outcomes and costs between using either transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) or X-ray fluoroscopy for Percutaneous atrial septal defect (ASD) closure in children. An analysis was conducted on clinical data from children undergoing TEE-guided (n = 168) and X-ray-guided (n = 139) percutaneous ASD closure. Demographic characteristics, technical indices, acute complications, follow-up outcomes, and costs were compared between the groups. The results are that TEE-guided closure demonstrated shorter surgical times (20.3 ± 7.6 min vs. 32.8 ± 7.9 min, P < 0.001) and lower procedural costs ($3093.3 ± 451.5 vs. $3589.1 ± 219.4, P < 0.001) compared to X-ray guidance. Initial successful closure rates were similar between the groups (TEE: 98.2%, XR: 97.1%, P = 0.691). TEE guidance also resulted in fewer acute complications and reduced radiation exposure. TEE-guided percutaneous ASD closure offers advantages in terms of shorter surgical times, lower procedural costs, and reduced radiation exposure compared to X-ray guidance. These findings support the preference for TEE guidance in pediatric ASD closure procedures, with potential implications for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study charge-swapping Q-balls, a kind of composite Q-ball where positive and negative charges co-exist and swap with time, in models with a logarithmic potential that arises naturally in supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model. We show that charge-swapping Q-balls can be copiously generated in the Affleck-Dine fragmentation process in the early universe. We find that the charge-swapping Q-balls with the logarithmic potential are extremely stable. By performing long time, parallelized lattice simulations with absorbing boundary conditions, we find that the lifetimes of such objects with low multipoles are at least 4.6 × 105/m in 3+1D and 2.5 × 107/m in 2+1D, where m is the mass scale of the scalar field. We also chart the attractor basin of the initial conditions to form these charge-swapping Q-balls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is recognized that PCOS patients are often accompanied with aberrant follicular development, which is an important factor leading to infertility in patients. However, the relevant regulatory mechanisms of abnormal follicular development are not well understood. In the present study, by collecting human ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) from PCOS patients who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF), we found that the proliferation ability of GCs in PCOS patients was significantly reduced. Surprisingly, PATL2 and adrenomedullin 2 (ADM2) were obviously decreased in the GCs of PCOS patients. To further explore the potential roles of PATL2 and ADM2 on GC, we transfected PATL2 siRNA into KGN cells to knock down the expression of PATL2. The results showed that the growth of GCs remarkably repressed after knocking down the PATL2, and ADM2 expression was also weakened. Subsequently, to study the relationship between PATL2 and ADM2, we constructed PATL2 mutant plasmid lacking the PAT construct and transfected it into KGN cells. The cells showed the normal PATL2 expression, but attenuated ADM2 expression and impaired proliferative ability of GCs. Finally, the rat PCOS model experiments further confirmed our findings in KGN cells. In conclusion, our study suggests that PATL2 promoted the proliferation of ovarian GCs by stabilizing the expression of ADM2 through "PAT" structure, which is beneficial to follicular development, whereas, in the ovary with polycystic lesions, reduction of PATL2 could result in the decreased expression of ADM2, subsequently weakened the proliferation ability of GCs and finally led to the occurrence of aberrant follicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating the surface-grafted cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with enantiomeric polylactide (PLLA or PDLA) is an effective and sustainable way to modify PLLA, but their difference in promoting matrix crystallization is still unrevealed. In this study, the CNCs with identical content and length of PLLA and PDLA (CNC-g-L and CNC-g-D) were prepared and blended with PLLA. The rheological properties of PLLA/CNC-g-D are greatly improved, indicating that the stereocomplexation can significantly improve the interfacial strength as compared with the conventional van der Waals force in PLLA/CNC-g-L. Surprisingly, the matrix crystallizes at a higher rate in PLLA/CNC-g-L than PLLA/CNC-g-D. PLLA/CNC-g-L15 reaches its half crystallinity in 8.26 min while a longer period of 13.41 min is required for PLLA/CNC-g-D15. POM observation reveals that the superior crystallization behavior in PLLA/CNC-g-L is originated from its higher nucleation efficiency and faster growth rate. The formation of low content of sc-PLA at the interface can restrict the diffusion of PLLA but contribute less to generate crystalline nuclei, which synergistically leads to the retarded crystallization kinetics in PLLA/CNC-g-D. Revealing the mechanism of different interfacial enantiomeric grafting on the melt rheology and crystallization of PLLA is of great significance for the development of high-performance polylactide materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is partly responsible for hepatitis, fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV core protein (HBc), encoded by the HBV genome, may play a significant role in HBV life cycle. However, the function of HBc in the occurrence and development of liver disease is still unclear. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, HBc-transfected HCC cells were characterized by multi-omics analyses. Combining proteomics and metabolomics analyses, our results showed that HBc promoted the expression of metabolic enzymes and the secretion of metabolites in HCC cells. In addition, glycolysis and amino acid metabolism were significantly up-regulated by HBc. Moreover, Max-like protein X (MLX) might be recruited and enriched by HBc in the nucleus to regulate glycolysis pathways. This study provides further insights into the function of HBc in the molecular pathogenesis of HBV-induced diseases and indicates that metabolic reprogramming appears to be a hallmark of HBc transfection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 24-year-old primigravida who presented with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and intrauterine fetal death after cholecystectomy and 16 weeks of gestation. Two days after her operation she complained of pain in her lower abdomen and was then diagnosed with intrauterine fetal death and induced. Testing revealed that she was suffering from antiphospholipid antibody syndrome which brings about hypercoagulability as well as spontaneous abortions.

In the multi-server authentication (MSA) paradigm, a subscriber might avail multiple services of different service providers, after registering from registration authority. In this approach, the user has to remember only a single password for all service providers, and servers are relieved of individualized registrations. Many MSA-related schemes have been presented so far, however with several drawbacks. In this connection, recently Li et al. in Wirel. Pers. Commun., (2016). doi: presented a chaotic map-based multi-server authentication scheme. However, we observed that Li et al. suffer from malicious server insider attack, stolen smart card attack, and session-specific temporary information attack. This research work is based on improving security of Li et al.'s protocol in minimum possible computation cost. We also evaluate the security for the contributed work which is provable under formal security analysis employing random oracle model and BAN Logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided image super-resolution (GISR) aims to obtain a high-resolution (HR) target image by enhancing the spatial resolution of a low-resolution (LR) target image under the guidance of a HR image. However, previous model-based methods mainly take the entire image as a whole, and assume the prior distribution between the HR target image and the HR guidance image, simply ignoring many non-local common characteristics between them. To alleviate this issue, we firstly propose a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation model for GISR with two types of priors on the HR target image, i.e., local implicit prior and global implicit prior. The local implicit prior aims to model the complex relationship between the HR target image and the HR guidance image from a local perspective, and the global implicit prior considers the non-local auto-regression property between the two images from a global perspective. Secondly, we design a novel alternating optimization algorithm to solve this model for GISR. The algorithm is in a concise framework that facilitates to be replicated into commonly used deep network structures. Thirdly, to reduce the information loss across iterative stages, the persistent memory mechanism is introduced to augment the information representation by exploiting the Long short-term memory unit (LSTM) in the image and feature spaces. In this way, a deep network with certain interpretation and high representation ability is built. Extensive experimental results validate the superiority of our method on a variety of GISR tasks, including Pan-sharpening, depth image super-resolution, and MR image super-resolution. Code will be released at https://github.com/manman1995/pansharpening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular wall resident stem cells (VW-SCs) play a key role in vascular formation and remodeling under both physiological and pathological situations. They not only serve as a reservoir to supply all types of vascular cells needed, but also regulate vascular homeostasis by paracrine effects. Venous malformations (VMs) are common congenital vascular malformations which are just characterized by the deficient quantity and abnormal function of vascular cells. However, the existence and role of VW-SCs in VMs is still unclear at present. In this study, the level and distribution of VW-SCs in 22 specimens of VMs were measured by immunochemistry, double-labeling immunofluorescence, and qPCR, followed by the Spearman rank correlation test. We found that both the protein and mRNA expression levels of CD34, vWF, VEGFR2, CD44, CD90, and CD105 were significantly downregulated in VMs compared with that in normal venules. VW-SCs were sporadically distributed or even absent within and outside the endothelium of VMs. The expression of the VW-SC-related markers was positively correlated with the density of both endothelial cells and perivascular cells. All those results and established evidence indicated that VW-SCs were more sporadically distributed with fewer amounts in VMs, which possibly contributing to the deficiency of vascular cells in VMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to convert the English version of the Evaluation of Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of life (EASi-QoL) into a Chinese version, and to test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of EASi-QoL. Methods: The EASi-QoL was translated into Chinese. A total of 127 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were evaluated using the Chinese version of EASi-QoL to test its validity and reliability. Internal and test–retest reliability was assessed. In addition, correlation and exploratory factor analyses evaluating the structural, convergent, and criterion-related validities of this measure were performed. Results: The total Cronbach's α coefficient of the Chinese version of EASi-QoL was 0.911. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of the scale in this study was 0.917, and the Bartlett's test value was 2403.499. The convergent validity of the related domains was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis; and the average variance extracted values corresponding to the four dimensions were all > 0.5, and the composite reliability values were all > 0.7. Discriminative validity analysis showed that the correlation between the four domains of EASi-QoL and their related domains of the depression/anxiety screening scale and the Medical Outcomes study Short-Form 36 were moderate to high. Conclusion: The Chinese version of EASi-QoL has high reliability and validity, and can reflect the impact of AS on the quality of life. Key Points • The Chinese version of EASi-QoL can accurately measure the impact of AS on the quality of life from the perspective of a patient. It is applicable to the evaluation of AS patients in China • The Chinese version of EASi-QoL is a scale with good reliability and validity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To query the experience of oral surgeons concerning referral routines and preferences for radiographic imaging modality before surgical removal of mandibular third molars and investigate factors that influence imaging modality preferences. Materials and methods: Members of the Swedish Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (n = 280) were invited to participate in a web-based digital survey concerning their experiences and use of three imaging modalities in pre-surgical assessment of mandibular third molar removal. The survey comprised multiple-choice questions and four cases depicted in images; respondents reported whether they would supplement the cases with other images and, if so, from which modality. Results: The response rate was 64%. Panoramic radiographs were most commonly used in pre-surgical planning (response options: always or often), significant difference between professions (p = 0.039), and considered to facilitate treatment planning (87%), as was CBCT (82%); for 51%, CBCT reduced post-operative complications. Preferred modality for localizing the mandibular canal was fairly evenly distributed and for non-complex case, significant difference between subgroups of OMFS surgeons was found (p = 0.003) as to preference for intraoral radiographs. Conclusions: A majority of respondents received a report within 2 weeks of their referral for CBCT and would read the report and view the images before surgery. Image modality preference differed depending on case complexity, with a greater perceived need for CBCT. Profession and practical experience affected choice. Clinical relevance: Choice of imaging modality in mandibular third molar assessment is also important from dose delivery and social economy standpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formins are actin-binding proteins that are key to maintaining the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, molecular mechanisms controlling the stability of formin proteins in plants remain unknown. Here, we have identified six rice SIAH-type E3 ligases, named RIP1-6 (RMD Interacting Protein 1–6) respectively, with ubiquitination enzyme activity in vitro. All six proteins can form homo- and hetero-dimers with themselves, and hetero-dimers with type II formin RMD/OsFH5. In vivo assays showed that RIP1-6 proteins localize in the cytoplasm with a punctate distribution, and all of them interact with RMD to change its native diffuse cytoplasmic localization to match that of RIP1-6. To our surprise, degradation experiments revealed that RIP1, RIP5, and RIP6 decrease rather than increase the degradation rate of RMD. Genetic analyses revealed redundancy between these six genes; either single or double mutants did not show any obvious phenotypes. However, the sextuple rip1-6 mutant displayed dwarf height, wrinkled seeds and wider leaves that were similar to the previously reported rmd mutant, and defective microfilaments and increased flag leaf angles that were not reported in rmd mutant. Collectively, our study provides insights into the mechanisms determining formin protein stability in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formins are actin-binding proteins that are key to maintaining the actin cytoskeleton in cells. However, molecular mechanisms controlling the stability of formin proteins in plants remain unknown. Here, we have identified six rice SIAH-type E3 ligases, named RIP1-6 (RMD Interacting Protein 1–6) respectively, with ubiquitination enzyme activity in vitro. All six proteins can form homo- and hetero-dimers with themselves, and hetero-dimers with type II formin RMD/OsFH5. In vivo assays showed that RIP1-6 proteins localize in the cytoplasm with a punctate distribution, and all of them interact with RMD to change its native diffuse cytoplasmic localization to match that of RIP1-6. To our surprise, degradation experiments revealed that RIP1, RIP5, and RIP6 decrease rather than increase the degradation rate of RMD. Genetic analyses revealed redundancy between these six genes; either single or double mutants did not show any obvious phenotypes. However, the sextuple rip1-6 mutant displayed dwarf height, wrinkled seeds and wider leaves that were similar to the previously reported rmd mutant, and defective microfilaments and increased flag leaf angles that were not reported in rmd mutant. Collectively, our study provides insights into the mechanisms determining formin protein stability in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising use of 3D digital products has increased the demand for copyright protection. In this paper, we propose a novel and robust 3D watermarking method with high imperceptibility based on EMD (empirical mode decomposition) on surfaces. It first defines a normalized modulus signal on a 3D host model so as to involve EMD into 3D watermarking effectively. And then, it extracts different scale features of the defined signal by using EMD to locate the proper embedding positions. After this, the watermark signal is embedded repeatedly and cyclically into the 3D host model to enhance the robustness. The embedding strength is optimized according to a predefined fidelity parameter to control the imperceptibility of the watermark. Many experiment results show that the proposed method can obtain good results against various attacks while maintaining high invisibility, such as pseudo-random noise, Laplacian smoothing, simplification, subdivision, cropping, and similarity transformation. Furthermore, it is very competitive with the current state-of-the-art 3D watermarking techniques in terms of robustness and invisibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ewing sarcoma (ES) is one of the most common malignant bone tumors in children and adolescents. The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the development of ES. Here, we developed an optimal signature for determining ES patient prognosis based on immune-related genes (IRGs). Methods: We analyzed the ES gene expression profile dataset, GSE17679, from the GEO database and extracted differential expressed IRGs (DEIRGs). Then, we conducted functional correlation and protein–protein interaction (PPI) analyses of the DEIRGs and used the machine learning algorithm-iterative Lasso Cox regression analysis to build an optimal DEIRG signature. In addition, we applied ES samples from the ICGC database to test the optimal gene signature. We performed univariate and multivariate Cox regressions on clinicopathological characteristics and optimal gene signature to evaluate whether signature is an important prognostic factor. Finally, we calculated the infiltration of 24 immune cells in ES using the ssGSEA algorithm, and analyzed the correlation between the DEIRGs in the optimal gene signature and immune cells. Results: A total of 249 DEIRGs were screened and an 11-gene signature with the strongest correlation with patient prognoses was analyzed using a machine learning algorithm. The 11-gene signature also had a high prognostic value in the ES external verification set. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that 11-gene signature is an independent prognostic factor. We found that macrophages and cytotoxic, CD8 T, NK, mast, B, NK CD56bright, TEM, TCM, and Th2 cells were significantly related to patient prognoses; the infiltration of cytotoxic and CD8 T cells in ES was significantly different. By correlating prognostic biomarkers with immune cell infiltration, we found that FABP4 and macrophages, and NDRG1 and Th2 cells had the strongest correlation. Conclusion: Overall, the IRG-related 11-gene signature can be used as a reliable ES prognostic biomarker and can provide guidance for personalized ES therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many uncertainties are introduced inevitably during estimating fire risk for life safety in buildings. Probabilistic methods, the most widely used method to deal with uncertainties, require a large number of historical data. Due to the uniqueness of building fires, such data are rarely available. In order to address this limitation, a fuzzy risk assessment method for life safety under building fires is presented. Event tree is constructed to analyze potential fire scenarios arisen from the failure of fire protection systems. According to the definition of fire risk for life safety, occurrence likelihoods and expected casualty numbers of fire scenarios are estimated with consideration of some uncertainties. Due to limited statistical data and poor knowledge about fire dynamic and evacuation, fuzzy numbers are employed to describe these uncertainties. Based on calculated occurrence likelihood and expected casualty number for a fire scenario, the risk of life safety for a fire scenario is obtained as a fuzzy number. A practical case study for a hypothetical one storey commercial building is carried out with the assessment method presented in this paper and compared with the conventional probabilistic assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was designed to compare long-term clinical outcomes and costs between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and transcatheter Amplatzer occlusion (TAO). This study enrolled 294 patients with isolated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) from April 2002 to April 2007, and 290 of these patients were followed up until April 2010. Of the 294 patients, 196 underwent VATS and 98 accepted TAO for PDA closure. The two groups were similar in terms of demographics and preoperative clinical characteristics. No cardiac deaths occurred in either group. All the patients in the VATS group had successful PDA closure, and 94 patients (94/98, 95.9%) in the TAO group had successful PDA occlusion. The incidence of acute procedure-related complications recorded was 1.5% in the VATS group compared with 10.2% in TAO group ( P < 0.05). The cost per patient was $1,309.40 ± $312.20 in the VATS group and $3,415.80 ± $637.30 in the TAO group ( P < 0.05). There were no cardiac deaths or newly occurring arrhythmias in either group during the fellow-up period. Up to the latest follow-up, no late recanalization or residual shunting was documented, and heart structure returned to normal level in the VATS group. However, residual shunting was detected in four more TAO patients. This study confirmed the long-term safety and efficacy of VATS clipping of PDA. Compared with TAO, PDA interrupted with VATS can achieve both excellent clinical results and satisfying cost effectiveness. The cost for VATS is only a little more than one third the cost for TAO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To observe the influence of Baicalin and Octreotide on liver and kidney of rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and discuss the related mechanism. SAP rats were randomly divided into model control, Baicalin treated and Octreotide treated group ( n = 45). The same number of normal rats were included in sham-operated group ( n = 45). In all groups, the mortality rate, pathological changes as well as expression levels of NF-κB p65 and P-selectin protein in liver and kidney were observed at 3, 6 and 12 h after operation. The survival rate of treated group was 100% at 12 h significantly higher than that of model control group ( P < 0.05). The pathological changes of liver and kidney in treated groups were alleviated to different degrees, the NF-κB protein expression levels and pathological severity scores in liver and kidney of treated groups were significantly lower than those of model control group ( P < 0.05 or P < 0.001). The hepatic P-selectin protein expression level in Baicalin treated group was significantly lower than that of model control group at 3 h ( P < 0.01), and renal P-selectin expression level in Baicalin treated group at 3 and 6 h were significantly lower than those of model control group and Octreotide treated group ( P < 0.01). (1) Early treatment with Baicalin or Octreotide have obvious protecting effects on liver and kidney injuries in SAP with their mechanisms associated to inhibiting NF-κB and P-selectin expression of liver and kidney. (2) Comparing the pharmacologic effects of Octreotide and Baicalin, we believe Baicalin as a new drug with its protecting effects on liver and kidney of SAP rats similar to Octreotide is worth further studying. (3) The advantages of tissue microarrays in pathological examination include time and energy saving and highly efficient. But the restriction of small diameter weakens the representation of tissues to various extents, which may lead to the deviation of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Na~/H~ antiporters (NHX) are ubiquitous transmembrane proteins that play a key role in salt tolerance of plants. In this study, the sequence of 3 Arabidopsis NHX genes (AtNHX2-4) were compared with other AtNHX members. Putative cis-elements analysis identified elements that have been associated with stress responses. The activities of the promoters AtNHX2-4 were studied in transgenic plants carrying corresponding promoter-~-glucuronidase (GUS) fusions. The AtNHX2 promoter-GUS analysis indicated that AtNHX2 was expressed in constitutive pattern with high GUS activity in roots and leaves. AtNHX2 promoter activity was not up-regulated by NaCI or abscisic acid (ABA), in contrast to the AtNHX1 promoter which was previously studied. The AtNHX3 and AtNHX4 promoters showed tissue-specific activities. Strong GUS activity was detected in roots and vascular bundles of the stele in plants carrying an AtNHX4 promoter-GUS fusion, and GUS activity increased under salt stress suggesting a function related to salt tolerance. Transgenic plants carrying the AtNHX3 promoter-GUS fusion showed strong GUS activity in petals, stamens and tops of siliques, suggesting a possible role of AtNHX3 in flower and seed development. Results of histochemical analysis suggested that AtNHX2-4 are involved in divergent functions and are differentially regulated under abiotic stress. The structure of AtNHX4 was predicted to include 12 transmembrane regions and a NHX domain. Overexpression of AtNHX4 in Arabidopsis transgenic lines confers greater salt tolerance than in wild type plants. These results suggest that AtNHX4 may encode a putative vacuolar NHX that plays an important role in salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune-related genes (IRGs) are responsible for osteosarcoma (OS) initiation and development. We aimed to develop an optimal IRGs-based signature to assess of OS prognosis. Sample gene expression profiles and clinical information were downloaded from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases. IRGs were obtained from the ImmPort database. R software was used to screen differentially expressed IRGs (DEIRGs) and functional correlation analysis. DEIRGs were analyzed by univariate Cox regression and iterative LASSO Cox regression analysis to develop an optimal prognostic signature, and the signature was further verified by independent cohort (GSE39055) and clinical correlation analysis. The analyses yielded 604 DEIRGs and 10 hub IRGs. A prognostic signature consisting of 13 IRGs was constructed, which strikingly correlated with OS overall survival and distant metastasis (p < 0.05, p < 0.01), and clinical subgroup showed that the signature's prognostic ability was independent of clinicopathological factors. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses also supported its prognostic value. In conclusion, we developed an IRGs signature that is a prognostic indicator in OS patients, and the signature might serve as potential prognostic indicator to identify outcome of OS and facilitate personalized management of the high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clade A protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs) are abscisic acid (ABA) co-receptors that block ABA signalling by inhibiting the downstream protein kinases. ABA signalling is activated after PP2Cs are inhibited by ABA-bound PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors (PYLs) in Arabidopsis. However, whether these PP2Cs are regulated by other factors remains unknown. Here, we report that ABI1 (ABA-INSENSITIVE 1) can interact with the U-box E3 ligases PUB12 and PUB13, but is ubiquitinated only when it interacts with ABA receptors in an in vitro assay. A mutant form of ABI1-1 that is unable to interact with PYLs is more stable than the wild-type protein. Both ABI1 degradation and all tested ABA responses are reduced in pub12 pub13 mutants compared with the wild type. Introducing the abi1-3 loss-of-function mutation into pub12 pub13 mutant recovers the ABA-insensitive phenotypes of the pub12 pub13 mutant. We thus uncover an important regulatory mechanism for regulating ABI1 levels by PUB12 and PUB13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]