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Opportunistic spectrum access (OSA), a promising technology to resolve radio spectrum scarcity, is still faced with some challenges, of which one is potentially frequent channel handoff (CH) even handoff blocking (HB) for secondary user (SU) to avoid primary user (PU). Reaccess is a direct way to resolve HB. However, multiple handoff blocking‐then‐reaccess (H‐BTR) are time consuming. Whether it is worthwhile to make multiple H‐BTR, is an interesting but hardly mentioned issue. To this end, the multiple H‐BTR‐based OSA are focused on here. Three key indices, the average transmission probability, handoff delay, and average reaccess times of SU in the H‐BTR‐based OSA, are deduced as close form first. Then, the effects of H‐BTR frequency and service traffic rate of SU on OSA are discussed. Finally, the H‐BTR‐based OSA is compared to two other schemes, the handoff without BTR (HWBTR)‐based OSA and the stop‐and‐waiting (SW)‐based OSA. Theoretical and simulated results show that the H‐BTR‐based OSA performs best among three schemes. Making H‐BTR in moderate frequency according to service traffic rate can increase transmission opportunity while additional delay of SU is tolerable, thus the performance of OSA can be well improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is a new form of regulated cell death caused by iron‐dependent accumulation of lethal polyunsaturated phospholipids peroxidation. It has received considerable attention owing to its putative involvement in a wide range of pathophysiological processes such as organ injury, cardiac ischemia/reperfusion, degenerative disease and its prevalence in plants, invertebrates, yeasts, bacteria, and archaea. To counter ferroptosis, living organisms have evolved a myriad of intrinsic efficient defense systems, such as cyst(e)ine‐glutathione‐glutathione peroxidase 4 system (cyst(e)ine‐GPX4 system), guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase 1/tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) system (GCH1/BH4 system), ferroptosis suppressor protein 1/coenzyme Q10 system (FSP1/CoQ10 system), and so forth. Among these, GPX4 serves as the only enzymatic protection system through the reduction of lipid hydroperoxides, while other defense systems ultimately rely on small compounds to scavenge lipid radicals and prevent ferroptotic cell death. In this article, we systematically summarize the chemical biology of lipid radical trapping process by endogenous chemicals, such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), BH4, hydropersulfides, vitamin K, vitamin E, 7‐dehydrocholesterol, with the aim of guiding the discovery of novel ferroptosis inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet of things accelerates the wireless connections of massive devices to provide all kinds of new services, and thus intensifies the spectrum scarcity and access delay. Cognitive radio (CR) technology brings a solution for the issue. As a typical CR scheme, opportunistic spectrum access (OSA) has been addressed widely in the past decade. However, the tradeoff between two key indexes, the throughput of cognitive radio network (CRN) and the delay of secondary user (SU), is rarely mentioned so far, which ignites the authors' work in this paper. Taking into account a channel handoff (CH) based multi‐channel OSA scenario, the authors first analyze the opportunistic transmission performance of SU, and model the throughput of CRN as well as the handoff delay of SU. Then, the authors build up a delay‐constraint throughput optimization problem, and thus formulate the throughput‐delay tradeoff for OSA. Finally, the optimal traffic rates of SU for a good throughput‐delay tradeoff are derived according to maximizing the throughput of CRN. Theoretical and simulated results show that to enhance the throughput and to reduce the delay do not conflict always. By well adjusting the traffic rates of SU according to the traffic rates of primary user, the throughput of CRN can be improved while the handoff delay can be kept under a given level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the process of protein–RNA interaction is essential for structural biology. The thermodynamic process is an important part to uncover the protein–RNA interaction mechanism. The regulatory networks between protein and RNA in organisms are dominated by the binding or dissociation in the cells. Therefore, determining the binding affinity for protein–RNA complexes can help us to understand the regulation mechanism of protein–RNA interaction. Since it is time‐consuming and labor‐intensive to determine the binding affinity for protein–RNA complexes by experimental methods, it is necessary and urgent to develop computational methods to predict that. To develop a binding affinity prediction model, first we update the dataset of protein–RNA binding affinity benchmark (PRBAB), which includes 145 complexes now. Second, we extract the structural features based on complex structure, and then we analyze and select the representative structural features to train the regression model. Third, we random select the subset from the PRBAB2.0 to fit the protein–RNA binding affinity determined by experiment. In the end, we tested our model on the nonredundant PDBbind dataset, and the results showed that Pearson correlation coefficient r =.57 and RMSE = 2.51 kcal/mol. The Pearson correlation coefficient achieves 0.7 while removing 5 complex structures with modified residues/nucleotides and metal ions. While testing on ProNAB, the results showed that 71.60% of the prediction achieves Pearson correlation coefficient r =.61 and RMSE = 1.56 kcal/mol with experiment values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human learners are capable to acquire foreign language vocabulary at an impressive speed even in adulthood. Previous studies have examined the neural mechanisms underlying rapid acquisition of Latin-alphabet vocabulary and revealed dynamic changes in several event-related potential (ERP) components during novel word learning. However, scant attention has been paid to the acquisition of Russian words. The present study used ERP and examined dynamic brain responses to rapid Russian word acquisition in 53 native Chinese speakers with no prior knowledge of Russian language. Behavioral data showed robust individual differences in Russian word acquisition, with most participants being able to rapidly learn a subset of novel Russian words in a few exposures. ERP results revealed significant learning effects in the P200, N400, and P600 amplitudes. Moreover, P600 amplitude changes predicted participants' word acquisition after learning. These findings demonstrated dynamic brain responses to rapid Russian word learning and suggested that the P600 component may serve as a bio-marker for individual learning ability in Russian word acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) with low structural symmetry and highly spontaneous, exhibits some unique optical and electrical anisotropy properties for developing optoelectronic devices. This work studies the hydrothermal synthesis and the excitonic effects in the linear and nonlinear optical properties of 1T′ phase ReS2. The growth is controlled by adjusting experimental conditions, and its growth mechanism is revealed. The varying degrees of Re vacancy are characterized. They cause the growth direction of ReS2 nanosheets from lateral to agglomeration and the stacks into self‐assembly micro‐nanospheres. The density functional theory explains the electronic and bonding properties of Re vacancy, where the existent defects reduce the band gap and change the states density. Re vacancy increases the conductivity and results in the metallization of ReS2. The photoluminescence intensity of defect emission peak is negatively correlated with the defect level for the enriching vacancies. However, compared with intrinsic peak, it will increase monotonically with the number of bound excitons in defects. Furthermore, the nonlinear absorption properties are obtained by picosecond Z‐scan technique. By adjusting temperature, different degrees of saturation absorption and reverse saturation absorption characteristics appear due to the vacancy effect. The synthesized ReS2 has broad application in photodetectors and optical devices with optical amplitude limiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) is one of the promising technologies for high‐efficiency hydrogen production. The key issue for the steam reforming of DME is the development of catalysts with higher performance. In this study, a series of X‐Cu/Acid‐MMT (X = Co, Ni, Zr, Ce) catalysts were prepared via the impregnation method using Acid‐MMT obtained by montmorillonite activated with nitric acid (20 wt%) at 80 °C for 12 h as the support and metallic nitrate as precursor. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, H2‐TPR, XPS, N2O titration and N2 adsorption–desorption at low temperature. Results: The introduction of promoter X could reduce the interaction between Cu and the support, and more CuO was reduced to Cu0; meanwhile, it was beneficial for improving the dispersion of Cu. This would enhance the reaction rate of steam reforming of DME. Therefore, the introduction of promoter X significantly increased DME conversion, especially Ni‐Cu/Acid‐MMT presented the maximum DME conversion. However, Ni‐Cu/Acid‐MMT exhibited low H2 yield, high selectivity of CO and CH4 due to reverse water gas shift reaction and methanation reaction. Co‐Cu/Acid‐MMT catalyst presented the maximum H2 yield, high conversion of DME, relatively low selectivity of CH4 and better stability. Conclusions: The introduction of promoters to Cu/Acid‐MMT catalyst improved the catalyst performance for the steam reforming of DME. Among these catalysts, Co‐Cu/Acid‐MMT exhibited remarkable catalytic performance, which is expected to be a potential catalyst for steam reforming of DME. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a microwave angular displacement sensor with wideband matching based on a wideband impedance transformer. According to the design requirement of the microstrip impedance transformer (load‐to‐source impedance of 250‐to‐50 Ω, centre frequency of 2.40 GHz) with Chebyshev frequency response, the proposed angular displacement sensor is explored for the high bandwidth sensitivity of 11.18 MHz/degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Interleukin‐36 is induced by proinflammatory cytokines and promotes inflammatory responses, creating an IL‐36‐based inflammation loop. Although hepatocytes, produce IL‐36 responses to drug‐induced liver injury, little is known about the mechanistic role of IL‐36 signalling during the progression of alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). Regarding IL‐36/IL‐36R and P2X7R coregulating the inflammatory response, we elucidated that modulation of IL‐36R‐P2X7R‐TLR axis affected hepatocyte steatosis as well as the IL‐36‐based inflammatory feedback loop that accompanies the onset of ASH. Experimental Approach: C57BL/6J mice were subjected to either chronic‐plus‐binge ethanol feeding or acute gavage with multiple doses of ethanol to establish ASH, followed by pharmacological inhibition or genetic silencing of IL‐36R and P2X7R. AML12 cells or mouse primary hepatocytes were stimulated with alcohol, LPS plus ATP or Poly(I:C) plus ATP, followed by silencing of IL‐36γ, IL‐36R or P2X7R. Key Results: P2X7R and IL‐36R deficiency blocked the inflammatory loop, specifically initiated by IL‐36 cytokines, in hepatocytes of mice suffering from ASH. Pharmacological inhibition to P2X7R or IL‐36R alleviated lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in ASH. IL‐36R was indispensable for P2X7R modulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in ASH, and IL‐36 led to a vicious cycle of P2X7R‐driven inflammation in alcohol‐treated hepatocytes. TLR ligands promoted IL‐36γ production in hepatocytes, based on synergism with P2X7R. Conclusions and Implications: Blockade of IL‐36 based inflammatory feedback loop, via IL‐36R‐P2X7R‐TLRs‐modulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation, circumvented steatosis and inflammation that accompanies the onset of ASH, suggesting that targeting IL‐36 can serve as a novel therapeutic approach to combat ASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on sofosbuvir‐based therapy for pregnant women and infants with severe chronic hepatitis C (CHC) are lacking. Two late pregnant women and one female infant with severe CHC were enrolled for treatment. Pregnant Women 1 and 2 and Infant 3 were 30, 33, and 1.2 years old, respectively; the gestational ages of pregnant Women 1 and 2 were 31 and 26 weeks, respectively. Notably, pregnant Women 1 and 2 and Infant 3 had hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels of 139 000, 198 000, and 8 450 000 IU/ml; alanine aminotransferase levels of 420, 781, and 220 U/L; and received sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir for 12 weeks, respectively. All three patients were safely cured with favorable tolerance, and two newborns were both breastfeeding and were consistently negative for the anti‐HCV antibody during the 1‐year follow‐up after birth. Additionally, two newborns and Infant 3 had normal growth parameters during the follow‐up year one. In conclusion, this case series study found that sofosbuvir‐based therapy for pregnant women and infants with severe CHC is safe and effective. The data may fill the gap and provide evidence of the use of sofosbuvir‐based therapy as a reference when similar severe CHC situations are encountered during clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mega‐infrastructural development project provides easy access to remarkable tourism destinations and keeps attracting tourists. Tourist data from the tourism department of Gilgit‐Baltistan (GB), Pakistan, show that the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project's impact positively relates to tourism demand. GB is at the early stage of tourism development, and residents show a willingness to support tourism even though tourism costs outweigh benefits. Besides, the existing tourism policy of Gilgit‐Baltistan focuses explicitly on economic sustainability but overlooks the socio‐cultural and environmental concerns. Therefore, the present study based on the stakeholder theory provides policy implications to minimize adverse effects on socio‐cultural and ecological resources and achieve sustainable tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With proteomic analysis, we identified 379 egg surface proteins from an endoparasitoid, Cotesia chilonis. Proteins containing conserved enzymatic domains constitute a large proportion of egg surface components. Some proteins, such as superoxidase dismutase, homolog of C. rubecula 32‐kDa protein, and immunoevasive protein‐2A, are classical parasitism factors that have known functions in host immunity regulation. Melanization assays revealed that a novel egg surface protein, C. chilonis egg surface serpin domain‐containing protein had the same function as a C. chilonis venom serpin, as both suppressed host melanization in a dose‐dependent manner. C. chilonis egg surface serpin domain‐containing protein is mainly transcribed in C. chilonis oocytes with follicular cells, and it is located on both the anterior and posterior sides of the mature egg surface. Additionally, we used LC‐MS/MS to identify 586 binding proteins sourced from C. suppressalis plasma located on the eggshell surface of C. chilonis, which included some immunity‐related proteins. These results not only indicate that C. chilonis uses its egg surface proteins to reduce the immune response of its host but also imply that endoparasitoid egg surface proteins might be a new parasitism factor involved in host immune regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subcellular localization and intracellular trafficking of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) critically regulate TLRs‐mediated antimicrobial immunity and autoimmunity. Here, it is demonstrated that the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF115 inhibits the post‐endoplasmic reticulum (ER) trafficking of TLRs and TLRs‐mediated immune responses by catalyzing ubiquitination of the small GTPases RAB1A and RAB13. It is shown that the 14‐3‐3 chaperones bind to AKT1‐phosphorylated RNF115 and facilitate RNF115 localizing on the ER and the Golgi apparatus. RNF115 interacts with RAB1A and RAB13 and catalyzes K11‐linked ubiquitination on the Lys49 and Lys61 residues of RAB1A and on the Lys46 and Lys58 residues of RAB13, respectively. Such a modification impairs the recruitment of guanosine diphosphate (GDP) dissociation inhibitor 1 (GDI1) to RAB1A and RAB13, a prerequisite for the reactivation of RAB proteins. Consistently, knockdown of RAB1A and RAB13 in Rnf115+/+ and Rnf115−/− cells markedly inhibits the post‐ER and the post‐Golgi trafficking of TLRs, respectively. In addition, reconstitution of RAB1AK49/61R or RAB13K46/58R into Rnf115+/+ cells but not Rnf115−/− cells promotes the trafficking of TLRs from the ER to the Golgi apparatus and from the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface, respectively. These findings uncover a common and step‐wise regulatory mechanism for the post‐ER trafficking of TLRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic variants from genes proposed by American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) should be reported to clinician as secondary findings if the annotation suggested pathogenic or likely pathogenic.1 With the increasing application of DNA sequencing in the clinic, the ACMG updated the SF v3.0 list to 73 genes in 2021.2 Ethnic disparities exist in allele frequency of pathogenic variants. In conclusion, we found that approximately 17.37% (778/4480) of Chinese individuals carried at least one reported P/LP variant in the 73 genes recommended by ACMG, and 295 P/LP genetic variants were detected in our WBBC pilot cohort. Following the variant classification standard (Figure 1 and Supporting Information), we identified 295 P/LP variants (99 pathogenic and 196 likely pathogenic variants, Table S2), accounting for 3.15% of the variants. [Extracted from the article]

Background and Purpose: Regulating macrophage-hepatocyte crosstalk through P2X7 receptors has led to new pharmacological strategies to reverse alcoholic hepatosteatosis. We investigated how tetrahydroxystilbene glucoside (2354glu), isolated from Polygonum multiflorum, modulates macrophage-hepatocyte crosstalk during alcoholic hepatosteatosis.Experimental Approach: A model of alcoholic hepatosteatosis was established by giving ethanol intragastrically to C57BL/6 mice. HepG2 cells were incubated in conditioned medium from LPS+ATP-activated THP-1 human macrophages with silenced or overexpressed P2X7 receptors. THP-1 macrophages or mouse peritoneal macrophages were pretreated with 2354glu for 1 hr prior to LPS+ATP stimulation. Western blots, RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis were used, along with over-expression and silencing of P2X7 receptors.Key Results: Knockdown or overexpression of P2X7 receptors in THP-1 macrophages affected release of mature IL-1β and, subsequently, modulated lipid metabolism in HepG2 cells via the LKB-AMPK pathway. 2354glu ameliorated alcoholic hepatosteatosis in mice by regulating LKB1-AMPK-SREBP1 pathway and its target genes. Suppression of P2X7 receptor activation by 2354glu inhibited IL-1β release and reduced macrophage and neutrophil infiltration. In macrophages stimulated with LPS+ATP, expression of P2X7 receptors, caspase-1 and NF-κB, release of IL-1β, calcium influx and PI uptake were reduced by 2354glu. SIRT1-LKB1-AMPK-SREBP1 axis-mediated lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells was reduced when they were cultured with conditioned media from LPS+ATP-activated THP-1 macrophages pretreated with 2354glu.Conclusion and Implications: Modulation of P2X7 receptors in macrophages regulated lipid accumulation in hepatocytes during alcoholic hepatosteatosis. 2354glu might be a promising candidate that targets P2X7 receptors in macrophages interacting with hepatocytes during alcoholic hepatosteatosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolite‐protein interactions (MPIs) play key roles in cancer metabolism. However, our current knowledge about MPIs in cancers remains limited due to the complexity of cancer cells. Herein, the authors construct an integrative MPI network and propose a MPI network based hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) subtyping and mechanism exploration workflow. Based on the expressions of hub proteins on the MPI network, two prognosis‐distinctive HCC subtypes are identified. Meanwhile, multiple interdependent features of the poor prognostic subtype are observed, including hypoxia, DNA hypermethylation of metabolic pathways, fatty acid accumulation, immune pathway up‐regulation, and exhausted T‐cell infiltration. Notably, the immune pathway up‐regulation is probably induced by accumulated unsaturated fatty acids which are predicted to interact with multiple immune regulators like SRC and TGFB1. Moreover, based on tumor microenvironment compositions, the poor prognostic subtype is further divided into two sub‐populations showing remarkable differences in metabolism. The subtyping shows a strong consistency across multiple HCC cohorts including early‐stage HCC. Overall, the authors redefine robust HCC prognosis subtypes and identify potential MPIs linking metabolism to immune regulations, thus promoting understanding and clinical applications about HCC metabolism heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that redox reprogramming participates in malignant transformation of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the source of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the downstream signaling regulatory mechanism are complicated and unintelligible. In the current study, we newly identified the aquaporin 3 (AQP3) as a LUAD oncogenic factor with capacity to transport exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and increase intracellular ROS levels. Subsequently, we demonstrated that AQP3 was necessary for the facilitated diffusion of exogenous H2O2 in LUAD cells and that the AQP3‐dependent transport of H2O2 accelerated cell growth and inhibited rapamycin‐induced autophagy. Mechanistically, AQP3‐mediated H2O2 uptake increased intracellular ROS levels to inactivate PTEN and activate the AKT/mTOR pathway to subsequently inhibit autophagy and promote proliferation in LUAD cells. Finally, we suggested that AQP3 depletion retarded subcutaneous tumorigenesis in vivo and simultaneously decreased ROS levels and promoted autophagy. These findings underscore the importance of AQP3‐induced oxidative stress in malignant transformation and suggest a therapeutic target for LUAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Confocal Raman microscopy was used as a non-destructive tool for in situ investigation of the diffusion of CI Reactive Blue 194 in viscose fibres. Dyed fibres were analysed by Raman depth imaging along the radius at different dyeing times (30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 240, 300, 600, 900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 and 2400 seconds) and temperatures (30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80°C). The dye concentration in the fibre was expressed by normalising the characteristic peak of dyes at 1577 cm-1 to eliminate the interference of the fibre. The Raman depth mapping images showed that dye molecules gradually diffused to the interior of the fibre with an increase in dyeing time, remaining ring-shaped in the state of diffusion. In addition, the diffusion rate increased with increases in the dyeing temperature. This was understandable because dye molecules with a higher kinetic energy move faster. It was also found that the external structure of fibres played a significant role in the diffusion behaviour of CI Reactive Blue 194 during the initial stage of dyeing. The concentration gradient distribution of CI Reactive Blue 194 in the fibre was reflected by Raman depth mapping. The study demonstrates the potential of confocal Raman microscopy for monitoring the dynamic diffusion of dye molecules in fibres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the condition of high counting rate, the phenomenon of nuclear pulse signal pile‐up using a single exponential impulse shaping method is still very serious, and leads to a severe loss in counting rate. A real nuclear pulse signal can be expressed as a dual‐exponential decay function with a certain rising edge. This paper proposes a new dual‐exponential impulse shaping method and shows its deployment in hardware to test its performance. The signal of a high‐performance silicon drift detector under high counting rate in an X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer is obtained. The result of the experiment shows that the new method can effectively shorten the dead‐time caused by nuclear signal pile‐up and correct the counting rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current wound scaffold dressing constructs can facilitate wound healing but do not exhibit antibacterial activity, resulting in high infection rates. We aimed to endow wound scaffold dressing with anti‐infective ability by polyhexamethylenebiguanide (PHMB). We prepared PHMB hydrogel at varying concentrations (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%) and assessed release and cytotoxicity. PHMB hydrogel was added to the wound scaffold dressing to generate a PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing. Wound healing and infection prevention were evaluated using a full‐thickness skin defect model in rats. In vitro, the hydrogel PHMB release time positively correlated with PHMB concentration, with 1% allowing sufficiently long release time to encompass the high‐incidence period (3‐5 days) of infection following wound scaffold dressing implantation. Implantation of 1% PHMB hydrogel into the skin did not cause adverse responses. in vitro cytotoxicity assays showed the PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing did not significantly affect proliferation of fibroblasts or vascular endothelial cells, 99.90% vs 99.84% for fibroblasts and 100.21% vs 99.28% for vascular endothelial cells at 21 days. Transplantation of PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing/unmodified wound scaffold dressing on the non‐infected wounds of rats yielded no significant difference in relative vascularization rate, 47.40 vs 50.87 per view at 21 days, whereas bacterial content of the wound tissue in the PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing group was significantly lower than the unmodified wound scaffold dressing group, (1.80 ± 0.35) × 103 vs (9.34 ± 0.45) × 103 at 14 days. Prevalence of persistent wound infection in the rats receiving PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing transplantation onto infected wounds was significantly lower than the unmodified wound scaffold dressing group, 30% vs 100%. PHMB hydrogel‐modified wound scaffold dressing exhibited suitable antibacterial ability, and its biological activity did not significantly differ from that of the unmodified wound scaffold dressing, thereby allowing it to effectively prevent infection following wound scaffold dressing implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To detect whether early growth response 1 (EGR1) in peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) indicates temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) lesions. Materials and Methods: Egr1 mRNA expression levels in PBLs were detected in eight malocclusion patients without temporomandibular disorder (TMD) signs and 16 malocclusion patients with clinical TMD signs with (eight) or without (eight) imaging signs of TMJ OA. Twelve 6‐week‐old rats were randomized to a control group and a unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC) group and were sampled at 4 weeks. The Egr1 mRNA expression levels in PBLs and protein expression levels in different orofacial tissues were measured. Results: Patients with TMD signs with/without TMJ OA diagnosis showed lower Egr1 mRNA expression levels in PBLs than patients without TMD signs. The lower Egr1 mRNA expression was also found in the PBLs of UAC rats, which were induced to exhibit early histo‐morphological signs of TMJ OA lesions. In subchondral bone of UAC rats, EGR1 protein expression was decreased, co‐localization of EGR1 with osterix or dentin matrix protein‐1 was identified, and the number of EGR1 and osterix double‐positive cells was reduced (all p < .05). Conclusion: Egr1 reduction in PBLs potentially indicates subchondral bone OA lesions at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to develop a mouse model predominating in a proliferative response in the articular cartilage of the temporomandibular joints. Materials and Methods: Bilateral anterior elevation of occlusion was developed by installing metal tubes onto the incisors of mice with edge‐to‐edge relation to prevent tooth wear, leading to an increase in the vertical height of the dental occlusion with time. Morphological changes and expression changes in Cyclin D1, Aggrecan, and type II and type X collagen in the mandibular condylar cartilage were detected. In addition, cells were isolated from the mandibular condylar cartilage and exposed to cyclic tensile strain (CTS). Results: Compared with age‐matched controls, the tooth length was longer at 3 weeks, 7 weeks, and 11 weeks in BAE mice (p < 0.05), with increased condylar cartilage thickness, matrix amount, and cell number (p < 0.05). Compared with the deep zone cells, CTS stimulated the superficial zone cells to express a higher level of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Cyclin D1, Aggrecan, and type II collagen but a lower level of type X collagen and alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion: Bilateral anterior elevation stimulated the proliferative response in the mandibular condylar cartilage, offering a new therapeutic strategy for cartilage degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomarkers of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) remain unknown. The objective was to detect whether molecular biomarkers from peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) engage in TMJ OA lesions. Thirty‐four six‐week‐old Sprague Dawley rats were used. The top upregulated gene ontology categories and gene‐fold changes in PBLs were detected by a microarray analysis comparing rats that received 20‐week unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC) treatment with age‐matched controls (n = 4). Twenty weeks of UAC treatment had been reported to induce TMJ OA‐like lesions. The other twenty‐four rats were randomly placed in the UAC and control groups at 12‐ and 20‐week time points (n = 6). The mRNA expression levels of the selected biomarkers derived from the microarray analysis and their protein expression in the alveolar bone and TMJ were detected. The microarray analysis indicated that the three most highly involved genes in PBLs were Egr1, Ephx1 and Il10, which were confirmed by real‐time PCR detection. The increased protein expression levels of the three detected molecules were demonstrated in cartilage and subchondral bone (P < 0.05), and increased levels of EPHX1 were reported in discs (P < 0.05); however, increased levels were not present in the alveolar bone. Immunohistochemistry revealed the increased distribution of EGR1‐positive, EXPH1‐positive and IL10‐positive cells predominantly in the osteochondral interface, with EXPH1 also present in TMJ discs. In conclusion, the increased mRNA expression of Egr1, Ephx1 and Il10 in PBLs may serve as potential biomarkers for developed osteoarthritic lesions relating to osteochondral interface hardness changes induced by dental biomechanical stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc plays a role in joint movement and in load absorbance and distribution. An experimental unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC) prosthesis induces mandibular condylar cartilage degeneration in rats. However, the changes in the articular disc are still unknown. Objective: To describe changes in the TMJ discs of UAC rats. Methods: The discs of fifty‐four Sprague‐Dawley rats, equally distributed into a UAC group and an age‐matched sham‐operated control group at 4, 12 and 20 weeks (n = 9), were evaluated by gross and histomorphological observation and by detection at the mRNA or protein expression levels of the markers related to the matrix elements. Results: No macro‐ or micro‐morphological differences were observed between groups. However, there were catabolic degradative changes at the molecular level in the UAC group, showing a significant reduction in the mRNA and/or protein expression levels of many molecules. The reduction became worse with time (P < 0.05). The reduced molecules included: (a) those related to the extracellular matrix, such as type I collagen, decorin and fibromodulin; (b) those related to chondrogenesis, such as type II collagen and aggrecan; and (c) those related to osteogenesis, such as alkaline phosphatase and runt‐related transcription factor 2. The mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor did not change. In contrast, fibronectin, which can promote wound healing, and its N‐terminal fragment, which can induce cartilage degradation, were accumulated (P < 0.05). Conclusion: TMJ discs were stimulated to catabolic changes by the aberrant dental occlusion and seemed to go to inanimate with time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer mortality globally. Although cigarette smoking is by far the most important risk factor for lung cancer, the aberrant expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes contributes a great deal to tumorigenesis. Here, we reveal that aberrant expression of endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1) gene, which encodes hypoxia inducible factor 2a, has a critical role in NSCLC. Our results showed EPAS1 mRNA was down-regulated in 82.5% of NSCLC tissues, and a new region of EPAS1 promoter was found to be highly methylated in lung cancer cell lines and NSCLC tissues. Moreover, the methylation rates were negatively correlated to EPAS1 mRNA expression in lung tissues. Further, demethylation analysis demonstrated EPAS1 was regulated by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in NSCLC. In contrast, DNMT1 was verified as an EPAS1 target gene by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and could be transactivated by stabilized EPAS1 proteins in hypoxic lung cells, thereby decreasing EPAS1 mRNA expression by methylation regulation. Collectively, our study suggests there might be a mechanism of negative-feedback regulation for EPAS1 in NSCLC. That is, hypoxic-stabilized EPAS1 proteins transactivated DNMT1, which further promoted the hypermethylation of EPAS1 promoter and decreased EPAS1 mRNA expression levels in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing the technical problem of pulse distortion caused by frequent resetting in the latest high‐performance silicon drift detectors, which work under high‐counting‐rate conditions, a method has been used to remove false peaks in order to obtain a precise X‐ray spectrum, the essence of which eliminates distorted pulses. Aiming at solving the problem of counting‐loss generated by eliminating distorted pulses, this paper proposes an improved method of pulse repairing. A 238Pu source with activity of 10 mCi was used as the measurement object, and the energy spectrum obtained by the pulse repairing method was compared with that obtained by the pulse elimination method. The ten‐measurement results show that the pulse repairing method can correct the counting‐loss caused by the pulse elimination method and increase peak area, which is of great significance for obtaining a precise X‐ray energy spectrum. A method is proposed to correct for the counting loss generated by removing distorted pulses in X‐ray spectra. The count rate obtained by the pulse repair method is increased by about 3% compared with that obtained by the pulse elimination method, and the sum of the peak area obtained by the pulse repairing method is increased by about 2.7% compared with that obtained by the pulse elimination method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cr-Mn-O spinel coating was prepared on the surface of cobalt-based superalloy GH605 via an in- situ oxidation method in H2O-H2 environment. The composition, morphology, and chemical value state of the oxide spinel coatings were investigated by SEM, EDS, XRD, Raman spectra, and XPS. It indicated that the morphology of coating varied with oxidation temperature, and granular surface appeared when oxidation temperature increased to 1100°C. The formed Cr-Mn-O spinel coating was composed of Cr2O3 and MnCr2O4, and the thickness increased significantly with oxidation temperature. In the coating, Cr element existed in the state of Cr3+ ions and Cr6+ ions, while Mn element only existed in the form of Mn2+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐precision measurement of X‐ray spectra is affected by the statistical fluctuation of the X‐ray beam under low‐counting‐rate conditions. It is also limited by counting loss resulting from the dead‐time of the system and pile‐up pulse effects, especially in a high‐counting‐rate environment. In this paper a detection system based on a FAST‐SDD detector and a new kind of unit impulse pulse‐shaping method is presented, for counting‐loss correction in X‐ray spectroscopy. The unit impulse pulse‐shaping method is evolved by inverse deviation of the pulse from a reset‐type preamplifier and a C‐R shaper. It is applied to obtain the true incoming rate of the system based on a general fast–slow channel processing model. The pulses in the fast channel are shaped to unit impulse pulse shape which possesses small width and no undershoot. The counting rate in the fast channel is corrected by evaluating the dead‐time of the fast channel before it is used to correct the counting loss in the slow channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-stoichiometric colloidal quaternary Zn-Cu-In-S quantum dots (QDs) with different Cu content were prepared by a hot injection method and the enhanced electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) were presented. Zn-Cu-In-S QDs were characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis, photoluminescence (PL) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). XRD results revealed the compositional homogeneity of the Zn-Cu-In-S QDs. Average particle size of Zn-Cu-In-S QDs samples were 2.3-2.8 nm. The HRTEM analysis indicated the high crystallinity. The ICP-MS measurements confirmed that the compositions of Zn-Cu-In-S QDs could be controlled precisely. Zn-Cu-In-S QDs were coated on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF6). The ECL of Zn-Cu-In-S QDs were observed, which possessed extremely increase with tripropyl amine added as the coreactant. The ECL of Zn-Cu-In-S QDs were attribute to the copper related surface state. The Zn-Cu-In-S QDs modified GCE exhibited excellent ECL properties, environmentally-friendly and good stability, which implied further promising applications in bioanalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The non-recurrent laryngeal nerve ( NRLN) is a rare but potentially serious anomaly that is commonly associated with the aberrant right subclavian artery ( ARSA). It is easy to damage during surgical resection of esophageal cancer, leading to severe complications. Methods Preoperative enhanced thoracic computed tomography ( CT) scans of 2697 patients with esophageal carcinoma treated in our hospital between January 2010 and December 2013 were examined. We classified the positional relationship between the right subclavian artery and the membranous wall of the trachea into two types and used this method to predicate NRLN by identifying ARSA. Results Twenty-six patients (0.96%) were identified with ARSA, all of which were cases of NRLN by CT. NRLN was identified during surgery in the 26 patients, and a normal right recurrent laryngeal nerve was observed in 2671 patients. The ARSA was detected on the dorsal side of the membranous wall of the trachea in all 26 NRLN cases, while it was detected on the ventral side in all 2671 recurrent laryngeal nerve cases. Conclusion Enhanced CT scanning is a reliable method for predicting NRLN by identifying ARSA. Preoperative recognition of this nerve anomaly allows surgeons to avoid damaging the nerve and abnormal vessels during esophagectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The square-planar monomer NiL2 ( Ni1), L=2-ethoxy-6-( N-methyl-iminomethyl)phenolate, reacts with M(H2O)6(ClO4)2, M=Ni or Co, to form heptanuclear disks [Co xNi7− x(OH)6(L)6](ClO4)2 ⋅2 CH3CN ( Co x Ni7− x, x=0-7) and the co-crystal [Co xNi7− x(OH)6L6][NiL2](ClO4)2 ⋅2 CH3CN ( Co x Ni7− x -Ni1) under ambient conditions. It has proved possible to explore the bottom-up assembly process of Co x Ni7− x and Co x Ni7− x -Ni1 in real time. The final products have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, IR, elemental analysis, ICP-MS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Time-dependent mass spectrometry (MS) revealed the following reaction steps: Ni1→[M2L3]+→[M4(OH)2L4]2+→[M7(OH)6L6]2+. In contrast, the reaction of Ni1 with Zn2+ only reaches halfway, and crystallographic evidence indicates a butterfly structure for [Zn2Ni2(OH)2Cl2] ( Zn2Ni2), an intermediate that is difficult to isolate in the above Ni-Co series. A summation method has been used to analyze the MS of bimetallic clusters with very similar atomic masses, as is the case for Co and Ni. The results provide ample information on the distribution of Co and Ni within each cluster and their statistical distribution within selected crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver metals have long been known to possess antimicrobial properties. Recently, even the nanoparticle version of silver (AgNPs) has also been established as antimicrobials. In this study AgNPs were combined with extracts of the medicinal plant Chinese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica Thunb. The antimicrobial activity of the AgNPs-herb was tested against pathogenic Escherichia coli CMCC44113. Using different AgNPs or herb (honeysuckle water extract or HWE) ratios in the presence of a fixed concentration of E. coli CMCC44113, potencies were found to be proportional with concentrations. The antimicrobial activities of AgNPs-HWE combo were significant enhanced, when compared with solely AgNPs or HWE. Thus, atomic force microscopic and propidium monoazide-PCR were used to probe the damages caused by AgNPs-HWE combo on the cell morphology and cell membrane integrity of E. coli. The mechanism of AgNPs-HWE combo against E. coli may attribute to AgNPs leads to cell wall lysis and damages cell membrane integrity, and thus increases the penetration of HWE into the bacterium, which results in more serious damage to bacterial cells. These findings indicated that AgNPs-herb was more potent than the AgNPs alone and holds promise for the development of nanoparticle enhanced herbal pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the following modified Kirchhoff-type equations of the form: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The Maillard reaction is widely used to improve the functional properties or biological activities of food. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the Maillard reaction on angiotensin I converting enzyme ( ACE) inhibitory activity in a casein hydrolysate-xylose system. RESULTS Two-step hydrolysis was used to prepare casein ACE inhibitory peptides. Maillard reaction products ( MRPs) were prepared by heating hydrolyzed casein with xylose at pH 8.0, 110 °C for up to 16 h. The results showed that the content of free amino group decreased ( P < 0.05); however, browning intensity and absorbance at 294 nm increased because of the Maillard reaction ( P < 0.05). The ACE inhibitory activity improved greatly within 2 h (from 63.48% to 90.23%), which was mainly due to carbonyl ammonia condensation reaction in the MRPs. CONCLUSION The study shows that the Maillard reaction under appropriate conditions can improve the ACE inhibitory activity of casein hydrolysate effectively. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the novel use of iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles (<20 nm) as a vaccine delivery platform without additional adjuvants. A recombinant malaria vaccine antigen, the merozoite surface protein 1 (rMSP1), was conjugated to IO nanoparticles (rMSP1-IO). Immunizations in outbred mice with rMSP1-IO achieved 100% responsiveness with antibody titers comparable to those obtained with rMSP1 formulated with a clinically acceptable adjuvant, Montanide ISA51 (2.7×10-3 vs. 1.6×10-3; respectively). Only rMSP1- O could induce significant levels (80%) of parasite inhibitory antibodies. The rMSP1-IO was highly stable at 4°C and was amenable to lyophilization, maintaining its antigenicity, immunogenicity, and ability to induce inhibitory antibodies. Further testing in nonhuman primates, Aotus monkeys, also elicited 100% immune responsiveness and high levels of parasite inhibitory antibodies (55-100% inhibition). No apparent local or systemic toxicity was associated with IO immunizations. Murine macrophages and dendritic cells efficiently (>90%) internalized IO nanoparticles, but only the latter were significantly activated, with elevated expression/ secretion of CD86, cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL1-b, IFN-γ, and IL-12), and chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, and CXCL10). Thus, the IO nanoparticles is a novel, safe, and effective vaccine platform, with built-in adjuvancy, that is highly stable and field deployable for cost-effective vaccine delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (2,3-pydcH2) with CuI and Ln2O3 under hydrothermal conditions generated a series of new one-, two-, and three-dimensional coordination polymers, namely, {[Cu3Ln2(2,3-pydc)6(H2O)12] ·12H2O} n [Ln = La( 1), Nd( 2)], {[Cu3Ln2(2,3-pydc)6(H2O)8] ·6H2O} n [Ln = Sm( 3), Gd( 4)], and {[Cu3Ln2(2,3-pydc)6(H2O)10] ·10H2O} n [Ln = Tb( 5), Ho( 6), Er( 7), Yb( 8), Lu( 9)]. The results show that compounds 1 and 2 (type I structure) are 1-D Cu-4f rhombic lattice chains that are formed through assembly of two building block units Cu3(pydc)6 and Ln(H2O)6. Compounds 3- 4 (type II structure) are 2-D layers that are constructed from building block units [Cu(pydc)2(H2O)2] μ2-bridging adjacent 1-D rhombic lattice chains -[(Cu2(pydc)4)-(La(H2O)4)] n-. Complexes 5- 9 (type III structure) are also isomorphous and have the same 3-D network structures with 1-D channels along the c axis, and are formed by assembly of building block units Cu3(pydc)6 with Ln(H2O)5. The progressive structural variation from the 1-D chains 1- 2 to 2-D layers 3- 4 and to 3-D frameworks 5- 9 is attributed to the lanthanide contraction effect and to the different coordination modes of 2,3-pydc2-. The N2 gas adsorption and fluorescent properties of the partial complexes were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]