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The antioxidant properties of crocin are attracting interest, yet the underlying mechanisms by which crocin mitigates oxidative stress‐induced intestinal damage have not been determined. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of crocin on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and intestinal epithelial injury in intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC‐J2). Using an H2O2‐induced oxidative stress model in IPEC‐J2 cells, crocin was added to assess its effects. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assays and flow cytometry. Additionally, oxidative stress markers, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA), were quantified. We investigated, in which cell oxidation and apoptosis were measured at the gene and protein levels and employed transcriptome analysis to probe the mechanism of action and validate relevant pathways. The results showed that crocin ameliorates H2O2‐induced oxidative stress by reducing ROS and MDA levels and by countering the reductions in CAT, total antioxidant capacity, and SOD. Crocin also attenuates the upregulation of key targets in the Nrf2 pathway. Furthermore, it effectively mitigated IPEC‐J2 cell apoptosis caused by oxidative stress, as evidenced by changes in cell cycle factor expression, apoptosis rate, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis pathway activity. In addition, crocin preserves the integrity of the intestinal barrier by protecting tight junction proteins against oxidative stress. Transcriptome sequencing analysis suggested that the mitochondrial pathway may be a crucial mechanism through which crocin exerts its protective effects. In summary, crocin decreases oxidative stress molecule formation, inhibits Nrf2 pathway activity, prevents apoptosis‐induced damage, enhances oxidative stress resistance in IPEC‐J2 cells, and maintains redox balance in the pig intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since futuristic cellular core networks are envisioned to accommodate emerging vertical domain applications with diverse QoS requirements, software‐defined networking (SDN) technology has played a vital role in improving the scalability and flexibility of network management. This paper presents the design and development of a service‐aware transport layer framework in SDN‐enabled cellular core networks. It aims to study and accommodate three typical traffic types: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra‐reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine‐type communications (mMTC) in optimal path selection. The proposed framework is able to dynamically allocate network resources to corresponding traffic of above types for satisfying the requirements of each identified flow, using a multi‐level queue management mechanism to alleviate the flow dropping problem when the network becomes congested. For experiment and verification, a testbed platform was built to evaluate the functionalities of developed modules, the performance of the diffserv‐based optimal path selection, and the operation of multi‐level queue management. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed algorithms could obtain a higher accepting ratio than the other ones in different network conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an architecture based on the improved local binary pattern (LBP) shallow deep convolution neural network, which integrates hand‐crafted feature pre‐processing and the advantage of character learning in the supervised high‐level function of CNN, in order to enhance its performance. This study introduced the information of scale space into the LBP to reduce the sensitivity to noise, and applied feature maps with two features, the maximum selection feature map (MLBP) and the first selection feature map (FLBP). The former selected the edge with the strongest intensity to reduce the influence of noise points, while the latter measured local binary features through the scale detection of an effective edge. In the network architecture design, according to the differences of input features, networks of different depths were used for learning, and the features learned by the two networks were adopted for classification. The experimental results show that, the ILBPSDNet proposed had certain recognition abilities in many character data sets, and the network parameters and computation were also reduced. Therefore, it has a significant effect in realizing the application of real‐time character recognition. Finally, compared with other latest networks, its network performance could be maintained at a certain level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytochrome P450 2A6 (CYP2A6) is an important metabolic enzyme and is involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its specific function and the mechanism of modulation remain to be elucidated. In this study, we found that CYP2A6 is dramatically downregulated in HCC. CYP2A6 expression is closely associated with pathological grading, histologic grade, hepatitis, vascular metastasis, liver inflammation, and worse prognosis. Reduced expression of CYP2A6 contributes to alternative activation of macrophage polarization and impairs macrophage maturation and phagocytosis. Mechanistically, CYP2A6 participates in arachidonic acid metabolism, initiates 20‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) generation, and inhibits epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) generation. Disruption of the equilibrium between 20‐HETE and EETs can induce macrophage polarization, thereby modulating antitumor immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We incorporate strategic customer waiting behavior in the classical economic order quantity (EOQ) setting. The seller determines not only the timing and quantities of the inventory replenishment, but also the selling prices over time. While similar ideas of market segmentation and intertemporal price discrimination can be carried over from the travel industries to other industries, inventory replenishment considerations common to retail outlets and supermarkets introduce additional features to the optimal pricing scheme. Specifically, our study provides concrete managerial recommendations that are against the conventional wisdom on "everyday low price" (EDLP) versus "high‐low pricing" (Hi‐Lo). We show that in the presence of inventory costs and strategic customers, Hi‐Lo instead of EDLP is optimal when customers have homogeneous valuations. This result suggests that because of strategic customer behavior, the seller obtains a new source of flexibility—the ability to induce customers to wait—which always leads to a strictly positive increase of the seller's profit. Moreover, the optimal inventory policy may feature a dry period with zero inventory, but this period does not necessarily result in a loss of sales as customers strategically wait for the upcoming promotion. Furthermore, we derive the solution approach for the optimal policy under heterogeneous customer valuation setting. Under the optimal policy, the replenishments and price promotions are synchronized, and the seller adopts high selling prices when the inventory level is low and plans a discontinuous price discount at the replenishment point when inventory is the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shows that aerosol‐assisted dielectric‐barrier‐discharge atmospheric‐pressure plasma deposition (AAAPPD) is a rapid and reagent‐free method to entrap proteins on different substrates for biosensor fabrication, and the proteins were not damaged. AAAPPD involves depositing plasma‐polymerized ethylene (ppE) with grafted hydroxyl functional groups and embedding the protein in the ppE in one step, making the protein entrapment faster than conventional methods and without using reagents. In this study, SEM and XPS show that more protein deposited near the inlet. Electrophoresis, temperature analysis, and immunostaining respectively demonstrated that the protein maintained its integrity, was unheated, and exhibited activity during AAAPPD. The immunostaining results of AAAPPD protein was close to that of covalent‐bonded protein. AAAPPD also entraps protein on three different biosensor substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet of things (IoT), which provides a way to connect every “thing” via the internet to further develop a convenient environment, has been around for more than a decade. The trend of the development of IoT nowadays is to focus not only on its devices and systems but also on data analysis. The main reason is that data from sensors or systems typically contain valuable information that is very useful for improving the system performance or providing a better service to the user if we come up with a good “data analysis” solution. This paper begins with a brief review of data mining technologies for IoT. Then, a reference data analytics architecture is given to show how data analysis technologies can be applied to an IoT system. Finally, applications, open issues, and possible research directions are addressed. This article is categorized under: Application Areas > Internet and Web‐Based Applications Fundamental Concepts of Data and Knowledge > Key Design Issues in Data Mining Technologies > Computational Intelligence Technologies > Machine Learning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pd‐catalyzed Hiyama vinylation reaction of non‐activated aryl chlorides and bromides under mild conditions was developed. The use of efficient vinyl donors and electron‐rich sterically hindered phosphine ligands was critical for the success of the reaction. The products of this transformation can be used for Am/Cm separation, an important challenge in nuclear fuel reprocessing. The substituent effect on Am/Cm separating selectivity was also achieved, which could contribute to the development of new chromatographic materials for the separation of Am and Cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Shear strains, among other ground motions, can be induced by weather‐related processes. As a result, broadband seismic data offer a unique tool for understanding these natural weather events. Here we used continuous seismic, meteorological, and stream data to analyze weather‐related ground motions during typhoons and rainy seasons in Taiwan. In addition to high‐frequency signals, we detected ultralong period seismic signals at the station Mahsi (MASB) during three meteorological events: Typhoon Kalmaegi in 2008, Typhoon Morakot in 2009, and the East Asian rainy season in 2012. Seismic velocity signals with frequencies lower than 0.3 mHz correlate with precipitation and with the time derivative of the water level in a nearby river. We converted the seismic signals to ground tilt and found that the tilt correlates with the time history of river water level, which fluctuates with precipitation. The seismically derived tilt ranges from 10−8 to 10−7 radians, consistent with an analytic circular loading model, indicating water level fluctuations of higher than 1 m in the small river 30 m away from MASB. To quantify precipitation using seismic data, we successfully modeled seismic waveforms using an empirical Green's function method, which gives good fits to both main event seismic waveforms and precipitation time history. This work demonstrates that continuous recordings from broadband seismometers may help determine local fluvial water load and could be useful for decadal rainfall change research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dinuclear macrocyclic IrI NHC complexes, [Ir2(L1)(COD)2](PF6)2 (1, COD = 1,5‐cyclooctadiene) and [Ir2Cl(L1)(COD)]Cl (2), were prepared by the reaction between [{IrCl(COD)}2] and macrocyclic N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand precursor (H4L1)(PF6)4 containing four benzimidazolium and two secondary amino groups. Furthermore, 1 and 2 were carbonylated to give [Ir2(L1)(CO)4](PF6)2 (3) and [Ir2Cl(L1)(CO)2]Cl (4), respectively. Notably, 1 can capture the chloride ion to turn itself into 2 with accompanying transformation from cis to trans configuration. Complexes 2 and 4 have unusual five‐coordinate IrI centers, which are rarely reported for IrI NHC complexes. The catalytic properties of 1, 2, and related mononuclear IrI complex [Ir(L2)(COD)](PF6) (5, L2 = bis‐NHC ligand) were evaluated in 1,4 conjugate addition reactions of arylboronic acids to cyclohex‐1‐en‐2‐one. These three complexes are the first examples of IrI NHC species showing such catalytic properties in 1,4‐addition reactions, and have higher catalytic activities than the reported IrI complex [Ir(hydroquinone)(COD)]BF4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the adhesion and polymerization of lipase‐plasma‐polymerized‐ethylene (lipase‐PPE) coatings deposited by aerosol‐assisted atmospheric plasma deposition (AAAPPD), the effects of voltage, ceramic‐dielectric thickness, and pre‐coated PPE layer were investigated. In AAAPPD system, ethylene and lipase‐phosphate‐buffered‐saline aerosol were used as precursors to polymerize ethylene and embed lipase simultaneously. The deposited lipase‐PPE coatings were analyzed with FTIR, SEM, and surface profiler. The results show that increasing voltage from 3 to 4 kV and decreasing ceramic‐dielectric thickness from 1 to 0.38 mm improved the coating adhesion and polymerization. Also, depositing a PPE layer with high energy prior to lipase‐PPE coating enhanced adhesion. These improvements of the biomolecule‐PPE coatings facilitate further bioapplications of this new biomolecule‐embedding method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the internet continues to grow in width and depth, its very architecture brings many challenges in network research. One significant issue is cybersecurity. Owing to the characteristics of network connectivity, malicious actions may cause losses during information exchanges in communication. Therefore, studying suspicious behaviors and covering potential exploits are necessary to protect networked computers. To determine possible threats, researchers need an experimental environment that enables them to explore and practice. A network emulation testbed provides such a platform to fulfill these purposes. This paper introduces Testbed@TWISC, a large-scale network emulation testbed on Taiwan's research and education network that supported open research and cybersecurity education for almost 10 years. The paper reviews this testbed's origination, development, and operation experiences. Several findings and open issues of the testbed are also discussed. Readers who plan to build network security testbeds may find useful information in this paper for a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate the role of Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in its regulation of TRPM7. Wistar male rats were randomly divided into the normal saline (NS), LPS, knockout (KO) + LPS, low-dose Tan IIA (Tan-L), middle-dose Tan IIA (Tan-M), high-dose Tan IIA (Tan-H) and KO + high-dose Tan IIA (KO + Tan-H) groups. The level of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, TRPM7 protein expression, current density-voltage curve and Ca2+ concentration were detected through ELISA, Western blotting, electrophysiological experiment and a calcium-imaging technique, respectively. The rats in the KO + LPS, Tan-L, Tan-M, Tan-H and KO + Tan-H groups all displayed lower levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 than the LPS group. Rats in the KO + Tan-H group exhibited lower levels of NF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 than rats in the Tan-H group. Elevated levels of TRPM7 protein expression in the LPS and Tan groups were detected in comparison with the NS group. However, TRPM7 protein expression in Tan-M and Tan-H groups was notably lower than in that of the LPS group. In comparison with the NS group, the LPS and Tan groups had a greater PIMs cell density and a higher concentration of Ca2+. Contrary results were observed in the KO + LPS, Tan-H and KO + Tan-H groups. Tan IIA decreases calcium influx in PIMs and inhibits pro-inflammatory factors which provide an alleviatory effect in regards to LPS-induced ALI by suppressing TRPM7 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alarming number of students drop out of junior high school in developing countries. In this study, we examine the impacts of providing a social-emotional learning (SEL) program on the dropout behavior and learning anxiety of students in the first two years of junior high. We do so by analyzing data from a randomized controlled trial involving 70 junior high schools and 7,495 students in rural China. After eight months, the SEL program reduces dropout by 1.6 percentage points and decreases learning anxiety by 2.3 percentage points. Effects are no longer statistically different from zero after 15 months, perhaps due to decreasing student interest in the program. However, we do find that the program reduces dropout among students at high risk of dropping out (older students and students with friends who have already dropped out), both after eight and 15 months of exposure to the SEL program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, hetero-epitaxy of GaSe epilayers on a c-sapphire substrate achieved using molecular beam epitaxy was demonstrated. The GaSe epitaxial growth was monitored using in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Streak RHEED patterns showed a flat and highly crystalline situation. Furthermore, two RHEED patterns were observed after 15 min of growth, and they were correlated with the m-axis and a-axis of hexagonal GaSe. The single crystal of GaSe was verified using X-ray diffraction and high-resolution cross-section transmission electron microscopy. The full width at half-maximum of (0002) in the XRD rocking-curve spectrum of GaSe epilayer is obtain around 207 arcsec, which is the smallest value observed to date. The epitaxial growth of GaSe demonstrated the feasibility of growing large-area epilayers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A copper-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction of nonactivated alkyl tosylates and mesylates with alkyl and aryl bromides was developed. It provides a practical method for efficient and cost-effective construction of aryl-alkyl and alkyl-alkyl CC bonds with stereocontrol from readily available substrates. When used in an intramolecular fashion, the reaction enables convenient access to various substituted carbo- or heterocycles, such as 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran and benzochromene derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium- and nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling recations of unactivated alkyl bromides with diboron reagents have been developed as practical methods for the synthesis of primary and secondary alkylboronic esters. These reactions extend the concept and utility of Pd- and Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling of aliphatic electrophiles. They also show different substrate selectivity and ligand dependence as compared to the recently reported Cu-catalyzed borylation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Background: Stroke is the second most common cause of death and a major cause of disability worldwide. Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug that may increase the risk of stroke. The present work examined whether risperidone enhances the vulnerability to stroke in hypertensive rats and the potential mechanisms underlying such action. Methods: Experiment 1: Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and stroke-prone SHRs (SHR-SPs) were treated with risperidone (0.8 and 2.4 mg/kg/d) or vehicle for 30 consecutive days. Tissue damage in response to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was measured microscopically. The activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, the levels of malondialdehyde were also determined. Experiment 2: Survival data were recorded in SHR-SPs that received daily risperidone perpetually. Experiment 3: Effect of risperidone on interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α was examined in quiescent or LPS-activated cortical microglias from WKY rats. Experiment 4: Potential damage of risperidone exposure to neurons was examined in primary neuronal culture obtained from WKY rats, SHRs, and SHR-SPs. Results: Risperidone increased infarct areas upon MCAO in SHR-SPs and SHRs, but not in WKY rats. Survival time in SHR-SPs was shortened by risperidone. Apoptosis was augmented by risperidone through enhanced Bax. Risperidone also increased endothelial injury. Conclusions: Risperidone enhances the vulnerability to stroke in hypertensive rats through increasing neuronal apoptosis and endothelial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterize the optimal contract between a principal and a risk-neutral, wealth-constrained agent when an adverse selection problem follows a moral hazard problem. The optimal contract in this setting often is more steeply sloped for the largest output levels than is the optimal contract in either the standard moral hazard setting or the standard adverse selection setting. The large incremental rewards for exceptional performance motivate the agent to deliver substantial effort both before and after he acquires privileged information about the production environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of metabolites from the indigenous Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and temperature on the bioleaching of cadmium from soil was investigated in the present study. Bioleaching was found to be more effective than chemical leaching of cadmium. The metabolite, mainly sulfuric acid, which was shown to be growth-associated in the exponential phase, plays a major role in bioleaching. The maximum amount of cadmium leached was obtained after 8 days of precultivation when cells were directly involved in the leaching process. It indicates that cells in the exponential growth phase exhibit higher activity toward bioleaching. In contrast, the maximum amount of cadmium leached and the maximum initial rate for bioleaching were reached after 16 days of precultivation when only metabolites were involved in the bioleaching process. It implies that higher sulfuric acid concentration results in higher leaching efficiency. In addition, higher temperature leads to higher leaching efficiency. The optimal operation condition for bioleaching was determined to be a two-stage process: The first stage involves the precultivation of the indigenous A. thiooxidans at 30°C for 8 days followed by 20 minutes of centrifugation to discard cells. The second stage involves the bioleaching with the subsequent supernatant at 50°C. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 83: 638–645, 2003. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of gallium oxide nanodots for the application of resistive random access memory (RRAM) using a process of atomic force microscopy (AFM) local anodic oxidation on an indium tin oxide conductive glass substrate is reported. In the atmospheric environment, an AFM probe tip contacts the gallium film locally. This gallium oxide nanodot acts as the insulator layer in a single unit of the RRAM. The structure describes the insulator layer (GaOx) sandwiched by the top (AFM tip) and bottom (Ga film) electrodes. Using current and voltage biased methods, the device switches from a high‐resistance state (HRS) to a low‐resistance state (LRS) and reset from LRS to HRS. Low read‐voltage is used to distinguish the high/low resistance to present the digital data. Presented results show the ability of atomic force microscopy anodic oxidation to produce 300 nm diameter gallium oxide nanodots on glass substrates for potentially high density RRAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction tolerates various electrophiles in form of primary alkyl bromides, iodides, tosylates, and even phosphoric acid esters equipped with a variety of substituents, such as alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, hetaryl, chloro, alkoxy, silyloxy, phthalimido and amino acid moieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Cu-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reaction of nonactivated alkyl tosylates or mesylates with alkyl and aryl bromides is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general approach is given for the cross coupling reaction of secondary tosylates and bromides with secondary alcohols [→ (III), (V), (VIIb)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, [Ir2(C16H13N2O3)4Cl2].2CH2Cl2, the two Ir atoms, 3.7075 (6) angstroms apart, are bridged by two Cl atoms which straddle a twofold axis of rotation through the two Ir atoms. Each Ir centre resides in a distorted octahedral environment completed by two chelating 2,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole ligands, with trans-N-N and cis-C-C dispositions. In the stacking structure, there are two types of hydrogen bonds, involving the methoxy substituent, an N atom of the oxadiazole ring and the dichloromethane solvent molecules.