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An ideal balance between the post length within root and the coronal extension should exist. Some theo⁃ ries advocated the use of the longest post as possible as the apical seal is not disturbed. Others advocated that the post should be longer than the crown or that the post should be a certain fraction of the length of the root. The conventional post length has been equal to 2/3⁃3/4 of the root length from half a century ago. Most of these theories have emphasized the post length in order to achieve sufficient retention and rigidity for coronal restoration. However, dental materials are evolving.With the use of fiber post and resin cement, stress distribution and post retention are improved over convention⁃ al metal post and zinc phosphate or glass⁃ionomer cement. Therefore, with improved bonding strength of fiber post, the post length within root should be minimized to maintain sufficient coronal rigidity. Factors affecting fracture resistance balance of a post⁃and⁃core system include the amount of Ferrule height (FH), Post length in root (PLIR), Post length in bone (PLIB), Abutment height (AH), Core length (CL) and Post length out of bone (PLOB). In view of the factors men⁃ tioned above, this paper investigated the mechanical factorsin a post⁃and⁃core system with literature review.

This study used computer software to design building models with selected colour parameters based on a two‐colour pattern combination, which was then presented on a standard computer screen. Further, the two‐colour combination pattern was adopted to prepare building simulation pictures with 153 colour combinations. A total of six hues were extracted based on the Natural Colour System, and there were also 18 colour samples with different lightness and saturation degrees. The results of the study found that hue difference, lightness difference, chroma difference, and total colour difference have a significant effect on harmony. On the other hand, hue difference, chroma difference, and total colour difference have a significant effect on preference. It is worth noting that lightness difference and architectural colour preferences were negatively related. In addition, there was a high correlation between architectural colour harmony and preference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the 28 primary colors and 11 complementary colors suggested by Chang et al in their investigation on building colors in Wanhua District of Taipei City were taken as color samples. The two‐color combination mode was adopted to obtain 308 simulation photos, and two‐color harmony was discussed from the perspective of visual evaluation using psychophysical tests. This study explored building façade color harmony in the CIELAB color space, and the relationship between the color attributes (hue, lightness, and chroma) and the color harmony, and between the differences of the color attributes and color harmony. It found that a high lightness of a building's primary color is associated with a high level of building color harmony, while the color harmony is reduced when the color falls in the green or blue sector in the CIELAB color space; a greater lightness difference between building façade colors is associated with a higher level of building color harmony, while the colors are disharmonized when they tend to the blue sector in the CIELAB color space. The contribution of this study is to summarize the principles for the application of building color harmony in urban renewal, and proposed suggestions on building color harmony in the urban renewal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer is the most common type of gastrointestinal cancer, causing mortality worldwide. However, the underlying molecular mechanism in gastric cancer progression remains unclear. The autophagic flux was determined in gastric cancer cells overexpressing or inhibiting Sp1 transcription factor (SP1) using western blotting, reverse transcription‑polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining. Luciferase and ChIP assays were performed to detect the potential underlying mechanism of SP1 in gastric cancer cells. Lastly, immunohistochemistry was also performed on SP1 and p62 expression levels in human gastric cancer specimens. It was demonstrated that SP1 diminished autophagic flux via activating p62 in gastric cancer. Moreover, SP1 deficiency increased the rate of autophagy of gastric cancer cells. Notably, it was observed that SP1 enhanced the expression levels of p62 by directly binding to the promoter of p62. Analysis of gastric cancer specimen staining established that p62 expression levels were increased in SP1‑positve gastric tissues. The present study provided evidence for a novel mechanism regulating autophagy in gastric cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of gastric cancer. It is generally thought that a minimally invasive technique results in less visible blood loss during the surgery. Nevertheless, a meaningful perioperative hidden blood loss (HBL) is often ignored. In this study, we investigated the amount of HBL and the influential factors after LAG for gastric cancer.Methods: A retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 62 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted total or distal gastrectomy at our center from May 2016 to May 2017. The HBL was calculated according to Gross's and Nadler's formula. The data of patient gender, age, height, weight, body mass index, preoperative and postoperative hematocrit, postoperative drainage, albumin loss, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were analyzed by multivariate linear regression analysis. The type of surgical reconstruction was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. The difference between the preoperative blood pressure and postoperative blood pressure was measured by paired sample t-test and boxplot.Results: The HBL was 322.2 ± 195.9 mL (64.3% ± 14.1% in total blood loss [TBL]), the TBL was 475.6 ± 222.8 mL, and the hemoglobin (HB) loss was 15.0 ± 8.7 (11.5% ± 6.1% of HB level loss). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that gender, hypertension, and albumin loss between preoperation and postoperation are influential factors of HBL in patients after LAG for gastric cancer. Compared to male patients, female patients are positively associated with HBL.Conclusion: In our study, we found HBL is a significant segment of TBL and is much larger than what we considered previously in LAG for gastric cancer. Gender, hypertension, and albumin loss are significantly correlated with HBL. Therefore, paying attention to HBL is significant for promoting clinical treatment and ensuring patients' safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of orally administered apigenin on the pharmacokinetics of venlafaxine (VEN) in rats and on the metabolism of VEN in human and rat liver microsomes in vitro. Methods: Ten healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: A group (control group), B group (a single dose of 250 mg/kg apigenin). A single dose of 20 mg/kg VEN was administered orally 30 min after administration of apigenin (250 mg/kg). VEN plasma levels were measured by HPLC with fluorescence detection, and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by DAS 3.0 software. Results: The single dose of 250 mg/kg apigenin significantly increased the AUC0-t of VEN by 40.9% (p < 0.05) and obviously increased the peak plasma concentration (Cmax) of VEN (p < 0.05). Furthermore, apigenin showed inhibitory effect on human and rat microsomes and the IC50 of apigenin was 58.37 and 25.73 μmol/l, respectively. Conclusions: Our results indicated that an intake of apigenin could increase VEN plasma levels and some of its pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC, Tmax). Thus, more attention should be paid when VEN was administrated combined with apigenin. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the National Undergraduate Engineering Construction Projects in the 12th Five-Year Plan, and considering cultivating innovative talents as the starting point, this paper integrates the development achievements of the innovation practice base of robot technology in NUDT, and explores the ways to inspire the innovation consciousness, construct the innovation practice platform, develop innovation practice abilities, and foster the innovation culture. Under the guidance of various innovation practice activities, the practical teaching and learning has been formed during the whole innovative talent training process, so the whole tridimensional practical teaching and learning system is constructed successfully. Meanwhile, the new methods of constructing the innovation practice base have been proposed, and the new mode of base management has also been used to realize the full-open mechanism. Under the background of ABU competition, the results show that the development of teaching philosophy was promoted and the quality of talent training was also improved by constructing the innovation practice base of robot technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this note, a consensus fault detection architecture for non-linear dynamical systems is investigated in discrete-time framework. Here, the discussed faults include abrupt and incipient faults. Moreover, the unstructured modelling uncertainty is taken into account in a large-scale system, which can be modelled as a set of subsystems, and the physical interaction between subsystems is described by non-linear functions, which can be learned on-line by neural networks. A network of local fault detectors (LFDs) is built so that each LFD monitors a single subsystem. For some overlapping components of subsystems, a co-operative estimator (CE) is embedded to avoid the consensus-less or non-co-operative case with respect to the LFDs. With the help of the designed CE, LFDs can be allowed to decide collectively on the presence of faults and the capability of detecting faults affecting overlapping variables may be improved by receiving more local diagnostic information. In addition, the derivation of rigorous analytical results for detectability properties is provided. Simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of genistein and equol on 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD3) in human and rat testis microsomes. These enzymes (3β-HSD and 17β-HSD3), along with two others (cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme and cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17-20 lyase), catalyze the reactions that convert the steroid cholesterol into the sex hormone testosterone. Genistein inhibited 3β-HSD activity (0.2 μmol L−1 pregnenolone) with half-maximal inhibition or a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 87 ± 15 (human) and 636 ± 155 nmol L−1 (rat). Genistein's mode of action on 3β-HSD activity was competitive for the substrate pregnenolonrge and noncompetitive for the cofactor NAD+. There was no difference in genistein's potency of 3β-HSD inhibition between intact rat Leydig cells and testis microsomes. In contrast to its potent inhibition of 3β-HSD, genistein had lesser effects on human and rat 17β-HSD3 (0.1 μmol L−1 androstenedione), with an IC50 ≥ 100 μmol L−1. On the other hand, equol only inhibited human 3β-HSD by 42%, and had no effect on 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD3 in rat tissues. These observations imply that the ability of soy isoflavones to regulate androgen biosynthesis in Leydig cells is due in part to action on Leydig cell 3β-HSD activity. Given the increasing intake of soy-based food products and their potential effect on blood androgen levels, these findings are greatly relevant to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Oligosaccharide or oligopeptide supplementation may have a significant impact on endurance performance. This study evaluated the effects of adding maltooligosaccharides (MO) or soy oligopeptides (SO) to compressed food (CF) on the physical response of soldiers to daily military training.Methods and Study Design: Twelve soldiers were randomized to four diet groups: regular meals, CF, CFMO, and CFSO (crossover design). They participated in exercise tests including 90 minutes running at 55-65% VO2max and exhaustive running. Heart rates, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and blood and urine samples were collected during exercise and recovery.Results: The recovery heart rates were significantly lower with the CFMO diet compared with the other diets. Compared with all other diets, blood glucose levels were higher, post-exercise blood lactate levels were lower, and lactate clearance during recovery was higher with the CFMO diet, followed by the CFSO diet. Post-exercise levels of erythrocytes and hematocrit were significantly higher with the CFSO diet. Post-exercise urine specific gravity was lower with the CFMO diet and urine pH was decreased with the CFSO diet. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and uric acid (UA) were significantly higher with the CFSO diet than with the other diets. There was no significant difference in skeletal and cardiac muscle injury indices and RPE among diets.Conclusions: CFMO led to better heart rate recovery, improved and maintained blood glucose and increased removal of blood lactate. CFSO accelerated removal of blood lactate during recovery, maintained oxygen supply, and increased fluid retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Androgen deprivation is commonly used in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. The (−)-gossypol enantiomer has been demonstrated as an effective inhibitor of Bcl-2 in the treatment of prostate cancer. However, the mechanism of gossypol as an inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis is not clear. The present study compared (+)- and (−)-gossypols in the inhibition of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and 17β-HSD isoform 3 (17β-HSD3) in human and rat testes. Gossypol enantiomers were more potent inhibitors of rat 3β-HSD with IC50s of ∼0.2μM compared to 3–5μM in human testes. However, human 17β-HSD3 was more sensitive to inhibition by gossypol enantiomers, with IC50s of 0.36±0.09 and 1.13±0.12 for (−)- and (+)-gossypols, respectively, compared to 3.43±0.46 and 10.93±2.27 in rat testes. There were species- and enantiomer-specific differences in the sensitivity of the inhibition of 17β-HSD3. Gossypol enantiomers competitively inhibited both 3β-HSD and 17β-HSD3 by competing for the cofactor binding sites of these enzymes. Gossypol enantiomers, fed orally to rats (20mg/kg), inhibited 3β-HSD but not 17β-HSD3. This finding was consistent with the in vitro data, in which rat 3β-HSD was more sensitive to gossypol inhibition than rat 17β-HSD3. As the reverse was true for the human enzymes, gossypol might be useful for treating metastatic prostate cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]