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Early recognition of persistent acute kidney injury (AKI) could optimize management and prevent deterioration of kidney function. The Doppler-based renal resistive index (RI) has shown promising results for predicting persistent AKI in preliminary studies. Here, we aimed to evaluate the performance of renal RI, clinical indicators, and their combinations to predict short-term kidney prognosis in septic shock patients.We performed a retrospective study based on data from a prospective study in a single-center general ICU between November 2017 and October 2018. Patients with septic shock were included. Clinical indicators were evaluated immediately at inclusion, and renal RI was measured within the first 12 h of ICU admission after hemodynamic stabilization. Persistent AKI was defined as AKI without recovery within 72 h. A multivariable logistic regression was used to select significant variables associated with persistent AKI. The discriminative power was evaluated by a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.Overall, 102 patients were included, 39 of whom had persistent AKI. Renal RI was higher in the persistent AKI patients than in those without persistent AKI: 0.70 ± 0.05 vs. 0.66 ± 0.05;The Doppler-based renal resistive index performed poorly in predicting persistent AKI and did not improve the clinical prediction provided by a combination of serum creatinine at inclusion and the nonrenal SOFA score in patients with septic shock.

De-Bin Liu,1,&ast; You-Fu He,2– 4,&ast; Gui-Jian Chen,1 Hua Huang,1 Xu-Ling Xie,1 Wan-Jun Lin,1 Zhi-Jian Peng1 1Department of Cardiology, The Second People’s Hospital of Shantou, Shantou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Guizhou Provincial Cardiovascular Disease Clinical Medicine Research Center, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhi-Jian Peng, Department of Cardiology, The Second People’s Hospital of Shantou, Shantou, 515000, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18316056382, Fax +86-754 88983534, Email 983247770@qq.comBackground: Aortic dissection (AD) is a rare and lethal disorder with its genetic basis remains largely unknown. Many studies have confirmed that circRNAs play important roles in various physiological and pathological processes. However, the roles of circRNAs in AD are still unclear and need further investigation. The present study aimed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of circRNAs regulation in AD based on the circRNA-associated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network.Methods: Expression profiles of circRNAs (GSE97745), miRNAs (GSE92427), and mRNAs (GSE52093) were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, and the differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs) were subsequently identified by bioinformatics analysis. CircRNA–miRNA–mRNA ceRNA network, Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were used to predict the potential functions of circRNA-associated ceRNA network. RNA was isolated from human arterial blood samples after which qRT-PCR was performed to confirm the DERNAs.Results: We identified 14 (5 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated) differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs), 17 (8 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated) differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) and 527 (297 up-regulated and 230 down-regulated) differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) (adjusted P-value < 0.05 and | log2FC | > 1.0). KEGG pathway analysis indicated that DEmRNAs were related to focal adhesion and extracellular matrix receptor interaction signaling pathways. Simultaneously, the present study constructed a ceRNA network based on 1 circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_082317), 1 miRNAs (hsa-miR-149-3p) and 10 mRNAs (MLEC, ENTPD7, SLC16A3, SLC7A8, TBC1D16, PAQR4, MAPK13, PIK3R2, ITGA5, SERPINA1). qRT-PCR demonstrated that hsa_circRNA_082317 and ITGA5 were significantly up-regulated, and hsa-miR-149-3p was dramatically down-regulated in AD (n = 3).Conclusion: This is the first study to demonstrate the circRNA-associated ceRNA network is altered in AD, implying that circRNAs may play important roles in regulating the onset and progression and thus may serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of AD.Keywords: circRNA, miRNA, mRNA, ceRNA, aortic dissection, bioinformatics analyses

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between lifestyle behavior variables such as physical activity, television watching, computer use, and school night sleep duration with body mass index percentile (BMI%) using quantile regression within a representative sample of adolescents who completed the 2017 US National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Study design The study design was a cross-sectional study. Methods A multistage cluster sampling procedure obtained a representative sample of US adolescents. The number of sampled adolescents submitting questionnaires with BMI% data was 13,146. To examine the associations between lifestyle behaviors and BMI%, simultaneous quantile regression was used. Results When relationships were modeled at every 10th percentile, more precise parameter estimates were observed at higher percentiles. Across the interquartile range, physical activity associated with lower BMI% at the 50th and 75th percentiles (brange = −2.27% to −5.24%, P Conclusions Higher levels of physical activity associated with lower BMI% and longer time watching television, school night sleep durations less than 8 h, and school night sleep durations of 10 h or more at higher quantiles associated with higher BMI% in adolescents. Estimates of association were more precise within higher quantiles.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in outdoor air is carcinogenic and associated with the development of lung cancer; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the profiles of lncRNA, microRNA and mRNA expression profiles in human bronchial epithelia (HBE) following exposure to PM2.5, diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), or aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al2O3 NPs) were explored by microarray to reveal the lncRNA-microRNA-mRNA network participating in the malignant transformation of HBE cells following long-term PM2.5 exposure. The results showed that lncRNA SOX2 overlapping transcript (SOX2-OT) was significantly induced in HBE cells exposed to PM2.5, DEPs, or Al2O3 NPs, acting as a sponge to microRNA-345-5p, which subsequently increased the expression levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). EGFR is a therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer. Here, we found that SOX2-OT is an upstream trigger of EGFR in HBE cells during long-term PM2.5 exposure. Importantly, SOX2-OT knockdown effectively reduced the colony formation and migration capacities of HBE cells, compared to the wild type control. Collectively, SOX2-OT/microRNA-345-5p/EGFR is a ceRNA mechanism underlying the malignant transformation of bronchial epithelia exposed to PM2.5, which improves our understanding of the association between ambient PM2.5 exposure and the development of lung cancer.

The proportion of Fe2+ and Fe3+ in Fe-based nanozymes is a key point in determining their catalytic activity. However, it is hard to adjust the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio in nanozyme systems to achieve the best catalytic performance. In this work, we successfully regulate Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios in a wide range of 0.81-1.45 based on a novel porous platform of Fe doped silica hollow spheres. The homogeneous distribution and stable fixation of Fe components in Fe doped silica hollow spheres facilitate the valence regulation of Fe in the reduction heating in H2/Ar. When the Fe doped spheres (FeOx@SHSs) were used as nanozymes, different Fe2+/Fe3+ ratios have shown to influence the peroxidase-like catalytic activity greatly. The highest activity at the ratio of 1.41 should be due to the combined effects of the accelerated reaction rate by Fe2+ and the enhanced catalytic cycle efficiency by Fe3+. The FeOx@SHSs-based nanozyme is further applied to construct a facile colorimetric biosensing system, which exhibited extremely sensitive determination of glucose. This work presents an effective platform for controlling Fe valences and optimizing the peroxidase-like activity for catalytic processes or sensing systems.

Reproductive epidemiological studies have suggested associations between perinatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and adverse birth outcomes. To explore the effects of early prenatal exposure to PM2.5 on subsequent generations, pregnant mice were exposed to PM2.5 or filtered clean air in whole body dynamic exposure chambers for 14 consecutive days from gestation day (GD) 1.5 to GD15.5. Neurobehavioral tests showed that spontaneous locomotion and exploratory behaviors in the offspring were significantly enhanced in the open field test. Meanwhile, metabolomics analysis suggested activation of dopamine pathway while inhibition of glycine pathway in murine brains. Administration of the DRD4 antagonist, clozapine; or supplementation of glycine receptor agonist, taurine, to mice offspring attenuated the locomotor hyperactivities to levels indistinguishable from controls. These data provide strong evidence that maternal exposure to air pollution might increase the risk for neural disorders in the offspring during critical periods of brain development.

Epidemiological studies have associated ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure with lung cancer, in which epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an initial process. Thus, it is important to identify the key molecule or pathway involved in the PM2.5 induced EMT. Human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were exposed to PM2.5 (100 or 500 μg/ml) for 30 passages and analyzed by metabolomics to identify the alteration of metabolites related to PM2.5 exposure. The expression levels of EMT markers were evaluated by qRT-PCR and Western blot assays in HBE cells and murine lung tissues. Reduced epithelial markers, increased mesenchymal markers expression levels and increased capacity of metastasis were observed in PM2.5-exposed HBE cells. Metabolomics analysis suggested upregulation of citrate acid with fold change (FC) of 2.89 or 4.18 in 100 or 500 μg/ml PM2.5 treated HBE cells. For both of the in vitro and in vivo study, the up-regulation of ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) was confirmed following PM2.5 exposure. Importantly, ACLY knockdown in HBE cells reversed EMT, migration and invasion capacities in HBE cells induced by PM2.5. Taken together, our data suggest that inhibition of ACLY demonstrates a protection against PM2.5-induced EMT, providing a concern on the molecular mechanisms of PM2.5-associated pulmonary disorders.

Cold causes oxidative stress in living organisms, mainly caused by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the antioxidant defense systems, Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play a vital role in the regulation of detoxification and redox balance of ROS. In this study, the P. canaliculata GST gene family were characterized using a genome-wide search of the conserved domain. Phylogenetic tree and domain composition analysis revealed that 30 PcGSTs belong to seven classes, including five in MAPEG, two in Mu, nine in Omega, 11 in Sigma, one in Rho, Theta and Alpha class, respectively. RNA-seq analysis revealed that most PcGSTs localized in mitochondria highly expressed in hepatopancreas, and most PcGSTs localized in cytoplasm highly expressed in kidney. A total of 12 PcGST genes were significantly up-regulated and PcGST12 was significantly down-regulated after cold acclimation. Ten PcGSTs were identified as DEGs under cold stress after cold acclimation. qRT-PCR revealed that the expression level of five PcGST genes were significantly varied during the cold acclimation. The present study investigated the characterization of the P. canaliculata GST gene family, extending our understanding of GST mediated cold acclimation and cold stress-response mechanisms in this invasive snail.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the neighbourhood social environment and meeting recommendations for 24-h movement behaviours in youth. Participants were a sample of children and adolescents from the 2019 National Survey of Children’s Health (N = 21 259; 48.2% female). Knowing where to go for help (odds ratio (OR) = 2.66, p = 0.006) and a safe school environment (OR = 1.99, p = 0.020) correlated with high probability of meeting 24-h movement behaviour recommendations in females. Novelty: The neighbourhood social environment associates with meeting 24-h movement recommendations in females.

Cathelicidins are an important antimicrobial peptide family and are expressed in many different vertebrates. They play an important role in the innate immune system of the host. However, amphibian cathelicidins are poorly understood. In this study, the cDNA of the cathelicidin gene was obtained from the skin transcriptome of tiger frog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus). The predicted amino acid sequence of tiger frog cathelicidin (HR-CATH) comprises a signal peptide, a cathelin domain, and a mature peptide. The HR-CATH amino acid sequence alignment with other frog cathelicidins showed that the functional mature peptide is highly variable in amphibians, whereas the cathelin domain is conserved. A phylogenetic tree analysis showed that HR-CATH is most closely related to cathelicidin-NV from Nanorana ventripunctata. HR-CATH was chemically synthesized and its in vitro activity was determined. It had high antibacterial activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, and the pathogenic bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila. HR-CATH damaged the cell membrane integrity of A. hydrophila according to a lactate dehydrogenase release assay and was able to hydrolyze the genomic DNA from A. hydrophila in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in RAW264.7 cells (mouse leukemic monocyte/macrophage cell line), HR-CATH induced chemotaxis and enhanced respiratory burst. Our study shows that amphibian cathelicidin has antimicrobial activity and an immunomodulatory effect on immune cells.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships linking motivational variables with BMI percentile (BMI%) via segmented physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in ado...

Background: Lymph node metastasis (LNM) of lung cancer is an important factor associated with prognosis. Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are becoming a new powerful tool to characterize tumorigenesis and metastasis. We have developed and validated a miRNA disease signature to predict LNM in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Method: LUAD miRNAs and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were obtained and divided randomly into training (n = 259) and validation (n = 83) cohorts. A miRNA signature was built using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) (λ = -1.268) and logistic regression model. The performance of the miRNA signature was evaluated using the area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). We performed decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess the clinical usefulness of the signature. We also conducted a miRNA-regulatory network analysis to look for potential genes engaged in LNM in LUAD. Result: Thirteen miRNAs were selected to build our miRNA disease signature. The model showed good calibration in the training cohort, with an AUC of 0.782 (95% CI: 0.725-0.839). In the validation cohort, AUC was 0.691 (95% CI: 0.575-0.806). DCA demonstrated that the miRNA signature was clinically useful. Conclusion: The miRNA disease signature can be used as a noninvasive method to predict LNM in patients with lung adenocarcinoma objectively and the signature achieved high accuracy for prediction.

Background Species-specific advertisement calls are the main mechanism of transmitting information between individuals in anuran amphibians and are therefore indispensable for anuran survival and reproduction. Survey methods that monitor these calls can be used for rapid species recognition, behavioral experiments, and conservation monitoring. In this study, we described in detail 10 call parameters from three sympatric species in the genus Microhyla and analyzed the differences in call parameter among these species to provide a basis for systematic monitoring, acoustic analysis and taxonomic study of this genus. Methods The quantitative analyses of temporal and spectral call parameters were used in our study for the advertisement calls of three sympatric Microhyla species (M. beilunensis, M. fissipes and M. heymonsi) in Zhejiang Province, East China. Results Our results showed the following: (1) Significant differences existed among the three sympatric Microhyla species in call duration (CD), call interval (CI), number of pulses (NP), pulse rate, call intensity (CIT), dominant frequency (DF) and frequency of the first to fourth formants (F1, F2, F3 and F4). (2) Some spectral parameters (DF, F1 and F3) were negatively correlated with the body size of the vocalizing individuals in each species. (3) The coefficients of variation within individuals (CVw) for CIT, DF and F1–F4 were smaller than 5%, whereas the CVW for CI was larger than 10% in each species. (4) The principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis showed that call parameters could distinguish the three Microhyla species. (5) The phylogenetic generalized least squares analysis showed that phylogenetic relationships affected CD and NP against snout-vent length (SVL), DF and NP against CD, and NP against DF, but not of DF against SVL; based on the phylogenetic analysis, CD and NP were not related to SVL, but DF was negatively related to SVL.

BackgroundThe tiger frog (Hoplobatrachus rugulosus) is widely raised by many farms in southern region of China as an economically edible frog. The growth, development, and sexual differentiation of amphibians are influenced by temperature and steroid hormone level. However, the problem of hormone residues is caused by the addition of exogenous hormones in frog breeding, it is worth considering whether non-sterol aromatase inhibitors can be used instead of hormones.MethodsIn our study,H. rugulosustadpoles were subjected to two water temperatures (29 °C and 34 °C) and three letrozole concentrations in the feed (0, 0.1 and 1 mg/g) to examine the effects of temperature, aromatase inhibitor and their interaction on metamorphosis, locomotion, and sex ratios. AG-test and contingency table were used to analyze the metamorphosis rate of tadpoles and the survival rate of froglets after feeding for 90 days. AG-test was also used to analyze sex ratios in different treatment groups.ResultsMetamorphosis time and body size (snout–vent length, body mass and condition factor) were significantly different between the two temperature treatments. Metamorphosis time was longer and body size was increased at 29 °C compared to those at 34 °C. Letrozole concentration and the temperature × letrozole interaction did not affect these variables. The jumping distance of froglets following metamorphosis was positively associated with the condition factor; when controlling for condition factor, jumping distance was not affected by temperature, letrozole concentration and their interaction. Temperature and letrozole concentration also did not affect metamorphosis and survival rate. Sex ratio of the control group (0 mg/g letrozole) was 1:1 at 29 °C, but there were more males at 34 °C. The sex ratios ofH. rugulosustreated with letrozole at 29 °C and 34 °C were significantly biased toward males, and male ratio increased as letrozole concentration increased. Furthermore, more males were produced at 34 °C than at 29 °C at each letrozole concentration.

Rationale: Amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a rare obstetrical complication and is a leading cause of maternal death in developed countries. Despite the development of supportive therapeutic measures, the mortality rate remains high. Patient concerns: A 38-year-old nulliparous pregnant woman, who underwent in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer, was admitted for labor at 37 weeks’ gestation. Approximately 30 minutes after delivery of the placenta, the puerpera developed postpartum hemorrhage with uterine atony. Soon after, the patient experienced hypotension, repeated cardiac arrest, refectory hypoxia, and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Diagnosis: AFE is diagnosed clinically. The pregnant woman in this case fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AFE: acute hypotension, cardiac arrest, acute hypoxia, and coagulation disorders within approximately 30 minutes after delivery of the placenta. Interventions: The patient was intubated, connected to a ventilator, and was administered a high dose of vasoactive drugs to maintain blood pressure and underwent an emergency hysterectomy. Considering the risk for recurrent cardiac arrest and severe refractory hypoxia, venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was initiated and discontinued as soon as cardiac function was restored based on serial bedside ultrasound assessment. Outcomes: The patient stabilized on day 7 in the intensive care unit and was transferred to the obstetrics ward and, 1 week later, was discharged with no complications. Two months later, follow-up revealed that the patient was in good condition. Lesson: Serial bedside ultrasound was crucial for assessing cardiac function and optimal weaning. Timely application of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and weaning was significant to avoid the occurrence of complications and improve long-term outcomes.

In Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, ambient air total suspended particulates and PM2.5 concentration data were collected and discussed during the years of 1998–2015 in this study. The aim of the present study was to (1) investigate and collect ambient air total suspended particulates (TSP) and PM2.5 concentrations for Asian countries during the past two decades. (2) Discuss, analyze and compare those particulates (TSP and PM2.5) annual concentration distribution trends among those Asian countries during the past two decades. (3) Test the mean concentration differences in TSP and PM2.5 among the Asian countries during the past decades. The results indicated that the mean TSP concentration order was shown as China > Malaysia > Pakistan > India > Taiwan > Korea > Japan. In addition, the mean PM2.5 concentration order was shown as Vietnam > India > China > Hong Kong > Mongolia > Korea > Taiwan > Japan and the average percentages of PM2.5 concentrations for Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Other (India and Vietnam) were 8, 21, 6, 8, 14, 13 and 30%, respectively, during the past two decades. Moreover, t test results revealed that there were significant mean TSP and PM2.5 concentration differences for either China or India to any of the countries such as Taiwan, Korea and Japan in Asia during the past two decades for this study. Noteworthy, China and India are both occupied more than 60% of the TSP and PM2.5 particulates concentrations out of all the Asia countries. As for Taiwan, the average PM2.5 concentration displayed increasing trend in the years of 1998–1999. However, it showed decreasing trend in the years of 2000–2010. As for Korea, the average PM2.5 concentrations showed decreasing trend during the years of 2001–2013. Finally, the average PM2.5 concentrations for Mongolia displayed increasing trend in the years of 2004–2013.

The concentrations of particulates and metallic elements that were bound to total suspended particulates in ambient air at Long Cyuan Elementary School (LCYES), Lung Ching Elementary School (LCHES) and Long Shan Primary School (LSPS) sampling sites in the Longjing area were measured. Significant difference tests were conducted at LSPS, LCYES and LCHES sites. Finally, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk values for LSPS, LCYES and LCHES sites in the Longjing district were evaluated. The results show that the most average particulate and metallic element concentrations were highest in October, November, January, February, March, April, August, and September The average particulate and metallic element concentrations at LCHES were higher than at the other sampling sites. The Concentration Scatter Diagrams reveal the absence of significant variation among the LSPS, LCYES and LCHES sampling sites in the Longjing district. Therefore, these sampling sites are inferred to have similar emission sources. The children and adults inhalation carcinogenic risks which referenced US EPA method were all within acceptable ranges. Non-carcinogenic risks revealed that all metallic elements considered herein were harmless to human health.

The lack of reliable animal models to assess the safety and efficacy of drugs and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms is one of the most severe impediments in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tumor immunology research. The majority of xenograft tumor models established using immunodeficient mice neglect the effects of T cells. To date, to the best of our knowledge, there is no syngeneic tumor model available that reflects the immune microenvironmental features of HNSCC tumors. To solve this issue, the present study used 4‑nitroquinoline‑1‑oxide (4‑NQO) to induce squamous cell carcinoma in C57BL/6 mice. Three HNSCC cell lines were then established, and one of these, termed JC1, was selected for further analysis due to its enhanced proliferative ability and tumorigenicity in immunodeficient nude mice. However, none of the 3 cell lines could form tumors in immunocompetent mice. Due to the different tumorigenicities in nude and C57BL/6 mice, the immune system may play an important role in inoculated JC1 tumor progression. Chemical induction was used to establish the tumorigenicity‑enhanced cell line, JC1‑2, which can form syngeneic tumors in immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice. Next‑generation sequencing (NGS) was used to perform the immunogenomic and transcriptomic characterization of the JC1‑2 cells. Splenocytes were isolated from C57BL/6 mice and co‑cultured with JC1‑2 cells to verify the responsiveness of the interferon (IFN)‑γ pathway in the JC1‑2 cell line. Unlike the majority of syngeneic mouse tumors, the JC1‑2‑formed tumors resembled 'inflamed tumors' due to the abundancy of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, more intense immune responses were observed in the orthotopic mouse model than in the heterotopic model. Thus, this model could be used to delineate the interactions between HNSCC and lymphocytes, and to validate novel immunotherapy targets.

AIM To investigate the role of regulatory T cell (Treg) subsets in the balance between Treg and T helper 17 (Th17) cells in various tissues from mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. METHODS Treg cells, Treg cell subsets, Th17 cells, and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL-17+ cells from the lamina propria of colon (LPC) and other ulcerative colitis (UC) mouse tissues were evaluated by flow cytometry. Forkhead box protein 3 (FoxP3), interleukin 17A (IL-17A), and RORC mRNA levels were assessed by real-time PCR, while interleukin-10 (IL-10) and IL-17A levels were detected with a Cytometric Beads Array. RESULTS In peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC), mesenteric lymph node (MLN), lamina propria of jejunum (LPJ) and LPC from UC mice, Treg cell numbers were increased (P < 0.05), and FoxP3 and IL-10 mRNA levels were decreased. Th17 cell numbers were also increased in PBMC and LPC, as were IL-17A levels in PBMC, LPJ, and serum. The number of FrI subset cells (CD4+CD45RA+FoxP3low) was increased in the spleen, MLN, LPJ, and LPC. FrII subset cells (CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3high) were decreased among PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC, but the number of FrIII cells (CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low) and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+IL-17A+ cells was increased. FoxP3 mRNA levels in CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells decreased in PBMC, MLN, LPJ, and LPC in UC mice, while IL-17A and RORC mRNA increased. In UC mice the distribution of Treg, Th17 cells, CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3high, and CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells was higher in LPC relative to other tissues. CONCLUSION Increased numbers of CD4+CD45RA-FoxP3low cells may cause an imbalance between Treg and Th17 cells that is mainly localized to the LPC rather than secondary lymphoid tissues.

The main purpose of this study was to monitor ambient air particulates and mercury species [RGM, Hg(p), GEM and total mercury] concentrations and dry depositions over rural area at Longjing in central Taiwan during October 2014 to September 2015. In addition, passive air sampler and knife-edge surrogate surface samplers were used to collect the ambient air mercury species concentrations and dry depositions, respectively, in this study. Moreover, direct mercury analyzer was directly used to detect the mercury Hg(p) and RGM concentrations. The result indicated that: (1) The average highest RGM, Hg(p), GEM and total mercury concentrations, and dry depositions were observed in January, prevailing dust storm occurred in winter season was the possible major reason responsible for the above findings. (2) The highest average RGM, Hg(p), GEM and total mercury concentrations, dry depositions and velocities were occurred in winter. This is because that China is the largest atmospheric mercury (Hg) emitter in the world. Its Hg emissions and environmental impacts need to be evaluated. (3) The results indicated that the total mercury ratios of Kaohsiung to that of this study were 5.61. This is because that Kaohsiung has the largest industry density (~60 %) in Taiwan. (4) the USA showed average lower mercury species concentrations when compared to those of the other world countries. The average ratios of China/USA values were 89, 76 and 160 for total mercury, RGM and Hg(p), respectively, during the years of 2000-2012.

PM2.5 has become an important environmental issue in Taiwan during the past few years. Moreover, electricity increased significantly during the summertime and TTPP generated by coal burning base is the main electricity provider in central Taiwan. Therefore, summer season has become the main research target in this study. The ambient air concentrations of particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10 collected by using VAPS at a mixed characteristic sampling site were studied in central Taiwan. The results indicated that the average daytime PM2.5 and PM10 particulate concentrations were occurred in May and they were 44.75 and 57.77 µg/m3 in this study. The results also indicated that the average nighttime PM2.5 and PM10 particulate concentrations were occurred in June and they were 38.19 and 45.79 µg/m3 in this study. The average PM2.5/PM10 ratios were 0.7 for daytime, nighttime and 24-h sampling periods in the summer for this study. This value was ranked as the lowest ratios when compared to the other seasons in previous study. Noteworthy, the results further indicated that the metallic element Pb has the mean highest concentrations for 24-h, daytime and nighttime sampling periods when compared to those of the other metallic elements (Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd). The average mean highest metallic Pb concentrations in PM10 were 110.7, 203.0 and 207.2 ng/m3 for 24-h, daytime and nighttime sampling periods in this study. And there were 59.53, 105.2 and 106.6 ng/m3 for Pb in PM2.5 for 24-h, daytime and nighttime sampling periods, respectively. Moreover, the results further indicated that mean metallic element Pb concentrations on PM2.5 and PM10 were all higher than those of the other elements for 24 h, day and nighttime.

This study measured the concentrations of particulates and metallic elements in ambient air by using PS-1 sampler (TSP) at Longjing area. And this study focuses on the collection of ambient air particulates, metallic elements, particulate-bound mercury Hg(p), concentrations. In addition, the sources of ambient pollutants by way of back trajectory analysis are found. Moreover, test mean concentration variance differences for metallic elements (PM, Hg(p), Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Pb) among the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) through ANOVA are calculated. The result indicates that the average highest particulate concentration occurred in winter season, and the order was winter > spring > autumn > summer, and the mostly highest average metallic element (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, Pb) concentrations occurred in autumn. Moreover, the mostly average lowest metallic element concentrations occurred in summer. In addition, the above results of backward trajectories that the major particulate pollutants parcel mainly come from northeastern Taiwan. Moreover, when comparing the results of the first half year to that of the second half year, the they indicated that all metallic elements displayed significant differences in concentrations except those of Hg(p), Mn, Fe, Zn. Finally, metallic element Hg(p) is the only one which showed no significant concentration difference from either seasonal variations or half-year observations.

Background: Posterior percutaneous endoscopic cervical diskectomy (P-PECD) can be used posterior microdiscectomy for cervical disc herniation. But only some small sample sizes of clinical studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of P-PECD. This study aim to evaluated the efficacy and safety of P-PECD compared with traditional open surgery. Methods: We will search the following seven electronic databases from their initiation to the May 1, 2020: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) and Wanfang database. All randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials and retrospective case controls that compared the efficacy and safety of P-PECD and traditional open surgery in the treatment of cervical disc herniation will be included. The pooled odds ratio with 95% credible intervals (CIs) was used for the dichotomous variables. The mean difference with 95% CIs was used for the continuous variables. All analyses were conducted by Comprehensive Meta Analysis 2.0. A 2-tailed P value

Behavior analysis is the advanced stage in intelligence surveillance. In this paper, we first parameterize the scene knowledge using Hough Transform and Polynomial fitting to boundary of road. The algorithm of Self-Adaptive Background Subtraction was cited in order to segment the moving objects; the features of improved Hu moment were used for classification; and the cordon was cited to realize the behavior analysis of moving objects. The experimental results show that our algorithm is effective.

The ambient air particulates pollutants of total suspended particulates (TSP) and PM2.5 were collected by using PS-1 and Wilbur PM2.5 sampler, simultaneously during the year of 2015-2017 at a photoelectric factory in Science Park of central Taiwan. And those of the ambient air atmospheric metallic elements (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb) concentrations which attached on the TSP and PM2.5 were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer. In addition, identifying anthropogenic and natural pollutants sources were conducted by using the enrichment factor (EF) and principal component analysis (PCA) methods. The results indicated that the average TSP and PM2.5 concentrations were ranked highest in winter season, while summer season was ranked lowest during the year of 2015-2016. In addition, the average highest metallic element concentrations were occurred in winter season for both TSP and PM2.5 during the year of 2015-2016, while the average lowest metallic elements concentrations in TSP and PM2.5 were also occurred in winter season during the year of 2016-2017. Moreover, the EF analysis results showed that the metallic element Zn came from anthropogenic emission source. As for metallic element Mn, the results showed that metallic element Mn was mainly attributed to natural emission in this study. Finally, the PCA results showed that metallic elements Cr, Zn and Pb were the dominant emissions metallic elements in this study. As for PM2.5, the results showed that the metallic elements Cr, Cu and Pb were the dominant emissions metallic elements at this HPB sampling site.

Classing object is an important step for the high-level visions processing tasks, such as security managing, and abnormality event analysis. In this paper, we address these challenges of abnormal water surface monitoring in real-world unconstrained environments where the background is complex and dynamic. In the algorithm proposed, we extract the moment features of water surface in HSI space, and a technique is developed to monitor the abnormal surface of water based on moment features. Experimental results show that our algorithm works efficiently and robustly.

Based on the theory of the earth’s ecosystem, this paper analyzed the essence and results of orogenesis. We found that, in order to supply abound silicon to the ocean, to accelerate the growth of phytoplankton and decrease the atmospheric carbon, the earth’s ecosystem started up the regulatory mechanism of orogenesis. As a result, both atmospheric and water temperature were decreased. It was found that all of the glaciers were occurred after the major orogenesis, confirmed the correctness and the long lasting of the theory of the earth’s ecosystem, the power of silicon, and the complementary mechanisms. This research deepened the understanding of the earth’s ecosystem.

A simple and rapid spectrophotometric method for flow injection determination of sulfite in tan wastewater is described. It was based on the fade reaction of sulfide ion with Ag (I)- (5-Bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethyl-aminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) in NaAc-HAc medium. The optimum conditions allow a linear calibration range of 0.01-1.10 μg ml-1sulfide ion. The detection limit is 0.0043 μg ml-1 (S/N=3), and the relative standard deviation for night replicate measurements is 2.1% for 0.5μg ml-1of sulfide ion. The procedure has been applied to the determination of sulfide in tannery wastewater. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by methylene blue spectrophotometric method.

It was more convenient to describe track irregularity by the spatial frequency.The conventional frequency-domain transfer function can not effectively solve the vibration equation when anlysis of the vibration response to structure of vehicle-track dynamic coupling system, the time domain numerical integration must be used to solve it.The trigonometric series superposition method can be used to convert track irregularity spectrum into time domain frequency power spectral density function, and then turn the simulated irregularity samples into spectral density by the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), which compared with the theoretical spectral density to test the reliability of the sample. The results show that the simulated sample have the same characteristics with the given power spectral density function, which demonstrate the high reliability of this sample and it can be used as the external excitation of the locomotive vehicle system.

The visual defects of the polymer polaroid have a direct and serious influence on the quality of TFT-LCD panels. A variety of image detection systems have been proposed and widely used by the manufacturers of polaroid and panels in order to detect the visual defects at the earliest possible stage in the production process. Some slight visual defects, however, are barely visible in the images acquired by a camera when under a common illumination condition. In order to deal with this problem, we present a novel machine vision system in which a stripe light source is introduced to illuminate the polaroid sample, and these special defects therefore become more visible. At the base of the aforementioned image enhancement, a straightforward and fast image processing algorithm is designed and implemented. The Morphology Template Method is investigated and the shapes, the locations and the sizes of the visual defects are extracted successfully. The experimental results demonstrate this methodology’s validity to inspect the visual defects of transparent multilayer polymer films.

How to provide dependability based on safety is a challenge faced by train control system. Formal approaches are important for modeling and verification of automatic speed control Systems. In the paper, a formal model of automatic speed control Systems based on Petri nets (ASCS-nets) is presented. And the transformation approaches from automatic train speed control system to ASCS-nets are given. Correctness verification of automatic train speed control system is implemented based on ASCS-nets model.

In this paper we study some combinatorial properties and inequalities of some classes of Z-matrices. These matrices arise in many problems in the mathematical and physical sciences. We show that all (inverse)N0-matrices are irreducible and some eigenvalue inequalities of (inverse)N0-matrices.

Image segmentation technique was used widely for computer vision and image processing. A robust technique of image segmentation plays a crucial role in identification problem. In this paper, a nonparametric and unsupervised method of automatic threshold for segmenting image was proposed, i.e. the optimal threshold is approximated by global average gray and local average gray, and this method was compared with other methods by using standard image. The experimental results show that our method proposed in this paper is robust. In addition, an image database of road traffic marking (www.ananth.in/RoadMarkingdetection.html) is provided to do this experiment for testing our method, the results show that our method is excellent.

Influence analysis of train speed on vibration responses of footbridge entrance to platform induced by wind pressure due to main line train have been researched in the paper. With some footbridge as the research background, different wind pressure produced by different train speed acting on the bridge surface simulated by CFD method has been adopted to the bridge, thus influence of train speed on vibration responses of footbridge induced by wind due to main line train are obtained. Simulating results show that the vibration responses of footbridge entrance to platform intense with the increase of train speed.

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate and compare the passing rates of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with Traditional Courses to indicate how to improve the teaching efficiency in Medicine Education. Methods: A systematic search of relevant published literature was conducted to collect relevant retrospective cohort studies that compared the teaching efficiency of MOOCs and Traditional Courses. Results: There are three retrospective cohort studies included in the final meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the passing rates of MOOCs and Traditional Courses. Conclusions: it is necessary for universities to invest in online education to promote the development of MOOCs, which will probably have an advantage over Traditional Courses for postgraduate medical education in the near future.

In this study, the three dimensional ZnO (3D-ZnO) nanorods were synthesized by a simple chemical solution method, which were used as photoelectrodes, and CdS QDs were deposited on the surface of the 3D-ZnO nanorods to act a light absorber by using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The photovoltaic performances of the semiconductor quantum dots sensitized solar cells based on CdS QDs/3D-ZnO photoelectrodes were investigated. A maximum 5.06 mA/cm2short circuit current density and 1.03% conversion efficiency under one sun illumination has been achieved. These results demonstrate that the CdS QDs-sensitized 3D-ZnO nanorods photoelectrode has a potential application in solar cells.

Wind pressure of pedestrian bridge induced by main line train has been investigated using numerical simulation. Based on time-filtered Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, meanwhile, the RNG k-ε turbulent model is selected to close the equations, the three-dimensional incompressible unsteady flow computational fluid dynamics model have been established by commercial software FLUENT. The distribution of wind pressure and the time histories of wind pressure on surface of the bottom of bridge are obtained, moreover, the characteristics of variation process are summarized.

Using our school's agricultural informatization degree functions and characteristics of the teaching platform, we introduce the agricultural informatization network course teaching demonstration system implementation process, the main module, database and platform construction. At the same time the detailed design is discussed. According to practical application, it shows that the teaching system can improve the teaching research, guarantee the quality of teaching, and have good demonstration effect.

A rapid spectrophotometric method for flow injection determination of sulfite in tan wastewater is described. The proposed method was based on the addition reaction of sulfite with fuchsin in Na2B4O7-NaOH medium. The optimum conditions allow a linear calibration range of 0.01-1.20 μg ml-1 SO32-. The detection limit is 0.0023μg ml-1 (S/N=3), and the relative standard deviation for night replicate measurements is 1.1% for 0.5μg ml-1 of sulfite. The sampling rate is 60 samples h-1. The procedure has been applied to the determination of sulfite in tan wastewater. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by pararosaniline method.

Forward looking collision avoidance radar has been extensively researched by domestic and external. Two-dimensional scanning and controlling method can be applied to front-visual automobile collision avoidance lidar to acquire intensity image and range profile of the targets. But it has some disadvantages of complex system, large volume, high cost and it is difficult in practical applications. In comparison to two-dimensional scanning image system, one-dimensional scanning image lidar cannot reconstruct 3D image of target, whereas the imaging speed is much more rapid due to less scanning points. In this work, a one-dimensional scanning semiconductor imaging lidar system was developed, which was composed of laser system, optical system, scanning system, detecting system and signal processing system. Real-time intensity images of black and white stripe targets were obtained in the laboratory. The study results provided foundation for further practical application. This lidar system owns the advantages of simple structure, high speed imaging, low cost, etc. It can be promisingly applied in forward looking automotive collision avoidance lidar system.

Silicon carbide with diffierent granularity and three grain composition was used as raw material. Silicon carbide refractory material was prepared in oxidizing atmosphere at 1400 °C, 1450 °C and 1500 °C for 3 h. Performence of samples were researched by measurements of apparent porosity, bulk density, bending strength at room temperature, thermal shock resistance and thermal expansion rate, and analyzed by SEM. The results showed that samples sintered at 1400 °C have low thermal expansion rate and apparent porosity, high bending strength and bulk density, good thermal shock resistance, compact texture as well. It can be deduced that (1.0-0.5mm) / (0.5-0.1mm) / (45μm) / (5μm) = 50 / 17/ 20/ 13 is the best grain composition to improve integrated performance of silicon carbide refractory material.

Both to determinate the maximum diameter of cutting tool for a pocket, which is a common operation in CAM and feature representation, and to search an Optional Cutter Diameter Sequence (OCDS) for roughing, we introduce an approach using the Integrated Geometric Characteristics and Processing Rules (IGC&PR) algorithm. In IGC&PR algorithm, geometric characteristics includes accessible section (AS) calculated with rolling disk motion approach, ASs conjunction and narrowest convex hull for AS, also processing rules contains first cutting into condition and three AS index. Besides, the implement of this algorithm just needs simple geometric and mathematical calculation such as points, lines and vectors, rather than complex intersection computation and loop construction, which are needed in traditional methods (e.g., Offset and Voronoi Diagrams). As well, the AS computation can be used for machining cell building in further application. Finally, two examples are proposed to illustrate this algorithm, and the results show that the IGC&PR is implemented and tested successfully on real-world data.

Combining the advantages of logical workflow nets and colored Petri nets, logical and colored workflow nets and collaborative logical and colored workflow nets are presented to facilitate the modeling of cooperative electronic commerce systems. The formal representation presented in this paper can not only describe the data objects, but also represent passing value indeterminacy and batch processing function of cooperative electronic commerce systems.

Tool cutting envelope (TCE) and tool path (TP) for planar profile machining are calculated at the same time in the presented work, using a novel motion method called Rolling Disk Motion (RDM) method. RDM method employs a rolling disk (RD) as the manufacturing tool, and considers the disk running around profile boundaries as cutting process. During this RD motion, RD center locus is just TP for profile or contour-parallel manufacturing strategy. Also, the track of point on RD contracting with the profile is just TCE. Furthermore, the RDM technique can find a further application in the study for uncut areas in machining domains. As well, the calculation of TCE, TP and uncut areas, based on RDM, are finished only by simple point transformations and arcs creation. Finally, an example is included to illustrate TCE and TP computation by means of RDM, and the result shows that the approach is implemented and tested successfully on real-world data.

The spectral subtraction is one of the best methods for elimination of approximate cyclical engine’s noise from degraded speech signal. Here we turn to research about the nonlinear spectral subtraction method and its improved model. After studying the nonlinear method we turn to this method that whether it can improve the quality of enhanced speech signal, propose the short-time spectral subtraction, which needs two inputs. The main input is containing the voice that is corrupted by noise. The other input (noise reference input) contains noise related in some way to that of the main input (background noise). Then use the main input’s frequency spectrum subtract the other input’s frequency spectrum. The results of experiment have proved it’s effective.

The presence of noise superimposed on a signal limits the receiver’s ability to correctly identify the intended signal. The principal of adaptive noise cancellation is to acquire an estimation of the unwanted interfering signal and subtract it from the corrupted signal. Noise cancellation operation is controlled adaptively with the target of achieving improved signal to noise ratio. This paper describes the Least Mean Squares (LMS) adaptive filtering algorithm. The algorithm was implemented in Matlab and was tested for noise cancellation in speech signals.

Theoretical investigation is not enough for natural gas pipeline displacement technology of nitrogen isolation method without isolator, which makes displacement parameters hard to be controlled accurately. Therefore, the method of natural gas pipeline displacement parameters prediction based on neural network is proposed in this paper. From Fluent numerical simulation, some useful information is acquired, such as displacement parameters under the typical working conditions, the relationship between different working conditions and nitrogen injection capacity. Moreover, the samples gained by simulation are trained by neutral network which has association function. Thus the aim of forecasting process parameter for nitrogen displacement technology without isolator is attained, which provides an important reference for the production of nitrogen displacement of nature gas pipeline without isolator.

The chromogenic reaction of Al (III) with morin was studied in the presence of cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTMAB), Al (III) was capable of reacting with morin to form a stable yellow complex in 0.17 mol l-1 glacial acetic acid media. The complex had a 1∶2 molar ratio for Al (III) and morin . In the presence of cationic surfactant CTMAB, the sensitivity of chromogenic reaction was largely improved. At the maximum absorption wavelength of 425nm, the apparent molar absorptivity was 1. 59×105l·mol - 1·cm- 1 .Beer′s law was obeyed in the range of 0 to 8μg/ 25ml Al (III) . The method has been applied successfully to the determination of trace amount of aluminium in tap and river water samples.

Silicon is the essential element to phytoplankton, determining the growth of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is the basis of the marine food chain, as well as phytoplankton has tremendous capacity to absorb carbon. Phytoplankton and human determine the change of atmospheric carbon collectively, so the earth system is able to maintain the dynamic balance of the emission of anthropic carbon and the absorption of carbon by phytoplankton. This paper analyzed the effects of Silicon to the growth of phytoplankton, the absorption of CO2 by phytoplankton, the biogeochemical process of silicon, and revealed the effects of silicon to the change of phytoplankton growth and atmospheric carbon.