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To investigate the relationship of MUC1, MUC5AC, and the syndrome of spleen and stomach, 109 subjects (34 peptic ulcer (PU), 62 chronic gastritis (CG), and 13 healthy volunteers (CON)) were included. All the subjects included were surveyed with questionnaire to classify them into damp-heat syndrome of spleen and stomach (DHSS), spleen-qi deficiency syndrome (SQD), and CON, examined by gastric endoscope, and biopsied. Rapid urease and methylene blue staining (MBS) were performed on every subject to diagnose for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, and both were defined as Hp-positive. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed on every specimen to explore the histomorphology, inflammatory degree, and inflammatory activity of different groups; then Elivision™ plus kit was used to test the expression of MUC1 and MUC5AC. All the results of digital images were reviewed by two experts blindly. The inflammatory degree with Hp infection was higher than those uninfected or CON, but no significant difference was found between DHSS and SQD. And the expressions of MUC5AC with positive Hp was higher than those with negative Hp or CON regardless of the deficiency and solid syndrome of spleen-stomach but not for MUC1. We speculate that the deficiency and solid syndrome of spleen-stomach is a condition like Tai Ji symbol of dynamic equilibrium, showing the higher expression of MUC5AC but no change of MUC1 in the circumstance of Hp infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of commercial powder metallurgical high-speed steel S390 steel after different heat treatments were studied. The results show that the austenitic transformation of the alloy starts at 1110 K (837 °C), whereas the martensite transformation starts at 624 K (351 °C). The density of hot isostatic pressed alloy is around 99.2 vol%, and the average pore size is less than 1 μm. There are two types of metal carbides (MC): vanadium-rich MC-type and tungsten-rich M 6 C-type. After proper heat treatment, the alloys exhibit a high Rockwell-C hardness of 64.4 and compressive strength of 3870 MPa, as well as an ultra-large fracture strain of 22.7% under compression, which results from the changes in the size and distribution of the carbides during heat treatment. In addition, the experimental results concerning the dissolution of vanadium carbide varying with temperature are similar to the results obtained by thermodynamic analysis. Finally, for the experimental iron alloy, deep cryogenic treatment during the triple tempering treatment process has little effect on the compressive strength and room temperature hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intramedullary melanotic schwannomas (IMS) are rare lesions, with only 8 cases reported in the literature to date. We herein describe the case of a 40-year-old male patient with an IMS of the cervical cord, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the ninth reported case of IMS, and review the relevant literature. The patient presented with numbness of the left arm that gradually worsened over a period of 4 months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the cervical spine with gadolinium enhancement revealed an intramedullary lesion at the level of C1-C2. The mass was T1 hyperintense, T2 hypointense and homogeneously enhanced. During surgery, an intramedullary dark gray lesion was identified and was partially removed. The left arm numbness partially subsided 2 weeks after surgery. Although rare, IMS is associated with characteristic MRI findings (T1 hyperintensity, T2 hypointensity and homogeneous enhancement) and MRI is the preferred method for evaluating lesions of the spinal cord. Correct diagnosis is crucial for management planning; therefore, immunohistochemical examination is required. In addition, IMS cases must be closely followed up, particularly when the mass cannot be completely resected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Spectroscopy is a crucial laboratory technique for understanding quantum systems through their interactions with the electromagnetic radiation. Particularly, spectroscopy is capable of revealing the physical structure of molecules, leading to the development of the maser—the forerunner of the laser. However, real-world applications of molecular spectroscopy are mostly confined to equilibrium states, due to computational and technological constraints; a potential breakthrough can be achieved by utilizing the emerging technology of quantum simulation. Here we experimentally demonstrate through a toy model, a superconducting quantum simulator capable of generating molecular spectra for both equilibrium and non-equilibrium states, reliably producing the vibronic structure of diatomic molecules. Furthermore, our quantum simulator is applicable not only to molecules with a wide range of electronic-vibronic coupling strength, characterized by the Huang-Rhys parameter, but also to molecular spectra not readily accessible under normal laboratory conditions. These results point to a new direction for predicting and understanding molecular spectroscopy, exploiting the power of quantum simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of austenitizing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical property of a high-strength PM high-speed steel were systematically investigated using a series of heat treatments in the temperature range of 1070–1180 °C. Results showed that the optimal austenitizing temperature to obtain the desired combination of high compressive strength of 3838 MPa and high ductility of 29.7%, the optimal austenitizing temperature was 1180 °C. A maximum strength of 3870 MPa and a fracture strain of 22.7% was obtained by austenitized at 1120 °C. It is evident that the size distribution and carbide contents of both VC and Fe 3 W 3 C can be significantly changed by heat treatment and triple tempering resulted in slight decline in the amount of cracked carbides. Fractography showed that more broken particles of Fe 3 W 3 C carbide was observed than that of the VC particles in fractured specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gross primary productivity (GPP) is an important parameter that represents the productivity of vegetation and responses to various ecological environments. The Greater Khingan Mountain (GKM) is one of the most important state-owned forest bases, and boreal forests, including the largest primeval cold-temperature bright coniferous forest in China, are widely distributed in the GKM. This study aimed to reveal spatiotemporal vegetation variations in the GKM on the basis of GPP products that were generated by the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) program from 1982 to 2015. First, we explored the spatiotemporal distribution of vegetation across the GKM. Then we analyzed the relationships between GPP variation and driving factors, including meteorological elements, growing season length (GSL), and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR), to investigate the dominant factor for GPP dynamics. Results demonstrated that (1) the spatial distribution of accumulated GPP (AG) in spring, summer, autumn, and the growing season varied due to three main reasons: understory vegetation, altitude, and land cover; (2) interannual AG in summer, autumn, and the growing season significantly increased at the regional scale during the past 34 years under climate warming and drying; (3) interannual changes of accumulated GPP in the growing season (AGG) at the pixel scale displayed a rapid expansion in areas with a significant increasing trend (p < 0.05) during the period of 1982-2015 and this trend was caused by the natural forest protection project launched in 1998; and finally, (4) an analysis of driving factors showed that daily sunshine duration in summer was the most important factor for GPP in the GKM and this is different from previous studies, which reported that the GSL plays a crucial role in other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a robust consolidation method based on wavelets is presented for the defective polygonal mesh even polygon soup. The indicator function of a model is represented with wavelets, where the wavelet coefficients are computed by surface integrals over polygons. The hierarchical wavelet representation from defective inputs guarantees a consolidated surface extracted from it where orthogonal and compactly supported D4 Daubechies wavelets are employed to balance the efficiency and surface quality. We investigate the usage of the wavelet representation in various geometric operations in 3D, such as data compression, repairing, Boolean operation, denoising, etc. Experiments demonstrate that the method is effective in polygon soup consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(sialic acid) (PSA) is a natural hydrophilic biodegradable and non-immunogenic biopolymer, receptors for its monomer are expressed on peripheral blood neutrophils (PBNs), which plays important roles in the progression and invasion of tumors. A poly(sialic acid)-octadecylamine conjugate (PSA-ODA) was synthesized and then anchor it on the surface of liposomal pixantrone (Pix-PSL), to achieve an improved anticancer effect. The liposomes were prepared using a remote loading method via a pH gradient, and then assessed for particle size, zeta potential encapsulation efficiency, in vitro release, and in vitro cytotoxicity. Simultaneously, in vitro and in vivo cellular uptake studies confirmed that PSA-decorated liposomes provided an enhanced accumulation of liposomes in PBNs. An in vivo study presented that the anti-tumor activity of Pix-PSL was superior to that of other Pix formulations, probably due to the efficient targeting of PBNs by Pix-PSL, after which PBN containing Pix-PSL (Pix-PSL/PBNs) in the blood circulation are recruited by the tumor microenvironment. These findings suggest that PSA-decorated liposomal Pix may provide a neutrophil-mediated drug delivery system (DDS) for the eradication of tumors, which represents a promising approach for the tumor targeting of chemotherapeutic treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the clinical effects of Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) on different stages of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the pharmacological effect of Huangqi on the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in macrophages in different states.Methods: The PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched. Clinical data was sourced from papers on treatment of different stages of DN with Huangqi, and pharmacological data was from papers on the effects of Huangqi on the iNOS activity of macrophages in a resting or an activated state.Results: Meta-analysis of Huangqi injections on stages III and III-IV DN and randomized controlled trials on other stages showed that Huangqi had therapeutic effects on different stages of DN and on macrophages in different states: inducing normal macrophages in a resting state to generate nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α, and so forth upon iNOS activation; inhibiting NO generation by normal lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) activated macrophages; and enhancing NO generation by LPS-induced macrophages from patients with renal failure.Conclusions: Huangqi can regulate iNOS activity of macrophages in different states in vitro. These biphasic or antagonistic effects may explain why Huangqi can be used to treat different stages of DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii can infect all warm-blooded animals including human beings. T. gondii dense granule protein 16 (TgGRA16) as a crucial virulence factor could modulate the host gene expression. Here, a DNA vaccine expressing TgGRA16 was constructed to explore the protective efficacy against T. gondii infection in Kunming mice. The immune responses induced by pVAX-GRA16 were also evaluated. Mice immunized with pVAX-GRA16 could elicit higher levels of specific IgG antibody and strong cellular response compared to those in controls. The DNA vaccination significantly increased the levels of cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10) and the percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in mice. After lethal challenge, mice immunized with pVAX-GRA16 (8.4±0.78 days) did not show a significant longer survival time than that in controls (7.1±0.30 days) (p>0.05). However, in chronic toxoplasmosis model (administration of 10 brain cysts of PRU strain orally), numbers of tissue cysts in mice immunized with pVAX-GRA16 were significantly reduced compared to those in controls (p<0.05) and the rate of reduction could reach 43.89%. The results indicated that the TgGRA16 would be a promising vaccine candidate for further development of effective epitope-based vaccines against chronic T. gondii infection in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the Ca isotope systematics in seafloor hydrothermal systems and further understand the deep Ca cycle, this study reports the Ca isotope compositions of altered oceanic crust (AOC) from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) site 1256. These rocks were sampled from a drilling hole that penetrates from the top through a volcanic section, a lava-dike transition zone, a sheeted dike complex, and a plutonic section forming at a fast-spreading rate. Rocks in the volcanic section show Ca-depletion and indistinguishable Ca isotope compositions (δ44/40Ca = 0.81 ± 0.07‰, 2SD, n = 7) with the fresh MORB (0.85 ± 0.09‰), suggesting that the dissolution of primary silicates will not fractionate Ca isotope. Rocks in sheeted dike complex and plutonic section have more scattered δ44/40Ca (0.89 ± 0.14‰, 2SD, n = 12) and lower δ18O (3–4.6‰) than rocks in the volcanic section (δ18O = 4.6–8.6‰). Such a Ca-O isotope signature can not be explained by magmatic processes, primary silicates dissolution, secondary phases precipitation, or albitization. Alternatively, it may reflect the interaction between lower crusts and evolved fluids with heavy Ca and light oxygen isotope compositions. A simple mixing between fluids and crusts cannot explain the Ca and O isotope variations as manifested by the poorly defined δ18O-δ44/40Ca trend. We apply reactive-transport modeling and find that the Ca-O isotope signature may be controlled by the spatial effect during fluid-rock interaction. We estimate the average Ca isotope composition of the fast-spreading AOC to be 0.91 ± 0.24‰, which is slightly heavier but overlap the value of fresh MORB (0.85 ± 0.09‰). Our study suggests that the recycling of the fast-spreading AOC may not cause significant Ca isotope variations in the mantle. • Rocks in the volcanic section of AOC from IODP 1256 site have a MORB-like Ca isotope composition. • Rocks in sheeted dike complexes and plutonic sections show slightly heavier Ca isotope compositions. • The water-rock reaction may cause Ca isotope variations in AOC. • The average Ca isotope composition of fast-spreading AOC is estimated to be 0.91 ± 0.24‰. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) are equally recommended as first-line treatments for antiviral treatment-naïve (ART-naïve) chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients by practice guidelines because of their similarly high antiviral efficacy and low resistance rate. However, whether one is superior to the other in terms of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prevention is currently largely controversial. We aimed to identify and synthesize these existing studies regarding the HCC risk of these two highly potent antivirals in treatment-naïve CHB patients. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies between January 1, 2012 and June 25, 2022. These studies used ETV monotherapy and/or TDF monotherapy to treat ART-naïve CHB patients and reported the incidence of HCC. The extracted data were analyzed using a DerSimonian–Laird random-effects models. The HCC incidence difference was expressed as hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). A total of 17 studies with 90,897 ART-naïve CHB patients (ETV = 60,980 vs TDF = 29,917) were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with ETV, TDF was associated with a significant lower cumulative incidence of HCC (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.56–0.76). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was found among the included studies (I2 = 48.1%, Begg's p = 0.363 and Egger's p = 0.748). TDF is associated with a lower risk of HCC compared with entecavir in ART-naïve CHB patients. The results suggest that TDF may be a better option for ART-naïve CHB patients with high HCC risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theophylline as a naturally alkaloid is commonly employed to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. Herein, a facile theophylline-assisted green approach was firstly developed for synthesis of PtAu nanospheres/reduced graphene oxide (PtAu NSs/rGO), without any surfactant, polymer, or seed involved. The obtained nanocomposites were applied for the catalytic reduction and removal of highly toxic chromium (VI) using formic acid as a model reductant at 50 °C, showing the significantly enhanced catalytic activity and improved recyclability when compared with commercial Pt/C (50%) and home-made Au nanocrystals supported rGO (Au NCs/rGO). It demonstrates great potential applications of the catalyst in wastewater treatment and environmental protection. The eco-friendly route provides a new platform to fabricate other catalysts with enhanced catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have aimed to prepare folic acid-conjugated dextran stearate (DF) polymeric micelles to target resveratrol in lung cancers. The polymeric micelle was nanosized and exhibited a controlled drug release pattern. The resveratrol (RSV)-loaded dextran stearate (RSV-DF) micelles exhibited an enhanced cellular uptake in A549 cells due to the folic acid-based receptor interactions. We have demonstrated that RSV-DF polymeric micelles retain the cytotoxic and metabolic effects of RSV on A549 cancer cells with potencies similar to that of the free compound. Furthermore, RSV-DF showed an enhanced cellular apoptosis of cancer cells compared to that of free RSV. We have found that apoptosis induced by RSV-DF was associated with the higher expression of p53, caspase-3, and BAX than the free RSV. The higher level of BAX and caspase-3 further indicates the involvement of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in the anticancer efficacy of formulations. Based on these results, it can be concluded that natural compound like RSV could be an interesting prospect to treat lung cancers and the fact that folic acid-conjugated dextran stearate could be a potential carrier to deliver the drug in the cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider the existence and stability of solutions to stochastic neutral functional differential equations with finite delays. Under suitable conditions, the existence and exponential stability of solutions were obtained by using the semigroup approach and Banach fixed point theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on high-altitude hypoxia-induced cardiac damage. Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups. The mice were exposed to normoxia or simulated 5,500-meter high-altitude hypoxia in a hypobaric chamber for 7 days. During the first 3 days, the mice were pretreated with CO-saturated hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carrier (CO-HBOC), oxygen-saturated hemoglobinbased oxygen carrier (O 2 -HBOC) at a dose of 0.3 g Hb/kg/day or an equivalent volume of saline. The in vivo left ventricle function, cardiac enzyme release, histopathological changes, apoptosis and inflammation were also measured. Results: High-altitude hypoxia induced significant cardiac damage, as demonstrated by impaired cardiac function and increased proapoptotic, proinflammatory and pro-oxidant markers. Pretreatment with CO-HBOC significantly improved cardiac performance, reduced cardiac enzyme release and limited myocardial apoptosis. The increased inflammatory response was also suppressed. In addition to the preserved mitochondrial structure, hypobaric hypoxia-induced mitochondrial oxidative damage was remarkably attenuated. Moreover, these antiapoptotic and antioxidative effects were accompanied by an upregulated phosphorylation of Akt, ERK and STAT3. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CO-HBOC provides a promising protective effect on high-altitude hypoxia-induced myocardial injury, which is mediated by the inhibition of inflammation and mitochondrial oxidative damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controversy remains over whether anterior cervical discectomy and fusion ( ACDF) or posterior cervical foraminotomy ( PCF) is superior for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy. We therefore performed a systematic review including three prospective randomized controlled trails ( RCT) and seven retrospective comparative studies (RCo S) by searching Pub Med and EMBASE. These studies were assessed on risk of bias according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, and the quality of evidence and level of recommendation were evaluated according to the GRADE approach. Clinical outcomes, complications, reoperation rates, radiological parameters, and cost/cost-utility were evaluated. The mean complication rate was 7% in the ACDF group and 4% in the PCF group, and the mean reoperation rate was 4% in the ACDF group and 6% in the PCF group within 2 years of the initial surgery. There was a strong level of recommendation that no difference existed in clinical outcome, complication rate and reoperation rate between the ACDF and the PCF group. There was conflicting evidence that the ACDF group had better clinical outcomes than the PCF group (one study with weak level of recommendation). PCF could preserve the range of motion ( ROM) of the operated segment but did not increase the ROM of the adjacent segment (weak level of recommendation). Meanwhile, the average cost or cost-utility of the PCF group was significantly lower than that of the ACDF group (weak level of recommendation). In conclusion, the PCF was just as safe and effective as the ACDF in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy. Meanwhile, PCF might have lower medical cost than ACDF and decrease the incidence of adjacent segment disease. Based on the available evidence, PCF appears to be another good surgical approach in the treatment of cervical radiculopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Tremendous experimental and clinical studies identify that remifentanil anesthesia might elicit postoperative opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) and aggravate nociceptive hypersensitivity, whereas definite mechanisms remain equivocal. WNT signaling and fractalkine pathway have been manifested to participate in varieties of pain pathogenesis, respectively, but no report is on whether they could lead to OIH. This study intended to investigate the effect of WNT3a/β-catenin on fractalkine and its receptor CX3CR1 in OIH in rats model of incision pain. Methods A WNT scavenger Fz-8/Fc and a neutralizing antibody against CX3CR1 (anti-CX3CR1) were injected intrathecally after remifentanil infusion. Exogenous WNT agonist delivery was utilized in naïve rats. PWT and PWL were documented for postsurgical 48 h to assess mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Also, expressions of WNT3a, FZ1, FZ8, β-catenin, fractalkine and CX3CR1 in spinal dorsal horn were measured by Western blot and RT-qPCR after nociceptive testing. Results We found that postsurgical mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia could be engendered after remifentanil exposure, which was accompanied by a dramatical rise of spinal WNT3a, FZ8, β-catenin, fractalkine and CX3CR1 levels. Moreover, OIH was attenuated by intrathecal application of Fz-8/Fc and anti-CX3CR1. Up-regulation of spinal fractalkine and CX3CR1 expression after remifentanil anesthesia was reversed by Fz-8/Fc. Also, WNT agonist administration could directly generate hypernociception and elevate fractalkine/CX3CR1 level in naïve rats, which was prevented by anti-CX3CR1. Conclusion These present findings demonstrated that the involvement of spinal WNT3a/FZ8/β-catenin in OIH through modulating fractalkine/CX3CR1 in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the dispersity of different amine-graphene oxide (amine-GO) in polymer matrix and the interfacial interactions between functionalized graphene oxide and matrix, two kinds of modifiers-organoamine- and aminosilane-coupling agents-were used to functionalize graphene nanosheets to obtain functionalized graphene oxide/waterborne polyurethane nanocomposites by in situ polymerization. The chemical structure, morphology, and interlayer space of amine-GO nanoplatelets were confirmed by FT-IR, Raman, TGA, XPS, TEM, AFM, and XRD. The dispersity behaviors between different amine-GOs and polymers were evaluated by FESEM. The thermal, mechanical, and hydrophobic properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by TGA, tensile testing machine, and water contact angle test, respectively. It was found that the tensile strength of nanocomposites was increased from 10.13 to 27.79 and 28.96 Mpa after the addition of amine-GO functionalized by APTMS and APTES, respectively. The better thermal stability and hydrophobicity of nanocomposites were also achieved by the addition of amine-GO, especially those modified by aminosilane-coupling agents. This study paves a new route for designing and developing chemically converted graphene oxide nanosheets/polymer nanocomposite materials by altering suitable amine-modifier to functionalize graphene oxide nanosheets and then optimizing the interphases between graphene oxide nanosheets and polymer matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxocara canis is an intestinal nematode of canids with a worldwide distribution, causing an important but neglected parasitic zoonosis in humans. Aquaporins (AQP) are a family of water channel proteins, which function as membrane channels to regulate water homeostasis. In this study, the coding sequence of aquaporin-1 gene of T. canis ( Tc-aqp-1) was cloned and characterized. The obtained Tc-aqp-1 coding sequence was 933 bp in length, which predicted to encode 311 amino acids. Two conserved asparagine-proline-alanine (NPA) motifs were identified in the multiple sequence alignments. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the closest relationship between T. canis and Opisthorchis viverrini based on aquaporin-1 amino acid sequence. A structure was predicted with ligand binding sites predicted at H93, N95, N226, L94, I79, and I210 and with active sites predicted at I256 and G207. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations predicted its cellular component term of integral component of plasma membrane (GO: 0005887), molecular function term of channel activity (GO: 0015250), and biological process term of water transport (GO: 0006833). Tissue expression analysis revealed that the Tc-aqp-1 was highly expressed in the intestine of adult male. The findings of the present study provide the basis for further functional studies of T. canis aquaporin-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research uses social identity theory to propose that environmental social responsibility perceptions influence green commitment, and then influence pro-environmental behaviors, which are moderated by institutional pressure. Data were collected from 100 employees of technology firms in Taiwan, and the results support all hypotheses. This research chose technology firms as empirical data because Taiwan's technological level is known to the world, which can reduce sampling errors caused by the lack of environmental knowledge. Finally, this research not only advances the literature on sustainability issues in organizational management but also provides a paradigm to help firms implement pro-environmental behaviors to achieve competitive advantage and sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In this work, we evaluated the mechanisms by which IL-6 and HIF-1α induce bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). • And the JAK/STAT signaling pathway involved in bone destruction. • The current JAK/STAT inhibitors for RA bone destruction were also discussed. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic joint inflammation and bone erosion. The bones in the human body are constantly undergoing bone remodeling throughout their lives, which is the process of bone resorption by osteoclasts to damaged bone tissue and new bone formation by osteoblasts. Osteoblasts (OBs) are the main functional cells in bone formation, responsible for the synthesis, secretion and mineralization of the bone matrix. On the contrary, osteoclasts (OCs) mediate bone breakdown during natural bone turnover, but excessive breakdown occurs in RA. Under the condition of RA inflammation, many molecules, such as IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) are produced that could mediate bone loss. Studies have shown that cytokines mainly promote the formation of OCs and play a role in bone resorption by stimulating OBs to express receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). JAK/STAT plays a crucial role in the process of bone destruction. And JAK/STAT pathway mediates the RANKL/receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) axis. Tofacitinib, Baricitinib, Peficitinib and Filgotinib are now being used in patients with moderate to severe RA, as well as in patients with RA who have an inadequate response to methotrexate therapy and bone destruction. Currently, Tofacitinib and Baritinib are approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severely active RA. JAK inhibitors have been reported to have better efficacy and lower adverse effects compared with methotrexate and adalimumab. In addition, two JAK inhibitors are currently in development: the JAK1 selective Upadacitinib, and the JAK3 selective inhibitor Decernotinib. In addition to the above JAK inhibitors, some small molecular compounds inhibit bone destruction by inhibiting the Phosphorylation of STAT3. In this paper, the research progress of bone destruction participated by JAK/ STAT in rheumatoid arthritis and therapeutic effect of JAK/STAT inhibitors were reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures and deformation mechanisms of the f.c.c. medium-entropy alloy (MEA) (NiCoCr) 76 (Ni 6 AlTi) 3 has been analyzed after various thermo-mechanical treatments. The solutionized, single-phase MEA, which had a grain size of 93.4 ± 31.9 μm, was cold-rolled (CR) to a 80% thickness reduction after which it showed both a high yield strength (YS) of 1539 MPa and a high ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1602 MPa, but an elongation to failure, ε, of only 16%. The CR MEA was then subjected to one of two heat treatments: (1) the CR MEA was recrystallized at 1100oC for 24 h, which produced a single-phase material with 85 ± 61.7 μm grain size that exhibited a much lower YS and UTS of 364 MPa and 747 MPa, respectively, but a much greater ε of 73%; and (2) the MEA was aged at 700oC for 24 h, which produced a fine-grained (1.1 ± 0.9 μm) material and a high volume fraction (0.35) of 12 nm dia. L1 2 nanoparticles that exhibited an excellent combination of strength and ductility, viz., YS∼1501 MPa, UTS∼1651 MPa, elongation ∼26%. The grain boundary strengthening and precipitation strengthening were together estimated to account for ∼58% of the YS in the latter material. After deformation, the recrystallized MEA contained numerous stacking faults and a Taylor lattice structure containing domain boundaries and microbands, while the aged MEA exhibited numerous stacking faults and sheared particles. The density of low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) in the recrystallized MEA increased by 100 times to 2.2 × 10−1 μm/μm2 while the density of CSL Σ3n boundaries decreased by 71% to 7.8 × 10−3 μm/μm2 after deformation. In contrast, the density of LAGBs in the aged MEA increased by 5 times to 2.6 μm/μm2 while the density of CSL Σ3n boundaries decreased by 57% to 0.6 μm/μm2 after deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel high-throughput method was developed for simultaneous detection and differentiation of seven porcine pathogens by multiplex PCR based on a GenomeLab Gene Expression Profiler (GeXP) analyser. The pathogens included in this study were pseudorabies virus (PRV), classical swine fever virus (CSFV), African swine fever virus (ASFV), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Seven pairs of chimeric primers, consisting of a pathogen-specific sequence fused to a universal sequence at the 5′ end, were used to initiate the PCR, after which a set of universal primers was used for the subsequent cycles of the PCR. Amplification products were separated by capillary electrophoresis and identified using fluorescence spectrophotometry. The specificity of the GeXP assay was examined with single and mixed pathogen cDNA/DNA templates. The specific DNA product amplification peaks of seven pathogens were observed on the GeXP analyser. Negative controls did not produce DNA products. The sensitivity was evaluated by performing the assay on serial 10-fold dilutions of the plasmids containing the target sequence. Under optimised conditions this assay achieved a sensitivity of 100–1000 copies/μL for a single virus and 1000 copies/μL when all of the seven pre-mixed viral targets were present. Furthermore, the GeXP-PCR assay was 100% specific when 58 clinical samples were tested in comparison with the conventional PCR method. In conclusion, the GeXP assay is a rapid, cost-effective, sensitive, specific and high throughput method for simultaneously detecting seven pathogens that infect swine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of chitosan/soy protein isolate (SPI) composite films (CS- n , n = 0, 10 and 30, corresponding to SPI content in the composites) were prepared. Heparin was grafted onto the surface of CS- n to fabricate a series of heparinized films (HCS- n ). CS- n and HCS- n were characterized by ATR-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and water contact angle. The surface heparin density was measured by toluidine blue assay. The results showed that heparin has been successfully grafted onto the surface of CS- n . Heparin evenly distributed on the surface of the films and the heparin content increased with the increase of SPI content, and the hydrophilicity of the films was enhanced due to the grafted heparin. The cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility of CS- n and HCS- n were evaluated by cell culture (MTT assay, live/dead assay, cell morphology and cell density observation), platelet adhesion test, plasma recalcification time (PRT) measurement, hemolysis assay and thrombus formation test. HCS- n showed higher cell adhesion rate and improved cytocompatibility compared to the corresponding CS- n . HCS- n also exhibited lower platelet adhesion, longer PRT, higher blood anticoagulant indexes (BCI) and lower hemolysis rate than the corresponding CS- n . The improved cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility of HCS- n would shed light on the potential applications of chitosan/soy protein-based biomaterials that may come into contact with blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LH, QSZ, CS, YM, LW, JJH, and CZW collected the epidemiological and clinical data. Authors' Contributions YD and LH conceived and supervised the study. In the article titled "Prognostic Factors for COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients with Preexisting Type 2 Diabetes" [[1]], the authors would like to update the Authors' Contributions section to note the equal contribution of Yuanyuan Fu and Ling Hu. [Extracted from the article]

With respect to decision making problems by using probabilities and information that can be represented with linguistic labels, some new decision analysis is proposed. Firstly, we shall develop two new aggregation operators: generalized probabilistic uncertain linguistic weighted average (GP-ULWA) operator and generalized probabilistic uncertain linguistic ordered weighted average (GP-ULOWA) operator. These operators use the WA operator, the OWA operator, uncertain linguistic information and probabilistic information. They are quite useful because they can assess the uncertain information within the problem by using both linguistic labels and the probabilistic information that considers the attitudinal character of the decision maker. In these approaches, alternative appraisal values are calculated by the aggregation of uncertain linguistic information. Thus, the ranking of alternative or selection of the most desirable alternative(s) is obtained by the comparison of uncertain linguistic information. Finally, we give an illustrative example for evaluating the enterprise strategic crisis management with uncertain linguistic information to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its feasibility and practicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the association between the introduction of neuraxial (epidural) labor analgesia and mode of delivery in a large urban maternity hospital in China. Methods A single-intervention impact study was conducted at Shijiazhuang Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Shijiazhuang. Baseline data collection occurred between August 1 and December 31, 2009, when no analgesic method was routinely employed during labor. An intervention was then implemented, consisting of a neuraxial labor analgesia service. The service was fully operational from September 1, 2010, and data were collected to August 31, 2011. The mode of delivery was compared between the different periods. Results Neuraxial analgesia rate was used in none of the 3787 deliveries during the baseline period and 3429 (33.5%) of 10 230 in the implementation period. Cesareans were performed in 1533 (40.5%) deliveries in the baseline period and 3441 (33.6%) in the implementation period (difference –6.8%, 99.8% confidence interval [CI] –9.7% to –3.9%; P < 0.0017). The proportion of vaginal deliveries in which forceps were used was unchanged (difference –0.8%, 99.8% CI –0.7% to 2.2%; P = 0.92). Conclusion The introduction of epidural analgesia reduced the frequency of cesarean delivery, which improved obstetric and neonatal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the firing activity of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the behavioral response to morphine rewarding properties alter as opiate withdrawal, little is known about the dynamic changes in DA signal pathway from the VTA to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) during prolonged withdrawal, and whether the changes are indicative of vulnerability to relapse of drug abuse. Here we report that morphine spontaneously withdrawn (SW) rats are incapable of responding to small dose of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) from 24h-SW to 30d-SW, but recover response at 45d-SW. Interestingly, mesoaccumbens DA signaling, including the firing of DA neurons in the VTA, contents of DA and its metabolic ratio, and the membrane level of dopamine D receptor in the NAc elicited by morphine challenge, display a similar pattern of time-dependent changes during morphine withdrawal. Moreover, blockade of D receptor abolishes this behavioral transition. In addition, a strong correlation was found between % change in CPP score and membrane D receptor level induced by morphine challenge. These results indicate a time-dependent behavioral switch from tolerance to sensitization during the prolonged withdrawal, which could offer a window for therapeutic intervention via manipulations of D receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (EPPK) is the most frequent form of such keratodermas. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern and is clinically characterized by diffuse yellowish thickening of the skin on the palms and soles with erythematous borders during the first weeks or months after birth. EPPK is generally caused by mutations of the KRT9 gene. More than 26 KRT9 gene mutations responsible for EPPK have been described (Human Intermediate Filament Database, www.interfil.org), and many of these variants are located within the highly-conserved coil 1A region of the α-helical rod domain of keratin 9. Unfortunately, there is no satisfactory treatment for EPPK. Thus, prenatal molecular diagnosis or pre-pregnancy diagnosis is crucial and benefits those affected who seek healthy descendants. In the present study, we performed amniotic fluid-DNA-based prenatal testing for three at-risk pregnant EPPK women from three unrelated southern Chinese families who carried the KRT9 missense mutations p.Arg163Trp and p.Arg163Gln, and successfully helped two families to bear normal daughters. We suggest that before the successful application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of EPPK that analyzes fetal cells or cell-free DNA in maternal blood, prenatal genetic diagnosis by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) offers a quite acceptable option for EPPK couples-at-risk to avoid the birth of affected offspring, especially in low- and middle-income countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

C52H40Cl4N4O12Sr2, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 8.9531(18) Å, b = 9.0657(18) Å, c = 16.911(3) Å, α = 75.56(3)°, β = 81.96(3)°, γ = 73.84(3)°, V = 1273.0(4) Å3, Z = 1, Rgt (F) = 0.0347, wRref (F2 ) = 0.0760, T = 293(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A concise and efficient synthesis of novel bicyclic pyrroles has been achieved by PdCl2-catalyzed cyclic condensation of six-membered heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) or seven-membered HKAs with ethyl 2,3-diiodoacrylate and diethyl 2,3-diiodofumarate in the presence of Cs2CO3, respectively. A series of novel bicyclic pyridones have also been obtained via five-membered HKAs with diethyl 2,3-diiodofumarate under the optimized conditions in moderate yields. These reactions are the first application of a transition metal to catalyze the building blocks HKAs to form the bicyclic pyrrole library via condensation reaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Chromophoric molecules with mono-aminophenyl, 5-aminophenyl-10, 15, 20-triphenyl porphyrin, were chemically reduced from the precursors of 5-nitrophenyl-10, 15, 20-triphenyl porphyrin. The titled Schiff base bridged biporphyrins were furthermore prepared by condensation of 5-aminophenyl-10, 15, 20-triphenyl porphyrin with terephthalaldehyde. This novel conjugated Schiff base biporphyrin was well characterized by spectral determinations. Experimental results indicated that the titled compound possessed fluorescence enhancement in near infrared region. Compared with tetraphenyl porphyrin, both ultraviolet–visible absorption and fluorescence spectra of the titled compound appeared with slightly red shift. Photo experiments revealed that, after violet irradiation, the color of a chloroform solution with the titled compound changed sharply from pale green to dark green along with sensitively spectral variation during ultraviolet–visible absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance determinations. This sensitively photochromic mechanism was well explained by molecular recognition of the titled compound towards hydrogen chloride from the decomposition of the chloroform solvent. The titled compound was sensitive in recognizing towards hydrogen chloride. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A total of 60 Chinese medicinal herbs were examined for contamination of the emergingFusariummycotoxins enniatins (ENNs) A, A1, B, B1 and beauvericin (BEA). The herbs under study are commonly used in China as both medicines and food. The dried samples of herbs were randomly collected from traditional Chinese medicine stores in Zhejiang province, China. Sample preparation was achieved by methanol extraction, followed by a simple membrane filtration step; no tedious clean-ups were involved. ENNs A, A1, B, B1 and BEA were analysed by the recently developed stable isotope dilution assays, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). With limits of detection ranging between 0.8 and 1.2 µg kg–1for the analytes under study, 25% of all analysed samples were contaminated with at least one of the ENNs and BEA. BEA was the most frequently detected toxin with a 20% incidence in all samples. The percentages of ENN-positive samples were lower: each single ENN was detected in 6.7–11.7% of all samples. Considering the total amounts of the five mycotoxins in single samples, values between 2.5 and 751 µg kg–1were found. The mean total amount in positive samples was 126 µg kg–1. Regarding ginger, the frequent occurrence of ENNs and BEA in dried ginger could be confirmed in samples from Germany. However, in fresh ginger root the toxins were not detectable. This is the first report on the presence of ENNs and BEA in Chinese medicinal herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outsourcing spatial databases to the cloud provides an economical and flexible way for data owners to deliver spatial data to users of location-based services. However, in the database outsourcing paradigm, the third-party service provider is not always trustworthy, therefore, ensuring spatial query integrity is critical. In this paper, we propose an efficient road network \(k\) -nearest-neighbor query verification technique which utilizes the network Voronoi diagram and neighbors to prove the integrity of query results. Unlike previous work that verifies \(k\) -nearest-neighbor results in the Euclidean space, our approach needs to verify both the distances and the shortest paths from the query point to its \(k\) NN results on the road network. We evaluate our approach on real-world road networks together with both real and synthetic points of interest datasets. Our experiments run on Google Android mobile devices which communicate with the service provider through wireless connections. The experiment results show that our approach leads to compact verification objects ( \(\mathcal {VO}\) ) and the verification algorithm on mobile devices is efficient, especially for queries with low selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A single exposure to drugs of abuse produces an NMDAR ( N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor)-dependent synaptic potentiation at excitatory synapses of dopamine ( DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area ( VTA) of the midbrain. All addictive drugs can increase DA concentrations in projection areas of the midbrain, including the hippocampus. Hippocampal DA release subsequently modulates hippocampal plasticity and drug-associated memories. Using in vivo electrophysiological recording techniques in anesthetized rats, we show that systemic injection of morphine induced hippocampal synaptic potentiation in a dose-dependent manner. Intra- VTA but not intra-hippocampus injection of morphine evoked this potentiation. Local hippocampal dopamine D1 receptors ( D1R) are required in the morphine-induced synaptic potentiation and conditioned place preference ( CPP). Moreover, both NMDAR activation in the VTA and VTA/hippocampus dopaminergic connections are essential for the morphine-evoked potentiation and CPP. These findings suggest that NMDAR signalings in the midbrain play a key role in regulating dopamine-mediated hippocampal synaptic plasticity underlying drug-induced associative memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The fate of enniatins A, A1, B, B1 and beauvericin during the malting and brewing process was investigated. Three batches of barley grains were used as starting material, one was naturally contaminated, two were artificially inoculated with Fusarium fungi. Samples were taken from each key step of the malting and brewing procedure, the levels of the toxins were determined with stable isotope dilution assays using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry detection. Significant increases of the toxins were found during germination of two batches of barley grains, resulting in green malts contamination up to a factor of 3.5 compared to grains before germination. Quantitative PCR analyses of fungal DNA revealed in all batches growth of Fusarium avenaceum during germination. After kilning, only 41–72% of the total amounts of the toxins in green malts remained in kilned malts. In subsequent mashing stage, the toxins in kilned malts predominantly were removed with spent grains. In the final beer, only one batch still contained 74 and 14 μg/kg of enniatin B and B1, respectively. Therefore, the carryover of these enniatins from the initial barley to final beer was less than 0.2% with the main amounts remaining in the spent grains and the malt rootlets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which causes transcriptional changes associated with oxidative and proteotoxic stress, has been widely used to generate an experimental model of Parkinson’s disease. The food-derived compound luteolin has multi-target actions including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic activities. The aim of this study is to investigate how luteolin affects 6-OHDA-mediated stress response pathways. The results showed that when PC12 cells were pre-treated with luteolin (20 µM) 30 min prior to 6-OHDA (100 µM) exposure, 6-OHDA-induced ROS overproduction, cytotoxicity, caspase-3 activation, and mRNA expression of BIM, TRB3 and GADD34 were significantly attenuated. Moreover, 6-OHDA-mediated cell cycle arrest and transcription of p53 target genes, p21, GADD45α and PUMA, were reduced by luteolin. Luteolin also significantly down-regulated 6-OHDA-mediated unfolded protein response (UPR), leading to decreases in phospho-eIF2α, ATF4, GRP78 and CHOP. In addition, luteolin attenuated 6-OHDA-induced Nrf2-mediated HO-1 and GCLC. Taken together, these results suggest that diminishing intracellular ROS formation and down-regulation of p53, UPR and Nrf2-ARE pathways may be involved in the neuroprotective effect of luteolin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Growing studies have revealed the association between rs1800497 polymorphism in the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and susceptibility to mood disorder (MD). However, the results remained inconsistent. Methods: To assess the effect of DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism on MD. We performed a meta-analysis based on eight case-control studies, including a total of 2097 MD cases and 1681 controls. Summary odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism and MD risk were estimated. Results: Our meta-analysis indicated that DRD2 rs1800497 was associated with an increased MD risk, especially in Asians. Moreover, in the subgroup analysis by the type of MD, DRD2 rs1800497 polymorphism was observed to increase risk in BP. Limitations: The results should be treated with caution for lacking of data to perform gene–gene and gene–environment interaction. Conclusions: Our results indicated that polymorphism in DRD2 rs1800497 may play a role in development of MD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The occurrence of the emerging mycotoxins enniatins (ENNs) and beauvericin (BEA) has been reported in Fusarium-infected cereals. To study the effect of sourdough processing and baking on ENN B, ENN B1, and BEA concentrations, a recently developed stable isotope dilution assay for these mycotoxins was used. After milling of wheat and rye grains naturally contaminated with ENN B and ENN B1, approximately 70-82 % of the two ENNs were found in the bran fraction and the rest remained in flour. BEA was added to flour before sourdough fermentation. In an experiment on a microscale, dough was fermented for 24 h at 30 or 40 °C, which reduced part of the ENNs and BEA in particular at 40 °C. On a standard scale, mixing, resting, and proofing of the bread dough resulted in 13-19 % reduction of the ENNs compared with flour, but in no significant change of BEA. The final baking at 200 °C for 25 min led to a further decrease of the ENNs and BEA, ranging from 9 to 28 % compared with fermented dough. In case of rye sourdough bread, greater reductions of ENNs were found in crust than in crumb. For both wheat and rye flours, overall 25-41 % of ENN B, ENN B1, and BEA were reduced during the whole sourdough bread-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the equalization performance of high-order quadrature amplitude modulation ( QAM ) signals, an orthogonal wavelet transform dynamic weighted multi-modulus blind equalization algorithm based on the dynamic particle swarm optimization (DPSO-WTDWMMA) is proposed. In the proposed algorithm, dynamic particle swarm optimization algorithm and orthogonal wavelet transform are applied to dynamic weighted multi-modulus blind equalization algorithm (DWMMA). Accordingly, the equalizer weight vector can be optimized by DPSO algorithm, the autocorrelation of the input signals can be reduced using orthogonal wavelet transform, and DWMMA is used to choose appropriate error models to match QAM signals. The theoretical analyses and computational simulations of underwater acoustic channels indicate that the proposed algorithm can be used to obtain the highest convergence rate and the smallest steady mean square error in the equalization of high-order QAM signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple methods were applied to study the deformation characteristics of hornblende in Archean plagioamphibolite mylonite from the Western Hills (Beijing), including optical microscopy (OM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The hornblendes are σ and δ type porphyroclasts with the new-born needle shaped grains as their tails. The analysis of lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of both the porphyroclasts and the new-born grains shows that the main slip system of the deformed hornblende is (100)〈001〉, suggesting that the fabric characteristics of new-born grains inherit that of porphyroclasts. Sub-microstructures show the porphyroclast core is dominated by dislocation tangle, little or no dislocations in the new-born grains, and the subgrains confined by dislocations in the transition zone between porphyroclasts and new-born grains. By using plagioclase-hornblende geothermometry and hornblende geobarometry, the estimated temperature and pressure of porphyroclasts are 675.3-702.9°C and 0.29-0.41 GPa and those of new-born grains are 614.1-679.0°C and 0.11-0.31 GPa. The bulging recrystallization is summarized as deformation mechanisms of hornblende by the discussions of the microstructures, EBSD fabric, sub-microstructures, and the deformed temperature and pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite very different functions, studies increasingly report that there may be a potential central nervous anatomical connection between the heart and the small intestine. In this study, the central nervous anatomical relationship between the heart and small intestine was studied via a viral tracer. Pseudorabies virus (PRV) syngeneic strains with different fluorescent reporter genes (eGFP or mRFP) were microinjected into the heart walls and small intestinal walls of male C57BL/6J using glass microelectrode. The results showed that the co-labeled nuclei in the brain were lateral periaqueductal gray (LPAG) and ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (VLPAG) in the midbrain, mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus (Me5), and motor trigeminal nucleus anterior digastric Part (5Adi) in the pons. The co-labeled sites in the spinal cord were intermediolateral column (IML) in the second thoracic vertebra, IML and lamina 7 of the spinal gray (7SP) in the third thoracic vertebra, and IML in the fourth thoracic vertebra. Our data show that there is a neuroanatomical connection between the small intestine and the heart in the central nervous system (CNS). Neuroanatomical integration of the heart and small intestine may provide a basis for revealing the physiological and pathological interactions between the circulatory and digestive systems. The interactions may be mediated more effectively through sympathetic nerves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Caspase-3 promoted the structure protein degradation of Esox lucius. • The role of caspase-3 inhibitor is efficacy on mitochondria and protein degradation. • Desmin and troponin-T were susceptible to degradation at the early storage. • Titin and nebulin were degraded at the later postmortem storage. This study aimed to investigate the effect of caspase-3 inhibitor in mitochondrial apoptosis activation on structure protein degradation during postmortem storage. Mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptotic factors, structure protein degradation and the myofibrillar rupture index between the control and caspase-3 inhibitor groups were determined. The results show caspase-3 inhibitor repressed the mitochondrial membrane permeability and mitochondrial swelling, as well as increased mitochondrial membrane potential, causing a decrease in the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm and caspase-9/3 activities (P < 0.05). Subsequently, small myofibrillar proteins (desmin and troponin-T) were susceptible to degradation, initiating texture deterioration. By contrast, giant structure proteins (titin and nebulin) were degraded during later postmortem storage, predominantly contributing to fish softening. The results further suggest that caspase-3 is involved in degradation of structure proteins during postmortem through mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-sharp metal-to-insulate transition (MIT) of 1.24 K − 1 in the epitaxial perovskite NdNiO 3 thin films was derived by the chemical solution deposition on the LaAlO 3 substrates. The thermal strains from shrink, grain growth, and thermal expansion coefficient misfit play a key role in the film microstructure and electrical properties. The originally theoretical in-plane compressive epitaxial strain changes into a tensile one caused by the thermal driving force. It relaxes with improved grain growth via decreased oxygen vacancies with increasing annealing temperature, while the concurrently enhanced tensile strain from the thermal expansion coefficient misfit between the films and the substrate leads to the destabilization of Ni 3 + and the higher MIT temperature. Nevertheless, too much higher tensile strain gives rise to island-grain growth in the films, leading to the weak and even disappeared MIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of Ce-doping on the phase transition of the orbital/spin ordering (OO/SO) are studied through the structural, magnetic, and electrical transport measurements of perovskite vanadate Sm1-xCexVO3. The measurements of structure show that the cell volume decreases as x ≤ 0.05, and then increases as Ce-doping level increases further. The OO state exists but is suppressed progressively in the sample with x ≤ 0.2 and disappears as x > 0.2. The temperature at which the C-type SO transition is present increases monotonically with Ce-doping level increasing. The temperature dependence of resistivity for each of the samples shows a semiconducting transport behavior and the transport can be well described by the thermal activation model. The activation energy first decreases as x ≤ 0.2, and then increases for further doping. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the mixed-valent state of the doped-Ce ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the popularity of location-based services and the abundant usage of smart phones and GPS-enabled devices, the necessity of outsourcing spatial data has grown rapidly over the past few years. Meanwhile, the fast arising trend of cloud storage and cloud computing services has provided a flexible and cost-effective platform for hosting data from businesses and individuals, further enabling many location-based applications. Nevertheless, in this database outsourcing paradigm, the authentication of the query results at the client remains a challenging problem. In this paper, we focus on the Outsourced Spatial Database (OSDB) model and propose an efficient scheme, called (VN\-Auth), which allows a client to verify the correctness and completeness of the result set. Our approach is based on neighborhood information derived from the Voronoi diagram of the underlying spatial data set and can handle fundamental spatial query types, such as $(k)$ nearest neighbor and range queries, as well as more advanced query types like reverse $(k)$ nearest neighbor, aggregate nearest neighbor, and spatial skyline. We evaluated VN-Auth based on real-world data sets using mobile devices (Google Droid smart phones with Android OS) as query clients. Compared to the current state-of-the-art approaches (i.e., methods based on Merkle Hash Trees), our experiments show that VN-Auth produces significantly smaller verification objects and is more computationally efficient, especially for queries with low selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the trend of cloud computing, outsourcing databases to third party service providers is becoming a common practice for data owners to decrease the cost of managing and maintaining databases in-house. In conjunction, due to the popularity of location-based-services (LBS), the need for spatial data (e.g., gazetteers, vector data) is increasing dramatically. Consequently, there is a noticeably new tendency of outsourcing spatial datasets by data collectors. Two main challenges with outsourcing datasets are to keep the data private (from the data provider) and to ensure the integrity of the query result (for the clients). Unfortunately, most of the techniques proposed for privacy and integrity do not extend to spatial data in a straightforward manner. Hence, recent studies proposed various techniques to support either privacy or integrity (but not both) on spatial datasets. In this paper, for the first time, we propose a technique that can ensure both privacy and integrity for outsourced spatial data. In particular, we first use a one-way spatial transformation method based on Hilbert curves, which encrypts the spatial data before outsourcing and, hence, ensures its privacy. Next, by probabilistically replicating a portion of the data and encrypting it with a different encryption key, we devise a technique for the client to audit the trustworthiness of the query results. We show the applicability of our approach for both k-nearest-neighbor queries and spatial range queries, which are the building blocks of any LBS application. We also design solutions to guarantee the freshness of outsourced spatial databases. Finally, we evaluate the validity and performance of our algorithms with security analyses and extensive simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hornblende's plastic and superplastic deformation mechanisms were studied on the basis of some new information obtained from amphibolite samples in the Hengshan Mountains (Hengshan, Shanxi, China). For this purpose, the samples were measured and analyzed by optical microscope (OM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) respectively. Because localized strong strain is more than 1000%, it is presumed that structural superplastic deformation was developed during the ductile shearing process. It is calculated that deformation occurred at 650-679°C and 0.770-0.914 GPa, based on the study of plagioclase-hornblende geothermometry and geobarometry. TEM images show that new hornblende grains developed few dislocations and hornblende crystals exhibit straight grain boundaries. EBSD of strongly deformed hornblendes reveals a fabric dominated by a {100} 〈001〉 lattice preferred orientation (LPO), indicative of new grain recrystallization along the lineation direction ( X axis). Thus superplastic deformation of hornblendes from the Hengshan Mountains was developed by mainly solid-state diffusive mass transfer and grain boundary sliding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]