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Abstract Introduction Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common types of cancer in men. In the course of the development and progression of this disease, abnormal expression of miR-203 is usually accompanied. However, its role in prostate tumorigenesis and the underlying mechanism are poorly understood. Methods Dual luciferase reporter gene analysis was used to detect miR-203 binding site in insulin receptor substrates 1 (IRS-1). Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay in PCa cells with either IRS-1 knockdown or miR-203 overexpression. IRS-1 and other proteins expression in PCa cells was assessed by Western Blot. Results we found that the insulin receptor substrates 1 (IRS-1) is a novel target of miR-203 in PCa and miR-203 can specifically bind to the 3′UTR region of the IRS-1 thus suppresses its expression. Moreover, we demonstrate that miR-203 functions as a tumor suppressor by directly targeting IRS-1 to inhibit cell proliferation and migration which results in PCa cell cycle arrest. Importantly, miR-203 overexpression blocks ERK signalling pathway by down-regulating IRS-1 expression. Conclusions Our results show a novel link between miR-203 and IRS-1, and reveal the importance of strict control of IRS − 1 by miR-203 in the progression of PCa, suggesting miR-203 may act as a promising target for the diagnosis and treatment of advanced PCa.

Abstract Background Rice blast is an economically important and mutable disease of rice. Using host resistance gene to breed resistant varieties has been proven to be the most effective and economical method to control rice blast and new resistance genes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) are then needed. Results In this study, we constructed two advanced backcross population to mapping blast resistance QTLs. CR071 and QingGuAi3 were as the donor parent to establish two BC3F1 and derived BC3F2 backcross population in the Jin23B background. By challenging the two populations with natural infection in 2011 and 2012, 16 and 13 blast resistance QTLs were identified in Jin23B/CR071 and Jin23B/QingGuAi3 population, respectively. Among Jin23B/CR071 population, 3 major and 13 minor QTLs have explained the phenotypic variation from 3.50% to 34.08% in 2 years. And, among Jin23B/QingGuAi3 population, 2 major and 11 minor QTLs have explained the phenotypic variation from 2.42% to 28.95% in 2 years. Conclusions Sixteen and thirteen blast resistance QTLs were identified in Jin23B/CR071 and Jin23B/QingGuAi3 population, respectively. QTL effect analyses suggested that major and minor QTLs interaction is the genetic basis for durable blast resistance in rice variety CR071 and QingGuAi3.

The adoptive transfer of CAR-T cells, which are modified T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), to target B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) has demonstrated impressive results in treating relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Although BCMA CAR-T therapy induces certain complications in some patients, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) has not been reported as one of them. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful treatment of ITP that arose in a relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patient following anti-BCMA CAR-T cell infusion. Herein, we describe this relatively uncommon complication and provide guidance on its treatment.

Abstract Background China is the second highest pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) burden country worldwide. However, retreatment of PTB has often developed resistance to at least one of the four first-line anti-TB drugs. The cure rate (approximately 50.0–73.3%) and management of retreatment of PTB in China needs to be improved. Qinbudan decoction has been widely used to treat PTB in China since the 1960s. Previously clinical studies have shown that the Qinbudan tablet (QBDT) promoted sputum-culture negative conversion and lesion absorption. However, powerful evidence from a randomized controlled clinical trial is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of QBDT as an adjunct therapy for retreatment of PTB. Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in China. People diagnosed with PTB were enrolled who received previous anti-TB treatment from April 2011 to March 2013. The treatment group received an anti-TB regimen and QBDT, and the control group was administered an anti-TB regimen plus placebo. Anti-TB treatment options included isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, streptomycin for 2 months (2HRZES), followed by isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol for 6 months (6HRE), daily for 8 months. Primary outcome was sputum-culture conversion using the MGIT 960 liquid medium method. Secondary outcomes included lung lesion absorption and cavity closure. Adverse events and reactions were observed after treatment. A structured questionnaire was used to record demographic information and clinical symptoms of all subjects. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 25.0 software in the full analysis set (FAS) population. Results One hundred eighty-one cases of retreatment PTB were randomly divided into two groups: the placebo group (88 cases) and the QBDT group (93 cases). A total of 166 patients completed the trial and 15 patients lost to follow-up. The culture conversion rate of the QBDT group and placebo group did not show a noticeable improvement by using the covariate sites to correct the rate differences (79.6% vs 69.3%; rate difference = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): - 0.02–0.23; F = 2.48, P = 0.12) after treatment. A significant 16.6% increase in lesion absorption was observed in the QBDT group when compared with the placebo group (67.7% vs 51.1%; rate difference = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.02–0.31; χ 2 = 5.56, P = 0.02). The intervention and placebo group did not differ in terms of cavity closure (25.5% vs 21.1%; rate difference = 0.04, 95% CI: - 0.21–0.12; χ 2 = 0.27, P = 0.60). Two patients who received chemotherapy and combined QBDT reported pruritus/nausea and vomiting. Conclusions No significant improvement in culture conversion was observed for retreatment PTB with traditional Chinese medicine plus standard anti-TB regimen. However, QBDT as an adjunct therapy significantly promoted lesion absorption, thereby reducing lung injury due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Trial registration This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02313610 .

Abstract Background The safety of hypoglycemic drugs should be paid more attention to in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus due to their concomitant diseases, physiological decline of liver and kidney function and cognitive decline. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DPP-4 inhibitors in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods From January 2010 to November 2018, 300 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were over 60 years old were enrolled in the outpatient clinic of Geriatric Medical Center. Their medication records and follow-up medical records were used for retrospective analysis. The duration of treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors was more than 3 months. The changes of fasting blood glucose (GLU), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), body weight, body mass index (BMI) and liver and kidney function were compared before and after treatment. Results The average age of 300 patients (212 males and 88 females) was 73.7 ± 9.1 years old, BMI was 26.5 ± 2.8 kg/m2 and the duration of diabetes was 10.7 ± 8.2 years. The results of retrospective analysis showed that HbA1C decreased by 0.27% after treatment (P

Magmatic and tectonic activity at mid-oceanic ridges can give detailed insights into high-temperature hydrothermal circulation of fluids. The authors here present geochemical and geophysical datasets that suggest a hydrothermal system penetrating the upper lithospheric mantle at an ultra-slow spreading mid-oceanic ridge.

In this paper, a nano Voxel X-ray 3D microscope is used to scan the long flame coal samples and to reconstruct the 3D pore structure by the use of microscopic computed tomography. With image segmentation technique, a model of micro-pore structure of coal is obtained from the reconstructed coal. With different planes selected as seepage inlets, a numerical simulation of low-pressure water seepage is conducted. Studies show that water pressure gradually decreases along the direction of water seepage and reaches the maximum at the pore-pipes with good connectivity near the inlet. Due to the difference between the structure and development direction of pores in the three dimensions, there is an optimal seepage outlet that is most appropriately corresponding to each seepage inlet. When different planes are selected as seepage inlets, the velocity of each seepage outlet is positively correlated with the seepage mass flow rate at the outlet.

A pre-setting based sub-radix-2 approximation technique for multi-bit/cycle successive-approximation-register (SAR) analog to digital converters (ADCs) is proposed in this paper. The proposed approximation technique enhances the conversion speed and relieves the power hungry reference voltage buffer. The sub-radix-2 approximation only adjusts the weights of original binary DAC array without introducing additional unit capacitors and leading to reduced silicon area and power consumption. An adder based backend encoding circuit is proposed, with negligible power and silicon area overhead. Furthermore, the non-ideal DNL/INL, which are caused by incomplete DAC settling, are characterized and analysed in this paper. The peak DNL/INL values are symmetrically located at 1/4 and 3/4 of full scale. With the presence of sub-radix-2 approximation, the peak INL/DNL could be significantly reduced. The simulation results show the better performance of sub-radix-2 approximation than binary approximation. Designed in CMOS 40nm technology, it could keep a higher (>9.5-bit) effective number of bits (ENOB) with short settling time of DAC buffer, and boost the sampling rate equivalently.

Multiple phases sectionalized modulation (MPSM) jamming is a kind of blanket jamming method against linear frequency modulation (LFM) radar, which can produce range-controllable noise-like jamming effect by dividing the signal into multiple subsections in the time domain and modulating different phases on each subsection. However, the partial relationship between the jamming effect and jamming parameters is complicated, which decrease the controllability of MPSM jamming effect. By transforming the problem of the controllability of MPSM jamming effect into the problem of the optimization of MPSM jamming effect, an optimization algorithm based on genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to solve the problem in this paper. In the optimization based on GA, first, the objective function is constructed according to the jamming evaluation, the parameters are coded, the population is initialized, and the fitness value of the initial population is calculated. Then, the selection operation, crossover operation and mutation operation are performed, the next population is generated and its fitness value is calculated. Finally, judge if reach the termination, continue or output the optimization result and its corresponding parameters. The optimization method proposed in this paper can not only effectively increase the controllability of MPSM jamming effect, but also optimize the jamming effect. The simulation results show that the optimization method is feasible and has strong stability.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been regarded as one of the most potential diagnostic biomarkers for different cancers, due to their unique physiological and pathological functions. However, it is still challenging to precisely analyze the contents and sources of EVs, due to their heterogeneity. Herein, we summarize the advances in technologies for a single EV analysis, which may provide new strategies to study the heterogeneity of EVs, as well as their cargo, more specifically. Furthermore, the applications of a single EV analysis on cancer early diagnosis are also discussed.

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumours, with multiple driving factors and biological transitions involved in its development. Claudin‐2 (CLDN2), a well‐defined component of cellular tight junction, has been indicated to associate with CRC progression. However, the function of CLDN2 and the underlying mechanism whereby the downstream signalling transduction is regulated in CRC remains largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that CLDN2 is upregulated in CRC samples and associated with poor survival. And CLDN2 depletion significantly promotes N‐myc downstream‐regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) transcription, leading to termination of the CRC growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, this process promotes CLDN2/ZO1/ZONAB complex dissociation and ZONAB shuttle into nucleus to enrich in the promoter of NDRG1. Thus, this study reveals a novel CLDN2/ZO1/ZONAB‐NDRG1 axis in CRC by regulating the expression of EMT‐related genes and CDKIs, suggesting CLDN2 may serve as a promising target for CRC treatment.

Most randomized trials for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have investigated highly selected patients under idealized conditions, and the findings need to be validated in the real world. We conducted a population-based study of all APL patients in Zhejiang Province, China, with a total population of 82 million people, to assess the generalization of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic as front-line treatment. The outcomes of APL patients were also analyzed. Between January 2015 and December 2019, 1,233 eligible patients were included in the final analysis. The rate of ATRA and arsenic as front-line treatment increased steadily from 66.2% in 2015 to 83.3% in 2019, with no difference among the size of the center (≥5 or 10 × 109/L) were independent risk factors for ED and OS in the multivariate analysis. This population-based study showed that ATRA and arsenic as front-line treatment are widely used under real-world conditions and yield a low ED rate and a high survival rate, which mimic the results from clinical trials, thereby supporting the wider application of APL guidelines in the future.

Exosomes or other extracellular vesicles released from cells play an important role in cell-to-cell communication by transferring bio-information (DNA, coding/non-coding RNA, and proteins), which indicates parental cell status to recipient cells in the extracellular environment. Increasingly, evidence shows that tumor-derived exosomes mediate tumor pre-metastatic niche (PMN) remodeling to establish a supportive and receptive niche to promote tumor cell colonization and metastasis. Uptake of genetic information by target cells in the extracellular environment triggers epigenetic changes that contribute to PMN formation. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of exosomes-mediated reprogramming of cells in PMN formation.

ABSTRACT Morphological transition is an important adaptive mechanism in the host invasion process. Wor1 is a conserved fungal regulatory protein that controls the phenotypic switching and pathogenicity of Candida albicans. By modulating growth conditions, we simulated three models of Beauveria bassiana morphological transitions, including CTH (conidia to hyphae), HTC (hyphae to conidia), and BTB (blastospore to blastospore). Disruption of BbWor1 (an ortholog of Wor1) resulted in a distinct reduction in the time required for conidial germination (CTH), a significant increase in hyphal growth, and a decrease in the yield of conidia (HTC), indicating that BbWor1 positively controls conidium production and negatively regulates hyphal growth in conidium-hypha switching. Moreover, ΔBbWor1 prominently decreased blastospore yield, shortened the G0/G1 phase, and prolonged the G2/M phase under the BTB model. Importantly, BbWor1 contributed to conidium-hypha switching and blastospore propagation via different genetic pathways, and yeast one-hybrid testing demonstrated the necessity of BbWor1 to control the transcription of an allergen-like protein gene (BBA_02580) and a conidial wall protein gene (BBA_09998). Moreover, the dramatically weakened virulence of ΔBbWor1 was examined by immersion and injection methods. Our findings indicate that BbWor1 is a vital participant in morphological transition and pathogenicity in entomopathogenic fungi. IMPORTANCE As a well-known entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana has a complex life cycle and involves transformations among single-cell conidia, blastospores, and filamentous hyphae. This study provides new insight into the regulation of the fungal cell morphological transitions by simulating three models. Our research identified BbWor1 as a core transcription factor of morphological differentiation that positively regulates the production of conidia and blastospores but negatively regulates hyphal growth. More importantly, BbWor1 affects fungal pathogenicity and the global transcription profiles within three models of growth stage transformation. The present study lays a foundation for the exploration of the transition mechanism of entomopathogenic fungi and provides material for the morphological study of fungi.

ABSTRACT Beauveria bassiana is an insect pathogenic fungus that serves as a model system for exploring the mechanisms of fungal development and host-pathogen interactions. Clinical and experimental studies have indicated that SND1 is closely correlated with the progression and invasiveness of common cancers as a potential oncogene, but this gene has rarely been studied in fungi. Here, we characterized the contributions of an SND1 ortholog (Tdp1) by constructing a BbTdp1 deletion strain and a complemented strain of B. bassiana. Compared with the wild-type (WT) strain, the ΔBbTdp1 mutant lost conidiation capacity (∼87.7%) and blastospore (∼96.3%) yields, increased sensitivity to chemical stress (4.4 to 54.3%) and heat shock (∼44.2%), and decreased virulence following topical application (∼24.7%) and hemocoel injection (∼40.0%). Flow cytometry readings showed smaller sizes of both conidia and blastospores for ΔBbTdp1 mutants. Transcriptomic data revealed 4,094 differentially expressed genes (|log2 ratio| > 2 and a q value of

BackgroundGrowing evidence demonstrates that the initiation and progression of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is related to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the mechanism through which the stem cell features of CRC cells are maintained is poorly understood. In this study, we identified the oncogenic histone cluster 2 H2B family member F (HIST2H2BF) and aimed to investigate the function of upregulated HIST2H2BF expression in maintaining the stem cell features of CRC cells, which accelerate the progression of CRC.MethodsHIST2H2BF expression was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. The correlation between CpG island methylation status and HIST2H2BF re-expression was assessed through bisulfite sequencing polymerase chain reaction, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, and 5-Aza-dC treatment. Functional assays were performed on CRC cells and mice to investigate the HIST2H2BF-induced stem cell-like and cancer properties of CRC. Using the Notch pathway inhibitor FLI-06, the regulatory effect of HIST2H2BF on downstream Notch signaling was confirmed.ResultsHIST2H2BF was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. The reactivation of HIST2H2BF in CRC stems at least in part from the hypomethylated CpG islands. CRC patients with high HIST2H2BF expression have poor survival outcomes. Functional studies have shown that HIST2H2BF promotes CSC phenotype, malignancy, and liver metastasis through the activation of Notch signaling in CRC. Blockage of the Notch pathway reduced the stem cell-like and cancer properties.ConclusionOur study suggests that HIST2H2BF upregulation enhances the CSC phenotype, malignancy, and liver metastasis through the activation of Notch signaling in CRC. These results identified a new perspective on the mechanism by which the stem cell features of CRC cells are maintained and highlighted the potential novel therapeutic targets for CRC.

Liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (LMCRC) severely damages patient health, causing poor prognosis and tumor relapse. Marker genes associated with LMCRC identified by previous study did not meet therapeutic demand. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new biomarkers regulating the metastasis network and screen potential drugs for future treatment. Here, we identified that cell adhesion molecules and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway were significantly enriched by analyzing the integrated-multiple expression profiles. Moreover, analysis with robust rank aggregation approach revealed a total of 138 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 108 upexpressed and 30 downexpressed genes. With establishing protein–protein interaction network, we also identified the subnetwork significantly enriching the metastasis-associated hub genes including ALB, APOE, CDH2, and ORM1. ESR2, FOXO3, and SRY were determined as key transcription factors regulating hub genes. In addition, ADH-1, epigallocatechin, CHEMBL1945287, and cochinchinenin C were predicted as potential therapeutic drugs. Moreover, the antimigration capacity of ADH-1 and epigallocatechin were confirmed in CRC cell lines. In conclusion, our findings not only offer opportunities to understand metastasis mechanism but also identify potential therapeutic targets for CRC.

Lamb Wave (LW)-based structural health monitoring method is promising, but its main obstacle is damage assessment in varying environments. LW simulation based on piezoelectric transducers (referred to as PZTs) is an efficient and low-cost method. This paper proposes a multiphysics simulation method of LW propagation with the PZTs under temperature effect. The effect of temperature on LW propagation is considered from two aspects. On the one hand, temperature affects the material parameters of the structure, the adhesive layers and the PZTs. On the other hand, it is considered that the thermal stress caused by the inconsistency of thermal expansion coefficients among the structure, the adhesive layers, and the PZTs affect the piezoelectric constant of the PZTs. Based on the COMSOL Multiphysics, the mechanic–electric–thermal directly coupling simulation model under temperature effect is established. The simulation model consists of two steps. In the first step, the thermal-mechanic coupling is carried out to calculate the thermal stress, and the thermal stress effect is introduced into the piezoelectric constant model. In the second step, mechanic–electric coupling is carried out to simulate LW propagation, which considers the piezoelectric effect of the PZTs for the LW excitation and reception. The simulation results at −20 °C to 60 °C are obtained and compared to the experiment. The results show that the A0 and S0 mode of simulation signals match well with the experimental measurements. Additionally, the effect of temperature on LW propagation is consistent between simulation and experiment; that is, the amplitude increases, and the phase velocity decreases with the increment of temperature.

Shape-memory alloy (SMA) honeycomb arrays have drawn worldwide attention for their potential active applications in smart morphing wings. However, the manufacturing of complex active SMA honeycomb arrays via conventional processes is a difficult task, and the actuation performance of the honeycomb arrays has not yet been well–investigated. In this work, the active SMA honeycomb arrays were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing, and their actuation performance was investigated. The results show that the SLM–fabricated active SMA honeycomb arrays can generate obvious actuation performance during the transformation and exhibit a higher maximum actuation stress of 2.53 MPa at a R/t ratio of 4 and a tensile pre–strain of 35%. This research will contribute to the design and further improvement of active SMA honeycomb arrays based on SLM additive manufacturing, promoting the engineering applications for smart morphing wings.

In the past decade, several discoveries have documented the existence of innervation in ovarian cancer and cervical cancer. Notably, various neurotransmitters released by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system can promote the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and regulate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms involving neurotransmitters in the occurrence and development of gynecological cancers will be beneficial for exploring the feasibility of using inexpensive β-blockers and dopamine agonists in the clinical treatment of gynecological cancers. Additionally, this article provides some new insights into targeting tumor innervation and neurotransmitters in the tumor microenvironment.

Our previous studies have shown that the environmental contaminant bisphenol A (BPA) exhibits strong intestinal toxicity and can readily cause intestinal barrier dysfunction. However, the causal relationship between adverse biological processes of BPA-induced intestinal tissue and the role of key signaling molecules in it requires further investigation. In this study, we established a mouse and intestinal epithelial cell model of BPA treatment to determine the underlying molecular mechanisms of BPA-induced intestinal injury. The results showed that the BPA treatment increased the intestinal permeability and disrupted the barrier function by increasing the chemical marker content and tight junction expression in intestinal tissues and blood circulation. BPA also altered the oxidative and antioxidant status of intestinal epithelial cells by increasing ROS and RNS contents and decreasing the activity levels of SOD, GPx, CAT, and T-AOC. BPA further induced inflammatory responses by upregulating the gene abundance of key factors of the innate immune system (TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB), the transcriptional activity of NF-kB, and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α). Moreover, apoptosis was activated by BPA, whereas cell proliferation was inhibited by BPA. Mechanistically, co-treatment of intestinal epithelial cells with BPA using the oxidative stress scavenger NAC, the NF-κB-specific inhibitor JSH-23, and the apoptosis inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK, respectively, showed that BPA activates the innate immune response by inducing oxidative stress. Consequently, apoptosis is promoted, and cell proliferation is inhibited, ultimately disrupting the intestinal barrier function. Our findings provide insight into the pathogenesis of BPA-induced gut injury.

Abstracts Unwanted interference noise often causes problems during seismic reflection data acquisition and processing. In this paper we present two novel data‐regrouping methods that enable improved shot‐to‐shot coherent interference noise attenuation in marine seismic data. The two approaches are based on line mixing and/or shot skipping: (1) for a 3‐D marine seismic reflection data acquisition which is typically carried out by shooting closely spaced parallel lines, we propose to mix the shot gathers from two adjacent sail lines to break up shot‐to‐shot coherent noise. This approach takes advantage of the fact that adjacent sail lines are usually acquired with a significant time interval, resulting in different types of noise; (2) for a 2‐D/3‐D acquisition, we propose an algorithm to skip and reorder the original shots to decrease the continuity of the shot‐to‐shot coherent noise. This approach could also supply more aperture data for the first or last shot from both sides, which is beneficial for the coherent noise removal at the edge area. After regrouping the original data, the coherent noise can then be further randomized or isolated by sorting and transforming to other domains, typically the common p‐shot domain where a random noise attenuation tool could be applied to identify and attenuate such noise. Field data examples confirm the effectiveness of the methods.

As one of the core applications in cloud computing field,cloud storage attracts a large number of users depending on its powerful storage capacity.However,in this storage schema,users’ data is stored completely in cloud server.In other word,users’ right of control on data is lost and users are facing privacy leakage risk.Traditional privacy protection scheme is usually based on encryption technology,but the attack from the inside of cloud server can’t be resisted effectively by these kinds of methods.Once the password gets compromised,users’ data will be stolen.In order to solve this problem,a three-level secure cloud storage scheme based on fog computing was proposed and a Hash-Solomon code algorithm was designed.A small part of data was stored in local machine and fog server,which can take full advantage of cloud storage and protect the privacy of data.Through the theoretical safety analysis and experimental test,the feasibility of our scheme is proved,and it is really a powerful supplement to existing cloud storage scheme.

This paper proposes an automatic surface treatment method for CNC milled blades. The surface texture characteristics of the blade after milling were analyzed. The contact area between the contact wheel and the blade surface was analyzed theoretically, and then the contact wheel and the blade edge were analyzed. The contact area between the intake side and the exhaust side was theoretically analyzed, and one micro-element in the contact area was selected, and the simulation analysis under multiple sets of parameters was carried out. In the experimental aspect, this paper has assembled a set of relatively reliable experimental systems, and carried out an in-depth analysis of a certain area of the engine blade obtained from the experiment to verify the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method.

ABSTRACT: Continental China has moved dextral Eastward since Cenozoic time, driven by the collision of the Indian with the Eurasian plate. Evidence for this comes from landscape evolution, the distribution of earthquake epicenters, Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks, and the measurement of GPS velocity vectors, the distribution of crustal stress, paleomagnetic data, and deep mantle structure, among others. This movement commenced around 40 Ma, coupled with thickened lithosphere and widespread stress release along strike-slip faults that bound the continental Chinese block. Because of continued Northward subduction of the Indian plate, manifestation of the dextral movement has intensified since 25 Ma. Far-reaching effects include extensive strike-slip movement on the Tan-Lu fault in Eastern China, formation of the Dabie ultrahigh pressure metamorphic terrane, extensive thrust faults in East China, delamination and thickening of the lithosphere of South China, a possible tectonic doubling of the Middle-Lower Yangtze Valley metallogenic belt, and the formation of the Japan, Huanghai (East China), and South China Sea.

The p53-like transcription factor (TF) NDT80 plays a vital role in the regulation of pathogenic mechanisms and meiosis in certain fungi. However, the effects of NDT80 on entomopathogenic fungi are still unknown. In this paper, the NDT80 orthologue BbTFO1 was examined in Beauveria bassiana, a filamentous entomopathogenic fungus, to explore the role of an NDT80-like protein for fungal pest control potential. Disruption of BbTFO1 resulted in impaired resistance to oxidative stress (OS) in a growth assay under OS and a 50% minimum inhibitory concentration experiment. Intriguingly, the oxidation resistance changes were accompanied by transcriptional repression of the two key antioxidant enzyme genes cat2 and cat5. ΔBbTFO1 also displayed defective conidial germination, virulence and heat resistance. The specific supplementation of BbTFO1 reversed these phenotypic changes. As revealed by this work, BbTFO1 can affect the transcription of catalase genes and play vital roles in the maintenance of phenotypes associated with the biological control ability of B. bassiana.

Biopeptides derived from marine species have garnered significant research interest owing to their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. In our previous study, Hydrostatin-SN1, a bioactive peptide extracted from the Hydrophis cyanocinctus venom gland T7 phage display library, demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced murine colitis model. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity and the underlying mechanism of Hydrostatin-SN1 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bone marrow-derived macrophage (BMDM) cells and interleukin (IL)-10 knockout mice. The results showed that Hydrostatin-SN1 inhibited phosphorylation of JNK, ERK1/2, and p38 and decreased the mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-6, and IL-1β in LPS-stimulated BMDM cells in a dose-dependent manner. In LPS-induced acute shock model, a significant higher survival rate of Hydrostatin-SN1-treated mice was observed. Furthermore, Hydrostatin-SN1 reduced body weight loss, decreased disease activity index, reduced spleen index, prevented histological injury, and inhibited the expression of IL-β and phosphorylation of JNK, ERK1/2, and p38 in the colon tissue of IL-10 knockout mice. Additionally, the positive expression rate of TNF-α in mice colon was decreased. Overall, our results suggest that Hydrostatin-SN1 has significant anti-inflammatory effects, both in vitro and in vivo.

Fault detection and diagnosis become one of today’s hot spots, which describes that image information is an important form of fault information, it can quickly through the image processing technique, and can accurately extract the characteristic signal. This article selects the color of the particle image, the integrated use of digital image processing, pattern recognition theory, the characteristic parameters of tribology knowledge, as well as the extraction, optimization, and digital; verifies the feasibility of iron spectrum of abrasive fault recognition, and provides a new efficient ferrographic wear particle image recognition method. Firstly, the grindstone image of the original color diesel engine was preprocessed, and the grindstone image of the ferrograph was identified by directly selecting grindstone from the preprocessed ferrograph image and selecting the target grindstone. According to the two types of abrasive particles, the characteristic parameters were first classified, and then the values of the characteristic parameters were obtained through the training and learning of the sample abrasive particles. In view of the large number of characteristic parameters of ferro-spectrum abrasive particles, this article determined the characteristic parameters suitable for the identification of abrasive particles in this article through the feature optimization and proved the correctness of the identification of characteristic parameters of abrasive particles through the test.

Through numerical calculations, it could be found that when the blade surface quality reaches a certain level, the surface quality of the blade was continuously improved, and the guarantee effect on its performance would be weakened. Under this circumstance, continuing to improve the surface quality of the blade had no positive effect on the performance of the blade. Studies had shown that when the blade surface equivalent grit roughness K s reaches 4.96 (about R a = 0.8 µm), the blade performance was close to the smooth surface of the blade, and no further processing was required to improve the surface roughness. When the surface equivalent grit K s was greater than 4.96 µm, the surface roughness had a great influence on the blade performance. When K s was larger than 40 µm, the negative effect is significantly increased. For the different characteristics of the blade and different processing conditions, four kinds of robot-based blade surface grinding schemes were proposed, of which the core content was the robot layout. Based on the robot group’s fitting to the spatial surface and the path planning, the experimental verification was carried out.

The quality of hydrocarbon source rocks is affected by the sedimentary paleoenvironment. A paleoenvironment with anoxia and a high paleoproductivity is beneficial to source rocks. The paleoenvironment of the Lower Ordovician Meitan Formation of the Sichuan Basin and its adjacent areas is lacking, restricting the oil and gas exploration of the Ordovician in the Sichuan Basin and its adjacent areas. In this paper, the content of major and trace elements of 50 samples was tested to clarify the paleoenvironment of the Meitan Formation. The paleoclimate, paleosalinity, paleoredox, and paleoproductivity during the deposition of the Meitan Formation were analyzed. The control effect of the paleoenvironment on the development of source rocks was clarified, and the favorable paleoenvironment for source rock development was pointed out. The results show that the paleoenvironment of the Meitan Formation has the following characteristics: humidity, brackish water, oxygen depletion, anoxia environment, and high paleoproductivity. These characteristics are conducive to the development of poor and moderate source rocks. The source rocks of the Meitan Formation were developed in the north, west, and south of the Sichuan Basin and its adjacent areas. The organic matter of the source rocks is mainly typed II1 kerogen, and the quality is evaluated as poor-medium source rocks having the potential of generating oil and gas. This study can provide fundamental parameters for the further exploration of Ordovician petroleum.

Abstract Background Several studies have suggested that depression is associated with an increased risk for fracture; however, the results are conflicting. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of cohort studies assessing the association between depression and the risk for fracture. Methods Relevant studies were identified by a search of Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang database to Feb 2018. Cohort studies on the relationship between depression and the risk for fracture in the general population were included in the meta-analysis. Data collection was in accordance with the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines, and the quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Two independent investigators screened the abstracts and full texts of the studies, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the study. Either a fixed-effect or random-effects model was used to compute the pooled risk estimates when appropriate. Results In total, 16 cohort studies with 25 independent reports that included 414,686 participants during a follow-up duration of 3–14 years were included in the analysis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) for total fracture was 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–1.35; P

ABSTRACT: The analysis of available Nd isotope data from the Tanzania Craton places important constraints on the crust-mantle separation ages, and events marking juvenile crustal addition and crustal recycling. Nd model ages date the oldest crust extraction to 3.16 Ga in the Tanzania Craton, although a rock record of such antiquity is yet to be found there. The most significant period of juvenile crustal addition as well as crustal recycling is 2.7–2.6 Ga. The Nd isotopes of mafic samples show that chemical heterogeneity existed in the mantle beneath the Tanzania Craton, with some samples originating from significantly depleted mantle, and most samples originating from the mixture of primitive mantle and depleted mantle. The Nd isotope section reveals significant differences in Nd isotopes between the north craton and central craton; compared to the north craton, the central craton yields a Nd model age that is approximately 100 Ma older, and its εNd(t) values are more negative, indicating that the two parts of the craton have different mantle source regions. Different types of granitoids are distributed in the Tanzania Craton, such as high-K and low-Al granite, calc-alkaline granite, peraluminous granite and transitional types of tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorites (TTGs). Most of the granitoids formed later than the mafic rocks in syn-collision and post-collision events.

To meet the conditions of diesel ignition, this paper presents several structural improvements of a small missile turbojet engine for diesel fuel. The engine starts motor-assisted, and its fuel is ignited by silicon nitride ceramic ignitor. Theoretical analysis is performed by establishing a mathematical model of the combustion model and combustion conditions. The feasibility of diesel used as a small turbojet fuel is analyzed by using numerical simulation software. Research is carried out based on the following points: the improvement of combustion chamber and evaporator, selection of ignitor position and sustainability of fire. This paper proposed the method of linking the engine-assisting startup system and selected the right type of ignitor, and on the advanced experimental platform several groups ignition tests were carried out.

Due to the limitation of laser modulation technology, the azimuth Doppler ambiguity problem exists in the process of inverse synthetic aperture ladar (ISAL) imaging for spinning targets. The traditional azimuth imaging method will not be used to obtain a good two-dimensional image. Therefore, we consider using the target's spinning information for imaging. The spatial geometric model of the spinning target ISAL imaging is established, and the characteristics of the echo signal are analysed. An ISAL imaging algorithm based on the backward projection transform is proposed. First, the spinning angular velocity of the target is obtained by the generalised autocorrelation method, and then the envelope and phase of the distance and the slow time domain are transformed into a backward projection to achieve coherent accumulation, and the two-dimensional high-resolution image of the spinning target is finally obtained. Due to the use of echo phase information, the sidelobe effect is low and the resolution is high. The simulation results show that the algorithm can still get well-focused images under low SNR and Doppler ambiguity.

Objectives: To date, the complex interrelationships between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about tuberculosis (TB), stigma, and depressive symptoms among patients with TB are insufficiently understood. We explored the interrelationships between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, TB-related stigma, and depressive symptoms and examined whether TB-related stigma played a mediating role.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014 in Hubei province, central China. Data were collected from 1,309 patients with TB using a structured questionnaire that measured family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, stigma, and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the interrelationships among the study variables based on the hypothesized model.Results: The proposed model provided a good fit to the obtained data. There were indirect effects between family function, doctor-patient communication, knowledge about TB, and depressive symptoms through stigma (β = −0.048, P = 0.002; β = −0.028, P = 0.001; β = −0.021, P = 0.009, respectively). Stigma partially mediated the effect of family function and knowledge about TB on depressive symptoms and fully mediated the effect of doctor-patient communication on depressive symptoms.Conclusions: This study elucidated the pathways linking family function, doctor-patient communication, and knowledge about TB to depressive symptoms and confirmed that the effect of those variables on depressive symptoms can be mediated by stigma. Those findings provide direction and information for depression interventions among patients with TB.

The material removal depth in the pre-polishing stage of the precision optics is usually tens of microns to remove the subsurface damage and grinding marks left by the previous grinding process. This processing of the upstand edge takes a large part of the time at this stage. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method that can reduce the edge effect and largely shorten the processing time of the pre-polishing stage adopting the semirigid (SR) bonnet. The generation of the edge effect is presented based on the finite element analysis of the contact pressure at the edge zone firstly. Then, some experimentations on the edge effect are conducted, and the results proved that the SR bonnet tool can overhang the workpiece edge in the pre-polishing stage to reduce the width and height of the upstand edge to largely shorten the subsequent processing time of it. In addition, there exists a perfect overhang ratio, which generates the upstand edge with the smallest width and height, with no damage to the bonnet tool in the meantime. In addition, one combination of the pre-polishing parameters is concluded according to this method, which can be safely adopted in practical process.

Elastic-wave-based structural health monitoring technology has a broad application potential for its sensitivity and ability to achieve regional monitoring. For structures with large damping and specific shapes, the traditional damage monitoring method is limited by the sensor arrangement area and affected by low signal-to-noise ratios, so it is difficult to accurately locate the damage in a structure. To solve this problem, this paper proposed a damage monitoring method based on a sector piezoelectric sensor array for multiple signal classification algorithm. By arranging two sector piezoelectric sensor arrays that are suitable for a specific structure, the damage scattering array signal under the multi-excitation source was obtained and synthesized, the signal-to-noise ratios were improved, and the damage location accuracy was thus improved. The effectiveness of the method was verified by monitoring the damage in a circular bonded structure with a metal ring. Compared with the damage localization methods based on the traditional single excitation source multiple signal classification algorithm, path imaging and delay-sum imaging, this method can achieve better damage location and has a higher localization accuracy.

This paper proposes the development of a novel coagulant for dust suppression in open-cast mines. Specifically, pretreated sodium lignin sulfonate and acrylic acid were first cross-linked, then the graft copolymerization of the intermediate product (the cross-linking product) and acrylamide was conducted and finally the resulting gelatinous substances were crushed. During the reaction process, N,N’-methylene-bis-acrylamide and ammonium persulfate were used as the cross-linking agent and initiator, respectively. Subsequently, the functional groups, crystalline structure, and thermal stability of the dust coagulant were examined by means of Fourier transform infrared spectra measurements, X-ray diffraction spectra measurements, and differential scanning calorimeter analysis. Moreover, single-factor experiments were conducted to explore the optimal synthesis condition. According to the experimental results, the coagulant achieved its optimal dust suppression performance under the following conditions: the mass ratio of lignin to acrylic acid was 1:3, the mass ratio of lignin to acrylamide was 2:7, the content of the cross-linking agent was 0.9%, the mass ratio of initiator to acrylamide was 2:100, the reaction temperature was set as 60℃, and the pH value was set as 7. Finally, the coagulant was measured for its swelling kinetics, viscosity, film-forming hardness, peeling strength, and ability to suppress dust. It can be concluded that the coagulant exhibits a very high standard of both dust suppression and wind resistance.

The aim of this paper was to develop a model that can characterize the actual micropore structures in coal and gain an in-depth insight into water’s seepage rules in coal pores under different pressure gradients from a microscopic perspective. To achieve this goal, long-flame coals were first scanned by an X-ray 3D microscope; then, through a representative elementary volume (REV) analysis, the optimal side length was determined to be 60 μm; subsequently, by using Avizo software, the coal’s micropore structures were acquired. Considering that the porosity varies in the same coal sample, this study selected four regions in the sample for an in-depth analysis. Moreover, numerical simulations on water’s seepage behaviors in coal under 30 different pressure gradients were performed. The results show that (1) the variation of the simulated seepage velocity and pressure gradient accorded with Forchheimer’s high-velocity nonlinear seepage rules; (2) the permeability did not necessarily increase with the increase of the effective porosity; (3) in the same model, under different pressure gradients, the average seepage pressure decreased gradually, while the average seepage velocity and average mass flow varied greatly with the increase of the seepage length; and (4) under the same pressure gradient, the increase of the average mass flow from the inlet to the outlet became more significant under a higher inlet pressure.

Hong Shan Capsule (HSC), a crude drug of 11 medicinal herbs, was used in clinical practice for the treatment of radiation injuries in China. In this study, we investigated its protection in rats against acute lethal total-body irradiation (TBI). Pre-administration of HSC reduced the radiation sickness characteristics, while increasing the 30-day survival of the irradiated rats. Administration of HSC also reduced the radiation sickness characteristics and increased the 30-day survival of mice after exposure to lethal TBI. Ultrastructural observation illustrated that the pretreatment of rats with HSC significantly attenuated the TBI-induced morphological changes in the different organs of irradiated rats. Gene expression profiles revealed the dramatic effect of HSC on alterations of gene expression caused by lethal TBI. Pretreatment with HSC prevented differential expression of 66% (1398 genes) of 2126 genes differentially expressed in response to TBI. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were mainly involved in a total of 32 pathways, such as pathways in cancer and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Our analysis indicated that the pretreatment of rats with HSC modulated these pathways induced by lethal TBI, such as multiple MAPK pathways, suggesting that pretreatment with HSC might provide protective effects on lethal TBI mainly or partially through the modulation of these pathways. Our data suggest that HSC has the potential to be used as an effective therapeutic or radio-protective agent to minimize irradiation damage.

Grain shape is a key factor that influences both the appearance quality and grain yield of rice. To clarify the genetic basis of grain shape, an advanced backcross population was developed from the cross of a slender indica variety Jin23B and a round japonica variety QingGuAi, and a total of 10 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain shape were detected over 2 years. Three QTLs, qGW1, qGS3 and qGS7 have large effects on grain shape and were detected in both years. To further validate their effects, the BC4F2 populations of the three QTLs were constructed. The alleles from QingGuAi of qGW1 and qGS7 both greatly increase grain width and the alleles from Jin23B of qGS3 greatly increase grain length. The allele variations of the three QTLs lead to the totally different grain shape of the two rice varieties. Our study provides insights into the genetic bases of grain shape and will promote the improvements of grain quality and yield in rice.

Catalpol, an iridoid glucoside extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Rehmannia glutinosa, is reported to exert neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-apoptotic effects. The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether catalpol ameliorates experimental acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by sodium taurocholate (STC). AP was induced in rats via retrograde injection of 4% STC (0.1 mL/100 g) into the biliopancreatic duct. Rats were pre-treated with saline or catalpol (50 mg/kg) 2 h before STC injection. At 12, 24 and 48 h after injection, the severity of AP was evaluated using biochemical and morphological analyses. Pretreatment with catalpol led to a significant reduction in serum amylase and lipase activities, pancreatic histological damage, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α levels, and activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Moreover, administration of catalpol increased the viability of pancreatic acinar cells and inhibited NF-κB expression in vitro. Our results collectively support the potential of catalpol as a highly effective therapeutic agent for treatment of AP.

Ag and Mn dopants were incorporated into Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film to reduce defects in thin film and improve thin film properties. Sol−gel and spin-coating techniques were employed to deposit Ag and Mn co-doped Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films. The structures, compositions, morphologies, and optical properties of the co-doped thin films were characterized. The experimental results indicate the formation of kesterite structure without Ag and Mn secondary phases. The amount of Ag in the thin films is close to that in the sols. The co-doped Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films have an absorption coefficient of larger than 1.3 × 104 cm−1, a direct optical band gap of 1.54−2.14 eV, and enhanced photoluminescence. The nonradiative recombination in Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film is reduced by Ag and Mn co-doping. The experimental results show that Ag and Mn incorporation can improve the properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film.

Cobalt-based alloy materials, widely used for laser cladding, are difficult to process. To address this problem, and based on the analysis of the physicochemical properties of cobalt and its compounds, a method for removing cobalt-based alloy materials under photocatalytic conditions was proposed under the effect of ultraviolet photocatalysis and chemical corrosion. In this study, a material removal model under photocatalytic conditions was established, and the reaction principle of cobalt-based alloys under ultraviolet photocatalysis and chemical corrosion conditions was described. We designed a corrosion solution configuration test and established a cobalt-based alloy processing test based on a pneumatic wheel test platform. The processing test proved that the combination of ultraviolet (UV) photocatalysis and Basic Yellow 40 + TiO2 chemical corrosion pretreatment can significantly increase the mechanical material removal rate of cobalt-based alloy materials and effectively reduce surface roughness. At the same time, processing efficiency can be increased over 40%. This showed that the new method is capable of performing well in the field of mold cobalt-based alloy coating processing in the future.

When inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging maneuvers targets, the azimuth echo of the target scattering point causes a Doppler frequency time-varying problem, which leads to the blurring and defocusing of the imaging results. Traditional imaging methods struggle to meet the imaging requirements for maneuvering targets due to a poor imaging effect or low efficiency. Given these challenges, a modified chirp Fourier transform (MCFT) imaging method is proposed in this paper, based on the specific relationship between the target rotation parameters and the radar echo signal parameters. Firstly, discrete chirp Fourier transform is used to quickly estimate the target’s coarse rotation ratio. Then, the minimum entropy function and gradient descent method are used to calculate the target’s accurate rotation ratio. Finally, the azimuth focusing image is accomplished by performing MCFT once on the azimuth echo signal using the accurate rotation ratio. This method avoids estimating and separating the sub-echo components one-by-one, considerably improves the imaging speed, and guarantees the best imaging quality by applying the global minimum entropy principle. The experimental results show that the proposed method effectively achieves the two-dimensional, high-quality, and fast imaging of maneuvering targets.

To reduce time and cost of damage inspection, on-line impact monitoring of aircraft composite structures is needed. A digital monitor based on an array of piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) is developed to record the impact region of impacts on-line. It is small in size, lightweight and has low power consumption, but there are two problems with the impact alarm region localization method of the digital monitor at the current stage. The first one is that the accuracy rate of the impact alarm region localization is low, especially on complex composite structures. The second problem is that the area of impact alarm region is large when a large scale structure is monitored and the number of PZTs is limited which increases the time and cost of damage inspections. To solve the two problems, an impact alarm region imaging and localization method based on digital sequences and time reversal is proposed. In this method, the frequency band of impact response signals is estimated based on the digital sequences first. Then, characteristic signals of impact response signals are constructed by sinusoidal modulation signals. Finally, the phase synthesis time reversal impact imaging method is adopted to obtain the impact region image. Depending on the image, an error ellipse is generated to give out the final impact alarm region. A validation experiment is implemented on a complex composite wing box of a real aircraft. The validation results show that the accuracy rate of impact alarm region localization is approximately 100%. The area of impact alarm region can be reduced and the number of PZTs needed to cover the same impact monitoring region is reduced by more than a half.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have received tremendous attention over the past ten years. In engineering applications of WSNs, a number of sensor nodes are usually spread across some specific geographical area. Some of these nodes have to work in harsh environments. Dependability of the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is very important for its successful applications in the engineering area. In ordinary research, when a node has a failure, it is usually discarded and the network is reorganized to ensure the normal operation of the WSN. Using appropriate WSN re-organization methods, though the sensor networks can be reorganized, this causes additional maintenance costs and sometimes still decreases the function of the networks. In those situations where the sensor networks cannot be reorganized, the performance of the whole WSN will surely be degraded. In order to ensure the reliable and low cost operation of WSNs, a method to develop a wireless sensor node with self-healing ability based on reconfigurable hardware is proposed in this paper. Two self-healing WSN node realization paradigms based on reconfigurable hardware are presented, including a redundancy-based self-healing paradigm and a whole FPAA/FPGA based self-healing paradigm. The nodes designed with the self-healing ability can dynamically change their node configurations to repair the nodes’ hardware failures. To demonstrate these two paradigms, a strain sensor node is adopted as an illustration to show the concepts. Two strain WSN sensor nodes with self-healing ability are developed respectively according to the proposed self-healing paradigms. Evaluation experiments on self-healing ability and power consumption are performed. Experimental results show that the developed nodes can self-diagnose the failures and recover to a normal state automatically. The research presented can improve the robustness of WSNs and reduce the maintenance cost of WSNs in engineering applications.