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Objective. To explore the effects of the Hedysarum multijugum Maxim.-Radix Salviae compound (Huangqi-Danshen Compound (HDC)) on oxidative capacity and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in rats with diabetic cardiomyopathy by a network pharmacology-based strategy. Methods. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)@Taiwan, TCM Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), TCM Integrated Database (TCMID), and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technology were used to obtain and screen HDC's active components, and the PharmMapper database was used to predict HDC human target protein targets. The DCM genes were collected from the GeneCards and OMIM databases, and the network was constructed and analyzed by Cytoscape 3.7.1 and the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Finally, HDC was used to intervene in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) model rats, and important biological processes and signaling pathways were verified using techniques such as immunohistochemistry. Results. A total of 176 of HDC's active components and 442 potential targets were obtained. The results of network analysis show that HDC can regulate DCM-related biological processes (such as negative regulation of the apoptotic process, response to hypoxia, the steroid hormone-mediated signaling pathway, cellular iron ion homeostasis, and positive regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling) and signaling pathways (such as the HIF-1 signaling pathway, the estrogen signaling pathway, insulin resistance, the PPAR signaling pathway, the VEGF signaling pathway, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway). Animal experiments show that HDC can reduce fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, and malondialdehyde (MDA) and increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (P < 0.05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that HDC can regulate the protein expression of apoptosis-related signaling pathways in DCM rats (P < 0.05). Conclusion. It was initially revealed that HDC improves DCM through its antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects. HDC may play a therapeutic role by improving cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DCM rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rational design of a benzoperylene probe BP-3 with positive charge allows for turn-on excimer emission, and wash-free cell membrane imaging. BP-3 possesses excellent chemical, thermal and photo stability. And the Stokes shift of the excimer emission is considerably large (90–100 nm), which very much avoids the background fluorescence interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 3D porous graphene (3DPG) as reinforced additive was investigated in SBS/crumb rubber blend-modified asphalt. • 3DPG can significantly improve high and low-temperature performance and fatigue life of SBS/crumb rubber blend-modified asphalts. • The nanopores in 3DPG can effectively enhance the compatibility of SBS and crumb rubber in asphalt system by virtue of its unique amphiphilicity. • 3DPG as a new synergist presents a promising solution for the critical issue of wide adoption of crumb rubber modified asphalt for high-performance pavement. Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)/crumb rubber (CR) blend-modified asphalt is a desirable binder for pavement engineering with both environmental and economic benefits. However, the inherent incompatibility of SBS and CR in asphalt is still a critical issue. Herein, 3D porous graphene (3DPG) with high surface area and rich micropores as reinforced additive was investigated in SBS/CR blend-modified asphalt for the first time. The experimental results demonstrate that incorporating 3DPG can effectively improve the compatibility of SBS and CR in asphalt and thus significantly enhance the high and low temperature performance and fatigue resistance of the modified asphalt, compared with that without 3DPG. Theoretical calculations further reveal that the nanopores in graphene can endow graphene with electrophilic property, providing a capability of absorbing nonpolar molecules in asphalt while the non-pore part in graphene can interact with polar molecules by conventional π − π stacking. The two forces within graphene can break the original colloidal structures of asphalt, which is conductive to the homogenous formation of SBS network and swelling of CR in asphalt, significantly promoting the pavement performance of the modified asphalt. This work presents the great potential of 3DPG as new additive to solve the inherent incompatibility of SBS/CR blend-modified asphalt for high-grade pavement engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Bladder cancer, the ninth-most-common malignancy worldwide with an estimated 356,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually, has a propensity to relapse, requiring lifelong monitoring after diagnosis. 75% patients diagnosed with BC are non-muscle invasive BC and over 50% of them experience recurrences within 6–12 years of initial diagnosis. miRNA are small, noncoding RNA and shown to be oncogenes or anti-oncogenes in bladder cancer, contributing to numerous BC cell processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. Methods RT-qPCR were performed to detect the expression of miR-187-5p in tissues and cell lines, After which, clinicopathological variables and the prognostic value of altered miR-187-5p expression in BC was analyzed with the 48 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded BC samples. Moreover, Cell functional assays (wound healing assay, CCK-8 assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry assay) were performed to explore the relationship between miR-187-5p expression and cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in BC. Results Up-regulation of miR-187-5p was observed in BC tissues and BC cell lines. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis demonstrated that the patients with low expression of miR-187-5p experience lower risks of recurrence in the univariate and multivariate analysis. The Kaplan-Meier recurrence-free curves suggested that the patients with low expression of miR-187-5p experience lower risks of recurrence. Up-regulation of miR-187-5p promotes cell proliferation and mobility and inhibits the apoptosis of 5637 and UM-UC-3 cell, while down-regulation of miR-187-5p reverses these effects. Conclusions The results of our study demonstrated that oncogene miR-187-5p is associated with cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and an increased risk of recurrence in bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The development of higher alcohols of modern automobile engines is listed. • The improvements of higher alcohols characteristic are discussed. • Optimization applications in diesel engine are investigated. • Improvement suggestions for performance enhancement of diesel engine are proposed. The application of oxygenated alternative fuels in diesel engines is an effective way to solve the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Higher alcohols (butanol and pentanol), as oxygenated and renewable fuels, are considered as new promising alternative fuels for diesel engine due to their good physicochemical properties and excellent combustion and emission characteristics in engines. The combustion is a complex process and has a significant impact on performance and emission characteristics of compression ignition (CI) engines. There are complicated relationships among CI engine, environment and fuel physicochemical properties, which interacts with each other. Therefore, it is important to investigate the synergistic effects of alternative fuels and their additives on CI engines. In recent years, the research on the advanced alcohols and its additives had made great progress. However, few people have reviewed the synergistic effect of higher alcohols and its additives on diesel engines. Therefore, this paper takes the combustion, performance and emission aspects of higher alcohols and its additives on the diesel engine as a starting point. Firstly, the physicochemical properties and preparations of higher alcohols are described, and their advantages are highlighted. Then, the effects of higher alcohols and its additives on the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of CI engines are summarized in terms of neat fuel, dual-fuel injection and multi-fuel blends, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), injection strategy and advanced combustion mode. Finally, some important conclusions and discussions on the future development and experimental research direction are put forward, which will be helpful for the research on the use of higher alcohol in CI engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Multi-crosslinked Flexible CNC/PVAGMA/TA nanocomposite hydrogel fibers was prepared. • The CNC/PVAGMA/TA nanocomposite hydrogels exhibited excellent tensile strengths as well as high-water content of 70 %. • The hydrogel fibers can be easily knitted into various complex geometries or integral textiles. Hydrogel fibers with excellent mechanical properties are requested for biomedical applications, especially for flexible and wearable devices. However, it remains a challenge to fabricate hydrogel fibers with both enough strength and high water content. Herein, we prepare cellulose nanocrystal/polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite hydrogels by rapid covalent crosslinking and the subsequent strong hydrogen bonding interaction derived from tannic acid. The multi-crosslinked skeletal structure endows the hydrogels with excellent tensile strengths as well as high water content, compared to the polyvinyl alcohol-glycidylmethacrylate hydrogels. Notably, P10C5T15 hydrogel can lift loads to 4.375 kg, which is approximately 2353 times its weight. Subsequently, the flexible and mechanically stable hydrogel fibers are fabricated with a tensile strength of 7.3 MPa and a breaking elongation of 123.8 %. Furthermore, the fabricated hydrogel fibers can be easily knitted into various complex geometries or integral textiles, suggesting their great potential for woven smart devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The K sat characteristics of remolded loess under CaCl 2 solutions are presented. • The response of EDL effect to CaCl 2 concentrations is evaluated. • Microstructure evolution of loess induced by CaCl 2 solutions is revealed. • The mechanism of K sat change in seepage process is disclosed. • The findings in this study have broad application value to other soils. Loess has been widely used in site remediation engineering projects in the Chinese Loess Plateau. With the interaction between CaCl 2 solution and cutoff wall, how does its permeability change, is the response pattern consistent for different concentrations, and what is the mechanism? To address this series of problems, the effects of CaCl 2 solutions of varying concentrations on the permeability of remolded loess were investigated by saturated permeability test, and the mechanisms underlying these effects were explored through free swelling ratio, zeta potential, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), grain-size tests, as well as SEM and MIP tests. The results indicate that K sat values of the samples permeated with both deionized water (DW) and 0.001 mol/L CaCl 2 solution increase with time, with a greater increase observed in the latter. This is mainly due to that the electrical double layer (EDL) effect induced by Ca2+, as the dominant factor, controls particle flocculation and pore structure development. Under seepage of a 0.010 mol/L CaCl 2 solution, the EDL effect plays a dominant role during the initial stage. However, chemical weathering causes the disintegration of loess particles, and the dissolution of carbonates is inhibited by Ca2+. These are not conducive to pore development; thus, K sat first increases and then decreases significantly. The K sat of samples permeated with a 0.005 mol/L CaCl 2 solution first increases and then stabilizes, which represents the transitional stage of the two aforementioned change trends. This is mainly because the effective pores are increased by leaching and cation exchange, and then the porosity is in dynamic equilibrium under the combined action of the EDL effect, geochemical action, and microstructural evolution. Thus, the saturated hydraulic conductivity (K sat) of remolded loess is sensitive to the concentrations of CaCl 2 solutions, with different response modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud denoising is a crucial and fundamental step in geometry processing, which has achieved significant progress in the last two decades. Denoising real-world noisy point clouds is a very challenging problem since it is hard to describe the complex real-world noise by simple distributions such as Gaussian distribution. Furthermore, existing methods may suffer from performance degradation when dealing with real-world noisy point clouds with complex structures, which contain not only sharp features (sharp edges, sharp corners, etc.) but also smooth features, fine features, etc. To solve the above-mentioned problems, we propose a novel structure-aware denoising approach by exploiting the prior information in both external clean point clouds and the given noisy point cloud. We first group nonlocal self-similarity (NSS) patches from a set of external clean point clouds. Then, we employ the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) learning algorithm to learn external NSS priors over patch groups. Next, the internal priors are learned from the given noisy point cloud in the same way to refine the prior model. We integrate both the learned external and internal priors into a set of orthogonal dictionaries to efficiently estimate point normals. Finally, we propose a feature-aware point updating method through adaptive neighborhood selection to reposition points to match the estimated normals. Extensive experiments show that our approach achieves favorable comprehensive performance compared with many popular or state-of-the-art methods in terms of both objective and visual perception. The source code can be found at https://zhiyongsu.github.io. • A structure-aware denoising method is proposed for real-world noisy point clouds. • The proposed method jointly learns external and internal priors for denoising. • A feature-aware point updating method is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piping isometric drawings, which feature their intrinsical topological relation rather than just geometrical shape, are important industrial art works in the field of Computer-Aided Design (CAD). This paper takes a fresh look at the topology integrity authentication of piping isometric drawings, which has not been mentioned before in the literature, from the digital watermarking perspective. A blind and semi-fragile watermarking based algorithm is proposed to address the referred interesting issue. The topology authentication problem of piping isometric drawings is investigated. In addition to the stretching operation, both global and local similarity transformation operations, which are critical problems in the case of watermarking embedding and extraction, are analyzed in detail. The topological graph is extracted and constructed from the drawing firstly. Then, similarity transformation invariants are constructed as watermarks carriers for each node. After that, the topological relation among joint components is encoded into singular watermarks for each node of the graph. These generated topology sensitive watermarks are embedded into geometrical invariants of each node via quantization index modulation. Theoretical analysis and experimental results demonstrate that our approach yields a strong ability in detecting and locating unauthorized topology attacks while achieves robustness against both global and local similarity transformations especially the stretching operation. The proposed scheme can be employed to authenticate topology integrity for each of the drawings derived from the model individually in industry practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A method based on GC–QqQ MS/MS was developed for tobacco flavor additives measurement. [•] An average of 40% timesaving is achieved in the purification compared to the reported methods. [•] The MS/MS fragmentation pathways of cinnamic esters additives were illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FOXO1 is at a convergence point of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling, which is one of the three core pathways implicated in glioblastoma. It was recently shown that FOXO1 can effectively induce glioma cell death and inhibit tumor growth through cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. We therefore evaluated FOXO1 and pFOXO1 protein expression in 181 primary astrocytoma samples and 16 normal brain samples. Astrocytoma samples expressed higher cytoplasmic FOXO1 and pFOXO1 than normal brain samples. Nuclear pFOXO1 level was significantly higher than nuclear FOXO1 in astrocytomas. High cytoplasmic FOXO1 expression was associated with older onset age (P = 0.001) and higher WHO grade (P = 0.001). The trend was also observed between cytoplasmic pFOXO1 expression and WHO grade although not significant. Univariate survival analysis showed that both high cytoplasmic FOXO1 and pFOXO1 expression indicated a significantly shorter median overall survival and progression-free survival. Multivariate survival analysis revealed cytoplasmic FOXO1 expression, cytoplasmic pFOXO1 expression, WHO grade, gender, extent of resection and radiotherapy to be independent prognostic factors for overall survival and progression-free survival. Thus, our data suggested that cytoplasmic FOXO1 and pFOXO1 expression may serve as valuable prognostic variables in astrocytomas and may have significant implications for the development and application of targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A model-based dynamic multi-parameter method for peak power estimation is proposed for batteries and battery management systems (BMSs) used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The available power must be accurately calculated in order to not damage the battery by over charging or over discharging or by exceeding the designed current or power limit. A model-based dynamic multi-parameter method for peak power estimation of lithium–ion batteries is proposed to calculate the reliable available power in real time, and the design limits such as cell voltage, cell current, cell SoC, cell power are all used as its constraints; more importantly, the relaxation effect also is considered. Where, to improve the model’s accuracy, the ohmic resistance of Thevenin model for the lithium–ion battery has been refined; in order to further improve the polarization parameters identification precision, a genetic algorithm has been used to gain the optimal time constant. Lastly, a test with several consecutive Federal Urban Driving Schedules (FUDSs) profiles is carried to evaluate the model-based dynamic multi-parameter method for peak power estimation. The experimental and simulation results indicate that the model-based dynamic multi-parameter method for peak power estimation can calculate the terminal voltage and the current available power much more reliably and accurately. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Boron carbon nitride films were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a composite target consisting of h-BN and graphite in an Ar–N2 gas mixture. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results suggest that the films are atomic-level hybrids composed of B, C and N atoms. The boron carbon nitride films prepared in the present experiment have a disordered structure. The sputtering power varied from 80W to 130W. This sputtering power was shown to have regular effect on the composition of boron carbon nitride films. The samples deposited at 80W and 130W are close to the stoichiometry of BC3N. The sample deposited at 110W is close to the stoichiometry of BCN. The samples deposited at 100W and 120W approach to BC2N. It is very significant for us to synthesize boron carbon nitride compound with controllable composition by changing the sputtering power. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrate pollution in groundwater and related human health risk assessment are crucial to ensure groundwater quality safety. In this study, the grey water footprint (GWF), DRASTIC model, and human health risk assessment (HHRA) model were used to investigate the status of nitrate pollution, analyze the effect of hydrogeological conditions on groundwater nitrate pollution, and evaluate the human health risk of nitrate in the Jiaokou Irrigation District, China. The results show that the maximum and average NO 3 − concentrations in the Jiaokou Irrigation District were 895 and 170.73 mg/L and the over-standard rate (>20 mg/L) was over 80% (82.09%). High NO 3 − concentration was mainly distributed in the cultivated land. The GWF results indicate that the wastewater absorption was insufficient to bear actual pollution in this region, requiring freshwater between 0.1 × 108 m3 and 105.8 × 108 m3 to dilute the nitrate to a safe concentration. The aquifers with high vulnerability levels were observed in the central and eastern parts, which are mainly related to depth to water table (D), net recharge (R), soil media (S), impact of vadose zone (I), and hydraulic conductivity (C). High NO 3 − pollution in an area is generally caused by high aquifer vulnerability. Additionally, the human health risk assessment shows that the health risks for pregnant women and breastfeeding women were higher than the health risks for children in the 10–16 years age group and > 16 years of age. This research provides a basis for policy-makers to take appropriate measures for protecting groundwater from nitrate pollution. [Display omitted] • GWF and WPL values indicates the study area has serious nitrate pollution with a maximum of 895 mg/L. • Aquifer vulnerability and its impact on groundwater nitrate pollution were assessed using DRASTIC model. • High nitrate pollution occurs in the central part of study area with high aquifer vulnerability. • Non-carcinogenic health risks of nitrate to different age groups were evaluated using HHRA model. • This study draws attention to the management of high nitrate groundwater to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Some H2 impurities (e.g., SO2), even at 10–100ppb level, can greatly reduce the working life of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Sulfur compounds such as SO2 is a typical impurity existing in the coal gas derived H2 fuel. As a result, detection of near ppb level SO2 in H2 for fuel cells has been a focus of many recent studies. In this study, we present a gas chromatography (GC) method integrated with an in-house built adsorption–desorption device that can detect SO2 at near ppb level. The technique is as follows: sample gas is collected by a SO2 absorbent at room (or low) temperature, followed by desorption at an elevated temperature prior to gas sampling with GC. Operating conditions are optimized through testing on the absorbent material, adsorption and desorption temperature. Under an optimal condition, a sample gas of 10–20ppb SO2 was detected within an hour. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The precise detection of endogenous biothiols such as Glutathione (GSH), Cysteine (Cys) and Homocysteine (HCy) is a long-standing human health concern. A dual-channel fluorescent probe (Cy-DC) composed of two fluorescence reporting units (dicyanomethylene-4H-pyran and cyanine) with ether linker for distinguishing different endogenous biothiols was designed and synthesized. Due to the two well-resolved emission bands, this probe possesses an outstanding capability for selectively sensing of endogenous GSH spatiotemporally and synchronously. Nevertheless, in the near infrared (NIR) channel (λ ex = 700 nm, λ em = 810 nm), the probe can produce strong fluorescence only when it responds to GSH. Besides, the cells (L02 and U87) imaging, it also demonstrated that Cy-DC could successfully discriminate between GSH and Cys/Hcy with high sensitivity with the limit of detection (LOD) is 24 nM and 32 nM (3*SD/K). Particularly, the probe was applied in detecting solid tumor by the naked-eye and NIR imaging successfully, which revealed that the probe has promising prospects in clinical diagnosis applications. Image 1 • IR-780-based fluorescent probe (Cy-DC) demonstrated high sensitivity and excellent selectivity, with a distinct fluorescence off-on response to GSH. • Dual-channel probe Cy-DC was utilized for distinguishing endogenous GSH from Cys and Hcy in dual channels both simultaneously and independently. • Due to the two well-resolved emission bands, this probe possesses the outstanding capability for selectively sensing of endogenous GSH spatiotemporally and synchronously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The experimental results indicate that the composition of our samples is homogeneous. We have explained the reason why the composition of the BCN film is influenced by the r.f. power. The Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements suggest that the samples are atomic-level hybrids of B, C and N. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]