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• Combination of acoustic black hole structure with the catastrophe theory. • Elaboration of the relationship between each parameter of the acoustic black hole and the energy aggregation effect. • Achievement of the quantitative analysis of the acoustic black hole. • Theoretical verification is carried out by simulation. Acoustic black holes (ABHs) have garnered increasing attention in the field of vibration and noise reduction due to their excellent wave aggregation effect. A large number of studies have been conducted in analyzing ABH structures, these analytical methods such as finite element and semi-analytical modeling, however, still suffer from limitations in the quantitative analysis of ABHs. The majority of the existing methodologies are intricate and computationally burdensome and do not furnish a quantitative assessment of the ABH structure. To meet this need, we design a theoretical analysis model from the catastrophe theory perspective. Based on the Hyperbolic umbilic model, the proposed analytical method can investigate the quantitative relationships among each parameter and their energy aggregation effects in ABHs. Combined with a dimensionless analytical solution, the underlying mechanism and the quantitative property of ABHs are expected to be revealed with significantly reduced computational complexity. Further, the proposed quantitative method is demonstrated by a numerical simulation test and a practical experiment. The findings illustrate a clear presence of a catastrophe effect across the range of ABH parameter variation, and establish a direct correlation between each ABH parameter and the ABH effect in the proposed approach. The proposed theoretical method holds significant potential in analyzing and applying of ABHs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various strain studies of the supraspinatus have been done in isolation. Given that rotator cuff muscles function as a group, it may be physiologically representative to measure strain behaviour with the glenohumeral joint intact. Here, we explored a novel method in measuring simultaneous strain behaviour of the rotator cuff tendons and investigated the effect of full-thickness anterior tear of the supraspinatus on the infraspinatus and subscapularis tendons. Nine cadaveric shoulders were evaluated on a customized rig. Using linear differential variable transducers to measure strain, each shoulder was subjected to up to 60° of elevation in the coronal, scapular, and sagittal planes. We also assessed 30° of external rotation and up to 60° of internal rotation of the humerus. Full-thickness anterior tear of the supraspinatus was then made before re-assessing strain patterns in the scapular plane. Findings: Strain measurements of the intact tendons revealed a significant strain gradient between the articular and bursal sides of the supraspinatus during increasing degrees of elevation in the coronal and scapular planes. Full thickness anterior tear of the supraspinatus is localised to the tendon and does not affect the surrounding cuff musculature, with a potential shielding effect of the infraspinatus during early glenohumeral abduction. Significant strain gradient exists between the articular and bursal sides of the supraspinatus during abduction but not during forward flexion in an intact glenohumeral joint. Rehabilitation exercises for anterior supraspinatus tears can be appropriately targeted on the remaining intact rotator cuff musculature. • Significant strain gradient of the supraspinatus exists during abduction. • No significant strain gradient of the supraspinatus during forward flexion. • Internal and external rotation caused minimal cuff strain changes. • Full thickness anterior tear of the supraspinatus is localised to the tendon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several giant industrial-grade rare-metal deposits have been discovered in the Himalaya most recently. However, the mechanism of how rare-metals mineralization formed in the prototype of the collisional belt is poorly understood, mainly due to insufficient studies on mineralogy, petrology and emplacement conditions. In this study, we have reported the whole-rock and mineral compositions of spodumene pegmatites, leucogranite, skarns and P-T paths of metapelites from Lhozhag, eastern Himalaya. Four spodumene pegmatite veins were studied that are enriched in lithium, beryllium, cesium and tantalite (Li-Cs-Ta subtype), mainly hosted by minerals of spodumene, petalite, elbaite, lepidolite, zinnwaldite, and margarite. Li-Be margarite is first reported from the Himalaya, and its lithium and beryllium come from the breakdown of spodumene and beryl. The surrounding skarns are enriched in lithium, beryllium, and tin, mainly hosted by minerals of vesuvianite, scapolite and garnet. Petrography and P-T estimates from the andalusite-staurolite phyllites suggest two stages of metamorphism that earlier Barrovian metamorphism was superimposed by Buchan metamorphism at conditions of 3.1 ± 0.3 kbar and 535°C or 580°C (52–56°C/km) during leucogranite emplacement. Combined with zircon and monazite saturation temperatures and conditions of Buchan metamorphism, the leucogranites should have undergone a first-stage isothermal decompression to crystallization conditions at ∼3.1 kbar and 650–720°C and a second-stage isobaric cooling at ∼3.1 kbar. The pegmatite probably underwent a similar P-T evolution supported by the appearance of two-stage growth of spodumene (Spd-1 and Spd-2 + Qz), petalite corona around spodumene, and cymatolite. The leucogranites/pegmatites have emplaced into the surficial Tethyan Himalayan Sequence simultaneously, causing contact metamorphism, skarnization and undercooling, which may have facilitated rare-metals mineralization in the pegmatites and skarns during the emplacement stage. We suggest that the pegmatites and skarns in Lhozhag, eastern Himalaya have enormous potential for rare-metals exploration. [Display omitted] • Detailed mineralogy and petrology of the spodumene pegmatites in Lhozhag are presented. • Li-Be margarite is reported for the first time in the Himalaya. • Leucogranites/pegmatites emplaced into THS, causing contact metamorphism and undercooling. • P-T conditions of contact metamorphism were ∼ 3.1 kbar and 535–580°C. • Lhozhag in eastern Himalaya has enormous potential for rare-metals exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded systems experience execution interruption due to power failures. After a power failure restarts, recovering the interrupted program from the initial state may lead to non-termination execution. To rapid recovery of program execution under power failures, the execution states are backed up by non-volatile memory (NVM) under power failures for embedded systems. However, frequent checkpoints will shorten the lifetime of the NVM and result in significant NVM write overhead, leading to low energy utilization in a power cycle. In this paper, we propose an incremental checkpoint approach called Call-Stack-Based to mitigate the NVM write overhead. It does not introduce additional run-time overhead when compared to other state-of-the-art methods. We introduce the pseudo-function call-stack-based strategy to further mitigate non-termination issues during execution. Simultaneously, we also propose an adaptive call-stack-based optimization strategy, a technique aimed at optimizing checkpoints within loops to enhance overall performance. To further prevent the NVM contents from becoming cluttered and taking up unnecessary space, we introduce a method to clean up irrelevant data on the NVM that is not required for restoration. In conclusion, the evaluation results demonstrate an average reduction of 99.88% and 88.71% in NVM write overhead for Call-Stack-Based backup compared to the Always-Based and Step-Based, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of small and asymmetrical plasma area of the gliding arc (GA) in the chemical treatment process, a plasma actuator driven by alternating current (AC) with a frequency of 23.2kHz was designed to multichannel gliding arcs (MGAs) in a rotational air flow at atmospheric pressure. The spatiotemporally resolved discharge characteristics of the MGA, including long-length breakdown, long-term extinction and typical breakdown features, were investigated combining optical and electrical diagnostic methods simultaneously at a flow rate of 250 SLM (standard liter per minute). The response characteristics of MGA under different flow rates were analyzed. On average, the MGA exhibit 48.8% more discharge power compared to traditional single-channel GA under flow rates of 50–250 SLM, which is due to the GAs continual existence at long-length state, representing better stability of the MGA plasma actuators. It was observed that the frequency of typical breakdown and long-term extinction increased as the flow rate accelerated, and the maximum height the GA could reach decreased with the number of channels increasing from 1 to 5, which can be attributed to the power decline of separate channels of GAs at 50 SLM. It was also found that MGA showed a broader plasma distribution of low electron temperature than traditional single-channel GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Derivation of osteoblast-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is a popular topic in bone tissue engineering. Although many improvements have been achieved, the low induction efficiency because of spontaneous differentiation hampers their applications. To solve this problem, a detailed understanding of the osteogenic differentiation process of hPSCs is urgently needed. Methods: Monolayer cultured human embryonic stem cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells were differentiated in commonly applied serum-containing osteogenic medium for 35 days. In addition to traditional assays such as cell viability detection, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and alizarin red staining, we also applied studies of cell counting, cell telomerase activity, and flow cytometry as essential indicators to analyse the cell type changes in each week. Results: The population of differentiated cells was quite heterogeneous throughout the 35 days of induction. Then, cell telomerase activity and cell cycle analyses have value in evaluating the cell type and tumourigenicity of the obtained cells. Finally, a dynamic map was made to integrate the analysis of these results during osteogenic differentiation of hPSCs, and the cell types at defined stages were concluded. Conclusions: Our results lay the foundation to improve the in vitro osteogenic differentiation efficiency of hPSCs by supplementing with functional compounds at the desired stage, and then establishing a stepwise induction system in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to discuss association between serum Angiopoietin2 (Ang2) levels, Ang2 gene polymorphisms and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility. It was carried out by 235 SLE, 342 other inflammatory autoimmune diseases patients and 380 healthy individuals. Serum Ang2 levels was examinated by ELISA, and Ang2 rs12674822, rs1823375, rs1868554, rs2442598, rs3739390 and rs734701 polymorphisms were genotyped using KASP. Increased Ang2 concentrations in SLE patients were observed compared with healthy controls and patients with other inflammatory autoimmune diseases. For allelic contrast, except for rs1823375 (P = 0.058) and rs2442598 (P = 0.523), frequencies of alleles for other polymorphisms were significantly different between SLE patients and controls. Genotypes for rs12674822 (TT), rs1868554 (TT, TA and TT+TA), rs734701 (TT) were negatively correlated with SLE susceptibility (OR = 0.564 for rs12674822; OR = 0.572, OR = 0.625, OR = 0.607 for rs1868554; OR = 0.580 for rs734701). Patients carrying rs1868554 T allele and rs3739390 G allele were more likely to develop hematuria (P = 0.039; P = 0.003). The G allele frequencies of rs12674822 and rs2442598 were higher in SLE patients with proteinuria (P = 0.043; P = 0.043). GC genotype frequency of rs3739390 was higher in patients with ds-DNA (+) (P = 0.024). In summary, SLE had increased serum Ang2, which may be a potential biomarker, and the polymorphisms correlated with SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of porous ceramics prepared by poly-hollow microspheres (PHMs) is usually low because of the weak bonding between different ceramic PHMs. In this paper, CaSiO 3 were coated to the surface of Al 2 O 3 PHMs through co-precipitation method as sintering additive to improve the properties of Al 2 O 3 poly-hollow microsphere ceramics (Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics). The influence of different amount of CaCl 2 solution on properties of the Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics such as phase composition, microstructure, porosity and mechanical properties were studied. The porosity of the Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics decreased from 77.03% to 68.16% with the increase of CaCl 2 solution amount, while compressive strength increased 29 times from 0.29 MPa to 8.39 MPa. The addition of the CaSiO 3 could decrease the sintering temperature of Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics and significantly improve the mechanical properties of Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics, which is beneficial for preparing highly porous Al 2 O 3 PHM ceramics with high mechanical properties and complex shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gliding arc discharge with an averaged power of 200 W at atmospheric pressure was used to support the supersonic combustion of ethylene fuel with an inflow speed of Mach number 2.92. The instantaneous wall pressure of the combustion chamber and the high-speed CH* chemiluminescence imaging were simultaneously measured to show the characteristics of the gliding arc plasma assistance combustion. The results show that the gliding arc increases the average wall pressure. Specifically, as for the fuel injector near the front step of the cavity, the wall pressure downstream of the aft ramp wall increased at different global equivalence ratios, even increasing the wall pressure upstream of the fore wall of the cavity at an equivalence ratio of 0.1. For the injector away from the fore wall of the cavity, the presence of the gliding arc promotes the wall pressure downstream of the aft ramp wall. In the presence of the gliding arc, the emission intensity and the area of the flame in the cavity are weakened at a low global equivalence ratio (0.10–0.12), whereas the effect is not significant at a range of the total equivalence from 0.15 to 0.2. In the high equivalence ratios from 0.22 to 0.29, the gliding arc plasma plays a significant role in combustion enhancement owing to an increase in the emission intensity and the area of the cavity flame. • A gliding arc (GA) was used to assist combustion in an ethylene-fueled scramjet combustor. • The optical characteristics of the GA assisted combustion were found. • The characteristics of the wall pressure in scramjet combustor with the GA were found. • Comparing the difference of the GA assisted combustion between two injector locations. • The relation between equivalence ratios and the effects of GA was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In indoor localization, reliability and optimization analysis are the most vital factors to be considered. Numerous modern-day services require precise location information for their application. Location fingerprinting using WLAN is the most acknowledged technique for indoor localization purposes. Both accuracy and coverage can be enhanced by deploying the WLAN access points (APs) appropriately. In this article, an optimization problem is formulated for reliable localization systems. An AP deployment strategy ensuring coverage along with a selection strategy to choose an optimal configuration for reducing the localization error has been implemented. A hybrid technique is proposed to select the optimal APs configuration that merges the traditional fingerprint difference and geometric dilution of precision-based methods. A distinguishing feature of this work is the inclusion of two significant constraints, which are the consideration of walls and people attenuation factor in the optimization process. Simulations are conducted to test and verify the practicality of the proposed technique through a number of comparison test cases. The results demonstrate that our proposed technique outperforms the previously existing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nose is the most prominent part of the face and is a crucial factor for facial esthetics as well as facial reconstruction. Although some studies have explored the features of external nose and predicted the relationships between skeletal structures and soft tissues in the nasal region, the reliability and applicability of methods used in previous studies have not been reproduced. In addition, the majority of previous studies have focused on the sagittal direction, whereas the thickness of the soft tissues was rarely analyzed in three dimensions. A few studies have explained the specific characteristics of the nose of Chinese individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the hard nasal structures and soft external nose in three dimensions and to predict the morphology of the nose based on hard-tissue measurements. To eliminate the influence of low resolution of CBCT and increase the accuracy of measurement, three-dimensional (3D) images captured by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and 3dMD photogrammetry system were used in this study. Twenty-six measurements (15 measurements for hard tissue and 11 measurements for soft tissue) based on 5 craniometric and 5 capulometric landmarks of the nose of 120 males and 120 females were obtained. All of the subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group (180 subjects consisting of 90 males and 90 females) and a test group (60 subjects consisting of 30 males and 30 females). Correlation coefficients between hard- and soft-tissue measurements were analyzed, and regression equations were obtained based on the experimental group and served as predictors to estimate nasal morphology in the test group. Most hard- and soft-tissue measurements appeared significantly different between genders. The strongest correlation was found between basis nasi protrusion and nasospinale protrusion (0.499) in males, and nasal height and nTr-nsTr (0.593) in females. For the regression equations, the highest value of R2 was observed in the nasal bridge length in males (0.257) and nasal tip protrusion in females (0.389). The proportion of subjects with predicted errors < 10% was over 86.7% in males and 70.0% in females. Our study proved that a combined CBCT and 3dMD photogrammetry system is a reliable method for nasal morphology estimation. Further research should investigate other influencing factors such as age, skeletal types, facial proportions, or population variance in nasal morphology estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fish cannot use carbohydrate efficiently and instead utilize protein for energy supply, thus limiting dietary protein storage. Protein deposition is dependent on protein turnover balance, which correlates tightly with cellular energy homeostasis. Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) plays a crucial role in energy metabolism. However, the effect of remodeled energy homeostasis caused by inhibited mitochondrial FAO on protein deposition in fish has not been intensively studied.Objectives: This study aimed to identify the regulatory role of mitochondrial FAO in energy homeostasis maintenance and protein deposition by studying lipid, glucose, and protein metabolism in fish.Methods: Carnitine-depleted male Nile tilapia (initial weight: 4.29 ± 0.12 g; 3 mo old) were established by feeding them with mildronate diets (1000 mg/kg/d) for 6 wk. Zebrafish deficient in the carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b gene (cpt1b) were produced by using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology, and their males (154 ± 3.52 mg; 3 mo old) were used for experiments. Normal Nile tilapia and wildtype zebrafish were used as controls. We assessed nutrient metabolism and energy homeostasis-related biochemical and molecular parameters, and performed 14C-labeled nutrient tracking and transcriptomic analyses.Results: The mitochondrial FAO decreased by 33.1-88.9% (liver) and 55.6-68.8% (muscle) in carnitine-depleted Nile tilapia and cpt1b-deficient zebrafish compared with their controls (P < 0.05). Notably, glucose oxidation and muscle protein deposition increased by 20.5-24.4% and 6.40-8.54%, respectively, in the 2 fish models compared with their corresponding controls (P < 0.05). Accordingly, the adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase/protein kinase B-mechanistic target of rapamycin (AMPK/AKT-mTOR) signaling was significantly activated in the 2 fish models with inhibited mitochondrial FAO (P < 0.05).Conclusions: These data show that inhibited mitochondrial FAO in fish induces energy homeostasis remodeling and enhances glucose utilization and protein deposition. Therefore, fish with inhibited mitochondrial FAO could have high potential to utilize carbohydrate. Our results demonstrate a potentially new approach for increasing protein deposition through energy homeostasis regulation in cultured animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing the absolute configuration of flexible molecules is difficult, and specific optical rotation (SOR) might be an optional strategy. However, complex conformation distributions inevitably generate ambiguous results. Herein, the relationship between SORs and the absolute configuration of flexible molecules containing a 2‐methylbutyl residue was studied using quantum chemical calculations. The existence of a nitrogen atom might increase the uncertainty of the predicted SOR. Compared with the optical rotation calculation step, the geometry optimization step is more influential. Computational parameters including hybrid functionals, basis sets, and solvation models could exert a great effect on the Boltzmann distribution, leading to substantial variation in the SORs. To achieve unambiguous SOR prediction results for flexible molecules, the calculation needs to be performed using at least two combinations of different levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although expendable conductivity–temperature–depth (XCTD) profiler has been extensively studied, there are relatively few studies on the transmission performance of XCTD channel, which makes it unclear that the signal is affected by the channel in the long-distance transmission process. First, the structure of the XCTD is analyzed. Then, according to the working mode and channel structure characteristics of XCTD, the circuit model of the transmission channel is established. In order to better study the channel compensation method, a laboratory transmission system of XCTD is built. By analyzing the influence of channel impedance parameters on the transmission signal, the channel model of XCTD is optimized, and the compensation channel is determined to be series inductance. Finally, the bit error rate (BER) of unoptimized and optimized channels is compared based on ASK and differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) modulation. It is verified that the optimized channel model of XCTD has a certain significance in reducing the BER of the transmission signal. This article has important theoretical significance and practical application value for the research of transmission signal transmission performance of expendable profiler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Preoperative carbohydrate loading (CHO) could improve insulin sensitivity and promoted postoperative recovery under general anesthesia. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CHO on gynecological patients. Methods: A group of 58 female patients undergoing surgery were randomized to either fast overnight (the FAST group) or receive 800 ml of CHO the evening before and 400 ml 2 h before anesthesia (the CHO group).The perioperative well-being and the nutritional status, as determined by blood samples for three biochemical assays (the base status, the status after the operation, and the status on the first day after the operation), were recorded. The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) was used to measure perioperative insulin resistance. The primary endpoint was phantom limb syndrome (PLS) induced by combined spinal and epidural anesthesia (CSEA). Results: The CHO group had significantly lower levels of anxiety (p<0.01), hunger (p<0.01), and thirst (p<0.01); lower incidence of PLS (p<0.01) and abdominal distention (p<0.05); earlier occurrence of first flatus (p<0.01); and fewer hospitalization days (p<0.01) than patients from the FAST group. Biochemical analysis showed that the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p<0.01), C-reactive protein (p<0.01), cortisol (p<0.01), glucose (p<0.01), insulin (p<0.01), and HOMA-IR (p<0.01) were lower in the CHO patients. Lactate, pyruvate, and lactate/pyruvate ratios for the CHO patients were also lower than those for the FAST patients. Conclusions: CHO increased perioperative comfort in gynecological patients undergoing CSEA. It also attenuated insulin resistance after the operation and reduced the number of postoperative stress reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure-specific endonucleases (SSEs) play key roles in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. SSEs must be tightly regulated to ensure genome stability but their regulatory mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the activities of two SSEs, Dna2 and Rad16 (ortholog of human XPF), are temporally controlled during the cell cycle by the CRL4Cdt2 ubiquitin ligase. CRL4Cdt2 targets Pxd1, an inhibitor of Dna2 and an activator of Rad16, for degradation in S phase. The ubiquitination and degradation of Pxd1 is dependent on CRL4Cdt2, PCNA, and a PCNA-binding degron motif on Pxd1. CRL4Cdt2-mediated Pxd1 degradation prevents Pxd1 from interfering with the normal S-phase functions of Dna2. Moreover, Pxd1 degradation leads to a reduction of Rad16 nuclease activity in S phase, and restrains Rad16-mediated single-strand annealing, a hazardous pathway of repairing double-strand breaks. These results demonstrate a new role of the CRL4Cdt2 ubiquitin ligase in genome stability maintenance and shed new light on how SSE activities are regulated during the cell cycle. Author summary: Structure-specific endonucleases are enzymes that process DNA intermediates generated in DNA replication, recombination, and repair. Proper regulation of these enzymes is critical for maintaining genome stability. Dna2 and XPF are two such enzymes present across eukaryotes, from yeasts to humans. Here, we show that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the activities of Dna2 and Rad16 (the equivalent of human XPF) are temporally controlled during the cell cycle by the CRL4Cdt2 ubiquitin E3 ligase. In the S phase of the cell cycle, CRL4Cdt2 promotes the degradation of Pxd1, which is an inhibitor of Dna2 and an activator of Rad16. Through targeting Pxd1 for degradation, CRL4Cdt2 increases the activity of Dna2 in S phase and is important for the normal S-phase function of Dna2. Meanwhile, the degradation of Pxd1 reduces the activity of Rad16 in S phase, and curtails Rad16-dependent single-strand annealing, a mutagenic DNA repair pathway. Our findings uncover a new mechanism regulating two important endonucleases during the cell cycle, and reveal a new way of coordinating endonucleases to safeguard genome stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several Cryptosporidium species that infect reptiles, especially squamates, are well described, but there is limited data about Cryptosporidium species infecting crocodilians. In this study, we assess the occurrence of intestinal parasites using traditional microscopic examination and describe the prevalence and Cryptosporidium species in the captive-bred Chinese alligators (Alligator sinensis) in eastern China using molecular methods. The results of microscopic examination showed that no intestinal parasites were detected among the 491 fecal samples examined from the Chinese alligators. The overall prevalence for Cryptosporidium was 0.41% (2/491) by PCR detection using the SSU rRNA locus. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the SSU rRNA, COWP, and actin genes revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium testudinis, which has been isolated primarily from chelonians. This is the first detection of the specific DNA of C. testudinis in the feces of the Chinese alligator. This study expands our knowledge of the Cryptosporidium species involved in crocodiles, and more extensive studies are necessary to confirm the validity of C. testudinis in crocodiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Dehydropeptidase‐1 (DPEP1) is a zinc‐dependent metalloproteinase abnormally expressed in many cancers. However, its potential role in adults with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is unknown. We found that in adults with common B cell ALL high DPEP1, transcript levels at diagnosis were independently associated with an increased cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) and worse relapse‐free survival (RFS) compared with subjects with low transcript levels. We show an increased proliferation and prosurvival role of DPEP1 in B cell ALL cells via regulation of phosphCREB and p53, which may be the biological basis of the clinical correlation we report. Our data implicate DPEP1 expression in the biology of common B cell ALL in adults. We report clinical correlates and provide a potential biological basis for these correlations. If confirmed, analysing DPEP1 transcript levels at diagnosis could help predict therapy outcomes. Moreover, regulation of DPEP1 expression could be a therapy target in B cell ALL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrandrine (TET) is an alkaloid extracted from a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. It exerts remarkable anticancer activity and induces apoptotic cell death in various human cancer cells. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of TET on the inhibition of tumor growth and the induction of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer in xenograft mice. Tumor weight and volume were measured. The histopathological changes in the tumor tissue were observed. Immunohistochemistry analysis of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) was carried out. The expression of apoptosis-associated genes and proteins, such as cysteine aspartic acid-specific protease-3 (Caspase-3), Survivin, Bax, Bcl-2, BH3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid), and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. TET inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis in TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231. The mechanism underlying this effect might be mediated by TET-upregulated Caspase-3, Bax, and Bid and downregulated by Bcl-2, Survivin, and PARP. Taken together, this study supported the fact that TET is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of TNBC, thereby providing experimental evidence for its use in the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting full frequency reuse in high throughput satellite (HTS) systems is expected to cope with huge communication demands and large user populations. Moreover, a kind of multicast transmission, which embeds the data of several users in each frame, can be employed to increase the efficiency of HTS systems. Multicast precoding is usually utilized in such systems to mitigate the co-frequency interference between beams and improve the efficiency of transmission. In this context, considering that the number of users may exceed the number of available communication resources in the system, we investigate user scheduling for the multicast transmission in HTS systems with full frequency reuse and multicast precoding. We perform user scheduling according to the user channel state information and decouple the scheduling problem into two phases: intra-beam and inter-beam scheduling. Intra-beam scheduling determines the users involved in the transmission of each frame with the purpose of reducing the influence of the multicast fashion. For intra-beam scheduling, we put forth a fixed-size user grouping algorithm. In contrast to previous studies, this algorithm takes the interference among beams into consideration during the scheduling. In inter-beam scheduling, user groups belonging to different beams are scheduled to improve the performance of the multiplexed transmission. An inter-beam scheduling algorithm is proposed to improve the fairness among users. The simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed algorithms in terms of fairness and spectral efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of defects during selective laser melting plays a key role in forming dense ceramic parts with complex shapes. In this study, selective laser melting of alumina with pressure assistance was performed on powder bed, and the defects during selective laser melting, including balling and cracks, were investigated. It was found that, unlike the competition mechanism between spreading and solidification in the metal system, the balling phenomenon of alumina was dominated by the spreading process. According to the calculation, the spreading time of alumina melt was less than 1/5 of the solidification time. Even the alumina powder was fully melted without splashing, the balling phenomenon could still occur. Although lower scanning speed could increase laser dwell time and improve the stability of the molten pool, the efficiency and surface roughness were sacrificed. Severe balling occurred in this condition. When pressure treatment was applied, the balling phenomenon was greatly alleviated. However, surface cracks were observed. There are mainly two reasons for the formation of surface cracks: the shrinkage of the melt and the shear stress in the edge between partially melted zone and fully melted zone. To alleviate the surface cracks, the distribution of the density of powder bed, the laser parameters, and the particle size should be well controlled. This paper provided an experimental reference for the manipulation of balling phenomenon and surface cracks of alumina melt in the SLM process performed on powder bed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Qi She Pill (QSP) is a traditional prescription for the treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) that is widely used in China. However, no network pharmacology studies of QSP in the treatment of NP have been conducted to date. Objective. To verify the potential pharmacological effects of QSP on NP, its components were analyzed via target docking and network analysis, and network pharmacology methods were used to study the interactions of its components. Materials and Methods. Information on pharmaceutically active compounds in QSP and gene information related to NP were obtained from public databases, and a compound-target network and protein-protein interaction network were constructed to study the mechanism of action of QSP in the treatment of NP. The mechanism of action of QSP in the treatment of NP was analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO) biological process annotation and Kyoto Gene and Genomics Encyclopedia (KEGG) pathway enrichment, and the drug-like component-target-pathway network was constructed. Results. The compound-target network contained 60 compounds and 444 corresponding targets. The key active compounds included quercetin and beta-sitosterol. Key targets included PTGS2 and PTGS1. The protein-protein interaction network of the active ingredients of QSP in the treatment of NP featured 48 proteins, including DRD2, CHRM, β2-adrenergic receptor, HTR2A, and calcitonin gene-related peptide. In total, 53 GO entries, including 35 biological process items, 7 molecular function items, and 11 cell related items, were identified. In addition, eight relevant (KEGG) pathways were identified, including calcium, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and cAMP signaling pathways. Conclusion. Network pharmacology can help clarify the role and mechanism of QSP in the treatment of NP and provide a foundation for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe sintering conditions always cause defects that increase the dielectric loss of microwave ceramics. Direct coagulation casting (DCC) of submicron powder suspension, was applied to accelerate densification and enhance dielectric properties of 0.7CaTiO 3 -0.3NdAlO 3 (CTNA) ceramics. The rapid in-situ coagulation of suspension was achieved by tailoring the pH value to the isoelectric point to weaken the repulsion of electric double layer and steric hindrance effect. Compared with the dry-pressed samples, the DCC-fabricated samples are more compacted, which provides a high initial densification value and a shortened diffusion path, and consequently promotes the material transportation and composition homogenization that inhibits the segregation of CaAl 12 O 19. Additionally, the submicron powders accelerate the phase transition and domains growth, leading to a significant reduction of lattice defects in microstructure. Therefore, Q⋅f value of CTNA ceramics reaches more than 40,000 GHz, which is improved by 15 % compared with that of dry-pressed samples sintered under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To escape replicative senescence, cancer cells have to overcome telomere attrition during DNA replication. Most of cancers rely on telomerase to extend and maintain telomeres, but 4–11% of cancers use a homologous recombination-based pathway called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). ALT is prevalent in cancers from the mesenchymal origin and usually associates with poor clinical outcome. Given its critical role in protecting telomeres and genomic integrity in tumor cells, ALT is an Achilles heel of tumors and an attractive target for cancer therapy. Here, we review the recent progress in the mechanistic studies of ALT, and discuss the emerging therapeutic strategies to target ALT-positive cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trichomonad species Tetratrichomonas buttreyi and Pentatrichomonas hominis have been reported in the bovine digestive tract in only a few studies, and the prevalence and pathogenicity of these two protists in cattle herds remain unknown. In this study, the prevalence of T. buttreyi and P. hominis in yellow cattle, dairy cattle, and water buffalo in Anhui Province, China, was determined with a PCR analysis of the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes. The overall infection rates for T. buttreyi and P. hominis were 8.1% and 5.4%, respectively. Double infections were found in 15 (1.6%) samples from four farms. The prevalence of P. hominis in cattle with abnormal feces was significantly higher than that in cattle with normal feces (χ2 = 13.0, p < 0.01), and the prevalence of T. buttreyi in the northern region of Anhui Province was also significantly higher than that in the mid region (χ2 = 16.6, p < 0.01). Minor allelic variations were detected in the T. buttreyi isolates from cattle in this study, as in other hosts in previous studies. Morphological observations, together with the PCR analysis, demonstrated that the trichomonads isolated in this study were P. hominis. The presence of T. buttreyi and P. hominis indicated that cattle are natural hosts of these two trichomonads and could be a potential source of P. hominis infections in humans and other animal hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel pH‐sensitive fluorescent probe T2(OH)B was selected to theoretically investigate its excited state hydrogen bonding effects and excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. First, it was verified that one intramolecular hydrogen bond is formed spontaneously in T2(OH)B itself. Given the geometrical changes, we further confirm that the hydrogen bond should be strengthened in the first excited state. When it comes to the photoexcitation process, we present the charge redistribution around hydrogen bonding moieties facilitate the ESIPT tendency. The increased electronic densities around acceptor promote the attraction of hydrogen protons. The potential energy barrier in the constructed potential energy curves reveals that the ESIPT process of the T2(OH)B system should be ultrafast. And comparing several nonpolar solvents, we deem solvent polarity plays little role in the ESIPT reaction. Furthermore, we also search the S1‐state transition state structure along with the ESIPT path, based on which we simulate the intrinsic reaction coordinate path. We not only confirm the ESIPT mechanism presented in this work but also clarify the ultrafast excited state process and explain previous experiment. We sincerely hope that our theoretical work could guide novel applications based on the T2(OH)B system in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 70% of Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in Singapore occur in residential areas, and are associated with poorer outcomes. We hypothesized that an interventional bundle consisting of Save-A-life (SAL) initiative (cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)/automated external defibrillator (AED) training and public-housing AED installation), dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) program and myResponder (mobile application) will improve OHCA survival.Methods: This is pilot data from initial implementation of a stepped-wedge, before-after, real-world interventional bundle in six selected regions. Under the SAL initiative, 30,000 individuals were CPR/AED trained, with 360 AEDs installed. Data was obtained from Singapore's national OHCA Registry. We included all adult patients who experienced OHCA in Singapore from 2011 to 2016 within study regions, excluding EMS-witnessed cases and cases due to trauma/drowning/ electrocution. Cases occurring before and after intervention were allocated as control and intervention groups respectively. Survival was assessed via multivariable logistic regression.Results: 1241 patients were included for analysis (Intervention: 361; Control: 880). The intervention group had higher mean age (70 vs 67 years), survival (3.3% [12/361] vs. 2.2% [19/880]), pre-hospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) (9.1% [33/361] vs 5.1% [45/880]), bystander CPR (63.7% [230/361] vs 44.8% [394/880]) and bystander AED application (2.8% [10/361] vs 1.1% [10/880]). After adjusting for age, gender, race and significant covariates, the intervention was associated with increased odds ratio (OR) for survival (OR 2.39 [1.02-5.62]), pre-hospital ROSC (OR 1.94 [1.15-3.25]) and bystander CPR (OR 2.29 [1.77-2.96]).Conclusion: The OHCA interventional bundle (SAL initiative, DA-CPR, myResponder) significantly improved survival and is being scaled up as a national program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the inherent broadcasting nature and broad coverage of satellite, satellite communications are well known to be vulnerable to security threats. Since the distance difference from satellite to terrestrial terminals is negligible, the channels of different users are similar, posing a challenge of achieving secure satellite downlink transmission in the presence of eavesdroppers (Eves). In this paper, we consider satellite communications in areas without terrestrial networks converge, and investigate the physical layer security in the satellite downlink. To achieve a positive secrecy rate, a frequency domain non-orthogonal multiple access (FD-NOMA) scheme and an according multiuser cooperative scheme are proposed. Particularly, by adopting the FD-NOMA, the spectrum efficiency can be improved at the cost of raising inter-user interference (IUI), and the inherent IUI is elegantly leveraged to suppress the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of Eves while the intended SINR of legitimate users can be enhanced by the cooperative scheme. The secrecy rate of satellite communications with FD-NOMA is analyzed, and a tight lower bound is derived, which is validated via numerical results. In addition, the secrecy rate is found to be affected by the level of spectral overlapping, and there exists an optimal spectral overlapping factor (SOF) which can maximize the secrecy rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For high-volume manufacturing of 2-D transistors, area-selective chemical reaction deposition (CVD) growth is able to provide good-quality 2-D layers and may be more effective than exfoliation from bulk crystals or wet/dry transfer of large-area as-grown 2-D layers. We have successfully grown continuous and uniform WS2 film comprising around seven layers by area-selective CVD approach using patterned tungsten source/drain metals as the seeds. The growth mechanism is inferred and supported by the transmission electron microscope (TEM) images, as well. The first top-gate MOSFETs of CVD-WS2 channels on SiOx/Si substrates are demonstrated to have good short channel electrical characteristics: ON-/OFF-ratio of 106, a subthreshold swing of 97 mV/decade, and nearly zero drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problem of scarce spectrum resources of Internet of things (IoT), cognitive IoT (CIoT) based on cognitive radio (CR) has been put forwarded to improve the spectrum utilization of IoT through using the idle spectrum of primary user (PU). In this paper, a cluster-based energy-efficient CIoT is proposed to improve both spectrum efficiency and energy efficiency of IoT, which can harvest the radio frequency (RF) energy of the PU to supply energy consumption of spectrum sensing. In the proposed CioT, the frame is divided into sensing slot and transmission slot, and each cluster can perform either cooperative spectrum sensing or energy harvesting within sensing slot. A joint optimization problem of time and node is presented to maximize the spectrum access probability of the CIoT. A joint optimization algorithm is proposed to obtain the solution to the optimization problem. Then a clustering algorithm is proposed to allocate nodes and head to each cluster. Sensing and harvesting handoff of each cluster is analyzed and the minimal number of working nodes in a cluster is achieved to continue spectrum sensing. The simulations show that there is an optimal set of sensing time and number of sensing clusters to maximize the spectrum access probability, and there are tradeoffs between spectrum sensing, spectrum access and energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are expected to serve as a blood-based biomarker in the diagnosis of cancers at an early stage, providing an opportunity to increase the survival of cancer patients. Current techniques for CTC detection were designed for some particular types of cancer with confirmed primary tumor origin. In this work, a platform for the detection of two cancer types and the identification of the primary tumor origin of CTCs was established to meet the requirement of cancer diagnosis and clinical application. A combined strategy based on in vivo capture method using antibody cocktail and multicolor fluorescence imaging using aptamer was designed to achieve the high-efficiency capture of CTCs and the accurate location of the primary tumor. An antibody cocktail of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was applied to capture breast cancer CTCs and hepatocellular CTCs in vivo. The capture efficiency of hepatocellular CTCs was significantly increased from 3.17% to 26.67% and the capture efficiency of breast cancer CTCs slightly increased from 27.00% to 29.84% compared with EpCAM-based capture of CTCs. Meanwhile, the primary tumor origins of breast cancer CTCs and hepatocellular CTCs were simultaneously distinguished by specific aptamer-based fluorescence probes without any signal crosstalk. The results of in vivo experiments using the dual tumor-bearing mouse model confirmed the feasibility of this method to capture CTCs and identify primary tumor origins. This simple and efficient approach has potential for future applications in cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Image 1 • A platform for primary tumor origin identification of CTCs was established. • Antibody cocktail-based capture can unbiased enrich heterogeneous CTCs efficiently. • Aptamer-based fluorescence imaging realize accurate location of primary tumors. • Simultaneously capture and distinguish CTCs from different tumor origins in mouse model. • A platform for monitoring the metastasis process of breast cancer and hepatocellular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-toxic and low-cost gelcasting system was successfully developed using agar as gelling agent to fabricate silicon nitride ceramic green bodies without cooling crosslink process, and silicon nitride ceramic was obtained by pressureless sintering. The effects of agar contents on rheological behavior of silicon nitride suspension, microstructure and mechanical properties of silicon nitride ceramics were investigated. The silicon nitride ceramic suspension with 45 vol% solid loading using 1.2 wt% ammonium polyacrylate (PAA-NH 4) as dispersant was successfully prepared for gelcasting. After removing binder at 800 °C for 2 h and pressureless sintering at 1800 °C for 2 h, the silicon nitride ceramics exhibited homogeneous and interlocking microstructure composed of elongated β-Si 3 N 4 phase, which contributes to its mechanical properties. With the increase of agar powder content from 0.25 wt% to 1.5 wt%, the shrinkage and flexural strength of the silicon nitride ceramics increased firstly and then decreased. When the agar powder content was 0.5 wt%, the silicon nitride ceramics had the optimized flexural strength (218 ± 25 MPa) with relative density of 92.85 ± 2.19% and the shrinkage of 16.03 ± 0.15%. Using agar as gelling agent to prepare silicon nitride ceramics by gelcasting is believed to be a novel and low-cost method, which could be used to prepare other high performance ceramics in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the spectrum scarcity in the space information networks, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is envisioned as a promising technique in satellite-terrestrial communications networks as its improved system capacity and spectral efficiency. In this paper, to further improve the spectrum utilization efficiency in satellite-terrestrial networks, bandwidth compression (BC) design is embedded in the NOMA scheme, which contributes to the non-orthogonality both in power and frequency domains, named BC-NOMA. However, with such advantages provided by BC-NOMA, the inter-carrier interference (ICI) and the intra-group interference (IGI) are severe, which degrade the reliability and the capacity. Therefore, the impacts of BC and power domain multiplexing on the system capacity are first investigated. To cancel the mixed internal interference, an iterative and successive interference cancellation (ISIC) approach is proposed. Secondly, the symmetrical coding (SC) is designed with BC-NOMA to avoid the error propagation when using ISIC, which benefits much for the low power user (LUE). Furthermore, the closed-form expression of error probability for SCNOMA is derived and the system and individual capacities are also analyzed. Results show that the BC-NOMA system can achieve a quasi-optimal performance compared with the orthogonal subcarrier NOMA (ONOMA) system and balance the fairness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral oedema is a major pathological change of acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, the pathogenesis of which is still unclear. In the aquaporin (AQP) water channel family, AQP1 and AQP4 play critical roles in the progress of cerebral oedema of various neuropathological events. However, their functions in CO poisoning have not been demonstrated. In this study, we investigated the expressions of AQPs and associated mechanisms of brain injury in an acute CO poisoning rat model. Compared with the control injected intraperitoneally with equal volume of air, the dry weight/wet weight (DW/WW) ratio of brain water content, levels of AQP1, AQP4, phosph‐p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p‐p38 MAPK) and astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the frontal cortex and hippocampal CA1 of acute CO poisoning group significantly increased at 6, 12, 24 hours after CO injection. Intracerebroventricular injection with a p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580 (200 µmol/L/kg/d), before CO injection reduced water content in the brain tissues and significantly decreased levels of AQP1, AQP4, p‐p38 MAPK and GFAP. Therefore, our study showed that the overexpressions of AQP1 and AQP4 were involved in the development of CO poisoning‐induced cerebral oedema, which could be attenuated by inhibition of p‐p38 MAPK signalling. Manipulation of AQPs and p38 MAPK may be a new therapeutic strategy for acute CO poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mentoring's success has been attributed to individualised matching, holistic mentoring relationships (MRs) and personalised mentoring environments (MEs). Whilst there is growing data on matching and MRs, a dearth of ME data has hindered development of mentoring programme. Inspired by studies likening MEs to learning environments (LEs) and data highlighting common characteristics between the two, this systematic review scrutinises reports on LEs to extrapolate the findings to the ME context to provide a better understanding of ME and their role in the mentoring process.Methods: Using identical search strategies, 6 reviewers carried out independent literature reviews of LEs in clinical medicine published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015 using PubMed, ERIC, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar and Scopus databases. Braun and Clarke's (2006) approach to thematic analysis was adopted to circumnavigate LE's evolving, context-specific, goal-sensitive, learner-tutor relationally dependent nature.Results: A total of 4574 abstracts were identified, 90 articles were reviewed, and 58 full-text articles were thematically analysed. The two themes identified were LE structure and LE culture. LE structure regards the framework that guides interactions within the LE. LE culture concerns the values and practices influencing learner-tutor-host organisation interactions.Discussion: LE is the product of culture and structure that influence and are influenced by the tutor-learner-host organisation relationship. LE structure guides the evolving tutor-learner-host organisation relationship whilst the LE culture nurtures it and oversees the LE structure. Similarities between LEs and MEs allow LE data to inform programme designers of ME's role in mentoring's success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the importance of excited state dynamical relaxation, the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanism for a novel compound containing dual hydrogen bond (abbreviated as "1-enol") is studied in this work. Using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method, the experimental electronic spectra can be reproduced for 1-enol compound. We first verify the formation of dual intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and then confirm that the dual hydrogen bond should be strengthened in the first excited state. The photo-excitation process is analyzed by using frontier molecular orbital (HOMO and LUMO) for 1-enol compound. The obvious intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) provides the driving force to effectively facilitate the ESIPT process in the S1 state. Exploration of the constructed S0-state and S1-state potential energy surface (PES) reveals that only the excited state intramolecular single proton transfer occurs for 1-enol system, which makes up for the deficiencies in previous experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanorods have been synthesized by a membrane-solvothermal method and a series of CoFe2O4/rGO nanocomposites with different reduced graphene oxide (rGO) weight ratios of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% have been synthesized via ultrasonic treatment, named as CoFe2O4/rGO-1, CoFe2O4/rGO-2, CoFe2O4/rGO-3, CoFe2O4/rGO-4, CoFe2O4/rGO-5 and CoFe2O4/rGO-6, respectively. The photocatalytic activity was studied by photodegradation of malachite green (MG), and the wave absorbing performance was studied by network vector analyzer. CoFe2O4 had the function of magnetic separation, which had largely reduced the separation difficulty of photocatalyst and dye wastewater. Among all the graphenebased composites, CoFe2O4/rGO-5 has the most excellent photocatalytic performance which could eliminate about 93.48% of MG in 90 min. Even after five cycles, the photocatalytic degradation rate of MG was still above 88%, suggesting that CoFe2O4/rGO-5 is a promising photocatalyst for recyclable utilization. The wave absorption test results showed that the electromagnetic wave reflection loss of CoFe2O4/rGO nanocomposites was lower than that of pure CoFe2O4, which showed that the addition of graphene could effectively enhance the absorbing properties of materials. When the thickness of the absorbing layer was 2.5 mm, the reflection loss of the CoFe2O4/rGO-4 nanocomposite reached the maximum value of 17 GHz at -11.1 dB and the bandwidth of less than -10 dB was 2.3 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new phenylspirodrimanes derivatives named stachybotrysins H and I (1 and 2) and stachybotrin E (3), together with one known compound stachybotrylactam (4), were isolated from Stachybotrys chartarum CGMCC 3.5365. Their structures were determined by extensive NMR data and mass spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 showed inhibitory effect towards potassium channel Kv1.3 with IC50 values of 13.4 and 10.9 μM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to discuss the relationship between interferon regulatory factor (IRF)5 gene rs2004640 T/G polymorphism and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) susceptibility. Methods: A meta‐analysis was calculated on the association between rs2004640 polymorphism and SLE by allelic contrast (T vs G), additive model (TT vs GG), recessive model (TT vs TG + GG) and dominant model (TT + TG vs GG). Results: A total of 28 comparisons were identified, including 11 228 SLE cases and 14 374 controls. Meta‐analysis revealed a significant association between allele T and SLE in overall populations (odds ratio [OR] = 1.393, 95% CI: 1.276‐1.522, P < 0.001). Stratification by ethnicity indicated strong associations between T allele and SLE in Asians, Europeans and Latin Americans (OR = 1.256, 95% CI: 1.073‐1.469, P = 0.004; OR = 1.338, 95% CI: 1.080‐1.659, P = 0.008; OR = 1.853, 95% CI: 1.488‐2.308, P < 0.001). Results also showed significant associations between the additive model and SLE in all subjects and Asians (OR = 1.999, 95% CI: 1.442‐2.771, P < 0.001; OR = 1.544, 95% CI: 1.009‐2.362, P < 0.045). In addition, we found significant associations between the dominant model and SLE in all populations and Asians (OR = 1.521, 95% CI: 1.257‐1.841, P < 0.001; OR = 1.270, 95% CI: 1.136‐1.421, P < 0.001). A marginal association was detected between the recessive mode and SLE in overall subjects (OR = 1.480, 95% CI: 1.022‐2.144, P = 0.038). Conclusion: The current study suggested that individuals carrying rs2004640 T allele correlated with a high risk of SLE, and the IRF5 rs2004640 polymorphism was associated with SLE susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigate converging performance of existing phase retrieval algorithms. • Propose hybrid algorithm, faster to yield better results than existing algorithms. • Specifically, 40% faster to yield results with an averaged MSE 19.8% lower. • Address the problem of choosing between speed and quality in phase retrieval. Phase retrieval plays an important role in Fourier spectrum based image recovery techniques. Despite the fact that many algorithms have been proposed to improve the performance of the phase optimization, it is an inherent contradiction that in order to increase the possibility of reaching the global minimum by introducing more randomness during the searching, the optimization speed is jeopardized. In this work, we investigate the different performance properties of existing phase retrieval algorithms, and propose a Hybrid algorithm, which adaptively utilize geometric average or stochastic perturbation, to achieve fast phase retrieval with a high possibility of reaching the global minimum of the optimization. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed Hybrid algorithm yields results with averaged MSE 19.8% smaller than that of the existing GHIO, and reaches low MESs 40% faster than the existing PSHIO does. With its feasibility demonstrated, the Hybrid algorithm can be used in Fourier spectrum based image recovery techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenic bacteria such as Shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella can cause severe food-borne diseases. Rapid and sensitive detection of these foodborne pathogens is essential to ensure food safety. In this study, a novel method based on cell elongation induced by beta-lactam antibiotics for direct microscopic counting of Gram-negative bacteria was established. Combined with the sample preparation steps of membrane filtration and magnetic separation, the detection of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium was achieved by direct optical microscopic counting of the number of elongated bacteria. The limit of detection of E. coli O157:H7 and S. typhimurium could reach 20 CFU mL−1. The recovery tests for E. coli O157:H7 and S. typhimurium in water and milk samples showed acceptable recovery values between 93.6% and 106.2%. This method is sensitive, cost effective, and rapid (＜2 h) and shows great potential for the detection of Gram-negative pathogens in various environmental and food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a study that discussed the diabetes medication therapy management. It mentions about Diabetes mellitus as an important public health problem, and one of four priority non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and also focuses on cost-effective interventions such as blood glucose control through a combination of diet, physical activity, weight management and medicines.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) and beige fat have been documented to rapidly consume fatty acids (FAs) rather than deposit of lipid, and they have high capacity to dissipate energy via nonshivering thermogenesis, making BAT and beige fat potential organs to fight obesity and related chronic diseases. As the main substrate for thermogenesis and the basic constituent unit of triacylglycerol, FAs could modify BAT and remodel white adipose tissue (WAT) to beige fat. However, there are few comprehensive review covering the link between dietary FAs and thermogenic adipocyte..In this review, we described the metabolism of thermogenic adipose upon activation and comprehensively summarized publications on the dietary FAs that activate or deactivate BAT and beige fat. Specifically, eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid (EPA/DHA), α-linolenic acid (α-ALA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), oleic acid (OA), long-chain saturated fatty acid (LC-SFA) and medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA). in addition, the influences on BAT function, WAT remodeling, and lipid metabolism, as well as delineated the possible mechanisms are also reviewed. Characterizing thermogenic or obesogenic dietary FAs may offer novel insight into dietary oil and nutritional treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A thin-film lithium niobate TM-pass waveguide polarizer is proposed. • Subwavelength grating metamaterial for polarization generation. • Simulation shows that the device can operate with a bandwidth ∼415 nm. • The device shows reasonable extinction ratio and insertion loss. An ultra-broadband TM-pass waveguide polarizer based on thin-film LiNbO 3 -on-insulator waveguide and subwavelength grating (SWG) metamaterials is proposed and modeled. The device consists of an SWG in the central part and two coupling regions in the input and output sides. The SWG, formed by a series of bending nano-stripes, functions as a filter of polarization, and the two coupling regions serve to degrade mode mismatch loss. By tailoring the duty cycle of the SWG metamaterial, the SWG structure supports only the TM guided mode, while the TE guided mode is cutoff and thus filtered out. Simulation shows that, with a SWG meta-material formed by a series of 90°-bending nano-stripes, the polarizer can achieve an ultra-large bandwidth of ∼415 nm (1.26–1.675 μm) with an insertion loss < 1.1 dB and an extinction ratio > 29.4 dB. Moreover, the proposed polarizer tolerates a 5 nm deviation in both width and thickness of the nano-stripes. Such an ultra-broadband device may find its use in high-capacity optical communication systems, and is proposed firstly on the basis of the lithium-niobate-on-insulator platform, to the best of our knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depolymerization of lignin into dicarboxylic acids (DCA) by the Fenton oxidation process is a promising approach to valorising lignin. However, Fenton oxidation is challenging due to the demand for acidic reaction conditions and homogeneous Fe2+ catalysts, which cannot be recovered. Herein, we fabricated a biochar-based solid-acid catalyst (SBC) from the pyrolysis of rice straw biomass followed by H 2 SO 4 treatment. This novel catalyst achieved an enhanced catalytic performance in the activation of H 2 O 2 under circumneutral pH, visible-light irradiation and Fe-free conditions. Under optimum conditions, a cumulative yield of 40.1 μ mol. g c a t − 1 . h − 1 of malonic, maleic, fumaric, succinic and gallic acid was obtained using 40 mM H 2 O 2 , 1 g/L catalyst loading and 4 h reaction time, which is comparable to yields reported in the literature under elevated temperatures and pressures. The activity of SBC stems from the synergy of oxygenated surface functional groups and persistent free radicals (PFRs), which can chemisorb and subsequently activate H 2 O 2 and dissolved O 2 to yield •OH and 1O 2. Addition of NaN 3 scavenger for 1O 2 enhanced the cumulative DCA yields to 282.4 μ mol. g c a t − 1 .h−1, suggesting that 1O 2 is the main reactive oxygen species in the reaction. Finally, the SBC catalysts remained stable at the said reaction conditions and could be recycled without significant deactivation. After five cycles, the lignin conversion and cumulative DCA yields decreased by 19.7% and 23% respectively. These results show that Fe-free, visible-light Fenton-like catalytic oxidation of lignin with acid-modified biochars is a promising way to produce high-value platform chemicals. [Display omitted] • Catalytic metal-free Fenton-like oxidation of alkali lignin was studied. • Carbonaceous solid acid catalysts were produced from pyrolysis of rice straw biomass. • Persistent free radicals on biochars could act as electron donors to activate H 2 O 2 into.•OH and •O 2 −. • Acetonitrile-water mixture was the best solvent for the reaction. • Malonic, malic and succinic acid were the major dicarboxylic acid products from the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transaminase (TA) is a crucial biocatalyst for enantioselective production of the herbicide L-phosphinothricin (L-PPT). The use of enzymatic cascades has been shown to effectively overcome the unfavorable thermodynamic equilibrium of TA-catalyzed transamination reaction, also increasing demand for TA stability. In this work, a novel thermostable transaminase (PtTA) from Pseudomonas thermotolerans was mined and characterized. The PtTA showed a high specific activity (28.63 U/mg) towards 2‐oxo‐4‐[(hydroxy)(methyl)phosphinoyl]butyric acid (PPO), with excellent thermostability and substrate tolerance. Two cascade systems driven by PtTA were developed for L-PPT biosynthesis, including asymmetric synthesis of L-PPT from PPO and deracemization of D, L-PPT. For the asymmetric synthesis of L-PPT from PPO, a three-enzyme cascade was constructed as a recombinant Escherichia coli (E. coli G), by co-expressing PtTA, glutamate dehydrogenase (GluDH) and D-glucose dehydrogenase (GDH). Complete conversion of 400 mM PPO was achieved using only 40 mM amino donor L-glutamate. Furthermore, by coupling D-amino acid aminotransferase (Ym DAAT) from Bacillus sp. YM‐1 and PtTA, a two-transaminase cascade was developed for the one-pot deracemization of D, L-PPT. Under the highest reported substrate concentration (800 mM D, L-PPT), a 90.43% L-PPT yield was realized. The superior catalytic performance of the PtTA-driven cascade demonstrated that the thermodynamic limitation was overcome, highlighting its application prospect for L-PPT biosynthesis. Key points: • A novel thermostable transaminase was mined for L-phosphinothricin biosynthesis. • The asymmetric synthesis of L-phosphinothricin was achieved via a three-enzyme cascade. • Development of a two-transaminase cascade for D, L-phosphinothricin deracemization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The phosphorylation of 4.1N is regulated by activated CaMKII during TBS-LTP. • The binding of GluA1 and 4.1N is critical to TBS-LTP. • The formation of p-CaMKII-4.1N-GluA1 results in GluA1 trafficking to the postsynaptic membrane of neurons during TBS-LTP. GluA1-containing α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors (AMPARs) inserted into postsynaptic membranes are key to the process of long-term potentiation (LTP). Some evidence has shown that 4.1N plays a critical role in the membrane trafficking of AMPARs. However, the underlying mechanism behind this is still unclear. We investigated the role of 4.1N-mediated membrane trafficking of AMPARs during theta-burst stimulation long-term potentiation (TBS-LTP), to illustrate the molecular mechanism behind LTP. LTP was induced by TBS in rat hippocampal CA1 neuron. Tat-GluA1 (MPR), which disrupts the association of 4.1N-GluA1, and autocamtide-2-inhibitory peptide, myristoylated (Myr-AIP), a CaMKII antagonist, were used to explore the role of 4.1N in the AMPARs trafficking during TBS-induced LTP. Immunoprecipitation (IP) and immunoblotting (IB)were used to detect protein expression, phosphorylation, and the interaction of p-CaMKII-4.1N-GluA1. We found that Myr-AIP attenuated increases of p-CaMKII (T286), p-GluA1 (ser831), and 4.1N phosphorylation after TBS-LTP, and decreased the association of p-CaMKII-4.1N-GluA1, along with the expression of GluA1, at postsynaptic densities during TBS-LTP. We also designed interfering peptides to disrupt the interaction between 4.1N and GluA1, which showed that Tat-GluA1 (MPR) or Myr-AIP inhibited TBS-LTP and attenuated increases of GluA1 at postsynaptic sites, while Tat-GluA1 (MPR) or Myr-AIP had no effects on miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) in non-stimulated hippocampal CA1 neurons. Active CaMKII enhanced the phosphorylation of 4.1N and facilitated the association of p-CaMKII with 4.1N-GluA1, which in turn resulted in GluA1 trafficking during TBS-LTP. The association of 4.1N-GluA1 is required for LTP, but not for basal synaptic transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jaw cysts commonly affect the oral and maxillofacial region, involving adjacent tooth roots. The management of these teeth, particularly regarding root canal therapy and apicoectomy, lacks consensus. This study introduces a novel treatment concept and refined surgical approach to preserve pulp viability in teeth involved in jaw cysts. The objective was to investigate the effectiveness and potential benefits of this approach over a 36-month follow-up period. A conservative management approach prioritized vitality preservation, reserving root canal treatment and apicectomy for cases with post-operative discomfort. A comprehensive follow-up of 108 involved teeth from 36 jaw cyst cases treated with the modified method was conducted. Clinical observation, X-ray imaging, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and pulp vitality testing assessed changes in cyst size, tooth color, pulp vitality, root structure, and surrounding alveolar bone. After 36 months, our modified surgical approach successfully preserved tooth vitality in 84 involved teeth. Adverse symptoms in 19 teeth, such as redness, swelling, fistula, and pain, resolved with postoperative root canal therapy. Follow-up was lost for five teeth in two cases. No cyst recurrences were observed, and in 34 cases, the bone cavity gradually disappeared, restoring normal bone density during long-term follow-up. Our modified surgical method effectively preserves tooth vitality in jaw cysts. This innovative approach has the potential to improve the management of teeth involved in jaw cysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transaminase (TA) is a crucial biocatalyst for enantioselective production of the herbicide L-phosphinothricin (L-PPT). The use of enzymatic cascades has been shown to effectively overcome the unfavorable thermodynamic equilibrium of TA-catalyzed transamination reaction, also increasing demand for TA stability. In this work, a novel thermostable transaminase (PtTA) from Pseudomonas thermotolerans was mined and characterized. The PtTA showed a high specific activity (28.63 U/mg) towards 2‐oxo‐4‐[(hydroxy)(methyl)phosphinoyl]butyric acid (PPO), with excellent thermostability and substrate tolerance. Two cascade systems driven by PtTA were developed for L-PPT biosynthesis, including asymmetric synthesis of L-PPT from PPO and deracemization of D, L-PPT. For the asymmetric synthesis of L-PPT from PPO, a three-enzyme cascade was constructed as a recombinant Escherichia coli (E. coli G), by co-expressing PtTA, glutamate dehydrogenase (GluDH) and D-glucose dehydrogenase (GDH). Complete conversion of 400 mM PPO was achieved using only 40 mM amino donor L-glutamate. Furthermore, by coupling D-amino acid aminotransferase (Ym DAAT) from Bacillus sp. YM‐1 and PtTA, a two-transaminase cascade was developed for the one-pot deracemization of D, L-PPT. Under the highest reported substrate concentration (800 mM D, L-PPT), a 90.43% L-PPT yield was realized. The superior catalytic performance of the PtTA-driven cascade demonstrated that the thermodynamic limitation was overcome, highlighting its application prospect for L-PPT biosynthesis. Key points: • A novel thermostable transaminase was mined for L-phosphinothricin biosynthesis. • The asymmetric synthesis of L-phosphinothricin was achieved via a three-enzyme cascade. • Development of a two-transaminase cascade for D, L-phosphinothricin deracemization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbiome is integral to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. A novel probiotic Lactobacillus intestinalis (L. intestinalis) exerts a protective effect against dextran sodium sulfate‐induced colitis in mice. Based on flow cytometry, colitis‐associated Th17 cells are the target of L. intestinalis, which is supported by the lack of protective effects of L. intestinalis in T cell‐null Rag1−/− mice or upon anti‐IL‐17‐A antibody‐treated mice. Although L. intestinalis exerts no direct effect on T cell differentiation, it decreases C/EBPA‐driven gut epithelial SAA1 and SAA2 production, which in turn impairs Th17 cell differentiation. Cometabolism of L. intestinalis ALDH and host ALDH1A2 contributed to elevated biosynthesis of retinoic acid (RA), which accounts for the anti‐colitis effect in RAR‐α ‐mediated way. In a cohort of ulcerative colitis patients, it is observed that fecal abundance of L. intestinalis is negatively associated with the C/EBPA‐SAA1/2‐Th17 axis. Finally, L. intestinalis has a synergistic effect with mesalazine in alleviating murine colitis. In conclusion, L. intestinalis and associated metabolites, RA, have potential therapeutic effects for suppressing colonic inflammation by modulating the crosstalk between intestinal epithelia and immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]