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Strain YF-2, a Gram-staining-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming, light-yellow-pigmented bacterium, was isolated from soil samples collected in the city of Yuncheng, Shanxi province of China. Strain YF-2 grew over a temperature range of 25-37 °C, at pH 5.0-8.0 and with 0-5 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on sequence of the 16S rRNA gene showed that strain YF-2 was closely related to strains Flavobacterium akiainvivens CIP 110358 and Flavobacterium hauense KCTC 32147 with 95.99 and 95.92 % sequence similarity, respectively. The dominant fatty acids of strain YF-2 were Summed Feature 3 (comprising C ω7c and/or C ω6c) (21.97 %), iso-C (18.65 %), iso-C 3OH (11.41 %), C (9.92 %), and anteiso-C (6.21 %). It contained phosphatidylethanolamine and menaquinone MK-6 as major polar lipid and respiratory quinone, respectively. Strain YF-2 differs from other Flavobacterium species in many characteristics and represents a novel species, for which the name Flavobacterium shanxiense sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain YF-2 (=CCTCC AB 2014079 = JCM 30153). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-based ceramics have long been recognized as tritium breeding materials in fusion reactor blankets. Lithium orthosilicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ) is one of these materials and has been recommended by many ITER research teams as the first selection for the solid tritium breeder. In this paper, the fabrication of Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles used as tritium breeder by a graphite bed method was studied for the first time. Ceramic powders and deionized water were mixed and ball milled to obtain homogeneous suspensions. And then the ceramic suspensions were dispersed on spread graphite powder through nozzles. Spherical droplets with highly uniform size were formed by the surface tension of the liquid droplets. The droplets converted into green pebbles after drying. After calcination and sintering, Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles with desired size and shape were prepared. The obtained Li 4 SiO 4 pebbles had narrow size distribution and favorable sphericity. Thermal analysis, phase analysis and microstructure observation of the pebbles were carried out systematically. Properties of the prepared pebbles were also characterized for crushing load strength, density and porosity, etc. The values were found to be conforming to the desired properties for used as solid breeder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of web applications such as social network, a large amount of electric text data is accumulated and available on the Internet, which causes increasing interests in text mining. Text classification is one of the most important subfields of text mining. In fact, text documents are often represented as a high-dimensional sparse document term matrix (DTM) before classification. Feature selection is essential and vital for text classification due to high dimensionality and sparsity of DTM. An efficient feature selection method is capable of both reducing dimensions of DTM and selecting discriminative features for text classification. Laplacian Score (LS) is one of the unsupervised feature selection methods and it has been successfully used in areas such as face recognition. However, LS is unable to select discriminative features for text classification and to effectively reduce the sparsity of DTM. To improve it, this paper proposes an unsupervised feature selection method named Distance Variance Score (DVS). DVS uses feature distance contribution (a ratio) to rank the importance of features for text documents so as to select discriminative features. Experimental results indicate that DVS is able to select discriminative features and reduce the sparsity of DTM. Thus, it is much more efficient than LS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobilized antibodies with oriented and homogeneous patterns are crucial to solid-phase molecular recognition assay. Antibody binding protein-based immobilization can effectively present the desired antibodies. However, steadily installing the stromatoid protein with site-specific attachment manner onto a matrix surface remains to be elucidated. In this study, we present an optimal protocol to tightly attach an immunoglobulin G (IgG)-binding protein (Z-domain) through covalent incorporation of Cys-tag and maleimide group onto polystyrene surface to guarantee site-specific, oriented, and irreversible attachment, resulting in a highly efficient platform for three-dimensional IgG immobilization. The actual IgG-binding characteristic of immobilized Z-Cys was investigated by employing affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography. And the efficacy and potential of this platform was demonstrated by applying it to the analysis of interaction between rabbit anti-HRP IgG and its binding partner HRP. The proposed approach may be an attractive strategy to construct high performance antibody arrays and biosensors given that the antibody is compatible with the Z-domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative analysis of eight major components combined with chromatographic fingerprint based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was developed for the quality evaluation of Xiaoer Chaigui Tuire granules (XCTG), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation. Each compound was analyzed by comparing its retention time and UV spectrum of each chromatographic peak with the corresponding retention time and UV spectrum of each standard compound. Baseline separation was achieved on an Agilent Zorbax SB-C18 column with gradient elution of acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) phosphoric acid. The developed method was validated by linearity, precision, repeatability, stability and recovery and was subsequently applied to quality evaluation of 12 batches of XCTG with similarity analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Quantitative analysis combined with HPLC fingerprint could offer an efficient, reliable and practical approach for quality evaluation of XCTG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium titanate enriched by 6 Li isotope is considered as a candidate of tritium breeding materials for fusion reactors due to its excellent performance. The reuse of burned Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles is an important issue because of the high costs of 6 Li-enriched materials and waste considerations. For this purpose, reprocessing of Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles by graphite bed method was developed. Simulative Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles with low-lithium content according to the expected lithium burn-up were fabricated. After that, Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles were re-fabricated with lithium carbonate as lithium additives, in order to gain the composition of lithium titanate with a Li/Ti ratio of 2. The process was optimized to obtain reprocessed Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles that were suitable for reuse as ceramic breeder. Density, porosity, grain size and crushing load of the reprocessed pebbles were characterized. This process did not deteriorate the properties of the reprocessed pebbles and was almost no waste generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By scrutinizing local propagation characteristics of damage-modulated guided waves (GWs), an in-situ health diagnosis technique, targeting in-service engineering structures, is developed. This technique characterizes structural damage quantitatively, regardless of its quantity, and consequently evaluates structural integrity in a real-time manner. A self-contained system is accordingly configured to materialize this technique, which integrates modularized components through a bus called Peripheral component interconnect eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI), for active GW generation, multichannel data acquisition, central control, signal postprocessing, and results presentation. The monitoring results are presented in pixelated images by virtue of a diagnostic imaging algorithm, facilitating comprehension of the overall structural health status intuitively, promptly, and automatically. In conjunction with the system, a sensing technique, based on a concept of decentralized standard sensing, is demonstrated, which has a capacity of constructing a sensor network with convenience and flexibility. An optimal benchmarking strategy in accordance with signal correlation is formulated to compensate for the adverse ambient influence (e.g., temperature fluctuation) in rugged measurement conditions. Experimental validation is carried out to verify the technique and the system by evaluating mock-up damage in planar and tubular structures quantitatively, showing superior detectability, sensitivity, and accuracy. Notably, its expandable nature allows the system to be tailor-made toward diverse real-world applications, and enhances the universality, flexibility, and compatibility of the developed diagnosis technique. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An emulsion-directed assembly and adsorption approach has been used to fabricate composite films of polystyrene-b-poly(acryl acid)-b-polystyrene (PS-b-PAA-b-PS) and Eu 3+ and La 3+ ions at the planar liquid/liquid interface of the polymer DMF/chloroform (1:1, v/v) mixed solution (lower phase) and aqueous solutions of the corresponding salts (upper phase). The lower phase gradually transformed to a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion via spontaneous emulsification due to the “ouzo effect”. Polymer molecules and the metal ions assembled around emulsion droplets that adsorbed at the planar liquid/liquid interface at last, resulting in formation of composite films. The film morphologies and structures depend on Ln 3+ ions: polymer/Eu 3+ composite films were foam films composed of microcapsules ranging in size from several hundreds of nanometers to micrometers, while polymer/La 3+ composite films were composed of hollow spheres several tens of nanometers in size. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that the coordination modes of carboxyl groups to Eu 3+ and La 3+ were bridging bidentate and ionic, respectively, in the two types of composites. These results indicate that stable microcapsules can be fabricated around droplets for polymer/Eu 3+ systems, while microcapsules of polymer/La 3+ are unstable. This leads to different film morphologies and structures. Compositions of these films were characterized using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, foam films of polymer/Eu 3+ /2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) were fabricated using this approach, and their photoluminescence properties were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metatitanate (Li 2 TiO 3 ) has been recognized as a candidate of ceramic tritium breeder materials for its excellent performance. In this paper, Li 2 TiO 3 powder was synthetized by a modified sol–gel combustion process, and the ratio of fuel to oxidizer was optimized. DTA–TG analysis indicated that an intense exothermic reaction occurred at 539 K, which led to the formation of a voluminous white powder. No additional annealing process was required, as pure crystalline β-Li 2 TiO 3 was directly obtained from the combustion reaction. The powder had nano-scale structure and large specific surface area of 9.6 m 2 /g. Li 2 TiO 3 pebbles with desired size and shape were prepared by gel-casting technique using the as-prepared powder. The pebbles reached a high density (81–86% T.D) after sintered at a relatively low temperature (⩽1373 K) for 2 h. The sintering pebbles had a smooth surface, homogeneous microstructure and small grain size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the structural properties of ordering InGaP directly deposited on (001) Ge substrate by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. The Ge substrate is 6° miscut towards (110). Results from transmission electron diffraction indicate the existence of CuPt-B ordering phase in the sample. The ordering direction is assigned to be [ 1 1 ¯ 1 ], which is perpendicular to the miscut direction of the Ge substrate. Because only one ordering phase is observed, no anti-phase domain exists in the sample. The order parameter determined from photoluminescence at room temperature is 0.492. Raman scattering was also used to analyze the ordering effect. A mode at 354 cm − 1 relevant to the ordering phase confirms that the CuPt-B ordering is along [ 1 1 ¯ 1 ]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the value of diffusion weighted imaging (DWl) in differential diagnosis of brain metastases and glioma tumors. Methods The MRI data (including conventional unenhanced, enhanced scan and DWI imaging) of 29 cases of brain metastases and 22 cases of glioma tumors were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Results In the brain metastases, lesions of high DWI signal intensity were seen in 10 cases, and lesions of low DWI signal intensity were seen in 19 cases. Lesions of high signal intensity on DWI were seen in 15 cases of gliomas, while obvious high DWI signals were not found in the other 7 cases. The ADC values in the solid area of brain metastases and glioma tumors were (0.86 ± 0.23) x 10-3 mm²/s and (1.07 ±0.14) x 10-3 mm²/s, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (t=-1.863 P = 0.085). The ADC values in the necrotic area were (2.41 ± 0.47) x 10-3 mm²/s and (2.83 ± 0.08) x 10-3mm²/s, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant between the two tumors (t = -3.696 P = 0.001). The ADC values in the proximal peritumoral edema of brain metastases and glioma tumors were (1.58 ±0.18) x 10-3 mm²/s and (1.41 ± 0.16) x 10-3mm²/s, respectively, with statistically significant difference (t= 2.877 P = 0.006). The ADC values in the distal peritumoral edema were (1.59 ±0.08) x 10-3 mm²/s and (1.51 ±0.15) x 10-3mm²/s, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (t = 1.787 P =0.096). Conclusion DWI is an effective method for differential diagnosis of brain metastases and glioma tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of strongly phosphorescent copper(I) halide complexes, namely [Cu( μ-X)POP] (X = Cl ( 1), Br ( 2), I ( 3), BrCl ( 4), POP = bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether), have been synthesized by reacting CuX with the diphosphine ligand in 1:1 molar ratio. All complexes were characterized by spectroscopic analysis (IR, UV-Vis), elemental analysis, and photoluminescence study. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that complex 2 is a dinuclear structure which is constructed by two μ-X bridges and two POP ligands as μ bridges. Other complexes were determined as isologues of complex 2 by powder X-ray diffraction and elemental analysis. All complexes exhibit intense blue-green phosphorescence with a lifetime of ~1 μs in the solid state. The halogen-mixed complex presents a lightly change in the luminescence comparing to that of parent complexes. The excited states of all complexes have been assigned as halide-to-ligand charge transfer state mixed metal-to-ligand charge transfer character based on the time-dependent density functional theory calculations. All complexes are thermally stable according to thermogravimetric analysis so that they are suitable for applying in luminescent devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron was previously shown to induce rapid nuclear translocation of a Myb3 transcription factor in the protozoan parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis. In the present study, iron was found to induce a transient increase in cellular cAMP, followed by the nuclear influx of Myb3, whereas the latter was also induced by 8-bromo-cyclic AMP. Iron-inducible cAMP production and nuclear influx of Myb3 were inhibited by suramin and SQ22536, respective inhibitors of the Gα subunit of heterotrimeric G proteins and adenylyl cyclases. In contrast, the nuclear influx of Myb3 induced by iron or 8-bromo-cAMP was delayed or inhibited, respectively, by H89, the inhibitor of protein kinase A. Using liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry, Thr156 and Lys143 in Myb3 were found to be phosphorylated and ubiquitinated, respectively. These modifications were induced by iron and inhibited by H89, as shown by immunoprecipitation- coupled Western blotting. Iron-inducible ubiquitination and nuclear influx were aborted in T156A and K143R, but T156D was constitutively ubiquitinated and persistently localized to the nucleus. Myb3 was phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of a T. vaginalis protein kinase A, TvPKAc. A transient interaction between TvPKAc and Myb3 and the phosphorylation of both proteins were induced in the parasite shortly after iron or 8-bromo-cAMP treatment. Together, these observations suggest that iron may induce production of cAMP and activation of TvPKAc, which then induces the phosphorylation of Myb3 and subsequent ubiquitination for accelerated nuclear influx. It is conceivable that iron probably exerts a much broader impact on the physiology of the parasite than previously thought to encounter environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the role of serum protein in the process of nanoparticle delivery is of great importance in biomedicine. Here, by using dissipative particle dynamics simulations, we systematically investigate the interactions between the nanoparticle-protein corona complex and cell membranes of different types. It is found that the human serum albumin (HSA) will just adsorb onto charged (especially for positively charged) and hydrophobic nanoparticle surface. More importantly, we also provide specific insights into the effect of HSA adsorption on the in vivo transportation of nanoparticle (i.e., immune response and targeted cellular uptake). Our results show that the protein corona can change the interaction modes of hydrophobic nanoparticles and enhance the interaction of charged nanoparticles with macrophage cell membranes, while it may also cause the failure of insertion of hydrophobic nanoparticles and the loss of targeting specificity of charged nanoparticles with cancer cell membranes. These results can help better understand the biological significance of protein corona and may give some useful suggestions on better design of future nanoparticles in drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new technique to measure neutrino masses using their flow field relative to dark matter. Present day streaming motions of neutrinos relative to dark matter and baryons are several hundred km/s, comparable with their thermal velocity dispersion. This results in a unique dipole anisotropic distortion of the matter-neutrino cross power spectrum, which is observable through the dipole distortion in the cross correlation of different galaxy populations. Such a dipole vanishes if not for this relative velocity and so it is a clean signature for neutrino mass. We estimate the size of this effect and find that current and future galaxy surveys may be sensitive to these signature distortions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anti-programmed cell death ligand 1/vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition, coupled with chemotherapy, may potentiate antitumor immunity leading to enhanced clinical benefit, but it has not been investigated in advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). Objectives: We investigated the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab, bevacizumab, and gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin (GEMOX) in advanced BTC and explore the potential biomarkers related to the response. Design: Multicenter, single-arm, retrospective study. Methods: Advanced BTC patients, who received a triple combination therapy at three medical centers between 18 March 2020 and 1 September 2021, were included. Treatment response was evaluated via mRECIST and RECIST v1.1. Endpoints included the overall response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. The whole exome sequencing of pathological tissues was conducted for bioinformatic analysis. Results: In all, 30 patients were enrolled. The best ORR was 76.7% and the DCR was 90.0%. The median PFS was 12.0 months, and the median OS was not reached. During the treatment, 10.0% (3/30) of patients suffered from ?grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). Furthermore, fever (73.3%), neutropenia (63.3%), increased aspartate transaminase and alanine aminotransferase levels (50.0% and 43.3%, respectively) are the most common TRAEs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed patients with altered ALS2CL had a higher ORR. Conclusion: The triple combination of atezolizumab, bevacizumab, and GEMOX may be efficacious and safe for patients with advanced BTC. ALS2CL may be a potential predictive biomarker for the efficacy of triple combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-020-01654-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Donor-acceptor (D-A) diaryl maleimides have received widespread attention due to their outstanding aggregation-enhanced emissive (AEE) properties. Herein, we report a novel rectangular D-A conjugated macrocyclic tetramaleimide with two phenyl and two 2,7-pyrene moieties as the sidewalls, while the maleimides as four corner linkers via dynamic and reversible Perkin reactions under thermodynamic control. Due to the sensitive D-A conjugation effects resulted from the multipole moments by four maleimides, such unique macrocycle exhibits unusual solvatochromic luminescent properties with a typical D-A charge transfer (CT) emission feature in the polar solvents, but pyrene-like emission characteristics in the nonpolar solvents regardless of the concentrations. A novel rectangular D-A conjugated macrocyclic tetramaleimide has been synthesized via dynamic and reversible Perkin reactions, which exhibits unusual solvatochromic luminescent properties. [Display omitted] • A facile synthetic pathway for rectangular D-A conjugated macrocyclic maleimides have been developed. • Dynamic covalent Perkin reactions have been demostrated to be an efficient synthetic pathway for macrocyclic maleimides. • The obtained macrocyclic maleimides exhibit unexpected solvatochromic luminescent properties. • The obtained macrocyclic maleimides exhibit a typical D-A charge transfer (CT) emission feature in the polar solvents. • The obtained macrocyclic maleimides exhibit pyrene-like emssions in carbon tetrachloride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder fuel injection is an attractive technique for powder fuel scramjets and plays an important role in numerically investigating the particle velocity and concentration distribution in powder fuel injection. In this study, the coupled model of computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method (CFD-DEM) was used to simulate the flow of aluminium powder in the nozzle. Firstly, the flow field characteristics of gas-phase and two-phase gas-particle were compared. The results show that the particle disturbance has a great influence on the convection field, in which the maximum velocity of gas-phase is reduced by 47.15%, the acceleration distance is shortened by 34.18%, and the minimum velocity is reduced by 41.48%. Secondly, particle velocity and concentration distributions under different nozzle convergence angles were compared, and their correlations with the nozzle convergence angle, particle collision, and gas-particle drag force were identified. The results show that as increase in convergence angle of the nozzle, both the number of particle collisions in the nozzle and expansion angle of the particle jet at the nozzle exit have increased, while the particle velocity at the nozzle exit has decreased. The overall simulation results and analyses provide a new reference for the flow mechanism of the fuel injection process and the design of a powder conveying system for a powder fuel scramjet. [Display omitted] • CFD-DEM approach used for compressible dense gas solid two-phase was verified. • The particle velocity decreases with the increase of nozzle convergence angle at nozzle exit. • The particle expansion angle increases with the increase of nozzle convergence angle. • Particle velocity is mainly affected by the number of particle collision inside nozzle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CeOx-VOx/TiO2 catalysts (Ce-V/Ti) incorporating graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized via a sol–gel method and used for catalytic combustion of chlorobenzene (CB). Compared with Ce-V/Ti, GO supported catalysts (Ce-V/Ti-GO) presented more excellent performance. Characterization by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS, FTIR and H2-TPR revealed that the specific surface area of catalyst and the concentrations of surface Ce3+ and V4+ were enlarged after GO modification. However, introducing too much GO did not be conductive to promote catalyst activity. With the GO ratio increasing to 1.5%, Ce from catalyst was prone to form a separate crystal CeO2 with large size, resulting in a decline in specific surface area and uneven dispersion of active components. Ce-V/Ti-GO with 0.7% GO support showed high activity with the temperature for a 90% CB conversion (T90) of 236 °C. The main phase from Ce-V/Ti-GO(0.7) was anatase and evident lattice distortion resulted from Ce–O–Ti solid solution was observed. In the case of Ce-V/Ti-GO catalysts, V effectively promoted the activity of catalysts and the stability with the variation of GO ratio. The synergy between Ce and GO played the critical role on the low-temperature performance of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Surgical treatment is the first‐line treatment for patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage 0 or A1 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and postoperative monitoring improves long‐term survival. We aimed to establish a reasonable short‐interval follow‐up duration for patients with HCC. Methods: The cohort for this retrospective study included 1396 HCC patients with BCLC stage 0 or A1 disease who underwent curative resection from 2013 to 2016 at five centers in China. Hazard rates for recurrence were calculated using the hazard function. Results: The recurrence rates in patients with BCLC stage 0 and A1 HCC were 46.4% and 58.0%, respectively. The hazard curve for stage 0 patients was relatively flat, and the hazard rate was consistently low (peak hazard rate 0.0163). The hazard rate curve for recurrence was initially high (peak hazard rate 0.0441) in patients with BCLC stage A1 disease and showed a rapid decreasing trend within 1 year, followed by a slow decreasing trend, reaching a low level (<0.0163) at approximately 36 months. The time to low risk was 47, 41, and 51 months in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and satellite lesions, respectively. Conclusions: A short‐interval follow‐up of 1 year is sufficient for HCC patients with BCLC stage 0 disease, whereas a short‐interval follow‐up time of 3 years should be considered for patients with stage A1 disease. The follow‐up period should be appropriately prolonged for patients with cirrhosis, HBV infection, and satellite lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Trichomonas vaginalis, a Myb1 protein was previously demonstrated to repress transcription of an iron-inducible ap65-1 gene. In this study, a human cyclophilin A homologue, TvCyclophilin 1 (TvCyP1), was identified as a Myb1-binding protein using a bacterial two-hybrid library screening system. The recombinant TvCyP1 exhibited typical peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity with kcat/Km of ~7.1µM-1 s-1. In a pulldown assay, the His-tagged Myb1 interacted with a GST-TvCyP1 fusion protein, which had an enzymatic proficiency half that of recombinant TvCyP1. Both the enzymatic proficiency of GST-TvCyP1 and its binding to His-Myb1 were eliminated by mutation of Arg63 in the catalytic motif or inhibited by cyclosporin A. TvCyP1 was primarily localized to the hydrogenosomes by immunofluorescence assay, but it was also co-purified with Myb1 in certain vesicle fractions from differential and gradient centrifugations. Transgenic cells overexpressing HA-TvCyP1 had a higher level of nuclear Myb1 but a much lower level of Myb1 associated with the vesicles than control and those overexpressing HA-TvCyP1(R63A). Myb1 was detected at a much higher level in the HA-TvCyP1 protein complex than in the HA-TvCyP1(R63A) protein complex immunoprecipitated from P15 and P100, but not S100, fractions of postnuclear lysates. A TvCyP1-binding motif, 105YGPKWNK111, was identified in Myb1 in which Gly106 and Pro107 were essential for its binding to TvCyP1. Mutation of Gly106 and Pro107, respectively, in HA-Myb1 resulted in cytoplasmic retention and elevated nuclear translocation of the overexpressed protein. These results suggest that TvCyP1 may induce the release of Myb1 that is restrained to certain cytoplasmic vesicles prior to its nuclear translocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents study on effects of Vitis thunbergii root extract (VTE) on high-fat diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice. The study show that root extract of Vitis thunbergii has found to contain polyphenolic compounds and resveratrol derivatives that have been found effective in prevention and treatment of obesity. It informs that C57BL/6JNarl mice fed with a high fat diet for 14 weeks was observed with high fat in the body and showed decrease in body weight after supplementation of VTE.

Abstract: The main goal of this paper is to investigate the global asymptotic stability of the difference equation where and the initial conditions . We show that the unique equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable under the certain conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Based on the authors’ research efforts over the years, an in situ structural health monitoring (SHM) technique taking advantage of guided elastic waves has been developed and deployed via an online diagnosis system. The technique and the system were recently implemented on China’s latest high-speed train (CRH380CL) operated on Beijing−Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The system incorporated modularized components including active sensor network, active wave generation, multi-channel data acquisition, signal processing, data fusion, and results presentation. The sensor network, inspired by a new concept—“decentralized standard sensing”, was integrated into the bogie frames during the final assembly of CRH380CL, to generate and acquire bogie-guided ultrasonic waves, from which a wide array of signal features were extracted. Fusion of signal features through a diagnostic imaging algorithm led to a graphic illustration of the overall health state of the bogie in a real-time and intuitive manner. The in situ experimentation covered a variety of high-speed train operation events including startup, acceleration/deceleration, full-speed operation (300km/h), emergency braking, track change, as well as full stop. Mock-up damage affixed to the bogie was identified quantitatively and visualized in images. This in situ testing has demonstrated the feasibility, effectiveness, sensitivity, and reliability of the developed SHM technique and the system towards real-world applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Zn1-xErxO (0.005 ≤ x 0.04) thin films have been prepared by inductively coupled plasma enhanced physical vapor deposition method. Ferromagnetism, crystal structure, microstructure and photoluminescence properties of the films were characterized. It is found that the chemical valence state of Er is trivalent, and the Er3+ cations play an important role in ferromagnetism. Both saturated magnetization (Ms) and zinc vacancy (VZn) are decreased with the increase of x from 0.005 to 0.03. However, further increasing x to 0.04, the Ms is quenched due to the generation of Er clusters. It reveals that the intensity of Ms is not only associated with the VZn concentration, but also related to the Er clusters. The VZn concentration and the Er clusters can jointly boost the ferromagnetism in the Zn1-xErxO thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human erythrocyte contains an abundance of the thiol-dependant peroxidase Peroxiredoxin-2 (Prx2), which protects the cell from the pro-oxidant environment it encounters during its 120 days of life in the blood stream. In malarial infections, the Plasmodium parasite invades red cells and imports Prx2 during intraerythrocytic development, presumably to supplement in its own degradation of peroxides generated during cell metabolism, especially hemoglobin (Hb) digestion. Here we demonstrate that an irreversible Prx2 inhibitor, Conoidin A (2,3-bis(bromomethyl)-1,4-dioxide-quinoxaline; BBMQ), has potent cytocidal activity against cultured P. falciparum. Parasite growth was also inhibited in red cells that were treated with BBMQ and then washed prior to parasite infection. These cells remained susceptible to merozoite invasion, but failed to support normal intraerythrocytic development. In addition the potency of chloroquine (CQ), an antimalarial drug that prevents the detoxification of Hb-derived heme, was significantly enhanced in the presence of BBMQ. CQ IC50 values decreased an order of magnitude when parasites were either co-incubated with BBMQ, or introduced into BBMQ-pretreated cells; these effects were equivalent for both drug-resistant and drug-sensitive parasite lines. Together these results indicate that treatment of red cells with BBMQ renders them incapable of supporting parasite growth and increases parasite sensitivity to CQ. We also propose that molecules such as BBMQ that target host cell proteins may constitute a novel host-directed therapeutic approach for treating malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We solve the Schrödinger equation with the modified Rosen−Morse empirical potential model to obtain rotation-vibrational energy spectra and unnormalized radial wave functions. The vibrational energy levels calculated with the modified Rosen−Morse potential model for the 61Πu state of the 7Li2 molecule and the X3Π state of the SiC radical are in better agreement with the Rydberg−Klein−Rees data than the predictions of the Morse potential model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We solve the Schrödinger equation with the improved Tietz empirical potential energy model. The rotation-vibrational energy spectra and the unnormalized radial wave functions have been obtained. The vibrational energy levels predicted by using the improved Tietz potential model for the 51Δg state and C1Πu state of the Na2 molecule are in good agreement with the experimental Rydberg−Klein−Rees data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A dedicated modeling technique for comprehending nonlinearity of ultrasonic waves. [•] An theoretical study on influence of fatigue damage on nonlinearity of ultrasonic waves. [•] Use of embeddable active sensing network to acquire nonlinearity of ultrasonic waves. [•] A strategy for evaluating initial fatigue damage and monitoring its growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the regularity of a weak solution for a coupled system derived from a microwave-heating model. The main feature of this model is that electric conductivity in the electromagnetic field is assumed to be temperature dependent. It is shown that the weak solution of the coupled system possesses some regularity under certain conditions. In particular, it is shown that the temperature is Hölder continuous, even if electric conductivity has a jump discontinuity with respect to the temperature change. The main idea in the proof is based on an estimate for a linear degenerate system in Campanato space. As an application, the regularity result for the coupled system is used to derive the necessary condition for an optimal control problem arising in microwave heating processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Lithium titanate pebbles with a novel core–shell structure were fabricated by gel-casting process. [•] The pebbles have a Li2TiO3–Li4TiO4 complex phase core and a tunable thickness Li2TiO3 shell. [•] The fabricated pebbles exhibit a high lithium density with a good crush load. [•] The pebbles are expected to combine the advantages of Li2TiO3 with high lithium content of Li4TiO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to construct a novel type of non-viral gene delivery vector with high delivery efficiency and specific tumor cell-targeting ability. The CP9 peptide (CYGGRGDTP) containing Arg-Gly-Asp sequence was employed to be conjugated onto polyethylenimine (PEI) to act as the role of the targeting moiety. The chemical linker, N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate, was applied during the synthesis of the vector (CP9-PEI). The physicochemical characteristics of the vector were evaluated by the methods of ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel retardation assay, electron microscope observation and particle size detection. HepG2 cells were used to verify the gene delivery efficiency and targeting ability by gene delivery procedure and free CP9 peptide inhibition tests. The results showed that the successful synthesis of CP9-PEI and the synthesized vector may efficiently condense plasmid DNA into round particles with diameters of ~200 nm at a polymer/pDNA ratio of 10. CP9-PEI may deliver the reporter gene into HepG2 cells with higher efficiency and the efficiency may be inhibited by the free CP9 peptide. The present study suggested that the modification of PEI with the CP9 peptide is an effective method to construct a novel tumor cell-targeting non-viral vector, and that the novel vector exhibits great prospect in the field of cancer gene therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diamond-based antireflective (AR) coatings were fabricated using a spin coating of diamond suspension at room temperature as nucleation enhancement procedure and microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Various working pressures were used to investigate their effect on the optical characterization of the as-deposited diamond films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic forced microscopy (AFM) were employed to analyze the surface properties of the diamond films. Raman spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) also were used for analysis of the microstructure of the films. The results showed that working pressure had a significant effect on thickness, surface roughness, and wettability of the as-deposited diamond films. Deposited under 35 Torr or working pressure, the film possessed alow surface roughness of 13.8 nm and fine diamond grain sizes of 35 nm. Reflectance measurements of the films also were carried out using UV-Vis spectrometer and revealed a low reflectance value of the diamond films. The achievement demonstrated feasibility of the proposed spin-coating procedure for large scale production and thus opens up a prospect application of diamond film as an AR coating in industrial optoelectronic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of foundation or subgrade settlement is very important during engineering construction. According to the fact that there are lots of settlement-time sequences with a nonhomogeneous index trend, a novel grey forecasting model called NGM (1, 1, k, c) model is proposed in this paper. With an optimized whitenization differential equation, the proposed NGM (1, 1, k, c) model has the property of white exponential law coincidence and can predict a pure nonhomogeneous index sequence precisely. We used two case studies to verify the predictive effect of NGM (1, 1, k, c) model for settlement prediction. The results show that this model can achieve excellent prediction accuracy; thus, the model is quite suitable for simulation and prediction of approximate nonhomogeneous index sequence and has excellent application value in settlement prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel R2(O)P-directed Pd(II)-catalyzed C–H hydroxylation to synthesize various substituted 2′-phosphorylbiphenyl-2-ol compounds is described. Notably, the reaction operates under mild conditions and shows good functional group tolerance, high selectivity, and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies indicated that except for the land-sea thermal contrast, there also existed the land-land thermal contrast. The composite analysis and t-test method are used to further study the local thermal contrast variation over the Asian continent, and to discuss the association of seasonal variation of land thermal state with circulation over East Asia, the early summer and summer monsoon activity, and the precipitation anomaly in China in the decadal scale. Results show that the positive meridional temperature anomaly transports downward from upper tropospheric layers in middle-high latitudes north of 25°N in the positive years. In the zonal direction, the Tibetan Plateau heating in the successive spring acts as a force to influence the atmosphere, leading to the rapid temperature warming over eastern Chinese continent, which could increase the land-sea thermal contrast with the negative SSTA. Accordingly, the monsoon activity in early summer over East Asian establishes earlier and the summer monsoon intensity becomes stronger. The early summer precipitation is more-than-normal over the Yangtze River, and the summer precipitation is more-than-normal over the north China and the southwest China. The situation is contrary in the negative years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Understanding how nanovectors transport DNA molecules through cell membranes is of great importance in gene therapy. In this paper, we systematically investigate the mechanism of cellular uptake of cationic polymeric nanovectors containing DNA molecules through dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Our results show that the property of polyelectrolyte chains grafted to nanovector and DNA molecules can have important impacts on the endocytosis. Interestingly, it is found that the nanovector can be fully taken up with proper number of DNA molecules on its surface. On the contrary, in the absence of DNA it may become harder to be totally engulfed. Since the adsorption number of DNA is related to external pH, the cellular uptake could exhibit pH-responsive behavior. Further, we also provide insights into the comparison of uptake behaviors between cancer and normal cells, and importantly, we find that the enhanced uptake of gene nanovectors may be an inherent property of cancer cells. The present study may give some significant suggestions on future nanovector design for gene delivery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Lithium titanate pebbles were fabricated by a new “graphite bed process”. [•] The sphericity could be controlled within 1.03 as the diameter was 0.5–1.2mm. [•] The fabricated pebbles exhibit a high relative density with uniform microstructure. [•] The process is short and simple as it combines the forming and sintering into a continuous process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major challenge in cancer therapy is to efficiently translocate drug molecules into cancer tumors without doing any damage to healthy tissues. Since there exist pH gradients between tumor and normal tissues, pH-sensitive materials may have great potential to overcome such challenge. Here, we report one new type of pH-responsive drug delivery system where pH-sensitive polymers are introduced to control the cellular uptake of nanoparticles under different pH environments through dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Interestingly, the behavior of cellular uptake of nanoparticles here exhibits "smart" pH-responsive properties: for lower and higher pH, the nanoparticles can be taken up by cell membranes, while for pH in middle range, the endocytosis is blocked. Further, it is found that receptor-ligand interactions as well as surface charge property of nanoparticles and membranes can also have important impacts on the endocytosis. The present study may give some significant insights into future stimulus-responsive medical materials design [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The mitogenic and chemotactic effects of resistin-like molecule alpha (RELMα) are thought to contribute to vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Here we evaluate the expression of RELMα in atherosclerotic plaque and investigate its effects on the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Methods: An atherosclerotic model was established by feeding 4-week-old C57BL/6J ApoE-/- mice (n = 9) with a high-fat diet. Wild-type 4-week-old C57BL/6J (n = 9) were fed the same diet and were used as controls. RELMα expression wasevaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantified using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). A 3H-thymidine incorporation assay and the Boyden chamber assay, respectively, were used to explore the effects of different concentrations of RELMα on the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. Results: Immunohistochemistry identified positively stained granules in atherosclerotic plaques. These results were confirmed by detection of RELMα mRNA using RT-PCR. We also demonstrated that in vitro exposure to RELMα significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of VSMCs in a dose-related manner (p < 0.01). Conclusions: RELMα expressed in atherosclerotic plaque of ApoE-/- mice appears to enhance the proliferation and migration of aortic VSMCs in a dose-related manner. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new organic–lanthanide framework [TbL1.5(H2O)2]·H2O (1) [H2L = 5-(3′-carboxylphenyl)nicotinic acid] was synthesized. Its structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex was characterized by PXRD, FT-IR, fluorescence as well as TGA, and features a 3D framework with a 1D channel and exhibits exceptionally high thermal stability up to 440 °C in air. Furthermore, it displays highly sensitive and selective luminescence quenching to Hg2+ in aqueous solution. The result of a reversible sensing experiment showed complex 1 could be reusable at least 5 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with various nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) mutations are controversial in the prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the prognosis of patients according to types of NPM1 mutations (NPM1mut). Methods: Bone marrow samples of 528 patients newly diagnosed with AML, were collected for morphology, immunology, cytogenetics, and molecular biology examinations. Gene mutations were detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Results: About 25.2% of cases exhibited NPM1mut. 83.5% of cases were type A, while type B and D were respectively account for 2.3% and 3.0%. Furthermore, 15 cases of rare types were identified, of which 2 cases have not been reported. Clinical characteristics were similar between patients with A-type NPM1 mutations (NPM1A − type mut) and non-A-type NPM1 mutations (NPM1non − A−type mut). Event-free survival (EFS) was significantly different between patients with low NPM1non − A−type mut variant allele frequency (VAF) and low NPM1A − type mut VAF (median EFS = 3.9 vs. 8.5 months, P = 0.020). The median overall survival (OS) of the NPM1non − A−type mutFLT3-ITDmut group, the NPM1A − type mutFLT3-ITDmut group, the NPM1non − A−type mutFLT3-ITDwt group, and the NPM1A − type mutFLT3-ITDwt group were 3.9, 10.7, 17.3 and 18.8 months, while the median EFS of the corresponding groups was 1.4, 5.0, 7.6 and 9.2 months (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Conclusions: No significant difference was observed in OS and EFS between patients with NPM1A − type mut and NPM1non − A−type mut. However, types of NPM1 mutations and the status of FLT3-ITD mutations may jointly have an impact on the prognosis of AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architectural design and fabrication of low‐cost, high‐performance organic scintillators are critical for medical imaging and material/device analysis. However, achieving large‐area and high‐transparency organic scintillators in a low‐cost and easy‐to‐implement method remains a challenge. Herein, a new design strategy for regulating the side chain length of maleimide derivatives is demonstrated to develop organic scintillators for achieving low‐cost, large‐area, and high spatial resolution in X‐ray imaging. The effective intermolecular interactions and relatively twisted molecular structure endow PAM‐M4 molecule with outstanding scintillator properties. More importantly, as demonstrated for the first time, pure organic glassy films with a diameter over 10 cm and high optical transparency can be prepared by the developed melt‐quenched method using PAM‐M4 crystal powder as a raw material. This glassy film exhibits excellent X‐ray imaging ability with a spatial resolution as high as 27.0 lp mm−1 at MTF = 0.20, which is one of the best results among reported organic scintillators. The results of this work not only develop a new design strategy for high‐performance organic scintillators but also demonstrate a reliable approach to fabricating large area screens with superior spatial resolution for medical or industrial X‐ray imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognosis of HCC patients without MVI (so called M0) is highly heterogeneous and the need for adjuvant therapy is still controversial. Patients with HCC with M0 who underwent liver resection (LR) or liver transplantation (LT) as an initial therapy were included. The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital (EHBH)-M0 score was developed from a retrospective cohort to form the training cohort. The classification which was developed using multivariate cox regression analysis was externally validated. The score was developed using the following factors: α-fetoprotein level, tumour diameter, liver cirrhosis, total bilirubin, albumin and aspartate aminotransferase. The score differentiated two groups of M0 patients (≤3, >3 points) with distinct long-term prognoses outcomes (median overall survival (OS), 98.0 vs. 46.0 months; p < 0.001). The predictive accuracy of the score was greater than the other commonly used staging systems for HCC. And for M0 patients with a higher score underwent LR. Adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) was effective to prolong OS. The EHBH M0 scoring system was more accurate in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients with M0 after LR or LT. Adjuvant therapy is recommended for HCC patients who have a higher score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobilized antibodies with site-specific, oriented, and covalent pattern are of great significance to improve the sensitivity of solid-phase immunoassay. Here, we developed a novel antibody conjugation strategy that can immobilize antibodies in a directional and covalent manner. In this study, an IgG-Fc binding protein (Z domain) carrying a site-specific photo-crosslinker, p -benzoyl-L-phenylalanine, and a single C-terminal cysteine (Cys) handle was genetically engineered. Upon UV irradiation, the chimeric protein enables the Cys handle to couple with the native antibody in Fc-specific and covalent conjugation pattern, resulting in a novel thiolated antibody. Thus, an approach for the covalent, directional immobilization of antibodies to maleimide-modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was developed on the basis of the crosslinking between sulfhydryl and maleimide groups. The antibody-conjugated MNPs were applied in MNP-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen. The MNP-based ELISA presented a quantification linear range of 0.1–100 ng mL−1 and detection limit of 0.02 ng mL−1, which was approximately 100 times more sensitive than the traditional microplate ELISA (2.0 ng mL−1). Thus, the proposed antibody immobilization approach can be used in surface functionalization for the sensitive detection of various biomarkers. [Display omitted] • A photoactivable Z Bpa -Cys recombinant was genetically engineered by aaRS/tRNA technique. • A thiol modified antibody with Fc-specific and covalent conjugation was fabricated by employing Z Bpa -Cys. • An approach for directional immobilization of antibody onto MNPs was proposed. • A MNPs-based ELISA for enhanced antigen detection was developed. • The sensitivity was about 100 times more than the traditional microplate ELISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with a PD‐1 inhibitor and TACE combined with a PD‐1 inhibitor and lenvatinib have recently been reported as promising treatments to improve the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study aims to compare the efficacy of these two treatments. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, and patients were recruited from two centers in China. Progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared, and the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were evaluated according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST). Treatment‐related adverse events (AEs) were analyzed to assess safety. Results: The median follow‐up for the entire cohort was 11.4 months. Of the 103 patients included in this study, 56 received triple therapy, and 47 received doublet therapy. PFS was significantly higher in the triple therapy group than in the doublet therapy group (mPFS 22.5 vs. 14.0 months, P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained in terms of OS (P = 0.001). The ORR and DCR were also better in the triple therapy group (64.3% vs. 38.3%, P = 0.010; 85.7% vs. 57.4%, P = 0.002). The most common AEs in the triple therapy group were decreased albumin (55.3%), decreased platelet count (51.8%) and hypertension (44.6%). Conclusions: The combination of TACE with a PD‐1 inhibitor and lenvatinib in patients with BCLC stage B HCC might result in significantly improved clinical outcomes with a manageable safety profile compared with TACE with a PD‐1 inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the intrinsically conductive polymers, polyanilines have been of great interest in the past decades due to their wide applications in many fields, thanks to their reasonably good conductivity, easy preparation, and special redox properties. Ever-increasing environmental considerations make the processing of polyanilines shift from toxic organic solvent-based system to eco-friendly water-based system. The present paper reviews the synthesis of water-borne conducting polyanilines, and possible applications are discussed including supercapacitor electrode material, metal free corrosion protection coating, lithium oxygen battery cathode material and ultraviolet curable resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a complicated phenomenon of friction-induced noise, disc brake squeal has remained a challenge to automotive industry. To investigate the intermittent characteristics of disc brake squeal, a three-degree-of-freedom dynamics model considering both the friction coefficient and the disc surface run-out (SRO) is established in this paper. Their influences on system complex eigenvalues and transient responses are numerically investigated. At the same time, an experiment is conducted based on a pin-on-disc setup. The experimental results show that disc brake squeal is mainly dependent on modal coupling, and influenced by the incline angle of disc SRO. When disc brake squeal occurs, the time history of sound pressure is consistent with that of the disc vibration, which is due to the synchronization of the incline angle of macro and micro disc SRO that has the equivalent effect on system stability as friction coefficient does. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is deregulated in acute kidney injury (AKI) through an unknown mechanism. In the present study, we used a previously described mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection in which uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) were transurethrally inoculated to induce kidney infections. Here, we show that urinary MIF was upregulated during AKI while MIF was abundantly expressed in the renal cortical tubules and that UPEC infection caused a decrease in tubular MIF. Infections with UPEC in vitro caused MIF release in a cell type-dependent manner, which was independent of receptor-mediated internalization, signal transduction, and transcription. Indeed, UPEC infection-induced necrotic cell death in vitro and in vivo correlated with extracellular acidification and processed MIF secretion. These data suggest that MIF is released by necrotic renal cortical tubular cells during UPEC infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]