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Filling materials are used in root end surgery to seal the cavities of teeth and protecting teeth from saliva and bacterial leakage. This study fabricates nonwoven nets using low-melting point polylactic acid (PLA) fibers. Intermediate restorative material (IRM®, a temporary filling material) is made of zinc oxide powder and eugenol solvent with a 3:1 ratio. IRM is then added with PLA fibers or nets to form the fiber-reinforced composite filling material (FFM) or net-reinforced composite filling material (NFM), respectively. FFM and NFM are tested in terms of setting time, compressive strength, solubility, and microleakage to compare the difference between the addition of fibers or nets. The results show that FFM with 2% PLA fibers demonstrates an optimal reinforcing effectiveness and does not cause leaking beyond 40 days after being tested. In addition, it also has better compressive strength than IRM and thus provides greater reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The oxide islands contain three types: hemispherical, disc-like and film-like. • EDS and SAED demonstrate the primary components of the oxide islands are amorphous SiO 2 , MnO, MnSiO 3 and Mn 2 SiO 4. • Surface diffusion and bulk diffusion dominate the geometry of the oxide islands. • Formation process of circular oxide nano-inclusions is discussed in detail. • An oxidation mechanism model is proposed based on experimental results. The characterization of the oxide islands on the surface of the spatter contributes to a fundamental understanding of the formation and oxidation of spatter in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). In the present study, the surface and cross-section characteristics of spatters with oxide islands are investigated using high resolution scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. The oxide islands with different configurations on the spatter surface are divided into three main categories: hemispherical, disc-like and film-like. Moreover, the primary component of oxide islands is an amorphous SiO 2 , which may also contain MnO, MnSiO 3 , and Mn 2 SiO 4. Furthermore, a transition layer (enriched in Si, Mn, and O) is found at the oxide islands || spatter substrate interface, and the width of which is 4 μm and 20 nm on the spatter surface and within the spatter cross-section, respectively. Besides, the composition and sources of the circular oxide nano-inclusions (50-600 nm) internal to the spatters are also discussed in detail. Eventually, the driving forces affecting the formation of oxide islands on the surface of spatters are summarized, and a schematic diagram of the formation procedure is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both He weakening effect and He atom intrusion on Cu/W interface were researched. • He weakening effect is caused by the decreasing interfacial Cu-W bonding strength. • Cu(111)/W(111) interfacial structure has the largest resistance on He weakening effect. • Resistance of Cu/W interface on He atom intrusion is decided by the diffusion barrier. • Cu(111)/W(111) interfacial structure has the strongest resistance on He atom intrusion. [Display omitted] To improve the service performance of Cu/W plasma-facing components (PFCs), the influence of the Cu/W interfacial structure on the resistance against harmful He atoms, including the He weakening effect and He atom intrusion, was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The Cu(100)/W(100), Cu(110)/W(110), and Cu(111)/W(111) were selected as the representative Cu/W interfacial structures. The results show that He atom intrusion at the Cu/W interface weakens the interfacial Cu–W ionic bonding strength and the covalent bonding strength simultaneously, causing a decrease in the Cu/W interface bonding property (He weakening effect). The Cu(111)/W(111) interfacial structure shows the largest resistance to the He weakening effect owing to the minimal reduction of the interfacial work of adhesion ~0.45 J/m2; this is attributed to the lesser weakening degree of the Cu–W ionic bonding strength. Moreover, when He atoms diffuse along the Cu/W interface, the interactions between the He atoms at the saddle point and the surrounding Cu and W atoms on the Cu(111)/W(111) interfacial structure are the strongest. The resulting highest energy barrier of ~6.84 eV and the resulting low diffusion coefficient indicate that the Cu(111)/W(111) interfacial structure also has the strongest hindrance capacity against He atom intrusion. Therefore, Cu(111)/W(111) is the most promising Cu/W interfacial structure, which can significantly improve the service performance of the Cu/W PFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had a large impact on human health and socio-economics worldwide. The lockdown implemented in China beginning from January 23, 2020 led to sharp reductions in human activities and associated emissions. The declines in primary pollution provided a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between anthropogenic emissions and air quality. This study reports on air pollutant and meteorological measurements at different heights from a tall tower in the Pearl River Delta. These measurements were used to investigate the vertical scale response of pollutants to understand reductions in human activities. Compared to that in the pre-lockdown period (from December 16, 2019), the concentrations of surface layer nitric oxide (NO x), fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), and daily maximum 8 h average ozone (MDA8O 3) declined significantly during the lockdown by 76.8%, 49.4%, and 18.6%, respectively. Although the vertical profiles of NO x and O 3 changed during the lockdown period, those of PM 2.5 remained the same. During the lockdown period, there were statistically significant correlations between PM 2.5 and O 3 but not between PM 2.5 and NO x at four heights, indicating that the main composition of PM 2.5 have dramatically changed, during which the impact of NO x on PM 2.5 became insignificant. Additionally, O 3 concentrations were also insensitive to NO x concentrations during the lockdown, implying that O 3 levels were more of a representative of regional background level. In this case, local photochemical formation is no longer a significant ozone source. This evidence suggests that it is possible to mitigation of PM 2.5 and O 3 levels simultaneously by significant reductions in anthropogenic emissions. [Display omitted] • The vertical profile of NOx, PM 2.5 and O 3 before and during COVID19 lockdown were observed from a tower in PRD, China. • Significant reductions in surface NOx, PM 2.5 and MDA8O 3 during the lockdown by 76.8%, 49.4%, and 18.6%. • Compared with the pre-lockdown, the vertical profiles of NOx and O 3 changed but PM 2.5 remain the same during the lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A risk and traffic based routing algorithm for communication services in electric power network is proposed. • A risk balance strategy with service importance and link availability is proposed. • An efficient traffic balance scheme considering bandwidth and traffic-processing capability is established. • Both the blocking probability and service risk can be decreased simultaneously. There is a trend that traffic unbalance in electric power communication networks is becoming more and more prominent because of the increasing communication demand from the development of the energy Internet. To reduce transmission risk and improve network's reliability and throughput, it is necessary to optimize the routes of communication services with traffic and risk balance strategies. In this paper, a risk and traffic-based routing algorithm for electric power communication services is proposed. We first establish a risk balance strategy with service importance and link availability, then proposes a traffic balance scheme considering bandwidth on links and traffic-processing capability of nodes. Based on traffic characteristics and service risk, the proposed algorithm considers the traffic flow and risk value of the link synthetically and designs a corresponding routing strategy by introducing the balance factor. Numerical results obtained in a real electric power communication environment demonstrate that the algorithm can reduce both the blocking probability and the service risk simultaneously, which achieves the balance between traffic and risk and obtain the optimal performance of electric power communication network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is no consensus on the vitamin D levels and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Aim: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze the relationship between IBD and 25(OH)D, sun exposure, and latitude, and to determine whether vitamin D deficiency affects the severity of IBD. Methods: We searched the PubMed, EBSCO, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases to identify all studies that assessed the association between 25(OH)D, sun exposure, latitude, and IBD through November 1, 2014, without language restrictions. Studies that compared 25(OH)D levels between IBD patients and controls were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. We calculated pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) and odds ratios (ORs). Results: Thirteen case-control studies investigating CD and 25(OH)D levels were included, and eight studies part of above studies also investigated the relationship between UC and 25(OH)D. Both CD patients (SMD: 0.26 nmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.42 nmol/L) and UC patients (SMD: 0.5 nmol/L, 95% CI: 0.15–0.85 nmol/L) had lower levels of 25(OH)D than controls. In addition, CD patients and UC patients were 1.95 times (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.48–2.57) and 2.02 times (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.13–3.60) more likely to be 25(OH)D deficient than controls. We also included 10 studies investigating the relationship between CD activity and vitamin D. Results showed that patients with active CD (CD Activity Index≥150) were more likely to have low vitamin D levels. In addition, whether low sun exposure and high latitude were related to a high morbidity of CD need to be provided more evidence. Conclusion: Our study shows that IBD patients have lower vitamin D levels. For active CD patients, vitamin D levels were low. These findings suggest that vitamin D may play an important role in the development of IBD, although a direct association could not be determined in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a new water-soluble polysaccharide (LJP-11) was obtained from Laminaria japonica by anion exchange DEAE-cellulose chromatography and Sephacryl S-500 chromatography. The average molecular weight of this polysaccharide was estimated to be about 2.89 × 10 6 Da by high performance liquid chromatography system. Gas chromatography showed that LJP-11 was composed of arabinose, mannose and glucose in a molar ratio of 1.0:1.16:6.33. LJP-11 contains a long backbone consisting of (1→4)-β- d -Glc p Ac, (1→4)-α- d -Glc p , (1→6)-β- d -Glc p and (1→3,6)-α- d -Man p . The 1-linked β- l -Ara f was linked to the C-6 of (1→3)-α- d -Man p and the sulfate group was attached to the C-4 of (1→6)-β- d -Glc p . Pharmacological tests displayed that LJP-11 can stimulate macrophages to release NO, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10 as well as the up-regulation of their gene expressions, indicating LJP-11 has beneficial effects on immunostimulation. Moreover, LJP-11 exhibited positive effects on the translocation of NF-κB p65 from cytoplasm to nucleus and the phosphorylation of IκBα, ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and P38 in macrophages. These results suggested that the activation of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways is one of the mechanisms responsible for the immunostimulating activity of LJP-11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface nanocoating of lithium-rich layered Li 1.2 Mn 0.52 Co 0.08 Ni 0.2 O 2 with samarium fluoride (SmF 3 ) has been performed through a chemical deposition route combined with a low-temperature hydrothermal treatment. The surface-modified Li 1.2 Mn 0.52 Co 0.08 Ni 0.2 O 2 particles are uniformly and completely covered by an amorphous SmF 3 protective layer with a thin thickness of ∼20 nm. After surface modification, the coated Li 1.2 Mn 0.52 Co 0.08 Ni 0.2 O 2 as cathode shows a significantly improved cycling stability, keeping a capacity retention of 84.5% after 150 cycles at 2 C, much higher than 68.9%forits uncoated counterpart. Moreover, the coated sample delivers an enhanced rate capability with an average capacity of ∼132.3 mA h g −1 when charged at 5 C and discharged at 0.2 C, while the uncoated counterpart only exhibits a capacity of ∼111.4 mA h g −1 under the same conditions. Our results reveal that the remarkably improved electrochemical performance of the surface-modified cathode is attributed to the presence of uniform, robust, and nanoscale SmF 3 coating layer, which not only suppresses the growth of SEI layer by reducing the side reaction between cathode and electrolyte solution, but also strengthens the structure stability of the Li-rich layered cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a three-line breeding system based on cytoplasmic male sterility has a great potential for hybrid production in barley. Hybrid vigour, or heterosis, which is an advantage of the offspring as compared to two parental lines, is one of the major factors for the success of the use of hybrids. In this study, gene differential expression profiles between barley hybrids and their parents were analysed by cDNA-AFLP analysis using forty eight crosses. Five transcript-derived fragments (TDFs) showed significant effects on heterosis of 1,000-kernel-weight, one of the major yield components. These five TDFs were successfully validated in different crosses by eliminating crosses with lower heterosis and thus can be used in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Liddle syndrome, an autosomal dominant form of monogenic hypertension, is attributed to mutations in the genes encoding β and γ subunits ( SCNN1B and SCNN1G) of the epithelial sodium channel ( ENaC). The aim of this study was to search for pathogenic mutations of SCNN1B and SCNN1G in an adolescent under the impression of Liddle syndrome and no family history of hypertension. Design and Patients We screened the C-terminus of SCNN1B and SCNN1G in an adolescent with poorly controlled hypertension who was clinically diagnosed as having Liddle syndrome. We also screened for the mutation in his parents, 100 hypertensive patients and 100 controls. Results Genetic analysis of SCNN1B revealed a frameshift mutation induced by insertion of an additional cytosine into a string of six located between codons 617 and 618, which is predicted to introduce a new termination codon at position 621 and produce a protein truncated by 20 amino acids. This frameshift mutation was not detected in the patient's parents, the 100 hypertensive patients or the 100 controls, indicating that this is a de novo mutation and not a common genetic polymorphism. There was no mutation of SCNN1G in any of the individuals examined. Conclusion Based on direct DNA sequencing, we identified a novel frameshift mutation in the β ENaC gene in an isolated case of Liddle syndrome. Confirmation of the diagnosis and effective tailored treatment in the patient were achieved, implying that genetic testing is a useful tool to diagnose Liddle syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bio-ceramic composite coatings have been fabricated on ZK60 magnesium (Mg) alloy to improve its bio-corrosion resistance in a simulated body fluid (SBF). Firstly, micro-arc oxidation coatings (n-MAO coating) with the addition of zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) and cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) nano-particles were prepared by MAO technique on ZK60Mg alloy in alkaline electrolyte. Secondly, nano-hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on the surface of n-MAO coatings by using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. The degradation behavior of the coated samples was investigated by means of immersion tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in the SBF at 36.5 ± 0.5 °C. The variation of phase composition, surface and cross-section morphology of coatings at different immersion stages were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The results showed that the precipitation layer with biological activity formed on the surface of coated samples during the SBF immersion, which can inhibit Mg alloys from degrading effectively. The n-MAO/EPD composite coating with HA dense structure has a favorable anti-corrosion effect compared to the n-MAO coating. Degradation mechanism model of the corrosion process at different corrosion stages for two kinds of coatings were proposed. The long-term corrosion protection of the n-MAO/EPD composite coating was governed significantly by the synergistic effect of phase composition stability and micro structural integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium fluoride (CeF 3 ) coated lithium-rich layered Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 particles are synthesized using a facile chemical deposition route. The structural and electrochemical properties of pristine and CeF 3 -coated electrodes are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), galvanostatic charge/discharge tests, electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results indicate that the cathode particles are uniformly covered with a CeF 3 layer (∼10 nm thick) after 2 wt.% CeF 3 surface coating. The coated electrode shows an enhanced initial coulombic efficiency of 80.8% compared to 75.2% for the pristine electrode. Moreover, the coated electrode demonstrates better cyclic performance, which exhibits capacity retention of 91.7% after 50 cycles compared with only 82.1% for the pristine one. Furthermore, the CeF 3 -coated electrode delivers a superior high-rate capacity of 103.1 mAh g −1 at 5C, higher than 82.2 mAh g −1 for the pristine one. The remarkably improved cycling stability and high-rate capacity of the surface-modified electrode is ascribed to the presence of a stable and thin CeF 3 coating layer which effectively reduces the damage of electrode structure and suppresses the increase of impedance during cycling by preventing direct contact of electrode with electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Most experiments of peripheral nerve repair after injury have been conducted in the rodent model but the translation of findings from rodent studies to clinical practice is needed partly because the nerve regeneration must occur over much longer distances in humans than in rodents. The reconstruction of long distance nerve injuries still represents a great challenge to surgeons who is engaged in peripheral nerve surgery. Here we used the functional nerve conduit (collagen scaffolds incorporated with neurocytokines CNTF and bFGF) to bridge a 35 mm long facial nerve gap in minipig models. At 6 months after surgery, electrophysiology assessment and histological examination were conducted to evaluate the regeneration of peripheral facial nerves. Based on functional and histological observations, the results indicated that the functional collagen scaffolds promoted nerve reconstruction. The number and arrangement of regenerated nerve fibers, myelination, and nerve function reconstruction was better in the CNTF + bFGF conduit group than the single factor CNTF or bFGF conduit group. The functional composite conduit, which exhibited favorable mechanical properties, may promote facial nerve regeneration in minipigs effectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The roadmapping method is applied to analyse the evolution of Chinese EV industry. [•] A ‘Triple Oscillation’ Model presents the emerging industry’s ecosystem evolution. [•] The business ecosystem lifecycle is expanded with one more initiating stage. [•] A conceptual agent-based model is proposed for business ecosystem evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Cocrystallization technology can effectively regulate crystal structure, alter packing mode, and improve physicochemical performances of energetic materials at molecule level. CL-20/HMX cocrystal explosive has high energy density than HMX, but it also exhibits high mechanical sensitivity. To decrease the sensitivity and improve the properties of CL-20/HMX energetic cocrystal, the three-component energetic cocrystal CL-20/HMX/TNAD was designed. The properties of CL-20, CL-20/HMX, and CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal models were predicted. The results show that CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal models have better mechanical properties than CL-20/HMX cocrystal model, implying that the mechanical properties can be effectively improved. The binding energy of CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal models is higher than CL-20/HMX cocrystal model, indicating that the three-component energetic cocrystal is more stable, and the cocrystal model with the ratio 3:4:1 is predicted to be the most stable phase. CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal models have higher value of trigger bond energy than pure CL-20 and CL-20/HMX cocrystal models, meaning that the three-component energetic cocrystal is more insensitive. The crystal density and detonation parameters of CL-20/HMX and CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal models are lower than CL-20, illustrating that the energy density is declined. The CL-20/HMX/TNAD cocrystal has higher energy density than RDX and can be regarded as a potential high energy explosive. Methods: This paper was performed with molecular dynamics (MD) method with the software of Materials Studio 7.0 under COMPASS force field. The MD simulation was performed under isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble, the temperature and pressure was 295 K and 0.0001 GPa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the difficulty in localization and poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the angled shear vertical wave (SV wave) electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) in cracks detection of high-temperature carbon steel forgings, a finite element (FE) model of the angled SV wave EMAT detection process was established, and the influence of specimen temperature on the EMAT excitation, propagation, and reception processes was analyzed. A high-temperature resistant angled SV wave EMAT was designed to detect carbon steel from 20 °C to 500 °C, and the influence law of the angled SV wave at different temperatures was analyzed. Then a circuit-field coupled FE model of angled SV wave EMAT in the carbon steel detection process based on the Barker code pulse compression technique was established, and the effects of the Barker code element length, impedance matching method, and matching component parameters on the pulse compression effect were analyzed. In addition, the noise suppression effect and the SNR of the crack-reflected wave in the tone-burst excitation method and the Barker code pulse compression technique were compared. The results show that the amplitude of the block-corner reflected wave decreases from 556 mV to 195 mV, and the SNR decreases from 34.9 dB to 23.5 dB when the specimen temperature increases from 20 °C to 500 °C. When the temperature is 500 °C, the SNR of the crack-reflected wave obtained by the Barker code pulse compression technique can be improved by 9.2 dB compared to the tone-burst excitation method with 16 synchronous averages. The study can provide technical and theoretical guidance for online crack detection for high-temperature carbon steel forgings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and poor spatial resolution of cracks detection of the angled SV wave electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT), pulse compression technique (PCT) and line-focusing technique are introduced into the angled SV wave EMAT. A finite element (FE) model of the line-focusing (LF) EMAT detection process based on the Barker code excitation was established, and the effects of the design parameters of magnet and meander-line coil (MLC) on the main lobe amplitude and width of the defect echo after pulse compression were analysed. The optimal combination of LF-EMAT design parameters and excitation parameters was obtained, and it was compared with the traditional angled SV wave EMAT and the tone-burst excitation method by experimental measurements. The results shows that compared with angled SV wave EMAT with tone-burst excitation, LF-EMAT can improve the SNR by 14.9 dB with no synchronous average and be processed by PCT. The SNR from LF-EMAT with PCT is10 dB at 1.5 mm lift-off, while the SNR of the angled SV wave EMAT with tone-burst excitation is less than 0 dB at 1 mm lift-off. When the Barker code PCT is applied to the LF-EMAT detection, we can achieve the purpose of increasing EMAT lift-off and reducing the synchronous averages to meet the demand of online, rapid, and high-temperature detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Interlayer was prepared on the surface of W substrate using in-situ reduction. • Brittle intermetallic compound was completely avoided in the joint. • Thermal expansion coefficient of diffusion layer is between that of W and steel. • Incomplete coherent interface in diffusion layer improves the bonding strength. 90WNiFe alloy (W) and 30CrMnSiA steel (steel) were diffusion bonded using the porous NiFeWss interlayer, which was prepared on the surface of W substrate using electrolytic corrosion technology and showed high structural adaptability. The typical microstructure of joint is W/diffusion layer (NiFeW SS matrix + tiny W particle)/steel. Benefiting from the absence of brittle intermetallic compounds, the appropriate thermal expansion coefficient of (NiFeW SS matrix + W particle) diffusion layer and the incomplete coherent interface between NiFeW SS matrix and W particle in diffusion layer, the high property W/steel joint with tensile strength of 289 MPa and elongation of 8.14% was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature distribution in concrete is significant to the concrete structure's macro properties and different factors affect the heat transfer in concrete, and therefore influence the temperature distribution. This work established a three-dimensional transient heat transfer model coupled with various environmental factors, using the finite element method for calculating the results and real-measured data for testing accuracy. In addition, a sensitivity evaluation of various factors was conducted. Due to various environmental factors, the results revealed that the prediction of temperature distribution in concrete by the three-dimensional model had great accuracy with an error of less than 4%. A particular hysteresis effect of temperature response in the concrete existed. Considering heat transfer in different spatial directions, the model can predict the temperature change of each spatial point instead of the spatial surface in different depths, proving the shortcomings of a one-dimensional heat transfer model. A greater solar radiation intensity caused a more significant temperature difference on the concrete surface: the surface temperature difference in July was twice as significant as that in December. Wind speed had a cooling effect on the concrete surface, and stronger wind speed accompanied with a stronger cooling effect made the surface temperature closer to the ambient temperature. Material properties had different effects on the temperature distribution of the surface part and internal part: the specific heat capacity determined the speed of the outer layer temperature change while the thermal conductivity determined the speed of the inner layer temperature change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a set of formulae for estimating the light spot position projected on a quadrant detector (QD). A novel method of annular segmentation calculus (ASC) is designed to analyze the detecting light spot of QD. The influences of the spot movement mode, spot energy distribution, and dead area to the dynamic range and the detection sensitivity are analyzed. It is shown in simulations that our new formulae have achieved a much better results to increase measurement accuracy. It is also shown that on the condition of the same spot size, the detection sensitivity of Gaussian distribution is prior to uniform distribution. The detection sensitivity of diagonal mode is better than cross mode. The detection sensitivity increases with increase in the size ratio of dead area to spot. The simulating and experimental results show that the measuring range of QD is 400μm, and the resolution is 50μm. The study presented here will be beneficial in developing the nanomechanical displacement detection techniques. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work, high performance spinel MnCo2O4 electrode was fabricated via a facile sol–gel method and its capacitive behavior was successfully investigated in alkaline electrolyte. MnCo2O4 electrode was characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The pseudo capacitive behavior of spinel MnCo2O4 was widely investigated in 2M KOH aqueous electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). As a result, the spinel MnCo2O4 exhibited excellent porous structure and the highest specific capacitance of 405Fg−1 was achieved at a current density of 5mAcm−2. In addition, the spinel MnCo2O4 displayed desirable stability in alkaline electrolyte during long-term cycles with a cycling efficiency of 95.1% over 1,000 cycles. The high specific capacitance and excellent cycling ability of MnCo2O4 show promise for its application in supercapacitors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background & Aims: Breathlessness is a primary clinical feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to describe the frequency of and factors associated with breathlessness in a cohort of COPD patients identified from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a general practice electronic medical records database. Methods: Patients with a record of COPD diagnosis after January 1 2008 were identified in the CPRD. Breathlessness was assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea scale, with scoring ranging from 1–5, which has been routinely administered as a part of the regular assessment of patients with COPD in the general practice since April 2009. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression estimated independent associations with dyspnoea. Negative binomial regression evaluated a relationship between breathlessness and exacerbation rate during follow-up. Results: The total cohort comprised 49,438 patients diagnosed with COPD; 40,425 (82%) had any MRC dyspnoea grade recorded. Of those, 22,770 (46%) had moderate-to-severe dyspnoea (MRC≥3). Breathlessness increased with increasing airflow limitation; however, moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was also observed in 32% of patients with mild airflow obstruction. Other factors associated with increased dyspnoea grade included female gender, older age (≥70 years), obesity (BMI ≥30), history of moderate-to-severe COPD exacerbations, and frequent visits to the general practitioner. Patients with worse breathlessness were at higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up. Conclusions: Moderate-to-severe dyspnoea was reported by >40% of patients diagnosed with COPD in primary care. Presence of dyspnoea, including even a perception of mild dyspnoea (MRC = 2), was associated with increased disease severity and a higher risk of COPD exacerbations during follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aberrant synaptic dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The DLGAP2 gene encoding the SAP90/PSD-95-associated protein 2 (SAPAP2) located at the post-synaptic density of neuronal cells is involved in the neuronal synaptic function. This study aimed to investigate whether the DLGAP2 gene is associated with schizophrenia. We resequenced the putative promoter region and all the exons of the DLGAP2 gene in 523 patients with schizophrenia and 596 non-psychotic controls from Taiwan and conducted a case-control association analysis. We identified 19 known SNPs in this sample. Association analysis of 9 SNPs with minor allele frequency greater than 5% showed no association with schizophrenia. However, we found a haplotype (CCACCAACT) significantly associated with schizophrenia (odds ratio:2.5, p<0.001). We also detected 16 missense mutations and 1 amino acid-insertion mutation in this sample. Bioinformatic analysis showed some of these mutations were damaging or pathological to the protein function, but we did not find increased burden of these mutations in the patient group. Notably, we identified 5 private rare variants in 5 unrelated patients, respectively, including c.−69+9C>T, c.−69+13C>T, c.−69+47C>T, c.−69+55C>T at intron 1 and c.−32A>G at untranslated exon 2 of the DLGAP2 gene. These rare variants were not detected in 559 control subjects. Further reporter gene assay of these rare variants except c.−69+13C>T showed significantly elevated promoter activity than the wild type, suggesting increased DLGAP2 gene expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Our results indicate that DLGAP2 is a susceptible gene of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Acute buspirone treatment affected the attentional accuracy. [•] Subchronic buspirone treatment augmented the impulsivity. [•] Central serotonin may time-dependently regulate impulsivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Dynamic modeling of a power system is fundamental to its safe operation and control. With the development of wide-area measurement system (WAMS) and low level probing tests, it is feasible to estimate a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) model of a power system without large disturbances. In practice, outputs during the low level probing tests consist of measurement noise, system noise and probing responses. Before applying a field experiment of MIMO modeling, noise influence to the system modeling as well as applicability of existed identification methods should be examined. In this paper, four kinds of subspace methods are carefully compared for their applicability in power systems' MIMO modeling with low level probing test. Results with different noise conditions explore the noise influence and the suitable methods for field experiment. Monte Carlo method is used for statistic analysis in a small system and conclusions are validated in a large complex system, China Southern Grid. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: This study aimed to compare the survival outcomes between trimodal therapy (TT) and partial cystectomy (PC) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. Methods: The data of 13,096 patients with MIBC diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Among them, 4,041 patients underwent TT and 1,670 patients underwent PC. Propensity score matching was performed to balance the characteristics between the 2 treatment groups. A multivariate Cox regression analysis model and a competing risk model were used to evaluate overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival. Cumulative incidence survival curves were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Results of multivariate Cox analysis before propensity score matching showed that the TT group had a 31% reduction in cause-specific survival relative to the PC group (HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.61–0.78, p < 0.001) and a 28% reduction in OS (HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.66–0.79, p < 0.001). After propensity score matching, the 2 groups yielded 972 patients, with 3-year cause-specific survival rates of 54.1% and 68.5% in the TT group and the PC group, respectively. Conclusions: Patients who underwent PC had a better prognosis than those who received TT. In addition, for MIBC patients who required bladder-sparing therapy, advanced age (≥80 years), pathological type of squamous cell carcinoma, and tumor stage of T3–4, N2–3, and M1 were independent poor prognostic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in the urinary system with high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel subclass of noncoding-RNA which participate in progression of BCa. Here, we identified a novel circRNA–circ3323 and aimed to investigate the role of circ3323 in progression of BCa. Public data of RNA sequencing was used to identify significant circRNA related to BCa. The role of circRNAs in progression of BCa was assessed in cytotoxicity assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry. Biotin-coupled RNA pull-down and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to evaluate the interaction between circRNAs and miRNAs. The expression of circ3323 was higher in BCa tissues and cells than in normal samples. Experiments in vitro showed that the knockdown of circ3323 inhibited cell proliferation and impeded the metastasis of BCa cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that circ3323 acts as a sponge for miR-186-5p and promotes host gene APP's expression. Clinically, circ3323 predicts worse overall survival of BCa patients, indicating its prognostic value. Our study identified that circ3323 modulates metastasis of BCa through miR-186-5p/APP axis and may serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for BCa, which provides novel insights into treatment of BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease associated with pain and disability. OA patients are at a high risk for venous thrombosis (VTE). Here, we developed an interpretable machine learning (ML)-based model to predict VTE risk in patients with OA. To establish a prediction model, we used six ML algorithms, of which 35 variables were employed. Recursive feature elimination (RFE) was used to screen the most related clinical variables associated with VTE. SHapley additive exPlanations (SHAP) were applied to interpret the ML mode and determine the importance of the selected features. Overall, 3169 patients with OA (average age: 66.52 ± 7.28 years) were recruited from Xi'an Honghui Hospital. Of these, 352 and 2817 patients were diagnosed with and without VTE, respectively. The XGBoost algorithm showed the best performance. According to the RFE algorithms, 15 variables were retained for further modeling with the XGBoost algorithm. The top three predictors were Kellgren–Lawrence grade, age, and hypertension. Our study showed that the XGBoost model with 15 variables has a high potential to predict VTE risk in patients with OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing evidence that cell behaviors can be influenced by the direct current electric fields (EFs). Some behaviors may influence wound healing directly. This study aimed to investigate the effects of EF (200 mV/mm) on immortalized nontumorigenic human epidermal (HaCaT) cells. We established a setup that can transmit an EF and maintain a stable cell culture environment. An EF was applied to HaCaT cells, and scratch-assays were performed as a model of wound healing to observe cell migration. Proliferation was evaluated by mitochondrial activity, total protein, and DNA content. Secretion of healing-associated cytokines was evaluated via cytokine arrays, and Western blot was applied to investigate signaling pathway alterations. Compared with the control group, the migration of cells exposed to EFs significantly increased (p < 0.01). After 7 days, the changes in proliferation also increased significantly (p < 0.05). The cytokine arrays revealed that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was the most abundant factor secreted by HaCaT following EF exposure. The signals for phospho-Erk1/2 showed a significant (p < 0.0001) increase following EF exposure. The results demonstrate that exposure of HaCaT cells to EFs has positive effects on migration, proliferation, and cytokine secretion—three important steps in wound healing—and these effects may be partially mediated by activation of the Erk1/2 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the properties of Rayleigh wave fields scattered at a surface from open vertical cracks with different shapes are investigated. The scattered Rayleigh wave is determined by both the incident Rayleigh wave and its interaction with the crack, and the wave fields are modeled using the Green's function method based on the reciprocity theorem. The reflection coefficient of the Rayleigh wave in two-dimensional coordinates is employed to simplify the area integration over the crack surface for the scattered Rayleigh wave to a line integration over the length of the crack. Numerical simulations are carried out, and the effects of the crack length and depth on the scattered Rayleigh wave fields are discussed. The results indicate that the distribution of a scattered Rayleigh wave field is mainly determined by the crack length, while the amplitude is closely related to the crack depth. Since the reflection coefficient becomes almost stable when the ratio of the crack depth to the Rayleigh wavelength is larger than 1, the variation in the scattered Rayleigh wave field is insignificant for cracks with the same length but varying depths. This work will be helpful for solving the inverse problem of evaluating crack geometry using ultrasonic Rayleigh waves and for further work on Rayleigh waves scattered by cracks with different directions of extension and angles with the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, based on electronic spinning resonance and chemiluminescence (CL) measurements, it is found that the reaction kinetics of Co(II)-triggered Fenton-like reaction is much faster than those of other transition metal ions, which facilitates the observation of the strong CL signals from Co(II). Utilizing the polymer–surfactant complexes (i.e., necklace model) to act as a novel CL microenvironment, a highly selective CL sensing system for the detection of Co(II) has been successfully fabricated based on the CL resonance energy transfer between the Fenton-like reaction and necklace model microenvironment-modulated carbon dots. Under optimized experimental conditions, this proposed CL system exhibits a stable response to Co(II) over a concentration range from 1.0 to 1000nM with a detection limit as low as 0.67nM. Finally, this system has been successfully used for the detection of Co(II) in HepG2 cells, and the results were agreed with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, a novel color-coding method for absolute phase measurement is proposed. A three steps phase-shift algorithm was adopted to calculate the relative phase (wrapped phase) because of the least need of images. Color strips were used to mark each 2π phase-change period and three neighboring colors as a group were used as codewords to identify the fringe orders. With the two parts, relative phase and fringe orders, the absolute phase can be obtained directly. We selected five colors (black, red, green, blue, and white) to test our algorithm, and nearly 60 different codewords were embedded in one image. The fringe orders and the relative phase are calculated simultaneously, and this algorithm can circumvent the phase unwrapping process. Moreover, errors will not diffuse, because the relative phase and fringe orders are uncorrelated. Besides, no need of unwrapping processing will lead to high speed in 3D profile measurement. In addition, large object can be measured with high precision using this method owe to enormous codewords can be embedded in one color image. One experiment with a small object and a big complex object was designed to test the algorithm for separate objects, and experimental results showed the validity of our algorithm for absolute phase measurement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We resequenced the exonic regions of the DLGAP3 gene, which encodes SAP90/PSD95-associated protein 3, in 215 schizophrenic patients and 215 non-psychotic controls. Seven known single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, but not associated with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, we identified several rare missense mutations and some of them might be associated with the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Due to the increasing complexity of the design interactions between the chip and package, it is necessary to consider them at the same time. In order to simultaneously handle chip and package performances, co-design of chip and package is a widely adopted solution, particularly because the finger/pad locations significantly affect IR-drop of the core and the package routing. In this paper, we develop chip-package co-design techniques to determine the locations of the fingers/pads for package routability and signal integrity concerns in IC designs, this method can be used in the 2-D and stacking IC design. Our finger/pad assignment is a two-step method: we first solve the wire congestion problem in package routing, and then try to minimize the IR-drop violation and the length of the bonding wires under a compact IR-drop model. The experimental results are encouraging. Compared with the randomly optimized method, on average, our approaches reduce the maximum package density by 42% and 68% for both technologies, IR-drop by 10.61% and 4.58%; and the bonding wires is reduced by 15.66% if we use stacking chips. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A promising nickel cobaltite oxide (NiCoO) composite electrode material was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method and followed by a simple sintering process. The microstructure and surface morphology of NiCoO modified by hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyvinyl alcohol were physically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Meanwhile, electrochemical performance was widely investigated in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that evident porous microstructure was successfully fabricated by CTAB. The NiCoO controlled by CTAB exhibited highly specific capacitance of 1,440 F g at a current density of 5 mA cm. Remarkably, it still displays desirable cycle retention of 94.1 % over 1,000 cycle numbers at a current density of 20 mA cm. The excellent electrochemical performance suggests its potential application in electrode material for electrochemical capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Schizophrenia is a severe chronic mental disorder with high genetic components in its etiology. Several studies indicated that synaptic dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Postsynaptic synapse-associated protein 90/postsynaptic density 95-associated proteins (SAPAPs) constitute a part of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-associated postsynaptic density proteins, and are involved in synapse formation. We hypothesized that genetic variants of the SAPAPs might be associated with schizophrenia. Thus, we systemically sequenced all the exons of the discs, large (Drosophila) homolog-associated protein 1 (DLGAP1) gene that encodes SAPAP1 in a sample of 121 schizophrenic patients and 120 controls from Taiwan. We totally identified six genetic variants, including five known SNPs (rs145691437, rs3786431, rs201567254, rs3745051 and rs11662259) and one rare missense mutation (c.1922A>G) in this sample. SNP- and haplotype-based analyses showed no association of these SNPs with schizophrenia. The c.1922A>G mutation that changes the amino acid lysine to arginine at codon 641 was found in one out of 121 patients, but not in 275 control subjects, suggesting it might be a patient-specific mutation. Nevertheless, bioinformatic analysis showed this mutation does not affect the function of the DLGAP1 gene and appears to be a benign variant. Hence, its relationship with the pathogenesis remains to be investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Various metal ions are present in industrial wastewater. In this study, the role of Cu2+ in pollutant degradation by laccase and the effect of common metal ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Hg2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Al3+ on the degradation velocity of the laccase-Cu2+ synergistic system using 4-nitrophenol as the target pollutant were investigated. The results show that the laccase-Cu2+ system achieved a higher degradation velocity than the system without Cu2+. The activity of the laccase-Cu2+ synergistic system was inhibited when a monovalent metal ion (Na+ or K+) was added into the system regardless of the concentration. The addition of relatively low concentrations of any divalent metal ions also resulted in inhibition of the activity. However, increasing concentrations of Ca2+ or Fe2+ increased the rate of degradation of 4-nitrophenol by the laccase-Cu2+ system, whereas increasing concentrations of other divalent metal ions suppressed the system. The inhibition effect of the added trivalent metal ions (Al3+ or Fe3+) was significant during the entire process, indicating that these trivalent metal ions can be a serious obstacle to the activity of the laccase-Cu2+ synergistic system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The metabolism of cancer cells is reprogrammed both by oncogene signaling and by dysregulation of metabolic enzymes. The resulting altered metabolism supports cellular proliferation and survival but leaves cancer cells dependent on a continuous supply of nutrients. Thus, many metabolic enzymes have become targets for new cancer therapies. Recently, two processes-expression of specific isoforms of metabolic enzymes and autophagy-have been shown to be crucial for the adaptation of tumor cells to changes in nutrient availability. An increasing number of approved and experimental therapeutics target these two processes. A better understanding of the molecular basis of cancer-associated metabolic changes may lead to improved cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for the treatment of cancer enables accurate placement of radiation dose on the cancerous region. However, the deformation of soft tissue during the course of treatment, such as in cervical cancer, presents significant challenges for the delineation of the target volume and other structures of interest. Furthermore, the presence and regression of pathologies such as tumors may violate registration constraints and cause registration errors. In this paper, automatic segmentation, nonrigid registration and tumor detection in cervical magnetic resonance (MR) data are addressed simultaneously using a unified Bayesian framework. The proposed novel method can generate a tumor probability map while progressively identifying the boundary of an organ of interest based on the achieved nonrigid transformation. The method is able to handle the challenges of significant tumor regression and its effect on surrounding tissues. The new method was compared to various currently existing algorithms on a set of 36 MR data from six patients, each patient has six T2-weighted MR cervical images. The results show that the proposed approach achieves an accuracy comparable to manual segmentation and it significantly outperforms the existing registration algorithms. In addition, the tumor detection result generated by the proposed method has a high agreement with manual delineation by a qualified clinician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recurrent mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 have been identified in gliomas, acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) and chondrosarcomas, and share a novel enzymatic property of producing 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) from ?-ketoglutarate. Here we report that 2HG-producing IDH mutants can prevent the histone demethylation that is required for lineage-specific progenitor cells to differentiate into terminally differentiated cells. In tumour samples from glioma patients, IDH mutations were associated with a distinct gene expression profile enriched for genes expressed in neural progenitor cells, and this was associated with increased histone methylation. To test whether the ability of IDH mutants to promote histone methylation contributes to a block in cell differentiation in non-transformed cells, we tested the effect of neomorphic IDH mutants on adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Introduction of either mutant IDH or cell-permeable 2HG was associated with repression of the inducible expression of lineage-specific differentiation genes and a block to differentiation. This correlated with a significant increase in repressive histone methylation marks without observable changes in promoter DNA methylation. Gliomas were found to have elevated levels of similar histone repressive marks. Stable transfection of a 2HG-producing mutant IDH into immortalized astrocytes resulted in progressive accumulation of histone methylation. Of the marks examined, increased H3K9 methylation reproducibly preceded a rise in DNA methylation as cells were passaged in culture. Furthermore, we found that the 2HG-inhibitable H3K9 demethylase KDM4C was induced during adipocyte differentiation, and that RNA-interference suppression of KDM4C was sufficient to block differentiation. Together these data demonstrate that 2HG can inhibit histone demethylation and that inhibition of histone demethylation can be sufficient to block the differentiation of non-transformed cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A railway wheelset is subject to normal wear due to large part to friction contact between the wheelset and the rail. It is very important to measure the diameter parameter of wheelset for the safety of trains. The optoelectronic method is introduced and can dynamically measure the diameter parameter. Fast Fourier transform and wavelet analysis methods are used to denoise the detected signals of wheelset diameters. The results show that the wavelet analysis provides a much better way of denoising of the signals compared with the fast Fourier transform method. Comparisons of the diameter parameter measurements with the manual apparatus and the optoelectronic system are presented. The measurement accuracy of diameter parameter was within 1.0mm. The root-mean-square error of the diameter is 0.51 and 0.15, respectively. The accuracy meets the measuring requirement of diameter parameters on line and shows that the system has better repeatability and reliability compared to the manual measurement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intermediate restorative material (IRM®) is the most commonly used temporary filling material. This research mixed IRM with Polyamide 6 (Nylon 6) fibers, forming the Nylon/IRM tooth root composite filling materials. Tests such as setting time, degree of solubility, compressing strength, and micro-leakage were carried out to examine the properties of the Nylon 6/IRM® composite material. The result showed that there was no significant difference in the setting time and degree of solubility after adding the Nylon 6 fibers. The loading after the yielding point of the Nylon 6/IRM® was more than 250 N; micro-leakage was found on the 13th day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A (TiNb)3(SiAl)C2 solid solution was designed and synthesized to improve the high-temperature oxidation resistance of Ti3(SiAl)C2. After doping with Nb, the oxidation resistance of Ti3(SiAl)C2 is improved. Its oxidation kinetics follows parabolic behavior up to 1300°C. The oxide scale formed on (TiNb)3(SiAl)C2 is thinner and smaller in grain size than that on Ti3(SiAl)C2 under the same oxidation condition. The beneficial effect of Nb doping on the oxidation resistance of Ti3(SiAl)C2 mainly results from the decreased concentration of oxygen vacancies and titanium interstitials in the rutile form of TiO2, and the inhibited generation of excessive voids in the oxide scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) has become the preferred options for nonsurgical treatment of prostate cancer and cervix cancer. In order to deliver higher doses to cancerous regions within these pelvic structures (i.e. prostate or cervix) while maintaining or lowering the doses to surrounding non-cancerous regions, it is critical to account for setup variation, organ motion, anatomical changes due to treatment and intra-fraction motion. In previous work, manual segmentation of the soft tissues is performed and then images are registered based on the manual segmentation. In this paper, we present an integrated automatic approach to multiple organ segmentation and nonrigid constrained registration, which can achieve these two aims simultaneously. The segmentation and registration steps are both formulated using a Bayesian framework, and they constrain each other using an iterative conditional model strategy. We also propose a new strategy to assess cumulative actual dose for this novel integrated algorithm, in order to both determine whether the intended treatment is being delivered and, potentially, whether or not a plan should be adjusted for future treatment fractions. Quantitative results show that the automatic segmentation produced results that have an accuracy comparable to manual segmentation, while the registration part significantly outperforms both rigid and nonrigid registration. Clinical application and evaluation of dose delivery show the superiority of proposed method to the procedure currently used in clinical practice, i.e. manual segmentation followed by rigid registration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this study, gold nanorods were firstly found to exhibit a tremendously higher catalytic activity towards luminol chemiluminescence (CL) than spherical gold nanoparticles. More importantly, ultra-trace aminothiols can cause a great CL decrease in the gold nanorod-catalyzed luminol system by the formation of Au–S covalent bonds on the ends of gold nanorods. Aminothiols can occupy the active sites of gold nanorods, and further interrupt the generation of the active oxygen intermediates. Other biomolecules including 19 standard amino acids, alcohols, organic acids and saccharides have no effect on gold nanorod-catalyzed luminol CL signals. Moreover, in order to evaluate the applicability and reliability of the proposed method, it was applied to the determination of glutathione in the cell extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Good agreements were obtained for the determination of glutathione in the cell extracts of S. cerevisiae between the present approach and a standard Alloxan method. The recoveries of glutathione were found to fall in the range between 96 and 105%. The calibration curve for glutathione was found to be linear from 0.05 to 100nM, and the detection limit (S/N=3) was 0.01nM. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for five repeated measurements of 5.0nM glutathione was 2.1%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although a number of studies have shown that perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) attenuates arterial contraction through the release of perivascular-derived relaxation factors (PVRF), the role of PVAT in modulating venous function and its mechanism(s) remained unknown. Here we examined the role of PVAT in the modulation of vascular function in the inferior vena cava. Venous rings from male Wistar rats were prepared with both endothelium and PVAT intact, with either PVAT or endothelium removed, or with both endothelium and PVAT removed for functional studies. Contractile response to phenylephrine, U 46619, or 5-hydroxytryptamine was significantly attenuated in PVAT+ as compared with PVAT− veins. PVAT− vessels with intact endothelium (E+) pre-contracted with phenylephrine showed a concentration-dependent relaxation response to angiotensin 1–7 [Ang-(1–7)], and this response was abolished by the removal of endothelium, and by Ang-(1–7) (Mas) receptor antagonists D-Ala-Ang-(1–7) (A779) or D-Pro7-Ang-(1–7). Donor solution incubated with a PVAT+ ring induced a relaxation response in the E+ recipient vessel but not in E− recipient vessel. The use of specific channel blockers and enzyme inhibitors showed that Ang-(1–7) is a transferable PVRF that induces endothelium-dependent relaxation through NO release and activation of voltage-dependent potassium (K+) channels (Kv) channels. We conclude that venous PVAT attenuates agonist-induced contraction by releasing Ang-(1–7), which causes relaxation of smooth muscle through endothelial NO release and activation of Kv channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We studied the structural and the functional alterations of perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in hypertension with spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, a smaller body fat mass and a greater lean mass were found in SHR than in Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats, while body weight was comparable between them. In the thoracic PVAT, the density and the total number of brown adipocytes were greater in SHR than in WKY rats, while the cross section area of PVAT was similar between them. In functional assessment, four types of vessel preparations (with either intact PVAT or intact endothelium, or with both, or without both) were employed. Vessels with intact PVAT from SHR contracted more to phenylephrine than that from WKY rats, while vessels without PVAT exhibited comparable contractile response to phenylephrine between SHR and WKY rats. Both endothelium-dependent and -independent components of PVAT-associated attenuation of phenylephrine-induced contraction were reduced in SHR as compared with that of WKY rats. Bioassay experiments were carried out to assess the transferable relaxation factor from the PVAT. Transfer of bathing solution incubated with PVAT-intact vessel caused less relaxation in SHR recipients than in WKY rats, and the relaxation response was abolished by D-Ala7-angiotensin-(1–7), an angiotensin-(1–7) receptor antagonist. In summary, PVAT-associated inhibition of vessel contractile response to agonist was impaired in SHR, and the impairment involved both endothelium-dependent and -independent mechanisms. The functional impairment observed in SHR PVAT may be related to changes in adipocyte composition but not to reduced PVAT mass in SHR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: Bladder cancer is the most common type of urologic cancer in Chinese males. The 5-year survival rate of advanced bladder cancer is approximately 20%–40%. There is an obvious urgent need for novel and effective therapies against bladder cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a recently discovered class of noncoding RNAs; suppressing miRNA-221 might prove beneficial in several cancers. To explore novel and effective therapies against bladder cancer, we explored the effects of miRNA-221 silencing on the survival of bladder cancer cells. Materials and methods: Northern blot analysis was used to determine miRNA-221 expression levels in bladder cancer T24 cells, RT4 cells and human normal urothelial cells. miRNA-221 was silenced with antisense oligonucleotides in T24 cells and pro-apoptotic effect of necrosis factor related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) on miRNA-221-silenced cells was assessed with flow cytometry. The p27kip1 protein expression in miRNA-221-silenced cells exposed to TRAIL was detected by Western blotting. The role of miRNA-221 silencing on T24 cell cycle phase distribution was investigated through flow cytometric analysis. Results: Human miRNA-221 was significantly up-regulated in bladder cancer T24 cells and RT4 cells compared to human normal urothelial cells. T24 cell was TRAIL-resistant cell line. MiRNA-221 silencing predisposed T24 cells to undergo apoptosis induced by TRAIL and resulted in an up-modulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1. MiRNA-221 suppression promoted the activation of caspase 3 induced by TRAIL in T24 cells. Conclusions: MiRNA-221 silencing rendered human bladder cancer T24 cells to undergo apoptosis induced by TRAIL. Our findings suggest a potential role of suppressing miRNA-221 in human bladder cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]