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Multisatellite data is used to analyze the characteristics of three eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs) during the lifetime of Typhoon Muifa (1109). Spiral rainbands evolutions, concentric eyewall (CE) structure modes, CE durations, and intensity changes are discussed in detail. In addition, an ERC evolution model of Typhoon Muifa is given. There are four main findings. (1) The outer spiral rainband joins end to end to form the outer eyewall after it disconnects from the original (inner) eyewall. The inner eyewall weakens as the outer eyewall becomes axisymmetric and is intensified. The contraction of the outer eyewall causes the inner eyewall to dissipate rapidly. Finally, the ERC ends with an annular eyewall or spiral rainbands. (2) Although the CE duration times of Typhoon Muifa’s three ERCs covered a large range, the CE structures were all maintained for approximately 5 h from the formation of the axisymmetric outer eyewall to the end of the cycle. (3) There is no obvious precipitation reflectivity in the eye or moat region for the subsidence flow. The convection within the two eyewalls is organized as a radially outward slope with increasing height. (4) Typhoon intensity estimation results based on ADT may not explain the intensity variations associated with ERC correctly, while the typhoon’s warm core data retrieved from AMSU-A works well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous fMRI studies related to emotional conflict focused on task activation during the specific experimental paradigm. Yet, the underlying spontaneous neural activity was largely unknown. Here, this was the first study using resting-state fMRI to explore the spontaneous neural activity related to emotional conflict. We used the whole-brain analysis to investigate the association between emotional conflict and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in a large sample. We found that the emotional conflict effect was negatively correlated with ALFF in the right AMY. These findings implied that AMY was the key region which plays a crucial role in emotional conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland is rare, and mixed squamous cell and follicular carcinoma is even rarer still, with only a few cases reported in the literature. The simultaneous presentation of three primary cancers of the thyroid has not been reported previously. Here we report a case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid, follicular thyroid carcinoma, and micropapillary thyroid carcinoma. A 62-year-old female patient presented with complaints of pain and a 2-month history of progressively increased swelling in the anterior region of the neck. Fine-needle-aspiration cytology of both lobes indicated the possibility of the presence of a follicular neoplasm. Total thyroidectomy with left-sided modified radical neck dissection was performed. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of thyroid follicular carcinoma with squamous cell carcinoma and micropapillary carcinoma of the thyroid. Thyroid-stimulating hormone suppressive therapy with l-thyroxine was administered. Radioiodine and radiotherapy also were recommended, but the patient did not complete treatment as scheduled. The patient remained alive more than 9 months after operation. The present case report provides an example of the coexistence of multiple distinct malignancies in the thyroid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Molecular targeted therapies against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor (VEGFR) have been explored in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rmNPC). We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors for treating rmNPC.Materials and Methods: Electronic databases were searched for eligible literature. Data on the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), median overall survival (mOS), PFS rate, OS rate, and drug-related adverse events (AEs) were extracted.Results: A total of 10 studies (published in 9 articles) that involved 357 patients were included. The pooled ORR was 37 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 17-60 %), the DCR was 70 % (95 % CI: 51-85 %), the mPFS was 5.69 months (95 % CI: 4.52-6.86), the mOS was 12.61 months (95 % CI: 10.23-14.99), the 1-year PFS rate was 34 % (95 % CI: 25-44 %), and the 1-year OS rate was 62 % (95 % CI: 38-83 %). The pooled incidence of grade 3/4 drug-related AEs was 27 %, while that of grade 5 AEs was 0.22 %. Further subgroup analysis showed that the pooled ORR and DCR for first-line VEGF inhibitors were 80 % (95 % CI: 74-86 %) and 94 % (CI: 82-100 %), respectively.Conclusion: Our meta-analysis is the first report to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of VEGF/VEGFR inhibitors in patients with rmNPC. Targeting VEGF/VEGFR therapy added to first-line chemotherapy achieved an excellent ORR and DCR, while the improvement in response rates did not translate to a prominent OS benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the role and key point of Et MIC4 EGF-like recombinant protein in regulating the apoptosis of Eimeria tenella host cells via the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. The cells were treated with Et MIC4 EGF-like protein, EGFR-specific siRNA, or both. Infection and apoptosis rates as well as dynamic changes in the key genes and proteins of the EGFR signaling pathway in the host cells were determined. Results showed that the E. tenella and Et MIC4 EGF-like group had the highest infection rate (P < 0.01). In cells treated with Et MIC4 EGF-like for 4 to 24 h, the apoptosis rate was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) and the relative mRNA expression and protein phosphorylation levels of EGFR, protein kinase B (AKT), and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) were significantly increased (P < 0.01). In E. tenella sporozoites infected for 4 to 96 h, the rate of host cell apoptosis induced by E. tenella infection was significantly (P < 0.01) reduced by Et MIC4 EGF-like. The relative mRNA expression and protein phosphorylation levels of EGFR, AKT, and ERK in the host cells of E. tenella + Et MIC4 EGF-like group were significantly increased (P < 0.01). These results indicated that E. tenella could activate the EGFR pathway through Et MIC4 EGF-like and regulate the expression of key genes in the AKT and ERK signaling pathways, thereby inhibiting cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premature failure of bellows in pipeline transportation system was reported frequently. Burst failure occurred at 316L stainless steel bellows in a turbine after three years of service. Optical microscope, energy dispersive spectrometer, scanning electronic microscopy and numerical simulation were used to analysis the failure reason of the failed bellows. Through the investigation of the operating environment, analysis of the chemical compositions of bellows material and corrosion products, micromorphology and metallographic test of specimens with cracks, the cracking mode can be described as the stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steel. The simulation analysis results further proved that there exists high level tensile stress zone on the inner surface. Based on the analysis results, failure causes can be drawn: under the combine action of working stress and corrosion medium (caustic Na and chloride), stress cracks came into being at the inner wall of the bellows. And the cracks extended under the continuous impact of high temperature steam, finally resulting in burst. Practical countermeasures were put forward to prevent similar failure of the stainless steel bellows as well. • The burst crack of the bellows attribute to stress corrosion cracking. • The corrosion pits are formed on the bellows where the Cl ions are gathered. • Unqualified water quality is the root cause of stress corrosion failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer vision models are currently making great strides in object detection with the rapid development of deep convolutional detectors. However, generating a large number of anchors is an indispensable step in the object detection models for locating targets, which inevitably leads to redundant detections and low computational efficiency. Detecting contours in an image is a fundamental cognitive ability in human vision system, which offers effective evidences for object detection. This paper proposes a novel and simple method by utilizing the distribution of line segments to facilitate the Non-Maximum Suppression (NMS) for the object detection models. Multiple differentiated metrics are designed for the overlap measure between bounding boxes. As a post-processing technique, the proposed segment-based NMS can be easily applied by various models. Furthermore, the proposed method is verified on multiple benchmarks and extensive experiments have been implemented to illustrate its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new film structure was designed using the transfer matrix method to broaden the stealth bands in the green circumstance. Compared with the previous theoretical result, the number of layers and thickness of the film were optimized, which made actual preparation more feasible. Then the sample was prepared and the stealth performance was tested in each band. In the visible and near-infrared bands, the film possesses spectral characteristics of green vegetation and its chromaticity is close to that of common green plants. In the middle and far infrared bands, the measured reflectance is 0.870 and 0.834 respectively. The experiment showed that the film could considerably reduce the infrared radiation. The measured reflectance of 1.06 and 10.6 μm laser is 0.096 and 0.166 respectively, which can remarkably lower the echo of the incident laser. • In this paper, a new film with better structure was designed, which increased the feasibility of sample preparation compared with previous work in the literature. • The prepared sample, possessing spectral characteristics of green plants, exhibited better stealth function in the middle and far infrared bands than the previous result. • The prepared sample had addition of low reflectance to YAG and CO2 lasers, which broadened the stealth bands and built on compatible stealth in visible, near-infrared, middle and far infrared bands as well as dual laser wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Parathyroid carcinoma ( PC) is a rare disease which is difficult to diagnose preoperatively and predict prognosis. The goal of this study was to analyse the preoperative predictive factors and prognostic factors in PC patients and to evaluate the possibility of diagnosing PC preoperatively. Design, Setting and Patients This is a retrospective study from Jan 2000 to Aug 2015 conducted in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital. Measurements Comparisons were made between 40 parathyroid carcinoma patients and 282 patients with benign parathyroid lesions during the same period. All patients underwent parathyroid surgery, and the results were certified by paraffin pathology. Prognostic factors were analysed in the 40 PC patients. Results Patients with higher levels of intact parathyroid hormone ( P < 0·001, OR = 1·001, CI: 1·000-1·002), calcium ( P = 0·008, OR = 3·395, CI: 1·382-8·341) and a larger parathyroid volume ( P = 0·001, OR = 2·023, CI: 1·333-3·071) were more likely to have PC. Local excision ( P = 0·008, OR = 4·992, CI: 1·533-16·252), stage III in the Schulte staging system ( P = 0·039, OR = 9·600, CI: 1·12-82·322), high risk in the Schulte Risk Classification ( P = 0·012, OR = 5·466, CI: 1·448-20·628) and first surgery by other medical teams ( P = 0·008, OR = 4·992, CI: 1·496-15·037) were associated with PC recurrence. Calcium ( P = 0·01, OR = 7·270, CI: 1·611-32·812), intact parathyroid hormone ( P = 0·037, OR = 1·001, CI: 1·000-1·001), local excision ( P = 0·009, OR = 6·875, CI: 1·633-28·936) and recurrence ( P = 0·014, OR = 7·762, CI: 1·504-40·055) were associated with death. Conclusions A preoperative diagnostic system may provide a new method to distinguish PC from benign parathyroid lesions before surgery. For PC patients who did not undergo en-bloc resection at first operation, timely further surgery may offer a second chance of cure. Early diagnosis and surgery are pivotal to reduce mortality in PC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social well-being represents primarily public phenomena, which is crucial for mental and physical health. However, little is known about the neural basis of this construct, especially how it is maintained during resting state. To explore the neural correlates of social well-being, this study correlated the regional fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) with social well-being of healthy individuals. The results revealed that the fALFF in the bilateral posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right thalamus and right insula positively predicted individual differences in social well-being. Furthermore, we demonstrated the different role of three pursuits of human well-being (i.e., pleasure, meaning and engagement) in these associations. Specifically, the pursuits of meaning and engagement, not pleasure mediated the effect of the fALFF in right pSTG on social well-being, whereas the pursuit of engagement mediated the effect of the fALFF in right thalamus on social well-being. Taken together, we provide the first evidence that spontaneous brain activity in multiple regions related to self-regulatory and social-cognitive processes contributes to social well-being, suggesting that the spontaneous activity of the human brain reflects the efficiency of social well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have found abnormal spontaneous neural activity in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Yet, the frequency-dependent neural activity in MDD is largely unknown. Here, we used resting-state fMRI and regional homogeneity (ReHo) methods to investigate spontaneous neural activity in specific frequency bands of 31 MDD patients and 31 age-, gender- and education-matched healthy controls. We examined spontaneous neural activity in three frequency bands: slow-4 (0.027–0.073 Hz), slow-5 (0.010–0.027 Hz), and the typical band (0.01–0.08 Hz). Compared to controls, MDD patients showed increased ReHo in the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and decreased ReHo in the fusiform and postcentral gyrus at the typical band. Importantly, MDD patients showed increased ReHo in the middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and decreased ReHo in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and the bilateral thalamus in the slow-4 band, while they showed increased ReHo in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the slow-5 band. Our results suggest that the abnormality of ReHo in MDD is associated with the frequency band and that future studies should take frequency band effect into account when examining spontaneous neural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convenient palladium-catalyzed tandem reaction of aryl iodides and salicyl N-tosylhydrazones has been achieved to afford a series of compounds containing the novel spiro[benzofuran-3,2′-chromene] scaffold in moderate to good yields. This efficient catalytic reaction, which tolerates various functional groups, combines alkyne-based 5- exo- dig cyclization, palladium(II) carbene migratory insertion and intramolecular cyclization, generating three new bonds in one reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sun–planet and ring–planet tooth mesh stiffness variations and the resulting transmission errors are the main internal vibration generation mechanisms for planetary gear systems. This paper presents the results of torsional stiffness analysis of involute spur planetary gear systems in mesh using finite element methods. A planetary gear model with three planet gears and fixed ring gear and its subsystem models have been developed to study the subsystem and overall torsional stiffnesses. Based on the analysis of torsional mesh stiffness, predictive models for single branch sun–planet–ring and overall planetary gear torsional stiffnesses have been proposed. A crack coefficient was introduced to the sun–planet and ring–planet meshes to predict the effect and sensitivity of changes to the overall torsional mesh stiffness. The resulting mesh stiffness crack sensitivity of the overall gear system was analysed under quasi-static conditions. It was found that the carrier arm stiffness has great influence on the crack sensitivity while the overall stiffness was most sensitive to the crack on the sun–planet mesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated differences in the neural time-course of cognitive conflict and emotional conflict control, using event-related potentials (ERPs). Although imaging studies have provided some evidence that distinct, dissociable neural systems underlie emotional and nonemotional conflict resolution, no ERP study has directly compared these two types of conflict. Therefore, the present study used a modified face-word Stroop task to explore the electrophysiological correlates of cognitive and emotional conflict control. The behavioral data showed that the difference in response time of congruency (incongruent condition minus the congruent condition) was larger in the cognitive conflict task than in the emotional conflict task, which indicated that cognitive conflict was stronger than the emotional conflict in the present tasks. Analysis of the ERP data revealed a main effect of task type on N2, which may be associated with top-down attention. The N450 results showed an interaction between cognitive and emotional conflict, which might be related to conflict detection. In addition, we found the incongruent condition elicited a larger SP than the congruent condition, which might be related to conflict resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new metal–organic rotaxane frameworks (MORFs) have been hydrothermally synthesized by systematically combining cucurbit[6]uril-based pseudorotaxanes, rigid carboxylate ligands and d10 metal ions. Compound 1 presents a three-periodic pillared structure; 2 and 3 are two-periodic layers with hcb topologies; 4 presents a 3D structure with snw topology and 5 is a three-periodic network, featuring from interpenetrating to non-interpenetrating 3D MORFs. The cucurbit [6]uril-based MORFs obtained in this work illustrate the importance of non-covalent interactions around CB[6]s in the assembly of resultant super architectures. Furthermore, their TGA analysis, solid photoluminescence properties and sensitization to lanthanide ions are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of wet peening treatment on the fretting fatigue behavior and crack propagation in Ti–6Al–4V alloy. Wet peening induced a compressive residual stress at 0–160 μm depth and enhanced the hardness at 0–80 μm depth. Results of the fretting fatigue tests show that the fretting damage could efficiently reduce the fatigue life of both the un-peened and wet peened samples. Moreover, wet peening could effectively increase the fretting fatigue resistance. Investigation on crack propagation mechanism revealed that the increased resistance is due to the synergistic effect of the enhanced hardness and the induced compressive residual stress in the wet peening modified layer. The enhanced hardness could resist the local fatigue in the fretting cracking stage and the compressive residual stress could retard crack growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Various vascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and diabetes mellitus are associated with hyperviscosity and lumbar disc herniation (LDH). However, the changes of viscosity in LDH have not been examined. AIMS: The present study was to elucidate 1) the rheological parameter levels in patients with LDH, 2) the risk factors that were related to rheological parameters. METHODS: Our study evaluated the rheological parameters in 307 cases with LDH and in 307 control subjects. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to assess the significant factors for whole blood viscosity (WBV) at low shear rate. RESULTS: LDH patients had markedly lower physical activity and significantly higher WBV3 s-1 compared with non-LDH subjects (p < 0.001). Moreover, WBV (3 s-1) tended to increase as physical activity decreased. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that reduced physical activity was a significant factor contributing to elevated WBV (3 s-1). CONCLUSIONS: WBV (3 s-1) is elevated in patients with LDH. In addition, reduced physical activity is a significant factor for WBV (3 s-1). Further studies are warranted to determine the role of WBV (3 s-1) in LDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a non-planar all-metal plasmonic perfect absorber (PA) with response polarization independent in infrared region, which can be served as a sensor for enhanced refractive index sensing. Distinct from previous designs, the proposed PA consisted of all metal structured film constructed with an assembly of four-tined rod resonators (FRRs). The PA with a high quality-factor (Q-factor) of 41.2 and an absorbance of 99.9% at 142.6 THz has been demonstrated numerically. The resonance behavior occurs in the space between the rods of the FRRs, which is remarkable different conventional sandwiched structural PAs. Based on equivalent LC circuit theory, the absorption peak can be finely tuned by varying the geometrical dimensions of the FRRs. Furthermore, the resonance frequency shows highly sensitive response to the change of refractive index in the surrounding medium. A careful design for refractive index sensor can yield a sensitivity of 1445 nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and a figure of merit (FOM) of 28.8. The demonstrated design of the plasmonic PA for sensing provides great potential application in enhancing refractive index sensors and the enhanced infrared spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband polarization reconfigurable rectenna is proposed, which can operate in three polarization modes. The receiving antenna of the rectenna is a polarization reconfigurable planar monopole antenna. By installing switches on the feeding network, the antenna can switch to receive electromagnetic (EM) waves with different polarizations, including linear polarization (LP), right-hand and left-hand circular polarizations (RHCP/LHCP). To achieve stable conversion efficiency of the rectenna (\etar) in all the modes within a wide frequency band, a tunable matching network is inserted between the rectifying circuit and the antenna. The measured \etar changes from 23.8% to 31.9% in the LP mode within 5.1–5.8 GHz and from 22.7% to 24.5% in the CP modes over 5.8–6 GHz. Compared to rectennas with conventional broadband matching network, the proposed rectenna exhibits more stable conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a type of shock-capturing scheme, the traditional Roe scheme fails in large eddy simulation (LES) because it cannot reproduce important turbulent characteristics, such as the famousk−5/3spectral law, as a consequence of the large numerical dissipation. In this work, the Roe scheme is divided into five parts, namely, ξ, δUp, δpp, δUu, and δpu, which denote basic upwind dissipation, pressure difference-driven modification of interface fluxes, pressure difference-driven modification of pressure, velocity difference-driven modification of interface fluxes, and velocity difference-driven modification of pressure, respectively. Then, the role of each part in the LES of homogeneous decaying turbulence with a low Mach number is investigated. Results show that the parts δUu, δpp, and δUphave little effect on LES. Such minimal effect is integral to computational stability, especially for δUp. The large numerical dissipation is due to ξ and δpu, each of which features a larger dissipation than the sub-grid scale model. On the basis of these conditions, an improved all-speed Roe scheme for LES is proposed. This scheme can provide satisfactory LES results even for coarse grid resolutions with usually adopted second-order reconstructions for the finite volume method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-doped Bi 2 O 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composite photocatalysts were prepared via a cost-effective and eco-friendly ultrasonic dispersion method. It was shown that N-doped Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles have been perfectly coated by thin g-C 3 N 4 layers. Under visible-light irradiation, the optimum photocatalytic activity of the composite with 66.7 wt% of g-C 3 N 4 is almost 4.6 times as high as that of pure g-C 3 N 4 and 8.2 times of Bi 2 O 3 , and the RhB degradation efficiency can reach 94.4% in 15 min. The dramatically improved performance of the composite can be attributed to an enhancement of visible-light absorption and a synergistic effect of N-doped Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles and g-C 3 N 4 coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using large scale numerical simulations, we obtain fractal structure, which develops at originally planar flame fronts due to the hydrodynamic Darrieus-Landau (DL) instability bending the fronts. We clarify some important issues regarding the DL fractal flames, which have been debated for a long time. We demonstrate an increase of the flame propagation speed with the hypothetic channel width, which controls the length scale of the instability development. We show that this increase may be fitted by a power law indicating the mean fractal properties of the flame front structure. The power exponent in this law is found to be not a universal constant, rather it depends on the flame properties--on the density drop at the front. Using box counting on the simulated flame front shapes we show the fractal flame dimension at the intermediate scale is smaller than the one given by the power law, but it has a similar dependency on the density drop. We also obtain a formation of pockets at the DL fractal flame fronts, which previously has been associated only with turbulent burning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is an emerging photocatalyst for organic pollutants degradation owing to its excellent stability and metal-free property. In this study, the photocatalytic activity of acidified g-C 3 N 4 (ag-C 3 N 4 ) was systematically investigated using rhodamine B (rhB) as a model organic pollutant. The results showed the photoreactivity of ag-C 3 N 4 is significantly enhanced with the decrease of pH values. The apparent rate constant ( k app ) of rhB degradation over ag-C 3 N 4 is 11.59 × 10 −3 min −1 at pH 7.0 and it increases to 103.50 × 10 −3 min −1 at pH 3.0 under visible light. A series of analyses demonstrate that the photodegradation mechanism is a combination of a H + -promoted generation of OH and elevation of the redox potential of conduct band of C 3 N 4 . The change of surface properties of C 3 N 4 caused by pH variation also affects the degradation of some zwitterionic compounds by changing the adsorption orientation of pollutants. The revealed mechanism of visible light–C 3 N 4 –rhB system is meaningful to broaden the usage of C 3 N 4 to the photodegradation of other organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure evolution of Ti-6Al-4V alloy induced by wet peening treatment was studied in this work. The results show that the dislocation interaction dominates the grain refinement process. The modified layer could be divided into reconfiguration regime, unstable regime and metastable regime with depth. Corresponding to the characteristic curve of residual stress field, the maximum of compressive residual stress locates in the unstable regime and the dislocation annihilation and rearrangement lead to the decrease of the compressive residual stress in the near surface layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel transient dynamic vibration model of pump-turbine’s shaft system considers nonlinear seal fluid forces, in addition to the coupled effects of unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP), guide bearing force, unbalanced mass force and hydraulic force. The calculations are based on the finite element method (FEM) and Lagrange equation. Node automation division method (NADM) is developed in-house for quick and accurate node division. The differential equations of motion and the dynamic response of the unit are resolved by implicit Newmark method. The nonlinear dynamic characteristics of crown seal force and UMP are researched. The transient and steady lateral vibrations of three bearings are also analyzed using the periodic response diagrams, steady axis orbits and waterfall diagrams. The calculated results demonstrate that the mounted eccentricity, crown seal channel clearance and air-gap length have significant effects on the dynamic vibration of the shaft system. When the mounted eccentricity is 0mm, clearance of crown seal is 3mm, air-gap length is 35mm, the stability of the system is the highest. Both quantitative and qualitative results are relevant for engineering use in pump-turbine’s shaft system design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel phenolato- and peroxo-bridged dinuclear cerium(IV) complex, [Ce 2 L 1 L 2 (μ 2 -O 2 )]·(O 3 SCF 3 ), where L 1 and L 2 are the deprotonated form of tris(2-((4-bromosalicylidene)amino)ethyl)amine and bis-(2-((4-bromosalicylidene)aminoethyl))(2-aminoethyl)amine, respectively, was prepared and characterized. The asymmetric unit of the complex contains a dinuclear cerium(IV) complex cation and a trifluoromethanesulfonate anion. The complex has effective activities against the bacteria Bacillus subtilis , Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiVO 4 /Bi 2 WO 6 composite photocatalysts with virus-like structures have been prepared through a simple solvothermal synthesis without using any surfactant and template. The morphology formation and photocatalytic activity of the composites were explored as a function of the molar percentage of BiVO 4 . The results showed that the BiVO 4 /Bi 2 WO 6 composite with a 50% molar percentage of BiVO 4 exhibited an excellent photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, the degradation percentage can reach 91% within 60 min. A photo-induced interfacial charge transfer process for the separation and transport of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs has been demonstrated to play a critical role in the enhanced photocatalytic performance of the BiVO 4 /Bi 2 WO 6 composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact reconfigurable rectifying antenna (rectenna) has been proposed for 5.2- and 5.8- GHz microwave power transmission. The proposed rectenna consists of a frequency reconfigurable microstrip antenna and a frequency reconfigurable rectifying circuit. Here, the use of the odd-symmetry mode has significantly cut down the antenna size by half. By controlling the switches installed in the antenna and the rectifying circuit, the rectenna is able to switch operation between 5.2 and 5.8 GHz. Simulated conversion efficiencies of 70.5% and 69.4% are achievable at the operating frequencies of 5.2 and 5.8 GHz, respectively, when the rectenna is given with an input power of 16.5 dBm. Experiment has been conducted to verify the design idea. Due to fabrication tolerances and parametric deviation of the actual diode, the resonant frequencies of the rectenna are measured to be 4.9 and 5.9 GHz. When supplied with input powers of 16 and 15 dBm, the measured maximum conversion efficiencies of the proposed rectenna are found to be 65.2% and 64.8% at 4.9 and 5.9 GHz, respectively, which are higher than its contemporary counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using 3-D transvaginal tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) to stage patients with cervical carcinoma. Eighty women with cervical cancer who underwent transvaginal TUI examinations were enrolled. In all patients, cancer was confirmed pre-operatively by pathologic examination. Staging on the basis of clinical features, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging was performed according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system. Clinical, TUI and magnetic resonance imaging staging was compared with that based on histology. Depth of invasion into the stroma was measured by TUI in 52 cases and compared with pathologic results. An interclass correlation coefficient was used to analyze reproducibility. In total, all 80 patients underwent surgical treatment. The accuracy of pre-operative staging, compared with histologic findings, was 92.50% for TUI, 82.50% for magnetic resonance imaging and 78.75% for clinical examination. The mean depth of lesions as measured with TUI was 12.5 ± 6.2 mm (range: 3.5–40.0 mm), and that measured on histology was 10.5 ± 8.0 mm (range: 3.0–40.0 mm). The interclass correlation coefficient of the two methods was 0.933 (95% confidence interval: 0.887–0.961). Pre-operative TUI is promising as a method for pre-operative staging of cervical carcinomas. TUI can also reliably assess lesion depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel high-dimensional metal-organic rotaxane frameworks (MORFs) were successfully fabricated by cucurbit[6]uril-based pseudorotaxanes ([PR43]) and rigid carboxylate ligands by adjusting the synthesis temperature and the length of ligands. Compound 1 represents a three periodic 2-fold interpenetrating dia network based on a binuclear {Cd2Cl4O4} second building unit (SBU). 2 and 3 are isostructural pcu networks constructed by binuclear and trinuclear cadmium clusters, respectively, while compound 4 is a two-dimensional layered network with a large grid 44.3 × 19.8 Ų. Furthermore, their fluorescent properties in different solvents are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catalyst-controlledvicinal amino- versus oxy-acetoxylation ofalkenes with PhI(OAc)2as the oxidant is described. Thedivergent synthesis of cyclic ureas and isoureas was achieved in goodyields under mild conditions employing ambident urea nucleophiles.Both terminal and internal alkenes are compatible with this reactionprotocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel green concept of hybrid energy storage system has been proposed. • Three system forms are presented to satisfy different needs in multiple scenarios. • The multi-objective optimization is carried out. • Potential solutions to improve the system economic performances are discussed. A green concept of hybrid energy storage system with hydrogen and compressed carbon dioxide as the energy carrier has been proposed in this paper. The integration of the two energy storage methods leads to a hybrid efficient storage way, which can have higher energy density and lower pressure tank volume compared to the compressed carbon dioxide, and has higher energy storage efficiency compared with the hydrogen one. The ratio of the two energy storage is determined by the hydrogen consumption way. In this paper, the hydrogen fueled gas turbine with carbon dioxide as the working fluid (Allam cycle) is used for large amounts of the hydrogen consumption, and the mass flow rate ratio of hydrogen and CO 2 is 0.0048 at the design point. The combined system can be used for inter-regional power dispatching, peak and frequency modulation and so on. A basic system form is firstly introduced, and the round trip efficiency (RTE) and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) are 42.41% and 0.2075 $/kWh at the design point, respectively. In addition, two improved types are proposed. The effect of key parameters, including the CO 2 compressor outlet pressure, the CO 2 compressor inlet pressure and the CO 2 mass flow rate, on the system performance is performed. The multi-objective optimization is also conducted. The comparison reveals that the improved form-I performs with a lower LCOE and a weaker RTE. In contrast, the improved form-II owns a better RTE but a higher LCOE. It can be concluded that the improved form-I can improve the economic performance of the energy storage system through the optimization of the compressed carbon dioxide high pressure storage subsystem. And the improved form-II can enhance the thermodynamic performance by adding the transcritical carbon dioxide cycle branch. Potential solutions to improve the system economic performances are also discussed and the results indicate that technology development, subsidies and electricity market transaction premium would be beneficial for the large-scale promotion of the system in practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enrich the understanding of bio-aggregates formation, the mechanism of auto-aggregation is one of the concerns in wastewater treatment. The auto-aggregation ability by P. stutzeri strain XL-2 was mainly attributed to the self-secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). A comprehensive correlation analysis indicates that hydrophobic interaction within EPS played essential roles in auto-aggregation. To give insights into the underlying mechanisms, tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and soluble EPS (S-EPS) were characterized by colorimetry, hydrophobicity, enzymatic hydrolysis, FT-IR spectroscopy and XPS analysis, showing that proteins in TB-EPS comprised a high proportion of hydrophobic carbon-containing (C-containing) functional groups. Further amino acids analysis revealed that these C-containing functional groups might derive from the hydrophobic R groups of amino acids, which significantly affected the surface hydrophobicity of proteins in TB-EPS and thus promoted the auto-aggregation of strain XL-2. This work provides an in-deep understanding of the auto-aggregation mechanism by strain XL-2, which may enrich the understanding of microbial aggregates formation and lead to further application of strain XL-2 in wastewater treatment processes. [Display omitted] • P. stutzeri strain XL-2 presented high auto-aggregation ability. • Hydrophobic interaction of EPS served essential role in auto-aggregation. • Proteins of TB-EPS mainly contributed to the hydrophobicity. • Hydrophobic functional groups mainly presented in proteins of TB-EPS. • Hydrophobic functional groups might derive from hydrophobic R groups of amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of enhanced ultraviolet-B (UV-B, 280–320 nm) radiation reaching the Earth's surface has become an important issue in terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Living in the land–marine boundary, intertidal macroalgae have various adaptive strategies to resist drastic environmental changes. In this study, we investigated the effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the photosynthetic performance and photoprotective mechanisms of the red macroalgae Neoporphyra haitanensis. Our results showed that increasing UV-B radiation inhibited growth, damaged chloroplast structures and photosynthetic pigments, and reduced PSII activity and recovery ability in N. haitanensis. UV-B radiation significantly increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), indicating that NPQ is an effective photoprotection strategy in N. haitanensis. The transthylakoid proton gradient (ΔpH) uncoupler ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl) significantly inhibited NPQ induction, showing that the induction of NPQ in N. haitanensis was dependent on ΔpH. Furthermore, violaxanthin and antheraxanthin, essential components of the xanthophyll cycle for modulating NPQ, were not detected in N. haitanensis , indicating the absence of the xanthophyll cycle in N. haitanensis. However, the increased NPQ under UV-B radiation was still associated with the accumulation of zeaxanthin. These findings will be useful for revealing adaptive strategies of intertidal macroalgae to cope with increasing UV-B radiation in the future. [Display omitted] • Enhanced UV-B radiation significantly reduces photosynthetic performance of N. haitanensis. • NPQ can be used as effective strategy for photoprotection of N. haitanensis to resist UV-B radiation. • Although xanthophyll cycle is absent in N. haitanensis , NPQ is still regulated by the accumulation of zeaxanthin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the application of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is still in its infancy. Even so, a controversy has already arisen over the "true role" of DESs in CE. This is because the DESs employed previously were all hydrophilic, and it is therefore reasonable to speculate that they may be virtually completely dissociated into its initial components (hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen-bond donor (HBD)) in aqueous CE buffers. Since there seems to be no essential difference in CE performance between adding a DES and adding its two constituents separately (HBA and HBD) in a running buffer, the significance of using DESs in these CE systems has not been clearly established. In this context, this study established the first DES-based CE system in which a DES really worked as a single entity. To achieve this goal a hydrophobic DES (HDES), (−)-menthol:octanoic acid, was employed to act as a pseudo-stationary phase (PSP) in electrokinetic chromatography (EKC) mode. We found that the HDES is capable of forming stable aggregates (micro-droplets) which can act as a PSP in the running buffer. The novel HDES-type PSP exhibited impressive selectivities toward several groups of analogues, homologues, and isomers via hydrophobic mechanism. It can be used either solely for direct EKC separation, or in combination with traditional PSPs (e.g., cyclodextrins). As a proof-of-concept study, we have demonstrated that the synergistic effect generated in an "HDES + Hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin" dual-PSP system allowed an excellent separation of a simulated complex mixture consisting of 13 aromatic acids. [Display omitted] • The first direct evidence that DESs can work as a single entity in CE. • HDESs were employed as a new type of PSP in CE. • HDES-type PSPs can be used either solely, or in combination with cyclodextrins. • The novel EKC system allowed excellent separations of a set of model analytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CoP-challenged macrophages can accelerate osteoclastogenesis. • CoPs result in macrophages pyroptosis and release of inflammatory cytokines. • CoPs stimulation promotes ROS accumulation and subsequently activates NLRP3. • High-concentration CoPs suppress mitophagy, further enhancing macrophages pyroptosis. • By promoting mitophagy and inhibiting NLRP3, CoP-induced osteolysis can be delayed. Wear particles derived from implant surfaces are the important factors causing periprosthetic osteolysis (PPO), which is the main reason for total joint revision. To date, the specific pathogenesis of PPO remains largely unknown, and developing new therapeutic strategies is urgently necessary. Our study indicated the most clinically common cobalt- chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) wear particles (CoPs) activated macrophages and further accelerated osteoclastogenesis. Subsequently, we put emphasis on the pathologic change in macrophages after CoPs stimulation. Meaningfully, high-concentration CoPs induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in macrophages and activated NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3)-dependent pyroptosis, promoting the release of cytokines such as IL-18, IL-1β and HMGB1, and subsequent formation of extracellular inflammatory microenvironment, which is crucial for osteoclastogenesis. More interestingly, transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry results revealed that there were accumulation of endamaged mitochondria in high-concentration CoP-challenged macrophages, which accelerated intracellular ROS accumulation and mediated NLRP3-dependent pyroptosis. Mechanismly, high-concentration CoPs induced macrophage mitophagy impairment and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential via inhibiting PINK1/Parkin signalling pathway. Furthermore, by subcutaneous injection of salidroside and/or CY-09 in situ significantly delayed CoP-induced mice calvaria osteolysis. Collectively, this study demonstrates a novel mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of PPO and provides a potential therapy avenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic sludge from sewage treatment was employed to derive a microbial colony that is capable of anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled with sulfate reduction and denitrification. Investigations revealed that methane can be oxidized with sulfate reduction and denitrification. When sulfate and nitrite acted as electron acceptors together, the rates and amount of methane conversion were higher than that when sulfate or nitrite alone was employed as an electron acceptor. The oxidation rate and amount of methane conversion reached 1.9 mg/(d•gVSS) and 22.24 mg, respectively. Methanotrophic bacteria, such as M. oxyfera , and Methylocystis sp., sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), e.g. Desulfosporosinus sp., and Desulfuromonas sp.; and denitrification bacteria, such as Hyphomicrobium sp. , and Diaphorobacter sp., presented in the bacterial community. Anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME), including Methanosaeta sp. and Methanobacterium sp. were found in the archaeal community. These findings indicate the coexistence of ANME, SRB and denitrification bacteria in the system. Nitrite reduction coupled with methane oxidation was performed independently by M. oxyfera during which limited oxygen generated. The oxygen released may be utilized by methanotrophic bacteria to produce organics, which could be used by denitrifying bacteria to reduce nitrite. Methanotrophic archaea could also oxidize methane to carbon dioxide or organics by reverse methanogenesis whereas sulfate was reduced to sulfide by SRB. This study opens possibility for biotechnological process of sulfate reduction and denitrification with methane as electron donor and provides a method for the synergistic treatment of wastewater containing sulfate/nitrite and waste gas containing methane. • Methane was oxidized coupled with sulfate reduction and denitrification. • Sulfate and nitrite as electron co-acceptors for AOM performed better than alone. • Anaerobic digestion sludge could act as the inoculum for AOM. • Methanotrophic bacteria and archaea, denitrifying bacteria and SRB were dominant. • Transfer pathways of AOM, sulfate reduction and denitrification were speculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of organic contaminants in industrial effluents is an environmental concern of increasing global importance. One innovative technology for treating contaminated industrial effluents is nanoscale zero-valent iron supported on biochar (nZVI/BC). Based on Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller characterizations, the nZVI was well dispersed on the biochar and aggregation was dramatically reduced. Methyl orange (MO) served as the representative organic contaminant for verifying the effectiveness of the composite. Using decolorization efficiency as an indicator of treatment effectiveness, increasing doses of nZVI/BC yielded progressively better results with 98.51% of MO decolorized by 0.6 g/L of composite at an nZVI/BC mass ratio of 1:5. The superior decolorization efficiency of the nZVI/BC was attributed to the increase in the dispersion and reactivity of nZVI while biochar increasing the contact area with contaminant and the adsorption of composites. Additionally, the buffering function of acid-washed biochar could be in favor of maintaining the reactivity of nZVI. Furthermore, the aging nZVI/BC for 30 day was able to maintain the removal efficiency indicating that the oxidation of nZVI may be delayed in the presence of biochar. Therefore, the composite of nZVI/BC could represent an effective functional material for treating wastewater containing organic dyes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Systemic inflammation may be a common mechanism for the development of osteoporosis (OP) and atherosclerosis. Elevated arterial stiffness is an index of subclinical atherosclerosis. Recent studies found that neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), is a useful marker of cardiovascular disease and a more powerful predictor than any other leukocyte subtypes. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between NLR and arterial stiffness measured by brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Methods In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between NLR and baPWV in 512 subjects. Results Compared to the control subjects, NLR and baPWV increased in patients with OP. Partial correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between NLR and baPWV after adjusting for confounding factors in OP. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that NLR was a significant factor for increased baPWV in patients with OP ( β = 0.249, p < 0.001). However, there was no association between NLR and baPWV in control subjects. Conclusion NLR and baPWV are elevated in OP. Moreover, NLR is independently associated with baPWV. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether anti-inflammatory treatment could improve arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with OP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of fluorinated complex molecules via direct C(sp³)-H fluorination is attractive yet remains challenging. Here we describe the Pd(II)-catalyzed fluorination of unactivated methylene C(sp³)-H bonds by an inner-sphere mechanism. This method allows the site- and diastereoselective fluorination of β-methylene C(sp³)-H bonds of α-amino acid derivatives. A range of substrates containing both aliphatic and benzylic C(sp³)-H bonds were compatible with this protocol, leading to an array of β-fluorinated α-amino acids. Stoichiometric fluorination of an isolated palladacycle intermediate takes place rapidly under very mild reaction conditions (room temperature, 5-10 min). Data from preliminary mechanistic studies are consistent with direct C-F reductive elimination from a high-valent intermediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The high acute costs of cardiovascular disease and acute cardiovascular events are well established, particularly in terms of direct medical costs. The costs associated with lost work productivity have been described in a broad sense, but little is known about workplace absenteeism or short term disability costs among high cardiovascular risk patients. The objective of this study was to quantify workplace absenteeism (WA) and short-term disability (STD) hours and costs associated with cardiovascular events and related clinical procedures (CVERP) in United States employees with high cardiovascular risk. Methods: Medical, WA and/or STD data from the Truven Health MarketScan® Research Databases were used to select full-time employees aged 18-64 with hyperlipidemia during 2002-2011. Two cohorts (with and without CVERP) were created and screened for medical, drug, WA, and STD eligibility. The CVERP cohort was matched with a non-CVERP cohort using propensity score matching. Work loss hours and indirect costs were calculated for patients with and without CVERP and by CVERP type. Wages were based on the 2013 age-, gender-, and geographic region-adjusted wage rate from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Results: A total of 5,808 WA-eligible, 21,006 STD-eligible, and 3,362 combined WA and STD eligible patients with CVERP were well matched to patients without CVERP, creating three cohorts of patients with CVERP and three cohorts of patients without CVERP. Demographics were similar across cohorts (mean age 52.2-53.1 years, male 81.3-86.8 %). During the first month of follow-up, patients with CVERP had more WA/STD-related hours lost compared with patients without CVERP (WA-eligible: 23.4 more hours, STD-eligible: 51.7 more hours, WA and STD-eligible: 56.3 more hours) (p < 0.001). Corresponding costs were $683, $895, and $1,119 higher, respectively (p < 0.001). Differences narrowed with longer follow-up. In the first month and year of follow-up, patients with coronary artery bypass graft experienced the highest WA/STD-related hours lost and costs compared with patients with other CVERP. Conclusions: CVERP were associated with substantial work loss and indirect costs. Prevention or reduction of CVERP could result in WA and STD-related cost savings for employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromeno[4,3-b]chromene is a ubiquitous structural motif found in various pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. A concise palladium-catalyzed reaction of vinyl iodides and salicyl N-tosylhydrazones has been achieved to afford a series of compounds containing the chromeno[4,3-b]chromene scaffold in moderate to high yield. This tandem reaction involves palladium(II) carbene migratory insertion and intramolecular cyclization assisted by an O nucleophile and tolerates various functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dyngo-4a™ has been found to be an endocytic inhibitor of BoNT/A neurotoxicity through dynamin inhibition. Herein, we demonstrate this molecule to have a previously unrecognized dual activity against BoNT/A, dynamin–protease inhibition. To establish the importance of this dual activity, detailed kinetic analysis of Dyngo-4a's inhibition of BoNT/A metalloprotease as well as cellular and animal toxicity studies have been described. The research presented is the first polypharmacological approach to counteract BoNT/A intoxication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in rats with focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. A total of 96 rat focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion models, established according to a modified version of Longa's method, were randomly divided into four groups: Sham-operated (S), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (I), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion + basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) post-processing and, finally, cerebral ischemia-reperfusion + bFGF post-processing + PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (LY). Each group consisted of 24 rats and each group was divided into four subgroups according to the indicated reperfusion times of 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. The morphological changes of the cortical tissue and the cellular apoptosis were determined using hematoxylin and eosin staining and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling method, respectively. The expression levels of phosphorylated (p-)Akt, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) mRNA and β-catenin in the cortical tissue were detected at different time-points. The number of apoptotic cells and the expression levels of p-Akt, GSK-3β mRNA and β-catenin in the I and LY groups were significantly higher compared with those in the S group (P<0.05). In the bFGF group, the number of apoptotic cells and the mRNA expression levels of GSK-3β were significantly decreased, whereas the expression levels of p-Akt and β-catenin were significantly increased compared with those in the I and LY groups (P<0.05). In cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway regulated β-catenin, the main member of the Wnt signaling pathway, via GSK-3β, providing information to assist in further investigation of the mechanism of β-catenin in ischemia-reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convenient potassium tert -butoxide catalyzed addition–elimination reaction has been achieved using exo -cyclic enol ethers and aryl aldehydes as the starting materials. The transition-metal free reaction proceeded smoothly to afford 1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran derivatives with good to excellent yields. More importantly, the resulting products were discovered as novel fluorophores with good fluorescence properties and remarkable Stokes shifts. Changing the nature of the substituents in 1,3-dihydroisobenzofurans derivatives allowed the maximum emission wavelengths to be tuned between 438 and 597 nm and the Stokes shifts varied between 63 and 166 nm. In particular, derivative C27 containing a piperidyl and a cyano group showed the maximum emission wavelength of 597 nm and a Stokes shift of 166 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT A compact dual-frequency rectenna has been developed. The receiving antenna is based on a planar inverted F antenna for dual frequency operation. A voltage doubler is proposed to improve the output voltage and the robustness of the rectenna. The simulation and measurement results validate the performance of the rectenna. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:319-322, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicobacter pylori persistently colonizes the human stomach, with mixed roles in human health. The CagA protein, a key host-interaction factor, is translocated by a type IV secretion system into host epithelial cells, where its EPIYA tyrosine phosphorylation motifs (TPMs) are recognized by host cell kinases, leading to multiple host cell signaling cascades. The CagA TPMs have been described as type A, B, C or D, each with a specific conserved amino acid sequence surrounding EPIYA. Database searching revealed strong non-random distribution of the B-motifs (including EPIYA and EPIYT) in Western H. pylori isolates. In silico analysis of Western H. pylori CagA sequences provided evidence that the EPIYT B-TPMs are significantly less associated with gastric cancer than the EPIYA B-TPMs. By generating and using a phosphorylated CagA B-TPM-specific antibody, we demonstrated the phosphorylated state of the CagA B-TPM EPIYT during H. pylori co-culture with host cells. We also showed that within host cells, CagA interaction with phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) was B-TPM tyrosine-phosphorylation-dependent, and the recombinant CagA with EPIYT B-TPM had higher affinity to PI3-kinase and enhanced induction of AKT than the isogenic CagA with EPIYA B-TPM. Structural modeling of the CagA B-TPM motif bound to PI3-kinase indicated that the threonine residue at the pY+1 position forms a side-chain hydrogen bond to N-417 of PI3-kinase, which cannot be formed by alanine. During co-culture with AGS cells, an H. pylori strain with a CagA EPIYT B-TPM had significantly attenuated induction of interleukin-8 and hummingbird phenotype, compared to the isogenic strain with B-TPM EPIYA. These results suggest that the A/T polymorphisms could regulate CagA activity through interfering with host signaling pathways related to carcinogenesis, thus influencing cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have provided some evidence of the neural basis of the emotional conflict adaptation effect. However, the neural time-course is largely unknown. Therefore, a face-word Stroop task was used in the present study to explore the neural dynamics of the emotional conflict control effect, using event-related potentials (ERPs). The behavioral data showed a robust emotional conflict adaptation effect, and there was an interaction between previous trials and current trials for RT. There were two ERP components (N450 and conflict SP) that might be related to trial congruency. The N450 results showed both a main effect of current trial congruency and an interaction between previous trials and current trials, which might be related to successful conflict adaptation. The SP results only showed the main effect of current trial congruency, which might be associated with post-response monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]