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Objectives To validate the feasibility of intravoxel incoherent motion imaging (IVIM) for monitoring renal injury and uric acid-lowering efficacy in a rat model of hyperuricaemia. Methods A total of 92 rats were analysed and categorized into 4 groups: control (CON), hyperuricaemia (HUA), allopurinol intervention (ALL), and combined intervention (COM). Eight rats were randomly selected from each group and underwent IVIM scanning on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Quantitative magnetic resonance values (D , D *, and f values) measured from the different renal anatomical regions. Quantitative histopathological analysis was performed to assess renal tubular injury using neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and renal fibrosis using alpha-smooth-muscle-actin (α-SMA). Pearson's correlation analysis was used to determine the correlation between IVIM-derived parameters and the expression of NGAL and α-SMA. Results The D values of the HUA, ALL, and COM groups generally showed a downward trend over time, and this fluctuation was most significant in the HUA group. The D values showed significant intergroup differences at each point, whereas only a few discrepancies were found in the D * and f values. In addition, the renal D value was negatively correlated with the positive staining rates for NGAL and α-SMA (P  <  .05), except for the lack of correlation between D os and α-SMA (P  >  .05). Conclusion IVIM could be a noninvasive and potential assessment modality for the evaluation of renal injury induced by hyperuricaemia and its prognostic efficacy. Advances in knowledge IVIM could be a surrogate manner in monitoring renal damage induced by hyperuricaemia and its treatment evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the expression of HMGB1 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in adenomyosis eutopic/ectopic endometrium. Twenty patients with adenomyosis and 20 controls, all undergoing laparoscopy, were recruited from September 2015 to July 2016. Samples were collected from the endometrium without adenomyosis (CE), the eutopic endometrium with adenomyosis (EuE), and the ectopic endometrium with adenomyosis (EE). The mRNA and protein expression of HMGB1 and TLR4, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) RNA expression levels were measured. The average age of the adenomyosis women was 43.4 ± 5.3 years; their BMI was 23.3 ± 2.3 kg/m2. The control group included women aged 38.8 ± 9.8 years, with BMI 22.2 ± 3.4 kg/m2. The mRNA expression levels of HMGB1, TLR4, IL-6, and IL-8 in the EE and EuE groups were higher than those in the CE group (p <.01), and those in the EE group were higher than those in the EuE group (p <.01). The protein expression levels of HMGB1 and TLR4 in the EE and EuE groups were higher than those in the CE group (p <.01); they were higher in the EE group than the ones in the EuE group (p <.01). HMGB1 mRNA was significantly positively correlated with TLR4 in EuE and EC patients (r = 0.538 and r = 0.916, p <.01), as well as with IL-6 (r = 0.470 and r = 0.976, p <.01) and IL-8 (r = 0.574 and r = 0.650, p <.01). The overexpression of HMGB1 and TLR4 in EuE and EE is positively correlated with IL-6 and IL-8 expression. The HMGB1 signaling-mediated immune-inflammatory system might be involved in the development of adenomyosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation, we study electron acceleration by tightly focusing a few-cycle radially polarized laser onto near-critical-density plasmas. Laser ponderomotive force first pushes electrons into the target, forming a compressed electron layer and leaving behind a charge-separation field. Together with the strong longitudinal electric field of this radially polarized light, the charge-separation field accelerates the electrons backward and injects them into laser fields. The reflected light continuously accelerates these injected electrons by its longitudinal field. Simulations show that a tight quasi-monoenergetic electron bunch at 15 MeV is generated within a few micrometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis, systemic inflammatory responses in western medicine stimulated by infections various sources and traditionally in Chinese medicine belong the poison heat syndrome. Vernodalin (VN) is a well-known cytotoxic sesquiterpene that has been renowned as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. However, the molecular mechanism of VN on sepsis has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential of VN against LPS-prompted sepsis in rats and also assess the impact of the NF-κBp65 signaling cascade. Rats were alienated into four groups: Group-I normal control, given 1 ml DMSO; while group-II rats were injected with LPS (100 μg/kg b.w., i.p.); Group-III rats were LPS (100 μg/kg b.w., i.p.) + VN (50 mg/kg b.w. in DMSO); Group- IV rats were given VN (50 mg/kg b.w. in DMSO) alone. We examined hepatic toxic markers, inflammatory cytokines, antioxidants, histopathology, and western blot analysis. Inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and toxicity markers were significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced in the LPS-persuaded rats, whereas VN significantly (p < 0.05) prevented oxidative stress, lipid peroxides, toxic markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, histological changes, and thereby multi-organ damage. VN significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed the NF-κβp65 signaling pathway and inhibited the Iκβα degradation. Thus, VN exerts a promising anti-septic natural agent for LPS-induced sepsis rats. [Display omitted] • Vernodalin (VN) is cytotoxic sesquiterpene possess numerous biological activities. • Anti-inflammatory potential of VN validated against LPS-prompted sepsis rats model. • VN prevented oxidative stress, toxic markers, pro-inflammatory cytokines. • VN suppressed the NF-κβp65 signalling pathway and prevented Iκβα degradation. • VN act as promising anti-septic natural agent for treating LPS-induced sepsis rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MOF-525 as a typical Zr-MOF shows excellent visible-light absorption and high cathodic PEC activity. • MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) serves as a peroxidase mimic to catalyze the production of benzo-4-chlorohexadienone (4-CD) precipitates. • A photoelectrochemical immunosensor is fabricated by using MOF-525 photocathodic material and MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) label. • MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) labels and 4-CD precipitates can quench the photocathodic current, enabling signal-amplified immunosensing. • The detection limit for detecting prostate-specific antigen is 3 fg mL−1. Cathodic photoelectrochemical (PEC) analysis has received special concerns because of its outstanding anti-interference capability toward reductive substances in samples, so it is highly desirable to develop high-performance photocathodic materials for PEC analysis. Herein, a Zr-based metal–organic framework (Zr-MOF), MOF-525, is explored as a photoactive material in aqueous solution for the first time, which shows a narrow band-gap of 1.82 eV, excellent visible-light absorption, and high cathodic PEC activity. A sandwiched-type PEC immunosensor for detecting prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is fabricated by using MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) label and MOF-525 photoactive material. MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) as a typical Fe-MOF can serve as a peroxidase mimic to catalyze the production of precipitates on the photoelectrode. Both the produced precipitates and the MIL-101-NH 2 (Fe) labels can quench the photocathodic current, enabling "signal-off" immunosensing of PSA. The detection limit is 3 fg mL−1, and the linear range is between 10 fg mL−1 and 100 ng mL−1 for detecting PSA. The present study not only develops a high-performance Zr-MOF photoactive material for cathodic PEC analysis but also constructs a sensitive PEC immunosensing platform based on the dual-signal amplification of peroxidase-mimetic Fe-MOF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Oxygen-doped ZnIn 2 S 4 (O-ZnIn 2 S 4) show much higher photoelectrochemical (PEC) activity than pristine ZnIn 2 S 4. • Oxygen doping in ZnIn 2 S 4 can decrease the band gap and increase the visible-light absorption. • Enzymatic reactions catalyzed by acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase can produce H 2 O 2 to etch O-ZnIn 2 S 4. • Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase, enabling "signal-on" PEC detection of OPs. • The detection limit for chlorpyrifos detection is as low as 2 × 10−4 mg L−1. The development of a high-performance photoactive material and an effective and efficient analysis strategy are important for photoelectrochemical (PEC) analysis. We report here the enhanced PEC activity and etchable property of oxygen-doped ZnIn 2 S 4 (O-ZnIn 2 S 4) and its application for PEC detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs). O-ZnIn 2 S 4 prepared by thermally treating ZnIn 2 S 4 in air atmosphere can show much higher PEC activity than pristine ZnIn 2 S 4 , because oxygen doping can decrease the band gap and thereby increase the visible-light absorption. It is found that O-ZnIn 2 S 4 can be etched by hydrogen peroxide, so O-ZnIn 2 S 4 can be used for PEC analysis based on the etching strategy. Enzymatic reactions catalyzed by acetylcholinesterase and choline oxidase can produce hydrogen peroxide to etch the O-ZnIn 2 S 4 modified on photoelectrode, so a "signal-off" state is achieved. OPs can inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase, and the etching of O-ZnIn 2 S 4 is weakened, enabling "signal-on" PEC detection of OPs. Chlorpyrifos is selected as a model for PEC detection of OPs. The detection limit for chlorpyrifos detection is 2 × 10−4 mg L−1 with a linear range from 0.001 to 50 mg L−1. The present study not only develops a high-performance photoactive material for PEC analysis but also provides an efficient PEC sensing strategy based on ZnIn 2 S 4 etching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vision Transformer (ViT) has performed remarkably in various computer vision tasks. Nonetheless, affected by the massive amount of parameters, ViT usually suffers from serious overfitting problems with a relatively limited number of training samples. In addition, ViT generally demands heavy computing resources, which limit its deployment on resource-constrained devices. As a type of model-compression method, model binarization is potentially a good choice to solve the above problems. Compared with the full-precision one, the model with the binarization method replaces complex tensor multiplication with simple bit-wise binary operations and represents full-precision model parameters and activations with only 1-bit ones, which potentially solves the problem of model size and computational complexity, respectively. In this paper, we investigate a binarized ViT model. Empirically, we observe that the existing binarization technology designed for Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) cannot migrate well to a ViT's binarization task. We also find that the decline of the accuracy of the binary ViT model is mainly due to the information loss of the Attention module and the Value vector. Therefore, we propose a novel model binarization technique, called G roup S uperposition B inarization (GSB), to deal with these issues. Furthermore, in order to further improve the performance of the binarization model, we have investigated the gradient calculation procedure in the binarization process and derived more proper gradient calculation equations for GSB to reduce the influence of gradient mismatch. Then, the knowledge distillation technique is introduced to alleviate the performance degradation caused by model binarization. Analytically, model binarization can limit the parameter's search space during parameter updates while training a model. Therefore, the binarization process can actually play an implicit regularization role and help solve the problem of overfitting in the case of insufficient training data. Experiments on three datasets with limited numbers of training samples demonstrate that the proposed GSB model achieves state-of-the-art performance among the binary quantization schemes and exceeds its full-precision counterpart on some indicators. Code and models are available at: https://github.com/IMRL/GSB-Vision-Transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oral English test in domestic universities requires teachers to modify a large number of candidates' oral recordings. This is the work of using time repeatedly. Using the CALL system to realize the automation of conversation recording can reduce the burden of teachers' work. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to develop an automatic and accurate scoring system for oral English. With the development of artificial intelligence, deep learning technology has been gradually applied in various fields. Similarly, in the application of oral scoring, deep learning technology makes the implementation of such a system possible. Based on the deep learning technology, this paper proposes an automatic scoring algorithm for spoken language and implements a detailed design and evaluation system. The system consists of two modules. The pronunciation standard of spoken pronunciation and the content of spoken pronunciation are scored, and the sum of these two scores is the final score. Finally, this paper uses 650 oral English recordings from a college English test to train the artificial neural network. Experimental results show that if the training data set is small, the BP network model can obtain better comprehensive evaluation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) as a treatment option for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) and risk factors for postablative eucalcemic parathyroid hormone elevation (ePTH). Methods: This retrospective study included 51 patients with pHPT who underwent RFA. The patients were divided into the ePTH and normal PTH groups, based on the serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level one month after ablation. Serum iPTH, calcium, and phosphorus levels, and the volume reduction rates (VRR) of the parathyroid glands were compared between the groups at each follow-up point. Risk factors for ePTH at one month after ablation were examined. Results: After RFA, one (2%) patient had persistent pHPT, and 50 (98%) patients were cured. The incidence rates of ePTH at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were 48%, 30%, 20%, and 16%, respectively. Serum iPTH levels in the ePTH group were higher than those in the normal PTH group at each follow-up point (all p < 0.05), except 1 day after ablation (p > 0.05). Serum calcium and phosphorus levels, and the VRR of the glands were comparable in both groups at each follow-up point (all p > 0.05), except for calcium levels 3 days after RFA (p < 0.05). Baseline iPTH (odds ratio, 1.067; p ¼ 0.045) and calcium (odds ratio, 3.923; p ¼ 0.038) levels were independent risk factors for ePTH 1 month after RFA. Conclusions: RFA is safe and effective for the treatment of pHPT. Moreover, ePTH occurrence after RFA was associated with baseline iPTH and calcium levels and did not increase the risk of recurrent pHPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing efficient, stable and sustainable photocatalysts for water splitting is one of the most significant methods for generating hydrogen. Conjugated microporous polymers, as a new type of organic semiconductor photocatalyst, have adjustable bandgaps and high specific surface areas, and can be synthesized using diverse methods. In this work, we report the design and synthesis of a series of pyridyl conjugated microporous polymers (PCMPs) utilizing polycondensation of aromatic aldehydes and aromatic ketones in the presence of ammonium acetate. PCMPs with different chemical structures were synthesized via adjusting monomers with different geometries and contents of nitrogen element, which could adjust the bandgap and photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (HER) up to 1198.9 µmol·h−1·g−1 was achieved on the optimized polymer with a specific surface area of 312 m2·g−1 under UV-Vis light irradiation (λ>320 nm). This metal-free synthetic method provides a new avenue to preparing an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the investigation on the status quo of the green development level of black talc industry chain in Guangfeng District, Jiangxi Province, it is found that there are obvious problems in the fields of production process and industrial structure. In view of the problems, from the perspective of optimizing the whole production process and improving the industrial structure, it is necessary to explore the establishment of a new green development model, and realize the sustainable development of black talc industry chai in Guangfeng. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate Cu-Zr liquid alloys using molecular dynamics simulation and well-accepted embedded atom method potentials over a wide range of chemical composition and temperature as model metallic glass-forming (GF) liquids. As with other types of GF materials, the dynamics of these complex liquids are characterized by "dynamic heterogeneity" in the form of transient polymeric clusters of highly mobile atoms that are composed in turn of atomic clusters exhibiting string-like cooperative motion. In accordance with the string model of relaxation, an extension of the Adam-Gibbs (AG) model, changes in the activation free energy ΔGa with temperature of both the Cu and Zr diffusion coefficients D, and the alpha structural relaxation time τα can be described to a good approximation by changes in the average string length, L. In particular, we confirm that the strings are a concrete realization of the abstract "cooperatively rearranging regions" of AG. We also find coexisting clusters of relatively "immobile" atoms that exhibit predominantly icosahedral local packing rather than the low symmetry packing of "mobile" atoms. These two distinct types of dynamic heterogeneity are then associated with different fluid structural states. Glass-forming liquids are thus analogous to polycrystalline materials where the icosahedrally packed regions correspond to crystal grains, and the strings reside in the relatively disordered grain boundary-like regions exterior to these locally well-ordered regions. A dynamic equilibrium between localized ("immobile") and wandering ("mobile") particles exists in the liquid so that the dynamic heterogeneity can be considered to be type of self-assembly process. We also characterize changes in the local atomic free volume in the course of string-like atomic motion to better understand the initiation and propagation of these fluid excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the value of combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and blood oxygenation level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-MRI) in detecting early renal alterations in patients with hyperuricemia. Materials and methods: Seventy-one individuals were enrolled in this study and divided into three groups according to their serum uric acid (SUA) level and clinical symptoms: healthy controls (HC, n = 23), asymptomatic hyperuricemia (AH, n = 22) and gouty arthritis (GA, n = 26). All patients underwent both DTI and BOLD-MRI examination. Renal cortical and medullary ADC, FA and R2* values were calculated, respectively, and compared among the three groups. Correlations between ADC, FA and R2* with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and SUA in hyperuricemia were evaluated, respectively. Result: In the renal cortex, the ADC, FA and R2* values of the AH and GA groups were significantly lower than those of the HC groups (p < 0.05). In the renal medulla, the ADC and FA values in AH and GA patients were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (p < 0.05). The R2* value of the GA group significantly decreased, compared to that of the AH and HC groups (p < 0.05). SUA was negatively correlated with cortical ADC, FA and R2* values (p < 0.05) as well as with medullary ADC and FA values. No significant correlation was discovered between the eGFR and ADC, FA and R2* values. Conclusion: The combined evaluation of DTI and BOLD might provide a sensitive and non-invasive approach for detection of renal microstructural alterations and oxygen metabolism abnormality in hyperuricemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the clinical outcomes of microwave ablation (MWA) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). This retrospective study included 104 pHPT patients treated by MWA or RFA between January 2015 and March 2020 in four centers. The clinical outcomes including effectiveness and complications were compared between the two groups. Ablation cure was defined as the reestablishment of normal values of serum calcium and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) at least more than 6 months. Clinical cure was defined as the reestablishment of normal values of serum calcium and iPTH throughout the entire follow-up period. A total of 77 patients underwent MWA (mean age, 55.5 ± 16.4 years) and 27 underwent RFA (mean age, 58.9 ± 15.6 years). During the follow-up (median, 18.7 months in the MWA group; 12 months in the RFA group), no difference was observed between ablation cure rates (88.3% vs. 88.9%, p = 1.000), clinical cure rates (87.0% vs. 82.3%, p =.880), recurrent pHPT (5.2% vs. 3.7%, p =.447), persistent pHPT (11.7% vs. 11.1%, p = 1.000) and complication rate (9.1% vs. 3.7%, p =.677). A maximum diameter less than 0.7 cm was an independent prognostic factor of uncured pHPT in ablation (hazard ratio, 0.1; 95% confidence interval: 0.02, 0.54; p =.007). Major complication – voice change encountered in five patients (6.5%) in the MWA group and in one patient (3.7%) in the RFA group. Both RFA and MWA are safe and effective techniques for patients with pHPT, with comparable clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper reviews the recent literature on HAND2-AS1. • Based on the differences in expression, phenotypic regulation, pathogenesis and prognosis of HAND2-AS1 in tumors, the role of HAND2-AS1 in tumors was reviewed. • The conclusion is that HAND2-AS1 is a potential biomarker for human cancer and may be a potential target for cancer diagnosis and treatment. • This review is of value to all those working in this field. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are molecules more than 200 nucleotides in length. They play roles in various cells, mainly regulating cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. They also participate in the pathogenesis of many diseases. In fact, several studies have shown that lncRNAs function as cancer or tumor suppressor genes and play important roles in the occurrence and development of cancer in humans. New evidence has shown that lncRNA heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 2-antisense RNA 1 (lncRNA HAND2-AS1) hinders the occurrence and development of various tumors. Overexpression of HAND2-AS1 was found to be significantly related to the clinical and pathological characteristics of cancer patients, as well as the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, and energy metabolism through several possible mechanisms. Therefore, HAND2-AS1 may be a promising tumor biomarker and therapeutic target. Here, we review the biological functions, mechanisms, and potential clinical significance of HAND2-AS1 in numerous human tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kin selection and direct reciprocity are two most basic mechanisms for promoting cooperation in human society. Generalizing the standard models of the multi-player Prisoner's Dilemma and the Public Goods games to allow for asymmetric cost-benefit ratios across the players, we study the effects of genetic relatedness on cooperation in the context of repeated interactions. Two sets of interrelated results are established: a set of analytical results focusing on the subgame perfect equilibrium and a set of agent-based simulation results based on an evolutionary game model. We show that in both cases increasing genetic relatedness does not always facilitate cooperation. Specifically, kinship can hinder the effectiveness of reciprocity in two ways. First, the condition for sustaining cooperation through direct reciprocity is harder to satisfy when relatedness increases in an intermediate range. Second, full cooperation is impossible to sustain for a medium-high range of relatedness values. Moreover, individuals with low cost-benefit ratios can end up with lower payoffs than their groupmates with high cost-benefit ratios. Our results point to the importance of explicitly accounting for within-population heterogeneity when studying the evolution of cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) printing involves the layering of seed cells, biologically compatible scaffolds, and biological activity factors to precisely recapitulate a biological tissue. Graphene oxide (GO), a type of micro material, has been utilized as a small molecule-transport vehicle. With the proliferation of GO, the biocompatibility of chondrocytes in a microenvironment constructed by 3D printed scaffolds and GO is innovative. Accordingly, we speculate that, as a type of micro material, GO can be used with 3D scaffolds for a uniform distribution in the cartilage layer. Results: A qualitative analysis of the chondrocyte-proliferation potential revealed that the culture of 3D printing with a 10% GO scaffold was higher than that of the other groups. Meanwhile, the progress of cell apoptosis was activated. Through scanning electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and in vivo research, we observed that the newborn cartilage matrix extended along the border of the cartilage and scaffold and matured. After an analysis with immunohistochemical staining with aggrecan and collagen I, the cartilage following the 3D-printed scaffold was thinner than that of the 3D-printed GO scaffold. Furthermore, the collagen I of the cartilage expression in treatment with the GO scaffold was significant from week 2 to 6. Conclusions: The findings indicate that a 3D-printed GO scaffold can potentially be utilized for the construction of a cartilage matrix. However, the optimum concentration of GO requires further research and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: At present, there remains a lack of a reliable indicator for monitoring renal function in patients with hyperuricemia.Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of diffusion kurtosis imaging in the assessment of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia.Material and Methods: A total of 75 male participants, including 25 with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, 25 with gouty arthritis, and 25 age-matched male healthy controls, were enrolled in this study. Diffusion kurtosis imaging data were acquired to derive axial (Ka), radial (Kr), and mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy, axial (Da), radial (Dr), and mean diffusivity (MD) for comparisons among the three groups. They were also correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).Results: The MK values of the renal cortex and medulla and Kr value of the renal medulla in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis significantly increased compared with those in the controls (P < 0.05). Patients with gouty arthritis showed significant higher cortical and medullary Ka values compared with the other two groups (P < 0.05). The cortical Kr values of the asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis patients were significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.05). The medullary fractional anisotropy value showed a significant difference between the control and gouty arthritis groups (P < 0.05). No correlation was found between any diffusion kurtosis imaging parameters and eGFR value.Conclusion: Diffusion kurtosis imaging is feasible in the assessment of the early changes of renal cortex and medulla in patients with hyperuricemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fields of chemical graph theory, topological index is a type of a molecular descriptor that is calculated based on the graph of a chemical compound. In 1947, Harry Wiener introduced "path number" which is now known as Wiener index and is the oldest topological index related to molecular branching. Hosoya polynomial plays a vital role in determining Wiener index. In this report, we compute the Hosoya polynomials for hourglass and rhombic benzenoid systems and recover Wiener and hyper-Wiener indices from them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate safety and efficacy of one- vs. two-session radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of parathyroid hyperplasia for patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and to compare the outcome of both methods on hypocalcemia. Patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism underwent ultrasound guided RFA of parathyroid hyperplasia. Patients were alternately assigned to either group 1 (n = 28) with RFA of all 4 glands in one session or group 2 (n = 28) with RFA of 2 glands in a first session and other 2 glands in a second session. Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) values were measured at a series of time points after RFA. RFA parameters, including operation duration and ablation time and hospitalization length and cost, were compared between the two groups. Mean PTH decreased in group 1 from 1865.18 ± 828.93 pg/ml to 145.72 ± 119.27 pg/ml at 1 day after RFA and in group 2 from 2256.64 ± 1021.72 pg/ml to 1388.13 ± 890.15 pg/ml at 1 day after first RFA and to 137.26 ± 107.12 pg/ml at 1 day after second RFA. Group 1's calcium level decreased to 1.79 ± 0.31 mmol/L at day 1 after RFA and group 2 decreased to 1.89 ± 0.26 mmol/L at day 1 after second session RFA (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that hypocalcemia was related to serum ALP. Patients with ALP ≥ 566 U/L had lower calcium compared to patients with ALP < 566 U/L up to a month after RFA (P < 0.05). Group 1's RFA time and hospitalization were shorter and had lower cost compared with Group 2. US-guided RFA of parathyroid hyperplasia is a safe and effective method for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism. Single-session RFA was more cost-effective and resulted in a shorter hospital stay compared to two sessions. However, patients with two-session RFA had less hypocalcemia, especially those with high ALP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a network game based on matching pennies with two types of agents, conformists and rebels. Conformists prefer to match the action taken by the majority of her neighbors while rebels like to match the minority. We investigate the simultaneous best response dynamic focusing on the lengths of limit cycles (LLC for short). We show that LLC = 1 or 2 when all agents are of the same type, and LLC = 4 when there is no conformist-rebel edge and no two even-degreed agents (if any) are neighboring each other. Moreover, LLC = 1 for almost all type configurations when the network is a line or a ring, which implies that a pure strategy Nash equilibrium is reached from any initial action profile. However, LLC = 4 for about one half of the type configurations with star networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study boundary feedback stabilization of a linear wave equation by saturated linear or nonlinear Neumann control laws. Firstly we prove asymptotic stabilization of the closed-loop system when the feedback control law has a linear growth rate around zero. In particular, we study the effect of spatial dimension on the decay rate of the closed loop system. More precisely, we prove that in the one-dimensional (1D) case the smooth solutions of the closed-loop system decay exponentially to zero as t → ∞ ; in the two-dimensional case the smooth solutions decay asymptotically to zero faster than any polynomial (1/t)α α > 0; and in the three-dimensional case the smooth solutions decay to zero like (1/t)2 as t → ∞. Secondly we study robustness of the stabilization faced with the boundary disturbances. We show that, in the 1D case, every solution of the closed-loop system decays asymptotically to zero provided that the unknown disturbance is in the Sobolev space W1,1(0,∞). Finally we consider a sliding mode output feedback control law that is regarded as the limit case of the Yosida approximation of the sign function. We prove that the resulting system is not asymptotically stable. However each smooth solution of the resulting system is bounded and converges asymptotically to a periodic solution as t → ∞. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated M–C bonds in lanthanide and actinide complexes ML2 (M = Ce, Th, U, Np and Pu; L = C(PPh2NMes)2) using scalar-relativistic theory. The M–C bonds possess typical σ and π bonding character, except for the nearly π-only Th–C bonds. The metal valence electrons significantly reside in the valence d and f orbitals for CeL2, UL2, NpL2 and PuL2, while for ThL2 most electron population is in 6d orbitals. The contribution of 6d orbitals to the An–C bonds decreases and that of 5f orbitals increases across the actinide series. QTAIM (quantum theory of atoms in molecules) and NBO (natural bond orbital) analyses confirm that the M–C bonds possess significant covalent character. This work provides insights into the contributions of d and f valence orbitals to M–C bonding. And inclusion of Np and Pu in this evaluation extends understanding to later actinides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the temperature-domain of primary and secondary dielectric relaxation phenomena in a nonlinear optical side-chain polymer. Information on the dielectric properties of amorphous polymers; Preparation of the thin polymer films with a thickness of d-2.5...m; Description of electro-optical relaxation at room temperature.

Nonadherence to antihypertensive medication is considered as a reason of inadequate control of blood pressure. This meta-analysis aimed to systemically evaluate the impact of fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy on hypertensive medication adherence compared with free-equivalent combination therapies. Articles were retrieved from MEDLINE and Embase databases using a combination of terms "fixed-dose combinations" and "adherence or compliance or persistence" and "hypertension or antihypertensive" from January 2000 to June 2017 without any language restriction. A meta-analysis was performed to parallel compare the impact of FDC vs free-equivalent combination on medicine adherence or persistence. Studies were independently reviewed by two investigators. Data from eligible studies were extracted and a meta-analysis was performed using R version 3.1.0 software. A total of nine studies scored as six of nine to eight of nine for Newcastle-Ottawa rating with 62 481 patients with hypertension were finally included for analysis. Results showed that the mean difference of medication adherence for FDC vs free-equivalent combination therapies was 14.92% (95% confidence interval, 7.38%-22.46%). Patients in FDC group were more likely to persist with their antihypertensive treatment, with a risk ratio of 1.84 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-3.39). This meta-analysis confirmed that FDC therapy, compared with free-equivalent combinations, was associated with better medication adherence or persistence for patients with hypertension. It can be reasonable for physicians, pharmacists, and policy makers to facilitate the use of FDCs for patients who need to take two or more antihypertensive drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3Dprinting is defined as the use of printing technology to deposit living cells, and biomaterials on a given /a substrate. Graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO-np) have been used as a delivery vehicle for small molecule drugs in order to investigate the state of GO-np within 3D tissue constructs in terms of a composite 3D printing scaffold, which in turn is relevant to the protection of cartilage. We transplanted rats with hydrogel/GO-np and hydrogel, which in turn showed that hydrogel/GO-np protected the tissue of cartilage by the signal pathway of Rank/Rankl/OPG. Those findings indicated that GO-np may be potentially used to control the release of carrier materials and influence the signal pathway of Rank/Rankl/OPG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has caused a serious health problem. Scientists respond to the threat by developing new antimicrobial materials to prevent or control infections caused by these pathogens. Polymer-based nanocomposite hydrogels are versatile materials as an alternative to conventional antimicrobial agents. Cross-linking of polymeric materials by metal ions or the combination of polymeric hydrogels with nanoparticles (metals and metal oxide) is a simple and effective approach for obtaining a multicomponent system with diverse functionalities. Several metals and metal oxides such as silver (Ag), gold (Au), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (CuO), titanium dioxide (TiO2) and magnesium oxide (MgO) have been loaded into hydrogels for antimicrobial applications. The incorporation of metals and metal oxide nanoparticles into hydrogels not only enhances the antimicrobial activity of hydrogels, but also improve their mechanical characteristics. Herein, we summarize recent advances in hydrogels containing metal ions, metals and metal oxide nanoparticles with potential antimicrobial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endo-polygalacturonases play an important role on depectinization in fruit juices industry. A putative endo-polygalacturonase gene PoxaEnPG28A was cloned from Penicillium oxalicum CZ1028. PoxaEnPG28A consisted of a putative signal peptide and a catalytic domain belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 28, and it shared 72% identity with that of a functionally characterized endo-polygalacturonase from Trichoderma harzianum . Gene PoxaEnPG28A was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris with a high yield of 1828.7 U/mL. The purified recombinant enzyme PoxaEnPG28A hydrolyzed polygalacturonic acid in endo-manner releasing oligo-galacturonates. PoxaEnPG28A showed maximal activity at pH 5.5 and 55°C, and was stable between pH 3.0 to 10.0 and below 45°C. The kinetic constants K m and V max of PoxaEnPG28A were calculated as 1.57 g/L and 14,641.29 U/mg, respectively. PoxaEnPG28A significantly improved the yields of fruit juices from banana, plantain, papaya, pitaya and mango. The high production level of the recombinant enzyme PoxaEnPG28A by P. pastoris and remarkable catalytic activity of PoxaEnPG28A toward five kinds of fruit juices made the enzyme a potential application in agriculture and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-specificity phosphatase 26 (DUSP26) has recently emerged as a target for treatment of human cancers. However, only two small-molecule inhibitors of DUSP26 are known so far, namely NSC-87877 and ethyl-3, 4-dephostatin. DUSP26 contains an N-terminal region (residues 1–60) and a conserved C-terminal catalytic domain (residues 61–211, DUSP26-C). The crystal structure of DUSP26-C, showing a catalytically inactive conformation of the active site, was reported in a previous study. However, the detailed catalytic mechanism of DUSP26 cannot be described based on that structure. In this study, the 3D structure of DUSP26 (residues 42–211) adopting catalytically active conformation, was built by homology modeling, and the established 3D structure was validated using enzyme kinetic assays. Pharmacophore modeling based on the validated 3D structure of human DUSP26 was carried out. The established pharmacophore model was considered as a 3D query for retrieving novel DUSP26 inhibitors from the chemical databases “Diversity Libraries” (129,087 compounds). Next, a docking study was performed to refine the obtained hit compounds. Then a total of 100 compounds were selected based on the ranking order and visual examination, which were then evaluated by an enzyme-based assay. Eight compounds were found to have inhibitory activities against DUSP26, and the most potent compound was assigned No. F1063-0967 with an IC 50 value of 11.62 μM. The inhibitory activity of F1063-0967 against DUSP26 is higher than that of NCS87877 (IC 50 value: 16.67 ± 2.89 μM), but lower than that of ethyl-3, 4-dephostatin (IC 50 value: 6.8 ± 0.41 μM). MTT assay results revealed that F1063-0967 can induce apoptosis in IMR-32 cell line with an IC 50 value of 4.13 μM. These results suggest that F1063-0967 should be investigated further for other pharmacological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new triflavanoid, kandelin B-5 (1), was isolated from the rhizomes of Smilax china L., together with six known phenylpropanoid substituted flavan-3-ols (2-7), nine flavonoids (8-16), two stilbenoids (17, 18), and two other compounds (19, 20). The structure of compound 1 was determined on the basis of 1D, 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS data, as well as chemical method. Compounds 2-5, 8-12, 15, 17, and 19 were evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity. Only compounds 10, 15 and 17 showed slightly IL-1β expression inhibitory activities on LPS induced THP-1 cells, with inhibition rate of 15.8%, 37.3%, and 35.8%, respectively, at concentration of 50 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to determine the expression of erythropoietin (EPO) and the EPO receptor (EPOR) in spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the inner ear of rats of various ages, and the associated neuronal apoptosis and hearing alterations. A total of 15 healthy rats (n=30 ears), were divided into three groups: i) A nominated infant group at post-natal day (PND) 12-14, ii) an adult group at PND 60 and iii) a 3-year postnatal aged group. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements were performed on all rats. EPO and EPOR expression in the inner ear was detected by immunohistochemistry. In situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assays were performed to detect the apoptosis of SGNs. The average hearing thresholds of the ABR (decibels above normal hearing level) were 5.625±4.955 in the infant, 15.000±8.498 in the adult and 23.500±13.134 in the aged groups. Hearing thresholds for aged and adult rats increased significantly compared with infant rats. However, the difference in latencies of peak I was not significant (P>0.05). EPO in SGNs was detected during different developmental periods without significant alterations, but were reduced compared with Corti's organ or the stria vascularis. EPOR expression increased significantly from infant to adult stage, and this increased expression was maintained in the aged group. An age-associated increase in the apoptosis of SGNs was detected in all three groups (P=0.0347). The potential neuroprotective effects of EPO in SGNs may not be revealed during the aging process under natural conditions, and may be associated with spontaneous neuronal apoptosis and consequently, hearing diminution. However, the age-associated increase in EPOR in SGNs may exert a role in neuroprotection when necessary, for example in presbycusis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scheme of assimilating radar-retrieved water vapor is adopted to improve the quality of NWP initial field for improvement of the accuracy of short-range precipitation prediction. To reveal the impact of the assimilation of radar-retrieved water vapor on short-term precipitation forecast, three parallel experiments, cold start, hot start and hot start plus the assimilation of radar-retrieved water vapor, are designed to simulate the 31 days of May, 2013 with a fine numerical model for South China. Furthermore, a case of heavy rain that occurred from 8+9 May 2013 over the region from the southwest of Guangdong province to Pearl River Delta is analyzed in detail. Results show that the cold start experiment is not conducive to precipitation 12 hours ahead; the hot start experiment is able to reproduce well the first 6 hours of precipitation, but badly for subsequent prediction; the experiment of assimilating radar-retrieved water vapor is not only able to simulate well the precipitation 6 hours ahead, but also able to correctly predict the evolution of rain bands from 6 to 12 hours in advance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hybrid perovskites with special optoelectronic properties have attracted more attention to the scientific and industrial applications. However, because of the toxicity and instability of lead complexes, there is interest in finding a nontoxic substitute for the lead in the halides perovskites and solving the ambiguous crystal structures and phase transition of NH(CH3)3SnX3 (X = Cl, Br). Here, we report the bulk crystal growths and different crystal morphologies of orthorhombic hybrid perovskites NH(CH3)3SnX3 (X = Cl, Br) in an ambient atmosphere by bottom-seeded solution growth (BSSG) method. More importantly, detailed structural determination and refinements, phase transition, band gap, band structure calculations, nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, XPS, thermal properties, and stability of NH(CH3)3SnX3 (X = Cl, Br) single crystals are demonstrated. NH(CH3)3SnCl3 single crystal undergoes reversible structural transformation from orthorhombic space group Cmc 21 (no. 36) to monoclinic space group Cc (no. 9) and NH(CH3)3SnBr3 belongs to the orthorhombic space group Pna 21 (no. 33) by DSC, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and temperature-dependent SHG measurements, which clarify the former results. These results should pave the way for further studies of these materials in optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed terahertz spectroscopy is suitable for spectroscopic diagnostics of ultrafast events. However, the study of irreversible or single shot ultrafast events requires ability to record transient properties at multiple time delays, i.e., time resolved at single shot level, which is not available currently. Here by angular multiplexing use of femtosecond laser pulses, we developed and demonstrated a time resolved, transient terahertz time domain spectroscopy technique, where burst mode THz pulses were generated and then detected in a single shot measurement manner. The burst mode THz pulses contain 2 sub-THz pulses, and the time gap between them is adjustable up to 1 ns with picosecond accuracy, thus it can be used to probe the single shot event at two different time delays. The system can detect the sub-THz pulses at 0.1 THz-2.5 THz range with signal to noise ratio (SNR) of ~400 and spectrum resolution of 0.05 THz. System design was described here, and optimizations of single shot measurement of THz pulses were discussed in detail. Methods to improve SNR were also discussed in detail. A system application was demonstrated where pulsed THz signals at different time delays of the ultrafast process were successfully acquired within single shot measurement. This time resolved transient terahertz time domain spectroscopy technique provides a new diagnostic tool for irreversible or single shot ultrafast events where dynamic information can be extracted at terahertz range within one-shot experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]