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This study presents the fabrication of an all‐solid‐state lithium‐ion battery using lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4; LMO) as the cathode, graphite (C), and carbon‐coated magnesium (MgC) as the anode, along with a silicate‐based solid electrolyte. To assess the charge/discharge mechanism, three polymeric membranes with varying weight percentages (5%, 30%, and 50%) of magnesium silicate are produced through battery‐cloth deposition (BCD) for use as the solid electrolyte. The findings reveal that enhancing the magnesium silicate content in the solid electrolyte (particularly at 50%) results in an increased specific capacity of the battery. The MgC anode exhibits a peak capacity of approximately 780 mAh/g during the third cycle, maintaining capacity retention of 100% over 26 cycles, addressing the issues of low specific capacity and self‐discharge in the solid‐state Li‐ion battery. Nevertheless, prolonged charge/discharge testing leads to an escalation in the surface roughness and porosity of the carbon coating on the MgC anode, resulting in a decline in capacity. These results demonstrate that the LMO‐BCD‐MgC battery system proposed in this study is a secure, eco‐friendly, and cost‐effective option with potential applications in energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six ionone glycosides (1–3 and 5–7), including three new ones, named capitsesqsides A−C (1–3), together with an eudesmane sesquiterpenoid glycoside (4) and three known triterpenoid saponins (8–10) were isolated from Rhododendron capitatum. The structures of these compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic techniques (MS, UV, 1D-NMR, and 2D-NMR) and comparison with data reported in the literature. The absolute configurations were determined by comparison of the experimental and theoretically calculated ECD curves and LC-MS analyses after acid hydrolysis and derivatization. The anti-inflammatory activities of these compounds were evaluated in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. Molecular docking demonstrated that 2 has a favorable affinity for NLRP3 and iNOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human iPSC-derived airway organoids (iPSC-AOs) exhibit cellular heterogenicity resembling the human native airway. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a robust dysregulation in inflammation, lipid-metabolism pathway, and alternative splicing in SARS-CoV-2 infected airway organoids. Manipulating lipid homeostasis using cholesterol-lowering drugs (e.g. Statins) relocated the viral entry receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2), leading to the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication. [Display omitted] • Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that iPSC-AOs exhibition of the genetic profiles highly resembling the genotypes of human airways. • iPSC-AOs are susceptible to SARS-COV-2 infection and the expressions of S and N proteins after viral infection. • Bioinformatics analysis indicated the involvement of aberrant enrichment of lipid transport and lipid pathways in infected iPSC-AOs. • Statin preincubation relocated ACE2, reduced N protein, and limited SARS-CoV-2 infection in iPSC-AOs. • Lipid modifications consistently inhibited viral entry of various SARS-CoV-2 strains (wild-type, alpha, delta, omicron). Modifications of lipid metabolism were closely associated with the manifestations and prognosis of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Pre-existing metabolic conditions exacerbated the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection while modulations of aberrant lipid metabolisms alleviated the manifestations. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, an experimental platform that reproduces human respiratory physiology is required. Here we generated induced pluripotent stem cell-derived airway organoids (iPSC-AOs) that resemble the human native airway. Single-cell sequencing (ScRNAseq) and microscopic examination verified the cellular heterogeneity and microstructures of iPSC-AOs, respectively. We subjected iPSC-AOs to SARS-CoV-2 infection and investigated the treatment effect of lipid modifiers statin drugs on viral pathogenesis, gene expression, and the intracellular trafficking of the SARS-CoV-2 entry receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2). In SARS-CoV-2-infected iPSC-AOs, immunofluorescence staining detected the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins and bioinformatics analysis further showed the aberrant enrichment of lipid-associated pathways. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 hijacked the host RNA replication machinery and generated the new isoforms of a high-density lipoprotein constituent apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) and the virus-scavenging protein deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (DMBT1). Manipulating lipid homeostasis using cholesterol-lowering drugs (e.g. Statins) relocated the viral entry receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) and decreased N protein expression, leading to the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 entry and replication. The same lipid modifications suppressed the entry of luciferase-expressing SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses containing the S proteins derived from different SARS-CoV-2 variants, i.e. wild-type, alpha, delta, and omicron. Together, our data demonstrated that modifications of lipid pathways restrict SARS-CoV-2 propagation in the iPSC-AOs, which the inhibition is speculated through the translocation of ACE2 from the cell membrane to the cytosol. Considering the highly frequent mutation and generation of SARS-CoV-2 variants, targeting host metabolisms of cholesterol or other lipids may represent an alternative approach against SARS-CoV-2 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is one of the most prevalent diseases of wheat worldwide and can lead to severe yield reductions. Identifying genes involved in powdery mildew resistance will be useful for disease resistance breeding and control. Calreticulin (CRT) is a member of multigene family widely found in higher plants and is associated with a variety of plant physiological functions and defense responses. However, the role of CRT in wheat resistance to powdery mildew remains unclear. TaCRT3 was identified from the proteomic sequence of an incompatible interaction between the wheat (Triticum aestivum) cultivar Xingmin 318 and the Bgt isolate E09. Following analysis of transient expression of the GFP-TaCRT3 fusion protein in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, TaCRT3 was localized in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. Transcript expression levels of TaCRT3 were significantly upregulated in the wheat-Bgt incompatible interaction. More critically, knockdown of TaCRT3 using virus-induced gene silencing resulted in attenuated resistance to Bgt in wheat. Histological analysis showed a significant increase in Bgt development in TaCRT3-silenced plants, whereas the pathogen-related gene was significantly downregulated in TaCRT3-silenced leaves. In addition, overexpression of TaCRT3 in wheat enhanced the resistance to powdery mildew, the growth of Bgt was significantly inhibited, and the area of H2O2 near the infection site and the expression of defense-related genes of the salicylic acid pathway significantly increased. These findings imply that TaCRT3 may act as a disease resistance factor that positively regulates resistance to powdery mildew, during which SA signaling is probably activated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in Asia, and no reliable, effective diagnostic, and predictive biomarkers are used in clinical routines. A growing body of evidence shows metabolic alterations in patients with glaucoma. We aimed to develop and validate potential metabolite biomarkers to diagnose and predict the visual field progression of PACG. Methods: Here, we used a five-phase (discovery phase, validation phase 1, validation phase 2, supplementary phase, and cohort phase) multicenter (EENT hospital, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital), cross-sectional, prospective cohort study designed to perform widely targeted metabolomics and chemiluminescence immunoassay to determine candidate biomarkers. Five machine learning (random forest, support vector machine, lasso, K-nearest neighbor, and GaussianNaive Bayes [NB]) approaches were used to identify an optimal algorithm. The discrimination ability was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Calibration was assessed by Hosmer-Lemeshow tests and calibration plots. Results: Studied serum samples were collected from 616 participants, and 1464 metabolites were identified. Machine learning algorithm determines that androstenedione exhibited excellent discrimination and acceptable calibration in discriminating PACG across the discovery phase (discovery set 1, AUCs=1.0 [95% CI, 1.00-1.00]; discovery set 2, AUCs = 0.85 [95% CI, 0.80-0.90]) and validation phases (internal validation, AUCs = 0.86 [95% CI, 0.81-0.91]; external validation, AUCs = 0.87 [95% CI, 0.80-0.95]). Androstenedione also exhibited a higher AUC (0.92-0.98) to discriminate the severity of PACG. In the supplemental phase, serum androstenedione levels were consistent with those in aqueous humor (r=0.82, p=0.038) and significantly (p=0.021) decreased after treatment. Further, cohort phase demonstrates that higher baseline androstenedione levels (hazard ratio = 2.71 [95% CI: 1.199-6.104], p=0.017) were associated with faster visual field progression. Conclusions: Our study identifies serum androstenedione as a potential biomarker for diagnosing PACG and indicating visual field progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al 6082 aluminum alloy has excellent corrosion resistance, strength, and formability. However, owing to the recrystallization effect of a hot working process, coarse grains form easily in this material, which reduces its strength and service life. The novel continuous casting direct rolling (CCDR) method can prevent the deterioration of this material. Thus, we used CCDR Al 6082 aluminum alloy as the research material in this study. By subjecting a CCDR Al 6082 aluminum alloy to heat treatment (T4 and T6) and cold rolling, the influence of recrystallization effect on its mechanical properties and on impact failure resistance were explored. The results demonstrated that the specimen subjected to T4 heat treatment had a higher elongation and that the specimen subjected to T6 heat treatment had a higher strength. After cold rolling, the hardness and strength of the specimens subjected to different heat treatments (coded T4R4 and T6R4) increased because of the work's hardening effect. Moreover, the elongations of both specimens decreased, but they were higher than the industrial standard (>10%). The strength of specimen T6R4 was higher (up to 400 MPa) than specimen T4R4. Moreover, relative to specimen T4R4, specimen T6R4 had greater tensile and Charpy impact failure toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the primary commercial aluminum alloy fillers used are 4043 and 5356. However, when welded with high-strength work pieces like 6061 and 7075 aluminum alloys, the strength of weld beads significantly lags behind that of the original welded material. Both 4043 and 5356 aluminum alloys cannot be strengthened through heat treatment. The strength difference between the weld bead and base material doubles after heat treatment. In this study, an Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy (SCM) filler modified using a heat-treatable A319 aluminum alloy was employed to investigate the post-welding microstructural and mechanical properties of specimens under room- and high-temperature conditions and after prolonged exposure in a saltwater environment (3.5 wt.% NaCl). The aim was to demonstrate that commercial aluminum alloy fillers could be substituted with a high-silicon aluminum alloy boasting excellent solidification and mechanical properties. The results revealed that, after heat treatment of the weld bead, dendrites were not eliminated, but the tensile strength increased to 310 MPa, closely matching that of commercial 6061 aluminum alloy. The strength of the weld bead remained higher than 250 MPa in high-temperature (240 °C) and saltwater environments. These findings underscore the potential application of this material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study conducts low-vacuum sulfidation to form a sulfidation layer on the serpentinite-derived magnesium iron silicate, thereby enhancing its electrochemical properties. Results show (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 calcined at 900 °C has the best crystallinity, and the cubic FeS2 is synthesized on the surface of the orthorhombic magnesium iron silicate (MFS). Two distinct charge plateaus can be distinguished during the first charge process, and the discharge capacities increased significantly. This study confirms that the surface FeS2 layer provides extra ion pathways, allowing more lithium/magnesium ions to be extracted and inserted in the serpentinite-derived magnesium iron silicate. Accordingly, the serpentinite electrode boasts straightforward exploitation with low-cost advantages and potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are devoted to the study of a problem proposed in Aujol and Dossal (SIAM J Optim 29:3131–3153, 2019), which concerns the optimal convergence rates for damped inertial gradient dynamics with flat geometries. Fortunately, we find a solution to the problem. More specifically, we obtain an optimal decay rate for the system energy of the second-order differential equation with time-dependent damping in a Hilbert space H x ¨ (t) + γ (t) x ˙ (t) + ∇ F (x (t)) = 0 , where F : H → R is a differentiable convex function possessing at least one minimizer and γ (t) = α / t with α > 0. It is known that this system, with the time-dependent damping coefficient γ (t) , models a nonlinear oscillator with viscous damping, and is associated with the Nesterov acceleration scheme, FISTA, or the accelerated gradient method in the area of numerical optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosis and polyploidy have an overwhelming influence on plant evolution. Recently, polyploid rice hybrids have been used to breed new rice varieties because they combine the advantages of both heterosis and polyploidy. In this study, we generated six rice lines: autotetraploid rice hybrids and their autotetraploid parents, diploid donors, and hybrids of the diploid donors. To investigate the molecular mechanism controlling the effects of both hybridization and polyploidization, we performed bisulfite and RNA sequencing on young panicles at the pollen meiosis stage to compare the DNA metabolomes and transcriptomes among the six rice lines. The hybrids lines were hypermethylated compared to their corresponding parents and the autotetraploid lines showed globally increased DNA methylation of their transposable elements compared to the diploid donors. The alteration in DNA methylation level corresponded to the differential gene expressions among the rice genotypes, suggesting that methylation changes induced by polyploidization and hybridization may affect gene expression. Groups of gene candidates were identified that may be associated with heterosis and polyploidy. Our results provide DNA information that can be used to investigate epigenetic modification during heterosis and polyploidy in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloride ions contained in the sealing compound currently used in the electronic packaging industry not only interact with intermetallic compounds but also have a serious impact on silver alloy wires. A 15 μm ultrafine quaternary silver-palladium-gold-platinum alloy wire was used in this study. The wire and its bonding were immersed in a 60 °C saturated sodium chloride solution (chlorination experiment), and the strength and elongation before and after chlorination were measured. Finally, the fracture surface and cross-section characteristics were observed using a scanning electron microscope and focused ion microscope. The results revealed that chloride ions invade the wire along the grain boundary, and chlorides have been generated inside the cracks to weaken the strength and elongation of the wire. In addition, chloride ions invade the interface of the wire bonding to erode the aluminum substrate after immersing it for enough long time, causing galvanic corrosion, which in turn causes the bonding joint to separate from the aluminum substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy fabricated through selective laser melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing alloy with promising industrial potential. In this study, as-printed specimens were subjected to either single-stage or two-stage heat treatment processes to investigate the effect of temperature from room temperature to high temperature on the specimens' tensile and fatigue properties to establish a reliable reference for aerospace applications. The tensile test results indicated that the heat treatment contributed to determine the properties of the nanoprecipitate Al3(Sc, Zr) with a strengthening phase, improving tensile strength. Moreover, the dynamics strain aging (DSA) effect vanished as temperature increased. It is noteworthy that the nanoprecipitation was distributed at the boundary of the melting pool after single-stage heat treatment with the highest tensile properties in all tests. In addition, the microstructure observed after the two-stage heat treatment indicated a melting pool interface decomposition, and the nanoprecipitation was homogeneously scattered over the Al matrix, increasing strength and further delaying fatigue crack transmission. Those features build a high-fatigue-resistance foundation. TEM analysis also confirmed the promotion of Sc thermal diffusion and an Al3(Sc, Zr) precipitation transformation mechanism under two-stage heat treatment, corresponding to aforementioned inferences. The SLM Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy with two-stage heat treatment brings about balance between tensile properties and fatigue resistance, providing new insight into additive manufacturing with Al alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhein, one of the main active components of rhubarb (Dahuang) and Polygonum multiflorum (Heshouwu), has a wide range of effective pharmacological effects. Recently, increasing studies have focused on its potential hepatorenal toxicity, but the cardiotoxicity is unknown. In this study, we found that the IC 50 of rhein to H9c2 cells at 24 h and 48 h were 94.5 and 45.9μmol/L, respectively, with positive correlation of dose-toxicity and time-toxicity. After the treatment of rhein (106, 124 and 132μmol/L), the number of H9c2 cells decreased significantly, and the morphology of H9c2 cells showed atrophy, round shape and wall detachment. Moreover, the proportion of apoptotic cells in H9c2 cells treated with rhein was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. And rhein induced S phase arrest of H9c2 cells and inhibited cell proliferation. Rhein up-regulated ROS, LDH levels and low MMP but down-regulated SOD content in H9c2 cells. Additionally, the results showed that the cardiac function LVEF and LVFS of rhein high-medium-low dose groups (350, 175, 87.5 mg/kg) were significantly reduced. And the contents of Ca2+, cTnT, CK and LDH in serum of KM mice were significantly up-regulated by rhein. Furthermore, western blot results suggested that rhein the above effects via promoting Fas-induced apoptosis pathway in vitro and in vivo. In general, rhein may cause cardiotoxicity via Fas-induced apoptosis pathway in vivo and in vitro , which provides reference for the safe use of medicinal plant containing rhein and its preparations. [Display omitted] • The cardiotoxicity of rhein was identified and verified in vivo and in vitro for the first time. • It was proved that rhein could induce the membrane potential and microscopic changes of mitochondria in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. • The cardiotoxic mechanism of rhein was investigated: FAS - induced apoptosis pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between stress response and behavioral response and to develop a moderated mediation model with stress management and risk cognition. Methods: We developed 4 novel questionnaires, namely, stress response questionnaire, behavioral response questionnaire, stress management questionnaire, and risk cognition questionnaire. A total of 5896 university students in China were investigated during the peak period of the coronavirus disease 2019. Results: The results showed that stress response had a significant negative predictive effect on behavioral response (r = -0.489, P < .001). Moreover, stress management had a partial mediating effect between stress response and behavioral response. Risk cognition plays a moderating effect on the mediation model (β = -0.109, P = .030), and the effect of high-risk cognition is more significant. Conclusion: During the coronavirus disease 2019 period, improving the risk awareness of university students will help to enhance the buffering effect of stress management on behavioral response and indirectly reduce their behavioral response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of energy transfer dynamics of a pair of donor and acceptor molecules located in the plasmonic hot spots is developed by means of the master equation approach and the electromagnetic Green's tensor technique. A nonlocal effect has been considered by using a hydrodynamic model. The coherent interaction between the two molecules in plasmonic nanostructures is investigated, and we find that the coupling strength between two molecules can be larger than dissipation. It is shownthat the energy transfer efficiency of a pair of molecules can be improved largely and the transfer time decreases to dozens of femtoseconds when the contribution of quantum coherence is considered. The physical origin for such a phenomenon has also been analyzed. This ultrafast and high-efficiency energy transfer mechanism could be beneficial for artificial light-harvesting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of heart failure is on the rise and imposes a major health threat, in part, due to the rapidly increased prevalence of overweight and obesity. To this point, epidemiological, clinical, and experimental evidence supports the existence of a unique disease entity termed “obesity cardiomyopathy,” which develops independent of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other heart diseases. Our contemporary review evaluates the evidence for this pathological condition, examines putative responsible mechanisms, and discusses therapeutic options for this disorder. Clinical findings have consolidated the presence of left ventricular dysfunction in obesity. Experimental investigations have uncovered pathophysiological changes in myocardial structure and function in genetically predisposed and diet-induced obesity. Indeed, contemporary evidence consolidates a wide array of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the etiology of obesity cardiomyopathy including adipose tissue dysfunction, systemic inflammation, metabolic disturbances (insulin resistance, abnormal glucose transport, spillover of free fatty acids, lipotoxicity, and amino acid derangement), altered intracellular especially mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis, oxidative stress, autophagy/mitophagy defect, myocardial fibrosis, dampened coronary flow reserve, coronary microvascular disease (microangiopathy), and endothelial impairment. Given the important role of obesity in the increased risk of heart failure, especially that with preserved systolic function and the recent rises in COVID-19-associated cardiovascular mortality, this review should provide compelling evidence for the presence of obesity cardiomyopathy, independent of various comorbid conditions, underlying mechanisms, and offer new insights into potential therapeutic approaches (pharmacological and lifestyle modification) for the clinical management of obesity cardiomyopathy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhein, belonging to anthraquinone compounds, is one of the main active components of rhubarb and Polygonum multiflorum. Rhein has a variety of pharmacological effects, such as cardiocerebral protective effect, hepatoprotective effect, nephroprotective effect, anti-inflammation effect, antitumor effect, antidiabetic effect, and others. The mechanism is interrelated and complex, referring to NF-κB, PI3K/Akt/MAPK, p53, mitochondrial-mediated signaling pathway, oxidative stress signaling pathway, and so on. However, to some extent, its clinical application is limited by its poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Even more, rhein has potential liver and kidney toxicity. Therefore, in this paper, the pharmacological effects of rhein and its mechanism, pharmacokinetics, and safety studies were reviewed, in order to provide reference for the development and application of rhein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider an abstract second order non-autonomous evolution equation in a Hilbert space H : u″ + Au + γ(t)u′ + f(u) = 0, where A is a self-adjoint and nonnegative operator on H, f is a conservative H-valued function with polynomial growth (not necessarily to be monotone), and γ(t)u′ is a time-dependent damping term. How exactly the decay of the energy is affected by the damping coefficient γ(t) and the exponent associated with the nonlinear term f? There seems to be little development on the study of such problems, with regard to non-autonomous equations, even for strongly positive operator A. By an idea of asymptotic rate-sharpening (among others), we obtain the optimal decay rate of the energy of the non-autonomous evolution equation in terms of γ(t) and f. As a byproduct, we show the optimality of the energy decay rates obtained previously in the literature when f is a monotone operator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) is sensitive to the clay present in concrete aggregates. In particular, Montmorillonite (Mnt), an impurity inevitably contained in the aggregate, can significantly influence the performance of concrete. In an effort to improve the compatibility of PCE, a zwitterionic PCE with cationic amide groups and shorter side-chain lengths was synthesized via free radical copolymerization. The optimal synthesis condition was verified via Box-Behnken design. In addition to characterizing the PCE, the performance of PCE in cement pastes with or without Na-Mnt was examined and the underlying mechanism was explored. The results show that, compared with commercially available PCE, the required dosage of PCE for cements containing Na-Mnt decreased. Unlike commercially available PCE, no intercalation occured on the newly manufactured clay-tolerant PCE within the layers of Mnt, resulting in a greater sorption thickness and improved dispersion of the cements containing Na-Mnt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the water quality of the second longest River in China (the Yellow river) is deteriorating severely. To investigate the heavy metals contaminated degrees, potential risks and pollution sources of heavy metals in the river, we measured the concentrations of 8 heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Pb and Cd) from 122 surface sediment samples collected along the upstream Yellow River. According to the results of enrichment factor (EF) analysis and the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) evaluation, we found Cd accumulated significantly for moderately contaminated level and the other heavy metals existed at uncontaminated levels. We conducted risk assessment by using calculation of the sediment quality guidelines (TEC-PEC SQGs) and potential ecological risk index (RI), and the results implied that the concentrations of Ni, Cr and Cd had potential harm for aquatic organisms and the upstream Yellow River had integral no toxic. Moreover, the results of multivariate analysis (principle component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis and correlation analysis) indicated that Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr and Cd in the river primarily originated from natural sources, while Ni and Pb mainly derived from different human activities. In addition, partial Cu and Cd come from anthropogenic sources of Ni discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This study used the evaporated Zn-Ga and graphite film as the electrodes. • Mg-based silicate powders as the solid electrolyte formed a Zn solid-state battery. • Zn and small amount of Na and Mg ions can perform electrochemical reactions. • The maximum capacity of Zn solid-state battery is 83 mAh/g. Zinc is abundant in the Earth's crust, which contributes to its relatively low price. Magnesium-based silicate, as a solid electrolyte material, is environmentally friendly due to its enhanced thermal stability compared to liquid electrolytes. Introducing a graphite film can reduce both the manufacturing process and the cost of zinc-ion solid-state batteries. This study fabricated an all solid-state zinc-graphite battery using an evaporated zinc-gallium (Zn-Ga) alloy film as the negative electrode, pressed magnesium-based silicate powder as the solid electrolyte, and graphite film as the positive electrode. The experimental results revealed the microstructure characteristics of the positive electrode, electrolyte, and negative electrode materials, while the charging-discharging mechanism and practical performance evaluation confirmed the high-efficiency energy storage capabilities of the all-solid-state zinc-graphite battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is concerned with the semilinear wave equations with time‐dependent damping γ(t)=α/(1+t) (α>0), under the effect of nonlinear source f behaving like a polynomial, and subject to Neumann boundary conditions. Constructing appropriate auxiliary functions, we obtain an explicit uniform decay rate estimate for the solutions of the equation in terms of the exponent of f, when α is large enough. On the other hand, via a new hyperbolic version of Dirichlet quotients, we show that the upper estimate is optimal in some case, which implies the existence of slow solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyroptosis is a newly discovered programmed cell death that is associated with tumor progression, prognosis, and treatment response. However, the potential roles of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remain unclear. We described the alterations of PRGs in 1109 colorectal cancer (CRC) samples from genetic and transcriptional fields and evaluated their expression patterns from four independent datasets. We identified two distinct molecular subtypes and found that multi-layer PRG alterations were correlated with patient clinicopathological features, prognosis, and TME cell-infiltrating characteristics. Then, a PRG_score for predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS) was constructed and its predictive capability in CRC patients was validated. Consequently, we constructed a highly accurate nomogram for improving the clinical applicability of the PRG_score. A low PRG_score, characterized by increased microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), mutation burden, and immunity activation, indicated favorable odds of RFS. Moreover, the PRG_score was significantly associated with the cancer stem cell (CSC) index and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. Our comprehensive analysis of PRGs in CRC demonstrated their potential roles in the tumor-immune-stromal microenvironment, clinicopathological features, and prognosis. These findings may improve our understanding of PRGs in CRC and pave a new path for the assessment of prognosis and the development of more effective immunotherapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on defective mitophagy is causally linked to obesity complications. It mentions about an interaction between mitophagy protein FUNDC1 and receptor subunit of human SCF ubiquitin ligase complex FBXL2 as a gatekeeper for mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis through degradation of IP3R3. It also mentions that Truncated mutants of Fbox disengaged FBXL2 interaction with FUNDC1.

Purpose: To undertake a review on the morphology, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Boschniakia rossica, a plant with a long history of usage in Chinese traditional medicine. Methods: Available literature on the ethnopharmacological uses of B. rossica from 1967 to 2018 were selected via various databases, such as ScienceDirect, NCBI, Springerlink, Taylor & Francis and CNKI. Results: A variety of phytochemical studies demonstrated that B. rossica contains more than 100 chemical constituents, among which boschnaside, boschniakine, 7-deoxy 8-epiloganic acid, (4R)-4- hydroxymethyl-boschnialactone are predominant. Studies showed that isolates and crude extracts of B. rossica exhibit a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects such as anti-aging, antitumor, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune enhancement. It was revealed that iridoids, carbohydrates and glycosides are perhaps responsible for most of the biological activities shown by this plant. However, the bio-active compounds and their underlying mechanisms of action have not yet been investigated in detail. Conclusion: B. rossia has received tremendous research attention. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies have provided scientific bases for validation of the traditional uses of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash has been used more and more often to take the place of cement as the admixture of concrete in the construction of concrete buildings. However, with the increase of the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere, carbonization damage has become an essential factor affecting the durability of fly ash concrete. Here a long-term bending load device was developed to explore how the pouring surface and the bending load affect the carbonization resistance of reinforced concrete under rapid carbonization. In addition, the relationship between the bendingtension and bending-compression loads with respect to the carbonization damage of test blocks was also investigated. Due to the differences in the concrete compactness, the carbonization depth of the pouring surface was found to be greater than that of the bottom at the same position. To a certain extent, with the increasing bending-load stress, different carbonization resistances were observed in the bending-tension zone and the bendingcompression zone of the concrete test blocks. Meanwhile, to study the relationship between the carbonization damages in the bending-tension zone and the bending-compression zone of concrete test blocks, a carbonization influence coefficient of bending tension-compression load was proposed, which provides a convenient and scientific guidance for the detection and evaluation of concrete carbonization damages in practical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy is a progressive pollution regulation policy. Besides its role in carbon emission reduction, it has a profound impact on green growth performance and green innovation efficiency. Based on the data of 12 pilot cities and 14 non-pilot cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), this study applies the PSM-DID and spatial mediating model to investigate the multi-dimensional policy effects of LCCP policy on green growth performance and green innovation efficiency. First, the direct effect of LCCP policy on green growth performance has reached 1.46%, ever since its implementation in 2017. Second, considering the intercity innovation cooperation in YRD, LCCP policy has influenced green innovation efficiency by an increase of 12.6%. Furthermore, the time-spatial DID model and multiple mediating effect model identify that LCCP policies have significantly improved green innovation cooperation. Such policies act on the industrial structure upgrading path to achieve the ultimate objective of carbon emission reduction and green growth performance. Third, the green innovation cooperation and substantial transformation of industrial structure upgrading played an important role in realizing the LCCP policy's effect, with its mediating effect reaching 33.63%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the additive manufacturing technique of selective laser melting (SLM) to produce Ti-6Al-4V-Zn titanium alloy. The addition of zinc at 0.3 wt.% was investigated to improve the strength and ductility of SLM Ti-6Al-4V alloys. The microstructure and mechanical properties were analyzed using different vacuum heat treatment processes, with the 800-4-FC specimen exhibiting the most favorable overall mechanical properties. Additionally, zinc serves as a stabilizing element for the β phase, enhancing the resistance to particle erosion and corrosion impedance of Ti-6Al-4V-Zn alloy. Furthermore, the incorporation of trace amounts of Zn imparts improved impact toughness and stabilized high-temperature tensile mechanical properties to SLM Ti-6Al-4V-Zn alloy. The data obtained serve as valuable references for the application of SLM-64Ti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a second order non-autonomous evolution equation in a Hilbert space H u ′ ′ (t) + A u (t) + γ (t) u ′ (t) + ∇ F (u (t)) = 0 , where A is a self-adjoint and nonnegative operator on H with a nontrivial kernel, the nonlinear term ∇ F is the gradient of a differentiable function F : D (A 1 / 2) → R , and γ (t) is a damping coefficient, vanishing as t goes to infinity. We focus on a limit case γ (t) = α / t (with some α > 0), which turns out to be quite tricky to deal with. When α exceeds a critical value, we obtain the optimal decay rate of the solution of the equation, in terms of the exponent associated with F. Moreover, we present two examples to illustrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gustilo Anderson III B/C open tibial fractures are more difficult to manage than I, II, and III A fractures. These open tibial fractures are often associated with wound infection, soft tissue necrosis, bone nonunion, osteomyelitis or amputation. Staged treatment for this severe trauma is very necessary. Materials and Methods: 25 cases of Gustilo Anderson IIIB/C open tibial fractures with serious soft-tissue defects treated between January 2010 and January 2015 were included in this study. The treatment was administered in three stages. The first stage included emergency debridement, external fixation, repair of damaged main blood vessels and nerves, covering of the wound, and infection control. The second stage involved skin flap or skin graft placement to repair wounds. The third stage involved replacement of the external fixator with an internal fixator and the placement of bone grafts. Results: All the skin flaps or skin grafts survived, and a small necrotic area in the distal flap was observed in only two cases (which resolved spontaneously after the dressing was changed). Bone union occurred at the predicted time in 23 cases, while it was delayed in 2 cases. The rate of excellent and good was 88%. Conclusion: Staged treatment was safe and effective for Gustilo Anderson IIIB/C tibial fractures. The timing for the placement of internal and external fixators and choosing the appropriate skin flap repair technique are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of highly porous carbon (HPC) materials from poplar catkin by KOH chemical activation and hydrothermal carbonization as a conductive additive to a lithium-sulfur cathode is reported. Elemental sulfur was composited with as-prepared HPC through a melt diffusion method to form a S/HPC nanocomposite. Structure and morphology characterization revealed a hierarchically sponge-like structure of HPC with high pore volume (0.62 cm³·g-1) and large specific surface area (1261.7 m²·g-1). When tested in Li/S batteries, the resulting compound demonstrated excellent cycling stability, delivering a second-specific capacity of 1154 mAh·g-1 as well as presenting 74% retention of value after 100 cycles at 0.1 C. Therefore, the porous structure of HPC plays an important role in enhancing electrochemical properties, which provides conditions for effective charge transfer and effective trapping of soluble polysulfide intermediates, and remarkably improves the electrochemical performance of S/HPC composite cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modal testing, the force transducer and accelerometer mounted on the test structure will introduce extra mass effects to the system and then affect the measured Frequency Response Functions (FRFs). This paper proposed a method for assessing sensor mass effects on the measured FRFs in shaker modal testing. The assessment method offers some distinct advantages where very few FRFs measurements are required, and more importantly it does not require calculations involving several measured FRFs, hence avoiding further contaminations of the measured data. In view of two different ways of response measurements, two cases have been discussed: (1) shaker + laser Doppler vibrometer and (2) shaker + accelerometer. In case (1), only force transducer mass need be assessed. In case 2, however, both force transducer and accelerometer masses should be considered. Especially in Case 2, the overall as well as the individual mass effects of the two transducers were assessed. It is found that the assessment method is quite effective in the experimental validation for Case 1. A simple numerical example for Case 2 presented also illustrates the good theoretical performance of the method. The same example is extended to incorporate simulated noise, simulating an experimental situation, and it is shown that the accuracy of assessment results will be affected to some extent by the noise. It is suggested that the measured FRFs be preprocessed using the curve-fitting procedure before applying the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "prevention before disease" in Buddhism has deep roots in traditional Indian medicine and has been integrated into Buddhist philosophy. The Buddhist philosophy of "prevention before disease" is based on the cultivation of mindfulness through the practice of meditation. This philosophy has been integrated into modern medicine through the development of mindfulness-based interventions, which have been found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. The article also discusses the spread of Buddhist philosophy and its "prevention before disease" concept in different regions of the world and the potential benefits of integrating this philosophy into patient care. Here, we summarized the concept of "Prevention before Disease" in Buddhism and its specific content in Buddhist teachings and discussed its application & dissemination status in modern medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of sludge biochars obtained at different temperatures on the adsorption of Cd(II) by loess in northwestern China was investigated using the batch equilibrium method. The results showed that the pseudo second-order kinetic model can describe the kinetics of Cd(II) adsorption on the sludge biocharamended loess very well. The adsorption of Cd(II) by loess reached equilibrium in 6h. However, with the addition of biochar, the adsorption time of the Cd(II) by loess decreased. In addition, the adsorption equilibrium time decreased significantly with increasing pyrolysis temperatures. When the pH increased from 2 to 7, the adsorption capacity of biochar-amended loess increased, while the adsorption capacity was in equilibrium or even slightly decreased in the pH range from 7 to 8. The Langmuir model can describe the adsorption isothermal behaviours of Cd(II) by biochar-amended loess. The adsorption capacity of biochar-amended loess samples for Cd(II) at 25°C follows the order of LSB700 (28.74 mg/g)>LSB500 (22.42 mg/g)>LSB300 (17.67 mg/g). The addition of sludge biochars can significantly improve the saturation adsorption capacity of loess for Cd(II). Therefore, the addition of sludge biochars can effectively improve the adsorption-immobilization capability of loess for Cd(II). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of ultra-precision freeform surfaces commonly requires several datasets from different sensors to realize holistic measurements with high efficiency. The effectiveness of the technology heavily depends on the quality of the data registration and fusion in the measurement process. This paper presents methods and algorithms to address these issues. An intrinsic feature pattern is proposed to represent the geometry of the measured datasets so that the registration of the datasets in 3D space is casted as a feature pattern registration problem in a 2D plane. The accuracy of the overlapping area is further improved by developing a Gaussian process based data fusion method with full consideration of the associated uncertainties in the measured datasets. Experimental studies are undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the proposed method. The study should contribute to the high precision and efficient measurement of ultra-precision freeform surfaces on multi-sensor systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of fluoride exposure and ERα gene polymorphisms on reproductive hormone concentrations of women in accordance with endemic fluorosis residence.Methods and Study Design: A cross sectional study was conducted in Tongxu county, Henan Province, China. A total of 679 women were recruited using cluster sampling and each subject provided fasting blood and an associated urine sample. We measured the concentrations of serum gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estradiol and urinary fluoride.Results: In the defluoridation project group (DFPG), serum GnRH was lower in women carrying C/C genotype compared to in those carrying C/T and T/T genotypes of ERα gene rs3798577 (p<0.05). In the endemic fluorosis group (EFG), serum GnRH was lower in women carrying Pp genotype compared to in those carrying PP and pp genotypes of ERα PvuII (p<0.05). Serum GnRH in women from EFG who carried Pp, pp, Xx and xx genotypes in ERα gene PvuII and XbaI was lower than in those in the control group (CG) who carried same genotypes (p<0.05). Furthermore, serum GnRH in women from EFG was significantly lower than in those in CG, regardless of whether the women were carrying C/C, C/T or T/T genotypes of ERα rs3798577 (p<0.05). Serum estradiol concentrations in EFG were significantly lower than in CG when the women were carrying the Pp, Xx and T/T genotypes in ERα gene (p<0.05).Conclusion: Interaction of ERα gene and fluoride exposure may influence women's serum reproductive hormone concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant third-order nonlinear absorption and refraction of electrochemical graphene oxide (EGO) film were investigated in the femtosecond regime using the single beam Z-scan technique. The excellent chemical stability of the EGO film under high-power illumination up to 400 mJ/cm2 is demonstrated, which can be attributed to the low oxidation degree revealed by the optical and Raman spectroscopies. High and broadband linear transmission over 70% has been observed from the visible to the infrared range. The low-loss EGO film with giant third-order nonlinearity, excellent chemical stability, large-scale preparation and flexible integration has a great potential for high-power nonlinear optical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A graphene wrapped dielectric particle has been proposed theoretically to realize tunable multi-qubit quantum phase gates (QPGs) with ultrahigh fidelity. By using a first-principles Green's function technique, the interactions between quantum emitters mediated by graphene plasmons have been investigated. We find that the spontaneous decay rates of these emitters can be strongly enhanced and controlled by means of the efficient excitations of eigenmodes in graphene. The collective subradiance and superradiance resulting from the graphene-mediated interactions have been predicted. Based on these phenomena, we propose the tunable multi-qubit QPGs. These phase gates have the advantage of sensitive adjustability by changing the Fermi level or the electrostatic gating in graphene, at the same time they possess very high fidelities due to the small dissipation in the graphene monolayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Amino acid substitutions within the AdeRS two-component system are believed to result in overexpression of the AdeABC efflux pump and extensive resistance to antibiotics in clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. However, the exact amino acid substitutions in AdeRS that cause overexpression of the AdeABC efflux pump remain unclear. We elucidated the role of amino acid substitutions in AdeRS by a complementation assay in an adeRS knockout strain of A. baumannii.Methods: Five types of adeRS operon from tigecycline-resistant XDR A. baumannii (XDRAB) were cloned and introduced into the adeRS knockout strain to reverse its tigecycline susceptibility.Results: Through shuffling gene segments among those five adeRS operons and performing site-directed mutagenesis, we found that the specific amino acid substitution Gly186Val in AdeS is crucial for reducing tigecycline susceptibility of A. baumannii.Conclusions: Our result demonstrates that a critical amino acid substitution in AdeS alters the AdeABC efflux pump-mediated tigecycline resistance of A. baumannii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protectin D1 (PD1) is a bioactive product generated from docosahexaenoic acid, which may exert anti-inflammatory effects in various inflammatory diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of its anti-inflammatory activity on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced hepatitis remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effects of PD1 against Con A-induced liver injury and the underlying mechanisms via intravenous injection of PD1 prior to Con A administration. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided intofour experimental groups as follows: Control group, Con A group (30 mg/kg), 20 μg/kg PD1 + Con A (30 mg/kg) group and 10 μg/kg PD1 + Con A (30 mg/kg) group. PD1 pretreatment was demonstrated to significantly inhibit elevated plasma aminotransferase levels, high mobility group box 1 and liver necrosis, which were observed in Con A-induced hepatitis. Furthermore, compared with the Con A group, PD1 pretreatment prevented the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ and interleukin-2, -1β and -6. In addition, pretreatment with PD1 markedly downregulated cluster of differentiation (CD)4+, CD8+ and natural killer T (NKT) cell infiltration in the liver. PD1 pretreatment was observed to suppress the messenger RNA and protein expression levels of NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3 and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 in liver tissue samples. Further data indicated that PD1 pretreatment inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling pathway and chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1 (CX3CL1)/chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1 (CX3CR1) axis by preventing phosphorylation of nuclear factor of κ light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor, α and NF-κB in Con A-induced liver injury. Therefore, these results suggest that PD1 administration protects mice against Con A-induced liver injury via inhibition of various inflammatory cytokines and, in part, by suppressing CD4+, CD8+ and NKT cell infiltration in the liver and the NF-κB-activated CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling pathway. The beneficial effect of PD1 may be associated with the inhibition of TLR4 expression and the downregulation of NF-κB activation. In conclusion, PD1 appears to be a potential natural bioproduct, and provide a promising strategy, for the prevention of hepatic injury in patients with chronic or acute liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies showed that high dose of caffeine intake may induce some specific human reproductive system diseases, even lead to infertility. Objectives: In consideration of the high consumption of caffeine according to the latest population-based survey, this review is aimed to systematically review the evidence from all controlled clinical studies of caffeine intake for infertility. Designs: Relevant randomized/quasi-randomized controlled trials, non-randomized clinical studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies will be included in this review. Participants will be either those without a history of infertility who are willing to have a baby (for prospective studies) or infertile patients with confirmed diagnosis (for retrospective studies). Caffeine or caffeine-containing beverage will be observed as the exposure factor. The key outcome will be the diagnosis of infertility in participants. All relevant published/unpublished or ongoing studies will be searched from seven databases and four online systems until December 2015. Two authors will screen the literatures and extract the data independently. Methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed by two authors according to either Risk of Bias Assessment or Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We will use R software to analyze the data. Dose of caffeine will be quantified on a daily basis, and relative risk with their 95% confidence interval will be measured. If data permit, meta-analysis and dose-response analysis will be conducted. Summary of findings tables will be generated using Guideline Development Tool online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Drugs acting on μ-opioid receptors (MORs) are widely used as analgesics but present side effects including life-threatening respiratory depression. MORs are G-protein-coupled receptors inhibiting neuronal activity through calcium channels, adenylyl cyclase, and/or G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels. The pathways underlying MOR-dependent inhibition of rhythmic breathing are unknown.Methods: By using a combination of genetic, pharmacological, and physiological tools in rodents in vivo, the authors aimed to identify the role of GIRK channels in MOR-mediated inhibition of respiratory circuits.Results: GIRK channels were expressed in the ventrolateral medulla, a neuronal population regulating rhythmic breathing, and GIRK channel activation with flupirtine reduced respiratory rate in rats (percentage of baseline rate in mean ± SD: 79.4 ± 7.4%, n = 7), wild-type mice (82.6 ± 3.8%, n = 3), but not in mice lacking the GIRK2 subunit, an integral subunit of neuronal GIRK channels (GIRK2, 101.0 ± 1.9%, n = 3). Application of the MOR agonist [D-Ala, N-MePhe, Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) to the ventrolateral medulla depressed respiratory rate, an effect partially reversed by the GIRK channel blocker Tertiapin-Q (baseline: 42.1 ± 7.4 breath/min, DAMGO: 26.1 ± 13.4 breath/min, Tertiapin-Q + DAMGO: 33.9 ± 9.8 breath/min, n = 4). Importantly, DAMGO applied to the ventrolateral medulla failed to reduce rhythmic breathing in GIRK2 mice (percentage of baseline rate: 103.2 ± 12.1%, n = 4), whereas it considerably reduced rate in wild-type mice (62.5 ± 17.7% of baseline, n = 4). Respiratory rate depression by systemic injection of the opioid analgesic fentanyl was markedly reduced in GIRK2 (percentage of baseline: 12.8 ± 15.8%, n = 5) compared with wild-type mice (72.9 ± 27.3%).Conclusions: Overall, these results identify that GIRK channels contribute to respiratory inhibition by MOR, an essential step toward understanding respiratory depression by opioids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, five mixed substrates - SSFGF, FSSGF, FSSFF, FSSFG, and FSFGF - consisting of fly ash, sludge, soil, fine cinder, gravels, and fine sand, were made in order to test the removal effect of lead. Multiple comparisons and analysis of variance were used to analyze physicochemical properties and the removal efficiency of lead. The test results showed that for five substrates, the effluent concentrations were not significantly different among 10 mg/L and 40 mg/L initial concentrations. For the other three initial concentrations (20 mg/L, 80 mg/L and 160 mg/L) from five substrates, it was significantly different. Moreover, when decomposition time was 0.25 h~48 h, the removal efficiency of Pb from the solution was better for substrate SSFGF-based wetland than those of the other substrate-based wetlands at low and medium initial concentrations (10 mg/L, 20 mg/L, 40 mg/L, and 80 mg/L), and then it was slightly better for substrate FSSFF-based wetland. At relatively high initial concentrations (160 mg/L), the removal efficiency was better for substrate FSSFF-based wetland than those of the other substrate-based wetlands, and then it was slightly better for substrate SSGFF-based wetland. Our study further suggested that SSFGF and FSSFF were the two relatively ideal substrate materials suitable for removal of Pb from a constructed wetland system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with substantial mortality and morbidity. Alisertib (ALS) is a selective Aurora kinase A (AURKA) inhibitor with unclear effect and molecular interactome on CRC. This study aimed to evaluate the molecular interactome and anticancer effect of ALS and explore the underlying mechanisms in HT29 and Caco-2 cells. ALS markedly arrested cells in G2/M phase in both cell lines, accompanied by remarkable alterations in the expression level of key cell cycle regulators. ALS induced apoptosis in HT29 and Caco-2 cells through mitochondrial and death receptor pathways. ALS also induced autophagy in HT29 and Caco-2 cells, with the suppression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), but activation of 51 AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways. There was a differential modulating effect of ALS on p38 MAPK signaling pathway in both cell lines. Moreover, induction or inhibition of autophagy modulated basal and ALS-induced apoptosis in both cell lines. ALS potently suppressed epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HT29 and Caco-2 cells. Collectively, it suggests that induction of cell cycle arrest, promotion of apoptosis and autophagy, and suppression of EMT involving mitochondrial, death receptor, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, p38 MAPK, and AMPK signaling pathways contribute to the cancer cell killing effect of ALS on CRC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory ciliary motion is enabled by dynein/microtubule activity. Current observation techniques can hardly capture the dynein activation pattern in moving cilia. Here we introduce a computational model to mimic the ciliary ultrastructure and simulate the dynein-driven ciliary motion.Methods: A three-dimensional model is established to mimic the ``9 + 2'' ciliary ultrastructure. The dynein force is simulated as point loads embedded along the microtubules. The dynein-triggered ciliary motion is solved by using the Finite Element Method along with grid deformation techniques.Results: By comparing the simulated ciliary movement to the observation results, the rationality of different dynein activity hypotheses are evaluated and the dynein activation pattern that can produce the planar beating of lung cilia is proposed. The results also reveal that the dynein force alone can only generate longitudinal microtubule sliding and ciliary bending; to produce the ciliary `curl-up' movement, transverse forces (possibly induced by radial spokes) need to be considered.Conclusion: This model provides a platform to investigate various assumptions of dynein activity, facilitating us to evaluate their rationality and propose possible dynein activation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of idiopathic muscular hypertrophy of oesophagus (IMHE) is low, and <100 cases of IMHE have been reported. IMHE is a benign oesophageal disease, characterised by hyperplasia of all layers of the wall and in particular, muscle layer. Only a few cases have been reported regarding its clinical symptoms and images. In this present case, we report a cardia cancer with IMHE, showing significant hypertrophy of muscular layer of middle part of the oesophagus and successfully treated with minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacies of tricuspid valve repair, risk factors for treatment failure and postoperative quality of life have not been thoroughly evaluated in patients with tricuspid insufficiency associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). We therefore reviewed our experience with ring and non-ring tricuspid annuloplasty for the treatment of functional tricuspid insufficiency (TI) in RHD. Methods: This retrospective, follow-up study involved 74 RHD patients who underwent either non-ring annuloplasty (De Vega procedure; 34 patients, 45.95 %) or ring annuloplasty (40 patients, 54.05 %) along with concurrent mitral or/and aortic valve replacement. Operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic clamping time, intensive care unit stay and extubation time were recorded. Echocardiographic findings and Short Form (SF)-36 scores were compared between the two groups. Results: In hospital mortality and complications were similar in the two study groups (P = 0.6755). At 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and even longer after the operation, the Kaplan-Meier curve of freedom from mild and above recurrent TI showed significantly better efficacy in the ring annuloplasty group than the De Vega procedure group (log rank P = 0.0377). Risk factors for recurrent TI included high pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and non-ring annuloplasty (PASP: hazard ratio = 1.52; non-ring: hazard ratio = 1.42). The mental component summary score at 1 year after the operation did not significantly differ between the two groups (P = 0.6446), but the physical component summary score was significantly better in the ring annuloplasty group (P = 0.0037). Conclusion: Compared with non-ring annuloplasty, ring annuloplasty was associated with improved survival, decreased TI recurrence and higher quality of life in RHD patients undergoing tricuspid valve repair combined with mitral and/or aortic valve replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of heavy metals in 21 samples collected from surface sediments from the Qinghai section of the Yellow were investigated in order to evaluate their distribution and pollution levels. The total concentrations showed wide variations with Cu 11.86~57.02 mg/kg, Fe 17236.67~41340.00 mg/kg, Mn 431.93~877.27 mg/kg, Ni 14.58~86.11 mg/kg, Zn 67.18~149.00 mg/kg, Cr 87.84~169.70 mg/kg, Pb 1.21~20.69 mg/kg, and Cd 0.27~1.43 mg/kg. The mean values of the heavy metal contents were arranged in the following decreasing order: Fe>Mn>Cr>Zn>Ni>Cu>Pb>Cd. The correlation between Cu, Fe, and Zn concentrations was significantly positive. These heavy metals had common sources, mutual dependence, and identical behavior during transport. However, there was no significant correlation among some of these metals, indicating different anthropogenic and natural sources. PCA extracted three components with eigenvalues explaining 76.259% of the total variance. Fe, Mn, and Zn had a common natural origin controlled by the first component. Cu, Ni, and Cd could originate anthropogenic sources controlled by the second component. The higher values of geo-accumulation index, enrichment factor, and pollution load index of Cr in the Qinghai section were attributed principally to anthropogenic activities such as industrial effluents, vehicular emissions, and terrigenous influx from the river. Zn appeared to pose no risk at all of the sites of the system. In total, the pollution class from the Qinghai section of the river is 0-1, belonging to the unpolluted to moderately polluted degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The efficacies of tricuspid valve repair, risk factors for treatment failure and postoperative quality of life have not been thoroughly evaluated in patients with tricuspid insufficiency associated with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). We therefore reviewed our experience with ring and non-ring tricuspid annuloplasty for the treatment of functional tricuspid insufficiency (TI) in RHD. Methods: This retrospective, follow-up study involved 74 RHD patients who underwent either non-ring annuloplasty (De Vega procedure; 34 patients, 45.95 %) or ring annuloplasty (40 patients, 54.05 %) along with concurrent mitral or/and aortic valve replacement. Operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic clamping time, intensive care unit stay and extubation time were recorded. Echocardiographic findings and Short Form (SF)-36 scores were compared between the two groups. Results: In hospital mortality and complications were similar in the two study groups (P = 0.6755). At 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and even longer after the operation, the Kaplan–Meier curve of freedom from mild and above recurrent TI showed significantly better efficacy in the ring annuloplasty group than the De Vega procedure group (log rank P = 0.0377). Risk factors for recurrent TI included high pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and non-ring annuloplasty (PASP: hazard ratio = 1.52; non-ring: hazard ratio = 1.42). The mental component summary score at 1 year after the operation did not significantly differ between the two groups (P = 0.6446), but the physical component summary score was significantly better in the ring annuloplasty group (P = 0.0037). Conclusion: Compared with non-ring annuloplasty, ring annuloplasty was associated with improved survival, decreased TI recurrence and higher quality of life in RHD patients undergoing tricuspid valve repair combined with mitral and/or aortic valve replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]