Search

The space charge layer and interfacial side reactions between cathode and solid electrolyte seriously limit the electrochemical performances of sulfide electrolyte-based all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLIBs). In addition, the periodic strain of the cathode material during the charging-discharging process causes the cathode particles cracking and detachment from the electrolyte. Surface coating is an effective approach to improve electrochemical performances, and the coating material should have high ion and electron conductivity to ensure ion and electron conduction. Ionic-electronic mixed conductor Li 7.5 La 3 Zr 1.5 Co 0.5 O 12 (LLZCO) is chosen as the coating material, and coated on the surface of LiCoO 2 (LCO) by co-precipitation method. The pristine and coated LCO are assembled into LCO|Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 |InLi ASSLIBs. The buffering layer can reduce the space charge layer and maintain the stability of the cathode particles. The initial discharge specific capacity of the coated sample is 121.0 mAh g−1 (1.9–3.6 V, 0.2C, RT), with a capacity retention rate of 96.0 % after 100 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given a query language, a Detection-based Vision-Language Understanding (DVLU) system needs to respond based on the detected regions (i.e.,bounding boxes). With the significant advancement in object detection, DVLU has witnessed great improvements in recent years, such as Visual Question Answering (VQA) and Visual Grounding (VG). However, existing DVLU methods always process each detected image region separately but ignore that they were an integral whole. Without the full consideration of each region's context, the image's understanding may contain more bias. In this paper, to solve the problem, a simple yet effective Region Collaborative Network (RCN) block is proposed to bridge the gap between independent regions and the integrative DVLU task. Specifically, the Intra-Region Relations (IntraRR) inside each detected region are computed by a position-wise and channel-wise joint non-local model. Then, the Inter-Region Relations (InterRR) across all the detected regions are computed by pooling and sharing parameters with IntraRR. The proposed RCN can enhance the features of each region by using information from all other regions and guarantees the dimension consistency between input and output. The RCN is evaluated on VQA and VG, and the experimental results show that our method can significantly improve the performance of existing DVLU models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4 commonly colonizes the small intestine and releases enterotoxins that impair the intestinal barrier function and trigger inflammatory responses. Although Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) has been reported to enhance intestinal health, it remains to be seen whether there is a functional role of B. licheniformis in intestinal inflammatory response in intestinal porcine epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) when stimulated with ETEC F4. Methods: In the present study, the effects of B. licheniformis PF9 on the release of pro-inflammation cytokines, cell integrity and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation were evaluated in ETEC F4-induced IPEC-J2 cells. Results: B. licheniformis PF9 treatment was capable of remarkably attenuating the expression levels of inflammation cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-8, and IL-6 during ETEC F4 infection. Furthermore, the gene expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated upstream related genes of NF-κB signaling pathway has been significantly inhibited. These changes were accompanied by significantly decreased phosphorylation of p65 NF-κB during ETEC F4 infection with B. licheniformis PF9 treatment. The immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis revealed that B. licheniformis PF9 increased the expression levels of zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin (OCLN) in ETEC F4-infected IPEC-J2 cells. Meanwhile, the B. licheniformis PF9 could alleviate the injury of epithelial barrier function assessed by the trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cell permeability assay. Interestingly, B. licheniformis PF9 protect IPEC-J2 cells against ETEC F4 infection by decreasing the gene expressions of virulence-related factors (including luxS, estA, estB, and elt) in ETEC F4. Conclusions: Collectively, our results suggest that B. licheniformis PF9 might reduce inflammation-related cytokines through blocking the NF-κB signaling pathways. Besides, B. licheniformis PF9 displayed a significant role in the enhancement of IPEC-J2 cell integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4 commonly colonizes the small intestine and releases enterotoxins that impair the intestinal barrier function and trigger inflammatory responses. Although Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) has been reported to enhance intestinal health, it remains to be seen whether there is a functional role of B. licheniformis in intestinal inflammatory response in intestinal porcine epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) when stimulated with ETEC F4. Methods: In the present study, the effects of B. licheniformis PF9 on the release of pro-inflammation cytokines, cell integrity and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation were evaluated in ETEC F4-induced IPEC-J2 cells. Results: B. licheniformis PF9 treatment was capable of remarkably attenuating the expression levels of inflammation cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-8, and IL-6 during ETEC F4 infection. Furthermore, the gene expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated upstream related genes of NF-κB signaling pathway has been significantly inhibited. These changes were accompanied by significantly decreased phosphorylation of p65 NF-κB during ETEC F4 infection with B. licheniformis PF9 treatment. The immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis revealed that B. licheniformis PF9 increased the expression levels of zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin (OCLN) in ETEC F4-infected IPEC-J2 cells. Meanwhile, the B. licheniformis PF9 could alleviate the injury of epithelial barrier function assessed by the trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and cell permeability assay. Interestingly, B. licheniformis PF9 protect IPEC-J2 cells against ETEC F4 infection by decreasing the gene expressions of virulence-related factors (including luxS, estA, estB, and elt) in ETEC F4. Conclusions: Collectively, our results suggest that B. licheniformis PF9 might reduce inflammation-related cytokines through blocking the NF-κB signaling pathways. Besides, B. licheniformis PF9 displayed a significant role in the enhancement of IPEC-J2 cell integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether there are significant differences in costs of treatment and readmission rates for hospital consultations undertaken by female versus male physicians in China. Methods: Using data from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance program from January 2018 through October 2019, we investigated spending patterns and clinical outcomes for patients at tertiary hospitals in one of the largest cities in China by the gender of the attending physician. Our sample included 79,085 hospitalizations treated by 3993 physicians in internal medicine departments. We examined the association between physician gender and visit cost using a multivariable linear model. We examined the association between physician gender and 30-days readmission rates using a multivariable probability model. We adjusted for a rich set of patient characteristics, primary diagnosis fixed effects, and hospital fixed effects. In addition, we used patient fixed effects in a robustness analysis. Results: Adjusting for primary diagnosis fixed effects, spending per visit was 4.1% higher for patients treated by male physicians than for those treated by female physicians, a statistically significant difference (95% CI [1.5%, 6.7%]). This pattern persisted after further adjusting for hospital fixed effects (3.2% [1.2%, 5.2%]), patient characteristics (3.2% [1.2%, 5.1%]), and patient fixed effects (4.2% [1.8%, 6.7%]). The difference is mainly driven by higher spending on drugs (8.7% [3.9%, 13.6%]) and out-of-pocket costs (3.9% [1.7%, 6.0%]). No statistically significant differences were observed in the readmission rates of patients treated by male and female physicians in any of our three model specifications. Conclusions: Spending per visit was significantly higher among patients treated by male physicians than among those treated by female physicians, with the difference mainly driven by spending on drugs and out-of-pocket costs. No significant difference was observed in the hospital readmission rates of patients treated by male and female physicians. These findings have important implications for gender equality in medicine and health care quality and efficiency in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text-guided image editing (TIE) seeks to manipulate images by the guidance of language. However, the existing TIE methods always overlook the target-irrelevant pixels and the editing may make the background discolored, distorted, or partially disappear. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel TIE method named FocusGAN, which edits the text-relevant pixels precisely as well as keeps the background invariant. Specifically, we build a network of two stages. In each stage, we first construct a channel-wise subject focusing attention to make the generator focus on the sub-region that best matches each word. Then, the word-level discriminator provides fine-grained feedback by correlating words with image areas, so that the generator can manipulate specific visual attributes without affecting the background. Last, we propose a background-keeping cyclic loss to further improve the invariance of the background and to encourage the edit of the subject that matches the given text. Experiments on CUB and Oxford datasets demonstrate that our approach can effectively keep the background invariant in manipulating images using natural language descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is often idiopathic, but structural chromosomal abnormality is an important nosogenesis. Balanced translocations or inversions can lead to unbalanced gametes depending on the specific recombination and segregation patterns during meiosis. An unbalanced karyotype in the conceptus of a couple when one partner has a structural chromosomal abnormality may result in failure to implant, miscarriage, or ongoing pregnancy of a fetus with an unbalanced karyotype. Case presentation: We report two rare Han cases of RSA associated with balanced translocation of chromosomes. In case 1, a women who had had four spontaneous abortions, the karyotype was 46, XX, t (4;7) (q31;q22). In case 2, a women who had two spontaneous abortions and one stillborn fetus, the karyotype was 46, XX, t (3;15) (q12;p11.2), inv (5) (P13q13). The abnormal karyotype was not found in other chromosomes. Conclusions: It is very important that couples with more than two miscarriages be provided with chromosomal analysis. Referring couples for karyotyping will rule out or confirm possible hereditary etiology and the source of chromosomal abnormalities in recurrent miscarriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work was aimed at investigating image feature recognition and clinical nursing of children's rheumatoid arthritis- (CRA-) related lung injury under maximum correlation minimum redundancy algorithm of machine learning. In this study, 18 children with CRA in the hospital were selected as the rheumatoid group to explore the nursing method, and 18 healthy children were selected as the control group. The maximum correlation minimum redundancy algorithm of machine learning was compared with the information gain algorithm and the Fisher score algorithm and applied in computed tomography (CT) images of 18 CRA children. The classification accuracy of the algorithm in this study (94.52%) was higher than that of the information gain algorithm (88.64%) and Fisher score algorithm (81.24%). CT alveolitis score (2.35 ± 0.72 points) of children from the rheumatoid group was markedly higher than that of the control group (1.21 ± 0.24 points) (t = 2.147 and P < 0.05). The nitric oxide level (14.00 ppb) of children from the rheumatoid group increased greatly compared with the control group (10.00 ppb) (P < 0.05). CRA can cause a decline of lung function in children, while the nitric oxide level exhaled by children can assess the activity of RA. In addition, adopting active nursing methods can help children get better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is often idiopathic, but structural chromosomal abnormality is an important nosogenesis. Balanced translocations or inversions can lead to unbalanced gametes depending on the specific recombination and segregation patterns during meiosis. An unbalanced karyotype in the conceptus of a couple when one partner has a structural chromosomal abnormality may result in failure to implant, miscarriage, or ongoing pregnancy of a fetus with an unbalanced karyotype.Case Presentation: We report two rare Han cases of RSA associated with balanced translocation of chromosomes. In case 1, a women who had had four spontaneous abortions, the karyotype was 46, XX, t (4;7) (q31;q22). In case 2, a women who had two spontaneous abortions and one stillborn fetus, the karyotype was 46, XX, t (3;15) (q12;p11.2), inv (5) (P13q13). The abnormal karyotype was not found in other chromosomes.Conclusions: It is very important that couples with more than two miscarriages be provided with chromosomal analysis. Referring couples for karyotyping will rule out or confirm possible hereditary etiology and the source of chromosomal abnormalities in recurrent miscarriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiCoO 2 has excellent volume energy density, and is the dominant cathode materials for 3 C electronic products. However, the capacity of LiCoO 2 is not fully utilized, and its cycle stability is not high enough. To preserve the structural stability of LiCoO 2 at high voltage, the mixed ion-electron conductor Li 0.33 La 0.557 Ti 0.8 Cr 0.2 O 3 is coated on LiCoO 2 particles, and the effects of coating amount and annealing temperature on the electrochemical performances are systematically investigated. The capacity retention of the pristine LiCoO 2 in the range of 2.8–4.5 V is only 51.0% after 200 cycles, which is related to the resistance increase of interface and cracks of cathode particles. The coating layer can improve the interface stability and keep the particles intact, and therefore, the capacity retention of the coated sample is significantly increased to 88.2%. • Mixed electron-ion conductor Li 0.33 La 0.557 Ti 0.8 Cr 0.2 O 3 is chosen as coating layer of LiCoO 2. • The coating material is coated on LiCO 2 particles by coprecipitation method. • The hard shell can maintain the particle integrity of LiCoO 2. • The coated particles have excellent cycle stability and rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the asymptotic behavior of solutions for a fractional stochastic integro-differential equation driven by additive noise with α ∈ (0 , 1). We first apply the Galerkin method to prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the equation, then establish the existence and uniqueness of tempered pullback random attractors for the equation in an appropriate Hilbert space, which is different from previous works [Liu L, Caraballo T. Well-posedness and dynamics of a fractional stochastic integro-differential equation. Phys D. 2017;355:45–57]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an Attentional Concatenation Generative Adversarial Network (ACGAN) aiming at generating 1024 × 1024 high-resolution images. First, we propose a multilevel cascade structure, for text-to-image synthesis. During training progress, we gradually add new layers and, at the same time, use the results and word vectors from the previous layer as inputs to the next layer to generate high-resolution images with photo-realistic details. Second, the deep attentional multimodal similarity model is introduced into the network, and we match word vectors with images in a common semantic space to compute a fine-grained matching loss for training the generator. In this way, we can pay attention to the fine-grained information of the word level in the semantics. Finally, the measure of diversity is added to the discriminator, which enables the generator to obtain more diverse gradient directions and improve the diversity of generated samples. The experimental results show that the inception scores of the proposed model on the CUB and Oxford-102 datasets have reached 4.48 and 4.16, improved by 2.75% and 6.42% compared to Attentional Generative Adversarial Networks (AttenGAN). The ACGAN model has a better effect on text-generated images, and the resulting image is closer to the real image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-semantic hypergraph explore higher-order relationships among few samples. • Orthogonalized mapping function helps to obtain rich multi-semantic information. • Multi-semantic distribution information improve the rationality of hypergraphs. • Hypergraph and Multi-Semantic Distribution Information with node-edge message passing. Recently, Graph-based Few-Shot Learning (FSL) methods exhibit good generalization by mining relations among few samples with Graph Neural Networks. However, most Graph-based FSL methods consider only binary relations and ignore the multi-semantic information of the global context knowledge. We propose a framework of Multi-Semantic Hypergraph for FSL (MSH-FSL) to explore complex latent high-order multi-semantic relations among the few samples. By mining the complex relationship structure of multi-node and multi-semantics, more refined feature representation can be learned, which yields better classification robustness. Specifically, we first construct a novel Multi-Semantic Hypergraph by obtaining associated instances with different semantic features via orthogonal mapping. With the constructed hypergraph, we then develop the Hyergraph Neural Network along with a novel multi-generation hypergraph message passing so as to better leverage the complex latent semantic relations among samples. Finally, after a number of generations, the hyper-node representations embedded in the learned hypergraph become more accurate for obtaining few-shot prediction. In the 5-way 1-shot task of ResNet-12 on mini-Imagenet dataset, the multi-semantic hypergraph outperforms single-semantic graph by 3.1%, and with the proposed semantic-distribution message passing, the improvement can further reach 6.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical discretization with a finite-difference scheme is known to introduce frequency dispersion in depth-integrated long-wave models commonly used in tsunami research and hazard mapping. While prior studies on numerical dispersion focused on the linear shallow-water equations, we include the non-hydrostatic pressure and vertical velocity through a Keller box scheme and investigate the properties of the resulting system in relation to a hydrostatic model. Fourier analysis of the discretized governing equations gives rise to a dispersion relation in terms of the water-depth parameter as well as the time step, grid size, and wave direction. The dispersion relation is illustrated by its lead-order approximation derived from Taylor series expansions as well as numerical experiments involving standing and progressive waves with uniform water depth. Interaction between the spatial discretization and non-hydrostatic terms leads to significant reduction of numerical dispersion outside the shallow-water range. Numerical dispersion also decreases for wave propagation oblique to the computational grid due to effective increase in spatial resolution. The time step, which counteracts numerical dispersion from spatial discretization, only has secondary effects within the applicable range of Courant numbers. Since the governing equations of the non-hydrostatic model derived from the Keller box scheme tend to underestimate dispersion in shoaling water, the numerical effects are complementary in producing a solution closer to Airy wave theory. A case study of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami illustrates the grid sensitivity and convergence properties in real-world applications. A properly selected grid size can achieve an accurate description of wave propagation over a wide range of water-depth parameters across the ocean. • The Fourier method is effective in deriving exact numerical dispersion relations for non-hydrostatic models. • Coupling between non-hydrostatic terms and grid size notably reduces numerical dispersion outside the shallow-water range. • Numerical dispersion for wave propagation oblique to a grid principal axis can be evaluated using an effective grid size. • Numerical dispersion can offset underestimation from non-hydrostatic model to accurately describe dispersive tsunami waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as important biomarkers with great significance for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, their unique properties, such as small size, high sequence homology, and low abundance, make quantitative analysis of miRNAs extremely challenging. Herein, we reported a cascade catalytic hairpin assembly (CCHA) for sensitive and selective detection of miRNA with three kinds of hairpin probes (HP1, HP2, and HP3). In the presence of target miRNA, a series of toehold-mediated intermolecular DNA strand displacement and hybridization was activated among HP1, HP2, and HP3 to assembly numbers of DNA nanoobjects. During this period, the fluorescence response was greatly intensified to indicate the presence and expression level of interested target miRNA. We have demonstrated that the proposed method exhibits a high assay sensitivity to detect low concentration target and an excellent sequence specificity to distinguish even a single-nucleotide difference in vitro. Moreover, we also demonstrated that our design enables the intracellular imaging of miRNA in live cancer and normal cells. These results showing the promising potential of our CCHA for powerful biosensing, clinic diagnosis, or prognosis. [Display omitted] • We have developed a target-triggered cascade catalytic hairpin assembly (CCHA) using three hairpin probes. • The CCHA system can be used for robustly detection of miRNA-21. • The CCHA system can be applied to image intracellular miRNA in various types of cell lines. • This unique method holds promising potential for biomedical study and clinical molecular diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, lab-scale physical refining processes were investigated for their effects on the formation of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) esters. The potential precursors, partial acylglycerols and chlorines were determined before each refining step. 3-MCPD esters were not detected in degummed and bleached oil when the crude oils were extracted by solvent. While in the hot squeezed crude oils, 3-MCPD esters were detected with low amounts. 3-MCPD esters were generated with maximum values in 1–1.5 h at a certain deodorizing temperature (220–260 °C). Chlorine seemed to be more effective precursor than partial acylglycerol. By washing bleached oil before deodorization with ethanol solution, the precursors were removed partially and the content of 3-MCPD esters decreased to some extent accordingly. Diacetin was found to reduce 3-MCPD esters effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(ethylene oxide)-coated sulfur/carbon (S/C/PEO) composite with a high sulfur loading is prepared to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. By magnetic string, 3.7 wt% PEO is coated onto the surface of ball-milling obtained S/C composite, leading to synthesis of S/C/PEO composite containing 78 wt% S. It is confirmed from a series of measurements that PEO covers the S/C composite uniformly, and PEO coating is quite effective in stabilizing the electrochemical performance. When employed as cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries, S/C/PEO delivers an initial discharge capacity of 989.6 mAh g and remains 648.3 mAh g after 110 cycles at a discharge/charge rate of 1 C (based on sulfur weight). Meanwhile, the coulomb efficiency of S/C/PEO composite reaches to ~98 % during the latter 105 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance can be attributed to the formation of PEO coating layer which can keep a tight contact between carbon and sulfur and lead to improved conductivity. Moreover, the PEO coating can act as a flexible cushion to accommodate volume changes of sulfur cathode as well as a barrier to trap soluble polysulfide intermediates during the charge-discharge processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sick building syndrome (SBS) includes general, mucosal and skin symptoms. It is typically associated with an individual's place of work or residence. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of traffic exposure on SBS symptoms in Beijing, China. Methods: From January to May, 2011, recruitment occurred at kindergartens in 11 districts in Beijing. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed by teachers to legal guardians of children and then returned to teachers. The questionnaire asked them to recall the presence of 12 SBS symptoms from the previous three months. Living near a highway or main road (within 200 meters) was used as a proxy for traffic exposure. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the association between traffic exposure and a higher number of SBS symptoms, controlling for key covariates. Results: There were 5487 valid questionnaires (65.0% response rate). Univariate analysis showed that living near a main road or highway (OR = 1.40), female gender (OR = 1.44), and environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) (OR = 1.13) were significant risk factors for general symptoms. Grandparent’s generation (OR = 0.32) and home ownership (owner vs. renter) (OR = 0.89) were significant protective factors. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the association between living close to a highway and general symptoms remained significant in the multivariable model (aOR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.21: 1.59). ORs and aORs were similar for mucosal and skin symptoms. Conclusions: This study found traffic exposure to be significantly associated with SBS symptoms. This finding is consistent with current literature that indicates an association between adverse health effects and living near highway or main road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction induced by anesthetics commonly occurs in elderly patients. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of trametenolic acid B (TAB) in sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments, and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Animal and cell experiments were performed in rats, differentiated PC12 and HAPI cells by exposing to 2% sevoflurane for 5 h. Different concentration (20, 40 and 80 µg/mL) of TAB was administrated in rats and cells. The cognitive function of rats was evaluated using the Morris water maze test and fear conditioning test. The cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated using a CCK-8 assay and the flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokines in microglia were measured using ELISA kits. A miRNA microarray assay was conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs by TAB in both PC12 and HAPI cells. The luciferase reporter assay and western blot assay were used to assess the E2F1/CCNA2 and NF-κB pathways. Results: TAB significantly alleviated sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments in rats, improved PC12 cell viability, and inhibited the neuroinflammation of HAPI cells. miR-329-3p was downregulated in PC12 cells but upregulated in HAPI cells by TAB treatment, which mediated the effects of TAB on neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation. E2F1 and NF-κB P65 were two targets of miR-329-3p, and the E2F1/CCNA2 and NF-κB pathways were inhibited by miR-329-3p in PC12 and HAPI cells, respectively. Conclusions: All the results provide evidence for the protective role of TAB against sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments, which was achieved by alleviating neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation through differentially regulating miR-329-3p in neurons and microglia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A hydrometallurgical procedure has been developed for the separation and recovery of nickel, cobalt and rare earths (RE) from spent Ni–MH batteries. In the process of separation and recovery, the positive and negative electrode materials were merged and leached with 3M H2SO4 at 95°C. In this stage, about 94.8% of rare earths were separated from other metals due to the low solubility of RESO4 at relatively high temperature. Then iron, zinc and manganese (together with the remaining 5.2% rare earths) were almost completely separated from nickel and cobalt by solvent extraction with 20% P204. Rare earths in the organic phase were recovered by stripping with 2M HCl after scrubbing Zn and Mn. Most rare earth sulphates remaining in the leach residue were transformed to RE(OH)3 by treatment with NaOH and then redissolved from the filter cake as RECl3 by using the rare earth strip liquor and additional HCl. Cobalt was easily separated from nickel by solvent extraction with 20% Cyanex 272 and pure cobalt and nickel sulphates were recovered from evaporation of the strip liquor and raffinate respectively. Finally, spherical nickel hydroxide powder was synthesized from the pure nickel sulphate, which is an important starting material for Ni–MH batteries. The overall recovery efficiency for rare earths, cobalt and nickel exceeded 98%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The structural and electronic properties of selected noble metal nitrides and carbides are studied using the local density approximation and the generalized gradient approximation. The zinc-blende and rock-salt structures are employed. The nitride and carbide of palladium have high bulk modulus. From the DOS, the MX (M = Pd, Ag, Au; X = N, C) compound display metallic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xue Wan and Linyan Li contributed equally to this work Correction to: J Med Case Rep (2021) 15: 270 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-02848-9 Following publication of the original article [[1]], the authors identified an error in the affiliations 1-3. Affiliation 1 and 3 should also include: Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University Affiliation 2 indicated Zunyi Medical University Hospital while it should instead read: Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University The affiliations have been updated in the correction article and the original article [[1]] has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: The zircon-type and scheelite-type CaCrO4 are investigated by first-principles calculations based on density-functional theory. The calculated zircon-type lattice parameters and the oxygen positions are in agreement with the experimental results and those of scheelite-type structure are studied for the first time in this work. The theoretical phase transition pressure of CaCrO4 from zircon phase to scheelite phase is about 5.8GPa, which is consistent with the experimental observation. From the density of states and the electronic band structures, CaCrO4 is an insulator with a direct band gap (2.16eV) for zircon-type structure and an indirect band gap (1.98eV) for scheelite-type structure. The bulk moduli of the two phases are evaluated from the Murnaghan equation fit to the total energies as a function of the unit cell volume. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction induced by anesthetics commonly occurs in elderly patients. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of trametenolic acid B (TAB) in sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments, and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Animal and cell experiments were performed in rats, differentiated PC12 and HAPI cells by exposing to 2% sevoflurane for 5 h. Different concentration (20, 40 and 80 µg/mL) of TAB was administrated in rats and cells. The cognitive function of rats was evaluated using the Morris water maze test and fear conditioning test. The cell proliferation and apoptosis were investigated using a CCK-8 assay and the flow cytometry. Pro-inflammatory cytokines in microglia were measured using ELISA kits. A miRNA microarray assay was conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs by TAB in both PC12 and HAPI cells. The luciferase reporter assay and western blot assay were used to assess the E2F1/CCNA2 and NF-κB pathways. Results: TAB significantly alleviated sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments in rats, improved PC12 cell viability, and inhibited the neuroinflammation of HAPI cells. miR-329-3p was downregulated in PC12 cells but upregulated in HAPI cells by TAB treatment, which mediated the effects of TAB on neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation. E2F1 and NF-κB P65 were two targets of miR-329-3p, and the E2F1/CCNA2 and NF-κB pathways were inhibited by miR-329-3p in PC12 and HAPI cells, respectively. Conclusions: All the results provide evidence for the protective role of TAB against sevoflurane-induced cognitive impairments, which was achieved by alleviating neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation through differentially regulating miR-329-3p in neurons and microglia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large prospective cohort studies suggested an important role of cereal insoluble fiber in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, which challenge the traditional view that viscosity and solubility are the main driving factors for these beneficial effects of dietary fiber. To evaluate the anti-diabetic effects of insoluble- (BIF) and soluble fibers (BSF) enzymatically isolated from barley, a conventional rat model and a type 2 diabetes rat model were used. Our results showed that 4-week treatment of BIF or BSF effectively reduced FBG in the diabetic condition, with caecal level of propionic acid and minor SCFAs increased by BIF and that of butyric acid and insulin sensitivity improved by BSF, respectively. The two treatments further ameliorated liver function, judged by the recovered serum level of ALT, albumin and total protein levels. BIF and BSF also increased HDL-C and decreased serum MDA. In normal rats, BIF and BSF showed a hypolipidaemic effect in triglycerides and LDL-C, reduced body weight and enhanced the caecal production of minor SCFAs. Furthermore, the two treatments reduced the caecal level of butyric acid while BSF increased that of propionic acid. In conclusion, BIF could exert anti-diabetic effects that might via a different mechanism from BSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to explore dexmedetomidine combined local anesthetics in brachial plexus block through ultrasound imaging (UI) under global joint entropy algorithm. Patients who underwent upper limb surgery and brachial plexus block were selected as research objects. Patients in group A were given 0.375% ropivacaine and normal saline, and patients in group B were given 0.375% ropivacaine and 1.0 μg/kg dexmedetomidine. The results of UI were analyzed by global joint entropy-based K-means clustering (GKC) algorithm, and the use effects of the two methods were compared in combination with other postanesthesia manifestations. The results were as follows. The segmentation accuracy (96.21% and 83.52%) of GKC was higher than 82.21% and 70.52% of the local joint entropy-based K-means clustering (LKC) (P < 0.05). The duration of sensory and motor block (352.78 ± 45.89 min and 324.38 ± 41.29 min) in group B was significantly longer than 292.28 ± 35.69 min and 256.58 ± 42.76 min in group A (P < 0.05). Compared with 84.91 ± 8.77 beats/min and 89.58 ± 7.62 beats/min in group A, mean arterial pressure (70.24 ± 9.77 beats/min and 69.89 ± 8.97 beats/min) in group B was lower at T1 and T2 (P < 0.05). The duration of postoperative pain (582.70 ± 51.89 min) in group B was longer than 372.89 ± 49.89 min in group A (P < 0.05). The postoperative pain score (2.98 ± 1.08) in group B was significantly lower than 4.48 ± 2.19 in group A (P < 0.05). Therefore, dexmedetomidine combined local anesthetics could prolong the duration of sensory and motor nerve block. Besides, dexmedetomidine had sedative and analgesic effects, so as to prolong postoperative pain time and reduce pain degree of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In China, the government has encouraged the participation of private sector facilities in primary care to improve health care quality.Objective: We compare health care utilization patterns among patients who select private versus public community health centres (CHCs) for reimbursed outpatient services.Methods: This paper uses data from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance scheme from 2013 to 2016 in one of the largest cities in China. We used a Poisson model and a logistic model to examine outcomes on monthly outpatient visits and the probability of hospitalization, respectively.Results: Compared with being a user of a public CHC, being a user of a private CHC is associated with a 26.2% lower incidence rate of outpatient visits to hospitals [95% confidence interval (CI): 30.1-21.8%] and no difference in rates of visits to CHCs or hospitalization. Among patients with diabetes or hypertension, being a user of a private CHC is associated with a 12.9% lower incidence rate of outpatient visits to CHCs (95% CI: 19.8-5.4%), a 25.6% lower incidence rate of outpatient visits to hospitals (95% CI: 21.4-19.5%) and 22.3% higher odds of hospitalization (95% CI: 3.5-44.7%).Conclusion: Being a user of a private CHC is associated with a reduction in outpatient visits to hospitals, which aligns with the goal of reducing hospital congestion at the outpatient level. For patients with chronic diseases, being a user of a private CHC is associated with a higher probability of hospitalization. More research is needed to understand the reason for this difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrobium (Orchidaceae, Epidendoideae) plants have flowers with a wide variety of colors that persist for a long period throughout the year. The yellow coloration of Dendrobium flowers is mainly determined by the flavonol pathway and the flavone pathway, but the relevant biosynthesis mechanisms during vernalization remain unclear. To explore the similarities and differences in flavonoid biosynthesis in different tissues during vernalization, we selected two species of Dendrobium for a flower color study: Dendrobium capillipes Rchb (which has yellow flowers) and Dendrobium nobile Lindl (which has white flowers). We collected a total of 36 samples from six tissue types and both Dendrobium species during vernalization and subjected the samples to metabolic profiling and transcriptome sequencing. A total of 31,504 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between different tissues of the two Dendrobium species by transcriptomic analysis. However, many differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) and DEGs were enriched not only in the general pathway of "flavonoid biosynthesis" but also in multiple subpathways of "flavone and flavonol biosynthesis". According to a combined transcriptome and metabolome analysis, Putrescine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase 1 (LOC110093422) may be the main gene responsible for the differences in flavonoid accumulation during vernalization, which is closely associated with yellow flowers. Taken together, the results of our study preliminarily revealed the metabolites responsible for and the key genes regulating flavonoid biosynthesis during vernalization. These results provide a basis for the further study of the molecular mechanism of flavonoid synthesis during vernalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Therapeutic modalities and drug formulations play a crucial and prominent role in actualizing effective treatment and radical cures of tumors. However, the therapeutic efficiency was severely limited by tumor recurrence and complex multi-step preparation of formulation. Therefore, the exploration of novel nanoparticles via a simple and green synthesis process for conquering traditional obstacles and improving therapeutic efficiency is an appealing, yet remarkably challenging task. Herein, a universal nanoplatform allows all cancerous cell-targeting, acid-responsive, cell imaging, synergistic chemotherapy, and nucleolar targeted phototherapy function was tactfully designed and constructed by using chemotherapeutic agents ursolic acid (UA), sorafenib (SF), and carbon dots (CDs) photosensitizers (PSs). The designed US NPs were formed by self-assembly of UA and SF associated with electrostatic, π-π stacking, and hydrophobic interactions. After hydrogen bonding reaction with CDs, the obtained (denoted as USC NPs) have a relatively uniform size of an average 125.6 nm, which facilitated the favorable accumulation of drugs at the tumor region through a potential enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect as compared to their counterpart of free CDs solution. Both in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that the advanced platform commenced synergistic anticancer therapeutic potency, imperceptible systematical toxicity, and remarkable reticence towards drug-resistant cancer cells. Moreover, the CDs PSs possess intrinsic nucleolus-targeting ability. Taken together, this theranostics system can fully play the role of "killing three birds with one stone" in a safe manner, implying a promising direction for exploring treatment strategies for cancer and endowing them with great potential for future translational research and providing a new vision for the advancing of an exceptionally forceful protocol for practical cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pouch cells are assembled to evaluate the Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 +AC/LiMn 2 O 4 +AC hybrid battery capacitor system. Different composite method is discussed and the Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 +AC/LiMn 2 O 4 +AC cell shows better electrochemical performance. In comparison with different composite proportions and C N /C P ratios, the results show that the cell with a C N /C P ratio 1.01, containing 5 wt% AC in each electrode, embraced superior electrochemical performance. Capacity loss is less than 22.5% after 2000 cycles at 5 C, achieving a large improvement of the cycle stability compared to Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /LiMn 2 O 4 lithium-ion battery. Then large prismatic prototype is designed, the excellent cycle stability makes it a promising device for public utilization of these energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforced concrete and steel (RCS) composite moment frame structures consist of reinforced concrete (RC) columns and steel (S) beams. Such systems combined with several advantages of the two structural members have larger structural stiffness, lower cost, and faster construction speed than the traditional concrete or steel frame system to be a particularly well viable alternative for use in seismic risk regions. The calculation of joint shear capacity is an essential step in seismic design. This study introduces the typical configuration characteristics of the RCS connection and reviews the state of the art of the shear bearing capacity in terms of failure models, shear distribution mechanisms, calculation mechanisms, and requirements given in the experimental and theoretical study to provide reference and foundation for the subsequent study. Finally, the development of recommendations and further research studies on seismic performance of RCS composite frames are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Efficient new extractant design relies on systematic structure–property studies. However, systematic structure–property research on extractants of organic phosphinic acids is far from sufficient. To make up for this deficiency, twelve organic phosphinic acid extractants (including nine dialkylphosphinic acids, two dicycloalkylphosphinic acids and one diarylphosphinic acid) were synthesized with free-radical-addition-reaction method and Grignard-reaction method. Reaction rules, advantages and disadvantages of these two methods were discussed respectively. The extraction ability and separation performance of the synthesized organic phosphinic acids for Tm, Yb and Lu from HNO3 solutions were evaluated and compared. For dialkylphosphinic acids the nearer the branched chain moved to P atom, the more reduction generated on the extraction ability. Dialkylphosphinic acids without branched chain in α-C or β-C (e.g. HYY-3, HYY-5, HYY-7 and HYY-9) exhibited strong extraction ability as P507. On the contrary, dialkylphosphinic acids with branched chain in α-C (e.g. HYY-4, HYY-8) and dicyclohexylphosphinic acids exhibited poor extraction ability as Cyanex 272. New compound Di-(2,3-dimethylbutyl)-phosphinic acid (HYY-2) exhibited good extraction ability and separation performance and its separation factors of Lu/Yb, Yb/Tm and Lu/Tm were 1.42, 3.10 and 4.40 respectively, apparently superior to Cyanex 272 (βLu/Yb =1.31, βYb/Tm =3.25, βLu/Tm =4.26). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Electrochemical method with salt as electrolyte has been studied to disintegrate the graphite matrix from the simulative high temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel elements. Ammonium nitrate was experimentally chosen as the appropriate electrolyte. The volume average diameter of disintegrated graphite fragments is about 100μm and the maximal value is less than 900μm. After disintegration, the weight of graphite is found to increase by about 20% without the release of a large amount of CO2 probably owing to the partial oxidation to graphite in electrochemical process. The present work indicates that the improved electrochemical method has the potential to reduce the secondary nuclear waste and is a promising option to disintegrate graphite matrix from high temperature gas-cooled reactor spent fuel elements in the head-end of reprocessing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Large hospitals in China are overcrowded, while primary care tends to be underutilized, resulting in inefficient allocation of resources. This paper examines the impacts of a policy change in a mandatory public employee health insurance program in China designed to encourage the utilization of primary care by reducing patient cost-sharing. We use a unique administrative insurance claim dataset from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) scheme between 2013 and 2015. The sample includes 40,024 individuals. We conduct an event-study analysis controlling for individual fixed effects and find that the change in cost-sharing increased primary care utilization, decreased non-primary care utilization, and increased total outpatient utilization without impacting total spending. In addition, the policy change did not affect the likelihood of having avoidable inpatient admissions. Further, patients with hypertension or diabetes increased their primary care utilization even when using additional coverage for patients with chronic diseases, the cost-sharing rates for which did not change during the period of our study, rather than their standard UEBMI benefits. This study provides evidence that changes in cost-sharing can affect healthcare utilization, suggesting that supply-side incentives can play an important role in building a primary care–based integrated healthcare delivery system in China. • A change in cost-sharing for primary care increased primary care utilization. • The policy change also led to a decrease in non-primary care utilization. • Incentives can help build a primary care–based integrated healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the asymptotic behavior of solutions for the non-autonomous fractional stochastic reaction-diffusion equations driven by multiplicative noise with s ∈ (0 , 1). We prove the existence and uniqueness of tempered pullback random attractors for the equations in a bounded domain U by the compactness of Sobolev embedding H s (U) ↪ L 2 (U) , which is different from the previous work [46]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To simulate self-irradiation effects of nuclear waste forms in long period of deep geological disposal, Gd2Ce2O7 as simulated An4+ matrix was chosen to be irradiated using 0.5 MeV alpha ions to fluences ranging from 1 × 1015 to 1 × 1017 ions cm−2. Irradiation-induced structural change and microstructural evolution were examined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Lattice swelling and amorphization in irradiated layer indicated an enhanced disordering degree with increased ion fluences. Main Raman peaks broaden and intensity decrease indicated a significant bonds distortion. In addition, no element aggregation about Gd, Ce and O occurs after He2+ irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glass‐ceramics are possible host matrix for high level waste immobilization. The Gd2Zr2O7 glass‐ceramic matrix was successfully synthesized using spark plasma sintering (SPS) method in 5 minutes. The phase transition with sintering temperature was studied using X‐ray diffraction, Raman and transmission electron microscopy. It revealed that samples kept a main defected fluorite phase as being sintered below 1800°C. Glass phase increased rapidly beyond 1850°C. The amorphous structure became the main body at 1900°C, with nanoscale crystal scattered in the bulk. With the increase of glass phase, the grain boundary became almost indistinguishable. The relationship between the final phase of Gd2Zr2O7 with its synthetic temperature range and corresponding technology was reviewed. Gd2Zr2O7 glass‐ceramics could be acquired by extending the sintering temperature beyond 1850°C using SPS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To continuously improve air quality, it is necessary to carry out fine management of air pollution prevention and control. However, research into regional transport of PM 2.5 at a smaller spatial scale such as district is limited. In this study, a novel combined method was constructed to simulate and identify the regional transport trajectories and potential sources of PM 2.5 concentrations at district scale, based on a hybrid model that integrates the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) model, Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) and backward trajectory model. Take Tianjin as an example, an analysis of the transport trajectories showed that the air masses from northwest and southwest were the dominant atmospheric transport pathway in all seasons except summer. The number of transport trajectories from northwest and southwest accounted for 42.41% and 40.75% of the total number of transport trajectories. Despite the dominant wind direction in winter was northwest, it can be beneficial to atmospheric transport. This was because northwest trajectories were the long-range pathways, corresponding to fast-moving air masses that facilitate the dispersion of pollutants. On contrast, it is noteworthy that the southwest trajectories were the short-range pathways, resulting in limited diffusion and unfavorable conditions. The major potential cities that were likely contributors of PM 2.5 (Weighted Concentration-Weighted Trajectory (WCWT) values greater than 40 μg m−3) were situated in the southwest. Furthermore, the inter-district transport results indicated that the primary direction of PM 2.5 transport in Tianjin was also from south to north. It is critical that the current layout of Tianjin is adjusted in a timely manner through relocating or phasing out, as the majority of industrial enterprises with severe air pollution in Tianjin are located in the southern districts. This method of combining BME, WRF and backward trajectory can be used for atmospheric environment planning in other similar city and district-scale around the world. It also provides useful insights to policy makers when they formulate pollutants prevention control policies. [Display omitted] • BME-WRF-WCWT model was constructed to simulate sources of PM 2.5 at district scale. • Main transport direction of PM 2.5 without and within Tianjin was from south to north. • Non-local pollution emission has a more significant impact at small district scale. • The industrial layout is adjusted in a timely manner based on transport results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a sol-spray pyrolysis route was employed to fabricate (Cs, Ba)-hollandite ceramic waste forms. The high-phase purity (Cs0.8−xBa0.4+x)(Al1.6+xTi6.4−x)O16 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) ceramics were synthesized at 1050 °C using the produced powders by sol-spray pyrolysis. The results show that all samples show tetragonal hollandite with rod morphology. Additionally, the sintered (Cs, Ba)-hollandite ceramics exhibit a good chemical durability. The normalized release rates of Cs and Ba were < 10−2 g m−2 d−1 after 14 days. These results indicate that hollandite ceramics are promising candidate for immobilizing radioactive cesium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Risk Stratification Index and the Hierarchical Condition Categories model baseline risk using comorbidities and procedures. The Hierarchical Condition categories are rederived yearly, whereas the Risk Stratification Index has not been rederived since 2010. The two models have yet to be directly compared. The authors thus rederived the Risk Stratification Index using recent data and compared their results to contemporaneous Hierarchical Condition Categories.Methods: The authors reimplemented procedures used to derive the original Risk Stratification Index derivation using the 2007 to 2011 Medicare Analysis and Provider review file. The Hierarchical Condition Categories were constructed on the entire data set using software provided by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. C-Statistics were used to compare discrimination between the models. After calibration, accuracy for each model was evaluated by plotting observed against predicted event rates.Results: Discrimination of the Risk Stratification Index improved after rederivation. The Risk Stratification Index discriminated considerably better than the Hierarchical Condition Categories for in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-yr mortality and for hospital length-of-stay. Calibration plots for both models demonstrated linear predictive accuracy, but the Risk Stratification Index predictions had less variance.Conclusions: Risk Stratification discrimination and minimum-variance predictions make it superior to Hierarchical Condition Categories. The Risk Stratification Index provides a solid basis for care-quality metrics and for provider comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Risk Stratification Index was developed from 35 million Medicare hospitalizations from 2001 to 2006 but has yet to be externally validated on an independent large national data set, nor has it been calibrated. Finally, the Medicare Analysis and Provider Review file now allows 25 rather than 9 diagnostic codes and 25 rather than 6 procedure codes and includes present-on-admission flags. The authors sought to validate the index on new data, test the impact of present-on-admission codes, test the impact of the expansion to 25 diagnostic and procedure codes, and calibrate the model.Methods: The authors applied the original index coefficients to 39,753,036 records from the 2007-2012 Medicare Analysis data set and calibrated the model. The authors compared their results with 25 diagnostic and 25 procedure codes, with results after restricting the model to the first 9 diagnostic and 6 procedure codes and to codes present on admission.Results: The original coefficients applied to the 2007-2012 data set yielded C statistics of 0.83 for 1-yr mortality, 0.84 for 30-day mortality, 0.94 for in-hospital mortality, and 0.86 for median length of stay-values nearly identical to those originally reported. Calibration equations performed well against observed outcomes. The 2007-2012 model discriminated similarly when codes were restricted to nine diagnostic and six procedure codes. Present-on-admission models were about 10% less predictive for in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay but were comparably predictive for 30-day and 1-yr mortality.Conclusions: Risk stratification performance was largely unchanged by additional diagnostic and procedure codes and only slightly worsened by restricting analysis to codes present on admission. The Risk Stratification Index, after calibration, thus provides excellent discrimination and calibration for important health services outcomes and thus appears to be a good basis for making hospital comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2016 Ecuador M W 7.8 earthquake ruptured the subduction zone boundary between the Nazca and South American plates. Joint modeling of seismic and tsunami observations indicates an ∼120 km long rupture area beneath the coastline north of the 1998 M W 7.2 rupture. The slip distribution reveals two discrete asperities near the hypocenter and around the equator. Their locations and the patchy pattern are consistent with the prior interseismic geodetic strain, which showed highly locked patches also beneath the coastline. Aftershocks cluster along two streaks, one aligned nearly parallel to the plate convergence direction up-dip of the main slip patches, and the other on a trench-perpendicular lineation south of the 1958 rupture zone. Comparisons of seismic waveforms and magnitudes show that the 2016 event and 1942 earthquakes have similar surface wave magnitude ( M S 7.5 ), overlapping rupture areas, and similar main pulses of moment rate. The same area ruptured as the southernmost portion of the larger earthquake of 1906 ( M W 8.6 , M S 8.6 ). The seismic behavior reflects persistent heterogeneous frictional properties of the Colombia–Ecuador megathrust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation were employed to simulate two types of benign airway stenosis and further to analysis the different features between them from trachecscopic characteristics, gross anatomy to histopathological changes. In addition, our study explored the therapeutic effect of mitomycin C at different concentrations on granulation tissue caused by stent implantation in order to provide a new therapeutic strategy for clinical treatment of benign airway stenosis. Twelve beagle dogs were randomly divided into four groups, with three dogs in each group. Group A: Three beagle dogs were intubated through oral trachea after general anesthesia and cuff pressure maintained at 200 mmHg for 24 h. Group B, Group C and Group D: endotracheal coated self-expanding metal stents were placed after general anesthesia under the guidance of bronchoscope. On the Day7 after stent implantation, Group B, as control group, was injected phosphate buffer solution of 1 ml into granulation tissue at the end of stent; Group C was injected mitomycin C of 1 ml at 0.4 mg/ml and Group D was injected mitomycin C of 1 ml at 0.8 mg/ml into granulation tissue at the end of metal airway stent respectively, the same method as Group B. Bronchoscopy was used to observe tracheal lumen on the seventh day, fourteenth day and twenty-first day after modeling and pathological changes were examined on twenty-first day. Two models of benign airway stenosis can be established by cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation. There was tracheal rupture in the trachea cartiage ring in the cuffed endotracheal intubation group, but was't in stent implantation group. Histopathological characteristics were different between cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation groups. In stent placement groups, we found that the stenosis degree of mitomycin C at 0.4 mg/ml was approximately 19%–32%, mitomycin C at 0.8 mg/ml was approximately 16%–21% and the control group was approximately 36%–47%. The two models of canine benign tracheal stenosis induced by cuffed endotracheal intubation and stent implantation are relatively simple, reliable and reproducible and have different characteristics. Mitomycin C could inhibit proliferation of granulation tissue and attenuate the degree of airway stenosis caused by stent implantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction and separation of heavy rare earths is always one of the most challenging unit operations in hydrometallurgy. Research and development of novel efficient extractant is one way to solve this problem. Organophosphinic acid is a good potential extractant. A new method was established for the synthesis of nonsymmetric dialkylphosphinic acid (NSDAPA) (R′R″POOH, R′ ≠ R″), optimized the synthesizing conditions of the key intermediate mono-alkylphosphinic acid and successfully synthesized three novel extractants ( n -octyl)(2,4,4′-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid, ( n -octyl)(cyclohexyl)phosphinic acid and (2,3-dimethylbutyl) (2,4,4′-trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid. The extraction ability of the novel extractants was investigated. The structure–property relationship and the separation performance for heavy rare earth couples Er/Y, Y/Ho, Yb/Tm and Lu/Yb were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence suggests that insoluble dietary fiber prevents obesity by regulating gut dysbiosis. However, whether insoluble yeast β-glucan (IYG) has an anti-obesity effect is still unclear. Here, the impact and potential mechanism of long-term IYG supplementation on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity were investigated. After 24 weeks of long-term supplementation, IYG ameliorated weight gain, dyslipidemia, systemic inflammation, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in HFD-fed rats. In addition, HFD-induced gut dysbiosis and changed levels of short-chain fatty acids and lipopolysaccharide were restored by IYG. Meanwhile, HFD-induced downregulations of tight junction proteins and Mucin 2 as well as elevated gut permeability were recovered by IYG. IYG also mitigated HFD-induced colonic inflammation and oxidative stress. Moreover, antibiotic treatment abrogated the protective effect of IYG on obesity, indicating the important role of gut microbiota in IYG's effect. This study demonstrated that IYG, as a potential prebiotic, exhibited a protective effect on HFD-induced obesity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytoglobin (Cygb), a member of the hexacoordinate globin superfamily (hxHb), is expressed in fibroblasts from a broad range of tissues. The physiological functions of hxHb are still unclear, but biochemical studies reveal that they can scavenge toxic species, such as nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, and hydrogen peroxide. We demonstrate that the overexpression of Cygb in rat hepatic stellate cells, both in vitro and in vivo, protects against oxidative stress, inhibiting their differentiation into a myofibroblast-like phenotype. Accordingly, the overexpression of Cygb reduces extracellular matrix deposition in both toxic and cholestatic models of liver injury. The overexpression of Cygb also promotes recovery from previously initiated damage-induced fibrogenesis. By inhibiting free radical-induced activation of hepatic stellate cells, Cygb plays an important role in controlling tissue fibrosis. Therefore, the normal upregulation of Cygb during tissue injury has a homeostatic effect, inhibiting free radical-induced fibroblast activation and tissue fibrosis.Molecular Therapy (2006) 13, 1093–1100; doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2005.11.027 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollandite ceramics are considered as a promising host matrix for cesium immobilization. In the paper, [Cs x Ba y [Fe3+ 2 y + x Ti4+ 8-2 y - x O 16 (0.3 ​≤ ​ x , y ​≤ ​0.75) ceramics were synthesized by solid-state reaction method using 133Cs and 133Ba as the substitutes for radioactive Cs and its daughter product Ba. It was found that the as-prepared (Cs,Ba)-hollandite solid solution shows a tetragonal structure (I 4/m) with >90% crystallinity and good Cs retention at 1250 ​°C. Moreover, the normalized release rates of Cs and Ba are in the order of 10−3 ​g ​m−2 ​d−1 for 28 days, exhibiting excellent aqueous durability. The Fe-substituted hollandite provides a large enough space to accommodate Cs+ and Ba2+ cations and forms a solid solution with excellent structural stability and aqueous durability. Image 1 • The high purity (Cs,Ba)(Fe,Ti) 8 O 16 hollandite ceramics with above 90% crystallinity were fabricated at 1250 ​°C for 4 ​h. • The effects of substitutions of Ba2+ for Cs+ and Fe3+ for Ti4+ on the phase structure, chemical compositions and microstructure were investigated. • The (Cs,Ba)(Fe,Ti) 8 O 16 hollandite exhibits an excellent capacity to accommodate Cs and its daughter Ba in its crystal structure. • The normalized release rates of Cs and Ba are in the order of 10−3 ​g ​m−2 ​d−1 for 28 days, exhibiting excellent aqueous durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using density functional theory with GGA + U method, the mechanical, thermodynamic properties and minimum thermal conductivity of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore are investigated. The obtained lattice parameters and density with GGA + U method are consistent with other experimental and theoretical results. The calculated elastic constants reveal that Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore is mechanically stable and ductile material under high pressure. From the direction dependence Young's modulus and Zener ratio analysis, it is shown that Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore is weak anisotropy at 0 GPa and 10 GPa. In addition, the pressure effect on the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, sound wave velocity, shear modulus and minimum thermal conductivity of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore are analyzed. Subsequently, the thermodynamic properties such as the constant volume heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient, Debye temperature, thermal expansion coefficient and entropy under high pressure and temperature are also estimated with the quasi-harmonic Debye model. • Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore is mechanically stable and ductile under high pressures. • Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore is weak anisotropy at 0 GPa and 10 GPa. • The thermodynamic properties of Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 pyrochlore have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is rather necessary to find a simple and rapid way to immobilize complex nuclear waste into stable ceramic matrix. In this work, complicated lattice occupation design was avoided through introducing complex waste into as-prepared host matrix. Two types of simulated TRPO (trialkyl phosphine oxides) wastes were introduced into as-prepared Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 matrix by spark plasma sintering (SPS) in 3 min. It is assumed that the waste composition, especially the contents of oxides with relatively low melting point (MoO 3 , RuO 2 and PdO) and raw material for Gd 2 Zr 2 O 7 (ZrO 2), determines the final solubility. Moreover, the obtained compounds exhibit highly densified microtopography. Mo, Ru and Pd show more obvious enrichment with increased dopant while other doped elements show unobservable enrichment to the highest dopant. These results express a rapid and efficient way to immobilize oxides of high melting point into as-prepared host matrix without lattice occupation consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]