Search

In this paper, we analyze the global asymptotic behaviors of a mathematical susceptibleinfected(SI) age-infection-structured human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) model with heterogeneous transmission. Mathematical analysis shows that the local and global dynamics are completely determined by the basic reproductive number R 0. If R 0 < 1, disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. If R 0 >1, it shows that diseasefree equilibrium is unstable and the unique endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. The proofs of global stability utilize Lyapunov functions. Besides, the numerical simulations are illustrated to support these theoretical results and sensitivity analysis of each parameter for R 0 is performed by the method of partial rank correlation coefficient(PRCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Postmortem muscle moisture loss leads to a decrease in carcass weight and can adversely impact overall meat quality. Therefore, it is critical to investigate water holding capacity (WHC) to enhance meat quality. Current research has primarily focused on examining the correlation between signaling molecules and meat quality in relation to the glycolysis effect on muscle WHC. But there exists a significant knowledge gap regarding the mechanism of WHC in Jersey cattle-yak meat. RESULTS: Jersey cattle-yak meat pH decreased and then increased during postmortem aging. Lactate content, cooking loss, pressing loss, drip loss and centrifuging loss of Jersey cattle-yak meat increased and then decreased during postmortem aging. The glycogen content of Jersey cattle-yak meat was significantly higher than that of yak meat at 6-120 h, being 8.40% higher than that of yak meat at 120 h. The activity of key glycolytic enzymes hexokinase (HK), pyruvate kinase (PK), phosphofructokinase (PFK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in Jersey cattle-yak meat was lower than that in yak meat. Correlation analysis showed that Jersey cattle-yak meat WHC was positively correlated with the activity of HK, PK, PFK and LDH. CONCLUSIONS: The WHC of Jersey cattle-yak meat was higher than that of Gannan yak meat, and it was significantly positively correlated with the activity of key enzymes of the glycolytic signaling pathway. Therefore, the glycolysis rate can be reduced by inhibiting enzyme activity to improve Jersey cattle-yak meat WHC and meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The utilization of short videos by individuals often leads to the emergence of information exchange behavior. Previous studies have shown that certain students with psychological disorders exhibit addictive tendencies towards short video-related software. Therefore, it is essential to address the psychology and behavior of college students with psychological disorders while engaging with short videos. This study aims to explore the mechanism of short video information interaction behavior among college students with psychological disorders. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 college students afflicted by psychological disorders in a prefecture-level city in Henan Province, China from September to December 2022. Based on the Grounded theory, we encoded 30 text materials across three levels to explore the mechanism of short video information interaction behavior among college students with psychological disorders, and subsequently build a model framework. Results: The findings of this study suggest that college students with psychological disorders exhibit negative cognition tendencies that can lead to strongly negative emotions, excacerbated by a lack of social support. These adverse factors collectively drive the consumption of short video content in this demographic, providing a virtual environment where they can fulfill their unmet social needs. Therefore, the mechanism governing short video messages interaction among college students with psychological disorders encompasses negative cognitive tendencies, negative emotions, lack of social support, post-video-watching behaviors, and the gratification of social needs within the confines of a virtual environment. Conclusions: This study comprehensively analyzes the motivation and complexity of college students with psychological disorders in short video interaction. Although short videos provide this group with some ways of self-expression and emotional support, they still have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. The short video interaction of college students with psychological disorders is affected by many factors, including their negative cognitive tendencies, negative emotions, lack of social support, post-video-watching behaviors, and the gratification of social needs within the confines of a virtual environment. These findings deepened our understanding to the mechanism of short video information interaction behavior among college students with psychological disorders, also provided us with guidance on facilitating the proper use of short video and maintaining the mental health. In future researches, researchers can discuss more about intervention measures to help this demographic cope with the challenges from short video interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the expression levels of blood biomarkers interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD), and their correlation with PSD occurrence. Methods: Clinical data of stroke patients admitted to the First People's Hospital of Wenling from December 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were classified into two groups based on their Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores: PSD and non- PSD groups. The blood levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and iFABP were compared between the two groups, and their association with PSD occurrence was analyzed. Results: The PSD group had significantly higher levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and iFABP. The combined detection of these biomarkers demonstrated a greater predictive value for PSD occurrence compared to the individual detection of each biomarker. Conclusions: The study indicates that the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and iFABP in the blood are significantly increased in patients with PSD. The combined detection of these biomarkers can effectively predict the occurrence of PSD, indicating high clinical value. Urod: Cilj je bio da se istraži ekspresija biomarkera u krvi interleukina-6 (IL-6), faktora tumorske nekroze (TNF-a) i proteina koji vezuje masne kiseline creva (iFABP) kod pacijenata sa depresijom nakon moždanog udara (PSD) i njihovim korelacija sa pojavom PSD-a. Metode: Retrospektivno su analizirani klinički podaci pacijenata sa moždanim udarom koji su primljeni u Prvu narodnu bolnicu Vbnling od decembra 2017. do decembra 2022. godine. Pacijenti su klasifikovani u dve grupe na osnovu rezultata Hamiltonove skale za procenu depresije (HAMD): PSD i ne-PSD grupe. Nivoi IL-6, TNF-a i iFABP u krvi su upoređeni između dve grupe i analizirana je njihova povezanost sa pojavom PSD. Rezultati: PSD grupa je imala značajno više nivoe IL-6, TNF- a i iFABP Kombinovana detekcija ovih biomarkera pokazala je veću prediktivnu vrednostza pojavu PSD-a u poređenju sa pojedinačnom detekcijom svakog biomarkera. Zaključak: Studija ukazuje da su nivoi IL-6, TNF-a i iFABP u krvi značajno povećani kod pacijenata sa PSD. Kombinovana detekcija ovih biomarkera može efikasno predvideti pojavu PSD-a, što ukazuje na visoku kliničku vrednost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a series of emulsifiers were prepared by changing the molar ratio of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to the long chain quaternary ammonium salt (A0). The emulsifiers were characterised by FTIR and 1HNMR. The stability of the emulsions was checked and evaluated by determining the phase separation and by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The emulsion stability increased with increasing emulsifier concentration, which was mainly due to the reduced droplet size and increased viscosity of the emulsions. Stability was also dependent on pH. At pH values between 5 to 3, stability was increased, but at further decreasing pH values, the emulsion became unstable or the emulsion separated. This could be mainly because the excess of positive ions compresses the double electron layer. The experimental results showed that PVA as a macromolecular matrix material has a great application potential for the emulsification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic cellular milieu to promote tumor angiogenesis, growth, proliferation, and metastasis, while derailing the host anti-tumor response. TME impedes bispecific antibody (BsAb) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-driven T cells infiltration, survival, and cytotoxic efficacy. Modulating tumor infiltrating myeloid cells (TIMs) could potentially improve the efficacy of BsAb. Methods: We evaluated the effects of TIM modulation on BsAb-driven T cell infiltration into tumors, their persistence, and in vivo anti-tumor response. Anti-GD2 BsAb and anti-HER2 BsAb built on IgG-[L]-scFv platform were tested against human cancer xenografts in BALB-Rag2-/-IL-2R-γc-KO (BRG) mice. Depleting antibodies specific for polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell (PMN-MDSC), monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC), and tumor associated macrophage (TAM) were used to study the role of each TIM component. Dexamethasone, an established anti-inflammatory agent, was tested for its effect on TIMs. Results: BsAb-driven T cells recruited myeloid cells into human tumor xenografts. Each TIM targeting therapy depleted cells of interest in blood and in tumors. Depletion of PMN-MDSCs, M-MDSCs, and particularly TAMs was associated with enhanced T cell infiltration into tumors, significantly improving tumor control and survival in multiple cancer xenograft models. Dexamethasone premedication depleted monocytes in circulation and TAMs in tumors, enhanced BsAb-driven T cell infiltration, and anti-tumor response with survival benefit. Conclusion: Reducing TIMs markedly enhanced anti-tumor effects of BsAb-based T cell immunotherapy by improving intratumoral T cell infiltration and persistence. TAM depletion was more effective than PMN- or M-MDSCs depletion at boosting the anti-tumor response of T cell engaging BsAb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a complex genetic cardiac ion channel disease that causes a high predisposition to sudden cardiac death. Considering that its heterogeneity in clinical manifestations may result from genetic background, the application of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) may help to reveal cell phenotype characteristics underlying different genetic variations. Here, to verify and compare the pathogenicity of mutations (SCN5A c.4213G>A and SCN1B c.590C>T) identified from two BrS patients, we generated two novel BrS iPS cell lines that carried missense mutations in SCN5A or SCN1B, compared their structures and electrophysiology, and evaluated the safety of quinidine in patient-specific iPSCderived CMs. Compared to the control group, BrS-CMs showed a significant reduction in sodium current, prolonged action potential duration, and varying degrees of decreased Vmax, but no structural difference. After applying different concentrations of quinidine, drug-induced cardiotoxicity was not observed within 3-fold unbound effective therapeutic plasma concentration (ETPC). The data presented proved that iPSC-CMs with variants in SCN5A c.4213G>A or SCN1B c.590C>T are able to recapitulate single-cell phenotype features of BrS and respond appropriately to quinidine without increasing incidence of arrhythmic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of coal mine accidents in China is still high and most coal mine accidents are caused by human unsafe behavior, and the correction of the behavior is, therefore, paramount. In this article, a group dynamics field model and a hierarchical index system of the group dynamics factors of the unsafe behavior of coal miners are established. The internal and external dynamics of groups are analyzed and the importance of each factor is calculated and determined. On this basis, suggested correction measures are put forward. Then, in combination with a questionnaire, the corrective measures of unsafe behaviors are determined and simulated. The results show that, while the correction of unsafe behaviors both in progress and after implementation can achieve good results, the former is more effective than the latter. Via the present research, both unsafe behaviors and the occurrence of coal mine accidents can be effectively prevented, and the safety of coal mine production can be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional directed evolution methods offer the ability to select bioreceptors with high binding affinity for a specific target in terms of thermodynamic properties. However, there is a lack of analogous approaches for kinetic selection, which could yield affinity reagents that exhibit slow off-rates and thus remain tightly bound to targets for extended periods. Here, we describe an in vitro directed evolution methodology that uses the nuclease flap endonuclease 1 to achieve the efficient discovery of aptamers that have slow dissociation rates. Our nuclease-assisted selection strategy can yield specific aptamers for both small molecules and proteins with off-rates that are an order of magnitude slower relative to those obtained with conventional selection methods while still retaining excellent overall target affinity in terms of thermodynamics. This new methodology provides a generalizable approach for generating slow off-rate aptamers for diverse targets, which could, in turn, prove valuable for applications including molecular devices, bioimaging, and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an environment marked with phenomena such as globalization and creation, open innovation is critical for universities to cooperate with external resources and meet the requirements of the era. To investigate open innovation ecosystem of higher education, we use secondary data and interviews to analysis interactive model of Zizhu International Education Park from both internal and external perspectives. The analysis result suggests that the open innovation ecosystem could have positive effects on the development of higher education. It can contribute to deepening the integration of production, teaching, and research; improve the efficiency of scientific research transformation; and use this part of the income to supplement school funding. While the university-industry collaborative relationship could also be a limiting factor for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking charge has been promoted as an effective proactive behavior for improving work efficiency in organizations. Building on the proactive motivation model and human capital theory, our primary purpose in this study was to investigate how and when idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) promote recipients' taking charge. We collected data from 237 employees and found that receiving i-deals had a positive effect on recipients' taking charge, psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between i-deals and taking charge, and organizational tenure moderated the mediation effect, which became stronger as tenure increased. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of our findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on ArcGIS and SPSS Statistics, authors of this paper used the principal component analysis (PCA) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and selected 6 indicators concerning population, land, and economy to study the spatial pattern of urbanization and regional economic differences in Shandong Province, namely urban population, urban population density, construction land, area of urban districts, disposable income of residents, and added value of the tertiary industry. The development of urbanization in Shandong Province was measured by the proportion of urban population to the total population in 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2014 respectively. It is hoped that this paper will provide a theoretical basis for building an orderly regional spatial structure and coordinating regional urban decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A whole-bacterium-based SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment) procedure was adopted in this study for the selection of an ssDNA aptamer that binds to Bifidobacterium bifidum. After 12 rounds of selection targeted against B. bifidum, 30 sequences were obtained and divided into seven families according to primary sequence homology and similarity of secondary structure. Four FAM (fluorescein amidite) labeled aptamer sequences from different families were selected for further characterization by flow cytometric analysis. The results reveal that the aptamer sequence CCFM641-5 demonstrated high-affinity and specificity for B. bifidum compared with the other sequences tested, and the estimated Kd value was 10.69 ± 0.89 nM. Additionally, sequence truncation experiments of the aptamer CCFM641-5 led to the conclusion that the 5′-primer and 3′-primer binding sites were essential for aptamer-target binding. In addition, the possible component of the target B. bifidum, bound by the aptamer CCFM641-5, was identified as a membrane protein by treatment with proteinase. Furthermore, to prove the potential application of the aptamer CCFM641-5, a colorimetric bioassay of the sandwich-type structure was used to detect B. bifidum. The assay had a linear range of 104 to 107 cfu/mL (R2 = 0.9834). Therefore, the colorimetric bioassay appears to be a promising method for the detection of B. bifidum based on the aptamer CCFM641-5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ongoing improvements in technique and instruments for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) have made minimally-invasive uniportal VATS lobectomy a reality. However, the outcomes of the procedure are still under investigation, and at present, uniportal VATS lobectomy is performed infrequently at most hospitals. We have therefore reviewed our outcomes with this procedure in an attempt to validate its safety, efficacy, and feasibility.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed and compared perioperative data for patients who underwent uniportal, two-port, and traditional three-port VATS lobectomy between January 2015 and December 2015 at our hospital.Results: Among 257 patients who had successful VATS lobectomy during the study period, 73 underwent uniportal VATS, 86 underwent two-port VATS, and 98 underwent traditional three-port VATS. There were no surgical or 30-day postoperative mortalities, and no significant differences in operative times, blood loss, number of lymph nodes retrieved and nodal stations explored, drainage times, length of hospital stay, or postoperative complications among the three groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores were significantly lower in the uniportal VATS group after surgery (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Uniportal VATS lobectomy is a safe and feasible surgical procedure that is associated with decreased surgical trauma and less postoperative pain compared to traditional VATS. Further long term follow-up analyses in large numbers of patients are ongoing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidence and progression of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a multi-factor, multi-step process. The present study investigated the association between the expression level of microRNA (miR)-4458 in NSCLC and paracarcinoma liver tissues and survival rates, and studied the biological functions of miR-4458 at the cellular and protein level. NSCLC and paracarcinoma tissues were sequenced using a miR expression chip. The association between miR-4458 expression and tumor-node-metastasis staging, total survival rate and relapse-free survival rate was analyzed. miR-4458 was subjected to target gene prediction. The target protein of cyclin D1 (CCND1) was verified with western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry and a luciferase reporter assay. The relative level of miR-4458 in paracarcinoma tissues of 9 NSCLC patients decreased from 2.38 to 0.65 (P<0.001). Total five-year survival rates of the high-expression miR-4458 group (29.21%) significantly exceeded that of the low-expression group (14.37%) (P=0.025). The viability of human lung carcinoma A549 and H460 cells transfected with miR-4458 decreased significantly compared with cells transfected with a normal control (blank control plasmid) within 72 h (P<0.001). The percentage of A549 and H460 cells transfected with a miR-4458 mimic at the cell cycle stage G0/G1 was 69.94±8.05 and 68.15±7.75%, respectively. The percentages increased significantly compared with the control group (46.06±6.93 for A549 cells; 45.22±7.24 for H640 cells; P<0.001). CCND1 mRNA was downregulated significantly in H460 cells 72 h subsequent to the addition of miR-4458 mimics (P<0.001). The activity of mutant-CCND1 altered slightly, while the fluorescence intensity of the wild-type-CCND1 group decreased significantly following the addition of miR-4458 mimics. In conclusion, miR-4458 was expressed at low levels in lung cancer tissues, and it arrested cells in vitro at stage G0/G1 and inhibited cell proliferation. Therefore, miR-4458 may participate in the onset of lung cancer as a suppressor gene by inhibiting CCND1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tensile bond strength of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) is an important criterion in evaluating the quality of coatings, which depends significantly on the coatings' complex microstructures. In the current study, a three-dimensional (3D) microscopic structural model reflecting the actual interface morphology and pore distribution of TBCs is built using microcomputer tomography (micro-CT). The model is then applied to investigate the 3D spatial evolution processes of damage and failure under uniaxial tension using FE techniques. To validate the numerical simulation results, the tensile responses of the TBCs are measured and a follow-up quantitative description of the tensile fracture morphology is obtained with a 3D surface profiler. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. Our simulation results show that the local stress concentration induces two types of crack sources located either at the top coat (TC)/bond coat (BC) interface or along the pore boundaries; as the load increases, only the microcracks at the interface amalgamate and begin to form a primary crack; then the primary crack propagates rapidly horizontally along the interface, eventually inducing an undulating fracture morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease characterized by the generation of immune responses to self-antigens. Lupus nephritis is one of the most common and severe complications in SLE patients. Though the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis has been studied extensively, unresolved questions are still left and new therapeutic methods are needed for disease control. Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process through which cytoplasmic constituents can be degraded in lysosome and reused. Autophagy plays vital roles in maintaining cell homeostasis and is involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases. In particular, autophagy can affect almost all parts of the immune system and is involved in autoimmune diseases. Based on genetic analysis, cell biology, and mechanism studies of the classic and innovative therapeutic drugs, there are growing lines of evidence suggesting the relationship between autophagy and lupus nephritis. In the present review, we summarize the recent publications investigating the relationship between autophagy and lupus nephritis and provide a new perspective towards the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on DEM data and conventional data of precipitation at 114 meteorological stations in Shandong Province during 1971 -2010, the statistical model of annual average precipitation in Shandong Province was established using SPSS software; DEM data and raster data of latitude and longitude were substituted into the statistical model, and the spatial distribution of annual average precipitation in Shandong Province based on the statistical model was obtained with the aid of ArcGIS software. Afterwards, the difference between actual value of precipitation at stations used in interpolation and simulated value was interpolated using Kriging interpolation method to obtain residual error of precipitation. Finally, the raster data of annual average precipitation based on the regression model were overlaid with residual error of precipitation to obtain the spatial distribution map of annual average precipitation in Shandong Province. It is verified that the simulation result has high accuracy and can reflect the spatial distribution of precipitation in Shandong Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of strategies for the inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression and metastasis have been mainly unsuccessful, in part due to insufficient mechanistic understanding of the disease. In the current study, the critical role of the co-expression of immunoglobulin-like transcript 4 (ILT4) and its ligands, angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs), in the development of NSCLC was demonstrated. ILT4 and ANGPTL2 or ANGPTL5 were found to be co-expressed in the five NSCLC cell lines that were investigated at the mRNA and protein level. Upon up- or downregulation of ILT4, the expression of ANGPTL2 was increased or reduced, respectively, while the expression of ANGPTL5 was unaffected. The co-expression of ILT4 and ANGPTL2/ANGPTL5 was detected in human primary NSCLC tissues using immunohistochemical analysis. In total, 114 lung cancer specimens were included in the study; high expression of ILT4, ANGPTL2 and ANGPTL5 was observed in 58.8, 45.6 and 55.3%, respectively. The expression of ILT4 was found to be significantly correlated with a high expression level of ANGPTL2 (R=0.466, P=0.004); however, it was not correlated with the expression of ANGPTL5 (R=0.142, P=0.131). In ILT4-positive samples, cases with ANGPTL2-positive expression levels presented greater levels of lymph node metastasis (P=0.011) and shorter overall survival times (P=0.045). In addition, cases with ANGPTL5-positive expression presented poor overall survival rates (P=0.040). By contrast, in the ILT4-negative cases, no statistically significant differences were identified in the overall survival rates between samples with high and low expression of ANGPTL2 or ANGPTL5. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the presence of interaction among ILT4 and ANGPTLs, which may be important in NSCLC progression. Therefore, the blockade of ANGPTLs or ILT4 may be an effective therapeutic approach for NSCLC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn0.5Co0.5O solid solution materials have been extensively studied for possible spintronic applications, however, there are only a few reports using Zn0.5Co0.5O nanostructures for energy storage. Here, we report the preparation of Zn0.5Co0.5O nanoparticles with the average particle size 10 nm and their application as anode material for rechargeable -ion batteries (LIBs). Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Zn0.5Co0.5O solid solution nanoparticles deliver a stable reversible capacity of 309 mA h g-1 up to 250 cycles at 1 C rate. These results show higher-rate capability and better cycle durability compared with those of the reported or -based anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel tetrahedral silicon-centered cyano functionalized silanes, bis(4-cyanodiphenyl)dimethylsilane (1), bis(4-cyanodiphenyl)diphenylsilane (2), tri(4-cyandiphenyl)methylsilane (3), tri(4-cyandiphenyl)phenylsilane (4), and tetra(4-cyandiphenyl) silane (5), have been synthesized by Suzuki coupling reactions. They all display high thermal stability, and are fluorescent with strong emission in the region of violet to blue. Furthermore, 1-5 all exhibited the linear fluorescent quenching response to diphenylamine (DPA) with the high binding constants up to 1.0 x 106 M-1 in dichloromethane solution, demonstrating the potential application in DPA detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient: A 59-year-old Hispanic man. Chief Complaint: Generalized pruritic rash; bilateral axillary, inguinal, and cervical lymphadenopathy; unintentional 20-lb weight loss over the past 8 months. Past Medical History: Hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Family and Social History: Noncontributory Principal Laboratory Findings: Excisional biopsy of an inguinal lymph node revealed diffuse nodal effacement by atypical small- to medium-sized lymphoid cells. We identified scattered large mononuclear and binuclear cells with prominent eosinophilic nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm resembling Hodgkin variants and classic Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells throughout the lymph nodes. Via immunohistochemical staining, the small- to medium-sized cells were CD2 positive (CD2+), CD3+, CD4 negative (CD4-), CD5+, CD7+, CD8-/+, and CD30-. The large RS-like cells were weakly CD20+ , weakly PAX-5+, CD30+, CD15+, and CD45-; they lacked T-cell markers CD2, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7, and CD8. In situ hybridization results for Epstein-Barr Virus–encoded RNA (EBER) were positive in the RS-like cells. Concurrent flow cytometric testing confirmed an aberrant population of small T cells but did not detect an abnormal B-cell population. Polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated clonal rearrangements of the T-cell receptor gamma chain. We also detected clonal rearrangements of the immunoglobulin genes (immunoglobulin heavy chain [IgH] and immunoglobulin kappa [IGκ] loci) which provided further support for B-cell derivation of the RS-like cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Immunoglobulin-like transcript 4 (ILT4) is an inhibitory molecule involved in immune response and has recently been identified to be strongly inducible by IL-10. The aim of the present study was to examine the associations of ILT4 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and IL-10 expression in primary ductal and lobular breast cancer. Methods We studied the expression of ILT4 in 4 cancer cell lines, 117 primary tumor tissues and 97 metastatic lymph nodes from patients with primary ductal and lobular breast cancer by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, western blot or immunohistochemistry analysis. Additionally, IL-10 expression was also investigated using immunohistochemistry in primary tumor tissues. Then the relationship between ILT4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics/IL-10 expression was evaluated. Results ILT4 was over expressed in all 4 human breast cancer cell lines on both mRNA and protein levels. In primary tumor tissues, ILT4 or IL-10 was expressed in the cell membrane, cytoplasm, or both; the positive rate of ILT4 and IL-10 expression was 60.7% (71/117) and 80.34% (94/117), respectively. ILT4 level was significantly correlated with IL-10 (r =0.577; p < 0.01). Furthermore, the expression of ILT4 or IL-10 was associated with less number of Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) (p = 0.004 and 0.018, respectively) and more lymph node metastasis (p = 0.046 and 0.035, respectively). Conclusion Our data demonstrated the association of ILT4 and IL-10 expression in human breast cancer, suggesting their important roles in immune dysfunction and lymph node metastases. Virtual slides The virtual slides for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1692652692107916. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the mechanical and anti-ageing properties of a medical silicone elastomer and to assess the biocompatibility of this novel combination. Methods: TiO2 (P25, Degussa, Germany) nanoparticles were mixed with the silicone elastomer (MDX4-4210, Dow Corning, USA) at 2%, 4%, and 6% (w/w) using silicone fluid as diluent (Q7-9180, Dow Corning, USA). Blank silicone elastomer served as the control material. The physical properties and biocompatibility of the composites were examined. The tensile strength was tested for 0% and 6% (w/w) before and after artificial ageing. SEM analysis was performed. Results: TiO2 nanoparticles improved the tensile strength and Shore A hardness of the silicone elastomer (P < 0.05). However, a decrease in the elongation at break and tear strength was found for the 6% (w/w) composite (P < 0.05). All the ageing methods had no effect on the tensile strength of the 6% (w/w) composite (P > 0.05), but thermal ageing significantly decreased the tensile strength of the control group (P < 0.05). Cellular viability assays indicated that the composite exhibited biocompatibility. Conclusions: We obtained a promising restorative material which yields favourable physical and anti-ageing properties and is biocompatible in our in vitro cellular studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the case of ASV (autonomous surface vehicle) navigating with low speed near water surface, a new method for design of roll motion controller is proposed in order to restrainwave disturbance effectively and improve roll stabilizing performance. Control system design is based on GPC (general predictive control) theory and working principle of zero-speed fin stabilizer. Coupling horizontal motion model of ASV is decoupled, and an equivalent transfer function of roll motion is obtained and transformed into a discrete difference equation through inverse Laplace transformation and Euler approximation. Finally, predictive model of GPC, namely, the difference equation of roll motion, is given. GPC algorithm of ASV roll motion is derived from performance index based on roll stabilizing performance and energy consumption used for driving fin stabilizer. In allusion to time-variant parameters in roll motion model, recursive least square method is adopted for parameter estimation. Simulation results of ASV roll motion control show better stabilizing performance and minimized energy consumption improved by self-adaptive GPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil heat transfer occurs by conduction and convection. Soil temperatures below infiltrating water can provide a signal for water flux. In earlier work, analysis of field measurements with a sine wave model indicated that convection heat transfer made significant contributions to the subsurface temperature oscillations. In this work, we used a Fourier series to describe soil surface temperature variations with time. The conduction and convection heat transfer equation with a multi-sinusoidal wave boundary condition was solved analytically using a Fourier transformation. Soil temperature values calculated by the single sine wave model and by the Fourier series model were compared with field soil temperature values measured at depths of 0.1 and 0.3 m below an infiltrating ponded surface. The Fourier series model provided better estimates of observed field temperatures than the sine wave model. The new model provides a general way to describe soil temperature under an infiltrating water source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the State Implementation Plan for attaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has created a Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOC) Emissions Cap and Trade Program for industrial point sources in the Houston/Galveston/Brazoria area. This series of papers examines the potential air quality impacts of this new emission trading program through photochemical modeling of potential trading scenarios; this paper examines the air quality impact of allowing facilities to trade chlorine emission reductions for HRVOC allocations on a reactivity weighted basis. The simulations indicate that trading of anthropogenic chlorine emission reductions for HRVOC allowances at a single facility or between facilities, in general, resulted in improvements in air quality. Decreases in peak 1-h averaged and 8-h averaged ozone concentrations associated with trading chlorine emissions for HRVOC allocations on a Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR) basis were up to 0.74 ppb (0.63%) and 0.56 ppb (0.61%), respectively. Air quality metrics based on population exposure decreased by up to 3.3% and 4.1% for 1-h and 8-h averaged concentrations. These changes are small compared to the maximum changes in ozone concentrations due to the VOC emissions from these sources (5–10 ppb for 8-h averages; up to 30 ppb for 1-h averages) and the chlorine emissions from the sources (5–10 ppb for maximum concentrations over wide areas and up to 70 ppb in localized areas). The simulations indicate that the inclusion of chlorine emissions in the trading program is likely to be beneficial to air quality and is unlikely to cause localized increases in ozone concentrations (‘hot spots’). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the State Implementation Plan for attaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone, the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality has created a Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOC) Emissions Cap and Trade Program for industrial point sources in the Houston/Galveston/Brazoria area. This program has a number of unique features, including its focus on a limited group of ozone precursors and its provisions for trading emissions based on atmospheric reactivity. This series of papers examines the potential air quality impacts of this new emission trading program through photochemical modeling of potential trading scenarios; this first paper in the series describes the air quality modeling methods used to assess potential trades, the potential for localized increases in ozone concentrations (ozone ‘hot spots’) due to HRVOC emission trading, and the use of reactivity scales in the trading. When HRVOC emissions are traded on a mass basis, the simulations indicate that trading of HRVOC allowances between facilities resulted in less than 0.15 ppb (<0.13%) and 0.06 ppb (<0.06%)increases in predicted maximum, area-wide 1-h averaged and 8-h averaged ozone concentrations, respectively. Maximum decreases in ozone concentrations associated with trading, as opposed to across-the-board reductions, were larger than the increases. All of these changes are small compared to the maximum changes in ozone concentrations due to the VOC emissions from these sources (up to 5–10 ppb for 8 h averages; up to 30 ppb for 1-h averages). When emissions of HRVOCs are traded for other, less reactive emissions, on a reactivity weighted basis, air quality simulations indicate that daily maximum ozone concentrations increased by less than 0.3%. Because these relatively small changes (<1%) are for unlikely trading scenarios designed to produce a maximum change in ozone concentrations (all emissions traded into localized regions), the simulations indicate that the implementation of the trading program, as currently configured and possibly expanded, is unlikely to cause localized increases in ozone concentrations (‘hot spots’). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emission trading is a market-based approach designed to improve the efficiency and economic viability of emission control programs; emission trading has typically been confined to trades among single pollutants. Interpollutant trading (IPT), as described in this work, allows for trades among emissions of different compounds that affect the same air quality end point, in this work, ambient ozone (O3) concentrations. Because emissions of different compounds impact air quality end points differently, weighting factors or trading ratios (tons of emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) equivalent to a ton of emissions of volatile organic compounds [VOCs]) must be developed to allow for IPT. In this work, IPT indices based on reductions in O3 concentrations and based on reductions in population exposures to O3 were developed and evaluated using a three-dimensional gridded photochemical model for Austin, TX, a city currently on the cusp of nonattainment with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for O3 concentrations averaged over 8 hr. Emissions of VOC and NOx from area and mobile sources in Austin are larger than emissions from point sources. The analysis indicated that mobile and area sources exhibited similar impacts. Trading ratios based on maximum O3 concentration or population exposure were similar. In contrast, the trading ratios did exhibit significant (more than a factor of two) day-to-day variability. Analysis of the air quality modeling indicated that the daily variability in trading ratios could be attributed to daily variations in both emissions and meteorology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiotherapy is one of the most effective treatment methods for various solid tumors. Bidirectional signal transduction between cancer cells and stromal cells within the irradiated microenvironment is important in cancer development and treatment responsiveness. Exosomes, initially considered as "garbage bins" for unwanted from cells, are now understood to perform a variety of functions in interactions within the tumor microenvironment. Exosome-mediated regulation processes are rebuilt under the irradiation stimuli, because the exosome production, uptake, and contents are markedly modified by irradiation. In turn, irradiation-modified exosomes may modulate the cell response to irradiation through feedback regulation. Here, we review current knowledge and discuss the roles of exosome-mediated interactions between cells under radiotherapy conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the design of flexible electrode/current collector materials with high mechanical flexibility, superior conductivity and excellent electrochemical performance and electrical stability are highly desirable. In this work, we developed a new ternary Cd2GeO4 nanowire/graphene oxide/carbon nanotube nanocomposite (Cd2GeO4 NW/GO/CNT) film electrode. Benefiting from the efficient combination of GO and Cd2GeO4 NWs, our Cd2GeO4 NW/GO/CNT composite film exhibits a capacity of 784 mA h g−1 after 30 cycles at 200 mA g−1, which is 2.7 times higher than that of Cd2GeO4 NW/CNT film (290 mA h g−1). At a higher rate of 400 mA g−1 and 1 A g−1, the Cd2GeO4 NW/GO/CNT film delivers a stable capacity of 617 and 397 mA h g−1, respectively. Even at 2.5 A g−1, it still exhibits a high rate capacity of 180 mA h g−1. The flexible Cd2GeO4 NW/GO/CNT film clearly demonstrates good cycling stability and rate performance for anode materials in LIBs. This route may be extended to design other flexible free-standing metal germanate nanocomposite anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A structure-level smart deployable truss (SDT) was further studied for on-orbit verification on the SJ18 Geostationary Satellite in this work on the basis of a material-level validation of a shape-memory polymer composite (SMPC) sheet on the SJ17 Geostationary Satellite in 2016. In the SDT, a shape-memory alloy (SMA) mechanism was used to replace traditional pyrotechnic devices for locking and releasing, and SMPC actuation laminates were employed to replace traditional motor or spring driving mechanisms. With a strict parameter constrain of mass, size, and stiffness, the current form of the SDT flight hardware was finally obtained through several cycles of optimization design. Its systematical ground-based experiments were conducted, and the overall structural and functional performance met the demands of the aerospace standards of China. The locking force and expansion breaking force of the SMA releasing mechanism were ∼2000 and ∼10,000  N, ensuring the locking and unlocking reliability for the movable parts with mass 5 kg. The actuation force of all SMPC laminates decreased from ∼30  N (0°) to ∼12  N (165°) with a recovery duration of ∼150  s, which was strong enough for SDT deployment in space. The shape-memory materials show great prospects for smart deployable structures in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct-drive wave energy converter (DD-WEC) is limited by low power density caused by low direct-drive speed. A tubular hybrid field-modulated linear generator is proposed to improve the performance of DD-WEC. The generator adopted a field-modulated design to increase the output voltage of the linear generator. A hybrid excited field coil can be used to adapt to different wave situations and effectively improve the output performance of this kind of generator. The operation of the proposed generator is analyzed, and the generator performance is evaluated through finite element method and compared with those of three other generators, namely, a field modulated linear generator with parallel magnetic-circuit, a secondary surface PMfield modulated linear generator, and a secondary surface PMfractional-slot linear generator. Results show that the proposed generator exhibits high power density and low cogging force. The steady output power and output voltage of are marginally higher in the proposed generator than in the conventional generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The next-generation high-throughput sequencing techniques have introduced a new way to assess the gut's microbial diversity on the basis of 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota analysis. However, the precise appraisal of the biodiversity of Bifidobacterium species within the gut remains a challenging task because of the limited resolving power of the 16S rRNA gene in different species. The groEL gene, a protein-coding gene, evolves quickly and thus is useful for differentiating bifidobacteria. Here, we designed a Bifidobacterium-specific primer pair which targets a hypervariable sequence region within the groEL gene that is suitable for precise taxonomic identification and detection of all recognized species of the genus Bifidobacterium so far. The results showed that the novel designed primer set can specifically differentiate Bifidobacterium species from non-bifidobacteria, and as low as 104 cells of Bifidobacterium species can be detected using the novel designed primer set on the basis of Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing. We also developed a novel protocol to assess the diversity of Bifidobacterium species in both human and rat feces through high-throughput sequencing technologies using groEL gene as a discriminative marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to establish a three-dimensional model of sliding friction and to study the influence of surface topography fractal parameters on the model. Firstly, the analysis of the contact between two asperities is completed, for according to the classical molecular-mechanical friction theory, the sliding friction among rough surfaces should be the sum of mechanical force and molecular adhesion. Then based on the fractal theory, the three-dimensional fractal model of sliding friction is deduced. Finally, the influence of the maximum contact area of asperity al, the fractal roughness G and the fractal dimension D on the sliding friction is analyzed by a simulation example, and the analysis results show that the sliding friction F has positive correlation with al and G, and there is an optimal fractal dimension D which minimizes F. The study of the paper can be used to explain the existing experimental results and the friction theory reasonably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of malignant disease-associated mortality, particularly in China. The RSPO2 (R-spondin 2) gene is evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates and is involved in developmental and physiological processes. Importantly, RSPO2 has been reported to be associated with colon cancer and potentiate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In the present study, enhanced expression of RSPO2 in HCC was observed using tissue microarray. Similarly, the expression level of RSPO2 was higher in HepG2, Huh7 and Hep3B cells but lower in Bel7404 and QGY7703 cells compared with human normal QSG7701 liver cells. Subsequently, gain-of-function studies indicated that RSPO2 promotes the proliferation and migration of QGY7703 cells based on lentivirus-based gene delivery. Furthermore, it was revealed that p21 and leptin, rather than vascular endothelial growth factor-A, are involved in the function of RSPO2 in QGY7703 cells. Particularly, the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways are involved in this process. Overexpression of RSPO2 resulted in the elevated expression of phosphorylated STAT3, β-catenin and c-Myc. Therefore, the present study is beneficial to the understanding of RSPO2-involved liver cancer transformation and drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, coalbed methane (CBM) explorationhas only achieved a big breakthrough in Fukang-Dahuangshan regions, while CBM exploratory wells in the other regions of the southeast Junggar basin exhibit poor exploration effects. The analysis suggests that three unclear factors, including CBM accumulation process, geological controlling factors and distribution principle of favourable areas, cause the mismatch between CBM exploratory well deployment and practical geological regularity. In this study, the systematic research about three unclear factors has been carried out for the first time. The research shows that the well-developed extruding thrust faults are beneficial to CBM enrichment and preservation in the study area. Sandy roof not only can form tight-sandstone gas reservoir, but also serve as the cap rock for underlying coalbed gases. Liuhuanggou-Fukang regions in the southern Junggar basin and depression regions in the eastern Junggar basin are all hydrodynamic stagnation areas beneficial to CBM enrichment. Seven typical CBM enrichment models are summarized in this study, and they have different development degrees and various controlling mechanism of CBM enrichment. Finally, a suitable mathematical evaluation model for CBM exploration potential is established, and seven prospective targets (e.g. Fukan, Liuhuanggou and Qigu areas, etc.) are selected to be the preferred areas for CBM exploration, and both of them are ordered on the basis of their Ui values. The findings provide the geological basis for future CBM exploration and deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PLGA/PLCL blends with mass ratio of 25:75 (PLGA25-PLCL75) can make tines for passive fixation lead. • Tines made of PLGA25-PLCL75 were successfully assembled on the traditional lead body. • Tines made of PLGA25-PLCL75 decreased the lead removal force in dogs. • Tines made of PLGA25-PLCL75 brought excellent fixation stability in dogs. • Degradable tines likely facilitate lead extraction via simple manual extraction. Risks during transvenous lead extraction (TLE) are serious, especially for passive fixation (PFix) leads. We attempted to fabricate a PFix lead using degradable tines to facilitate lead removal. Dried polymer mixture with poly (d -lac tide- co -glycolicde acid) (PLGA)/Poly (l -lac tide- co -ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) were put into to a specially-made mold respectively to test the tine-making feasibility and the final formulation was determined as PLGA25-PLCL75 with mass ratio 25:75 of PLGA/PLCL. Dynamic mechanical analysis and X-ray Diffraction showed excellent physicochemical characterizations, and further tests demonstrated satisfying mechanical properties similar to traditional silicone tines. The PLGA25-PLCL75 also showed low cytotoxicity and appropriate biodegradability in vitro and in vivo. The PFix leads were tested to reassure the implantation feasibility before implantation via standard surgery operation procedure. Then the leads were implanted into dog's endocardium. The animal study showed the degradable tines could accomplish fixation stability and were with less manual extraction forces comparing with traditional silicon fixation tines in 7-month's observation time. Tines made of PLGA25-PLCL75 blends were almost degraded totally only few remnants observed under microscope comparing with intact silicon materials at the tine-myocardial interfaces. The PFix lead might revolutionize products because of the introduction of this degradable fixation tines that make easier removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raccoon dog parvovirus (RDPV) has spread widely in China, with gradually increasing morbidity and mortality. There is no commercial vaccine specifically for RDPV enteritis in China. Isolation of RDPV is very critical for the vaccine development against RDPV infection. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify RDPVs and analyze the phylogenetic clade of VP2 gene. The rectal swabs from raccoon dogs with severe diarrhea were screened by CPV colloidal gold strip, the positive swabs were treated and cultured in CRFK cells. The viruses in infected CRFK cells were identified by PCR detection, immunofluorescent test and electronic microscope observation. VP2 genes of the isolates were amplified and subjected to sequence. Two-month-old raccoon dogs were inoculated orally with the isolates for the virulence test. The results showed that one RDPV was isolated and named as RDPV HB01 strain. Sequence analysis revealed that the strain shared more than 99% nucleotide homologies with the canine parvovirus (CPV)-2a strains. All experimentally infected animals showed anorexia or depression with diarrhea in various degrees. Observation of histopathological lesions revealed that there were massive necrosis and abscission of villous epithelial cells in small intestine, loose and shedding lymphocyte structure in mesenteric lymph nodes, congestive medullary sinus and decreased lymphocyte of the white medullary lymph follicles in spleen. Therefore, the RDPV HB01 strain is classified as a CPV-2a variant and virulent to raccoon dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a series of loose and porous p-type In2O3/TiO2 composite nanofibers (ITCN) has been synthesized via a facile synthesis using an electrospinning approach, followed by an appropriate thermal treatment under ambient conditions. It was found that the ITCN, with an In2O3 composite content of 14.3 at% (ITCN2), which had lots of loose pores (approximate size of 4-6 nm) in the nanofibers (NFs), made of nanoparticles (7-12 nm), exhibited a short response time of 3 s at 97 ppm and a low detection limit of 97 ppb to NOx, which was over 9 times higher than the response of pure TiO2 nanofibers at room temperature. The ITCN2 performance came from the composite In3+ as an ionic charge-compensating and highly electrically conductive agent, which resulted from adding a large number of gas sensing active sites and increased the conductivity. Hence, the p-type In2O3-composite TiO2 has potential for the development of novel gas sensors at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemiologic profile of infective endocarditis has changed substantially over the past few years, especially in industrialized countries. Our study evaluates the clinical and pathologic characteristics of infective endocarditis patients treated by cardiac surgery in China during a 12-year period. We retrospectively evaluated 220 surgically treated infective endocarditis patients and analyzed their changes from the beginning of 1998 through 2009. The mean age of the patients increased from 36.9 to 42.7 years during those 12 years (P=0.036). The chief predisposing disease was congenital heart disease (32.8%), rather than rheumatic heart disease (13.2%); this rate did not change significantly during the 12 years. The prevalent congenital lesion was bicuspid aortic valve, the rate of which (55.6%) increased significantly over the 3 time intervals studied (P=0.016). The frequency of infective endocarditis after non-dental surgical and nonsurgical intervention was significantly greater (23.3%) during 1998 through 2001, compared with the 2 intervals that followed (9%; P=0.019). Streptococcus viridans was the most frequent causative agent overall (25.6%). Forty-seven of the 220 patients (21.4%) carried the clinical diagnosis of some other form of heart disease before surgery, but at surgery they were found to have infective endocarditis as the fundamental disease process. Of 47 patients, 33 (70.2%) had either very small or no vegetations but had focal necrosis and inflammation of valve tissue that supported the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-step synthetic route has been developed for the preparation of Nd(OH)3 nanorods in the presence of n-butylamine. The as-prepared sample is in hexagonal phase with good crystallinity, and made up of highly dispersed nanorods of 14-15 nm in diameter and up to 40-50 nm in length at 120°C for 24 h. Optical measurements show that these nanorods have intensive photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature and have the potential to become optical materials. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the Nd(OH)3 nanorods reveals that the nanorods remain stable up to 220°C and decompose to the derived oxide of Nd2O3 at higher temperatures. The derived oxides show the promise active catalyst for the oxidation of carbon monoxide. In addition, this synthetic route has been developed for the synthesis of a series of other lanthanide hydroxides nanorods including Pr(OH)3, Sm(OH)3, Eu(OH)3, Gd(OH)3, Tb (OH)3 and Dy(OH)3, and their PL properties, thermostability and catalytic properties are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Oxygen-vacancy defects were introduced into CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 NTs/Ti film. • The novel composite exhibited excellent performance in activing PMS. • An averaged ciprofloxacin degradation efficiency of 97.3% was achieved. • Rich Vo accelerated charge transfer, enhancing PMS activation efficiency. • Vo enhanced the adsorption of PMS and the interface charge density. The technique of activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by enriching oxygen vacancies (Vo) in heterogeneous catalysts has gained extensive attentions in the removal of emerging contaminants, e.g., antibiotics from wastewater. In this study, a Vo-CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 NTs/Ti (Vo-CTNs) catalytic membrane with rich oxygen vacancies was prepared and employed for the activation of PMS in degrading ciprofloxacin (CIP) in a continuous flow reactor. The averaged degradation efficiency of CIP in the Vo-CTNs/PMS system could reach 97.3 %, significantly higher than that in the CoTiO 3 /TiO 2 NTs/Ti (CTNs) system (91.1 %). Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis collectively confirmed the presence of •OH, SO 4 •−, O 2 •− and 1O 2 during the CIP degradation process. The results of the electrochemical experiments demonstrated that in the presence of oxygen vacancies, the mutual conversion between Co2+ and Co3+ was facilitated, resulting in a lower transfer resistance. At an initial CIP concentration of 10 mg/L and a membrane flux of 600 LMH, the degradation efficiency and mineralization rate of CIP could reach 95.2 % and 51.1 % after 12 h of operation, respectively. Meanwhile, limited leaching of cobalt ions (52 μg/L) from the catalytic membrane was observed during treatment. Theoretical calculations revealed that Vo engineering can modulate the surface electronic states, thereby enhancing binding energy and electron transfer for PMS activation. The degradation of CIP is mainly achieved through the ring opening reactions in the piperazine, quinolone, and cyclopropyl groups attacked by reactive oxygen species. In this work, we built cobalt-based composite nanomaterials to promote effective electron transfer and minimize leaching of cobalt ions, and providing a new method for activating PMS in a continuous flow system by enriching the oxygen vacancies in the catalytic membrane. This method has potentials to be applied in treating wastewater containing antibiotics such as CIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming may alter microbially mediated ecosystem functions through reshaping of microbial diversity and modified microbial interactions. Here, we examined the effects of 5-year experimental warming on different microbial hierarchical groups in a coastal nontidal soil ecosystem, including prokaryotes (i.e., bacteria and archaea), fungi, and Cercozoa, which is a widespread phylum of protists. Warming significantly altered the diversity and structure of prokaryotic and fungal communities in soil and additionally decreased the complexity of the prokaryotic network and fragmented the cercozoan network. By using the Inter-Domain Ecological Network approach, the cross-trophic interactions among prokaryotes, fungi, and Cercozoa were further investigated. Under warming, cercozoan--prokaryotic and fungal--prokaryotic bipartite networks were simplified, whereas the cercozoan--fungal network became slightly more complex. Despite simplification of the fungal--prokaryotic network, the strengthened synergistic interactions between saprotrophic fungi and certain prokaryotic groups, such as the Bacteroidetes, retained these phyla within the network under warming. In addition, the interactions within the fungal community were quite stable under warming conditions, which stabilized the interactions between fungi and prokaryotes or protists. Additionally, we found the microbial hierarchical interactions were affected by environmental stress (i.e., salinity and pH) and soil nutrients. Interestingly, the relevant microbial groups could respond to different soil properties under ambient conditions, whereas under warming these two groups tended to respond to similar soil properties, suggesting network hub species responded to certain environmental changes related to warming, and then transferred this response to their partners through trophic interactions. Finally, warming strengthened the network modules' negative association with soil organic matters through some fungal hub species, which might trigger soil carbon loss in this ecosystem. Our study provides new insights into the response and feedback of microbial hierarchical interactions under warming scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously showed that treatment with tadalafil, a long-acting phosphodiesterase- 5a (PDE5a) inhibitor, effectively prevented adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling of the infarcted heart. We hypothesized that short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) therapy targeting PDE5a would simulate the effects of pharmacological intervention for treatment of postinfarction LV remodeling and dysfunction. Experimental model of myocardial infarction was developed in female mice by permanent ligation of left coronary artery. Immediately after that, an adenoviral vector encoding for shRNA sequence targeting PDE5a (Ad-shPDE5a) was injected intramyocardially, which specifically inhibited PDE5a in the heart. Four weeks later, Ad-shPDE5a treated mice showed significant mitigation of the left ventricle (LV) dilatation and dysfunction as indicated by smaller LV cavity and more preserved ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Infarction size and fibrosis were significantly reduced in Ad-shPDE5a-treated mice. Additionally, more salvaged cardiomyocytes, significantly reduced collagen contents, and higher blood vessel density were observed in Ad-shPDE5a-treated mice. The cytoprotective effects of Ad-shPDE5a were demonstrated in vitro in Ad-shPDE5a transfected cardiomyocytes cultured under oxygen glucose deprivation. Among downstream mediators of PDE5a signaling, cyclic GMP (cGMP) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) were activated with concomitant reduction in caspase-3 activity. However, no significant change in PKA and cAMP activities were observed in Ad-shPDE5a-treated hearts. Inhibition with shRNA improved cardiac remodeling and dysfunction by reducing infarction size and cardiac fibrosis and increased cGMP and PKG activity. These findings suggest that PDE5 inhibition with Ad-shPDE5a is a novel approach for treatment of myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abietic acid was isolated from rosin by means of reaction-crystallization coupled with exposure to ultrasonic waves, and it was then characterized by its specific rotation, infrared spectra, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The thermal decomposition of abietic acid in argon atmosphere was studied under nonisothermal conditions using TG-DTG techniques with heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 25 K/min. For the kinetic study, the nonisothermal kinetic parameters were obtained via the analysis of the TG-DTG curves by using the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) method, the Kissinger method, and the integral method. The results showed that the nonisothermal decomposition mechanism of abietic acid in argon atmosphere followed Mampel Power law with n= 3/2, whose differential and integral forms were f(α) = 2/3α–1/2and G(α) = α3/2. The apparent activation energy Eaand the pre-exponential factor Awere 123.44 kJ/mol and 1.78 × 1011s–1, respectively. The kinetic equation can be expressed as dα/dt= 1.19 × 1011α–1/2exp(−1.48 × 104/T). The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH⧧, ΔG⧧, and ΔS⧧) were calculated as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on our previous successful material-level verification of a shape-memory polymer composite (SMPC) on the SJ-17 geostationary satellite on a geostationary orbit since November 2016, a structure-level smart solar array was developed in this study to further verify its overall performance on the SJ-18 geostationary satellite. The two-panel smart solar array based on shape-memory materials was designed and experimentally evaluated. The smart solar array consisted of two deployable solar panels, which were locked by one shape-memory alloy and two SMPC releasing mechanisms, and could be released by low shocking through electrical heating. The smart solar array was actuated and deployed using two groups of SMPC hinges. A series of tests was conducted to evaluate the main performance of the smart solar array. The tests included structural dynamics (folded state: sinusoidal sweep vibration, shocking, acceleration, and noise; and deployed state: mode, sinusoidal sweep vibration, and flexibility), thermal design, locking and releasing, and deployment. This smart solar array satisfied the design requirements, including the fundamental natural frequency in a folded state at 80 Hz, maximum the locking force at 2000 N. Based on the structure-level systematical evaluation, the SMPC shows prospect to be used in next-generation superlarge deployment structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duraplasty after decompression decreases the lesion size and scar formation, promoting better functional recovery, but the underlying mechanism has not been clarified. Here, we fabricated a series of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate)/polylactic acid/collagen (PHBV/PLA/Col) membranes and cultured them with VSC4.1 motor neurons. The material characteristics and in vitro biological characteristics were evaluated. In the subcutaneous implantation test, PHBV/PLA/COl scaffolds supported the cellular infiltration, microvasculature formation, and decreased CD86-positive macrophage aggregation. Following contusion spinal cord injury at T10 in Sprague-Dawley rats, durotomy was performed with allograft dura mater or PHBV/PLA or PHBV/PLA/Col membranes. At 3 days post-injury, Western blot assay showed decreased the expression of the NLRP3, ASC, cleaved-caspase-1, IL-1β, TNF-α, and CD86 expression but increased the expression of CD206. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that duraplasty with PHBV/PLA/Col membranes reduced the infiltration of CD86-positive macrophages in the lesion site, decreased the glial fibrillary acidic protein expression, and increased the expression of NF-200. Moreover, duraplasty with PHBV/PLA/Col membranes improved locomotor functional recovery at 8 weeks post-injury. Thus, duraplasty with PHBV/PLA/Col membranes decreased the glial scar formation and promoted axon growth by inhibiting inflammasome activation and modulating macrophage polarization in acute spinal cord injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the efficiency of a portable nitric oxide (NO) inhalation device through optimizing its design and structure. The portable rescue device could be used in clinical applications in outbreaks of viral pneumonia such as SARS. To reduce energy consumption for battery-powered portable usage, NO micro-channel plasma reactions induced by a continuous discharge arc were employed. A single-use airway tube could be combined with an intubation tube in clinical applications. In the experiment, a switching transistor controlled high frequency DC (12.5 kHz) was used to create a continuous discharge arc between two stainless steel electrodes (1-mm separation) after high-voltage breakthrough. A rotate instrument was employed to change the direction angle between the airflow and discharge arc, tube filled with Calcium hydroxide connected with gas outlet for reducing NO2, gas flow rate and input voltage were evaluated separately with concentration of NO and NO2/NO ratio. Results showed that a 2 L/min air flow direction from the cathode to the anode of electrodes (direction angle was zero) under 4 V input voltages produced 32.5±3.8 ppm NO, and the NO2/NO ratio reduced to less than 10%, stable output of nitric oxide might be convenient and effective for NO inhalation therapy. Modularization of the design produced a portable NO inhalation device that has potential for use in clinical applications as it is low cost, easy to disinfect, consumes low levels of energy and is ready to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects >30 million individuals worldwide. However, no genetic mutation from human patients with AF has been linked to inflammation. Here, we show that AF-associated human variant p.Ile138Thr in natriuretic peptide A (NPPA) encoding the atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) causes inflammation, fibroblast activation, atrial fibrosis, and AF in knock-in (KI) rats. Variant p.Ile138Thr inhibits the interaction between ANP and its receptor natriuretic peptide receptor A and reduces intracellular cGMP levels. RNA sequencing and follow-up analyses showed that mutant ANP (mANP) activates multiple innate immunity pathways, including TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-1β signaling. mANP induces differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) to myofibroblasts and promotes CF proliferation and fibrosis. These results suggest that NPPA variant p.Ile138Thr causes AF by activating TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-1β signaling, inflammation, and fibrosis. Multiple computational programs suggest that p.Ile138Thr is damaging or deleterious. Based on the 2015 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics Standards and Guidelines, p.Ile138Thr can be classified as a likely pathogenic variant. Variant p.Ile138Thr was found only in Asian people in the Genome Aggregation Database and Exome Aggregation Consortium database at an averaged frequency of 0.026%. An estimated 1.15 million Asian people carry the variant and might be at risk of AF. The KI rats may provide an inflammation-based, genetic animal model for AF valuable for testing anti-inflammation or other therapies for AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]