Search

Purpose: The copper metabolism MURR1 domain 10 (COMMD10) plays a role in a variety of tumors. Here, we investigated its role in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: Online prediction tools, quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the expression of COMMD10 in GC. The effect of COMMD10 knockdown was investigated in the GC cell lines and in in vivo xenograft tumor experiments. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to explore the relationships between COMMD10 and DNA damage. Results: The expression of COMMD10 was upregulated in GC compared to that in para-cancerous tissue and correlated with a higher clinical TNM stage (P = 0.044) and tumor size (P = 0.0366). High COMMD10 expression predicted poor prognosis in GC. Knockdown of COMMD10 resulted in the suppression of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, accompanied by cell cycle arrest and an elevation in apoptosis rate. Moreover, the protein expression of COMMD10 was decreased in cisplatin-induced DNA-damaged GC cells. Suppression of COMMD10 impeded DNA damage repair, intensified DNA damage, and activated ATM–p53 signaling pathway in GC. Conversely, restoration of COMMD10 levels suppressed DNA damage and activation of the ATM-p53 signaling cascade. Additionally, knockdown of COMMD10 significantly restrained the growth of GC xenograft tumors while inhibiting DNA repair, augmenting DNA damage, and activating the ATM–p53 signaling pathway in xenograft tumor tissue. Conclusion: COMMD10 is involved in DNA damage repair and maintains genomic stability in GC; knockdown of COMMD10 impedes the development of GC by exacerbating DNA damage, suggesting that COMMD10 may be new target for GC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was found that a function with exactly one discontinuity may have a continuous iterate of second order, indicating that a discontinuity may be repaired to be a continuous one by its adjacent pair of functions of second order, called second order sui-repair. If a function has more than one discontinuities, examples show that some discontinuities may be repaired to be continuous ones by the other's adjacent pair of functions of second order, called second order C 0 homi-repair. In this paper we investigate second order C 0 homi-repairs of removable and jumping discontinuities for functions having more than one but finitely many discontinuities. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for removable and jumping discontinuities to be C 0 repaired by the second order iteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that removable and jumping discontinuities for functions having more than one but finitely many discontinuities have a second order C 0 homi-repair. In this paper we study second order C 0 homi-repair of oscillating discontinuities and pre-discontinuities for those functions and give necessary and sufficient conditions for C 0 repair by second order iteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber mats have played a significant role in wearable electronic devices that have been in great demand in recent decades. Although manifold PVDFbased freely stacked or well-aligned nanofiber mats created via the electrospinning process have been demonstrated to achieve multisensory capabilities with high sensitivity and long detection range, rarely have any of them proved their ability with a stable process and accurate processing parameters. In this work, we successfully developed freely stacked and well-aligned PVDF nanofiber mats with diameters ranging from micrometers to nanometers, providing stable performance for wearable electronic devices. Through in-depth investigations into material preparation, electrospinning, and fiber collection processes, we revealed the relationship between the nanofiber morphology, β-phase fraction, and piezoelectric output with various process parameters. Characterized by analytical methods, we have established a mature, reliable nanofiber mat fabrication system capable of mass-producing PVDF nanofibers with the required diameter and consistent properties. At 18 kV voltage and 60% RH humidity, the uniformity of the fiber diameter and β-phase content was maintained in a favorable range. When the drum speed increased to 2000 r/s, the fiber orientation and β-phase content increased. We assembled aligned PVDF nanofiber mats with conductive fabric in a flexible piezoelectric sensor that successfully monitored different body movements and produced an output voltage of 0.1 V. This study provides the necessary process parameters for the large-scale production of high-quality PVDF nanofiber mats and provides clear guidance for beginners in the field of nanofiber mat manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the event-triggered $ \mathcal {L}_2-\mathcal {L}_\infty $ L 2 − L ∞ control problem for discrete-time Markov jump systems with DoS attacks and exogenous disturbance. Instead of one common event-triggering scheme, multiple triggering schemes are introduced to sample system signals and the event-triggered Markov closed-loop jump systems are further obtained under the full state feedback controller. Generally, mode information of subsystems is not completely available for the modules of trigger and controller such that asynchronous jump behaviour may occur among the modes of subsystems, triggering scheme and controller. Thus, a hidden Markov model (HMM) is developed to describe such asynchronous behaviour. Meanwhile, security issues of networks are widely studied in recent many literature. For discrete-time Markov jump systems, few works consider cyber attacks, especially periodic Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. Based on the HMM, the DoS attacks are taken into account and a set of sufficient conditions are further presented to guarantee the $ \mathcal {L}_2-\mathcal {L}_\infty $ L 2 − L ∞ control performance of the resulting Markov closed-loop jump systems. Subsequently, the design of controller and event-triggering parameters are provided by using matrix inequality method. Finally, an example is given to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disease in women. Hyperandrogenaemia (HA) and insulin resistance (IR) are the basic pathophysiological characteristics of PCOS. The aetiology of PCOS has not been fully identified and is generally believed to be related to the combined effects of genetic, metabolic, internal, and external factors. Current studies have not screened for PCOS susceptibility genes in a large population. Here, we aimed to study the effect of TGF-β1 methylation on the clinical PCOS phenotype. Methods: In this study, three generations of family members with PCOS with IR as the main characteristic were selected as research subjects. Through whole exome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis, TGF-β1 was screened as the PCOS susceptibility gene in this family. The epigenetic DNA methylation level of TGF-β1 in peripheral blood was detected by heavy sulfite sequencing in patients with PCOS clinically characterised by IR, and the correlation between the DNA methylation level of the TGF-β1 gene and IR was analysed. We explored whether the degree of methylation of this gene affects IR and whether it participates in the occurrence and development of PCOS. Results: The results of this study suggest that the hypomethylation of the CpG4 and CpG7 sites in the TGF-β1 gene promoter may be involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS IR by affecting the expression of the TGF-β1 gene. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the aetiology and pathogenesis of PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible light‐induced photocatalysis has been widely investigated, which offers exciting opportunities to build new catalytic platforms that are unattainable under ground state conditions. Asymmetric photocatalysis has been a longstanding challenge due to the high reactivity of photogenerated intermediates leading to strong background reaction. Carbonyl group is an important fundamental scaffold in organic synthesis. The photocatalytic asymmetric transformations of carbonyl compounds for synthesizing enantioenriched secondary and tertiary alcohols are of significant value but remain problematic. Even so, a series of intriguing works concerning this topic have been reported in recent year. This review summarizes the advances in this area, mainly dividing into single and synergetic catalyst systems, and the mechanism of each reaction is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the interaction effects of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure and variants in cGAS-STING genes on mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in workers. The mtDNAcn was determined by real-time quantitative polymerase-chain reaction in 544 PAHs-exposed workers and 238 office workers. The polymorphisms were detected by flight mass spectrometry. The mtDNAcn in PAHs exposure group was significantly lower than non-occupational exposure population (P < 0.00). The cGAS rs610913 CA+AA had significant interaction effects with STING rs11554776 GG+GA (P = 0.035), rs7380824 CC+CT (P = 0.026), and rs78233829 GC+CC (P = 0.034) on mtDNAcn. The generalized linear model results showed that the influencing factors of mtDNAcn include PAHs exposure (P < 0.001) and the interaction of PAHs exposure and cGAS rs 311678 AA+AG (P = 0.047). The influencing factors of mtDNAcn include PAHs exposure and the interaction of PAHs exposure and cGAS rs 311678 AA+AG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Efficient deep dehumidification process with a large humidity gradient is realized. • The LD-DW system driven by two stages of heat pump features the highest COP sys. • The LD-DW system achieves high exergy efficiency with the avoidance of surplus exergy loss. • The cascade heat pumps lower the cold-heat offset and lead to conspicuous COP hp. • The match of the air state and the treatment process improves system efficiency. Liquid desiccant and desiccant wheel systems are feasible approaches for the dehumidification process in modern buildings. Some specialized buildings and industrial fields have the demand for deep dehumidification process to produce supply air with low dew point temperature below 0 °C. In this study, the numerical investigation has been conducted to evaluate the energy and exergy performance of multiple cascading deep dehumidification systems assisted with liquid desiccant and desiccant wheel under a great dehumidification gradient. To process the air from 21 g/kg to 1 g/kg, the results indicate that the cascading liquid desiccant and desiccant wheel deep dehumidification system (LD-DW system) driven by two stages of heat pump exhibits the lowest demand of power consumption compared with the conventional dehumidification systems. It also shows less exergy loss and significantly higher exergy efficiency than other systems. The effects of influencing parameters on the dehumidification performance are also evaluated. The LD-DW system can effectively match the air state with the proper treatment dehumidification process, thus achieving a superior coefficient of system performance (COP sys) of 3.70, and it is an energy and exergy efficient method for advancing the deep dehumidification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two arene ruthenium(II) complexes [η6-(C6H6)Ru(pprip)Cl]PF6 (Ru1; pprip = 2-(3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-imidazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) and [η6-(C6H6)Ru(H2iiP)Cl]PF6 (Ru2; H2iiP = 2-(indole-3-yl)-imidazolo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) have been synthesized and characterized in this work. Binding properties of Ru1 and Ru2 with the triplex RNA poly(U)•poly(A)*poly(U) were investigated by spectrophotometry and spectrofluorometry as well as viscosimetry. Analysis of spectroscopic titrations and viscosity measurements show that the two complexes bind with the triplex through intercalation, while the binding affinity for Ru2 toward the triplex is stronger than that for Ru1. Melting experiments indicate that the stabilizing effects of Ru1 and Ru2 toward the triplex differ from each other. Under the conditions used herein, Ru1 only stabilizes the Hoogsteen base-paired strand (third strand) without affecting stabilization of the Watson–Crick base-paired strand (the template duplex) of the triplex, while Ru2 stabilizes both the template duplex and the third strand. Although the two complexes prefer to stabilizing the third strand rather than the template duplex, the third-strand stabilization effect of Ru2 is stronger than that of Ru1. The obtained results of this work reveal that the planarity of the intercalative ligands plays an important role in the triplex stabilization by arene Ru(II) complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two chiral ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, Λ-[Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, dppx = 7,8-dimethyldipyridophenazine; Λ-1) and Δ-[Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ (Δ-1) have been synthesized and characterized in this work. Interactions of Λ-1 and Δ-1 with the RNA triplex poly(U)⋅poly(A)*poly(U) have been investigated by various biophysical techniques. Spectrophotometric titrations and viscosity measurements suggested that enantiomers Λ-1 and Δ-1 bind with the triplex through intercalation, while the binding strengths of the two enantiomers toward the triplex differed only slightly from each other. Fluorescence titrations showed that although enantiomers Λ-1 and Δ-1 exhibited molecular "light switch" effects toward the triplex, the effect of Δ-1 was more marked. Furthermore, Furthermore, thermal denaturation showed that the two enantiomers have significantly different stabilizing effects on the triplex. The obtained results indicate that the racemic complex [Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ is similar to a non-specific metallointercalator for the triplex investigated in this study, and chiralities of Ru(II) polypyridine complexes have an important influence on the binding and stabilizing effects of enantiomers toward the triplex. Two chiral ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, Λ-[Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, dppx = 7,8-dimethyldipyridophenazine; Λ-1) and Δ-[Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ (Δ-1) have been synthesized and characterized in this work. Interactions of Λ-1 and Δ-1 with the RNA triplex poly(U)⋅poly(A)*poly(U) have been investigated by various biophysical techniques. The obtained results indicate that the racemic complex [Ru(bpy)2(dppx)]2+ is similar as a non-specific metallointercalator for the triplex investigated in this study, and chiralities of Ru(II) polypyridine complexes have an important influence on the binding and stabilizing effects of enantiomers toward the triplex [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), is a serious zoonotic parasitic disease. We previously found that Lycosin-I exhibited anti-T. gondii activity, but its serum stability was not good enough. In this study, we aimed to improve the stability and activity of Lycosin-I through fatty acid chain modification, so as to find a better anti-T. gondii drug candidate. The α/ε-amino residues of different lysine residues of Lycosin-I were covalently coupled with lauric acid to obtain eight lipopeptides, namely L-C12, L-C12-1, L-C12-2, L-C12-3, L-C12-4, L-C12-5, L-C12-6, and L-C12-7. Among these eight lipopeptides, L-C12 showed the best activity against T. gondii in vitro in a trypan blue assay. We then conjugated a shorter length fatty chain, aminocaproic acid, at the same modification site of L-C12, namely L-an. The anti-T. gondii effects of Lycosin-I, L-C12 and L-an were evaluated via an invasion assay, proliferation assay and plaque assay in vitro. A mouse model acutely infected with T. gondii tachyzoites was established to evaluate their efficacy in vivo. The serum stability of L-C12 and L-an was improved, and they showed comparable or even better activity than Lycosin-I did in inhibiting the invasion and proliferation of tachyzoites. L-an effectively prolonged the survival time of mice acutely infected with T. gondii. These results suggest that appropriate fatty acid chain modification can improve serum stability and enhance anti-T. gondii effect of Lycosin-I. The lipopeptide derivatives of Lycosin-I have potential as a novel anti-T. gondii drug candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a higher level of physical activity (PA) is inversely associated with a higher breast cancer (BC) risk, the health benefits of daily steps on obesity-related BC biomarkers remain unclear. We aimed to understand the associations of changes in step counts with levels of five obesity-related BC biomarkers during a two-year follow-up. In total, 144 non-cancer women (47.96 ± 5.72) were observed on both 2019 and 2021. A structured questionnaire, daily steps and fasting blood samples were collected before (t0, 2019) and after (t1, 2021). Levels of biomarkers (IGF-binding proteins 3, adiponectin, soluble leptin receptor, C-reactive protein, and resistin) were assayed by ELISA. Participants were divided into persistent low steps, decreasing steps, increasing steps, and persistent high steps. Associations of categories on proposed biomarkers were estimated using linear regression models, with persistent low steps as reference. Associations between time-varying step counts with biomarkers were quantified using mixed linear models. Compared with persistent low steps, increasing steps is associated with a reduction in C-reactive protein level (β=−0.74, 95%CI=−1.23-−0.26, P-value = 2.98 × 10−3). An inverse association between time-varying step counts with C-reactive protein level was identified, consistent across different obesity types and baseline step level categories. No association with daily step counts was observed for other proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White adipose tissue (WAT) is not only an energy storage reservoir that is critical in energy homeostasis but is also a highly metabolically active endocrine organ. WAT can secrete a variety of adipocytokines, including leptin (LEP), adiponectin (APN), resistin, visfatin, tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), and osteopontin (OPN). It can also synthesize and secrete exosomes, which enhance intercellular communication and participate in various physiological processes in the body. It can also synthesize and secrete exosomes to enhance intercellular communication and participate in a variety of physiological processes in the body. The skeleton is an important organ for protecting internal organs. It forms the scaffolding of the body and gives the body its basic form. It drives muscle contraction to produce movement under the regulation of the nervous system. It is also an important hematopoietic organ; and it is regulated by the cytokines secreted by WAT. As research related to the release of adipocytokines from WAT to affect the skeleton continues to progress, an inextricable link between bone lipid regulation has been identified. In this paper, we review the literature to summarize the structure, function and metabolism of WAT, elaborate the specific molecular mechanisms by which WAT‐secreted hormones, cytokines and exosomes regulate skeletal cells, provide a theoretical basis for the in‐depth study of WAT cross‐organ regulation of bone, and provide new ideas for finding new adipose‐secreted targeting factors for the treatment of skeletal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit a chronic inflammatory state, which is often accompanied by immune, endocrine, and metabolic disorders. Clarification of the pathogenesis of PCOS and exploration of specific biomarkers from the perspective of immunology by evaluating the local infiltration of immune cells in the follicular microenvironment may provide critical insights into disease pathogenesis. Methods: In this study, we evaluated immune cell subsets and gene expression in patients with PCOS using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. Results: In total, 325 differentially expressed genes were identified, among which TMEM54 and PLCG2 (area under the curve = 0.922) were identified as PCOS biomarkers. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that central memory CD4+ T cells, central memory CD8+ T cells, effector memory CD4+ T cells, γδ T cells, and type 17 T helper cells may affect the occurrence of PCOS. In addition, PLCG2 was highly correlated with γδ T cells and central memory CD4+ T cells. Conclusions: Overall, TMEM54 and PLCG2 were identified as potential PCOS biomarkers by bioinformatics analysis. These findings established a basis for further exploration of the immunological mechanisms of PCOS and the identification of therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the sampled-data resilient control for stochastic nonlinear cyber-physical systems (CPSs) under denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. First, under the sampled-data control scheme, DoS attacks are described and under-considered in the stochastic nonlinear CPSs. Secondly, according to the influence of DoS attack, a new switching stochastic nonlinear closed-loop system is established under a full-state feedback controller. Then, by using the piecewise Lyapunov functional method, sufficient conditions are provided to ensure the mean square exponential stability of the obtained closed-loop system. In addition, some criterions are given to design controller parameters. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many restoration methods use the low-rank constraint of high-dimensional image signals to recover corrupted images. These signals are usually represented by tensors, which can maintain their inherent relevance. The image of this simple tensor presentation has a certain low-rank property, but does not have a strong low-rank property. In order to enhance the low-rank property, we propose a novel method called sub-image based low-rank tensor completion (SLRTC) for image restoration. We first sample a color image to obtain sub-images, and adopt these sub-images instead of the original single image to form a tensor. Then we conduct the mode permutation on this tensor. Next, we exploit the tensor nuclear norm defined based on the tensor-singular value decomposition (t-SVD) to build the low-rank completion model. Finally, we perform the tensor-singular value thresholding (t-SVT) based the standard alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm to solve the aforementioned model. Experimental results have shown that compared with the state-of-the-art tensor completion techniques, the proposed method can provide superior results in terms of objective and subjective assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-fucosidases that catalyze the hydrolysis of L -fucosyl residue have attracted attention. Here, an α-L-fucosidase from the glycoside hydrolase (GH) 29 family, named PsaFuc, was identified and biochemically characterized. PsaFuc exhibited both α- L -fucosidase and β- D -galactosidase activities. However, the substrate specificity of PsaFuc was different from other reported α-L-fucosidases. Enzymatic analysis indicated that the activity of PsaFuc decreased rapidly in treatments at 25 °C or 30 °C. Interestingly, the half-life of PsaFuc activity was significantly prolonged by adding 1 mM Ca2+. Compared with activated PsaFuc, inactivated PsaFuc exhibited the same melting temperature (T m) but different secondary structure components. In the presence of Ca2+, the T m of PsaFuc increased slightly, resulting in an improvement in overall structural stability. More importantly, the secondary structures of PsaFuc changed upon the binding of Ca2+ forming a new active conformation, which was relatively more stable at 25 °C. This study provided a better understanding of GH29 α- L -fucosidases. [Display omitted] • A bifunctional α-L-fucosidase, PsaFuc, was characterized. • The half-life of PsaFuc was prolonged by the addition of Ca2+. • The conformational change that played important role in enzymatic activity was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinical outcomes of pulmonary venous isolation alone for persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF) remain unclear. Adjuvant posterior wall isolation (PWI) has become a potential supplementary strategy for improving the outcome of PerAF ablation. This meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of PWI added to catheter ablation for PerAF. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies comparing the outcomes of PerAF ablation with and without PWI. The efficacy outcomes were recurrence of atrial arrhythmia (AA), atrial fibrillation (AF), and atrial tachycardia (AT), and the safety outcome was adverse events. Results: In total, eight studies with 1428 patients were included in the pooled analyses. The results showed that PWI significantly reduced the recurrence of AA (RR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.55–0.87, p =.002, I2 = 63%) and AF (RR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.40–0.80, p =.001, I2 = 70%). AT recurrence (RR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.67–1.27, p =.63, I2 = 42%) and adverse events (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.67–1.84, p =.70, I2 = 0%) were comparable between the two groups. In the sub‐analyses, the efficacy of PWI in reducing AA recurrence was consistent in patients who underwent cryoablation or debulking ablation. Conclusion: PWI effectively decreased AA recurrence after PerAF ablation without increasing the risk of AT or procedure‐related complications. However, more randomized studies are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binding of [Ru(phen) 2 ttbd]2+ (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, ttbd = 4-(6-propenylpyrido-[3,2- a ]- phenzain-10-yl-benzene-1,2-diamine) to the RNA triplex poly(U-A*U) (herein "-" and "*" refer to the Watson-Crick and Hoogsteen binding, respectively) and the duplex poly(A-U) have been investigated by spectral technology and viscosity method. Analysis of spectral titrations and viscosity experiments as well as melting measurements suggest that [Ru(phen) 2 ttbd]2+ binds to the studied RNA triplex and duplex through intercalation, while its binding constant toward the triplex is greater than the duplex. Luminescent titrations indicate that [Ru(phen) 2 ttbd]2+ can act as a molecular "light switch" for the two RNAs and the switch effect can be detected by the naked-eye. Moreover, the "light switch" can be repeatedly cycled off and on by adjusting the pH of the solution, whereas color change in the case of the triplex is more significant compared with the duplex. To our knowledge, [Ru(phen) 2 ttbd]2+ is the first small molecule capable of serving as a pH-controlled reversible visual molecular "light switch" for both the RNA triplex poly(U-A*U) and duplex poly(A-U). Thermal denaturation experiments suggest that [Ru(phen) 2 ttbd]2+ can obviously increase the triplex stabilization, while it stabilizing third-strand is more marked in comparison with the template duplex of the triplex, indicating this complex preferentially binds to third-strand. The obtained results may be useful for understanding the binding of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes to RNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The double-layer structure of sodium alginate/polyacrylonitrile (SA/PAN) humidity sensor was fabricated. The humidity sensitivity of the sensors was evaluated while characterizing the films using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), water contact angle tester, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the 2-SA/PAN sensor has low hysteresis (1.6% RH), excellent repeatability, short response/recovery time (14.5 s/2.5 s), satisfactory stability and selectivity. The maximum frequency shift was up to − 6960.55 Hz (0–97% RH). As a hydrophilic polymer in the upper layer of the bilayer film, SA has hydrophilic functional groups, and the water-insoluble electrospun fiber PAN in the lower layer is the diffusion channel of water molecules, which not only plays a supporting role, but also reduces the load of SA loaded water molecules, and shortens the response/recovery time. Furthermore, the 2-SA/PAN sensor can quickly and accurately monitor skin humidity in different parts of the human body, capture changes in wrist humidity before and after exercise, and monitor fingertip movements. Furthermore, the fingertip movement is used to generate Morse code, and an app is built to decode and display the original code. • The SA/PAN bilayer structure humidity sensor was fabricated in situ on QCM. • The SA/PAN sensor has ultra-fast response recovery time and low hysteresis. • The SA/PAN sensor can rapidly and accurately monitor human skin moisture. • The SA/PAN sensor extends the type of Morse code generator and communicates with Morse code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A decoupling scheme for temperature and humidity independent control systems is proposed. • Recovered condensing heat can regenerate desiccant within a wide range of indoor air setpoints. • Heat recovery rate can be up to 97% under low temperature and high humidity outdoor air conditions. • The proposed system can meet general indoor comfort needs using chilled water above 14 °C. • The proposed system is able to reduce chiller electric consumption by 23.1%. Indoor humidity control is a crucial task in modern air conditioning systems. Conventional temperature and humidity independent control systems that use radiant cooling panels require dual temperature cooling sources and additional heating sources for reheating or regeneration. This study introduces a novel system that utilizes a central chiller to concurrently generate high temperature chilled water for cooling and hot water for regeneration. The system is analyzed in terms of the decoupling control effect and thermal balance, and is compared with the conventional system regarding energy consumption and energy efficiency. The results demonstrate that indoor humidity reset control improves the radiant cooling capacity and achieves a stable indoor thermal environment. The proposed thermal balance metric indicates that condensing heat can provide adequate regeneration heat within a broad range of indoor temperature and humidity setpoint conditions. Moreover, the thermal balance is particularly sensitive to the indoor humidity setpoints. Compared with the conventional system, the proposed system can reduce the chiller electricity consumption by 23.1 % due to the decreased cooling energy demand and dehumidification time. This energy-saving effect can reach up to 60 % when heat energy savings are considered. This study presents a viable solution for comfort air conditioning retrofits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two Ru(II) complexes containing different substituents, [Ru(phen) 2 (7-CH 3 -dppz)]2+ (Ru 1) and [Ru(phen) 2 (7-Br-dppz)]2+ (Ru 2), have been synthesized in this study. The binding properties of Ru 1 and Ru 2 with the duplex RNA poly(U)•poly(A) (where "•" denotes the Watson – Crick base pairing) have been researched by biophysical techniques and viscosity measurements. Analysis of spectral titrations and viscosity measurements indicate that Ru 1 and Ru 2 bind to the duplex via intercalative, and the binding affinity of Ru 1 with the duplex is remarkably higher than that of Ru 2. Furthermore, fluorescence emission spectra demonstrates that although complexes Ru 1 and Ru 2 can act as molecular "light switches" for the duplex RNA, alters in fluorescence emission of Ru 1 and Ru 2 are prominent differences, and the effectiveness of Ru 1 is more remarkable compared with that of Ru 2. The melting experiments suggest that the duplex RNA stabilizing effects of Ru 1 and Ru 2 differ from each other, among them, complex Ru 1 can obviously enhance the stability of the duplex RNA, while Ru 2 has only a slightly stabilizing effect for the duplex RNA, indicating that Ru 1 preferentially binds to RNA duplex over Ru 2. The obtained results indicate that subtle modifications of the intercalative ligand of Ru(II) polypyridyl complex with either methyl or bromide group have a significant effect on the duplex-binding discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative design is an important link in building construction at present, while the communication and cooperation among disciplines need further regulation. In order to maintain the cost-effectiveness and design quality of building engineering in the competitive environment and obtain higher economic benefits, the design team must ensure the collaborative design quality of building engineering. Based on the analysis of collaboration theory and collaboration mechanism, a collaborative design platform for caves in Henan province is constructed under the current cloud environment. In addition, the requirements and nonfunctional requirements of the platform are analyzed, and the overall structure with each part is designed specifically, hoping to improve the quality of collaborative design effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Objective: To evaluate myocardial injury by observing the different parameters of global myocardial work (MW) by left ventricular pressure-strain loop (PSL) analysis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). (2) Methods: According to the left ventricular mass index, the study patients with CKD were further divided into two groups: the left ventricular normal group (CKDN-LVH, 59) and left ventricular hypertrophy group (CKDLVH, 46). Thirty-three healthy controls (CON) matched in age and sex with the CKD group were recruited. The routine ultrasonic parameters were obtained by routine TTE, and the strain index and different parameters of the left ventricular MW were obtained by dynamic image offline analysis. (3) Results: This study found that (1) compared with the CON group, the CKDN-LVH group had a significantly increased global waste work (GWW) and significantly decreased global work efficiency (GWE), the GWW further increased, and GWE further decreased in the CKDLVH group. There was no significant change in the global work index (GWI) and global constructive work index (GCW) in the CKDN-LVH group, but the GWI and GCW in the CKDLVH group were significantly increased. (2) According to the grouping analysis of systolic blood pressure (SBP), we found that the GWW increased and GWE decreased in CKD patients with an elevated SBP. (3) Correlation analysis showed that the increase of the peak strain dispersion, SBP, and left ventricular mass index and the decrease of the estimated glomerular filtration rate were significantly correlated with the decrease of the GWE and the increase of the GWW. (4) Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of myocardial damage induced by the GWE and GWW in the CKD group and CON group was higher than that of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (AUCs: 0.87 and 0.878 versus 0.72, respectively). (4) Conclusions: Noninvasive left ventricular PSL analysis can be used to evaluate the global MW in patients with CKD. The study justified the role of GWW in the noninvasive assessment of myocardial function in patients with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies have related exposure to pesticides to increased risk of diabetes. However, few studies have evaluated the health effects of mixed pesticides exposure, especially in an elderly population. Here, we utilized gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to quantify the levels of 39 pesticides in 4 categories in a Chinese elderly population. Then we used general linear models to explore the association between individual pesticide exposure and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were fitted to identify potential non-linearities between those associations. Furthermore, stratified analysis by gender was conducted to explore the gender-specific associations. Finally, we used weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, quantile-based g computation (qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to evaluate the effects of mixed exposure to 39 pesticides. The results showed that exposure to pesticides was associated with high risk of T2DM, with β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-BHC) and oxadiazon being the most significant independent contributors, which was pronounced among elderly women. Moreover, the association of β-BHC and oxadiazon with T2DM was linear. These indicated that it is an urgent need to take practical measures to control these harmful pesticides. [Display omitted] • The exposure profile included 39 pesticides, including OPPs, OCPs, herbicides, and pyrethroid. • Mixture analyses were suggestive of positive joint effects of pesticides on T2DM. • The positive correlation of β-BHC and oxadiazole with T2DM was linear. • The adverse effect of pesticides on T2DM was more pronounced in elderly women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle-to-building interaction as one of emerging and promising techniques shows powerful functions, to address intermittence of renewable energy, stochastic demand of buildings, power grid stability, and frequency regulation. The energy interaction magnitude is highly dependent on stochastic vehicle schedules, whereas a few studies focus on stochastic model development and guidelines on vehicle schedules. In this study, a series of stochastic models were developed to characterise the arrival time, departure time, and detention time-duration of vehicles in buildings. Considering the schedule difference between private cars and shuttle buses, both Chi-square distribution and Normal distribution were adopted, to quantify the distribution degree of vehicle numbers, together with parametrical analysis on standard deviation. Comparative analysis between different stochastic models can guide vehicle schedules and provide flexible vehicle-to-building interactions. Research results indicate that, normal distribution on arriving time and detention time-duration of vehicles shows the minimum annual import cost (IC annual) at 128.1 HK$/m2·a, while the normal distribution on arriving time and departure time with Chi-square distribution for detention time-duration shows the minimum equivalent CO 2 emission (ECE annual) at 38.6 kg/m2·a. Furthermore, in respect to the distribution degree of vehicle numbers, the sharper curve for vehicle numbers in buildings (with lower standard deviation) will lead to a lower ECE annual and IC annual. Dynamic energy management strategy for the optimal stochastic vehicle schedule indicates that, marginal impacts on import cost saving can be provided to local power grid due to the limited difference between off-peak and peak grid electricity prices. This study provides new insight into the stochastic vehicle schedule model for an interactive vehicle-to-building energy interaction framework. Research results can provide frontier guidelines on stochastic vehicle schedules and flexible vehicle-to-building interactions for techno-economic-environmental performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the best treatments, about 20% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) receiving drugs and psychological intervention show little or no improvement. There is no trial comparing different treatment methods in patients with anxiety/somatic subtype MDD. Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of various treatments in patients with anxiety/somatic subtype MDD. Methods: This was a preliminary multicenter randomized controlled trial at eight participating hospitals in China (09/2016-06/2019) (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT03219008). The patients were randomized to mirtazapine/SNRIs, mirtazapine/SNRIs+cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mirtazapine+SNRIs, or mirtazapine+SNRIs+physical therapies (modified electroconvulsive treatment or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation). The primary endpoint was the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17). The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR) and Quality of Life (QOL)-6 were the secondary endpoints. The adverse events (AEs) were monitored. The patients were assessed at baseline (0 weeks), and at the end of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th week during treatment. Results: Finally, 107 patients were included: mirtazapine/SNRIs (n=36), mirtazapine/SNRIs+CBT (n=28), mirtazapine+SNRIs (n=29), and mirtazapine+SNRIs+physical therapies (n=14). The 17-HDRS and QIDS-SR scores decreased in all four groups, and the QOL-6 scores increased. There were no differences in the 17-HDRS (P=0.099), QIDS-SR (P=0.407), and QOL-6 (P=0.485) scores among the four groups. There were no differences in the occurrence of AEs among the four groups (P=0.942). Conclusion: This preliminary trial suggests that all four interventions (mirtazapine/SNRIs, mirtazapine/SNRIs+CBT, mirtazapine+SNRIs, or mirtazapine+SNRIs+physical therapies) achieved similar response and remission rates in patients with anxiety/somatic subtype MDD. The safety profile was manageable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective  We aimed to describe changes in cesarean delivery (CD) rates after the change of the one-child policy in China by using the Robson classification in a large Chinese population. Study Design  This retrospective cohort study included 91,015 women who delivered at ≥24 weeks of gestation at a large tertiary obstetric center in Shanghai, China from 2011 to 2016. We analyzed CD rate trend and CD contribution trend in each Robson group. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of CD while adjusting for confounding variables. Results  The overall CD rate decreased from 49.0% in 2011 to 40.6% in 2016. In nulliparous women with singleton cephalic term pregnancy and planned CD, the CD contribution rate was reduced significantly from 29.3% in 2011 to 16.4% in 2016 (p  < 0.001). In multiparous with a scarred uterus, the CD contribution rate began to increase from 3.8% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2016 (p  < 0.001). Compared with delivery in 2011, delivery in 2016 was associated with a 37% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60–0.66) reduction in CD. This reduction was observed in both nulliparous women with singleton cephalic term pregnancy (aOR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.54–0.60), and multiparous women with singleton cephalic term pregnancy without scar (aOR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.30–0.55). Conclusion  The rate of cesarean delivery in our Chinese population has declined significantly in the past few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heat exchanger for air dehumidification using liquid desiccant is mainly composed of an air-solution heat exchanger (dehumidifier) and a solution-refrigerant heat exchanger, wherein there are three liquids, i.e., air, desiccant solution, and refrigerant. The same air dehumidification process can be achieved by different solution flow rates (m s). Limited studies have revealed which solution flow rate is optimal (m s,opt) for minimizing the exergy input of the heat exchanger (Ex cooler). Thus, the analytical solution for the effectiveness of the entire heat exchanger (ε) is theoretically deduced in this study, by the virtue of which, the m s,opt can be determined by solving ∂ ε / ∂ m s = 0. Results reveal that ε can be improved from 0.50 to 0.56 and Ex cooler can be saved by 17.9% in the given case, when the flow rate ratio of solution to air increases from 0.7 to the optimal value 1.5. Moreover, the air-solution-refrigerant flow rate matching plays an important role in the heat exchanger effectiveness. As a media fluid between the variable-temperature fluid (air) and the constant-temperature fluid (refrigerant), there is no solution flow rate to make the air-solution flow rate matching and solution-refrigerant flow rate matching simultaneously achieved. A compromised m s,opt should be pursued to balance the air-solution mismatching and the solution-refrigerant mismatching. It is anticipated that the findings of this research can be used for achieving an efficient air dehumidification process in the heat exchanger using liquid desiccant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antireflection (AR) silicon and glass surfaces are necessarily required for solar cells, because a reflective silicon solar cell with a glass covering will reflect a percentage of sunlight. In this work, we demonstrate a universal and scalable net-shape nanofabrication method for broadband nanostructured AR surface on transparent glass, intended for solar cell applications. Moth eye-like glass nanopillars with various diameters were successfully fabricated by a combination of precision hot embossing and ultrasonic vibration demolding process. The morphologies of nanopillars were detected to characterize different profiles formed by glass flow at elevated temperatures. Facile optical experiments were designed and conducted to measure the AR performance at varying wavelengths and angle of incidences and the proposed nanostructures exhibit excellent AR property. Additionally, a feasible optical modeling is developed and compared with the measurement to evaluate the theoretical optical behaviors of glass nanostructures based on their embossed shapes. The inexpensive and environmental hot embossing method with ultrasonic vibration demolding is expected to create AR glass nanostructured surfaces for widespread applications such as solar cells, displays and laser systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fluoxetine, bupropion, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and physical therapies (modified electroconvulsive treatment or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) can be used to manage melancholic depression. Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of various treatments in patients with melancholic depression. Methods: This was a preliminary multicenter randomized controlled trial that included patients with depression in their first or recurrent acute episode between September 2016 and June 2019, and randomized to fluoxetine, fluoxetine+CBT, fluoxetine+bupropion, and fluoxetine+bupropion+brain stimulation. The primary endpoint was the decrease in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (17-HDRS). The secondary endpoint included the scores from the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR), QOL-6, and safety. Adverse events (AEs) were monitored. The follow-ups were performed at the end of the 0th, 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th weeks of treatment. Results: Finally, 113 patients were included in the analyses: fluoxetine (n=37), fluoxetine+CBT (n=27), fluoxetine+bupropion (n=34), and fluoxetine+bupropion+brain stimulation (n=15). The 17-HDRS and QIDS-SR scores decreased in all four groups (all P< 0.05). There were no differences in the 17-HDRS scores among the four groups at the end of treatment (P=0.779), except for fluoxetine alone showing a better response regarding self-consciousness than fluoxetine+bupropion. The QOL-6 scores increased in all four groups. The occurrence of AEs among the four groups showed no significant difference (P=0.053). Conclusion: This preliminary trial suggests that all four interventions (fluoxetine, fluoxetine+CBT, fluoxetine+bupropion, and fluoxetine+bupropion+brain stimulation) achieved similar response and remission rates in patients with melancholic depression, but that fluoxetine had a better effect on self-consciousness than fluoxetine+bupropion. The safety profile was manageable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Allocation principle of NTU m in the HPLDAC system is theoretically deduced. • The nonlinearity of the iso φ line of air affects the allocation principle. • Only when the total NTU m below 10, does the allocation principle matter. • This study suggests equal allocation cannot always lead to the optimal performance. Heat and mass transfer capacities of dehumidifier and regenerator significantly affect the performance of a heat pump driven liquid desiccant air-conditioning (HPLDAC) system. When the dehumidifier and regenerator have the same air flow rates, an equal allocation of the total usable number of mass transfer units (NTU m) between the dehumidifier and regenerator is an intuitive choice. However, whether the equal allocation can result in the optimal system performance is still a pending question. Thus, the optimization principle of NTU m allocation between dehumidifier and regenerator in the HPLDAC system is theoretically deduced and illustrated in this study. The results reveal the equal allocation is recommended when the nonlinearity of the iso φ line is insignificant, whereas allocating more NTU m to the dehumidifier than regenerator is recommended when the nonlinearity of the iso φ line is significant. When the NTU m values of the dehumidifier and regenerator are large enough, further increases of the NTU m values show limited effect on performance improvements of the dehumidifier and regenerator. Only when the total NTU m is below 10, does the NTU m allocation optimization play an important role in the system performance improvement, and is a pre-estimation necessary for achieving the optimal system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural information about the tip leakage vortex at the design point remains largely unknown. Here, the dynamic mode decomposition method is utilized to visualize the main coherent structures corresponding to unsteady disturbance frequencies induced by the tip leakage vortex of an isolated rotor at the design point. The results show that the tip clearance size has a significant impact on unsteady disturbance characteristics at the blade tip region. The flow field within the blade tip region can be categorized into four distinct regions: the formation region of the main tip leakage vortex (MTLV), the formation region of the secondary tip leakage vortex (STLV), the merging zone where the MLTV and the STLV interact, and the vortex shedding zone induced by the leakage vortex breakdown. The disturbance peak in the frequency domain decreases from 121.3 RF to 70.96 RF as the tip clearance size increases from 1.5% blade height to 2%, resulting in a reduction of 41.36%. The increase in the tip clearance size amplifies unsteady disturbances caused by the MTLV and STLV. The STLV exhibits more pronounced oscillatory characteristics than the MTLV. The unsteady disturbance induced by the MLTV mainly occurs at around 0.5 blade passing frequency (BPF). In contrast, high-frequency unsteady disturbances (>1 BPF) in the flow field are caused by vortex shedding resulting from the interaction and collision between the STLV and the MTLV. A better understanding of the unsteady disturbance characteristics induced by leakage vortex benefits the study of stall warning technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the synergistic "push–pull" effect of vicinal electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups, donor–acceptor (D‐A) cyclopropanes have been recognized as one of the most powerful building blocks to generate polyfunctional reactive intermediates after a strain‐driven ring cleavage. Enantioselective reactions of D‐A cyclopropanes provide an efficient approach to enantioenriched acyclic and cyclic compounds. A number of chiral Lewis/Brønsted acids, transition metals, and organocatalysts have been designed for such transformations, including ring‐openings, annulations, and rearrangements. This minireview highlights the developments and new advances in this field and describes new synthetic opportunities offered by these interesting methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the synergistic "push–pull" effect of vicinal electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups, donor–acceptor (D‐A) cyclopropanes have been recognized as one of the most powerful building blocks to generate polyfunctional reactive intermediates after a strain‐driven ring cleavage. Enantioselective reactions of D‐A cyclopropanes provide an efficient approach to enantioenriched acyclic and cyclic compounds. A number of chiral Lewis/Brønsted acids, transition metals, and organocatalysts have been designed for such transformations, including ring‐openings, annulations, and rearrangements. This minireview highlights the developments and new advances in this field and describes new synthetic opportunities offered by these interesting methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a gas-water two-phaseLaminar-Inertial-Turbulent (LIT) flow equation for watered-out gas wells, which can be solved through the incorporation of daily production, gas-water relative permeability and PVT data, and then QAOF and formation factor (Kh) are obtained. Field case study in Long Wang Miao (LWM) water-drive gas reservoir shows that for watered-out gas wells, the single-phase LIT equation can result in overestimation of QAOF by 30–80%. Water invasion performance can be relieved after reducing the production rate of watered-out gas wells, and water invasion behavior before breakthrough can be diagnosed with the decline trend of Kh values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a group of chaperone proteins existed in all organisms. The functions of sHSPs in heat and abiotic stress responses in many glycophyte plants have been studied. However, their possible roles in halophyte plants are still largely known. In this work, a putative sHSP gene KvHSP26 was cloned from K. virginica. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that KvHSP26 encoded a chloroplastic protein with the typical features of sHSPs. Amino acid sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that KvHSP26 shared 30%-77% homology with other sHSPs from Arabidopsis, cotton, durian, salvia, and soybean. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays exhibited that KvHSP26 was constitutively expressed in different tissues such as leaves, stems, and roots, with a relatively higher expression in leaves. Furthermore, expression of KvHSP26 was strongly induced by salt, heat, osmotic stress, and ABA in K. virginica. All these results suggest that KvHSP26 encodes a new sHSP, which is involved in multiple abiotic stress responses in K. virginica, and it has a great potential to be used as a candidate gene for the breeding of plants with improved tolerances to various abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porous Pd-loaded In2O3 hollow spheres were successfully prepared by simple one-step method with the template of carbon spheres. The effect of calcination temperatures on morphology, composition and gas sensing performance of the as-obtained products was discussed by a series of test methods. The sample calcined at 550∘C showed uniform porous hollow spheres with an average diameter of 100 nm. Gas-sensing results exhibited that the Pd-In2O3 hollow spheres-based sensor possessed excellent sensing properties to formaldehyde, which include high response value (33), low working temperature (180∘C) and fast response and recovery time (12 s and 22 s). The enhanced HCHO-sensing properties of Pd-In2O3 composites were attributed to the special porous and hollow structure, abundant oxygen vacancies and the catalysis of palladium. Pd-loaded In2O3 hollow spheres had been proved to be an ideal material for detecting HCHO at a low working temperature. Pd-loaded In2O3 hollow spheres were successfully prepared by a facile template method. The Pd-In2O3-550-based sensor exhibited porous hollow spheres with average diameter of 100 nm. Gas sensing results showed that the sensor based on Pd-loaded In2O3 hollow spheres owned outstanding sensing properties to formaldehyde, which include high response value (33), low working temperature (180∘C) and excellent selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the current epidemic situation, news reports are facing the problem of higher accuracy. The speed and accuracy of public emergency news depends on the accuracy of web page links and tags clustering. An improved web page clustering method based on the combination of topic clustering and structure clustering is proposed in this paper. The algorithm takes the result of web page structure clustering as the weight factor. Combined with the web content clustering by K-means algorithm, the basic content that meets the conditions is selected. Through the improved translator of clustering algorithm, it is translated into Chinese and compared with the target content to analyze the similarity. It realized the translation aim of new crown virus epidemic related news report of Japanese Linguistics based on page link mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the factors affecting the stabilization of RNA triple-stranded structure by chiral Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes, a new pair of enantiomers, ∆-[Ru(bpy)2(7-CH3-dppz)]2+ (∆-1; bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, 7-CH3-dppz = 7-methyl-dipyrido[3,2-a,2′,3′-c]phenazine) and Λ-[Ru(bpy)2(7-CH3-dppz)]2+ (Λ-1), have been synthesized and characterized in this work. Binding properties of the two enantiomers with the RNA poly(U-A⁎U) triplex (where "-" denotes the Watson − Crick base pairing and "⁎" denotes the Hoogsteen base pairing) have been studied by spectroscopy and hydrodynamics methods. Under the conditions used in this study, changes in absorption spectra of the two enantiomers are not very different from each other when bound to the triplex, although the binding affinity of ∆-1 is higher than that of Λ-1. Fluorescence titrations and viscosity experiments give convincing evidence for a true intercalative binding of enantiomers with the triplex. However, melting experiments indicated that the two enantiomers selectively stabilized the triplex. The enantiomer ∆-1 stabilize the template duplex and third-strand of the triplex, while it's more effective for stabilization of the template duplex. In stark contrast to ∆-1, Λ-1 stabilizes the triplex without any effect on the third-strand stabilization, suggesting this one extremely prefers to stabilize the template duplex rather than third-strand. Besides, the triplex stabilization effect of ∆-1 is more marked in comparison with that of Λ-1. The obtained results suggest that substituent effects and chiralities of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes play important roles in the triplex stabilization. Complexes Λ/Δ-[Ru(bpy)2(7-CH3-dppz)]2+ (Λ/Δ-1; bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, 7-CH3-dppz = 7-methyl-dipyrido[3,2-a,2′,3′-c]phenazine) were prepared as stabilizers for poly(U-A ∗ U) triplex. Results suggest the triplex stabilization depends the chiral structures of Λ/Δ-1, indicating that [Ru(bpy)2(7-CH3-dppz)]2+ is a non-specific intercalator for poly(U-A ∗ U) investigated in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a heterogeneous mental disease that encompasses different subtypes and specifiers. Clinically targeted treatments have not been identified yet, although standardized strategies are recommended by several clinical guidelines. The main aim of this study is to respectively identify the precise treatment for three different subtypes of MDD (ie, melancholic, atypical, and anxious). Methods: An 8-to-12-week, multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a parallel group design will be conducted to determine the most effective and appropriate treatment. A total of 750 adults diagnosed with MDD will be recruited, categorized into melancholic, atypical or anxious type based on the assessment of the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS30) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and 1:1 randomly assigned to different intervention groups. Blood draw, EEG test, and MRI scan will be performed at baseline and endpoint. Clinical symptom and side-effects will be evaluated at critical decision points (CDP) including weeks two, four, six, eight, and 12 after treatment. The primary outcome is total score and reduction rate of the 17-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (17-HDRS). The secondary outcomes include the scores of the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-self-report (QIDS-SR), IDS30, HAMA and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS). All the data will be analyzed by SAS software. Discussion: The study commenced recruitment in August 2017 and is currently ongoing. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03219008 (July 17, 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of surface wettability on droplet impact on spherical surfaces is studied with the CLSVOF method. When the impact velocity is constant, with the increase in the contact angle (CA), the maximum spreading factor and time needed to reach the maximum spreading factor (t max) both decrease; the liquid film is more prone to breakup and rebound. When CA is constant, with the impact velocity increasing, the maximum spreading factor increases while t max decreases. With the curvature ratio increasing, the maximum spreading factor increases when CA is between 30 and 150°, while it decreases when CA ranges from 0 to 30°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly and rapid supercritical fluid chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of 11 active compounds in Radix Hedysari samples has been developed and validated. Optimum separation was achieved on a HSS SB C18 column with a gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min, back pressure of 11.03 Mpa and diode array detector at 260 nm. The results from the quantitative data showed that contents of these 11 active compounds were different from plant regions. Especially the contents of formononetin in the Minxian county are ~6-fold than in wild Radix Hedysari. The chromatographic fingerprint of Radix Hedysari was recorded under the same chromatographic condition. Data analytic procedure was performed to differentiate the 25 batches of Radix Hedysari samples. Data from chromatographic fingerprint were also analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed that 23 batches of Radix Hedysari samples had a high similarity (> 0.90) and overall 25 batches of sample were divided into two clusters. Moreover, according to the comparison contents of active compounds in each Radix Hedysari samples, the cultivated location of Radix Hedysari was successfully distinguished. This method presented good stability, repeatability and precision and would be a useful and reliable approach for the quality control of Radix Hedysari. Moreover, all target compounds were quantified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare maternal and neonatal outcomes by forceps vaginal delivery versus cesarean delivery during the second stage of labor.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a large tertiary maternity center in Shanghai, China through 2007-2016. A total of 7046 women carrying a singleton term nonanomalous fetus with vertex presentation who underwent forceps vaginal delivery, or cesarean delivery from a low station in the second stage of labor were included.Results: Of the 7046 women, 6265 underwent forceps and 781 underwent second stage cesarean delivery. Forceps were associated with lower frequency of maternal infection (2.2 versus 4.7%), but higher incidence of mild postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) (4.3 versus 0.6%). When the procedures were performed for fetal indication, forceps were associated with lower frequency of the composite of perinatal mortality and/or hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) (0.5 versus 1.9%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.75), and also shorter decision to delivery interval (12.3 ± 3.5 versus 19.1 ± 5.0 min). The neonatal infection rate was higher in the forceps group (3.9 versus 2.0%). There were no differences in other neonatal outcomes including birth trauma.Conclusions: In women who had a need for intervention during the second stage with a station of +2 or below, forceps were associated with a lower frequency of maternal infection but a higher rate of PPH. Deliveries performed for nonreassuring status were accomplished faster by forceps and were associated with a lower frequency of the composite of perinatal mortality and HIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In higher plants, aquaporin proteins (AQPs) play important roles in the uptake of water across cell membranes. However, their functions in halophytes are still largely unknown. In this work, we isolated, cloned, and identified KvTIP3, a tonoplast intrinsic protein gene from Kosteletzkya virginica. Bioinformatic analyses demonstrated that KvTIP3 encoded a tonoplast protein with the common properties of AQPs. Further multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses showed that KvTIP3 shared 65%–82% homology with other AQPs from Arabidopsis, cotton, polar, and cocoa. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analyses revealed that KvTIP3 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues such as leaves, stems, and roots, with a predominant expression in roots. In addition, KvTIP3 transcript was strongly induced by NaCl, low temperature, and ABA in K. virginica. Our findings suggest that KvTIP3 encodes a new AQP possibly involved in multiple abiotic stress responses in K. virginica, and KvTIP3 could be used as a potential candidate gene for the improvement of plants resistant to various abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors study the problem of tensor completion, in particular for three‐dimensional arrays such as visual data. Previous works have shown that the low‐rank constraint can produce impressive performances for tensor completion. These works are often solved by means of Tucker rank. However, Tucker rank does not capture the intrinsic correlation of the tensor entries. Therefore, the authors propose a new proximal operator for the approximation of tensor nuclear norms based on tensor‐train rank‐1 decomposition via the singular value decomposition. The proximal operator will perform a soft‐thresholding operation on tensor singular values. In addition, the low‐rank constraint can capture the global structure of data well, but it does not exploit local smooth of visual data. Therefore, they integrate total variation as a regularisation term into low‐rank tensor completion. Finally, they use a primal–dual splitting to achieve optimisation. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method, can preserve the multi‐dimensional nature inherent in the data, and thus provide superior results over many state‐of‐the‐art tensor completion techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micronized CaO with pores was synthesized by calcining the reaction product CaCO3 from NH4HCO3 and Ca(OH)2. Scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis were used to characterize CaO, which confirmed that after calcining at 800°C for 2 hr, CaCO3 was completely converted into porous micronized CaO with a surface area of about 7.295 m2/g and a particle size of 0.5–1.5 μm. The porous CaO microparticles were used as heterogeneous catalysts for producing biodiesel from transesterification of soybean oil and methanol. The influences of reaction time, calcined temperature, and reusability of CaO were explored. The experiments showed that CaO has high catalytic activity for transesterification reaction, and the yield of biodiesel reaches more than 98% under the conditions of methanol/oil mole ratio of 9, and the catalyst amount (catalyst/oil) of 3% after reaction for 2.5 hr. The CaO catalyst can be recycled easily and it also has the advantage of low pollution. Simple synthetic route, low cost, high catalytic activity, good reusability, and great potential for industrialization are the advantages of the porous micronized CaO catalyst that was proposed in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]