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Currently, a novel shrinkage‐reducing polycarboxylate superplasticizer (SR‐PCA) is used to control cementitious shrinkage. To clarify its mechanism when applied in cementitious materials, the influence of SR‐PCA on the composition, morphology, and structure of synthetic calcium–silicate–hydrate (C–S–H), together with the interaction between SR‐PCA and C–S–H at the atomic level, is investigated. For comparison, a commercial polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCA) is also employed. The results show PCA and SR‐PCA can adsorb on the C–S–H surface rather than intercalate into the layers. Compared with PCA, SR‐PCA has a milder impact on C–S–H crystallinity. SR‐PCA refines the pore structure of C–S–H drastically, whereas PCA loosens the structure by increasing the mesopore volume. In addition, the adsorption effect of SR‐PCA on the C–S–H surface is less significant than that of PCA. At the atomic level, this less adsorption of SR‐PCA is attributed to the lower adhesion energy of the C–S–H/SR‐PCA interface due to the weaker Ca–O bond strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deterioration of cement-basted materials serviced in leaching environments is strongly dependent on the decalcification behavior of calcium silicate hydrates after complete dissolution of calcium hydroxide. This paper examines the deteriorating condition of calcium silicate hydrates (hereinafter referred to C–S–H(I)) samples with the decalcification degree which is controlled by immersing samples into leaching solutions with different NH4Cl concentrations. The composition, chemical structure, micromorphology and pore structure of un-leached and leached C–S–H(I) samples were determined using XRD, TG, FTIR, 29Si NMR, SEM, TEM and N2 adsorption–desorption measurements. Results reveal that the decalcification degree of C–S–H(I) samples increases with the increasing NH4Cl concentration with the Ca/Si atomic ratio decreasing from 0.91 to 0.02. The area of flocculent micromorphology of C–S–H(I) samples increases with the decalcification degree due to the continuous generation of cross-linking C–S–H(I) and amorphous silica gel. In addition, the decalcification behavior damages the crystallinity, coarsens the pore structure and decreases the chemically-bound water content of C–S–H(I) samples. Molecular dynamics simulations prove that increasing NH4Cl content results in weaker connectivity stability and more breakage of Ca–O bond in C–S–H(I) molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Belite-rich cement (BRC) has gained increased attention in recent years due to its low energy consumption and high long-term performance. However, the carbonation behavior of the binder formed by its combination with fly ash (FA) has been scarcely revealed. This study investigated the influence of carbonation curing and FA replacement level on the carbon capture and mechanical properties of BRC. The carbon uptake, phase composition, microstructure, and micromorphology of BRC-FA composites after carbonation curing were characterized through quantitative XRD, TG, FT-IR, MIP, and SEM-EDS. The results indicated that carbonation curing significantly increased the compressive strength by up to 81.6% of BRC compared to standard curing due to the high reactivity of belite phase with CO 2 , whilst the hydration products of BRC gradually disappeared, and calcite and amorphous silica became the main phase accompanied with pore refinement behavior. Moderate addition of FA increased the degree of carbonation and compressive strength of BRC-FA composites, however excessive addition (45%) of FA results in adverse effect. Additionally, FA accelerated the phase recombination but coarsened the pore structure. The rapidly formed calcium carbonate crystals stacked and squeezed together, its blend with amorphous silica gel, and the pore structure rapidly densified explain the carbonation strength growth of BRC-FA composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic shrinkage cracking propagating at early ages inevitably impairs the performance of concrete structures. To mitigate this, using a recently developed shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticiser (SR-PCA) with outstanding shrinkage-reducing and water-reducing effectiveness can be a promising approach. The present work aims to investigate the effect of SR-PCA on plastic shrinkage cracking and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. For comparison, a traditional polyether type shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) and a polycarboxylate superplasticiser (PCA) were also used. Based on the investigations on horizontal shrinkage, settlement, bleeding, evaporation mass loss, cement hydration, surface tension of pore fluid and capillary pressure, the underlying working mechanisms of SR-PCA were identified. The results indicate that SR-PCA is able to reduce the crack area, maximum crack width and average crack width by up to 55, 48 and 50%, respectively. Furthermore, prolonging the bleeding duration and initial time of capillary pressure build-up caused by retarding the cement hydration, lowering the evaporation mass loss, and a lower development rate of capillary stresses and capillary pressure peak value induced by decreasing the surface tension of pore fluid are responsible for preventing the plastic shrinkage cracking of mortars containing SR-PCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) has been recognised as a negative regulator of the progression of numerous tumours, yet its specific role in small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is not fully understood. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the biological role and mechanism of NDRG2 in SCLC. Initial investigation using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset revealed marked downregulation of NDRG2 transcripts in SCLC. The decreased abundance of NDRG2 in SCLC was verified by examining clinical specimens. Increasing NDRG2 expression in SCLC cell lines caused significant changes in cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, colony formation, and chemosensitivity. NDRG2 overexpression decreased the levels of phosphorylated PTEN, AKT and mTOR. In PTEN-depleted SCLC cells, the upregulation of NDRG2 did not result in any noticeable impact on AKT or mTOR activation. Additionally, the reactivation of AKT reversed the antitumour effects of NDRG2 in SCLC cells. Notably, increasing NDRG2 expression retarded the growth of SCLC cell-derived xenografts in vivo. In conclusion, NDRG2 serves as an inhibitor of SCLC, and its cancer-inhibiting effects are achieved through the suppression of AKT/mTOR via the activation of PTEN. This work suggests that NDRG2 is a potential druggable target for SCLC treatment. [Display omitted] • The overexpression of NDRG2 exhibited tumour-suppressive effects on SCLC. • The overexpression of NDRG2 reduced the phosphorylation of PTEN, AKT, and mTOR. • NDRG2 regulated the activation of AKT and mTOR through PTEN. • NDRG2 interfered with the progression of SCLC through the PTEN-mediated AKT/mTOR pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash and slag are two commonly used supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in modern concrete, which can significantly enhance the long-term durability of concrete. However, their application is somewhat limited due to the negative impact on early strength development and shrinkage cracking. This study proposed using a recently developed shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate admixture (SR-PCA) to alleviate the above problems. The effect of SR-PCA on compressive strength, drying shrinkage, autogenous shrinkage, mass loss, pore structure and hydration process were also investigated. The results showed that SR-PCA enhanced the 28d compressive strength due to the refinement of pore structure and improved hydration degree. With the addition of SR-PCA, the drying shrinkage and autogenous shrinkage were significantly reduced, particularly in the mixture blended with 50% fly ash, while showing a slight impact in the sample with 50% slag. SR-PCA decreased the drying shrinkage by lowering the hydrous compressibility factor (CF) value and mesopore volumetric percentage. The incorporation of SR-PCA retarded cement hydration at an early age, thereby reducing the early-age autogenous shrinkage, while the long-term autogenous shrinkage was mitigated due to the enhancement effect on the hydration degree at 28 days. Therefore, SR-PCA is a practical approach for enhancing shrinkage resistance and compressive strength in cement-fly ash-slag blends, thereby contributing to the broader application of these industrial by-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminate hydration and drying procedures were necessary before characterizing the cement-based materials. This study investigated the influence of drying method (-including freeze-drying and vacuum-drying) on the composition-structure of main hydration product (C-S-H) in cement-based materials. In addition, the effect of pH value was considered. The in-situ atomic scale change of C-S-H under different drying conditions was described using molecular dynamics simulations (MDS). The results reveal that freeze-drying has a stronger drying effect than vacuum-drying. Freeze-dried C-S-H samples have lower bound water content, smaller interlayer distance, longer mean chain lengths (MCL), denser pore structure and lower crystallinity than vacuum-dried samples. As the pH values increase, the bound water content, interlayer distance, MCL and cumulative pore volume decrease. In addition, although the micromorphology of freeze-dried samples is similar to vacuum-dried ones, the crystallinity of freeze-dried samples is lower than that of vacuum-dried samples. MDS provides evidence for the influencing mechanism of drying method on interlayer distance and chain length of C-S-H from the atomic scale. It also proves that the complexation between water molecules and interlayer Ca2+ is more accessible to be destroyed in freeze-drying than vacuum-drying, resulting in a higher reduction of interlayer distance after freeze-drying. Furthermore, water loss due to drying action breaks the Ca-OH bond, enhances Ca2+ movement in the interlayer of C-S-H and facilitates the generation of Ca-O structure in the interlayer, leading to the increase in chain length of C-S-H. • Examined C-S-H gel performance under vacuum and freeze drying through a systematic study. • Identified stronger impact of freeze-drying on C-S-H: less bound water, longer MCL, denser pores. • Utilizes molecular dynamics simulations to show atomic scale changes in C-S-H under drying conditions. • Uncovered mechanisms of drying methods on C-S-H interlayer distance, chain length, and water-Ca2+ disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the deteriorating behavior of C-(A)-S-H samples with three Al/Si ratios from atomic to mesopore scales under the decalcification action. The composition, chemical structure, pore structure, micro/nanomorphology of samples were studied using XRD, FTIR, 29Si and 27Al NMR, TEM, SEM and N 2 adsorption. Results indicate bridging Al(IV) in alumino-silicate chain and most of Al-incorporated phases (e.g., Doyleite and Zeolite) dissolve in NH 4 Cl solution. Furthermore, the decalcification action improves polymerization and elongates chain length with simultaneous transformation of C-(A)-S-H into amorphous Al-Si gel. Therefore, the crystallinity of C-(A)-S-H is damaged and the nanomorphology becomes flocculent from foil-like, with large reduction on Ca/Si ratio but slight reduction on Al/Si ratio. The dissolution of C-(A)-S-H coarsens but the generation of amorphous Al-Si gel refines pore structure. Samples with moderate Al/Si ratio exhibit stronger resistance to structural evolutions than samples with other Al/Si ratios. Our work paves the way for understanding Ca-leaching induced multiscale deteriorating mechanism of blended cement-based/alkali-activated materials and the improvement on structural stability by moderate Al addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignancy of the alimentary tract resulting in death worldwide. The role and underlying mechanism of hsa-miR-1269a in the progression of ESCC remain unclear. In this study, hsa-miR-1269a was screened by differential expression analysis in TCGA, and its target gene FAM46C was predicted. qRT-PCR was conducted to assay the expression of hsa-miR-1269a and FAM46C in ESCC cells. The results showed that hsa-miR-1269a was upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Hsa-miR-1269a overexpression stimulated the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of ESCC cells, and FAM46C overexpression inhibited these phenotypes. Dual-luciferase assay verified that hsa-miR-1269a could target FAM46C. Next, qRT-PCR and western blot demonstrated that hsa-miR-1269a overexpression downregulated FAM46C. Rescue experiments revealed that hsa-miR-1269a accelerated the malignant progression of ESCC through FAM46C down-regulation. These results indicate that the interaction between hsa-miR-1269a and FAM46C plays a regulatory role in driving the malignant progression of ESCC cells, thereby providing a novel molecular mechanism for understanding ESCC. • MiR-1269a was up-regulated while FAM46C was down-regulated in esophageal cancer. • MiR-1269a facilitated cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and restrained cell apoptosis of esophageal cancer. • MiR-1269a suppressed FAM46C in esophageal cancer. • MiR-1269a exacerbated progression of esophageal cancer via targeting FAM46C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to prepare metallocene polyalphaolefin 8 (mPAO8) by the oligomerization of olefin from coal with metallocene catalyst system and compare it with commercially available polyalphaolefin 8 (PAO8) from Chevron.Design/methodology/approach Molecular structures, component and mass were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography and gel permeation chromatography, respectively. The physico-chemical properties, including Noack volatility, viscosity index and elemental analyses, were studied. The oxidative stability was evaluated by pressurized differential scanning calorimetry, whereas the thermal stability was studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis.Findings The produced mPAO8 consisted of a large part of tetramer, pentamer and a small part of trimer and hexamer. Additive T501 significantly improved the oxidation stability of PAO8 from Chevron and the synthesized mPAO8. Both samples had similar properties, such as oxidative stability, additive response, pour point and Noack volatility loss. But mPAO8 possessed a higher thermal stability, better viscosity index and flash point than PAO8. Therefore, the mPAO8 prepared by the oligomerization of olefin from coal could be used as base oil for lubricant development.Originality/value The mPAO8 base oil was successfully prepared by successive carbon numbers and shows similar properties with commercially available PAO8 products from Chevron. The findings can cover the shortage of the synthesis lubricants market in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The influence law of clay content on properties related to plastic shrinkage cracking is revealed. • The addition of clay reduces the permeability of mortar. • The inclusion of clay decreases the plastic tension strength. • The interaction between clay and PCE keeps the surface tension of the pore solution the same at consistent fluidity. • The action mechanism of clay in exacerbating plastic shrinkage cracking is elucidated. Clay minerals in manufactured sand exacerbate plastic shrinkage cracking of cementitious materials. The impact of clay content on plastic shrinkage cracking and the underlying mechanism were comprehensively investigated. The results indicate that clay considerably mitigates the plastic settlement while significantly aggravates the plastic shrinkage, triggering more severe cracking. Water absorption of clay substantially lowers the permeability of mortars, which accounts for the reduction in bleeding, evaporation and plastic settlement. The intensified plastic shrinkage can be attributed to the accelerated build-up of capillary pressure and the self-contraction of clay. Furthermore, the critical cause of the more severe cracking with higher clay content is the rapid increase of plastic shrinkage and the reduction in plastic tensile strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Liver regeneration is inhibited in small-for-size grafts, which plays a role in the failure of partial liver grafts after transplantation. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays a critical role in liver development, regeneration and homeostasis. In this study, we investigated whether pharmacological activation of Wnt signaling improves liver regeneration after small-for-size liver transplantation. Methods The livers of male Sprague-Dawley rats were reduced to approximately 50% and 30% of their original sizes and transplanted. A Wnt agonist (2-amino-4-[3,4-[methylenedioxy]benzylamino]-6-[3-methoxyphenyl] pyrimidine], 5 mg/kg bodyweight) or an equal volume of vehicle was administrated i.p. into the donor 1 h before the transplantation. Tissue and blood samples were collected at various times after transplantation, and a survival study was performed. Results Hepatic expression of active β-catenin and its downstream target gene Axin2 were decreased in 30% of liver grafts after transplantation while the Wnt agonist increased their expression similar to the 50% liver grafts. The Wnt agonist reversed inhibition of cyclin D1 expression and adenosine triphosphate production in the 30% liver grafts compared with the 50% grafts. The Wnt agonist also attenuated hepatocellular injury and increased the hepatocyte proliferation response, liver regeneration rate and survival after transplantation of the 30% liver graft. Conclusion Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in liver grafts by pharmacological pretreatment can accelerate regeneration in a partial liver transplant model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a potentially life-threatening condition. Although computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is the reference standard for diagnosis, its early diagnosis remains a challenge, and the concerns about the radiation exposures further limit the general use of CTPA. The primary aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the overall diagnostic accuracy of transthoracic lung ultrasound (TLS) in the diagnosis of PE. Methods: PubMed, Web of science, OvidSP, ProQuest, EBSCO, Cochrane Library and Clinicaltrial.gov were searched systematically. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves were used to examine the TS performance. The Bayes analysis was used to calculate the post-test probability of PE. Publication bias was assessed with Deeks funnel plot. Results: The results indicated that the sensitivity, specificity, PLR and NLR were 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.78 to 0.90), and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.73 to 0.90). And the DOR and HSROC were 28.82 (95% CI, 17.60 to 47.21), 0.91(95% CI, 0.88, 0.93). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis suggested that transthoracic lung ultrasonography is helpful in diagnosing pulmonary embolism. Although the application of transthoracic lung ultrasound may change some patients’ diagnostic processes, it is inappropriate to generally use transthoracic ultrasonography in diagnosing pulmonary embolism currently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Clay slightly alleviated the autogenous shrinkage while significantly aggravated the drying shrinkage. • The initial swelling of clay is responsible for reducing autogenous shrinkage. • Incorporation of clay limitedly affects the relationship between IRH and autogenous shrinkage. • The coarsened pore structure accelerates the drying shrinkage and the self-contraction of clay aggravates the drying shrinkage. • Pronounced volume shrinkage of hydrated clay occurs as RH drops, but the conversion of the self-contraction of clay to the shrinkage of mortar is low. Clay-like substances in manufactured sand significantly impact the shrinkage of cementitious materials. This study investigated the effect of clay content on autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage, hydration rate, internal relative humidity (IRH), elastic modulus and pore structure of cementitious materials. The water content and self-contraction of clay during desorption were also studied to clarify the underlying mechanism of its influence on shrinkage. The results indicate that the clay slightly alleviated the autogenous shrinkage while significantly aggravated the drying shrinkage. Pronounced self-contraction of clay occurred as RH dropped, but the conversion ratio of the self-contraction of clay to the shrinkage of mortar was very low. It is concluded that the self-contraction of clay obviously influences the pore structure and the evolution of the various performance of mortars. Furthermore, the initial swelling of clay and the gentle decline of IRH are account for the reduction in autogenous shrinkage. Meanwhile, the coarsened pore structure accelerates the drying shrinkage and the self-contraction of clay intensifies the drying shrinkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel SR-PCA is prepared via free-radical copolymerization. • The retardation effect of SR-PCA on cement hydration is studied. • The adsorption and dispersion behaviors of SR-PCA in cement paste are studied. • The shrinkage-reducing mechanism of SR-PCA in cement paste is studied. The incorporation of polycarboxylate superplasticizers may increase the risk of shrinkage cracking of cement-based materials. Co-adding shrinkage-reducing admixtures (SRAs) may decrease the compressive strength or arise the incompatibility problem. Designing a novel superplasticizer with excellent shrinkage-reducing function by modifying molecular structures of polycarboxylate superplasticizers can be a promising approach. This study aims to synthesize a novel shrinkage-reducing polycarboxylate superplasticizer (SR-PCA) possessing shrinkage-reducing and water-reducing functions and to investigate its performance and working mechanisms in cementitious systems. The results indicate that SR-PCA improves the fluidity of cement paste and has a distinguished fluidity retention capability. SR-PCA prolongs the cement hydration induction period, hinders the nucleation and growth of C-S-H in the acceleration period, while enhances hydration degree and refines the pore structure at later ages. Moreover, it can also be deduced that most PCA adsorbs on the cement surfaces, however, SR-PCA is mainly in the pore solution. The shrinkage-reducing mechanism of SR-PCA in cement-based materials is attributed to lowering the surface tension of the pore solution, due to the presence of the unreacted esterification macromonomers (AA-C4-PE-600) and the unadsorbed SR-PCA molecular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the electrical conductivity of graphene/cement composites by means of DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current) techniques. Moreover, the micrograph and element composition of composites have been characterized through SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDS (energy-dispersive spectrometers) techniques, respectively. Results revealed that a percolation transition region Φ2–Φ1 (Φ2 and Φ1 values are determined as 0.8% and 1.8%, respectively) can be observed in the S-shaped curve. In addition, the logistic model has been recommended to characterize the relationship between the conductivity and the graphene concentration, which ranged from 0.001% to 2.5%. The micrographs obtained by SEM technique clearly indicate a complete conductive network as well as agglomeration of graphene slices when the graphene content reaches the threshold value. Furthermore, graphene slices can be distinguished from the cement hydration products by means of the analysis of element composition obtained through the EDS technique. It is promising to apply the graphene/cement composites as intelligent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] SVMs often contain many SVs, which reduce runtime speeds of decision functions. [•] The method removes redundant SVs in one iteration, greatly improving pruning speed. [•] The existence and uniqueness of the fast pruning coefficients are shown. [•] The nexus of primal and dual optimizations is illustrated geometrically. [•] The method can be applied to other kernel-based machines without modifications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Circular RNA PRKCI (circPRKCI) and poly ADP-ribose polymerase 9 (PARP9) are related to the development of cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms between circPRKCI and PARP9 in EC progression and radioresistance. The levels of circPRKCI, PARP9 mRNA, and miR-186-5p were assessed by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Western blot analysis was employed to examine the levels of several proteins. The viability, colony formation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis of EC cells were determined with CCK-8, colony formation, or flow cytometry assays. The relationship between circPRKCI or PARP9 and miR-186-5p was verified with the dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays. We observed that circPRKCI and PARP9 were upregulated while miR-186-5p was downregulated in EC tissues and cells. Furthermore, circPRKCI knockdown decreased tumor growth in vivo and constrained cell viability, colony formation, cell cycle progression, elevated cell radiosensitivity in EC cells in vitro. Importantly, circPRKCI modulated PARP9 expression through sponging miR-186-5p. Besides, PARP9 overexpression overturned circPRKCI silencing-mediated effects on the viability, colony formation, cell cycle progression, and radiosensitivity of EC cells. CircPRKCI regulated cell malignancy and radioresistance through modulating the miR-186-5p /PARP9 axis in EC, which provided a might target for EC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A design scheme of multi-element sensor which included electrical resistivity probes, multiple Cl− selective electrodes, and a steel corrosion monitoring system was proposed in this work. Embedding this multi-element sensor in concrete enables the real-time and non-destructive monitoring of internal electrical resistivity, free Cl− (Clf) contents in the concrete pore solution at different depths, and steel corrosion parameters. Based on the monitoring data obtained by the multi-element sensor, the freezing-thawing (F-T) damage degree, the Clf diffusion coefficient, the quantitative relation between F-T damage degree and Clf diffusion coefficient, the initiation period of steel corrosion, and the critical content related to steel corrosion are determined. To conclude, the multi-element sensor provides key durability parameters for the establishment of the Clf diffusion model, the assessment of health condition, and the prediction of service life of concrete under the coexistence of the F-T cycle and Cl−. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Among the most aggressive and rapidly lethal types of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type. Exosomes, as a hot area, play an influential role in cancer. By using proteomics analysis, we aimed to identify potential markers of lung adenocarcinoma in serum.Methods: In our study, we used the ultracentrifugation method to isolate serum exosomes. The Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and bioinformatics analysis were used to identify potential serum exosomal proteins with altered expression among patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, early lung adenocarcinoma, and healthy controls. A western blot (WB) was performed to confirm the above differential expression levels in a separate serum sample-isolated exosome, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was conducted to detect expression levels of the above differential proteins of serum exosomes in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent tissues. Furthermore, we compared different expression models of the above differential proteins in serum and exosomes.Result: According to the ITGAM (Integrin alpha M chain) and CLU (Clusterin) were differentially expressed in serum exosomes among different groups as well as tumor tissues and adjacent tissues. ITGAM was significantly and specifically enriched in exosomes. As compared to serum, CLU did not appear to be significantly enriched in exosomes. ITGAM and CLU were identified as serum exosomal protein markers of lung adenocarcinoma.Conclusions: This study can provide novel ideas and a research basis for targeting lung adenocarcinoma treatment as a preliminary study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the efficient recycling of construction waste and the sustainability of recycled concrete have faced challenges due to the reduced performance of recycled aggregate (RA). One significant factor impacting the performance of RA is solar irradiation, which occurs throughout the entire service life of a construction project. However, the analysis of the effect of solar irradiation on hardened cement paste has not been fully addressed. This research presents a comprehensive investigation of the multi-scale deterioration of RA caused by solar irradiation. The dynamic evolution of the atomic and chemical structure of synthetic Calcium Silicate Hydrate (C-S-H) gel, the morphological changes in tricalcium silicate (C 3 S) hydration products, and the alteration of pore structure in the cement paste are unveiled through the combination of reactive molecular simulation and experimental approaches. The results indicate that solar irradiation disrupts the structure of C-S-H, leading to the migration of water molecules from the interlayer spaces of C-S-H to the pore spaces. This prompts the formation of a new, denser gel. However, as a consequence, more capillary pores are formed within the cement paste. The research outcomes provide a bottom-up, multi-scale insight into the reduced performance of RA under solar irradiation. Furthermore, the transmission mechanism of deterioration information at various scales is established, facilitating comprehension of the correlation between gel characteristics and macro-performance. This research paves the way for strategies to ameliorate the sustainability of recycled concrete, addressing the challenges associated with solar irradiation and enhancing the overall performance of recycled aggregate in concrete applications. • Radiation instigates the dissociation of water molecules. • Dissociated water fosters internal crosslinking within the gel network. • The shrink of the gel network concurrently bolsters the porosity of paste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reconfigurable intelligent reflective surface (RIS)-assisted cognitive radio (CR) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) secure communication system is considered. In the presence of an eavesdropper, a primary base station (PBS) and a cognitive base station (CBS) equipped with multiple antennas communicate to a primary user (PU) and a secondary user (SU), respectively. In order to maximize the achievable secrecy rate of the system, the secrecy rate maximization problem is first transformed into a secure energy efficiency (SEE) problem using an objective function. Then, the security energy efficiency of the system is maximized by jointly optimizing the transmit beam formation of the base station and the reflected beam formation of the smart reflecting surface under the conditions that the total transmitted power constraint and the interference power constraint are satisfied. To address the difficulty in solving the resulting optimization problem, we apply an algorithm based on alternating optimization and semidefinite relaxation, as well as Dinklbach's algorithm, to solve the problem. Simulation results show that this method can significantly improve the safety energy efficiency of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Sensitivity and Specificity of Red Cell Distribution Width in Diagnosing Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in Patients With Abdominal Pain" by A. Kisaoglu and colleagues published in the journal in 2014.

Objective. Most patients of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) receive treatments in the department of emergency in China. We aimed to examine the status of AIS diagnosis and treatment and the impact of green pathway operation in different regions of China. Methods. In this nationwide survey, information regarding the emergency care of AIS was collected from 451 hospitals in different regions of China, by interviewing 484 physicians from these hospitals. Structured questionnaire was used to explore the status of AIS care and impact of the green pathway. Results. 445 hospitals from 18 provinces, 4 municipalities, and 3 ethnic autonomous regions in China were included in the present study. Overall, the proportion of door-to-needle time (DNT) less than 60 min was 66.08% in the enrolled hospitals (n = 298). Stratified by regions, the results suggested that hospitals located in East regions had shorter DNT time (P=0.036), and more proportion of rtPA (P<0.001) than those in West regions. Further analysis suggested that hospitals with a green channel were more likely to shorten DNT and improve the proportion of rtPA (P<0.01). Conclusion. Considerable regional differences were observed in terms of DNT time and thrombolysis rates in the departments of emergency in China. Further studies are required to confirm the regional differences in AIS care in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Airway epithelial mitochondrial injury is an important pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Cyclophilin D (CypD) is a component of mitochondrial permeability transition pore and related to mitochondrial damage. However, the role of CypD in airway epithelial mitochondrial injury and COPD pathogenesis remains unclear. Methods: CypD expression in human airway epithelium was determined by immunohistochemistry, and mitochondrial structure of airway epithelial cell was observed under the transmission electron microscopy. The expression of CypD signaling pathway in cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-treated airway epithelial cells was measured by real-time PCR and Western-blot. CSE-induced damage of airway epithelial cell and mitochondria was further studied. Results: Immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that CypD expression in airway epithelium was significantly increased associated with notable airway epithelial mitochondrial structure damage in the patients with COPD. The mRNA and protein expression of CypD was significantly increased in concentration- and time-dependent manners when airway epithelial cells were treated with CSE. CypD siRNA pretreatment significantly suppressed the increases of CypD and Bax expression, and reduced the decline of Bcl-2 expression in 7.5% CSE-treated airway epithelial cells. Furthermore, CypD silencing significantly attenuated mitochondrial damage and cell apoptosis, and increased cell viability when airway epithelial cells were stimulated with 7.5% CSE. Conclusion: These data suggest that CypD signaling pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of COPD and provide a potential therapeutic target for COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future wireless communication systems require higher performance requirements. Based on this, we study the combinatorial optimization problem of power allocation and dynamic user pairing in a downlink multicarrier non-orthogonal multiple-access (NOMA) system scenario, aiming at maximizing the user sum rate of the overall system. Due to the complex coupling of variables, it is difficult and time-consuming to obtain an optimal solution, making engineering impractical. To circumvent the difficulties and obtain a sub-optimal solution, we decompose this optimization problem into two sub-problems. First, a closed-form expression for the optimal power allocation scheme is obtained for a given subchannel allocation. Then, we provide the optimal user-pairing scheme using the actor–critic (AC) algorithm. As a promising approach to solving the exhaustive problem, deep-reinforcement learning (DRL) possesses higher learning ability and better self-adaptive capability than traditional optimization methods. Simulation results have demonstrated that our method has significant advantages over traditional methods and other deep-learning algorithms, and effectively improves the communication performance of NOMA transmission to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article titled "Imbalanced Regional Development of Acute Ischemic Stroke Care in Emergency Departments in China" [1], there was an error in Figure 1 where the Taiwan Island was missing. The corrected version of Figure 1 is shown as follows. PHOTO (COLOR): Map of regions involved in the survey. [Extracted from the article]

As a promising and environmentally friendly cementitious material for mass concrete applications, the long-term performance evolution of low-heat cement (LHC) and moderate-heat cement (MHC) under the alternating environmental temperature remains unclear. To address this gap, a comprehensive comparative study based on laboratory acceleration test was conducted by evaluating the physicochemical properties and cracking behavior of LHC and MHC in comparison to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) following 1200 thermal cycles (TC) at temperatures ranging from 5 to 45 °C. Cracking behavior is revealed by a quantitative identification analysis. The results indicate a negative linear relationship between porosity, crack density, and compressive strength, highlighting their competing mechanisms in determining the degree of damage under TC. TC sharply diminished the gel pores (<10 nm) and promoted the formation of capillary pores (50–1000 nm), which were the primary forms of pore coarsening observed. Notably, the different proportions of hydrated products such as HD-CSH, LD-CSH, and CH influence the toughness properties of the matrix and contribute to different resistances to cracking and the formation of cracks with varying fracture morphology, although they also impact the stability of the pore structure. Further analysis revealed different degrees of rehydration occurring within the first 200 cycles of both LHC and MHC, which contributed to the mitigation of performance degradation. Moreover, an increase in the water-to-cement (w/c) ratio had a tendency to coarsen the matrix and facilitate the formation of long and narrow cracks. • The competing mechanism between porosity and crack density in determining the degree of damage was proposed. • Different proportions of hydrated products influenced the toughness properties. • Theevolution mechanism of LHC under thermal fatigue was proposed with comparison with MHC and OPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The description of user behavior in social networks is an important issue for studying social networks. Given that Petri nets can describe the resource flow problem, this study utilizes the features of Petri nets to portray the user behavior states during the message propagation of a micro-blog network and presents an information propagation formalized representation method of a micro-blog network. On this basis, this study analyzed the proposed formalized representation method in detail. We provide examples of applying formalized representation (e.g., micro-blog network addiction of users, user behavior influence, and public opinion analysis). In addition, we introduce the algorithms of formalized representation. We conduct experiments using Sina micro-blog data. Results show that the information propagation formalized representation method of micro-blog network based on Petri nets can depict user behaviors of micro-blog network intuitively and accurately. This study reveals a new perspective for information transmission of a micro-blog network and provides some tools to support public opinion monitoring and micro-blog marketing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effects and safety of low-dose hydrocortisone in patients with septic shock. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database inception until 1 August 2018. Two reviewers performed literature selection, data extraction, and quality evaluation independently. Results: Twelve randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis. The combined results showed that low-dose hydrocortisone use had no survival benefit in patients with septic shock (relative risk = 1.09; 95% confidence interval = 0.88–1.05; P = 0.37). But low-dose hydrocortisone use was useful for shock reverse (relative risk = 1.09; 95% confidence interval = 1.00–1.19; P = 0.04) and in shortening the time of vasopressor support (weighted mean difference = −1.79, 95% confidence interval = −2.05 to −1.52; P < 0.00001). In addition, use of low-dose hydrocortisone was associated with a higher risk of hyperglycemia (relative risk = 1.21; 95% confidence interval = 1.04–1.40; P = 0.01) and hypernatremia (relative risk = 6.34; 95% confidence interval = 1.19–33.81; P = 0.03). There was no significant improvement of intensive care unit mortality (relative risk = 1.11; 95% confidence interval = 0.93–1.33; P = 0.23) or hospital mortality (relative risk = 1.08; 95% confidence interval = 0.94–1.24; P = 0.29), length of intensive care unit (weighted mean difference = −1.84; 95% confidence interval = −5.80 to 2.11; P = 0.36) or length of hospital (weighted mean difference = 0.11; 95% confidence interval = −2.06 to 2.29; P = 0.98), and time of mechanical support (weighted mean difference = −0.69; 95% confidence interval = −1.76 to −0.38; P = 0.20) with the use of low-dose hydrocortisone. There was no significant difference in secondary infection (relative risk = 1.04; 95% confidence interval = 0.91–1.18; P = 0.57), recurrence of shock (relative risk = 1.47; 95% confidence interval = 0.64–3.39; P = 0.36), and gastrointestinal bleeding (relative risk = 1.41; 95% confidence interval = 0.89–2.22; P = 0.14) with the use of low-dose hydrocortisone. Conclusion: Although there was no effect of low-dose hydrocortisone on survival of patients with septic shock, it is associated with a higher rate of shock reversal and shortening duration of vasopressor support; thus, low-dose hydrocortisone may be an alternative drug in septic shock patients who are refractory to fluid resuscitation and vasopressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of C-S-H in cementitious materials is critical to their gain in strength. As one of the key parameters, pH is reported to affect the nucleation and growth of C-S-H; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, C-S-H was synthesized under different pH conditions, to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Changes in the chemical composition, morphology and structure depending on the reaction time and interactions between pH and C-S-H were tracked using a series of characterizations. Three types of C-S-H (amorphous calcium silicate, C-S-H precursor and semi-crystalline C-S-H) formed at different pH and time points. pH affected the formation of C-S-H mainly through the protonation of silicates, which determined the surface charge of silicate tetrahedra and consequent chemical composition of C-S-H. At high pH, the formation of CaOH+ as the first step before the formation of C-S-H was responsible for the high Ca/Si ratio under such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) plays a pivotal role in the development of liver fibrosis. C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 3 (CTRP3), a member of CTRPs, was involved in fibrosis. However, little is known about the role of CTRP3 in liver fibrosis. This study aimed to determine its role in liver fibrosis and explore the possible mechanism. Our results demonstrated that CTRP3 was lowly expressed in liver fibrosis tissues and activated HSCs. Overexpression of CTRP3 inhibited the proliferation and migration of HSCs, as well as suppressed the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-stimulated HSC-T6 cells. Furthermore, CTRP3 overexpression greatly inhibited the expression level of phosphorylation of Smad3 in TGF-β1-stimulated HSC-T6 cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that CTRP3 inhibited the proliferation and migration of TGF-β1-induced HSC-T6 cells and attenuated liver fibrosis, at least in part, through inhibiting the Smad signaling pathway. These findings suggest that CTRP3 may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal fatigue of cement-based materials in a mild temperature range. • Quantification of microcracks based on image processing and grayscale algorithm. • The double-edged effect of the w/c ratio on the deterioration. • Evolution of macro-properties and micro-structure under thermal cycling fatigue. • The establishment of the relationship between microcracks and Vickers hardness. Concrete structures in the atmosphere are continuously subjected to thermal cycle (TC) induced by varying environmental temperature. However, the influencing mechanism of thermal cycling fatigue on the mechanical properties and microstructure of cement-based materials has not been thoroughly documented. To address this issue, the relationship between the macro-properties and microstructure of cement paste under TC was analyzed using micro-properties measurement and quantitative microcrack evaluation. In this work, ordinary Poland cement pastes with three different water-to-cement (w/c) ratios (0.4, 0.5, and 0.6) were exposed to TC in the range of 5–45 °C. The mechanical properties, pore structures, and micromorphology of cement pastes after different cycle times were measured. The result indicated that as the number of cycles increased, TC negatively affected the macro-mechanical characteristics, pore structure, and micromorphology of cement pastes. Cement pastes with greater w/c ratios were more susceptible to TC-induced deterioration. In addition, thermal cycling fatigue caused the propagation of microcracks including crack width, length, and density. Thermal cycling fatigue also coarsened the pore structure of cement pastes, especially the large pores (i.e., diameter > 100 nm). The underlying damage mechanism caused by TC is the coupled actions of fluid flow, thermal deformation, and thermal fatigue. Moreover, a negative linear relationship was established between microcrack density and Vickers hardness of cement pastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last few years have witnessed the emergence and evolution of a vibrant research stream on a large variety of online social media network (SMN) platforms. Recognizing anonymous, yet identical users among multiple SMNs is still an intractable problem. Clearly, cross-platform exploration may help solve many problems in social computing in both theory and applications. Since public profiles can be duplicated and easily impersonated by users with different purposes, most current user identification resolutions, which mainly focus on text mining of users’ public profiles, are fragile. Some studies have attempted to match users based on the location and timing of user content as well as writing style. However, the locations are sparse in the majority of SMNs, and writing style is difficult to discern from the short sentences of leading SMNs such as Sina Microblog and Twitter. Moreover, since online SMNs are quite symmetric, existing user identification schemes based on network structure are not effective. The real-world friend cycle is highly individual and virtually no two users share a congruent friend cycle. Therefore, it is more accurate to use a friendship structure to analyze cross-platform SMNs. Since identical users tend to set up partial similar friendship structures in different SMNs, we proposed the Friend Relationship-Based User Identification (FRUI) algorithm. FRUI calculates a match degree for all candidate User Matched Pairs (UMPs), and only UMPs with top ranks are considered as identical users. We also developed two propositions to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. Results of extensive experiments demonstrate that FRUI performs much better than current network structure-based algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crisis of medical response caused by catastrophic events might significantly affect emergency response, and might even initiate more serious social crisis. Therefore, early identification and timely blocking the formation of crisis in the early phase after a major disaster will improve the efficiency of medical response in a major disaster and avoid serious consequences. In the present paper, we described the emergency strategy to crisis management of medical response after a major disaster. Major catastrophic events often lead to various crises, including excess demand, the crisis of response in barrier and the structural crisis in response. The corresponding emergency response strategies include: (i) shunt of catastrophic medical surge; (ii) scalability of medical surge capacity; (iii) matching of the structural elements of response; (iv) maintaining the functions of support system for medical response and maximising the operation of the integrated response system; and (v) selection of appropriate care 'standard' in extreme situations of overload of disaster medical surge. In conclusion, under the impact of a major catastrophic event, medical response is often complex and the medical surge beyond the convention- al response capacity and it is easy to be in crisis. In addition to the current consensus of disaster response, three additional aspects should be considered. First, all relevant society forces led by the government and military should be linkages. Second, a powerful medical response system must be based on a strong support system. Third, countermeasures of medical surge should be applied flexibly to the special and specific disaster environment, to promote the effective medical response force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium silicate aluminate hydrate (C(-A)-S-H) is the main hydration product used in cement-based materials. It plays a specific role in both the mechanical properties and volumetric deformation of the cement matrix. This study aims to clarify the effect of porosity and chemical composition of C(-A)-S-H on its micromechanical properties using nanoindentation. The results showed that porosity significantly affected the indentation, elastic, and creep moduli of the porous C(-A)-S-H compacts. Micromechanical properties of the "pure" C(-A)-S-H were improved by decreasing the Ca/Si ratio. The incorporation of Al slightly altered the creep modulus by affecting the volume of the large gel pores, basal spacing, and mean chain length (if no cross-linking occurred in C(-A)-S-H). Finally, the nanoindentation results of the mixed C(-A)-S-H and Al(OH) 3 confirmed the distinct contribution of the individual component characteristics to the overall properties of porous mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Axial compression tests and corresponding finite element analysis were conducted on the basis of material property tests. It was shown that the failure mode of long column with a low width-thickness ratio is global instability, while the failure mode of short column with a high width-thickness ratio is that small bending deformation appeared firstly at the center of the column, then the deformation developed with the gradually increasing load and caused local buckling in the end. The results of finite element analysis can fit well with the test results, which means the feasibility and accuracy can be achieved by using this residual stress model into finite element analysis to simulate the axial compression behavior of cold-formed thick-walled steel members. Then, the finite element model was used based on the collected 26 groups of material properties of different tubes with representative size and thickness to get the axial bearing capacity data of members, and design reliability analysis of cold-formed thick-walled steel members under axial compression was conducted. Finally, the resistance partial factor and the design strength for Q235 and Q345 cold-formed thick-walled steel were proposed for the reference in current revising of related design codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the cold-forming effect on the yield strength of cold-formed thick-walled steel sections over 6. 0 mm thick, four cold-formed steel rectangular hollow sections with representative size and thickness were selected to investigate the material properties of different parts of the sections. Meanwhile, existing data of material property tests and short column tests were collected. The modifying formula for yield strength considering cold-forming effect based on different codes in the world were summarized, and the calculation results from those formulas were compared with the test results. It is shown that cold-forming has a strong influence on the yield strength of cold-formed thick-walled steel sections, and it depends greatly on the width to thickness ratio of each plate of the sections. The calculation results of Chinese code, AISI ( American Iron and Steel Institute) standard, Australian/New Zealand standard and the formula proposed by Zhu Aizhu are in conservatively agreement with the test results, while that of Eurocode is a little larger. The suitability of the improved method from Chinese Code was theoretically proved, and it can get a little safer results with a lower coefficient of variation, which means appropriate to be used in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early fluid resuscitation is vital to patients with sepsis. However, the choice of fluid has been a hot topic of discussion. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the use of albumin-containing fluids for resuscitation in patients with sepsis was associated with a decreased mortality rate. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) up to March 2014. The selection of eligible studies, assessment of methodological quality, and extraction of all relevant data were conducted by two authors independently. Results: In total, 15 RCTs were eligible for analysis. After pooling the data, we found there was no significant effect of albumin-containing fluids on mortality in patients with sepsis of any severity (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.02 and RD: –0.01, 95% CI: –0.03, 0.01). The results were robust to subgroup analyses, sensitivity analyses and trial sequential analyses. Conclusion: The present meta-analysis did not demonstrate significant advantage of using albumin-containing fluids for resuscitation in patients with sepsis of any severity. Given the cost-effectiveness of using albumin, crystalloids should be the first choice for fluid resuscitation in septic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature distribution in concrete is significant to the concrete structure's macro properties and different factors affect the heat transfer in concrete, and therefore influence the temperature distribution. This work established a three-dimensional transient heat transfer model coupled with various environmental factors, using the finite element method for calculating the results and real-measured data for testing accuracy. In addition, a sensitivity evaluation of various factors was conducted. Due to various environmental factors, the results revealed that the prediction of temperature distribution in concrete by the three-dimensional model had great accuracy with an error of less than 4%. A particular hysteresis effect of temperature response in the concrete existed. Considering heat transfer in different spatial directions, the model can predict the temperature change of each spatial point instead of the spatial surface in different depths, proving the shortcomings of a one-dimensional heat transfer model. A greater solar radiation intensity caused a more significant temperature difference on the concrete surface: the surface temperature difference in July was twice as significant as that in December. Wind speed had a cooling effect on the concrete surface, and stronger wind speed accompanied with a stronger cooling effect made the surface temperature closer to the ambient temperature. Material properties had different effects on the temperature distribution of the surface part and internal part: the specific heat capacity determined the speed of the outer layer temperature change while the thermal conductivity determined the speed of the inner layer temperature change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this present study was to explore the expression and clinical significance of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) and enzymatic O-linked glycosylation (O-GlcNAcation) through the addition of O-linked-βN-acetylglucosamine in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. OGT expression and O-GlcNAcation in 40 samples from patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was detected by im-munohistochemical staining with anti-OGT antib ody and O-GlcNAc-specific antibody RL2, respectively. The relationship between pathological and clinical factors of patients was analyzed. We found that the expression of OGT was higher in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma samples compared to the normal tissues. RL2 antibody level was positively correlated with OGT expression, and the metastasis of lymph node, which means the level of O-GlcNAcation was high and related to the metastasis of lymph node in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In conclusion, OGT activation is the main reason for promoting the level of O-GlcNAcation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. O-GlcNAcylation may play an important role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a clinical study on the use of stem cell-based therapy to restore the normal cerebral functions after exposure to acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. It notes that rats sensory, motor, and reflex function are not affected by the CO poisoning. It also discusses the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation to promote recovery from brain failure and injury.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article related to ultrasound-guided subclavian vein catheterization in the previous issue.