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A strong cooling event refers to a sharp change in the average temperature over a short period. The rapid change of temperature has important effect on human health and is highly concerned recent years. Based on the observed temperature data set from stations in Southwest China (SWC) from 1979 to 2017, this paper analyses the characteristics of the strong cooling event (SCE). The result shows that SCE occurs with the highest frequency during the time from February to May. Among them, the frequency of SCE in February exhibits an abrupt change before and after 2005 with a significant increase. Further study reveals that the change of SCE frequency in February is associated with the large‐scale background circulation patterns. After 2005, there is a cyclonic circulation anomaly in Northeast Asia and an anticyclonic circulation anomaly in the Tibet Plateau (TP). This pattern provides a favourable condition for the southward movement of cold air mass, thereby increasing the frequency of SCE in SWC. Furthermore, it is revealed that there is a strong correlation between the variation of SCE frequency in February and sea surface temperatures (SST) in the Northwest Pacific in January before 2005. The cold SST anomaly could favour the occurrence of extreme TD events in SWC through vertical circulation. After 2005, the correlation between SCE and Northwest Pacific SST is not significant. The sea ice in the northern Barents Sea and Kara Sea becomes the dominant impact factor. The abnormally low sea ice concentration is conducive to strengthen the meridional circulation over East Asia, leading to an increasing frequency of SCE in SWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing advanced stationary phases to improve separation efficiency is essential in capillary electrochromatography. Due to their outstanding performance, covalent organic frameworks have recently demonstrated considerable promise in the field of separation science. Herein, an open‐tubular capillary electrochromatography method was reported using porous imine‐based covalent organic framework with sufficiently available interaction sites as stationary phase. The imine‐based covalent organic framework coated capillary was easily prepared via an in situ growth method at room temperature, and its separation performance was evaluated, indicating the high separation efficiency for three types of analytes, including herbicides, polybrominated dibenzofurans, and bisphenols. Moreover, the imine‐based covalent organic framework coated capillary showed good reproducibility and stability, with intraday (n = 3), interday (n = 3), and column‐to‐column (n = 3) relative standard deviations of retention time and peak areas of less than 5%. The separation efficiency of the coated capillary remained unchanged even after 200 runs and the maximum theoretical plates reached up to 85 595 N/m for 4,4′‐ethylidenebisphenol. It was predicted that the imine‐based covalent organic framework stationary phase would be a strong contender for chromatographic separation with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) system is often used to describe physical problems such as wave propagation in a birefringent optical fiber. Under investigation in this paper is the nonlocal -symmetric reverse-space type of CNLS system, through constructing two types of Darboux transformation (DT), we will derive a new series of nonlocal analytic solutions: (1) Single-periodic and double-periodic solutions; (2) Four different combinations about dark and anti-dark solitons, as well as the bright and dark breathers on a periodic background. Moreover, the fundamental properties and dynamical behaviors of those solutions will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal‐organic framework materials are a class of novel crystalline porous materials with regular pore structures formed by covalent bonding between metal centers and organic functional groups. Metal‐organic framework materials have attracted great interest in analytical chemistry due to their unique properties such as good stability and permanent porosity. In this work, D‐histidine was used to carry out chiral modification of zeolitic imidazolate framework‐90 under mild conditions, and the D‐histidine modified zeolitic imidazolate framework‐90 coated capillary column was prepared. This chiral capillary column was used to separate epinephrine, norepinephrine, terbutaline, and tryptophan enantiomers. Under optimum conditions, baseline separations were achieved. The intra‐day, inter‐day, and inter‐column relative standard deviations (n = 3) of the four pairs of enantiomeric migration times were 0.15%–0.56%, 0.74%–2.40%, and 1.93%–3.18%, respectively. Moreover, the D‐histidine modified zeolitic imidazolate framework‐90 coated capillary could be reused for at least 150 runs without significant changes in the separation efficiency and migration time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Monocytes/macrophages play critical roles in inflammation and cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI). The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) modulates local and systemic inflammatory responses by activating α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR) in monocytes/macrophages. We investigated the effect of α7nAChR on MI-induced monocyte/macrophage recruitment and polarization and its contribution to cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats underwent coronary ligation and were intraperitoneally injected with the α7nAChR-selective agonist PNU282987 or the antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA). RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) + interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and treated with PNU282987, MLA, and S3I-201 (a STAT3 inhibitor). Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography. Masson's trichrome and immunofluorescence were used to detect cardiac fibrosis, myocardial capillary density, and M1/M2 macrophages. Western blotting was used to detect protein expression, and the proportion of monocytes was measured using flow cytometry. Results: Activating the CAP with PNU282987 significantly improved cardiac function and reduced cardiac fibrosis and 28-day mortality after MI. On days 3 and 7 post-MI, PNU282987 reduced the percentage of peripheral CD172a + CD43low monocytes and the infiltration of M1 macrophages in the infarcted hearts, whereas it increased the recruitment of peripheral CD172a + CD43high monocytes and M2 macrophages. Conversely, MLA exerted the opposite effects. In vitro, PNU282987 inhibited M1 macrophage polarization and promoted M2 macrophage polarization in LPS + IFN-γ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. These PNU282987-induced changes in LPS + IFN-γ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells were reversed by administering S3I-201. Conclusion: Activating α7nAChR inhibits the early recruitment of pro-inflammatory monocytes/macrophages during MI and improves cardiac function and remodeling. Our findings suggest a promising therapeutic target for regulating monocyte/macrophage phenotypes and promoting healing after MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade pathway plays an important role in regulating stress responses. The function of the c‐Jun NH2‐terminal kinase (JNK), a component of the MAPK cascade pathway, in Apis cerana cerana (Acc) remains unclear. Here, JNK was isolated and identified from Acc. Bioinformatics analyses revealed there is a typical serine/threonine protein kinase catalytic domain in the AccJNK protein. An expression profile analysis showed that AccJNK was significantly induced by pesticide treatments. To further explore the functional mechanisms of AccJNK, a yeast 2‐hybrid screen was performed, activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) was screened as the interaction partner of AccJNK, and the interaction relationship was further verified by pull‐down assay. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction showed the expression pattern of AccAP‐1 was similar to that of AccJNK. After a knockdown of AccJNK or AccAP‐1 by RNA interference, the survival rate of Acc after pesticide treatments increased. Additionally, the expression levels of antioxidant‐related genes and the activities of antioxidant enzymes increased, suggesting that the knockdown of AccJNK or AccAP‐1 increased the antioxidant capacity of bees. Our study revealed that the JNK‐mediated MAPK pathway responds to pesticide stress by altering the antioxidant capacity of Acc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamical mechanism and a general deformation law of a ferrofluid droplet suspended between the air and a liquid substrate under the action of the applied vertical uniform magnetic field are investigated by a numerical model. A generalized conservative phase-field simplified multiphase lattice Boltzmann model is adopted to solve the flow field and phase field, which has a good ability to simulate the problems of ternary fluid flows with large density ratios. Subsequently, the Maxwell equation of static magnetic field is used to solve the magnetic field using a self-correcting scheme. We used this model to numerically study the dynamic evolvement process of ferrofluid droplets placed between the air and a liquid substrate, which are exposed in a vertical uniform magnetic field. Some typical characteristics are employed to characterize the droplet shape, and it is found that the aspect ratio, the elongated velocity, and the height of the mass center of the ferrofluid droplet are related to the magnetic Bond number. Furthermore, the numerical results obtained with the model are in good agreement with the experimental results available in the literature. Finally, the quantitative power law relation between the magnetic Bond number and the aspect ratio of ferrofluid droplets is obtained by using the method of scaling law, which provides a theoretical basis for the study of the deformation mechanism and the universal laws of a ferrofluid droplet placed between the air and a liquid substrate under the action of the vertical uniform magnetic fields with different intensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neck pain and cervical disc degeneration (CDD) are common findings. Valid data on correlation between clinical scores and radiological grade of CDD in patients with mild to moderate clinical disability are not available. The study has been designed to investigate the correlation between clinical and radiological outcomes in these patients. Methods: A cohort of 150 patients who suffered from mild to moderate cervical spine dysfunction symptoms from September 2020 to May 2021 was enrolled. We evaluated functional status using Japanese Orthopaedic Association scores (JOA), the visual analog scale, and the Neck Disability Index. We assessed the CDD with magnetic resonance imaging-based grading systems. We analyzed relationships between radiological grades of CDD and clinical symptoms along with demographic data. Results: One hundred thirteen patients [mean age 44.78, 78 (69%) females] were finally included. CDD occurred most at the C5–C6 level, with 56.93% of higher grade III from Miyazaki. The grades of Miyazaki (P < 0.05) and the scores of Nakashima (P < 0.05) were positively correlated with the duration of symptoms, and the severity of the CDD increased with aging (P < 0.01). Moreover, we correlated patients' JOA scores with the current scoring and grading systems, especially the grades of Miyazaki (P < 0.01) and the scores of Nakashima (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Increasing grades of CDD paralleled decreasing JOA scores in the population studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin-walled structures with varying thickness (single variable attribute) had been proven to be able improve energy absorption characteristics. In order to further study the energy absorption characteristics of thin-walled structures whose material properties changed as the thickness changing, a novel type of mixed thin-walled tube with axially-varying thickness and material were proposed in this paper. The finite element (FE) model was validated under axial quasi-static loading firstly, and seven groups simulation models of thin-walled tubular structure were established. The simulation results showed that the dual-variable attribute tubes can ensure high energy absorption and reduce the initial peak crushing force effectively in the crushing process. Furthermore, the maximum crushing force efficiency of steel-aluminum mixed tube can reach 2.77, while the aluminum mixed tube increased the crushing force efficiency to 1.24. Subsequently, a analytical model for dual-variable attribute tube was established and the theoretical mean crushing force calculation formula can be derived. The simulation and theoretical results were wirelessly close, except that the error of SUT5 was about 11 %. Therefore, the theoretical prediction results were in good agreement with the simulation results, and the theoretical prediction method can provide some reference for the design of double variable tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality. However, the molecular mechanisms of chloroplast development are still poorly understood in fruits. In this study, we investigated the role of the transcription factor SlBEL2 (BEL1‐LIKE HOMEODOMAIN 2) in fruit of Solanum lycopersicum (tomato). Phenotypic analysis of SlBEL2 overexpression (OE‐SlBEL2) and SlBEL2 knockout (KO‐SlBEL2) plants revealed that SlBEL2 has the function of inhibiting green shoulder formation in tomato fruits by affecting the development of fruit chloroplasts. Transcriptome profiling revealed that the expression of chloroplast‐related genes such as SlGLK2 and SlLHCB1 changed significantly in the fruit of OE‐SlBEL2 and KO‐SlBEL2 plants. Further analysis showed that SlBEL2 could not only bind to the promoter of SlGLK2 to inhibit its transcription, but also interacted with the SlGLK2 protein to inhibit the transcriptional activity of SlGLK2 and its downstream target genes. SlGLK2 knockout (KO‐SlGLK2) plants exhibited a complete absence of the green shoulder, which was consistent with the fruit phenotype of OE‐SlBEL2 plants. SlBEL2 showed an expression gradient in fruits, in contrast with that reported for SlGLK2. In conclusion, our study reveals that SlBEL2 affects the formation of green shoulder in tomato fruits by negatively regulating the gradient expression of SlGLK2, thus providing new insights into the molecular mechanism of fruit green shoulder formation. Significance Statement: Chloroplasts play a crucial role in plant growth and fruit quality, but the molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast development in fruits remain poorly understood. Here, our study reveals that SlBEL2 is expressed in a gradient in tomato fruits and affects the formation of the green shoulder in fruits by regulating chloroplast development, which provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of green shoulder formation in fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coupled Korteweg-de Vries system known as the Drinfeld-Sokolov-Satsuma-Hirota system is reconsidered. The Darboux transformation for this system constructed by Geng and Li [5] is understood by showing that it is equivalent to a particular reduction of the two-fold Darboux transformation. The iterations of this Darboux transformation are considered and the solutions of the Drinfeld-Sokolov-Satsuma-Hirota system are given in terms of determinants. As applications, some explicit solutions are calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we construct Darboux transformations and Bäcklund transformations for the supersymmetric two-boson hierarchy. Three Darboux transformations and associated Bäcklund transformations are obtained. For one of them, we also work out the corresponding nonlinear superposition formula. We build, for both the supersymmetric two-boson equation and the N = 2 , a = 4 supersymmetric KdV equation, their one-soliton solutions and present their semi-discrete versions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impacts of large-scale activity on MFD are analyzed based on field data. • The equilibria types and the stability are discussed based on nonlinear dynamic theory. • A dynamic model is calibrated by field data to reveal real traffic state evolution. • Some control strategies are designed based the calibrated model. Large-scale activities always have serious impacts on regional traffic states. It is necessary for traffic planners to investigate the characteristics of network traffic flow under large-scale activities and apply proper management strategies. In this paper, based on the field data in Tianjin, China, the impact of large-scale activities and the corresponding control strategies on regional Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram (MFD) and regional traffic states are analyzed. The study area is divided into the inner area and the outer area. Based on the work of Haddad (2012) on the traffic perimeter control in two-region, a dynamic model is calibrated by the empirical data in Tianjin to study the influences of activities and control strategies. Based on the calibrated model, different control strategies are simulated to investigate the impacts on regional traffic flow. The results show that decreasing the transfer flow from the outer area will alleviate the congestion in the inner area effectively, and increasing the system outflow will reduce the densities of both two areas effectively. When the traffic states are already congested, the real control strategies cannot alleviate the congestion of the regional network effectively. According to the various impacts of different strategies, combined control strategies are proposed to mitigate the adverse impact of large-scale activities on the surrounding area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astaxanthin is an important immunoactive adjuvant. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in astaxanthin alleviates LPS-induced immune stress in Channa argus lymphocyte. After astaxanthin or PDTC treatment, lymphocytes exposed to 10 μg/mL LPS for 24 h, showed significantly decreased NF-κB p65, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, NO, NOS, caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9 levels. Upon LPS stimulation, astaxanthin significantly upregulated GR, HSP70 and HSP90 gene expression, in response to inflammatory responses. Treatment with GR inhibitors (RU486) or astaxanthin and 10 μg/ml LPS exposure, showed that RU486 significantly inhibited GR phosphorylation and blocked astaxanthin alleviated LPS-induced NF-κB pathway activation. Meanwhile, RU486 interfered with the anti-inflammatory and increased the inflammatory and apoptotic factors expression levels under LPS stimulation. Collectively, GR plays major role in astaxanthin alleviates LPS-induced immune stress in Channa argus lymphocyte. • Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) interacts with NF-κB to inhibit the inflammatory response in lymphocytes. • Astaxanthin inhibits NF-κB activation by phosphorylation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in lymphocytes. • Under the inhibition of GR activity, anti-inflammatory activity of astaxxanthin was attenuated in lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International scientific collaboration is widely considered a driver of innovation. However, the social processes through which this can occur are complex. It is not only scientists that have a direct interest in international collaboration; but also the institutions or firms that employ them and the governments whose policies are designed to promote collaboration. This article seeks to reveal the social dynamics underpinning this process. Drawing on an empirical study of 79 scientists working in Australia and China we argue that the social process is essentially a system of exchange. Throughout this system, a range of scientific, innovation and social currencies are offered, received and reciprocated. Through the exchange process, scientific and technological capital is accumulated as different expectations are fulfilled and reconciled. Anthropological and sociological literature offers a theoretical framework for the analysis and the findings offer a sociological perspective of scientific collaboration across national innovation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and chemical speciation of arsenic (As) in different sized atmospheric particulate matters (PMs), including total suspended particles (TSP), PM 10 , and PM 2.5 , collected from Baoding, China were analyzed. The average total mass concentrations of As in TSP, PM 10 , and PM 2.5 were 31.5, 35.3, and 54.1 µg/g, respectively, with an order of PM 2.5 >PM 10 > TSP, revealing that As is prone to accumulate on fine particles. Due to the divergent toxicities of different As species, speciation analysis of As in PMs is further conducted. Most of previous studies mainly focused on inorganic arsenite (iAsIII), inorganic arsenate (iAsV), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) in PMs, while the identification and sensitive quantification of trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were rarely reported. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry system was optimized for As speciation including TMAO in PMs. An anion exchange column was used to separate MMA, DMA and iAsV, while a cation exchange column to separate TMAO and iAsIII. Results showed that iAsV was the dominate component in all the samples, corresponding to a portion of 79.2% ± 9.3% of the total extractable species, while iAsIII, TMAO and DMA made up the remaining 21%. Our study demonstrated that iAsIII accounted for about 14.4% ± 11.4% of the total extracted species, with an average concentration of 1.7 ± 1.6 ng/m3. It is worth noting that TMAO was widely present in the samples (84 out of 97 samples), which supported the assumption that TMAO was ubiquitous in atmospheric particles. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aerodynamic noise generated from a cooling fan and its support frame is one of the major noise sources of many engineering machines, such as automobile engines and communication base-stations. A generic model composed of a vertically-installed flat strut behind an asymmetrical airfoil is used to investigate numerically the noise characteristics and generation mechanism of a cooling fan by using the SST-SAS turbulence model combining with FW-H formula. The airfoil–strut configuration is varied either by changing the perforation rate of the strut or by adjusting the streamwise gap between the airfoil trailing edge and the strut. The motivation is to investigate the effects of the two parameters on the aerodynamic and noise behaviors of the airfoil–strut​ model and evaluate the influences of noise control methods. The analysis of noise generation mechanism and far-field directivity indicates that in the vertical direction both the unsteady lift forces acting on the airfoil and strut contribute equally to the far-field noise, whereas in the upstream/downstream direction the noise is produced mainly by the unsteady drag on the strut. In addition, the whole model shows the directivity characteristic of an omnidirectional noise source. With the increase of the strut perforation rate, both the unsteady lift and drag on the airfoil and strut are reduced due to the attenuation of the Karman vortex street in the flow field, resulting in a far-field noise reduction. There exists a frequency lock-in (i.e. a resonance) between the airfoil and the strut in which the unsteady characteristic of the airfoil is induced by the downstream strut. However, this lock-in loses its strength with the increase of the streamwise separation between the airfoil and strut, accompanying with a change of far-field noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is an expanding global health problem. Currently, the home management of diabetes is mainly led by a multidisciplinary team based on telemedicine. However, the role nurses play in it remains inconclusive. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of nurse-led web-based intervention on glycated haemoglobin, blood pressure and lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods: An exhaustive systematic literature search was undertaken using the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and CINAHL. Two investigators independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the studies by examining the risk of bias and using Modified Jadad Score system. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that had been published from inception to July 2020, using Review Manager 5.3.Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials were selected that included 2063 participants. Meta-analyses results indicated significant effects on not only glycated haemoglobin (pooled mean difference (MD) = -0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.5 to -0.26, p < 0.00001), but also on systolic blood pressure (pooled MD = -1.91, 95% CI: -3.73 to -0.09, p = 0.04) and low density lipoprotein (pooled standardized MD = -0.29, 95% CI: -0.44 to -0.15, p < 0.0001). There were no effects of nurse-led web-based intervention on fasting blood glucose, diastolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein, body mass index and triglycerides.Discussion: Nurse-led web-based intervention is a promising way to complement routine clinical care. However, the specific intervention content and intervention media still need to carry out large-scale well-designed randomized controlled trials. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD 42020204565. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of CO2 on MgAl layered double hydroxides (MgAl-LDHs) based adsorbents has been an effective way to capture CO2, however the adsorption capacity was hampered due to the pore structure and the dispersibility of adsorption active sites. To address the problem, we investigate the effect of intercalated anion and alkaline etching time on the structure, morphology and CO2 uptake performances of MgAl-LDHs. MgAl-LDHs are synthesized by the one-pot hydrothermal method, followed by alkaline etching of NaOH, and characterized by x-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The CO2 adsorption tests of the samples are performed on a thermogravimetric analyzer, and the adsorption data are fitted by the first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich models, respectively. The results demonstrate that among the three intercalated samples, MgAl(Cl) using chloride salts as precursors possesses the highest adsorption capacity of CO2, owing to high crystallinity and porous structure, while MgAl(Ac) employing acetate salts as precursors displays the lowest CO2 uptake because of poor crystallinity, disorderly stacked structure and unsatisfactory pore structure. With regard to alkaline etching, the surface of the treated MgAl(Cl) is partly corroded, thus the specific surface area and pore volume increase, which is conducive to the exposure of adsorption active sites. Correspondingly, the adsorption performance of the alkaline-etched adsorbents is significantly improved, and MgAl(Cl)-6 has the highest CO2 uptake. With the alkaline etching time further increasing, the CO2 adsorption capacity of MgAl(Cl)-9 sharply decreases, mainly due to the collapse of pore structure and the fragmentized sheet-structure. Hence, the CO2 adsorption performance is greatly influenced by alkaline etching time, and appropriate alkaline etching time can facilitate the contact between CO2 molecules and the adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is an effective method to deal with nonlinear nonstationary data, but the lack of orthogonal decomposition theory and mode-mixing are the main problems that limit the application of EMD. In order to solve these two problems, we propose an improved method of EMD. The most important part of this improved method is to change the mean value by envelopes of signal in EMD to the mean value by the definite integral, which enables the mean value to be mathematically expressed strictly. Firstly, we prove that the signal is orthogonally decomposed by the improved method. Secondly, the Monte Carlo method of white noise is used to explain that the improved method can effectively alleviate mode-mixing. In addition, the improved method is adaptive and does not need any input parameters, and the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) generated from it is robust to sifting. We have carried out experiments on a series of artificial and real data, the results show that the improved method is the orthogonal decomposition method and can effectively alleviate mode-mixing, and it has better decomposition performance and physical meaning than EMD, ensemble EMD (EEMD), and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN). In addition, the improved method is generally more time-consuming than EMD, but far less than EEMD and CEEMDAN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytotoxic T cell antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is reportedly involved in the development of bladder cancer (BC). This research was designed to address the potential link between the +49A/G polymorphism in CTLA-4 gene and BC susceptibility. In total, 355 BC cases and 435 match controls from Chinese Han individuals were included eventually. The PCR-RFLR method was utilized to screen for this polymorphism. The +49A/G polymorphism was shown to increase the risk of BC. Subgroup analyses showed that this polymorphism was linked to an increased susceptibility to BC among individuals aged < 60 years, smokers and drinkers. Additionally, this polymorphism significantly correlated with tumor node metastasis and tumor size (≥3 cm). To sum up, this study reveals that the CTLA-4 +49A/G polymorphism could increase the risk of BC in Chinese Han people. Further large cohort studies with enough sample sizes are urgently warranted to verify the findings of this present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yanchang Formation Chang 7 oil-bearing layer of the Ordos Basin is important in China for producing shale oil. The present-day in situ stress state is of practical implications for the exploration and development of shale oil; however, few studies are focused on stress distributions within the Chang 7 reservoir. In this study, the present-day in situ stress distribution within the Chang 7 reservoir was predicted using the combined spring model based on well logs and measured stress data. The results indicate that stress magnitudes increase with burial depth within the Chang 7 reservoir. Overall, the horizontal maximum principal stress (SHmax), horizontal minimum principal stress (Shmin) and vertical stress (Sv) follow the relationship of Sv ≥ SHmax > Shmin, indicating a dominant normal faulting stress regime within the Chang 7 reservoir of Ordos Basin. Laterally, high stress values are mainly distributed in the northwestern parts of the studied region, while low stress values are found in the southeastern parts. Factors influencing stress distributions are also analyzed. Stress magnitudes within the Chang 7 reservoir show a positive linear relationship with burial depth. A larger value of Young's modulus results in higher stress magnitudes, and the differential horizontal stress becomes higher when the rock Young's modulus grows larger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Larix kaempferi planting with broad-leaved trees can increase production and alleviate soil degradation; however, the mechanism is unclear, especially on large scales and in different climate regions. This paper attempts to explain the underlying mechanism in a temperate region and northern subtropical alpine region of China. Methods: Litter decomposition rates, nutrient release, enzyme activity and microbial community composition were determined in conifer litter, broad-leaved litter and mixed litter by the litterbag method during about 500 days in the two regions. Results: Decomposition rate was increased by 4.00% in temperate region and 3.38% in the subtropical region after litter mixing and the synergistic effect increased with decomposition progress. However, nutrients release was not always enhanced, and enzyme activities were enhanced at the most of decomposition time and higher in the subtropical region. After litter mixing, a few new dominant taxa emerged, and the microbial gene quantities were increased in the temperate region, but not in the subtropical region. The dominant bacterial taxa were similar, while most of the dominant fungal taxa shifted with decomposition. In addition, the dominant fungi completely differed between the two regions. The environmental variables with greater influence on microbial community were similar in the two regions, including C:N, C:P and pH. Conclusions: After mixing with broad-leaved litter, the decomposition of Larix kaempferi was enhanced by increasing enzyme activities and microbial quantities in the temperate region, but the mechanisms were not clear in the subtropical region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibrosis in multiple organs increases with age. Circulating fibrocytes are bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitors that contribute to heart, lung, and kidney fibrosis under the diseased conditions. Whether circulating fibrocytes contribute to aging-related fibrosis is very limited. Methods and results: We measured the proportion and differentiation of circulating fibrocytes (CD45+/CD34+/collagen I+) from elders (n = 12) and adults (n = 12) using flow cytometry. Differentiated fibrocytes in the culture dishes were isolated and microarray was performed. The percentage of circulating fibrocytes in elders (1.95 ± 0.43%) was comparable to that in the adults (1.71 ± 0.38%). Cultured fibrocytes displayed enhanced potential of differentiation in the elder group (67.91 ± 5.88%) vs the adult group (44.03 ± 7.98%). In addition, expression of fibroblast activation markers and cell migratory ability were also increased in differentiated fibrocytes from elders. Microarray analysis revealed that differentiated fibrocytes from elders expressed high level of interleukin-18 (IL-18) receptor 1 (IL-18R1). Furthermore, we found IL-18 was elevated in the plasma of elders and IL-18/IL-18R1 was shown to promote fibrocyte differentiation. Conclusion: Circulating fibrocytes from elders had an enhanced capacity to differentiate into myofibroblasts, and might contribute to age-dependent fibrosis. Age-dependent increment of differentiation at least in part arose from their enhanced expression of IL-18R1. Inhibiting fibrocyte differentiation might be useful as an adjuvant treatment to delay the fibrosis process in aging population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surfactants play important roles in chemical industries and have become well-known environmental pollutants owing to their extensive use in different fields. In this work, we reported a fluorescent probe, namely, BDP-Zn2+ for the discrimination of four kinds of surfactants and the determination of CMC values. BDP-Zn2+ was composed of covalently linked BODIPY, carbazole, N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (BPEA) and zinc ions to fabricate a novel push–pull molecular structure. Upon the addition of surfactants, the probe exhibited a turn-on fluorescence response and the emission was enhanced on increasing the surfactant concentrations. This indicated that the fluorescence intensity and the ratios of the emission at 607 nm to that at 514 nm as fingerprints could be used to identify the CMC values of the surfactants. Our current work provides an alternative method to efficiently discriminate different surfactants for the further studies of their physical and chemical functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circulating matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) levels are associated with the risk of bladder cancer (BC). MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism may influence the expression of MMP-7 by affecting the transcriptional activity. A case–control study comprising 355 BC patients and 435 age- and gender-matched healthy controls was conducted in a Chinese Han population. The genotype of MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism was determined by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Data revealed that MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism increased the risk of BC under the homozygous and allelic models. However, no association between MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism and BC risk was obtained after adjusting for age, gender, smoking habits and drinking habits. Subgroup analyses showed MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism was associated with increased risk for BC among the smokers and drinkers. Furthermore, AG or GG genotype of -181A/G polymorphism was associated with larger tumor size and lymphatic metastasis in BC patients. To sum up, MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism is not associated with the susceptibility to BC. However, subgroup analyses obtain significant association among the groups of smokers and drinkers. Larger studies in other ethnic groups are needed to ascertain the contribution of MMP-7 gene -181A/G polymorphism to BC risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: DL‐3‐n‐butylphthalide (NBP) has been approved to be effective in improving cognitive deficits. The aim of the current study was to determine whether NBP protects against cognitive deficits in a rat model of vascular dementia (VD) induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) by regulating the sonic hedgehog (Shh)/patched1 (Ptch1) pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)‐related markers. Methods: Adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats were subjected to permanent bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (2VO) to established the model of VD. These rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham, model, NBP30 (30 mg/kg), NBP 60 (60 mg/kg), and NBP 120 (120 mg/kg) groups. The Morris water maze test was used to assess for cognitive function at 4 weeks after operation. Results: NBP significantly alleviated spatial learning and memory impairment, and inhibited the loss of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Western blot analysis and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that plasticity‐related synaptic markers and the Shh/Ptch1 pathway significantly increased in the NBP treated groups, while ERS‐related markers decreased. Conclusion: The results of the current study prove that the Shh/Ptch1 pathway plays an essential role in the model of VD. NBP had protective effects on cognitive impairment induced by CCH. This mechanism was associated with ERS and the Shh/Ptch1 pathway. Meanwhile, the Shh/Ptch1 pathway and ERS may interact with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the dynamics of bubbly flow in a dielectric ferrofluid under a uniform magnetic field has been numerically studied by a self-correcting procedure-based lattice Boltzmann flux solver. The investigation cases focus specifically on two bubbles merging and a single bubble rising in ferrofluid with a large density ratio under an applied uniform magnetic field. By accounting for the effects of the magnetic field intensity, susceptibility, Reynolds number, and Eotvos number, the mechanisms of bubble motion and deformation in the ferrofluid under the external magnetic field are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate some sufficient conditions of Chung type almost sure convergence and strong law of large numbers of double array of arbitrarily dependent random variables. In the proofs, the techniques developed by Ghosal and Chandra are employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This work presents a consistent and robust interfacial lattice Boltzmann flux solver (ILBFS) to simulate multiphase flows. • The present method employs the Chapman–Enskog analysis to reconstruct the convective and diffusive terms of the macroscopic governing equation. • The proposed ILBFS only applies LBE locally at each cell interface, and macroscopic variables at cell centers are given by directly solving the governing partial differential equations. • The physical boundary conditions in ILBFS are not necessary to transform to the LB distribution functions. • The obtained numerical results are in good agreement with the analytical solutions or the published results in the literature. In this paper, a robust interfacial lattice Boltzmann flux solver (ILBFS) is presented to simulate multiphase flows, which is able to deal with large density contrasts. Different from the conventional finite-volume multiphase flow solvers, which calculate the fluxes at each cell interface based on macroscopic variables, the present method employs the Chapman–Enskog analysis to re-construct the convective and diffusive terms of the macroscopic governing equation, and uses the local equilibrium solutions of the lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) for calculating the fluxes through the cell interface. As the phase information of multiphase flows is naturally brought by the LBE from both sides of the interface, the ILBFS simulating interfacial phenomena is more physical and precise. In addition, different from the conventional LB model for simulating the multiphase flows, the proposed ILBFS only applies LBE locally at each cell interface. Macroscopic variables at cell centers are given by directly solving the governing partial differential equations. Moreover, the physical boundary conditions in the present solver can be directly implemented by using the macroscopic variables, and are not necessary to transform to the LB distribution functions. Hence, the current solver requires less memory resources for data storage as only the equilibrium distribution function related to the conservative variables is involved. To validate the present solver, several benchmark cases, including the Laplace law, two stationary bubbles without collision, Rayleigh–Taylor instability, bubble rising under buoyancy and droplet splashing on a thin film at density radio of 1000, are studied. The obtained numerical results are in good agreement with the analytical solutions or the published results in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the less-is-more hypothesis, gene loss is an engine for evolutionary change. Loss-of-function (LoF) mutations resulting in the natural knockout of protein-coding genes not only provide information about gene function but also play important roles in adaptation and phenotypic diversification. Although the less-is-more hypothesis was proposed two decades ago, it remains to be explored on a large scale. In this study, we identified 60,819 LoF variants in 1071 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genomes and found that 34% of Arabidopsis protein-coding genes annotated in the Columbia-0 genome do not have any LoF variants. We found that nucleotide diversity, transposable element density, and gene family size are strongly correlated with the presence of LoF variants. Intriguingly, 0.9% of LoF variants with minor allele frequency larger than 0.5% are associated with climate change. In addition, in the Yangtze River basin population, 1% of genes with LoF mutations were under positive selection, providing important insights into the contribution of LoF mutations to adaptation. In particular, our results demonstrate that LoF mutations shape diverse phenotypic traits. Overall, our results highlight the importance of the LoF variants for the adaptation and phenotypic diversification of plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monocytes/macrophages are important in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus. To research M1 and M2 macrophage-like monocytes in the peripheral blood of children with systemic lupus erythematosus and explore the clinical significance, M1 and M2 macrophage-like monocytes, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, and interleukin-18 are tested in the peripheral blood of children with systemic lupus erythematosus by flow cytometry. A correlation analysis is made between M1 and M2 macrophage-like monocytes and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. As we found, the absolute number and percentage of M1 macrophage-like monocytes (CD163–CD14+) in macrophage-like monocytes (CD14+) in peripheral blood of the severe systemic lupus erythematosus group were higher than those of the control group and the mild–moderate systemic lupus erythematosus group (F = 28.4, 21.7, 122, 81.7; P < 0.05). But there was no obvious difference between these three groups in terms of the absolute number of M2 macrophage-like monocytes (CD163+CD14+). The absolute number and percentage of M1 macrophage-like monocytes in macrophage-like monocytes had positive correlation with C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.46, 0.44, 0.367, 0.47; P < 0.05); whereas, the absolute number and percentage of M2 macrophage-like monocytes in macrophage-like monocytes had negative correlation with CRP and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = –0.47, –0.45, –0.47, –0.32; P < 0.05). Thus, M1 macrophage-like monocytes have effective impact on inflammation in children with systemic lupus erythematosus. M2 macrophage-like monocytes, to a large extent, have the opposite functions compared to M1 macrophage-like monocytes. In children with systemic lupus erythematosus, macrophages play important role in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus and M1 macrophage-like monocytes have functions in active systemic lupus erythematosus and they can induce the inflammation and have correlation with severity of systemic lupus erythematosus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the finite difference weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme is incorporated into the recently developed four kinds of lattice Boltzmann flux solver (LBFS) to simulate compressible flows, including inviscid LBFS I, viscous LBFS II, hybrid LBFS III and hybrid LBFS IV. Hybrid LBFS can automatically realize the switch between inviscid LBFS I and viscous LBFS II through introducing a switch function. The resultant hybrid WENO-LBFS scheme absorbs the advantages of WENO scheme and hybrid LBFS. We investigate the performance of WENO scheme based on four kinds of LBFS systematically. Numerical results indicate that the devopled hybrid WENO-LBFS scheme has high accuracy, high resolution and no oscillations. It can not only accurately calculate smooth solutions, but also can effectively capture contact discontinuities and strong shock waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glyphosate is an herbicide commonly used in agriculture, and its widespread use has adversely affected the survival of nontarget organisms. Among these organisms, bees in particular are important pollinators, and declining bee populations have severely affected crop yields around the world. However, the molecular mechanism by which glyphosate harms bees remains unclear. In our experiment, we screened and cloned a glyphosate-induced gene in Apis cerana cerana (A. c. cerana) and named glyphosate response factor 1 (AccGRF1). Sequence analysis showed that AccGRF1 contains a winged-helix DNA binding domain, which suggests that it belongs to the Forkhead box (Fox) protein family. qRT–PCR and heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and yeast showed that AccGRF1 can respond to glyphosate and oxidative stress. After AccGRF1 knockdown by means of RNA interference (RNAi), the resistance of A. c. cerana to glyphosate stress improved. The results suggested that AccGRF1 is involved in A. c. cerana glyphosate stress tolerance. This study reveals the functions of Fox transcription factors in response to glyphosate stress and provides molecular insights into the regulation of glyphosate responses in honeybees. [Display omitted] • A glyphosate-induced gene (AccGRF1) was screened and identified from bees. • AccGRF1 protein belongs to Forkhead protein family transcription factors. • E. coli and yeast overexpressing AccGRF1 were more sensitive to oxidative stress. • AccGRF1 is involved in oxidative stress response caused by glyphosate in bees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By exploring the variation rules of methane production and methanogenic bacteria diversity in different lactation stages of high and low producing dairy cows, the experiment revealed the reasons for the difference in methane production between high and low-yielding dairy cows from the perspective of changes in rumen microbial flora structure, and analyzed the correlation between the relative abundance of methanogenic bacteria and methane production, milk yield and milk quality. A two-factor design was used in the experiment. A total of 36 Holstein cows with good health, similar weight, parity and feeding management conditions were selected. According to the lactation performance (high-yielding, low-yielding) and lactation stage (early stage, middle stage and late stage), they were divided into the high-yielding pre-lactation group, high-yielding mid-lactation group, high-yielding late lactation group, low-yielding pre-lactation group, low-yielding mid-lactation group, and low-yielding late lactation group, with six cows in each group. All cows were fed the same fully mixed diet. A methane production prediction model was used to calculate the methane production, and the diversity of rumen methanogens was determined by high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the methane production of the high-yielding cows was significantly lower than that of the low-yielding cows (P<0.05), and the methane production of cows in early lactation was significantly higher than that in the middle and late lactation (P<0.05). The Shannon index of rumen methanogens in the high-yielding dairy cows was significantly lower than that in the low-yielding dairy cows (P<0.05), while the Ace index, Chao index, and Simpson index were not significantly different from those of low-yielding dairy cows (P>0.05). The relative abundance of Methanosphaera in the rumen of the high-yielding dairy cows was significantly higher than that of the low-yielding dairy cows (P<0.05), and the relative abundance of Methanobrevibacter in the rumen of the high-yielding dairy cows was significantly lower than that of the low-yielding dairy cows (P<0.05). The relative abundance of rumen Methanosphaera in the early and middle lactation period was significantly higher than that in the late lactation period (P<0.05), and the relative abundance of Methanobrevibacter in the late lactation period was significantly higher than that in the early and middle lactation period (P<0.05). The relative abundance of Methanosphaera in the rumen of the dairy cows was negatively correlated with methane production and milk fat percentage (P<0.05), and positively correlated with milk yield (P<0.05). The study indicates that the methane production and relative abundance of the rumen Methanobrevibacter in the high-yielding cows are lower than those in the low-yielding cows, and the methane production in the early lactation is higher than that in the middle and late lactation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The nexus between FinTech development and inclusive growth is analyzed. • The indicator system for inclusive growth is established. • The spatial econometric approach and machine learning are applied. • The case of an emerging economy is considered. This study investigates the impact of financial technology (FinTech) on inclusive growth (IG) by exploiting a panel of 281 prefecture-level Chinese cities in the years 2011–2020 using the spatial econometric model and machine learning algorithm. The results show that FinTech positively impacts IG, while there is no spatial spillover effect. The evidence from the machine learning algorithms suggests that as FinTech advances to a higher level, its positive impact on IG increases. The mechanism test shows that the latter effect is achieved through entrepreneurial stimulation and human capital enhancement. Moreover, the impact of FinTech on IG is more pronounced in large and medium-sized cities and cities in the eastern region. However, it does not significantly affect small cities or cities in the central region. This paper, therefore, offers new insights on the interaction between FinTech and IG along with the analysis of the effects related to the development of FinTech on IG in China. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to geological conditions, acquisition environment, and economic restrictions, acquired seismic data are often incomplete and irregularly distributed, and this affects subsequent migration imaging and inversion. Sparse constraint-based methods are widely used for seismic data interpolation, including fixed-base transform and dictionary learning. Fixed-base transform methods are fast and simple to implement, but the basis function needs to be pre-selected. The dictionary learning method is more adaptive, and provides a means of learning the sparse representation from corrupted data. K-singular value decomposition (K-SVD) is a classical dictionary learning method that combines sparse coding and dictionary updating iteratively. However, the dictionary atoms are updated column-by-column, leading to high computational complexity due to long SVD calculation times. In this study, we evaluated the dictionary learning method via l4-norm maximisation using an orthogonal dictionary, which is different from the traditional l0-norm or l1-norm minimisation, and interpolated the missing traces in the projection onto convex sets (POCS) framework. The optimal objection function is convex, but can be solved using a simple and efficient Matching, Stretching and Projection (MSP) algorithm, which greatly reduces the dictionary learning time. Numerical experiments using synthetic and field data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with strengthening exercise on movement in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). One hundred children with spastic CP were randomly divided into a treatment group (NMES and strengthening exercise, n = 50) and a control group (only NMES, n = 50). We compared the Comprehensive Spasticity Scale (CSS) score, Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) score, and walking speed before treatment and 6 weeks and 3 months after treatment between the 2 groups. There was no difference in CSS score between the treatment and control groups before the therapy (12.0 ± 3.4 vs 12.3 ± 3.6), which decreased much more in the treatment group after 6 weeks (7.6 ± 3.0 vs 9.5 ± 2.8) and 3 months (7.4 ± 2.4 vs 9.4 ± 2.6) with significant differences (P < .05). No difference in GMFM score was observed between the treatment and control groups before the therapy (44.5 ± 13.2 vs 44.0 ± 12.6), which increased much more in the treatment group after 6 weeks (70.6 ± 15.2 vs 56.7 ± 14.3) and 3 months (71.0 ± 16.4 vs 58.0 ± 15.6) with significant differences (P < .05). The walking speed improved over time, which was the same before the treatment (0.43 ± 0.13 m/s vs 0.45 ± 0.14 m/s), and was significantly greater in the treatment group than that in the control group (6 weeks: 0.69 ± 0.15 m/s vs 0.56 ± 0.12 m/s, P < .05; 3 months: 0.72 ± 0.17 m/s vs 0.57 ± 0.18 m/s, P < .05). NMES combined with strengthening exercise was more effective than NMES alone in the recovery of spastic CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic self-assembly, especially self-assembly under magnetic field, is vital not only for its marvelous phenomenon but also for its mechanisms. Revealing the underlying mechanisms is crucial for a deeper understanding of self-assembly. In this paper, several magnetic induced self-assembly experiments by using the mixed magnetic multiphase fluids comprised of silica microspheres were carried out. The relations of the strength of external magnetic field, the inverse magnetorheological effect, and the structures of self-assembled particles were investigated. In addition, a momentum-exchanged immersed boundary-based lattice Boltzmann method (MEIB-LBM) for modeling multi-physical coupling multiphase flows was employed to numerically study the magnetic induced self-assembly process in detail. The present work showed that the external magnetic field can be used to control the form of self-assembly of nonmagnetic microparticles in a chain-like structure, and the self-assembly process can be classified into four stages with magnetic hysteresis, magnetization of nonmagnetic microparticles, self-assembly in chain-like structures, and the stable chain state. The combination of experimental and numerical results could offer a method to control the self-assembled nonmagnetic microparticles, which can provide the technical and theoretical support for the design and fabrication of micro/nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research presents a numerical analysis of the normal field instability for an initially flat layer of ferrofluid under the influence of magnetic field. A coupling between the simplified lattice Boltzmann method and the self-correcting procedure is developed to capture the velocity field and magnetic field. The proposed method has the ability to simulate complex hedgehog and comb-like spike structures without using an additional magnetization equation. A single dipole permanent magnet is defined instead of multiple point dipoles which makes this method much simpler and more efficient compared to the numerical approaches available in the literature. A comparison between the simulation results and experimental findings is provided to verify the validity of our method. A criterion for the prediction of spikes is presented for uniform magnetic fields. This study also investigates the effects of different types of magnetic fields, their strengths, and the effect of surrounding non-magnetic fluid on the spike structures. Moreover, the description of magnetic field lines, distribution of magnetic flux density, and energy estimation are also provided in this work which gives a useful insight into the hydrodynamic as well as the magnetostatic behavior of ferrofluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with gastrointestinal motility abnormalities that could favor the occurrence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of SIBO in Chinese patients with PD and the potential impact of SIBO on gastrointestinal symptoms and motor function. 182 consecutive Chinese patients with PD patients and 200 sex, age, and BMI-matched subjects without PD were included. All participants underwent the glucose breath test to assess SIBO. We examined the associations between factors and SIBO with logistic regression using SPSS. Fifty-five of the 182 PD patients were SIBO positive (30.2 %; 95 % CI 23.5-36.9 %) compared with 19 of 200 in the control group (9.5 %; 95 % CI 5.4-13.6 %); the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.0001; OR 4.13; 95 % CI 2.34-7.29). Motor fluctuations present was higher in the PD patients with SIBO than in the patients without SIBO (70.9 vs. 45.7 %; P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage, Unified PD Rating-III score, Unified PD Rating-IV score, and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale score were the factors associated with the SIBO-positive status in PD patients. SIBO was highly prevalent in PD, and nearly one-third was detected. SIBO was associated with worse gastrointestinal symptoms and worse motor function. Further studies are needed to specify the reasons underlying SIBO and worse motor function in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the binding of the enzyme chitinase A1 (afChiA1) from the plant-typeAspergillus fumigatuswith four potent inhibitors, allosamidin (ASM), acetazolamide (AZM), 8-chloro-theophylline (CTP) and kinetin (KIT) is investigated by molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy calculation. The results reveal that the electrostatic interactions play an important role in the stabilisation of the binding ofafChiA1 with inhibitors. Based on the binding energy ofafChiA1-ligands, the key residues (Gln37 and Trp312) in the active binding pocket of the complex systems are confirmed by molecular mechanics/Poisson–Boltzmann surface area method, and the active inhibitors, ASM and AZM, both could form strong interaction with Gln37 and Trp312, and the non-active ligands, CTP and KIT, could not interact with these two residues, which is consistent with the result of experimental report. Then, it is identified that Gln37 and Trp312 should be one of the important active site residues ofafChiA1. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Based on the diffuse interface theory, a simple wetting immersed-boundary scheme for curved boundaries is developed. • The scheme performs well in dealing with the binary and ternary flows on both stationary and moving curved boundaries. • Case studies show the proposed scheme has good accuracy and mass conservation. In this paper, a simple diffuse interface immersed-boundary scheme is developed for multiphase flows with curved boundaries. With this method, the wetting boundary conditions (WBC) for stationary and moving curved boundaries can also be dealt in a similar manner as the flat boundaries. The main idea is cultivated by considering two virtual layers of Lagrangian grid points to interpolate the actual solid curved boundary. This scheme has the advantage of simple implication, it can successfully accommodate both the stationery and complex moving curved boundaries along with good accuracy and mass conservation property. A lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) framework is developed to incorporate the proposed immersed-boundary scheme. To test the present method, several binary and multiphase flow problems are simulated. The numerical results are compared with theoretical and experimental results from literature which showed that the method can easily and efficiently simulate the ternary flows and two-phase flows on the curved surfaces with high accuracy and mass conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the central metamorphic belt of the Qiangtang terrane in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau should be attributed to a suture zone, is still heavily debated, due to inadequate deep structure constraints. Using the data collected from 16 stations in the northern part of the Hi-Climb profile and 16 broadband seismic stations recently arranged in the northern part of Gaize County, this study developed a broadband seismic profile running through the in-situ Central Qiangtang Metamorphic Belt (CQMB) roughly along 84.5°E. Significantly characteristics of the crust and mantle structure beneath the profile were obtained through P-wave receiver function analyses: (i) The south Qiangtang terrane has a complex Moho structure at depth 56–82 km, while the north Qiangtang terrane has a nearly horizontal Moho at depth approximately 62 km. Moreover, the northward-inclining Moho is noticeably dislocated with a maximum offset of approximately 18 km under the CQMB. (ii) The crustal low-velocity zones on both sides of the CQMB are transversely discontinuous and are also distinct from each other. (iii) A northward-subducting interface occurs beneath the in-situ CQMB (34.0°N–34.5° N). Based on the geological outcrops and their petrological analysis, the structural characteristics beneath the CQMB are interpreted as the traces of the Longmucuo-Shuanghu suture zone, which was formed by the northward subduction-collision of the south Qiangtang terrane left after the closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean at the end of the Triassic. • Obvious difference in the crust-mantle structure along the Profile 84.5°E in the western Qiangtang through P-wave receiver function analyses. • The northward-inclining Moho structure under the in-situ CQMB is noticeably dislocated, with a maximum offset of approximately 18 km. • The in-situ CQMB is interpreted as the traces of the Longmucuo-Shuanghu suture zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic, spore-producing intestinal opportunistic pathogen. CDI outbreaks in Europe and the Americas in recent years are a major health concern. Intestinal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are an important energy source for colonic epithelial cells, and the roles of SCFAs in reducing intestinal inflammation, inhibiting intestinal tumors, and regulating gut microbial homeostasis are being actively researched. Furthermore, SCFAs attenuate CDI or directly inhibit C. difficile growth through different pathways in vivo and in vitro. This review assesses the role of SCFAs in CDI and discusses the potential use of these molecules as therapeutic targets for CDI. • Short-chain fatty acids inhibit Clostridioides difficile infection by enhancing host antibacterial immune response. • Dietary interventions regulate the production of short-chain fatty acids to reduce Clostridioides difficile infection. • The gut microbiota plays a role in regulating gut homeostasis by producing short-chain fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon coating and carbon nanofiber processes were used to enhance the cycling performance of SnSb alloys. Carbon-coated SnSb alloys were firstly prepared by a simple hydrothermal method to build the first protection, and then carbon-coated SnSb nanoparticles were embedded in carbon nanofibers via single-spinneret electrospinning followed by carbonization. The crystal structure of carbon-coated SnSb/C hybrid nanofibers was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphologies of carbon-coated SnSb alloys and hybrid nanofibers were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The thermal stability of hybrid nanofibers were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The electrochemical properties were investigated as a potential high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The results showed that the hybrid nanofibers exhibited excellent electrochemical performance due to the special structure. The carbon shell can effectively hinder the agglomeration of SnSb alloys, while maintaining electronic conduction as well as accommodating drastic volume changes during lithium insertion and extraction and carbon nanofibers formed a further protection. The resultant carbon-coated SnSb nanoparticles dispersed in carbon nanofibers deliver a high capacity of 674 mA h g −1 and a good capacity retention of 68.7% after 50 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A momentum exchange-based immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method, which is used to solve the fluid–flexible-structure-interaction problem, is introduced in this paper. The present method, overcoming the drawback of the conventional penalty method employing a user-defined spring parameter for calculating the interaction force induced by the immersed boundary, uses a concept of momentum exchange on the boundary to calculate the interaction force. Numerical examples, including a laminar flow past a circular cylinder, a filament flapping in the wake of the cylinder, a single filament with the upstream end fixed flapping in a uniform flow field and the interaction of two filaments flapping in the flow, are provided to validate the present method and to illustrate its capability of dealing with the fluid–flexible-structure-interaction problem. Particularly, with considering the filament mass effects, a single filament with a fixed centre point undergoing a bending transition in the flow is firstly studied in the present paper. Our numerical results compare qualitatively well to experimental results. For a single filament with a fixed centre point, it is found that the flexure modulus has a significant effect on the final state of the filament: for a larger flexure modulus, the filament reaches the ‘quasi-steady’ state finally; for a small flexure modulus, the filaments will be flapping like two filaments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An experimental investigation of a magneto hydrodynamics power generator using a low-melting-point Gallium alloy at high Reynolds numbers is presented in this paper. The power output is found to increase with increasing the flow Reynolds number. By considering the non-uniform distribution of the magnetic field in the test channel, theoretical evaluation gives a more accurate prediction to the experimental data. The present generator demonstrates the maximum power generation efficiency of $$8.3\times 10^{-4}$$ % and the maximum output electric power of 1.5 mW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]