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GBM is one of the most malignant tumor in central nervous system. The resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) is inevitable in GBM and the characterization of TMZ resistance seriously hinders clinical treatment. It is worthwhile exploring the underlying mechanism of aggressive invasion and TMZ resistance in GBM treatment. Bioinformatic analysis was used to analyze the association between RND1 and a series of EMTrelated genes. Colony formation assay and cell viability assay were used to assess the growth of U87 and U251 cells. The cell invasion status was evaluated based on transwell and wound-healing assays. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression in GBM cells. Treatment targeted RND1 combined with TMZ therapy was conducted in nude mice to evaluate the potential application of RND1 as a clinical target for GBM. The overexpression of RND1 suppressed the progression and migration of U87 and U251 cells. RND1 knockdown facilitated the growth and invasion of GBM cells. RND1 regulated the EMT of GBM cells via inhibiting the phosphorylation of AKT and GSK3-ß. The promoted effects of RND1 on TMZ sensitivity was identified both in vitro and in vivo. This research demonstrated that the overexpression of RND1 suppressed the migration and EMT status by downregulating AKT/GSK3-ß pathway in GBM. RND1 enhanced the TMZ sensitivity of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings may contribute to the targeted therapy for GBM and the understanding of mechanisms of TMZ resistance in GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the changes in blood lipids and nutritional indexes in acute myeloid leukemia patients before and after enteral nutritional support combined with induction therapy and assess the influences of blood lipids on prognosis. The clinical data from 210 patients with initial treatment results were retrospectively analyzed. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are lower in acute myeloid leukemia patients compared to normal controls, while triglyceride levels are higher. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in M2 were elevated compared to M4 and M5, and the triglyceride level in M1 was higher than M2 and M4 before therapy. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol in M2 was higher than in M1 and M5, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in M1 was higher than in M5. After enteral nutritional support combined with induction therapy, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and nutritional status were increased. Patients with total cholesterol ≥4.8 mmol/L after therapy had a longer overall survival. The dyslipidemia and nutritional status in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia patients can be partially reversed after enteral nutritional support combined with the first induction therapy, and the rebound in total cholesterol level may reflect the longer overall survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, characterized by iron-dependent cell death, has recently emerged as a critical defense mechanism against microbial infections. The present study aims to investigate the involvement of exosomes in the induction of ferroptosis and the inhibition of bacterial infection in crustaceans. Our findings provide compelling evidence for the pivotal role of exosomes in the immune response of crustaceans, wherein they facilitate intracellular iron accumulation and activate the ferroptotic pathways. Using RNA-seq and bioinformatic analysis, we demonstrate that cytochrome P450 (CYP) can effectively trigger ferroptosis. Moreover, by conducting an analysis of exosome cargo proteins, we have identified the participation of six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 in the regulation of hemocyte ferroptotic sensitivity. Subsequent functional investigations unveil that six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 enhances cellular Fe2+ levels, thereby triggering Fenton reactions and accelerating CYPmediated lipid peroxidation, ultimately culminating in ferroptotic cell death. Additionally, the Fe2+-dependent CYP catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid into 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, which activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor. Consequently, the downstream target of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, cluster of differentiation 36, promotes intracellular fatty acid accumulation, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptosis. These significant findings shed light on the immune defense mechanisms employed by crustaceans and provide potential strategies for combating bacterial infections in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant secondary metabolites are well known for their biological functions in defending against pathogenic microorganisms. Tea saponin (TS), one type of secondary metabolite of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), has been shown to be a valuable botanical pesticide. However, its antifungal activity in controlling the fungi Valsa mali, Botryosphaeria dothidea, and Alternaría alternata, which induce major diseases in apple (Malus domestica), has not been determined. In this study, we first determined that TS has higher inhibitory activity than catechins against the three types of fungi. We further utilized in vitro and in vivo assays to confirm that TS showed high antifungal activity against the three types of fungi, especially for V. mali and B. dothidea. In the in vivo assay, application of a 0.5% TS solution was able to restrain the fungus-induced necrotic area in detached apple leaves efficiently. Moreover, a greenhouse infection assay also confirmed that TS treatment significantly inhibited V. mali infection in leaves of apple seedlings. In addition, TS treatment activated plant immune responses by decreasing accumulation of reactive oxygen species and promoting the activity of pathogenesis-related proteins, including chitinase and [5-1,3-glucanase. This indicated that TS might serve as a plant defense inducer to activate innate immunity to fight against fungal pathogen invasion. Therefore, our data indicated that TS might restrain fungal infection in two ways, by directly inhibiting the growth of fungi and by activating plant innate defense responses as a plant defense inducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese solar greenhouses (CSGs) are the important agricultural building facility with highly efficient and sustainable utilization of solar energy. In order to improve the thermal insulation performance and reduce the heat loss, different insulation cover measures were applied to Chinese solar greenhouses. In this study, a solar greenhouse with an internal insulation blanket (SG1), a greenhouse with an internal blanket and an internal plastic film (SG2) and a greenhouse with an external blanket, an internal blanket and an internal plastic film (SG3) were chosen as experimental objects to analyze their indoor temperature environment. The results indicated that the differences of solar radiation interior among three greenhouses were similar, which was not the main reason that caused the differences of the temperature environment in the three greenhouses. During the tests, the nighttime average temperature was increased by 2.1-3°C by adding the cover materials, and the duration of nighttime temperature greater than 8°C was increased by 33.5%-38.2%. In addition, the cost is increased by adding the insulation cover materials, but it will be beneficial for greenhouse production to reduce additional energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport safety of radioactive material is of utmost significance, which is mainly based on the safety of packages. In accordance with the IAEA Regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material, radioactive material transport packages undergo rigorous testing under diverse transport conditions including free drop tests and thermal tests. The determination of the appropriate thickness for the insulation layer poses a challenge, as it necessitates the consideration of factors such as the dissipation of internal heat sources and protection against fire accidents. Finite element simulation is usually used for the design and testing of packages. The requirement of the cumulation effect for the drop test and thermal test makes it harder for the finite element method in testing. In this paper, a method for thickness changing of insulation layer thickness in finite element simulation was developed and verified. A radioactive material transport package is taken as an example for the cumulating effect of the drop test and the thermal test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanism and interaction of microRNA-181a (miR-181a), toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in gastric hypersensitivity in diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 65 mg/kg) in female SD rats. Gastric balloon distension technique was used to measure diabetic gastric hypersensitivity. Gastric-specific (T7-T10) dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were acutely dissociated to measure excitabilitywith patch-clamp techniques. Western blotting was employed tomeasure the expressions of TLR4, TRAF6 and NF-κB subunit p65 in T7-T10 DRGs. The expressions of microRNAs in T7-T10 DRGs were measured with quantitative realtime PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect the targeting regulation of microRNAs on TLR4. Results: (1)Diabetic ratsweremore sensitive to graded gastric balloon distention at 2 and 4 weeks. (2) The expression of TLR4 was significantly up-regulated in T7-T10DRGs of diabetic rats. Intrathecal injection of CLI-095 (TLR4-selective inhibitor) attenuated diabetic gastric hypersensitivity, and markedly reversed the hyper-excitability of gastric-specific DRG neurons. (3) The expressions of miR-181a and miR-7a were significantly decreased in diabetic rats. MiR-181a could directly regulate the expression of TLR4, while miR-7a couldn't. (4) Intrathecal injection of miR-181a agomir down-regulated the expression of TLR4, reduced the hyper-excitability of gastric-specific neurons, and alleviated gastric hypersensitivity. (5) p65 and TLR4 were co-expressed in Dil-labeled DRG neurons. (6) Inhibition of p65 attenuated diabetic gastric hypersensitivity and hyperexcitability of gastric-specific DRG neurons. (7) The expression of TRAF6 was significantly up-regulated in diabetic rats. CLI-095 treatment also reduced the expression of TRAF6 and p65.Conclusion: The reduction of microRNA-181a in T7-T10DRGsmight up-regulate TLR4 expression. TLR4 activated NF-κB through MyD88-dependent signaling pathway, increased excitability of gastric-specific DRG neurons, and contributed to diabetic gastric hypersensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrocytes, the multi-functional glial cells with the most abundant population in the brain, integrate information across their territories to regulate neuronal synaptic and cerebrovascular activities. Astrocytic calcium (Ca2+) signaling is the major readout of cellular functional state of astrocytes. The conventional two-photon in vivo imaging usually focuses on a single horizontal focal plane to capture the astrocytic Ca2+ signals, which leaves >80% spatial information undetected. To fully probe the Ca2+ activity across the whole astrocytic territory, we developed a pipeline for imaging and visualizing volumetric astrocytic Ca2+ time-lapse images. With the pipeline, we discovered a new signal distribution pattern from three-dimensional (3D) astrocytic Ca2+ imaging data of mice under isoflurane anesthetic states. The tools developed in this study enable a better understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of astrocytic activity in 3D space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entorhinal cortex neurons make monosynaptic connections onto distal apical dendrites of CA1 and CA2 pyramidal neurons through the perforant path (PP) projection. Previous studies show that differences in dendritic properties and synaptic input density enable the PP inputs to produce a much stronger excitation of CA2 compared with CA1 pyramidal neurons. Here, using mice of both sexes, we report that the difference in PP efficacy varies substantially as a function of presynaptic firing rate. Although a single PP stimulus evokes a 5- to 6-fold greater EPSP in CA2 compared with CA1, a brief high-frequency train of PP stimuli evokes a strongly facilitating postsynaptic response in CA1, with relatively little change in CA2. Furthermore, we demonstrate that blockade of NMDARs significantly reduces strong temporal summation in CA1 but has little impact on that in CA2. As a result of the differences in the frequency- and NMDAR-dependent temporal summation, naturalistic patterns of presynaptic activity evoke CA1 and CA2 responses with distinct dynamics, differentially tuning CA1 and CA2 responses to bursts of presynaptic firing versus single presynaptic spikes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the potential of a serial mediation model to examine the roles of self-esteem and perceived social support in the relationship between trait interpersonal sensitivity and loneliness. We used a two-wave survey to collect data from 761 Chinese students. The structural equation model analysis results show that the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure had good psychometric properties, and that trait interpersonal sensitivity indirectly predicted loneliness through the mediators of self-esteem and perceived social support. Our findings provide valuable guidance for ways to reduce the loneliness of individuals with interpersonal sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Family caregivers are important to older adults' health, but few studies have examined how caregivers' mental health is associated with older adults' cognitive function. This study examined the trajectories of cognitive function of older adults and whether caregivers' depressive symptoms shape the pattern of cognitive function trajectories. Methods: This 6-year longitudinal sample consisted 1188 older adults aged =75 years with deficits in activities of daily living (ADL) and their family caregivers in Shanghai, China (Rounds 1-3). Cognitive function trajectories were identified based on an enhanced group-based trajectory modeling that accounted for nonrandom attrition. Multinomial logistic regression tested the association between caregivers' depressive symptoms and older adults' cognitive function trajectory. Results: Three trajectory groups were identified: a "newly onset" group (50.4%) had an increased risk of being cognitive impaired during the 6-year period; a "never" group (46.2%) remained cognitive active; and a "chronic" group was largely persistently cognitive impaired (3.4%). Caregivers' depressive symptoms increased the relative risk of having the "onset" or "chronic" versus "never" trajectory. Among the four dimensions of depressive symptoms, only somatic complaints were associated with a higher risk of the "newly onset" trajectory in 6 years. Conclusion: The progression of cognitive function among older adults with deficits in ADL followed three distinct trajectories during a 6-year period. Addressing the mental health of caregivers may prevent or delay progression of cognitive impairment among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Received:19December2020 Revised:22January2021 Accepted:25January2021 Publishedonline:4February2021 DOI:10.1002/ctm2.318 LETTER TO EDITOR Identifyingcirculatinggliomacellsandtheirclustersas diagnosticmarkersbyanoveldetectionplatform Deareditor: Diffused glioma is the leading cause of central nervous system tumor-related deaths worldwide. Compared with the extremely low proportion of CTC-CTC clusters, 9 CTC-WBC clusters occurred more frequently (Figure 3A; Clin.Transl.Med.2021;11:e318. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ctm2 1of7 https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.318 2of7 LETTERTOEDITOR FIGURE 1 Operationalprincipleoftheplatform,invitro,andinvivoexperiments.A,Theisolationiscarriedoutusingabiocompatible parylenepolymermembrane.B,ImmunofluorescencestainingforidentificationofCTCandWBC.C,Invitrotest:fortheU87cellline,the captureefficiencywas86.0%,87.0%,86.5%,86.0%,91.3%,and92.9%,respectively. Middle panel: representative image of CTC-WBC clusters isolated from glioma patients. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To study the relationship between the reliability and validity of VES-13 and the influencing factors of the vulnerable condition of patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer, so as to provide a reference for the health management and nursing of elderly inpatients. Methods: By means of convenience sampling, 150 vulnerable patients with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer who were admitted to the Department of Oncology of the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University from April 2019 to March 2020 were selected. General data questionnaire, simple mental state checklist, anxiety self-assessment scale, and the vulnerable elders 13 survey (VES-13) were used in this study. The reliability and validity were tested by SPSS 20.0. Results: For this group of patients, VES-13 Cronbach's α was 0.832, living function was 0.778, body function was 0.846, and the correlation coefficient between items was between 0.401 and 0.823 (P<0.01); the retest reliability was 0.831 (P<0.05), and the correlation coefficient was0.504 (P<0.05). The average time to fill in each scale was 4.53±1.32 Minutes, and general indicators such as economic status and education level were significantly correlated with vulnerability. The clinical indicators of prostate-specific antigen levels, multiple bone metastases, and bone pain were significantly correlated with vulnerability. Conclusion: VES-13 scale had high level of reliability and operability, and was straight forward to understand and use; it can be used as an effective tool for the assessment of vulnerability in patients with advanced prostate cancer. The vulnerability of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer showed significant correlation with economic status, education level, prostate-specific antigen level, multiple bone metastases, bone pain and other indicators. Nursing staff should pay close attention to the relevant factors of inpatients and give targeted advance intervention measures to facilitate rapid recovery of elderly inpatients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Area CA3 in the hippocampus is traditionally thought to act as a homogeneous neural circuit that is vital for spatial navigation and episodic memories. However, recent studies have revealed that CA3 pyramidal neurons in dorsal hippocampus display marked anatomic and functional heterogeneity along the proximodistal (transverse) axis. The hippocampus is also known to be functionally segregated along the dorsoventral (longitudinal) axis, with dorsal hippocampus strongly involved in spatial navigation and ventral hippocampus associated with emotion and anxiety. Surprisingly, however, relatively little is known about CA3 functional heterogeneity along the dorsoventral axis. Here, we carried out mouse-brain-slice patch-clamp recordings and morphological analyses to examine the heterogeneity of CA3 cellular properties along both proximodistal and dorsoventral axes. We find that CA3 pyramidal neurons exhibit considerable heterogeneity of somatodendritic morphology and intrinsic membrane properties, with ventral CA3 (vCA3) displaying more elaborate somatodendritic morphology, lower intrinsic excitability, smaller input resistance, greater cell capacitance, and more prominent hyperpolarization-activated current than dorsal CA3 (dCA3). Furthermore, although both dCA3 and vCA3 exhibit proximal-to-distal gradients in intrinsic properties and neuronal morphology, these proximal-to-distal gradients in vCA3 are more moderate than those in dCA3. Taken together, our results extend previous findings on the proximodistal heterogeneity of dCA3 function and uncover a complex, yet orderly, pattern of topographic organization of CA3 neuronal features that extends to multiple anatomic dimensions and may contribute to its in vivo functional diversity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Area CA3 is a major hippocampal region that is classically thought to act as a homogeneous neural network vital for spatial navigation and episodic memories. Here, we report that CA3 pyramidal neurons exhibit marked heterogeneity of somatodendritic morphology and cellular electrical properties along both proximodistal and dorsoventral axes. These new results uncover a complex, yet orderly, pattern of topographic organization of CA3 neuronal features that may contribute to its in vivo functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental works have exposed that Al-doping in the structure of ZnO nanostructures intensely increases their electronic sensitivity toward various chemicals. Herein, density functional theory calculations were employed to inspect the Al-doping effect on the sensitivity of a ZnO nanosheet (ZnOS) to the isoniazid (IS) drug. The pristine ZnOS physically adsorbs an IS molecule with adsorption energy (Ead) of −6.8 kcal/mol, and the sensing response value of 2.3 at 298 K. Replacing a Zn atom by an Al atom strengthens the interaction, increasing the Ead to −20.8 kcal/mol. Also, the Al-doping significantly increases the sensing response value to 150.3 by rising the electrical conductivity of the sheet. A short recovery time of 11.3 s is predicted for the Al-ZnOS-based sensor. The water solvent somewhat strengthens the interaction of IS drug with the Al-ZnOS, increasing the sensing response from 150.3 to 175.8. We concluded that the Al-doping makes the ZnOS a promising sensor for IS drug detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway is an important mechanism in tumor immune escape, and expression of PD-L1 on tumor cells has been reported more frequently. However, accumulating evidence suggests that PD-1/PD-L1 is also widely expressed on immune cells, and that regulation is also critical for tumor immune responses. In this review, we emphasized that under solid tumor conditions, the immunoregulatory effects of immune cells expressing PD-1 or PD-L1, affected the prognoses of cancer patients. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms that regulate PD-1 or PD-L1 expression on immune cells would provide clear insights into the increased efficacy of anti-PD antibodies and the development of novel tumor immunotherapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the role of humic substances in soils is important for developing and utilizing organic fertilizers or soil amendments for sustainable agriculture. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different fractions of humic acids derived from Leonardite on enzymatic activities and bioavailability of nutrients in a soil. The experiment was carried out by mixing different factions of humic acids with a soil and incubated for 70 d. The treatments included five factions of humic acids (HS1 (low molecular weight), HS2 (medium molecular weight), HS3 (large molecular weight, SED (sediment of fractions), HS (mixture of HS1, HS2, and HS3)), raw Leonardite (IM) and a control (no addition of humic acid). Experimental results showed that application of humic acids significantly improved acid and alkaline phosphatase activities, especially with HS1. Humic substances with high molecular weights significantly inhibit urease activity, and the optimal application rate was 600 kg/hm² of humic substances with the high molecular weights. Concentrations of NH4+-N were decreased with increasing humus applications. All treatments (HSmix, HS1, HS2, HS3, IM, SED) did not affect the soil contents of Ca, although soil concentrations of K, P, Cu, Zn were increase significantly when small molecular weight humus (HS1) was applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: Diabetic neuropathic pain is a refractory and disabling complication of diabetes mellitus. The pathogenesis of the diabetic neuropathic pain is still unclear, and treatment is insufficient. The aim of this study is to investigate the roles of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in neuropathic pain in rats with diabetes. Methods: Type 1 diabetes model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 75 mg/kg) in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency of rats were measured by von Frey filaments and thermal radiation, respectively. The expressions of G6PD and TLR4 in L4-L6 dorsal root ganglions (DRGs) were measured by western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry was employed to detect expressions of G6PD and TLR4 and co-location of G6PD with TLR4. Results: The mRNA and protein expression levels of G6PD in DRGs were significantly decreased in diabetic rats when compared with age-matched control rats. Upregulation of G6PD by intrathecal injection of G6PD overexpression adenovirus markedly attenuated hindpaw pain hypersensitivity of diabetic rats. The mRNA and protein expression levels of TLR4 in DRGs of diabetic rats were significantly increased when compared with control rats. Intrathecal injection of TLR4-selective inhibitor CLI-095 attenuated diabetic pain in dose- and time-dependent manners. Furthermore, G6PD and TLR4 were colocalized in DRG neurons. Intrathecal injection of G6PD overexpression adenovirus greatly reduced TLR4 expression, while intrathecal injection of CLI-095 had no significant effect on G6PD expression in diabetic rats. Conclusions: Our results suggest that decrease in G6PD expression was involved in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, which was most likely through upregulation of TLR4 expression in the DRGs of rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the interventional effect of ShensongYangxin (SSYX) on heart failure (HF) using preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) rat model. Methods: HFpEF rat model was established using abdominal aorta coarctation method and randomly divided into a positive drug control group; SSYX at high, medium, and low dosage groups; and normal control group. After 8 weeks oral treatment of SSYX, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization were used to investigate the effects of SSYX on HFpEF rat cardiac functions, including mean heart rate (HR), left ventricle anterior and posterior wall thicknesses at end diastole (LVAWd + LVPWd), left ventricular internal diameter at end diastole (LVIDd), and left ventricle mass (LVM). Results: SSYX markedly decreased heart weight and improved survival rate (p < 0.01) after 12 weeks of treatment. The expression of NT-proBNP decreased in a dose-dependent manner and was significantly lower in SSYX treatment groups (p < 0.01). Compared with normal control group, expression of CaMK II, PKA and RyR2 was significantly lower (p < 0.005), while expression level of SERCA2a significantly increased after 4 g/kg/day SSYX treatment (p < 0.01). Conclusion: SSYX significantly attenuates HFpEF-induced cardiac dysfunction and increases survival rate, suggesting that SSYX may prevent HF via regulation of cytoplasmic Ca2+ handling. SSYX reduces plasma NT-proBNP levels, lending support for its therapeutic potential in HF management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eusocial insects frequently face death of colony members as a consequence of living in large groups where the success of the colony is not dependent on the fate of the individual. Whereas death of conspecifics commonly triggers aversion in many group-living species due to risk of pathogens, eusocial insects perform cooperative corpse management. The causes and social context of the death, as well as feeding and nesting ecology of the species, influence the way that corpses are treated. The corpse itself releases cues that dictate the colony's response. As a result, social insects exhibit behavioural responses that promote disease resistance, colony defence and nutrient recycling. Corpse management represents a unique adaption that enhances colony success, and is another factor that has enabled eusocial insects to be so successful. In this review, we summarize the causes of death, the sensory detection of death and corpse management strategies of social insects. In addition, we provide insights into the evolution of behavioural response to the dead and the ecological relevance of corpse management. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary thanatology: impacts of the dead on the living in humans and other animals'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective • This study aimed to evaluate the expression of genes involved in cholesterol metabolism and establish their association with oxidative stress (OS). Methods • We employed an in vitro experimental design and cells were divided into six groups: C (control), CH (HepG2 + H2O2), CHN (HepG2 + H2O2 + NAC), F (FFAtreated HepG2), FH (FFA-treated HepG2 + H2O2), and FHN (FFA-treated HepG2 + H2O2 + NAC). Cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay, while successful FFA model establishment was confirmed via Oil Red staining and absorbance. Oxidative stress injury was gauged by measuring ROS, SOD activity, and MDA content. RNA transcription and protein expression of cholesterol-related (DHCR24, DHCR7) and oxidative stress-related (NFE2L2, HMOX1) genes were also examined via RT-qPCR and WB. Results • The impact of H2O2 on cell viability exhibited a time-dose-dependent pattern, paralleling the changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Compared to the C group, FFA treatment led to an increase in Oil Red absorption and MDA content and decreased SOD activity. However, it did not result in a significant reduction in cell viability. The FH group exhibited reduced cell viability and SOD activity, along with a further elevation in MDA content compared to the F group. Furthermore, the increased SOD activity and decreased MDA content observed in the CH group were effectively reversed following NAC treatment. Such a reversal was not evident between the FHN and FH groups. Compared to the control group, genes associated with cholesterol metabolism and oxidative stress (OS) displayed heightened expression levels in the other treatment groups, with the FHN group showing lower expression levels than the FH group. Notably, changes in the protein expressions of DHCR24, DHCR7, NFE2L2, and HMOX1 were consistent and exhibited correlations. Conclusions • Cholesterol metabolism emerges as a potential mechanism underlying H2O2-induced oxidative stress injury in HepG2 cells treated with FFA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the inertial sensor error has been modulated effectively by the Rotation Modulation Technique (RMT), the Rotation Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (RSINS) has been widely used for submarines in order to satisfy the requirement of high-accuracy and long working duration. The performance of the initial alignment is main factor affecting the accuracy of the Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS). The traditional initial alignment algorithm based on the compass method has bad performance when the misalignment angle is large, which will make the submarine SINS fail to launch properly in a complex operating environment. Since the RSINS uses the mathematical platform to calculate the navigation information, it allows multiple algorithms to run simultaneously, and different algorithms do not interact with each other. Thus, to improve the alignment accuracy, an initial alignment algorithm based on the Dual Mathematical Calculation System (DMCS) is proposed; moreover, to solve the problem of large azimuth misalignment angle, an improved DMCS-based alignment algorithm is also presented in this paper. Both simulations and experiments showed that the novel algorithm can effectively improve the initial alignment performance under the large misalignment angle environment, enhancing the environmental suitability of the RSINS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In interactions between poleroviruses and their hosts, few cellular proteins have been identified that directly interact with the multifunctional virus P0 protein. To help explore the functions of P0, we identified a Brassica yellows virus genotype A (BrYV-A) P0BrA-interacting protein from Nicotiana benthamiana, Rubisco assembly factor 2 (NbRAF2), which localizes in the nucleus, cell periphery, chloroplasts, and stromules. We found that its C-terminal domain (amino acids 183-211) is required for self-interaction. A split ubiquitin membrane-bound yeast two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that NbRAF2 interacted with P0BrA, and co-localized in the nucleus and at the cell periphery. Interestingly, the nuclear pool of NbRAF2 decreased in the presence of P0BrA and during BrYV-A infection, and the P0BrA-mediated reduction of nuclear NbRAF2 required dual localization of NbRAF2 in the chloroplasts and nucleus. Tobacco rattle virus-based virus-induced gene silencing of NbRAF2 promoted BrYV-A infection in N. benthamiana, and the overexpression of nuclear NbRAF2 inhibited BrYV-A accumulation. Potato leafroll virus P0PL also interacted with NbRAF2 and decreased its nuclear accumulation, indicating that NbRAF2 may be a common target of poleroviruses. These results suggest that nuclear NbRAF2 possesses antiviral activity against BrYV-A infection, and that BrYV-A P0BrA interacts with NbRAF2 and alters its localization pattern to facilitate virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pore-scale modeling is becoming a hot topic in overall reservoir characterization process. It is an important approach for revealing the flow behaviors in porous media and exploring unknown flow patterns at pore scale. Over the past few decades, many reconstruction methods have been proposed, and among them the simulated annealing method (SAM) is extensively tested and easier to program. However, SAM is usually based on the two-point probability function or linear-path function, which fails to capture much more information on the multipoint connectivity of various shapes. For this reason, a new reconstruction method is proposed to reproduce the characteristics of a two-dimensional (2D) thin section based on the multipoint histogram. First, the two-point correlation coef- ficient matrix will be introduced to determine an optimal unit configuration of a multipoint histogram. Second, five different types of seven-point unit configurations will be used to test the unit configuration selection algorithm. Third, the multipoint histogram technology is used for generating the porous space reconstruction based on the prior unit configuration with a different calculation of the objective function. Finally, the spatial connectivity, patterns reproduction, the local percolation theory (LPT), and hydraulic connectivity are used to compare with those of the reference models. The results show that the multipoint histogram technology can produce better multipoint connectivity information than SAM. The reconstructed system matches the training image very well, which reveals that the reconstruction captures the geometry and topology information of the training image, for instance, the shape and distribution of pore space. The sevenpoint unit configuration is enough to get the spatial characters of the training image. The quality of pattern reproduction of the reconstruction is assessed by computing the multipoint histogram, and the similarity is around 97.3%. Based on the LPT analysis, the multipoint histogram can describe the anticipated patterns of geological heterogeneities and reproduce the connectivity of pore media with a high degree of accuracy. The two-point correlation coefficient matrix and a new construction theory are proposed. The new construction theory provides a stable theory and technology guidance for the study of pore space development and multiphase fluid flow rule in the digital rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with 10 years or more survival (PD-10) are not well characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the main issues facing PD-10 patients and identify factors that independently contributed to quality of life (QoL). Methods: A group of 121 PD-10 patients recruited from outpatient clinics participated in this cross-sectional study. Data on demographic and clinical factors were collected. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify determinants of poor QoL. Results: The entire PD-10 patients had disease duration ranging from 10 to 23 years, with 84.2% of the total cohort skewed to between 10 and 15 years' duration. The PD-10 patients had great frequency of left-sided onset, increased motor and non-motor symptoms as well as inferior QoL. The more advanced stage of disease in PD-10 patients was associated with motor phenotype, freezing of gait, higher UPDRS sub-scores and levodopa equivalent dose, less balanced confidence, fatigue, anxiety, depression, reduced quality of life and worse Timed Up & Go performance. Self-reported mood symptoms, decreased balance confidence and reduced daily activities were the three factors most closely associated with poorer QoL, but excessive daytime sleepiness and long disease duration additionally contributed to the explanatory power. Conclusions: This is the first report to investigate the clinical characteristics of Chinese PD-10 patients. Our study may elucidate an important clue for understanding PD-10 patients in clinical practice and identifying patients with PD at risk for reduced QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to investigate acute kidney injury (AKI) induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MIR) in diabetic rats and elucidate its underlying mechanism. A rat model of MIR was established by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion for 30 min, followed by reperfusion for 2 h. Rats were randomly divided into four groups: i) Sham group, ii) sham + MIR group, iii) diabetic group and iv) diabetes + MIR group. Myocardial injury was detected by plasma creatine kinase isoenzyme MB and lactate dehydrogenase assays. AKI induced by MIR in diabetic rats was characterized by increases in cystatin C and ƒÀ2.microglobulin levels. Oxidative stress injury was accompanied by an increase of malondialdehyde levels and a decrease of total antioxidative capacity in the renal tissues. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of DJ.1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2.related factor 2 (Nrf2) were significantly increased in the diabetes + MIR group compared with that in the sham + MIR and diabetic groups. Taken together, these results suggested that AKI induced by MIR in diabetic rats may be associated with activation of the DJ.1/Nrf2 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the information ambiguity inherent in multi-attribute large group decision-making problems, an interval 2-tuple linguistic large group decision-making method based on multi-granularity attributes is proposed. Considering the preferences of individual decision makers, the group is clustered and classified to form an aggregate structure. The twolayer weight model is developed from the decision makers' different contribution to the existing clusters' and different contribution of different clusters. The possible degree formula for expansion is used to calculate the weighted value of the decision makers in all clusters. Fuzzy entropy is used to confirm the weighted value of each cluster, and the fuzzy relative entropy is then used to sort the schemes. Finally, an illustrative example indicates that the proposed model is feasible and effective for large group decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This presentation of two cases and literature review discusses the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of high-grade glioma with extracranial metastases. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical features of two cases of malignant glioma, including metastatic sites, pathological data and treatment methods, and a literature review was performed. Results: Two patients developed extracranial metastases within 1 year after surgery for primary glioma. One patient developed cervical lymph node and bone metastases while the other developed bone metastases and both patients died within 2 months after the diagnosis of the extracranial metastasis. Conclusion: Extracranial metastases may develop from malignant gliomas. According to the literature, the most common extracranial site is intraspinal (along the neural axis), followed by the vertebrae, lungs, liver and lymph nodes. The complex metastatic mechanism remains unclear and the prognosis is very poor, with a survival duration of less than 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security of natural gas supply and demand has always been an important topic, and as a result, analyzing and predicting the supply and demand of natural gas has received considerable attention from researchers. Numerous studies have extensively researched the supply and demand of natural gas. The main purpose of this study is to explore the supply‐demand balance mechanism for natural gas security. A system dynamics model is constructed to assess the supply and demand of natural gas in Sichuan Province, China. A new system dynamics model based on domestic gas, production gas, ecological environment and natural gas supply is proposed. The study considers four scenarios: natural development, economic priority development, environmental priority development and coordinated development. The results show that the rapid economic development has led to an excessive environmental carrying capacity, a larger gap between natural gas supply and demand, a decline in the quality of life of residents, and even affected the energy security of Sichuan Province and China. The findings also show that people's overprotection of the environment can lead to slow economic development, which prevents it from achieving its desired goals. The coordinated development scenario in this paper not only ensures the production of natural gas and the quality of life of residents, but also is an optimal scheme with low energy consumption and pollution. According to the research conclusions, considering the overall situation of China's energy security and the situation in Sichuan Province, the author proposes reforms from the supply and demand sides of natural gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using of the bilinear form, rational solutions and lump solutions of the potential Yu-Toda-Sasa- Fukuyama (YTSF) equation are derived. Dynamics of the fundamental lump solution, n1-order lump solutions, and N-lump solutions are studied for some special cases. We also find some interaction behaviours of solitary waves and one lump of rational solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Multiple Mobile Robot (MMR) cooperative system is becoming a focus of study in various fields due to its advantages, such as high efficiency and good fault tolerance. However, the uncertainty and nonlinearity problems severely limit the cooperative localization accuracy of the MMR system. Thus, to solve the problems mentioned above, this manuscript presents a cooperative localization algorithm for MMR systems based on Cubature Kalman Filter (CKF) and adaptive Variance Component Estimation (VCE) methods. In this novel algorithm, a nonlinear filter named CKF is used to enhance the cooperative localization accuracy and reduce the computational load. On the other hand, the adaptive VCE method is introduced to eliminate the effects of unknown system noise. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with that of the cooperative localization algorithm based on normal CKF by utilizing the real experiment data. In addition, the results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the CKF cooperative localization algorithm both in accuracy and consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrier recombination behavior in c-plane GaN-based laser diodes (LDs) is numerically investigated by using the commercial software LASTIP. It is found that efficiency droop phenomenon does exist in GaN-based LDs before lasing, which is confirmed by experimental results. However, the current density corresponding to the peak efficiency of GaN-based LDs before lasing, Jmax, is nearly 40 A/cm2, which is much lower than that reported by other studies. The reported Jmax, measured from the cavity facet side is modulated by the absorption of quantum wells, which shifts the Jmax to a higher value. In addition, the currents due to various recombinations are calculated. It is found that Auger recombination affects the threshold current greatly, but it only plays a small role at high current injection levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidosomes have attracted great interest in recent years because of their capability for storage and delivery of small molecules for medical and pharmaceutical applications. However, traditional polymer shell colloidosomes leak low molecular weight drugs due to their intrinsic shell permeability. Here, we report aqueous core colloidosomes with a silver shell, which seals the core and makes the shell impermeable. The silver-coated colloidosomes were prepared by reacting l-ascorbic acid in the microcapsule core with silver nitrate in the wash solution. The silver shell colloidosomes were then modified by using 4,4'-dithiodibutyric acid and cross-linked with rabbit Immunoglobulin G (IgG). Label-free surface plasmon resonance was used to test the specific targeting of the functional silver shell with rabbit antigen. To break the shells, ultrasound treatment was used. The results demonstrate that a new type of functional silver-coated colloidosome with immunoassay targeting, nonpermeability, and ultrasound sensitivity could be applied to many medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical scanning holography (OSH) is a distinct digital holography technique, which uses a single two-dimensional (2D) scanning process to record the hologram of a three-dimensional (3D) object. Usually, these 2D scanning processes are in the form of mechanical scanning, and the quality of recorded hologram may be affected due to the limitation of mechanical scanning accuracy and unavoidable vibration of stepper motor’s start-stop. In this paper, we propose a new framework, which replaces the 2D mechanical scanning mirrors with a Digital Micro-mirror Device (DMD) to modulate the scanning light field, and we call it OSH based on Compressive Sensing (CS) using a digital micro-mirror device (CS-OSH). CS-OSH can reconstruct the hologram of an object through the use of compressive sensing theory, and then restore the image of object itself. Numerical simulation results confirm this new type OSH can get a reconstructed image with favorable visual quality even under the condition of a low sample rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation plays a significant role in protecting hosts against pathogens. Inflammation induced by noninfectious endogenous agents can be detrimental and, if excessive, can result in organ and tissue damage. The inflammasome is a major innate immune pathway that can be activated via both exogenous pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Inflammasome activation involves formation and oligomerization of a protein complex including a nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR), an adaptor protein and pro-caspase-1. This then allows cleavage and activation of caspase-1, followed by downstream cleavage and release of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 from innate immune cells. Hyperinflammation caused by unrestrained inflammasome activation is linked with multiple inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. So there is an understandable rush to understand mechanisms that regulate such potent inflammatory pathways. Autophagy has now been identified as a main regulator of inflammasomes. Autophagy is a vital intracellular process involved in cellular homeostasis, recycling and removal of damaged organelles (eg, mitochondria) and intracellular pathogens. Autophagy is regulated by proteins that are important in endosomal/phagosomal pathways, as well as by specific autophagy proteins coded for by autophagy- related genes. Cytosolic components are surrounded and contained by a double-membraned vesicle, which then fuses with lysosomes to enable degradation of the contents. Autophagic removal of intracellular DAMPs, inflammasome components or cytokines can reduce inflammasome activation. Similarly, inflammasomes can regulate the autophagic process, allowing for a two-way mutual regulation of inflammation that may hold the key for treatment of multiple diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the traditional probabilistic neural network (PNN) cannot systematically solve the difficulty of estimating probability function and the high space complexity, this paper introduces backpropagation (BP) algorithm into the classical PNN. By designing appropriate error function and BP algorithm based on the steepest descent, an improved BP-PNN is presented, with its algorithm and effectiveness deduced. Three synthetic datasets and ten benchmark problems have been tested, compared with Probabilistic Neural Networks (PNN), Multi-Layered Perceptron (MLP) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The results prove that (1) the accuracy of classification of BP-PNN is much higher than PNN, and it has a significant advantage compared with MLP and SVM; (2) BP-PNN has strong capacity to identify the importance of input indicators; (3) BP-PNN is a new pattern classification method to estimate the probabilistic function, reduce the space complexity and identify the importance of the indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the past few decades have witnessed the great development of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) technology in the monitoring of landslides, such applications are limited by geometric distortions and ambiguity of 1D Line-Of-Sight (LOS) measurements, both of which are the fundamental weakness of InSAR. Integration of multi-sensor InSAR datasets has recently shown its great potential in breaking through the two limits. In this study, 16 ascending images from the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) and 18 descending images from the Environmental Satellite (ENVISAT) have been integrated to characterize and to detect the slow-moving landslides in Zhouqu, China between 2008 and 2010. Geometric distortions are first mapped by using the imaging geometric parameters of the used SAR data and public Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data of Zhouqu, which allow the determination of the most appropriate data assembly for a particular slope. Subsequently, deformation rates along respective LOS directions of ALOS ascending and ENVISAT descending tracks are estimated by conducting InSAR time series analysis with a Temporarily Coherent Point (TCP)-InSAR algorithm. As indicated by the geometric distortion results, 3D deformation rates of the Xieliupo slope at the east bank of the Pai-lung River are finally reconstructed by joint exploiting of the LOS deformation rates from cross-heading datasets based on the surface-parallel flow assumption. It is revealed that the synergistic results of ALOS and ENVISAT datasets provide a more comprehensive understanding and monitoring of the slow-moving landslides in Zhouqu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Post-translational modification, abbreviated as PTM, refers to the change of the amino acid side chains of a protein after its biosynthesis. Owing to its significance for in-depth understanding various biological processes and developing effective drugs, prediction of PTM sites in proteins have currently become a hot topic in bioinformatics. Although many computational methods were established to identify various single-label PTM types and their occurrence sites in proteins, no method has ever been developed for multi-label PTM types. As one of the most frequently observed PTMs, the K-PTM, namely, the modification occurring at lysine (K), can be usually accommodated with many different types, such as 'acetylation', 'crotonylation', 'methylation' and 'succinylation'. Now we are facing an interesting challenge: given an uncharacterized protein sequence containing many K residues, which ones can accommodate two or more types of PTM, which ones only one, and which ones none?. Results: To address this problem, a multi-label predictor called iPTM-mLys has been developed. It represents the first multi-label PTM predictor ever established. The novel predictor is featured by incorporating the sequence-coupled effects into the general PseAAC, and by fusing an array of basic random forest classifiers into an ensemble system. Rigorous cross-validations via a set of multi-label metrics indicate that the first multi-label PTM predictor is very promising and encouraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α-solanine, a bioactive component and one of the major steroidal glycoalkaloids in potatoes, has been observed to inhibit growth and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. However, the antitumor efficacy of α-solanine on esophageal carcinoma has yet to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the antitumor efficacy of α-solanine against human esophageal carcinoma cells was investigated. It was determined that α-solanine inhibited the growth and proliferation of human esophageal EC9706 and Eca109 cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, as well as the cell migration and invasion. In addition, the apoptotic rate was increased in the cancer cells treated with α-solanine in a dose-dependent manner, compared with that of the control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of tumor metastasis-related proteins, including matrix metal-loproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, were reduced in the cells treated with α-solanine, as compared with the control group. Conversely, significantly higher expression levels of E-cadherin were detected in the α-solanine-treated groups, as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Therefore, the current results provide a novel insight into the anti-tumor mechanism of α-solanine, and suggest that α-solanine is a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of esophageal carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the quantitative refractive index (RI) imaging of cocultured cells in their living environment by scanning focused refractive index microscopy (SFRIM). Mouse microglial cells and synovial cells are cocultured on the top surface of a trapezoid prism. The RI imaging of living cells is obtained in a reflection-type method. The RI information is deduced with the simple derivative total internal reflection method, where a complex retrieval algorithm or reconstruction process is unnecessary. The outline of each cell is determined according to the RI value compared with that of the immersion liquid. The cocultured cells can be discriminated in the RI image. The measurement is nondestructive and label-free. The experimental results prove that SFRIM is a promising tool in the field of biological optics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high pathogenicity to organisms and high destructiveness in the natural environment determine the utmost importance of removing Cr(VI) from water. Herein, thiourea crosslinked-amino modified graphene nanoflakes (TAGN) was prepared by simple ring opening reaction and silanization reaction and the Cr(VI) adsorption performance was investigated. Results manifested that TAGN presented three-dimensional porous structure with abundant folds and avoided agglomeration. The adsorption experiments indicated that the optimal test pH value was 2 and the most suitable adsorbent dosage was 1 g/L. Under the optimum adsorption conditions, TAGN exhibited an outstanding adsorption capacity of 193.77 mg/g for Cr(VI) in water. Various characterizations and tests such as Zeta potential, FTIR, XPS as well as isotherms and kinetics revealed that the adsorption of TAGN for Cr(VI) was more consistent with Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, confirming a multilayer chemisorption process dominated by multiple combination mechanisms: electrostatic interaction, reduction reaction, complexation and hydrogen bonding interaction. Under the condition of coexistence of multiple metal ions, the TAGN could still maintain superb selectivity of 63.9% towards Cr(VI). After ten cycling test, 81.8% removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was guaranteed. Therefore, TAGN possessed high adsorption capacity, excellent selectivity and prominent cyclic regeneration ability. This work provided a promising nanosorbent for the field of water cleaning, especially for the elimination of heavy metal ions. [Display omitted] • Thiourea crosslinked-amino modified graphene nanoflakes were fabricated via simple ring opening reactions and silanation reactions. •The adsorbent presented three-dimensional porous structure with abundant folds and avoided agglomeration. •The adsorbent displayed outstanding purification efficiency towards Cr(VI). •Superior selectivity in highly concentrated polymetallic solutions was achieved. •Remarkable stability in the cyclic test was obtained for the neoteric sorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-target tracking system is used to distinguish the class from different targets and obtain the trajectory of all targets from multiple information systems. As a significant and novel information fusion method, evidence theory has been used in multi-target tracking system. The evidence combination rule which is the core of evidence theory is turning into a new research emphasis. Yager combination rule which defined in DST is an effective solution. PCR5 and PCR6 are proposed in DSmT which is an extension of DST. But because of the huge computation problem, the use of PCR5 and PCR6 in information fusion is restricted especially in real-time environment. In order to overcome the huge computation drawback of PCR5/6, a novel evidence combination rule, mixture combination rule (MCR) is proposed in this paper. MCR combines the advantages of PCR5/6 and YGR and switches its combination rule between PCR5/6 and YGR after making a judgment of decision stability. The simulation test on MCR is also done and the test results show that the computation load of MCR is largely reduced compared with PCR5/6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The G2385R variant of the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is strongly associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in Asian populations. However, it is still unclear whether the clinical phenotype of PD patients with the G2385R variant can be distinguished from that of patients with idiopathic PD. In this study, we investigated motor and non-motor symptoms of LRRK2 G2385R variant carriers in a Chinese population. We genotyped 1031 Chinese PD patients for the G2385R variant of the LRRK2 gene, and examined the demographic and clinical characteristics of LRRK2 G2385R variant carrier and non-carrier PD patients. LRRK2 G2385R variant carriers were more likely to present the postural instability and gait difficulty dominant (PIGD) phenotype. This variant was also significantly associated with motor fluctuations and the levodopa equivalent dose (LED). G2385R variant carriers had higher REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) score and more RBD symptoms compared with non-carriers. We concluded that the G2385R variant could be a risk factor for the PIGD phenotype, motor fluctuations, LED values and RBD symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfhydryl-containing proteins play critical roles in various physiological and biological processes, and the activities of those proteins have been reported to be susceptible to thiol oxidation. Therefore, the development of protein thiol target fluorescent probe is highly desirable. In the present work, a biotinylated coumarin fluorescence "off-on" probe SQ for selectively detecting protein thiols in biotin receptor-positive cancer cells was designed with a 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfony as the thiol receptor. The probe exhibited dramatic fluorescence responses toward sulfhydryl-containing proteins (ovalbumin (OVA), bovine serum albumin (BSA)): up to 170-fold fluorescence enhancement with 70 nm blue-shift was observed with the addition of OVA. However, low molecular weight thiols (Cys, glutathione (GSH), Hey) caused negligible fluorescence changes of SQ In addition, biotin receptor-positive Hela cells displayed strong red and green fluorescence after incubation of SQfor 1 h; neither red nor green fluorescence signal could be visualized in biotin-negative normal lung Wi38 cells. These results imply that the probe has potential application in fluorescent imaging protein thiols on the surface of Hela cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure formation during a liquid-liquid phase transformation of immiscible alloys remains an unsolved scientific problem. In this work, casting experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of TiC particles on the liquid-liquid phase transformation of Al-Pb alloys. SEM and EDS investigations reveal that TiC particles can be used as inoculants for the nucleation of the Pb-rich droplets during the liquid-liquid decomposition of Al-Pb alloys and promote the formation of Al-Pb alloy with a dispersed microstructure. A model was developed to describe the kinetic behavior of TiC particles and the precipitation of the Pb rich droplets in the melt. The dissolution, coarsening and precipitation of TiC particles during the whole process from the very beginning of the addition of TiC into the melt till the liquid-liquid phase transformation of the Al-Pb alloy were calculated. It is demonstrated that if the number density of the TiC particles in the melt cooled to the binodal line temperature of Al-Pb alloys is high enough, the addition of TiC causes a refinement of the Pb-rich droplets/particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological and functional alterations of hepatic mitochondria have been docu- mented in patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Our recent study demonstrated that zinc level was decreased in whole liver and mitochondria by chronic alcohol feeding. The present study was undertaken to determine whether zinc deficiency mediates alcohol- induced mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) defect and whether defective ETC function may lead to generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Male Wistar rats were pair fed with the Lieber-DeCarli control or ethanol diet for 5 mo. Chronic alcohol exposure increased hepatic triglyceride, free fatty acid, and 4-hy- droxynonenal (4HNE) levels; meanwhile hepatic mitochondrial 4HNE level was also increased. Moreover, hepatic mitochondrial respiratory complexes I, III, IV, and V and hepatic ATP production were decreased by chronic alcohol exposure. Chronic alcohol feeding decreased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coacti- vator-1-alpha (PGC1a.), nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), mito- chondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), and mitochondrial DNA. HepG2 cells were treated with N,N,N=,N=-tetrakis (2-pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine (TPEN) for 6 h. Zinc deficiency significantly de- creased mitochondrial respiratory complexes I, III, and IV. In addi- tion, PGC1a., NRF1, and TFAM levels as well as mitochondrial DNA were significantly decreased by TPEN treatment. Knockdown of mitochondrial respiratory complexes I, III, or IV by shRNA caused a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential and an increase in ROS production. These results suggest that alcohol-induced hepatic zinc deficiency could inactivate mitochondrial biogenesis pathway and decrease mitochondrial DNA replication, which, in turn, decreases mitochondrial complex protein expression. The defect of mitochon- drial respiratory complexes may worsen alcohol-induced ROS pro- duction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combustionheats of FOX-7 and its five closed-loop derivativeswere determined and the standard molar enthalpies of formation (ΔfH°m) were obtained. The sequenceof combustion heat for the six compounds is DNDH > MDNZ > DNDX> DNDZ> DDNI > FOX-7. Combustion heat tends to rise with the increaseofthe number of C atoms in the molecule. Specific heat capacities weremeasured, and the standard molar heat capacities of the six compoundsare (176.59, 205.41, 207.76, 218.89, 217.76, and 215.40) J·mol–1·K–1, respectively. The specificheat capacity presents an opposite change rule with combustion heat.To the isomers and the introduction of hydroxyl group, the changerule is the same. Moreover, the introduction of hydroxyl group canmarkedly decrease the combustion heat and specific heat capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel feature extraction method for intrusion event recognition within a phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer (Φ-OTDR) sensing system. Feature extraction of time domain signals in these systems is time-consuming and may lead to inaccuracies due to noise disturbances. The recognition accuracy and speed of current systems cannot meet the requirements of Φ-OTDR online vibration monitoring systems. In the method proposed in this paper, the time-space domain signal is used for feature extraction instead of the time domain signal. Feature vectors are obtained from morphologic features of time-space domain signals. A scatter matrix is calculated for the feature selection. Experiments show that the feature extraction method proposed in this paper can greatly improve recognition accuracies, with a lower computation time than traditional methods, i.e., a recognition accuracy of 97.8% can be achieved with a recognition time of below 1 s, making it is very suitable for Φ-OTDR system online vibration monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connexins, gap junction proteins, have short half-lives of only a few hours; therefore, degradation of these proteins can rapidly modulate their function. Autophagy is a type of degradation pathway that has been implicated in several diseases and was reported to be induced following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of neuronic autophagy in proteolysis of phosphorylated connexin 43 (p-Cx43) in hippocampal astrocytes following TBI in rats. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence showed a TBI-induced increase in levels of astrocytic p-Cx43 following treatment with 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, in the hippocampus. Internalized gap junctions were observed in the neuronic cytoplasm using transmission electron microscopy. These results demonstrated that neuronic autophagy may regulate cellular levels of p-Cx43 in hippocampal astrocytes following TBI. This therefore indicated that the persistence of p-Cx43 accumulation was due to insufficient degradation capacity of constitutive autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]