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With the expansion and implementation of rural revitalization strategies, there is a constant need for new energy sources for the construction of new townships. Consequently, integrated energy systems with the interconnection and interaction of multiple energy sources are developing rapidly. Biomass energy, a renewable green energy source with low pollution and wide distribution, has significant application potential in integrated energy systems. Considering the application of biomass energy in townships, this study established an integrated biomass energy system and proposed a model to optimize its operation. Lowest economic cost and highest clean energy utilization rate were considered as the objective functions. In addition, a plan was suggested to adjust the heat-electricity ratio based on the characteristics of the combined heat and power of the biomass. Finally, a simulation analysis conducted for a town in China was discussed, demonstrating that the construction of a township integrated-energy system and the use of biomass can significantly reduce operating costs and improve the energy utilization rate. Moreover, by adjusting the heat-electricity ratio, the economic cost was further reduced by 6.70%, whereas the clean energy utilization rate was increased by 5.14%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the publication of AAPM Task Group (TG) 148 on quality assurance (QA) for helical tomotherapy, there have been many new developments on the tomotherapy platform involving treatment delivery, on-board imaging options, motion management, and treatment planning systems (TPSs). In response to a need for guidance on quality control (QC) and QA for these technologies, the AAPM Therapy Physics Committee commissioned TG 306 to review these changes and make recommendations related to these technology updates.The specific objectives of this TG were (1) to update, as needed, recommendations on tolerance limits, frequencies and QC/QA testing methodology in TG 148, (2) address the commissioning and necessary QA checks,as a supplement to Medical Physics Practice Guidelines (MPPG) with respect to tomotherapy TPS and (3) to provide risk-based recommendations on the new technology implemented clinically and treatment delivery workflow. Detailed recommendations on QA tests and their tolerance levels are provided for dynamic jaws, binary multileaf collimators,and Synchrony motion management. A subset of TPS commissioning and QA checks in MPPG 5.a. applicable to tomotherapy are recommended. In addition, failure mode and effects analysis has been conducted among TG members to obtain multi-institutional analysis on tomotherapy-related failure modes and their effect ranking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a fatal B-cell lymphoma caused by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection. Inducing KSHV lytic replication that causes the death of host cells is an attractive treatment approach for PE; however, combination therapy inhibiting viral production is frequently needed to improve its outcomes. We have previously shown that the KSHV lytic protein K-bZIP can SUMOylate histone lysine demethylase 4A (KDM4A) at lysine 471 (K471) and this SUMOylation is required for virus production upon KSHV reactivation. Here, we demonstrate that SUMOylation of KDM4A orchestrates PEL cell survival, a major challenge for the success of PEL treatment; and cell movement and angiogenesis, the cell functions contributing to PEL cell extravasation and dissemination. Furthermore, integrated ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analyses identified interleukin-10 (IL-10), an immunosuppressive cytokine, as a novel downstream target of KDM4A. We demonstrate that PEL-induced angiogenesis is dependent on IL-10. More importantly, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis demonstrated that, at the late stage of KSHV reactivation, KDM4A determines the fates of PEL cells, as evidenced by two distinct cell populations; one with less apoptotic signaling expresses high levels of viral genes and the other is exactly opposite, while KDM4A-K417R-expressing cells contain only the apoptotic population with less viral gene expression. Consistently, KDM4A knockout significantly reduced cell viability and virus production in KSHV-reactivated PEL cells. Since inhibiting PEL extravasation and eradicating KSHV-infected PEL cells without increasing viral load provide a strong rationale for treating PEL, this study indicates targeting KDM4A as a promising therapeutic option for treating PEL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical education and training in Singapore has evolved from the early days of informal, unstructured training to formalised training programmes and assessments. During the colonial period, the first medical school was founded in 1905 but it was not until 1921 when a formal Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree was offered. Post-graduate training only started after World War II, with support from the Royal Colleges in UK and Australia. With the formation of the Academy of Medicine and the School of Postgraduate Medical Studies, a formal, structured postgraduate training programme was started in 1970, and a formal exit degree was established as the Masters of Medicine (Surgery). The training programme was structured as basic surgical training (BST) followed by advanced surgical training (AST), initially as 3 years each (3 + 3 model) and later as 2 years BST followed by 4 years AST (2 + 4 model). The exit examination was converted to a conjoint tripartite examination with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong for quality assurance. In 2010, the US-style residency programme was introduced to replace the previous BST-AST programme, and a written examination component was set up to augment the conjoint exit examination. This article attempts to narrate the evolution of surgical training in Singapore and the current and future problems facing surgical training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new phenylspirodrimane-type analog, named stachartin G (1), was isolated from the tin mine tailings-associated fungus Stachybotrys chartarum. Its chemical structure was determined using a combination of spectroscopic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy have been utilized to investigate lithium dynamics within poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based lithium sulfonate ionomers of varying ion content. The ion content is set by the fraction of sulfonated phthalates and the molecular weight of the PEO spacer, both of which can be varied independently. The molecular level dynamics of the ionomers are dominated by either Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann or Arrhenius behavior depending on ion content, spacer length, temperature, and degree of ionic aggregation. In these ionomers the main determinants of the self-diffusion of lithium and the observed conductivities are the ion content and ionic states of the lithium ion, which are profoundly affected by the interactions of the lithium ions with the ether oxygens of the polymer. Since many lithium ions move by segmental polymer motion in the ion pair state, their diffusion is significantly larger than that estimated from conductivity using the Nernst-Einstein equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Q-systems are unitary versions of Frobenius algebra objects which appeared in the theory of subfactors. In recent joint work with R. Hern´andez Palomares and C. Jones, the authors defined a notion of Q-system completion for C*/W* 2-categories, which is a unitary version of a higher idempotent completion in the spirit of Douglas-Reutter and Gaiotto-Johnson-Freyd. In this article, we prove that Q-system completion is a † 3-functor on the † 3-category of C*/W* 2-categories. We also prove that Q-system completion satisfies a universal property analogous to the universal property satisfied by idempotent completion for 1-categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tailing dams and waste dumps formed by the accumulation of mine wastes are usually at long-term unsaturated state under evaporation and consolidated drainage conditions. Soil-water retention relation is one of the key constitutive relations to analyze the seepage processes in tailing dams and waste dumps. In this study, typical coarse- and fine-grained tailings from a metallurgical mine were chosen to study the soil-water retention characteristics of the tailing samples. To begin with, the relationship between volumetric water content and suction of the tailing samples was experimentally measured, and typical soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) (i.e., Gardner, van Genuchten and Fredlund-Xing curves) were applied to fit the experimental data. After that, four empirical models to estimate the parameters in SWCCs (i.e., Aubertin-1998 model, Aubertin-2003 model, Vanapalli-2005 model and Chin-2010 model) were tested, and the Vanapalli-2005 model was the best-fit model for the tailing samples. Furthermore, this study proposes a generalized emergency risk assessment soil-water retention characteristics model for tailing dams and waste dumps, and a framework for the quick estimation of parameters in the SWCC is proposed as well. The recommended soil-water retention characteristics model and the related parameters can be used to predict water levels in tailing dams and waste dumps, which are very helpful for emergency risk assessment under rainstorm or flooding conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human skeleton extraction is a basic problem in the field of computer vision. With the rapid progress of science and technology, it has become a hot issue in the field of target detection such as pedestrian recognition, behavior monitoring, and pedestrian gesture recognition. In recent years, due to the development of deep neural networks, modeling of human joints in acquired images has made progress in skeleton extraction. However, most models have low modeling accuracy, poor real-time performance, and poor model availability. problem. Aiming at the above-mentioned human target detection problem, this paper uses the deep learning skeleton sequence model gesture recognition method in sports scenes to study, aiming to provide a gesture recognition method with strong noise resistance, good real-time performance and accurate model. This article uses motion video frame images to train the VGG16 network. Using the network to extract skeleton information can strengthen the posture feature expression, and use HOG for feature extraction, and use the Adam algorithm to optimize the network to extract more posture features, thereby improving the posture of the network Recognition accuracy. Then adjust the hyperparameters and network structure of the basic network according to the training results, and obtain the key poses in the sports scene through the final classifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetics and stereochemistry of the reactions of iminium ions derived from cinnamaldehydes and MacMillan's imidazolidinones with diphenyldiazomethane and aryldiazomethanes were investigated experimentally and with DFT calculations. The reactions of diphenyldiazomethane with iminium ions derived from MacMillan's second‐generation catalysts gave 3‐aryl‐2,2‐diphenylcyclopropanecarbaldehydes with yields >90 % and enantiomeric ratios of ≥90:10. Predominantly 2:1 products were obtained from the corresponding reactions with monoaryldiazomethanes. The measured rate constants are in good agreement with the rate constants derived from the one‐center nucleophilicity parameters N and sN of diazomethanes and the one‐center electrophilicity parameters E of iminium ions as well as with quantum chemically calculated activation energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of high-performance mid- and far-infrared (IR) nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals is an urgent need. Herein, a new Hg-based selenide Hg7P2Se12 (HPSe) is designed and synthesized by a rigid and flexible units coupled strategy. It is interesting that in the compound, three types of NLO-active units, including linear [HgSe2], triangular [HgSe3], and tetrahedral (MSe4) (M= Hg/P) groups, simultaneously exist. It shows a wide transparency range (0.84-22.8 µm), large SHG response (1 x AGS), high laser-induced damage threshold (≈ 2 x AGS), and a large birefringence (0.102 @2090 nm). Moreover, the compound melts congruently along with good crystal growth habits, and single crystals with a maximum size of ≈ 7 x 5 x 2 mm³ are obtained. Theoretical analyses confirm that the large NLO response originates from the synergistic effects of Hg-Se units, (PSe4) and nonbonding electrons. The results indicate that HPSe is a promising mid- and far-IR NLO material, and inspire a path to finding new classes of IR NLO materials that are different from traditional chalcopyrite materials by grouping the linear, planar, and tetrahedral units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new magnetic resonance technique, DDIF (the decay of magnetization due to diffusion in the internal field), was combined with mercury porosimetry to investigate pore geometry, including pore- and throat-size distribution, and pore connectivity for porous media. A comparison of DDIF spectra for a fully water saturated Berea sandstone, with the partially saturated sample by centrifugation in air, indicated that DDIF can be used for the measurement of water filled pore size distribution in partially saturated porous media. Dynamic water imbibition into air-filled Berea sandstone was studied using the DDIF technique. Simultaneously, in situ three-dimensional saturation and capillary driven water penetration were monitored using Conical-SPRITE, which is a rapid, centric scanning, spin-density weighted single point three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging technique. These measurements provide direct evidence for differences in the pore filling mechanisms for co-current imbibition and counter-current imbibition in Berea sandstone. During co-current imbibition, water flows through the pores and connected throats with a piston-type mechanism. Air is displaced from the sample by the leading edge of the waterfront, resulting in a macroscopic piston-like flow through the entire sample. During counter-current imbibition, water flows through the pores and connected throats with a film-like structure along the corners and surfaces of the pore space. Air escapes from the sample by flowing through the center of the pores and pore throats, in the opposite direction. Once the penetrating waterfronts meet, at the sample center, there is a global, uniform increase in water content. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a major cause of death associated with nonmelanoma skin cancer. The involvement of homeobox B7 ( HOXB7) in cancers has been reported. Thus, the current study intends to explore the effect of HOXB7 on CSCC and its relationship with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Initially, microarray-based gene expression profiling of CSCC was performed, and HOXB7 was identified as an upregulated gene based on the microarray data of GSE66359 . Following this, the experimental results indicated that HOXB7 and β-catenin formed a composite, demonstrating that endogenous HOXB7 binds to β-catenin. Subsequently, CSCC cells were treated with siRNA against HOXB7 or an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway to analyze any underlying regulatory mechanism of HOXB7 on the CSCC cells. Tumor growth involving xenografts in nude mice was also observed so as to explore whether or not HOXB7 could regulate subcutaneous tumor growth through in vivo culturing. To investigate the potential effects of HOXB7 on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, we determined the expression of HOXB7 and downstream genes of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Notably, siRNA-mediated knockdown of HOXB7 inhibited the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby impeding the progression of cell viability, migration, and invasion as well as of the tumor growth, although contrarily facilitating cell apoptosis. Taken together, silencing of the HOXB7 has the mechanism of inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby accelerating cell apoptosis and suppressing cell migration and invasion in CSCC, which could provide a candidate target for the CSCC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for ovarian cancer treatment improves patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess disparities associated with ovarian cancer treatment in the state of Kentucky and central Appalachia.Methods: Data on patients diagnosed as having ovarian cancer from 2007 through 2011 were extracted from administrative claims-linked Kentucky Cancer Registry data. NCCN compliance was defined by stage, grade, surgical procedure, and chemotherapy. Selection criteria were reviewed carefully to ensure data quality and accuracy. Descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and Cox regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with guidelines compliance and survival.Results: Most women were aged 65 years or older (62.5%) and had high-grade (65.9%) and advanced-stage (61.0%) ovarian cancer. Two-thirds of cases (65.9%) received NCCN-recommended treatment for ovarian cancer. The hazard ratio of death for women who did not receive NCCN-compliant care was 62% higher compared with the women who did receive NCCN-compliant treatment. Results from the logistic regression showed that NCCN-compliant treatment was more likely for women aged 65 to 74 years compared with women aged 20 to 49 years, late-stage compared with early-stage cancers, receipt of care at tertiary care hospitals, and privately insured compared with Medicaid or Medicare.Conclusions: When the treatment of ovarian cancer did not follow NCCN recommendations, patients had a significantly higher risk of death. Women were less likely to receive NCCN-compliant care if they were younger (20-49 years), had early-stage disease, did not have private insurance, or had care provided at a nontertiary care hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade witnessed a paradigm shift concerning the impact of functional diversity on ecosystem functioning, and biological invasions have led to profound effects on functional diversity. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of exotic plants on macrobenthic functional diversity is not available for mangrove ecosystems. The macrobenthic functional feeding groups were compared in (1) a noninvaded stand vs. an Spartina alterniflora-invaded stand of the mangrove tree Avicennia marina (a mixture of A. marina and S. alterniflora) and (2) a noninvaded unvegetated shoal vs. an invaded shoal (a S. alterniflora monoculture) in Zhanjiang, China. The results indicated that the phytophagous group was the dominant functional feeding group regardless of habitat or macrobenthic parameter (species richness, abundance, and biomass) percentages. For all macrobenthic parameters, the carnivorous percentages were significantly higher in the S. alterniflora and A. marina mixture than in the A. marina monoculture. Except for species richness, the same was true for the S. alterniflora monoculture compared to the unvegetated shoal. The presence of the exotic cordgrass S. alterniflora is likely to attract more carnivorous macrobenthic fauna in a Zhanjiang mangrove ecosystem. Further analysis revealed that the sediment silt and plant density were the principal environmental variables determining the composition proportion of macrobenthic functional feeding groups. The lower sediment silt proportion and higher plant density ascribed to S. alterniflora invasions might be responsible for the changes in the proportion of macrobenthic functional feeding groups. The results aid the understanding of the effects and mechanisms of plant invasions on benthic functional diversity of mangrove ecosystems and yield insights into the links of biological invasions, functional diversity, and ecosystem functioning in coastal ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation of β,β-disubstituted enals and dioxindoles was developed, giving the spirocyclic oxindole-γ-lactones bearing two contiguous tetrasubstituted stereocenters in good yields with excellent diastereoselectivities and good enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newest soil moisture-dedicated satellite, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, provides global maps of soil moisture using concurrent L-band radar and radiometer acquisitions. To support the ongoing validation activities of SMAP soil moisture products, in this paper, we examined the retrieval accuracy of four SMAP soil moisture products by using well-calibrated and dense in situ measurements from the Little Washita Watershed network, one of the SMAP core validation sites with intensive ground sampling. The four SMAP products include the active (3 km), passive (36 km), active-passive (9 km), and the enhanced passive product which is a newly released soil moisture data set with a grid resolution of 9 km. Efforts on identifying the possible error sources of these products were also made for the purpose of improving the SMAP soil moisture algorithms. The results show that the passive and active-passive products can well capture the temporal dynamic of ground soil moisture with overall unbiased root-mean-square error (ubRMSE) values of 0.032 and 0.041 m3· m-3, respectively, which generally meet their mission requirement of 0.04 m3· m-3. In contrast, some irregular fluctuations exist in the active product, leading to an overall wet bias, which makes its accuracy a little poorer than its expected retrieval accuracy of 0.06 m3· m-3. The new enhanced passive product shows the lowest ubRMSE value of 0.026 m3 · m-3 though it underestimates in situ measurements with a bias of 0.059 m3 · m-3, revealing its great potential to substitute the active-passive product to provide global soil moisture measurements at a medium resolution of 9 km. The underestimation of SMAP surface temperature data may be one of the reasons that contribute to the dry bias of SMAP passive, active-passive, and enhanced passive products. The microwave polarization difference index and HV-polarized backscatter show good response to in situ soil moisture and may be considered in SMAP algorithms to further improve the accuracy of soil moisture retrievals. We expect that our findings can be fed back to improve the SMAP soil moisture algorithms and thus promote the application of SMAP soil moisture products in terrestrial water, energy, and carbon cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature stability of quantum dots (QDs), which is crucial for integrating into high power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the on-chip configuration, needs to be further improved. In this letter, we report warm white LEDs, where CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles were incorporated into a porous anodic alumina (PAA) matrix with a chain structure by the self-assembly method. Experiments demonstrate that the QD concentration range in toluene solvent from 1% mg/𝝁l to 1.2% mg/𝝁l in combination with the PAA matrix shows the best luminous property. To verify the reliability of the as-prepared device, a comparison experiment was conducted. It indicates excellent lumen maintenance of the light source and less chromaticity coordinate shift under accelerated life testing conditions. Experiments also prove that optical depreciation was only up to 4.6% of its initial value after the 1500 h aging test at the junction temperature of 76 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor type, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for the majority of EC cases. Previous studies have reported that microRNA (miR)-148a is downregulated in patients with recurrent EC. The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is expressed to a high level in primary ESCC tissues and is associated with prognosis. A previous luciferase assay indicated that HLA-G is a target of miR-148a regulation. The aim of the current study was to investigate the expression level of miR-148a in primary ESCC. The regulatory role of miR-148a in HLA-G expression and cell proliferation in ESCC cells was also investigated. The relative expression level of miR-148a was compared between ESCC tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The human ESCC cell line EC9706 was transfected with miR-148a mimic, non-homologous RNA duplex (negative control; NC) or empty vector (blank control; BC). Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to assess the level of HLA-G expression. The cells were stained with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide and cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. The level of miR-148a expression was significantly lower in primary ESCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues (P<0.01). In EC9706 cells transfected with miR-148a mimic, the rate of apoptosis was increased ~13-fold when compared with BC cells (P<0.01). Furthermore, the mRNA level of HLA-G was significantly reduced in cells transfected with miR-148a mimic (P<0.01). The protein levels of HLA-G were also notably decreased. Transfection with non-homologous RNA duplex did not influence the rate of cell apoptosis or expression of HLA-G when compared with the BC group. In conclusion, miR-148a was indicated to be involved in carcinogenesis in primary ESCC through the regulation of HLA-G expression. The current results suggest that miR-148a is a potential biomarker of ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of high-frequency fulguration combined with 5% imiquimod cream for condyloma acuminatum (CA), and the effect on T cell immune function and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-10. We enrolled 112 patients with CA between January 2014 and January 2016. Patients were randomly divided into the control group (n=56) and observation group (n=56). The control group received high-frequency fulguration combined with intramuscular injection of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin polysaccharide nucleic acid, and the observation group received high-frequency fulguration combined with external application of 5% imiquimod cream. In both groups, the course of treatment lasted for 12 weeks, and the follow-up period was 6 months. Clinical efficacy was compared between the groups. The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (p<0.05), but no significant differences were identified in comparisons of effectiveness and recurrence rate between the two groups (p>0.05). After treatment, the levels of CD3+ and CD4+ cells, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in both groups were increased compared with those before treatment (p<0.05), while no significant difference was identified in comparison of the levels of CD8+ cells in both groups before and after treatment (p>0.05); in both groups before and after treatment, there was no significant difference in the comparison of T cells (p>0.05). After treatment in both groups, the serum levels of IL-2 were increased, and the levels of IL-10 were decreased compared with those before treatment; the improvement in the observation group was superior to that in the control group (p<0.05). In conclusion, good efficacy can be achieved with the combined treatment of high-frequency fulguration and 5% imiquimod cream for CA, which is correlated with enhanced immune functions of T cells, and improvements in the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current reported incidence rates for ovarian cancer may significantly underestimate the true rate because of the inclusion of women in the calculations who are not at risk for ovarian cancer due to prior benign salpingo-oophorectomy (SO). We have considered prior SO to more realistically estimate risk for ovarian cancer. Kentucky Health Claims Data, International Classification of Disease 9 (ICD-9) codes, Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes and Kentucky Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Data were used to identify women who have undergone SO in Kentucky and these women were removed from the at-risk pool in order to re-assess incidence rates to more accurately represent ovarian cancer risk. The protective effect of SO on the population was determined on an annual basis for ages 5-80+ using data from the years 2009-2013. The corrected age-adjusted rates of ovarian cancer that considered SO ranged from 33% to 67% higher than age-adjusted rates from the standard population. Correction of incidence rates for ovarian cancer by accounting for women with prior SO gives a better understanding of risk for this disease faced by women. The rates of ovarian cancer were substantially higher when SO was taken into consideration than estimates from the standard population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of costimulation blockade with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated-antigen 4-immunoglobulin (CTLA4Ig) and anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody (anti-CD40L mAb) on an experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) mouse model. Characteristics of myocardial tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of CTLA4, CD40L, IFN-γ, and IL-4 were detected by realtime fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Serum concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-4 were determined by ELISA. After immune intervention, the inflammatory score, mRNA levels of CTLA4 and CD40L, and IFN-γ level were decreased. Furthermore, these parameters in the combinational intervention group (blockade by CTLA4Ig and anti-CD40L mAb) were significantly decreased, compared to the single intervention group (blockade by CTLA4Ig or anti-CD40L mAb). However, after costimulation, blockade serum IL-4 levels were increased. Therefore, costimulation blockade by combination CTLA4Ig and anti-CD40L mAb could more effectively inhibit the inflammatory response of EAM than single use of CTLA4Ig or anti-CD40L mAb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The current study aims to summarize breast anthropomorphic measurement features in Chinese patients with breast diseases and to investigate their potential correlations with demographic factors. Materials and methods: Fifteen breast anthropomorphic parameters of 605 Chinese female patients were collected prospectively. Breast ptosis status was scaled by two methods and breast volume was calculated according to a modified formula of BREAST-V. Results: Among 1210 breasts, the average breast volume was 340.0±109.1 ml (91.8–919.2 ml). The distance from the nipple to the inframammary fold was 7.5±1.6 cm in the standing position. The width of the breast base was 14.3±1.4 cm (8.5–23.5 cm). The incidence of breast ptosis was 22.8% (274/1204), of which 37 (23.5%) and 79 (31.7%) women had severe ptosis assessed by different criteria. Increased height (OR[odds ratio] = 1.500, P<0.001), post-menopausal status (OR = 1.463, P = 0.02), increased BMI, breastfeeding for 7–12 months (OR = 1.882, P = 0.008) and more than one year (OR = 2.367, P = 0.001) were risk factors for an increased breast volume. Post-menopausal status (OR = 2.390, P<0.001 and OR = 2.621, P<0.001 for different scales), BMI≥24.7 kg/m2 (OR = 3.149, P<0.001 and OR = 2.495, P = 0.002), breastfeeding for 7–12 months (OR = 4.136, P = 0.004 and OR = 4.010, P = 0.002), and breastfeeding for more than one year (OR = 6.934, P<0.001 and OR = 6.707, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for breast ptosis. Conclusions: The current study provides anthropomorphic measurements data of Chinese women with breast diseases, which are useful for cosmetic and reconstructive breast surgery decisions. Post-menopausal status, increased BMI, and breastfeeding for more than six months were independent risk factors for both increased breast volume and breast ptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Roads as corridors of seed or fruit spatial dispersal have major impacts on the establishment and spread of invasive species, but their precise role in population genetic variation remains poorly understood. The South American weed Mikania micrantha has spread rapidly across southern China since its introduction to the Shenzhen area in 1984. This study investigated how its genetic diversity is distributed along highways, and whether highways have acted as corridors for the rapid expansion of M. micrantha. Methods Twenty-seven roadside populations were sampled along four highways in southern China, and 787 samples were examined using 12 microsatellite markers. Variation in genetic diversity among populations was quantified and patterns of genetic differentiation were analysed. Key Results A high level of genetic diversity was found at both the species and the population levels in this self-incompatible plant (expected heterozygosity = 0·497 and 0·477, respectively; allelic richness = 2·580 and 2·521, respectively). The Wright F-statistic value among populations (0·044, P < 0·01) and the analysis of molecular variance (91 % of genetic variation residing within populations, 9 % among populations within highways and 0 % among the four highways) showed a relatively low level of genetic differentiation among populations, while the principal coordinate and cluster analyses also indicated a lack of clear geographical genetic structure among populations. The calculated Nm value of 5·5 signifies strong gene flow. Conclusions The pattern of genetic variation is consistent with facilitated dispersal along highways. The genetic admixtures among the roadside populations imply the occurrence of multiple population introductions during colonization. The long-distance dispersal of seeds associated with vehicular transportation on highways may have played important roles in shaping the genetic variation. This finding highlights the importance of highways as corridors for the spread of M. micrantha in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear viscoelastic (LVE) behavior of partially neutralized oligomeric sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) ionomers with different degrees of sulfonation (p) and degrees of neutralization (x) was investigated. The ionic dissociation time, τs, obtained from the reversible gelation model [Chen Macromolecules 2015, 48, 1221-1230] is mainly controlled by the neutralization degree, x, rather than the functional group (i.e., sulfonic acid and metal sulfonate) concentration, p. For a fixed p, increasing x significantly increases τs and the zero shear viscosity, η0, especially near complete neutralization. These results explain the observations reported by Lundberg et al. [Ions in Polymers; American Chemical Society: 1980; Vol. 187, pp 67-76] that the increase of the viscosity of SPS ionomers with neutralization undergoes a substantial increase between 90% and 100% neutralization of the sulfonic acid groups to metal salts. This rapid increase of τs and η0 is probably related to the decrease of sulfonic acid groups in the ionic aggregates with increasing x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear and nonlinear rheological behaviors of nonentangled sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) ionomers near the sol-gel transition were studied. When the degree of sulfonation, p, was below the gel point, the ionomer exhibited sol-like linear viscoelastic (LVE) behavior, and shear thinning was observed for steady shear flow. For p close to the gel point, the ionomer showed power-law-like LVE behavior over a wide frequency range. Strain hardening and shear thickening behavior were observed, and their magnitudes depended on the temperature, molecular weight of the PS precursor, and the Coulomb energy of the ion pair. Above the gel point, a distinct rubbery plateau was observed in the dynamic modulus. Melt fracture occurred upon start-up shear, which prevented quantitative examination of the nonlinear rheology. The possible mechanisms for strain hardening and shear thickening near the gel point are discussed with respect to formation of large clusters that nearly percolate in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using literature data for entangled polystyrene ionomers, a sticky double reptation model is developed and tested that effectively accounts for distributions in both chain length and number of ionic groups per chain. The model predicts that if there are more ionic groups than entanglements, the classic Leibler double plateau will be observed, with modulus from ion associations plus entanglements transitioning to that of just entanglements, beyond the association lifetime. Whereas at low enough ion content, there are more entanglements than ionic groups, resulting in a single plateau, with modulus from ion associations and entanglements, that persists until the sticky reptation time of the chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced immunosuppression leading to skin cancer has received increased attention in previous years. The present study aimed to investigate the immunoprotection offered by Anthelios sunscreen in a mouse model of Candida albicans-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity. Anthelios sunscreen was applied to the skin on the dorsal skin of BALB/c mice treated with a sub-erythema dose of solar-simulated radiation. Delayed-type hypersensitivity was induced by immunization with Candida albicans. Changes in the skin thickness of the foot pads were measured, and immunosuppression rates were also evaluated. The expression levels of CD207, CD80 and CD86 in the Langerhans cells were semi-quantitatively detected using Western blotting and immunohistochemical assays. The delayed-type hypersensitivity mouse model was successfully established. The minimal erythema doses of UVA and UVB exposure to the mice were 2,000 and 145 mJ/cm2, respectively. The immunosuppression rates in the sunscreen group and non-sunscreen group were 24.39 and 65.85%, respectively (P<0.01). The results of the Western blotting and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression levels of CD207 (P<0.01), CD80 (P<0.05) and CD86 (P<0.01) were higher in the sunscreen group, compared with those in the non-sunscreen group. UV exposure reduced Candida albicans antigen-induced delayed-type hypersensitivity. Anthelios sunscreen was found to protect the skin from immunosuppression through the activation of epidermal Langerhans cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore analgesic effects of fentanyl and butorphanol on incisional pain in rats and to investigate the pharmacological mechanism of combination.Methods: Seventy rats were randomly divided into control group (group N, n = 10), fentanyl group (group F, n = 30), and butorphanol group (group B, n = 30), to determine median effective dose (ED50) in fentanyl and butorphanol. Another 50 rats were treated with both fentanyl and butorphanol (joint group) to quantitatively detect response rate of joint application. Ninety rats were randomly divided into 1/4 ED50 fentanyl (group 1, n = 30), 1/2 ED50 fentanyl (group 2, n = 30), and 3/4 ED50 fentanyl (group 3, n = 30), to detect the correlation between combined pharmacological effects of 2 drugs and their dose proportionality. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0.Results: Probit analysis revealed that ED50 of fentanyl was 4.1 μg/kg, whereas ED50 of butorphanol was 295 μg/kg. The qualitative response rate of combination (Po) was 0.84, and expected qualitative response rate (Pe) was 0.75, with no statistical significance (P = 0.3). Furthermore, probit analysis showed that 155 μg/kg butorphanol with 1/4 ED50 fentanyl could reach experimental ED50 of combination of 2 drugs; 115 μg/kg butorphanol with 1/2 ED50 fentanyl could reach experimental combination ED50; and 88 μg/kg butorphanol with 3/4 ED50 fentanyl could reach experimental combination ED50.Conclusion: Both fentanyl and butorphanol showed good analgesic effect on incisional pain in rats, but fentanyl was superior to butorphanol. The pharmacological mechanism of combination with ED50 of fentanyl and butorphanol showed independent joint action, and the combination efficacy was related to the dosage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicasting is a fundamental network service for one-to-many communications in wireless sensor networks. However, when the sensor nodes work in an asynchronous duty-cycled way, the sender may need to transmit the same message several times to one group of its neighboring nodes, which complicates the minimum energy multicasting problem. Thus, in this paper, we study the problem of minimum energy multicasting with adjusted power (the MEMAP problem) in the duty-cycled sensor networks, and we prove it to be NP-hard. To solve such a problem, the concept of an auxiliary graph is proposed to integrate the scheduling problem of the transmitting power and transmitting time slot and the constructing problem of the minimum multicast tree in MEMAP, and a greedy algorithm is proposed to construct such a graph. Based on the proposed auxiliary graph, an approximate scheduling and constructing algorithm with an approximation ratio of 4lnK is proposed, where K is the number of destination nodes. Finally, the theoretical analysis and experimental results verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm in terms of the energy cost and transmission redundancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For ionomers, unfavorable interactionbetween highly polar ionpairs and the low polarity polymer medium leads to ion aggregation.In contrast, for polyelectrolytes, the counterions prefer solvationin the polar medium to leave the chain charged and accordingly stretcheddue to the charge repulsion. In this study, linear viscoelastic anddielectric properties of mixtures of two ionomers with high dielectricconstant low volatility plasticizers were examined. The ionomer chainshaving bulky side chains are not entangled. Upon increasing the plasticizercontent, the terminal relaxation is significantly accelerated dueto two effects: (1) a plasticizing effect lowering the Tgand (2) a higher dielectric constant that softens theionic interactions, leading to ionic dissociation into isolated pairsthat further boosts the static dielectric constant at low frequency/longtime. A model incorporating these two mechanisms and utilizing a dielectricconstant εC, after the nonionic segmental αrelaxation as the relevant dielectric constant for ion dissociation,predicts quantitatively the accelerated dynamics, as ionomers transitionto polyelectrolytes on dilution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, lumen depreciation of LED in reliability experiment was monitored by in-situ measurement method. The partial LED flux on the receiving surface of fiber cable was captured, and it was proportional to the total luminous flux of LED light source when we provided an exact distance. The high temperature operating life test was used to find the weakness elements of LED packages with a limiting maximum temperature stress of 125 °C. Four kinds of packaged samples were constituted with difference components, and the lumen depreciations were presented. Combined with the lumen depreciation data and sampling inspection, the results could be summed up as follows: (i) the luminous flux of LED chip had a steady and slow depreciation, however, that of the samples coated with the phosphor–silicone composites had an initial sharp decline and then reach the stable state. (ii) The samples of only chip encapsulated by silicone and those of commercial white LEDs were carbonized on the center surface between chip and materials of encapsulant. As a conclusion, the silicone as an LED encapsulant could induce flaws, the material properties in larger coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and stronger adhesion should be considered in the package design stage, and the degradation of phosphor–silicone composites led to a fast light energy loss during the initial high temperature aging test, and then reached up to steady. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virus diseases greatly affect oilseed rape (Brassica napus) production. Investigating antiviral genes may lead to the development of disease-resistant varieties of oilseed rape. In this study, we examined the effects of the suppressor of gene silencing 3 in Brassica napus (BnSGS3, a putative antiviral gene) with different genus viruses by constructing BnSGS3-overexpressing (BnSGS3-Ov) and BnSGS3-silenced (BnSGS3-Si) oilseed rape (cv. Zhongshuang No. 6) plants. These three viruses are Oilseed rape mosaic virus (ORMV), Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). The native BnSGS3 expressed in all examined tissues with the highest expression in siliques. All three viruses induced BnSGS3 expression, but ORMV induced a dramatic increase in the BnSGS3-Ov plants, followed by TuMV and CMV. Upon inoculation with three different viruses, transcript abundance of BnSGS3 gene follows: BnSGS3-Ov > non-transgenic plants > BnSGS3-Si. The accumulation quantities of ORMV and TuMV exhibited a similar trend. However, CMV accumulation showed an opposite trend where virus accumulations were negatively correlated with BnSGS3 expression. The results suggest that BnSGS3 selectively inhibits CMV accumulation but promotes ORMV and TuMV accumulation. BnSGS3 should be used in different ways (up- and down-regulation) for breeding virus-resistant oilseed rape varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The survival rate of patients after cardiac arrest (CA) remains lower since 2010 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) was published. In clinical trials, the methods and techniques for CPR have been overly described. This article gives an overview of the progress in methods and techniques for CPR in the past years. DATA SOURCES: Original articles about cardiac arrest and CPR from MEDLINE (PubMed) and relevant journals were searched, and most of them were clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RESULTS: Forty-two articles on methods and techniques of CPR were reviewed, including chest compression and conventional CPR, chest compression depth and speed, defibrillation strategies and priority, mechanical and manual chest compression, advanced airway management, impedance threshold device (ITD) and active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR, epinephrine use, and therapeutic hypothermia. The results of studies and related issues described in the international guidelines had been testified. CONCLUSIONS: Although large multicenter studies on CPR are still difficult to carry out, progress has been made in the past 4 years in the methods and techniques of CPR. The results of this review provide evidences for updating the 2015 international guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective: To investigate the effects of stellate ganglion block (SGB) on cardiovascular response and heart rate (HR) variability in elderly patients during anesthesia induction and endotracheal intubation. Design: A randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study. Setting: University-affiliated teaching hospital. Participants: Eighty elderly patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grades I and II) receiving elective surgery during general anesthesia. Interventions: Right stellate ganglion injection (SGB) was performed in all patients using 10 mL of 1% lidocaine or normal saline. Measurements: Systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, HR, and calculated rate pressure product. HR variability at the following time points: conscious status before induction (T0); immediately before intubation (T1); immediately after intubation (T2); and 1, 3, and 5 minutes postintubation (T3, T4, and T5). Main Results: No significant differences in BP and HR were observed between the 2 groups. Rate pressure product values significantly increased in the control group compared with baseline and SGB group values. Low-frequency power (LF) and LF/high-frequency power (HF) significantly increased, and HF and normalized units of HF significantly decreased in the control group compared with baseline values. LF, normalized units of LF, and LF/HF in the SGB group significantly decreased compared with those of the control group. Conclusion: SGB protects the myocardium and effectively suppresses stress responses during anesthesia induction and tracheal intubation in elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhancedAMPAreceptor phosphorylation at GluA1 serine 831 sites in the central pain-modulating system plays a pivotal role in descending pain facilitation after inflammation, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.Weshow here that, in the rat brain stem, in the nucleus raphe magnus, which is a critical relay in the descending pain-modulating system of the brain, persistent inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) can enhance AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents and the GluA2-lacking AMPA receptor-mediated rectification index. Western blot analysis showed an increase in GluA1 phosphorylation at Ser-831 but not at Ser-845. This was accompanied by an increase in distribution of the synaptic GluA1 subunit. In parallel, the level of histone H3 acetylation at bdnf gene promoter regions was reduced significantly 3 days after CFA injection, as indicated by ChIP assays. This was correlated with an increase in BDNF mRNA levels and BDNF protein levels. Sequestering endogenous extracellular BDNF with TrkB-IgG in the nucleus raphe magnus decreased AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission and GluA1 phosphorylation at Ser-831 3 days after CFA injection. Under the same conditions, blockade of TrkB receptor functions, phospholipase C, or PKC impaired GluA1 phosphorylation at Ser-831 and decreased excitatory postsynaptic currents mediated by GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors. Taken together, these results suggest that epigenetic up-regulation of BDNF by peripheral inflammation induces GluR1 phosphorylation at Ser-831 sites through activation of the phospholipase C-PKC signaling cascade, leading to the trafficking of GluA1 to pain-modulating neuronal synapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the dosimetric feasibility of definitive stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the treatment of medically inoperable early stage endometrial cancer. Methods: CT simulation scans from 10 medically inoperable early stage endometrial cancer patients previously treated with high dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy were used to generate Helical Tomotherapy (HT) plans using the IMRT mode with clinical target volumes (CTVs) that included the uterus plus cervix. A prescription dose of 34 Gy in 4 fractions was used. The SBRT dosimetry was compared to the 10 prior intracavitary brachytherapy plans normalized to a standard dose. Organs at risk (OARs) evaluated were the bladder, rectum, sigmoid, femoral heads, and other bowel, including both large and small bowel. The simulation CT and daily image guidance for 4 patients treated with this technique were evaluated to assess for interfraction variation in the uterine position and effects on dosimetry. Results: Compared to intracavitary brachytherapy, HT SBRT produced significantly greater overall target coverage to the uterus, boost CTV, and PTV, with exception of the V150% of the uterus. HT SBRT significantly increased dose to the rectum, bowel, and femoral heads compared to intracavitary brachytherapy, though not outside of dose tolerance limits. Review of daily image guidance for patients treated with this technique demonstrated good reproducibility with a mean overlap index of 0.87 (range, 0.74 – 0.99). Conclusions: Definitive SBRT for medically inoperable early stage endometrial cancer appears to be a feasible treatment option. Future studies are warranted to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes with this technique, compared to HDR intracavitary brachytherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and linear viscoelasticity (LVE) were used to characterize amorphous copolyester ionomers synthesized via condensation of sulfonated phthalates with mixtures of poly(ethyleneglycol) with M= 600 g/mol and poly(tetramethyleneglycol) with M= 650 g/mol. The copolymer ionomers exhibited microdomain separation, as confirmed in previous X-ray scattering measurements. Since PEO has superior ion solvating ability compared with PTMO, the ions near the interface reside preferentially in the PEO microdomain. FTIR measurements were used to quantify fractions of ions in different association states, in turn quantifying the fractions in the PEO-rich domains, in the PTMO-rich domains, and at the interface between these domains. FTIR shows that the structure of the interfacial ion aggregates is quite different for the copolymers with different counterions; at the interface Na+ aggregates into open string structures while Li+ aggregates into denser sheets of ions, as depicted schematically at the far right. Ionic conductivity is dominated by ions in the PEO domain, due to superior cation solvation by PEO; in the PTMO-rich microdomain both Na+ and Li+ form dense aggregates with of order 15 ion pairs. The temperature dependence of viscoelastic properties depends primarily on the PEO segmental dynamics, due to much higher Tg for the PEO-rich microdomains that are continuous at all copolymer compositions studied. Increasing the PTMO fraction increases the ionic association lifetime and delays the LVE terminal relaxation, creating an extended rubbery plateau, despite the fact that the chains are quite short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the electromagnetic interaction between local surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and an atmospheric surface wave plasma jet (ASWPJ) in combination with our designed discharge device. Before discharge, the excitation of the SPPs and the spatial distribution of the enhanced electric field are analyzed. During discharge, the critical breakdown electric field of the gases at atmospheric gas pressure and the surface wave of the SPPs converted into electron plasma waves at resonant points are studied. After discharge, the ionization development process of the ASWPJ is simulated using a two-dimensional fluid model. Our results suggest that the local enhanced electric field of SPPs is merely the precondition of gas breakdown, and the key mechanism in maintaining the discharge development of a low-power ASWPJ is the wave-mode conversion of the local enhanced electric field at the resonant point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For interpreting the production mechanism of surface-wave plasmas sustained along a metal rod, electromagnetic simulation on the electromagnetic field distributions and particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulation of the ionization process are present. The results show that the enhanced electric field of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be excited in the ion sheath layer between the negative-voltage metal rod and the surface-wave plasmas, which is responsible for maintaining the plasma discharge. Moreover, the spatio-temporal evolutions of plasma density and electric fields are simulated by the PIC/MCC model. It is further suggested that the expanded ion sheath layer can extend the length of plasma domain by increasing the plasma absorbed energy from SPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports a green synthetic route for nanosized hematite colloids with an excellent monodispersity, using green vitriol and ammonia as raw materials. The reaction conditions of the synthetic route were studied and the as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, TG-DTA, DLS, and XPS. The results indicated that the key factors for the monodispersity of the colloidal product were preheating reactants and washing repeatedly the intermediate Fe(OH)3. When the initial pH was set as 4 or 5, the transformation product of Fe(OH)3 was the pure α-Fe2O3 with the minim adsorptive sulfate ions. Contrarily, the mixtures of α-Fe2O3 and α-FeOOH were obtained at the pH 6 or 7, which were related to the mechanism of transformation reaction. In addition, the concentration of Fe(OH)3 should be less than or equal to 0.2 mol/L in order to prepare the qualified nanosized hematite colloids. The researches proved that the excellent monodispersity of the colloidal product resulted from a fine dispersion state of the synthetic system during the whole process and that it was a significant way to obtain the nanosized metallic oxide colloids from the corresponding metal hydroxide due to avoidance of hyperspeed centrifugal separation or dialysis operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell division plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. It is managed by a complex sequence of cytoskeleton alteration that induces dividing cells to change their morphology to facilitate their division. The change in cytoskeleton structure is expected to affect the intracellular viscoelasticity, which may also contribute to cellular dynamic deformation during cell division. However, the intracellular viscoelasticity during cell division is not yet well understood. In this study, we injected 100-nm (diameter) carboxylated polystyrene beads into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells and applied video particle tracking microrheology to measure their intracellular viscoelasticity at different phases during cell division. The Brownian motion of the intracellular nanoprobes was analyzed to compute the viscoelasticity of HeLa cells in terms of the elastic modulus and viscous modulus as a function of frequency. Our experimental results indicate that during the course of cell division, both intracellular elasticity and viscosity increase in the transition from the metaphase to the anaphase, plausibly due to the remodeling of cytoskeleton and redistributions of molecular motors, but remain approximately the same from the anaphase to the telophase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formal regioselective cross-coupling of various pyridines with alkyl and aryl groups can be achieved by a BF3·OEt2-mediated addition of Grignard or organozinc reagents to pyridines bearing various substituents (chloro, bromo, cyano, vinyl, phenyl, carbethoxy, nitro, etc.) followed by an oxidative aromatization mediated by chloranil. Good regioselectivity and wide functional group tolerance make this method very versatile for the preparation of polyfunctional pyridines. No transition-metal catalyst is required in these coupling reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small GTPases mediate transmembrane signaling and regulate the actin cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells. Here, we characterize the auditory pathology of adult male CBA/J mice exposed to traumatic noise (2-20 kHz; 106 dB; 2 h). Loss of outer hair cells was evident 1 h after noise exposure in the basal region of the cochlea and spread apically with time, leading to permanent threshold shifts of 35,60, and 65 dB at 8,16, and 32 kHz. Several biochemical and molecular changes correlated temporally with the loss of cells. Immediately after exposure, the concentration of ATP decreased in cochlear tissue and reached a minimum after 1 h while the immunofluorescent signal for p-AMPKα significantly increased in sensory hair cells at that time. Levels of active Rac1 increased, whereas those of active RhoA decreased significantly 1 h after noise attaining a plateau at 1-3 h; the formation of a RhoA-p140mDia complex was consistent with an activation of Rho GTPase pathways. Also at 1-3 h after exposure, the caspase-independent cell death marker, Endo G, translocated to the nuclei of outer hair cells. Finally, experiments with the inner ear HEI-OC1 cell line demonstrated that the energy-depleting agent oligo-mycin enhanced both Rac1 activity and cell death. The sum of the results suggests that traumatic noise induces transient cellular ATP depletion and activates Rho GTPase pathways, leading to death of outer hair cells in the cochlea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) has been hindered by high cost and a complex control strategy caused by the addition of propionate. In this study, based on analysis of the PHBV biosynthesis process, we developed a PHBV biosynthetic pathway from a single unrelated carbon source via threonine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. To accomplish this, we (i) overexpressed threonine deaminase, which is the key factor for providing propionyl-coenzyme A (propionyl-CoA), from different host bacteria, (ii) removed the feedback inhibition of threonine by mutating and overexpressing the thrABC operon in E. coli, and (iii) knocked out the competitive pathways of catalytic conversion of propionyl-CoA to 3-hydroxyvaleryl-CoA. Finally, we constructed a series of strains and mutants which were able to produce the PHBV copolymer with differing monomer compositions in a modified M9 medium supplemented with 20 g/liter xylose. The largest 3-hydroxyvalerate fraction obtained in the copolymer was 17.5 mol%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor is an important drug target within the B family of G protein-coupled receptors. Its natural agonist ligand, GLP1, has incretin-like actions and the receptor is a recognized target for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Despite recent solution of the structure of the amino terminus of the GLP1 receptor and several close family members, the molecular basis for GLP1 binding to and activation of the intact receptor remains unclear. We previously demonstrated molecular approximations between amino- and carboxyl-terminal residues of GLP1 and its receptor. In this work, we study spatial approximations with the mid-region of this peptide to gain insights into the orientation of the intact receptor and the ligand-receptor complex. We have prepared two new photolabile probes incorporating a p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine into positions 16 and 20 of GLP1(7-36). Both probes bound to the GLP1 receptor specifically and with high affinity. These were each fully efficacious agonists, stimulating cAMP accumulation in receptor-bearing CHO cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Each probe specifically labeled a single receptor site. Protease cleavage and radiochemical sequencing identified receptor residue Leu141 above transmembrane segment one as its site of labeling for the position 16 probe, whereas the position 20 probe labeled receptor residue Trp297 within the second extracellular loop. Establishing ligand residue approximation with this loop region is unique among family members and may help to orient the receptor amino-terminal domain relative to its helical bundle region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is an attractive target for the treatment of diabetes, and paullones have been reported to be effective inhibitors of GSK-3. However, it is still a challenging task to improve selectivity among protein kinases, especially cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Here we investigated the mechanism that enables paullones to selectively inhibit GSK-3 rather than cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) using sequence alignment, molecular dynamics simulations, free-energy calculations and free-energy decomposition analysis. The results indicate that the interaction between paullones and Val135 of GSK-3 is obviously stronger than that between paullones and Cys83 of CDK5, suggesting that paullones could be utilized as potent selective inhibitors. Meanwhile, we observed that the decrease in the interaction between paullones and the Asp86 of CDK5 favors their selectivity towards GSK-3 rather than CDK5, as demonstrated using 1-azakenpaullone as an example. Although substitution at position 9 and replacement at position 2 may influence the activity of GSK-3, they only have a minor effect on the selectivity. We expect that the information obtained here could prove useful for developing specific paullone inhibitors of GSK-3. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to measure the expression of toll-like receptors (TLR) in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDC) from chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB), to assess the contribution of TLRs in CSHB. Peripheral blood was collected from 40 CSHB patients, 30 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and 30 healthy individuals who served as healthy controls (HCs). Purified monocytes were isolated by a combination of Histopaque-1.077 and CD14 Microbeads. MoDCs were induced with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4 for 6 days from CD14 monocytes. The expression of TLRs in MoDC was measured using real-time PCR and flow cytometry. The expressions of TLR-1, -2, -7 were significantly higher in MoDC of CSHB than that of HCs, of which the level of TLR-3 was decreased. Particularly in CSHB patients, the TLR-3 expression was further decreased compared to CHB patients. In non-survival CSHB patients, TLR-3 level was significantly decreased, while TLR-2 expression was dramatically increased. Linear correlation analysis demonstrated significant correlations between TLR-3 level and disease severity markers (total bilirubin, prothrombin activity, creatinine, white blood cell count, and maximum volume of ascitic fluid) in individual CSHB patients. TLR-2 and TLR-3 may be involved in the pathogenesis of CSHB, and TLR-3 may influence the prognosis of CSHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viscoelastic, dielectric, and rheo-optical behavior was examined for miscible blends of high-M cis-polyisoprene (PI) and poly(p-tert-butylstyrene) (PtBS). The slow dielectric relaxation of the blends was exclusively attributed to the global motion of the PI chains having the type-A dipoles. The PI and PtBS chains behaved as the fast and slow (low- and high-friction) components and were well entangled with each other. The dynamics of these chains changed significantly with temperature T. At high T, the blend exhibited two-step entanglement plateau of the storage modulus G′(ω), and the plateaus at high and low angular frequencies (ω) were attributed, with the aid of the dielectric data, to the entanglement among all component chains and that between the PtBS chains, respectively. The entanglement length acharacterizing the high-ω plateau was well described by a simple mixing rule based on the number fraction nof the Kuhn segments of the components, a= nPIaPIbulk nPtBSaPtBSbulk. This result was consistent with the current molecular picture relating the entanglement density to the packing length p(≅a/20). The complex moduli G* of the blends in the high-ω plateau zone were well described by a simple blending law combined with this mixing rule of a, which was consistent with the rheo-optical data. At low T, the blend exhibited the Rouse-like power-law behavior of storage and loss moduli, G′ = G′′∝ ω1/2, in the range of ω where the high-ω plateau was supposed to emerge. This lack of the high-ω plateau was attributed to retardation of the Rouse equilibration of the PI chain over the entanglement length adue to the hindrance from the slow PtBS chains: The PI and PtBS chains appeared to be equilibrated cooperatively/simultaneouslyat a rate essentially determined by PtBS. The Rouse equilibration time, evaluated from the G* data of the blend, was just moderately shorter than the dielectrically determined relaxation time of PI. Thus, the high-ω plateau zone was too narrow to be resolved experimentally, and the PI chains relaxed almost immediately after their Rouse equilibration (retarded by PtBS). This PI relaxation activated the constraint release (CR) relaxation of PtBS to dilate the entanglement mesh for PtBS. A simple model considering the Rouse equilibration and CR/dilation processes described the G* data of the blend surprisingly well, lending support to the molecular picture of the cooperative/simultaneous Rouse equilibration of the PI and PtBS chains. The model calculation was consistent with the rheo-optical data, which lent further support to this molecular picture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]