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Purpose: This study evaluated the elastic characteristics of the pulmonary trunk and distal branches in fetuses diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) using Doppler echocardiography. Methods: Data on 42 fetuses diagnosed with TOF and 84 gestational age-matched normal fetuses were prospectively collected from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between August 2022 and January 2023. The severity of TOF was classified into three categories based on the z-score of the pulmonary annulus diameter: mild (z-score =-2), moderate (-40.05). Conclusion: Fetuses diagnosed with TOF exhibited increased vascular stiffness in the MPA and reduced stiffness in the distal pulmonary artery (PA). Larger-scale follow-up studies are required to elucidate the relationships between these changes in vascular stiffness and PA development in patients with TOF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is a common disease in the elderly population. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to develop a contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)-based model for predicting post-angioplasty improvement in hypertension in patients with severe ARAS. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with severe ARAS (⩾ 70%) were included in this study, and 42 renal arteries received percutaneous transluminal renal arterial stenting. An optimal integral formula was developed from pre-interventional color-coded duplex sonography (CCDS) and CEUS parameters using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A model for predicting short-term hypertension improvement was established using the integral formula and clinical risk factors. Bootstrapping was used for internal validation. RESULTS: Two integral formulas, LASSO.CCDS and LASSO.CEUS, were established. ROC curves of the two integral formulas showed that LASSO.CEUS was the better formula for predicting hypertension improvement (AUC 0.816, specificity 78.6%). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that duration of hypertension (OR 0.841, P = 0.027), diabetes (OR = 0.019, P = 0.010), and LASSO.CEUS (OR 7.641, P = 0.052) were predictors of short-term hypertension improvement after interventional therapy. Using LASSO.CEUS combined with clinical risk factors, the following prediction model was established: logit (short-term improvement in hypertension) = 1.879–0.173 × hypertension duration – 3.961 × diabetes + 2.034 × LASSO.CEUS (AUC 0.939). CONCLUSIONS: The model established using CEUS parameters and clinical risk factors could predict hypertension improvement after interventional therapy, but further research and verification are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have suggested a possible association between gut microbiota and bipolar disorder (BD). However, observational studies are limited and there are variations between the gut microbiota taxa found in different studies. Therefore, we aimed to explore whether there is a causal relationship between gut microbiota and bipolar disorder at the genetic level and to reveal trends in the effect of influential gut microbiota on the development of bipolar disorder. Methods: We conducted a Mendelian randomisation (MR) study of summary statistics from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of gut microbiota and bipolar disorder. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) was used as the primary method of statistical analysis, while results from the MR-Egger method, weighted median, weighted mode, and MR multiplicity residuals and outliers (MR-PRESSO) tests were used for additional validation. Cochrane's Q test, MREgger intercept test, and MR-PRESSO global test were used to test MR results for stability and reliability. Result: We identified 13 gut microbial taxa causally associated with bipolar disorder. Betaproteobacteria, Acidaminococcaceae, Eubacterium xylanophilum group, Butyricimonas, Peptococcus, Prevotella 7, Roseburia, Terrisporobacter, Burkholderiales and Desulfovibrionales increased the risk of BD, whereas Candidatus Soleaferrea, Ruminiclostridium 5 and Victivallis decreased the risk of BD. The results of the MR analysis were shown to be reliable in the sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: With the MR study, we analysed the causal relationship between 196 gut microbial taxa and bipolar disorder and also identified gut microbiota associated with the risk of developing bipolar disorder. Our findings provide new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To account for the influence of winglet's arrangement length and installing position along the longitudinal direction of bridge deck, as well as actuators quantities on flutter control effect, a three-dimensional model of deck-winglet system was been derived in state space domain, and a model reduction method was also discussed to enhance control efficiency. Then, a suspension bridge with a main span of 3 000 m was used to investigate the control effect of active winglets, and to explore the influence of winglet length and actuator quantity on flutter control effect. Finally, the flutter and buffeting performance of winglet itself was investigated. The simulation results shows that the modes involved in flutter analysis should be determined according to mode-energy participation ratio. When installing a pair of winglets whose width is 10% of bridge deck, the critical wind speed of bridge deck may be twice of a non-controlled condition. In addition, the critical wind speed increases by increasing the length of winglets and actuator quantity. However, the critical wind speed may remain constant once the winglet length and actuator quantity exceed a critical value. By ensuring the critical wind speed of winglet itself is higher than bridge deck, winglet's width should be less than 10% of bridge deck's width, and the independent length winglet is proposed to be shorter than 15% of the length of center span of bridge deck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers of the urinary tract and has a high mortality. The M2 splice isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2) is a key regulator of the Warburg effect in cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate metabolic alterations and biological behaviours after knocking down PKM2. Methods: In this study, 36 pairs of BCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected to analyse the expression level of PKM2 and to explore the relationship between PKM2 level and tumour and patient status. After PKM2 knockdown in T24 cells, cell survival, migration, invasion, glucose uptake, lactate production, and apoptosis were detected. The tumour-forming ability of PKM2-reducing T24 cells was examined in vivo. Results: The results showed that PKM2 expression correlates with BCa stage and grade. PKM2 knockdown decreases glucose consumption and lactate production and suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while increasing reactive oxygen species levels and apoptosis in T24 BCa cells in vitro. In nude mouse models, PKM2 knockdown reduced xenograft and orthotopic tumour size. Moreover, PKM2 knockdown decreased vimentin and fibronectin expression and increased E-cadherin expression. Analysis of highthroughput sequencing data revealed that PKM2 may also be associated with biological processes and diseases. Conclusions: Overall, these results indicate that PKM2 may be a therapeutic target for BCa patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During viral infection, sensing of viral RNA by retinoic acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors (RLRs) initiates an antiviral innate immune response, which is mediated by the mitochondrial adaptor protein VISA (virus-induced signal adaptor; also known as mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein [MAVS]). VISA is regulated by various posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as polyubiquitination, phosphorylation, O-linked ß-d-N-acetylglucosaminylation (O-GlcNAcylation), and monomethylation. However, whether other forms of PTMs regulate VISA-mediated innate immune signaling remains elusive. Here, we report that Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is a PTM of VISA, which attenuates innate immune response to RNA viruses. Using a biochemical purification approach, we identified tankyrase 1 (TNKS1) as a VISA-associated protein. Viral infection led to the induction of TNKS1 and its homolog TNKS2, which translocated from cytosol to mitochondria and interacted with VISA. TNKS1 and TNKS2 catalyze the PARylation of VISA at Glu137 residue, thereby priming it for K48- linked polyubiquitination by the E3 ligase Ring figure protein 146 (RNF146) and subsequent degradation. Consistently, TNKS1, TNKS2, or RNF146 deficiency increased the RNA virus-triggered induction of downstream effector genes and impaired the replication of the virus. Moreover, TNKS1- or TNKS2-deficient mice produced higher levels of type I interferons (IFNs) and proinflammatory cytokines after virus infection and markedly reduced virus loads in the brains and lungs. Together, our findings uncover an essential role of PARylation of VISA in virus-triggered innate immune signaling, which represents a mechanism to avoid excessive harmful immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective prediction of wind power output intervals can capture the trend of uncertain wind output power in the form of probability, which not only can avoid the impact of randomness and volatility on grid security, but also can provide supportable information for grid dispatching and grid planning. To address the problem of the low accuracy of traditional wind power interval prediction, a new interval prediction method of wind power is proposed based on PSR-BLS-QR with adaptive rolling error correction. First, one-dimensional wind power data are mapped to high-dimensional space by phase space reconstruction (PSR) to achieve data reconstruction and the input and output of the broad learning system (BLS) model are constructed. Second, the training set and the test set are divided according to the input and output data. The BLS model is trained by the training set and the initial power interval of training data is constructed by quantile regression (QR). Then, the error distribution of nonparametric kernel density estimation is constructed at different power interval segments of the interval upper and lower boundaries, respectively, and the corresponding error-corrected power is found. Next, the optimal correction index is used as the objective function to determine the optimal error correction power for different power interval segments of the interval upper and lower boundaries. Finally, a test set is used for testing the performance of the proposed method. Three wind power datasets from different regions are used to prove that the proposed method can improve the average prediction accuracy by about 6–14% with the narrower interval width compared with the traditional interval prediction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When granular soil particles are compressed, particles are broken, especially under high-stress conditions, and the particle size distribution is altered, which greatly increases the compressibility of particles. In this paper, through confined compression tests of gypsum and calcareous sand under a high stress, the influence of the initial void ratio and initial particle size of uniform graded sand on the yield stress and compression index of samples is explored. With increasing vertical stress, the particle size distribution transitions from an initial uniform distribution into a fractal distribution. The particle size further attains an obvious fractal distribution under a high stress, and the fractal dimension obtained at each stress level exhibits a linear relationship with the relative crushing rate. The fractal dimension depends on the particle breakage probability. According to Weibull statistics, the relationship between the fractal dimension of particle breakage and the input energy per unit mass is derived. With increasing input energy, the fractal dimension of particle breakage approaches the ultimate fractal dimension. However, for the same material, maintaining a constant maximum stress, the fractal dimension of the particles obtained after reorganization compression continues to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature-driven phase transition of Pb0.97La0.02[Zr0.55Sn0.30Ti0.15]O3 ceramics was studied, and the consecutive ferroelectric-antiferroelectric-paraelectric (FE-AFE-PE) switching was confirmed. The materials have better dielectric tunability (-82% to 50%) in the AFE state than in the FE state. Also, the phase transition influences the energy-storage and -release performance significantly. A sharp increase in releasable energy density and efficiency was observed due to the temperature-driven FE-AFE transition. Highest releasable energy density, current density, and peak power density were achieved at 130 °C, which was attributed to the highest backward transition field. The stored charge was released completely in AFE and PE states in the microseconds scale, while only a small part of it was released in the FE state. The above results indicate the huge impact of temperature-driven phase transition on dielectrics' performance, which is significant when developing AFE materials working in a wide temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature-driven phase transition of Pb0.97La0.02[Zr0.55Sn0.30Ti0.15]O3 ceramics was studied, and the consecutive ferroelectric-antiferroelectric-paraelectric (FE-AFE-PE) switching was confirmed. The materials have better dielectric tunability (−82% to 50%) in the AFE state than in the FE state. Also, the phase transition influences the energy-storage and -release performance significantly. A sharp increase in releasable energy density and efficiency was observed due to the temperature-driven FE-AFE transition. Highest releasable energy density, current density, and peak power density were achieved at 130 °C, which was attributed to the highest backward transition field. The stored charge was released completely in AFE and PE states in the microseconds scale, while only a small part of it was released in the FE state. The above results indicate the huge impact of temperature-driven phase transition on dielectrics' performance, which is significant when developing AFE materials working in a wide temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pb0.94La0.04[(Zr0.56Sn0.44)0.84Ti0.16]O3 antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics were prepared by solidstate reaction and their nonlinear dielectric and discharge properties were studied. The releasable energy density and dielectric constant will increase sharply near 30 kV/cm due to the phase transition from antiferroelectric (AFE) to ferroelectric. The releasable energy density reaches maximum (0.50 J/cm³ under 40 kV/cm) at 30 °C and then decreases with temperature rise. The declination rate is less than 13% below 60 °C and will be remarkable at 160 °C due to the phase transition from AFE to paraelectric. The unique dielectric properties of AFE materials would result in special discharge properties. The discharge current density could be as high as 447A/cm², and the process finishes in sub-microsecond. The discharge current and hysteresis loop change very slightly after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles. The high energy density, fast discharge speed, and good fatigue resistance show the potential of obtained AFE ceramics for pulse power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cartilage segmentation algorithms make it possible to accurately evaluate the morphology and degeneration of cartilage. There are some factors (location of cartilage subregions, hydrarthrosis and cartilage degeneration) that may influence the accuracy of segmentation. It is valuable to evaluate and compare the accuracy and clinical value of volume and mean T2* values generated directly from automatic knee cartilage segmentation with those from manually corrected results using prototype software.Method: Thirty-two volunteers were recruited, all of whom underwent right knee magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Morphological images were obtained using a three-dimensional (3D) high-resolution Double-Echo in Steady-State (DESS) sequence, and biochemical images were obtained using a two-dimensional T2* mapping sequence. Cartilage score criteria ranged from 0 to 2 and were obtained using the Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS). The femoral, patellar, and tibial cartilages were automatically segmented and divided into subregions using the post-processing prototype software. Afterwards, all the subregions were carefully checked and manual corrections were done where needed. The dice coefficient correlations for each subregion by the automatic segmentation were calculated.Results: Cartilage volume after applying the manual correction was significantly lower than automatic segmentation (P < 0.05). The percentages of the cartilage volume change for each subregion after manual correction were all smaller than 5%. In all the subregions, the mean T2* relaxation time within manual corrected subregions was significantly lower than in regions after automatic segmentation (P < 0.05). The average time for the automatic segmentation of the whole knee was around 6 min, while the average time for manual correction of the whole knee was around 27 min.Conclusions: Automatic segmentation of cartilage volume has a high dice coefficient correlation and it can provide accurate quantitative information about cartilage efficiently without individual bias. Advances in knowledge: Magnetic resonance imaging is the most promising method to detect structural changes in cartilage tissue. Unfortunately, due to the structure and morphology of the cartilages obtaining accurate segmentations can be problematic. There are some factors (location of cartilage subregions, hydrarthrosis and cartilage degeneration) that may influence segmentation accuracy. We therefore assessed the factors that influence segmentations error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polarization of (Pb0.94La0.04)[(Zr0.7Sn0.3)0.87Ti0.13]O3 antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics under unipolar pulse electric field was studied, and the transient hysteresis loop was achieved. Compared to the traditional quasi-static results, the forward transition field increases and the backward transition field decreases. The forward and backward phase transitions can be deduced in microseconds scale. Under the transient field, the releasable energy density decreases significantly, while the stored energy density changes slightly. Consequently, the efficiency decreases and the declination of energy density under transient situation is verified by the charge-discharge experiment. The above results prove the necessity of the study of the transient behaviors in AFE and the limitation of quasi-static analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on discrete element method (DEM), three kinds of soil--rock mixture (SRM) models with diVerent coarse particle contentswere established and triaxial compression testswere carried out. The results show that the force chains in the particle system playing the main bearing role need more lateral supports, which results in the contact with a higher coordination number and often bear larger contact force. The relationship between the contact's carrying capacity and the coordination number can be fit by a quadric surface. Taking the fit quadric surface as the capacity function, the network-flow model of force transfer can be constructed to quantify the force transfer ability of a contact network. By connecting the maximum flow in the network with the hardening parameter of the unified hardening model, the stress--strain relationship of SRM can be predicted to some extent, which lays a basis for formulating micro--macro constitutive model for granularmaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for modern hospital management to strengthen medical humanistic care and build a harmonious doctor-patient relationship. Innovative applications of the big data resources of patient experience in modern hospital management facilitate hospital management to realize real-time supervision, dynamic management and scientific decision-making based on patients experiences. It is helping the transformation of hospital management from an administrator's perspective to a patient's perspective, and from experience-driven to data-driven. The technological innovations in hospital management based on patient experience data can assist the optimization and continuous improvement of healthcare quality, therefore help to increase patient satisfaction to the medical services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to evaluate changes in renal cortical blood perfusion after percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stenting (PTRAS) for severe renal artery stenosis (RAS) (≥70%). CEUS was performed in 21 patients with 24 severe RASs that underwent PTRAS. Renal cortical perfusion was quantitatively evaluated by comparing time intensity curve (TIC) parameters for SonoVue (Bracco, Milan, Italy) contrast enhancement, including peak intensity (PI), time to peak (TTP), mean transmit time (MTT), curve ascending slope (S), area under the curve (AUC), AUC-wash-in and AUC-wash-out. The parameters PI, TTP, MTT and S differed significantly between the pre-intervention and post-intervention TIC analysis (p < 0.05). Of the 24 pre-intervention curve appearances, 58.3% (14/24) improved after operation. The PI difference correlated positively with the estimated glomerular filtration rate difference (r = 0.433, p < 0.05). In conclusion, changes in some ultrasound perfusion parameters on CEUS and the shape of the TIC can be used to quantitatively and intuitively evaluate renal cortical blood perfusion change after PTRAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the generation and regeneration of β cells is crucial for developing treatments for diabetes. However, traditional research methods, which are based on populations of cells, have limitations for defining the precise processes of β-cell differentiation and trans-differentiation, and the associated regulatory mechanisms. The recent development of single-cell technologies has enabled re-examination of these processes at a single-cell resolution to uncover intermediate cell states, cellular heterogeneity and molecular trajectories of cell fate specification. Here, we review recent advances in understanding β- cell generation and regeneration, in vivo and in vitro, from single-cell technologies, which could provide insights for optimization of diabetes therapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine whether or not the risk of recurrence of uterine leiomyoma (UL) was different between laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) and open myomectomy (OM).Methods: This study combined a multicenter cohort study with a meta-analysis. The cohort study included women aged 18-44 years with 1-3 leiomyomas who underwent LM or OM for UL at one of three teaching hospitals. The meta-analysis included trials comparing recurrence rates of UL between OM and LM.Results: A total of 396 patients (LM: n = 83; OM: n = 313) were recruited in the cohort study. For women aged 18-44 years with 1-3 leiomyomas, surgical approach (LM vs. OM) was not an independent risk factor of UL recurrence (31.3% vs. 34.2%, P = 0.571), and the reoperation rate of UL was similar between the LM and OM (2.4% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.726). A total of 2566 patients were meta-analyzed. The recurrence of UL was similar between LM and OM when the patients had ≤ 5 leiomyomas (OR 1.10; 95% CI 0.76-1.61; P = 0.610; I2 = 0%), while the recurrence rate in LM group was higher when the patients had > 5 leiomyomas (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.14-1.97; P = 0.004; I2 = 38%).Conclusion: From the meta-analysis, the recurrence rate of UL was similar between LM and OM when the patients had ≤ 5 leiomyomas, while the recurrence of LM was higher when the number of leiomyomas was > 5. The cohort study partially supported this conclusion and it further proved the reoperation rate of UL was also similar among women aged 18-44 years with ≤ 3 leiomyomas. Therefore, OM should be considered for patients with > 3 or 5 leiomyomas if myomectomy has already been chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant neoplasms around the globe. Its most common type is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The FOXF1 adjacent non-coding developmental regulatory RNA (FENDRR) gene is an lncRNA which has been reported to show low expression and a tumor suppressor role in NSCLC.Material and Methods: The expression of FENDRR in NSCLC patients' tissues and cell line was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation and chemotherapy resistance. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry.Results: The expression of FENDRR was low in NSCLC tissues and cells in contrast to control tissues and cells, and low FENDRR expression correlated with high TNM stages and poor differentiation of NSCLC, and could be a promising prognostic factor for NSCLC. FENDRR enhancement could inhibit the proliferation ability and advance cell apoptosis of A549 cells. The expression of FENDRR in NSCLC tissues and cells insensitive to cisplatin was much lower than that in NSCLC tissues and cells sensitive to cisplatin. The chemotherapy resistance to cisplatin of A549/DDP cells was depressed by FENDRR enhancement, and IC50 for cisplatin presented a conspicuous depression. FENDRR up-regulation inhibited cell viability of A549/DDP cells under treatment with 5 µg/ml DDP. TCGA Pan-Cancer (PANCAN) showed that the expression of FENDRR was negatively correlated with the expression of ABCC10 in lung cancer, and our western blot found that FENDRR up-regulation inhibited the expression of ABCC10 in A549/DDP cells.Conclusions: LncRNA FENDRR has low expression in NSCLC and functions as a potential tumor-suppressing gene to inhibit growth and chemotherapy resistance of NSCLC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical methods that quantify the discourse about causal inferences in terms of possible sources of biases are becoming increasingly important to many social-science fields such as public policy, sociology, and education. These methods are also known as "robustness or sensitivity analyses". A series of recent works (Frank [2000, Sociological Methods and Research 29: 147-194]; Pan and Frank [2003, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics 28: 315-337]; Frank and Min [2007, Sociological Methodology 37: 349-392]; and Frank et al. [2013, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 35: 437-460]) on robustness analysis extends earlier methods. We implement these recent developments in Stata. In particular, we provide commands to quantify the percent bias necessary to invalidate an inference from a Rubin causal model framework and the robustness of causal inferences in terms of correlations associated with unobserved variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probe nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PESI-MS) is practically desirable for rapid and ultra-sensitive analysis of trace contaminants in environment, but limited with the stable and selective probe coating. Herein, we show the design and preparation of irreversible fluorine-based covalent organic framework (TFPPA-F 4) covalently bonded probe to couple with ESI-MS (TFPPA-F 4 -PESI-MS) for direct and rapid determination of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in environmental water. Chemical bonding coating of irreversible crystalline TFPPA-F 4 not only improved stability of the probe, but also offered accessible multiple interactions including hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding and F-F interactions to promote the kinetics and selectivity for PFCAs. The proposed TFPPA-F 4 -PESI-MS realized rapid determination of PFCAs (about 4 min) with low limits of detection of 0.06–0.88 ng L−1 and wide linear range of 1–5000 ng L–1 (R2 of 0.9982–0.9998). Recoveries for the spiked lake and pond water were 85.9–111.1 %. TFPPA-F 4 based probe can maintain the extraction performance after 100 times of extraction. This work shows the great potential of the irreversible covalent organic framework based PESI-MS in rapid and ultra-sensitive determination of contaminants in environmental samples. [Display omitted] • Irreversible fluorine COF (FCOF) bonded probe was fabricated via in-situ growth. • Chemical bonding of irreversible FCOF improved the stability of probe. • FCOF based PESI-MS was developed for perfluoroalkylcarboxylic acids. • Mechanism involves hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding and F−F interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 (MRN) complex is well known for participating in DNA damage response pathways in all phases of cell cycle. Here, we show that MRN constitutes a mitosis-specific complex, named mMRN, with a protein, MMAP.MMAP directly interacts with MRE11 and is required for optimal stability of the MRN complex during mitosis. MMAP colocalizes with MRN in mitotic spindles, and MMAP-deficient cells display abnormal spindle dynamics and chromosome segregation similar to MRN-deficient cells. Mechanistically, both MMAP and MRE11 are hyperphosphorylated by the mitotic kinase, PLK1; and the phosphorylation is required for assembly of the mMRN complex. The assembled mMRN complex enables PLK1 to interact with and activate the microtubule depolymerase, KIF2A, leading to spindle turnover and chromosome segregation. Our study identifies a mitosis-specific version of the MRN complex that acts in the PLK1-KIF2A signaling cascade to regulate spindle dynamics and chromosome distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a stress-responsive transcription factor that regulates expression of protein chaperones and cell survival factors. In cancer, HSF1 plays a unique role, hijacking the normal stress response to drive a cancer-specific transcriptional program. These observations suggest that HSF1 inhibitors could be promising therapeutics. However, HSF1 is activated through a complex mechanism, which involves release of a negative regulatory domain, leucine zipper 4 (LZ4), from a masked oligomerization domain (LZ1-3), and subsequent binding of the oligomer to heat shock elements (HSEs) in HSF1-responsive genes. Recent crystal structures have suggested that HSF1 oligomers are held together by extensive, buried contact surfaces, making it unclear whether there are any possible binding sites for inhibitors. Here, we have rationally designed a series of peptide-based molecules based on the LZ4 and LZ1-3 motifs. Using a plate-based, fluorescence polarization (FP) assay, we identified a minimal region of LZ4 that suppresses binding of HSF1 to the HSE. Using this information, we converted this peptide into a tracer and used it to understand how binding of LZ4 to LZ1-3 suppresses HSF1 activation. Together, these results suggest a previously unexplored avenue in the development of HSF1 inhibitors. Furthermore, the findings highlight how native interactions can inspire the design of inhibitors for even the most challenging protein-protein interactions (PPIs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein–protein interactions (PPI) were once considered ‘undruggable’, but clinical successes, driven by advanced methods in drug discovery, have challenged that notion. Here, we review the last three years of literature on PPI inhibitors to understand what is working and why. From the 66 recently reported PPI inhibitors, we found that the average molecular weight was significantly greater than 500 Da, but that this trend was driven, in large part, by the contribution of peptide-based compounds. Despite differences in average molecular weight, we found that compounds based on small molecules or peptides were almost equally likely to be potent inhibitors ( K D < 1 μM). Finally, we found PPIs with buried surface area (BSA) less than 2000 Å 2 were more likely to be inhibited by small molecules, while PPIs with larger BSA values were typically inhibited by peptides. PPIs with BSA values over 4000 Å 2 seemed to create a particular challenge, especially for orthosteric small molecules. Thus, it seems important to choose the inhibitor scaffold based on the properties of the target interaction. Moreover, this survey suggests a (more nuanced) conclusion to the question of whether PPIs are good drug targets; namely, that some PPIs are readily ‘druggable’ given the right choice of scaffold, while others still seem to deserve the ‘undruggable’ moniker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that dysregulation of iron regulatory factors may play essential roles in cancer pathophysiology. Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 3 (STEAP3) is a metalloreductase, which is vital for cellular iron uptake and homeostasis. However, the clinical significance and function of STEAP3 in the development of human gliomas remain unclear. Through analysis of publicly available databases, we found that STEAP3 was highly expressed in malignant gliomas, especially in the mesenchymal glioma molecular subtype and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) wild-type gliomas. Expression levels of STEAP3 in gliomas correlated inversely with patient overall survival (OS) and served as an independent prognostic marker by multivariate Cox regression analysis. In functional assays performed with RNA knockdown, loss of STEAP3 attenuated aggressive phenotypes in glioma cells, including cell proliferation, invasion, and sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Finally, STEAP3 drives these activities by inducing mesenchymal transition, promoting transferrin receptor (TfR) expression, and activating STAT3-FoxM1 axis signaling. Taken together, these results indicate that STEAP3 functions as an oncogenic mediator in glioma progression and is thus a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that dysregulation of iron regulatory factors may play essential roles in cancer pathophysiology. Six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 3 (STEAP3) is a metalloreductase, which is vital for cellular iron uptake and homeostasis. However, the clinical significance and function of STEAP3 in the development of human gliomas remain unclear. Through analysis of publicly available databases, we found that STEAP3 was highly expressed in malignant gliomas, especially in the mesenchymal glioma molecular subtype and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) wild-type gliomas. Expression levels of STEAP3 in gliomas correlated inversely with patient overall survival (OS) and served as an independent prognostic marker by multivariate Cox regression analysis. In functional assays performed with RNA knockdown, loss of STEAP3 attenuated aggressive phenotypes in glioma cells, including cell proliferation, invasion, and sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Finally, STEAP3 drives these activities by inducing mesenchymal transition, promoting transferrin receptor (TfR) expression, and activating STAT3-FoxM1 axis signaling. Taken together, these results indicate that STEAP3 functions as an oncogenic mediator in glioma progression and is thus a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Golgi Membrane Protein 1 (GOLM1), a protein involved in the trafficking of proteins through the Golgi apparatus, has been shown to be oncogenic in a variety of human cancers. Here, we examined the role of GOLM1 in the development of human glioma. Methods: qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis were performed to evaluate GOLM1 levels in cell lines and a cohort of primary human glioma and non-neoplastic brain tissue samples. Glioma cell lines were modified with lentiviral constructs expressing short hairpin RNAs targeting GOLM1 or overexpressing the protein to assess function in proliferation, viability, and migration and invasion in vitro using EdU, CCK8, clone-forming, Transwell assays, 3D tumor spheroid invasion assay and in vivo in orthotopic implantations. Protein lysates were used to screen a membrane-based antibody array to identify kinases mediated by GOLM1. Specific inhibitors of PDGFRα (AG1296) and AKT (MK-2206) were used to examine the regulation of PDGFA/PDGFRα on GOLM1 and the underlying pathway respectively. Results: qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis revealed GOLM1 expression to be elevated in glioma tissues and cell lines. Silencing of GOLM1 attenuated proliferation, migration, and invasion of U251, A172 and P3#GBM (primary glioma) cells, while overexpression of GOLM1 enhanced malignant behavior of U87MG cells. We further demonstrated that activation of AKT is the driving force of GOLM1-promoted glioma progression. The last finding of this research belongs to the regulation of PDGFA/PDGFRα on GOLM1, while GOLM1 was also a key element of PDGFA/PDGFRα-mediated activation of AKT, as well as the progression of glioma cells. Conclusions: PDGFA/PDGFRα-regulated GOLM1 promotes glioma progression possibly through activation of a key signaling kinase, AKT. GOLM1 interference may therefore provide a novel therapeutic target and improve the efficacy of glioma treatment, particularly in the case of the proneural molecular subtype of human glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transgelin-2 (TAGLN2) is a member of the calponin family of actin-bundling proteins that is involved in the regulation of cell morphology, motility, and cell transformation. Here, the clinical significance and potential function of TAGLN2 in malignant gliomas were investigated. Methods: Molecular and clinical data was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Gene ontology and pathway analysis was used to predict potential functions of TAGLN2. RNA knockdown was performed using siRNA or lentiviral contructs in U87MG and U251 glioma cell lines. Cells were characterized in vitro or implanted in vivo to generate orthotopic xenografts in order to assess molecular status, cell proliferation/survival, and invasion by Western blotting, flow cytometry, and 3D tumor spheroid invasion assay, respectively. Results: Increased TAGLN2 expression was associated with increasing tumor grade (P < 0.001), the mesenchymal molecular glioma subtype and worse prognosis in patients (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry performed with anti-TAGLN2 on an independent cohort of patients (n = 46) confirmed these results. Gene silencing of TAGLN2 in U87MG and U251 significantly inhibited invasion and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Western blot analysis revealed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) molecular markers, such as N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and Snail, were regulated in a manner corresponding to suppression of the EMT phenotype in knockdown experiments. Finally, TAGLN2 was induced ~ 2 to 3-fold in U87MG and U251 cells by TGFß2, which was also elevated in GBM and highly correlated with TAGLN2 mRNA levels (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that TAGLN2 exerts a role in promoting the development of human glioma. The regulation and function of TAGLN2 therefore renders it as a candidate molecular target for the treatment of GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resistance to adjuvant radiotherapy is a major cause of treatment failure in patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Autophagy inhibitors have been shown to enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy for certain solid tumors. However, current inhibitors do not penetrate the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Here, we assessed the radiosensitivity effects of the antipsychotic drug trifluoperazine (TFP) on GBM in vitro and in vivo. Methods: U251 and U87 GBM cell lines as well as GBM cells from a primary human biopsy (P3), were used in vitro and in vivo to evaluate the efficacy of TFP treatment. Viability and cytotoxicity was evaluated by CCK-8 and clonogenic formation assays. Molecular studies using immunohistochemistry, western blots, immunofluorescence and qPCR were used to gain mechanistic insight into the biological activity of TFP. Preclinical therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in orthotopic xenograft mouse models. Results: IC50 values of U251, U87 and P3 cells treated with TFP were 16, 15 and 15.5 μM, respectively. TFP increased the expression of LC3B-II and p62, indicating a potential disruption of autophagy flux. These results were further substantiated by a decreased Lysotracker Red uptake, indicating impaired acidification of the lysosomes. We show that TFP and radiation had an additive effect when combined. This effect was in part due to impaired TFP-induced homologous recombination. Mechanistically we show that down-regulation of cathepsin L might explain the radiosensitivity effect of TFP. Finally, combining TFP and radiation resulted in a significant antitumor effect in orthotopic GBM xenograft models. Conclusions: This study provides a strong rationale for further clinical studies exploring the combination therapy of TFP and radiation to treat GBM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the microstructure transformation behavior of copper–graphite composites prepared via mechanical alloying/ spark plasma sintering (MA-SPS). The results revealed that the composite powder existed in the forms of nano/submicron composite particles and pure nanoparticles. The composite particles were totally bonded together via the MA-SPS process and showed a dense and fine microstructure. The grain shape was different from that of the milled powder particles. The microhardness values of Cu–9.7 at.% C, Cu–18.1 at.% C, and Cu–25.3 at.% C composites were enhanced greatly compared with pure copper. The enhancement is due to the combination of the MA induced by high-energy ball milling from MA and discharge activation induced by pulsed current discharge from SPS in the MA-SPS fabrication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coiled-coil domain is a structural motif found in proteins that participate in a variety of biological processes. Aberrant expression of such proteins has been shown to be associated with the malignant behavior of human cancers. In this study, we investigated the role of a specific family member, coiled-coil domain containing 109B (CCDC109B), in human gliomas.Methods and Results: We confirmed that CCDC109B was highly expressed in high grade gliomas (HGG; WHO III-IV) using immunofluorescence, western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry (IHC) and open databases. Through Cox regression analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we found that the expression levels of CCDC109B were inversely correlated with patient overall survival and it could serve as a prognostic marker. Then, a serious of cell functional assays were performed in human glioma cell lines, U87MG and U251, which indicated that silencing of CCDC109B attenuated glioma proliferation and migration/invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, IHC staining in primary glioma samples interestingly revealed localization of elevated CCDC109B expression in necrotic areas which are typically hypoxic. Moreover, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and specific inhibiters of HIF1α led to decreased expression of CCDC109B in vitro and in vivo. Transwell assay further showed that CCDC109B is a critical factor in mediating HIF1α-induced glioma cell migration and invasion.Conclusion: Our study elucidated a role for CCDC109B as an oncogene and a prognostic marker in human gliomas. CCDC109B may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of human glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) integration in urban spaces requires, not only careful technical, but also aesthetic considerations as its visual impact is seen as a kind of environmental effect. To manage this effect, different methods were developed to measure it; however, most existing evaluation methods are either based on subjective speculations and have no continuous criteria standards, or they do not show much relevance to neuropsychological findings. This paper presents an alternative and complementary method for evaluating the BIPV visual impact using the saliency method with an objective, quantitative and neuropsychological-based approach. The application of the method was tested and is discussed in the context of an example case study in Switzerland. Several different BIPV designs were developed for the case study, purposely in ways that made it difficult to rank their visual impacts with one’s subjective instinct. Using the proposed saliency method; however, the differences in BIPV visual impact across all designs could be identified, demonstrated and calculated sensitively. Potential applications of this proposed method include being a helping tool in deciding which BIPV design causes the least or most visual impact among others. Additionally, when combined with solar cadaster, the method enables a comprehensive estimation of BIPV potential in urban areas from both technical and societal aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy in pulse capacitors need to discharge rapidly to obtain high peak power. However, the discharge energy density of antiferroelectric (AFE) dielectrics for pulse capacitors is traditionally evaluated by hysteresis loop (defined as quasi-static method). To verify whether the quasi-static method is suitable for pulse applications, AFE ceramics Pb0.94La0.04[(Zr0.70Sn0.30)0.86Ti0.14]O3 were prepared, and their discharge energy density was calculated by hysteresis loop and pulse current (defined as dynamic method), respectively. A significant difference was found between these two kinds of results. Under 36 kV/cm, the discharge energy density calculated by 1Hz hysteresis loop was 0.35 J/cm3 while that by pulse discharge current was only 0.18 J/cm3. It was found that the discharge energy density declined with increasing test frequency (0.1 Hz–100 Hz) and decreased further via dynamic hysteresis loop in microseconds scale. This declination can be explained by the viscous force during the motion of the domain wall. Thus, for pulse capacitors, it is more reasonable and practical to evaluate discharge energy density of AFE by pulse current than by quasi-static hysteresis loop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant primary liver cancer in many countries and is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the Asia-Pacific region. The incidence of HCC is higher in men and in those over 40 years old. In the Asia-Pacific region, chronic hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections are the main etiological agents; in particular, chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) is still the major cause in all Asia-Pacific countries except for Japan. Over the past two decades, the incidence of HCC has remained stable in countries in the region except for Singapore and Hong Kong, where the incidence for both sexes is currently decreasing. Chronic hepatitis C infection (CHC) is an important cause of HCC in Japan, representing 70% of HCCs. Over the past several decades, the prevalence of CHC has been increasing in many Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and India. Despite advancements in treatment, HCC is still an important health problem because of the associated substantial mortality. An effective surveillance program could offer early diagnosis and hence better treatment options. Antiviral treatment for both CHB and CHC is effective in reducing the incidence of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial progress has been made in China in using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Our objective was to review the latest developments in TCM treatment of AIDS in China between 2004 and 2014. We reviewed the content of original articles investigating the efficacy and safety of TCM for treating AIDS published in Chinese and English language journals. Relevant references from 2004 to 2014 were found using PubMed and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database. We found that TCM has been widely used for treating AIDS and its complications in China. The number of TCM studies has increased, which indicates efficacy and safety. Measures of efficacy in the reviewed articles included the alleviation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related signs and symptoms, improvements in quality of life, improvements in long-term survival, counteraction of the adverse side effects of antiviral drugs, promotion of immune reconstitution, and improvement of laboratory results. In sum, the literature indicates that TCM is safe. TCM plays an important role in the treatment of AIDS. Some studies have attempted to measure the efficacy and safety of TCM for treating AIDS, but more evidence is needed. Therefore, more research on this topic is required in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traction control system (TCS) might prevent excessive skid of the driving wheels so as to enhance the driving performance and direction stability of the vehicle. But if driven on an uneven low-friction road, the vehicle body often vibrates severely due to the drastic fluctuations of driving wheels, and then the vehicle comfort might be reduced greatly. The vibrations could be hardly removed with traditional drive-slip control logic of the TCS. In this paper, a novel fuzzy logic controller has been brought forward, in which the vibration signals of the driving wheels are adopted as new controlled variables, and then the engine torque and the active brake pressure might be coordinately re-adjusted besides the basic logic of a traditional TCS. In the proposed controller, an adjustable engine torque and pressure compensation loop are adopted to constrain the drastic vehicle vibration. Thus, the wheel driving slips and the vibration degrees might be adjusted synchronously and effectively. The simulation results and the real vehicle tests validated that the proposed algorithm is effective and adaptable for a complicated uneven low-friction road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of Huangzhi oral liquid (HZOL) on I/R after 2 h and 4 h and determine its regulatory function on caspase-3 and protein networks. 70 SD male rats were randomly divided into seven groups and established myocardial I/R injury model by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Myocardial infarction model was defined by TTC staining and color of the heart. The levels of CK-MB, CTnI, C-RPL, SOD, and MDA were tested at 2 h and 4 h after reperfusion. HE staining and ultramicrostructural were used to observe the pathological changes. The apoptotic index (AI) of cardiomyocyte was marked by TUNEL. The expression levels of caspase-3, p53, fas, Bcl-2, and Bax were tested by immunohistochemistry and western blot. HZOL corrected arrhythmia, improved the pathologic abnormalities, decreased CK-MB, CTnI, C-RPL, MDA, AI, caspase-3, p53, fas, and Bax, and increased SOD ans Bcl-2 with different times of myocardial reperfusion; this result was similar to the ISMOC (P>0.05). HZOL could inhibit arrhythmia at 2 and 4 h after I/R and ameliorate cardiac function, which was more significant at 4 h after reperfusion. This result may be related to decreased expression of caspase-3, p53, and fas and increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study focusing on identification of a novel missense mutation at the collagenous domain of ectodermal dysplasia (EDA) gene in a Chinese family with X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED). The findings of the study include the substitution of a proline with a leucine in EDA protein by mutation, the substitution mutation found only in the affected males and the carrier females with normal phenotypes, and the proline affecting the stability of collagen helix.

Triclosan is difficult to remove or degrade in natural aquatic environment due to its stable chemical structure and low concentration. This study aimed to enhance its removal rate from water through combining the biocatalytic activity of laccase with high adsorption capacity of mesoporous materials. Vinyl-modified poly(acrylic acid)/SiO2 nanofibrous membranes prepared in this work possessed mesoporous structure (pore size 1.73-3.54 nm, pore volume 0.379 cm³/g) and high specific surface area (542.91 m²/g). Laccase was immobilized on the membranes through covalent crosslinking and the enzyme loading was about 417 mg/g. The physical, chemical, biochemical properties of the immobilized laccase and its application in triclosan removal were comprehensively investigated. The immobilized laccase showed better storage stability and higher tolerance to the changes in pH and temperature compared with free laccase. It also exhibited a better performance (65% removal, 2 h) in triclosan removal than free laccase (29.2% removal, 2 h) under the optimum conditions (pH = 4, 30 °C). The results demonstrated that the mesostructure of nanofibers was beneficial for the adsorption and degradation of triclosan. It may provide a new idea for removal of organic pollutants from water environment using enzyme and adsorption technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Veratric acid, a simple benzoic acid derived from plants and fruits, has been reported to exhibit antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and other important therapeutic activities. The aim of this study was to detect the effects of veratric acid on LPS-induced acute lung injury and to investigate the effects of veratric acid on NF-κB signaling pathway. Male BALB/c mice were pretreated with dexamethasone or veratric acid 1 h before intranasal instillation of LPS. 7 h after LPS administration, the myeloperoxidase in lung tissues, lung wet/dry weight ratio and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined. The effects of veratric acid on pro-inflammatory cytokines and signal pathways were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. The results showed that veratric acid inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β production in a dose dependent manner. It was also observed that veratric acid attenuated lung histopathologic changes. The wet/dry weight ratio of lungs and the number of total cells, neutrophils, macrophages in the BALF were all decreased. Furthermore, veratric acid inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and IκB. These results indicate that veratric acid inhibits NF-κB signaling pathways to attenuate inflammatory injury induced by LPS. Veratric acid may be a potential therapeutic reagent for acute lung injury treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background context Spine metastases occur frequently in patients with cancer. A variety of surgical approaches, including anterior transcavitary, lateral extracavitary, posterolateral, and/or combined techniques are used for spinal cord decompression and restoration of spinal stability. The incidence of symptomatic hardware failure is unknown for the majority of these approaches. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of symptomatic hardware failure and the associated risk factors in patients with metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC). Study design/setting This was a retrospective study. Patient sample The current series analyzes a cohort of 318 patients who underwent separation surgery, which involves single-stage posterolateral decompression and posterior segmental instrumentation for MESCC. Outcome measures The event of interest was hardware failure; the competing event was death resulting from any cause. All patients were monitored for survival analysis. A competing risk analysis was conducted to examine univariately a number of potential risk factors associated with hardware failure, including junctional level, gender, construct length, and the presence or absence of prior chest wall resection. Methods A retrospective analysis and chart review were performed for 318 consecutive patients who underwent posterolateral decompression and posterior screw-rod fixation without supplemental anterior fixation from March 2004 to June 2011 at our institution. The median follow-up time for survivors without hardware failure was 399 days (range, 9-2,828), with a mean operative time of 3 hours. A total of 78% of patients died during the 7-year study period. Results Of the 318 patients, nine (2.8%) exhibited signs and symptoms of hardware failure and required revision of the instrumentation. Patients with chest wall resection and those with initial construct length greater than six contiguous spinal levels exhibited a statistically significantly higher risk of symptomatic hardware failure than their counterparts. We observed a trend toward an increased risk of failure in women compared with men (p=.09). Conclusions The incidence of hardware failure is low in patients with MESCC who undergo posterolateral decompression and posterior screw-rod instrumentation. Moreover, the short operative time and low morbidity profile associated with this approach make it a reliable and acceptable method for the surgical treatment of MESCC. Patients with constructs spanning six or more levels or those with prior chest wall resection are at higher risk for instrumentation failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the Cu-Fe3O4@GE composite was prepared easily by a one-step solvent-thermal method, which achieved the formation of Cu nanoparticles (Cu NPs), Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) and reduction of GO simultaneously. The morphology and structure of the composite was fully characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The time-dependent adsorption spectra of the reaction mixture was measured by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the Cu NPs and Fe3O4 NPs were densely and evenly deposited on the graphene (GE) sheets. It was found that the Cu-Fe3O4@GE composite exhibited high catalytic activities on the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. Furthermore, the composite catalyst can be easily recovered due to its magnetic separability and high stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a hybrid quasi-static atomistic simulation method at finite temperature is developed, which combines the advantages of MD for thermal equilibrium and atomic-scale finite element method (AFEM) for efficient equilibration. Some temperature effects are embedded in static AFEM simulation by applying the virtual and equivalent thermal disturbance forces extracted from MD. Alternatively performing MD and AFEM can quickly obtain a series of thermodynamic equilibrium configurations such that a quasi-static process is modeled. Moreover, a stirring-accelerated MDIAFEM fast relaxation approach is proposed in which the atomic forces and velocities are randomly exchanged to artificially accelerate the "slow processes" such as mechanical wave propagation and thermal diffusion. The efficiency of the proposed methods is demonstrated by numerical examples on single wall carbon nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A portable sitting posture monitoring system was developed for sitting posture recognition. The proposed system was designed to recognize seven types of sitting postures, including sitting upright, leaning forward, leaning backward, leaning left, leaning right, left foot on right thigh and right foot on left thigh. Seven supervised machine learning algorithms were implemented for comparation. The final embedded system could realize sitting posture recognition with an accuracy of 96.26 % and 19 us prediction time. Architecture diagram of sitting posture monitoring system. [Display omitted] • A portable sitting posture monitoring system was developed for sitting posture recognition. • A sitting posture analysis software was developed for real-time data visualization. • The optimized system could realize recognition accuracy of 96.26 % with 19 us prediction time. Poor sitting posture is one of the main inducements that lead to a series of skeletal muscle diseases. Sitting posture monitoring system can remind the user to maintain the correct sitting posture to prevent the harm of poor sitting posture to the body. In this paper, we proposed a portable sitting posture monitoring system to recognize the user's sitting posture and feedback the results in real time. A pressure sensor array is used to collect sitting postures related information, while the collected data can be displayed on a computer. The proposed system was designed to recognize seven types of sitting postures, including sitting upright, leaning forward, leaning backward, leaning left, leaning right, cross left leg, and cross right leg. Seven machine learning algorithms were implemented for comparation. The results showed that a five-layer Artificial Neural Network could achieve the highest accuracy of 97.07 %. To enhance system performance and reduce hardware cost, we further optimized the size of the sensor array. An 11 × 13 sensor array combined with Random Forest algorithm realized the optimal balance between classification accuracy (96.26 %) and hardware resource consumption. The final system prediction time is 19 us on the Raspberry Pi, which could satisfy the practical application requirement on the embedded platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we attempt to answer two questions on graphene from a mechanic's viewpoint: why does this one-atom-thick monolayer have finite bending stiffness to ensure its stability? and what is its wrinkle mechanism? As for the first question, it is found that the repulsive residual internal moment in the bond angle can lead to a nonzero bending stiffness, which makes the graphene flat. Together with long-range attraction among atoms, such as van der Waals forces, a graphene prefers to have a self-buckling wrinkled configuration with many waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parallel linear equations solver capable of effectively using 1000+ processors becomes the bottleneck of large-scale implicit engineering simulations. In this paper, we present a new hierarchical parallel master-slave-structural iterative algorithm for the solution of super large-scale sparse linear equations in a distributed memory computer cluster. Through alternatively performing global equilibrium computation and local relaxation, the specific accuracy requirement can be met in a few iterations. Moreover, each set/slave-processor majorly communicates with its nearest neighbors, and the transferring data between sets!slave-processors and the master-processor is always far below the communi-cation between neighboring sets!slave-processors. The corresponding algorithm for implicit finite element analysis has been implemented based on the MPI library, and a super large 2-dimension square system of triangle-lattice truss structure under randomly distributed loadings is simulated with over 1 x 109 degrees of freedom (DOF) on up to 2001 processors of the "Exploration 100" cluster in Tsinghua University. The numerical experiments dem-onstrate that this algorithm has excellent parallel efficiency and high scalability, and it may have broad applications in other implicit simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]