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Post-transcriptional regulation and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play vital roles in the occurrence of secondary injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Therefore, we identified RBPs distinctively expressed after ICH by screening and determined thioredoxin1 (Txn1) as one of the most distinctive RBPs. We employed an ICH model and in vitro experiments to investigate the role of Txn1 in ICH. Firstly, we found that Txn1 was mainly expressed in microglia and neurons in the central nervous system, and its expression was significantly reduced in perihematomal tissue. Additionally, adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying Txn1 was injected into the ICH rat model. Our results showed that overexpression of Txn1 reduced secondary injury and improved outcome in the ICH rat model. Moreover, to understand the therapeutic mechanism of Txn1 after ICH, we performed RNA immunoprecipitation combined with high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that Txn1 binds to inflammation- and apoptosis-related mRNAs and affects gene expression through RNA splicing and translation. Finally, RNA pull-down assays and in vitro experiments confirmed that Txn1 binds to metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), leading to reduced inflammation and apoptosis. Our study suggests that Txn1 is a potential therapeutic target for alleviating ICH-induced brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Prediction models for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) need to be proven effective in the target population before they can be applied to population-based endoscopic screening to improve costeffectiveness. We have systematically reviewed ESCC prediction models applicable to the general population and performed external validation and head-to-head comparisons in a large multicenter prospective cohort including 5 high-risk areas of China (Fei Cheng, Lin Zhou, Ci Xian, Yang Zhong, and Yan Ting). METHODS: Models were identified through a systematic review and validated in a large population-based multicenter prospective cohort that included 89,753 participants aged 40--69 years who underwent their first endoscopic examination between April 2017 and March 2021 and were followed up until December 31, 2022. Model performance in external validation was estimated based on discrimination and calibration. Discrimination was assessed by C-statistic (concordance statistic), and calibration was assessed by calibration plot and Hosmer-Lemeshow test. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 15 prediction models that predicted severe dysplasia and above lesion (SDA) or ESCC in the general population, of which 11 models (4 SDA and 7 ESCC) were externally validated. The C-statistics ranged from 0.67 (95% confidence interval 0.66--0.69) to 0.70 (0.68--0.71) of the SDA models, and the highest was achieved by Liu et al (2020) and Liu et al (2022). The C-statistics ranged from 0.51 (0.48--0.54) to 0.74 (0.71--0.77), and Han et al (2023) had the best discrimination of the ESCC models. Most models were well calibrated after recalibration because the calibration plots coincided with the x 5 y line. DISCUSSION: Several prediction models showed moderate performance in external validation, and the prediction models may be useful in screening for ESCC. Further research is needed on model optimization, generalization, implementation, and health economic evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulated hydrolysis of the phosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol(4,5)-bis-phosphate to diacylglycerol and inositol-1,4,5-P3 defines a major eukaryotic pathway for translation of extracellular cues to intracellular signaling circuits. Members of the lipid-activated protein kinase C isoenzyme family (PKCs) play central roles in this signaling circuit. One of the regulatory mechanisms employed to downregulate stimulated PKC activity is via a proteasome-dependent degradation pathway that is potentiated by peptidyl-prolyl isomerase Pin1. Here, we show that contrary to prevailing models, Pin1 does not regulate conventional PKC isoforms a and ßII via a canonical cis-trans isomerization of the peptidyl-prolyl bond. Rather, Pin1 acts as a PKC binding partner that controls PKC activity via sequestration of the C-terminal tail of the kinase. The high-resolution structure of full-length Pin1 complexed to the C-terminal tail of PKCßII reveals that a novel bivalent interaction mode underlies the non-catalytic mode of Pin1 action. Specifically, Pin1 adopts a conformation in which it uses the WW and PPIase domains to engage two conserved phosphorylated PKC motifs, the turn motif and hydrophobic motif, respectively. Hydrophobic motif is a non-canonical Pin1-interacting element. The structural information combined with the results of extensive binding studies and experiments in cultured cells suggest that non-catalytic mechanisms represent unappreciated modes of Pin1-mediated regulation of AGC kinases and other key enzymes/substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For eddy-permitting climate models, only eddies smaller than the smallest resolvable scale need to be parameterized. Therefore, it is important to study the diffusivities induced by eddies smaller than a specific separation scale L*, that is, the scale-dependent eddy diffusivities. Using a submesoscale-permitting model solution (MITgcm llc4320), we estimate the scale-dependent eddy diffusivity in the Kuroshio Extension. We find that, as the separation scale L* increases, the diffusivity increases, and the spatial structure approaches that of the total eddy diffusivity. We quantify this scale dependence through fitting the diffusivity to L*n. Our derivation shows that n is approximately (a + 1)/2, where a is the eddy kinetic energy spectral slope. For domain-averaged diffusivity, n is 1.33. We then extend four existing mixing theories by including scale dependence. Our results show that both of the theories designed for intense-jet regions, the suppressed mixing length theory and the multiwavenumber theory, closely match the magnitude of the scale-dependent diffusivity but fail to capture well the diffusivity's spatial structure. However, the other two theories based on eddy size and Rhines scale can reasonably represent the spatial structure. Based on this finding, we propose an empirical formula for scale-dependent eddy diffusivity that well represents both the magnitude and the spatial structure of the eddy diffusivity. Our work demonstrates that climate models should use scale-dependent diffusivity, and designing appropriate empirical formulas may be a reasonable approach to represent these scale-dependent diffusivities. Also, our diagnostic framework and theories for scale-dependent eddy diffusivity may be applicable to the global ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early heat and drought priming may increase the plant's ability to resist later drought and heat stress. However, it remains unclear whether combined heat and drought priming can enhance the acclimation of plants to later combined stress by improving physiological activities. In this study, maize seedlings were first pre-exposed twice to heat, drought, and a combination of stresses followed by recovery, and then subjected to six days of more severe stresses. A considerable reduction in photosynthetic pigment content, stomatal size, and photosynthesis was observed under heat and drought conditions, and the changes in the above indicators were amplified under combined stress conditions. Stress priming improves antioxidant defense and cellular osmoregulation, as indicated by improved superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and ascorbate peroxidase activities, as well as elevated soluble sugar (SS) and proline (Pro) contents. Lower superoxide anion and malondialdehyde contents and injury index in the primed seedlings demonstrated the mitigation of oxidative stress. ROC analysis revealed that SOD and POD had considerable reliability in determining that maize seedlings were experiencing heat stress (AUC = 0.941–0.971); GR and SS were capable of accurately monitoring drought stress that was being experienced by plants (AUC = 0.919–0.958); and SOD, GR, and Pro had more capability for detecting the combination of heat and drought stress (AUC = 0.907–0.958). Collectively, the primed seedlings exhibited better performance than the non-primed seedlings, exhibiting stronger stress acclimation supported by an effective antioxidant defense system and osmoregulatory function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme temperatures and droughts are considered as the two main factors that limit wheat growth and production. Although responses of wheat plants to heat and drought stress have been extensively investigated, little is known about the extent to which wheat plants can recover after stress relief. In this study, a winter wheat pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth, physiological activities, and yield formation responses of wheat to stress and recovery periods under heat stress (36 °C, daily maximum temperature), drought (45–55% of soil water holding capacity), and combined stress conditions. Heat and drought stress significantly reduced photosynthesis, leaf relative water content (LRWC), leaf water potential (LWP noon), and nitrogen metabolism enzyme activities and increased electrolyte leakage. These parameters showed significant interactions between heat and drought stress. Beneficial osmoregulation of membrane stability was observed in stressed plants because of the accumulation of proline and soluble sugars. Within a range of stresses, the abovementioned physiological processes of individual heat- and drought-stressed plants recovered to levels comparable to those of the control. The recovery capacities of the physiological traits decreased gradually with increasing stress duration, particularly under combined stress. The recovery of LWP noon and LRWC contributed to the improved photosynthetic performance after stress relief. The combined stress caused greater yield losses than individual heat and drought stress, which was mainly attributed to low levels of thousand grain weight (TGW), the number of grains per ear, and the grain filling rate. After stress relief, the recovery of proline content, glutamine synthetase activity, photosynthetic rate, and LRWC were closely associated with grain yield and thousand grain weight. Collectively, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the coordinated responses of winter wheat during the combined heat and drought stress and recovery periods. • Combined heat and drought stress is more detrimental to wheat than individual stress. • Most physiological processes of plants were reversible within a range of stress. • Recovery of physiological traits was closely related to wheat yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) transfer proteins (PITPs) enhance the activities of PtdIns 4-OH kinases that generate signaling pools of PtdIns-4-phosphate. In that capacity, PITPs serve as key regulators of lipid signaling in eukaryotic cells. Although the PITP phospholipid exchange cycle is the engine that stimulates PtdIns 4-OH kinase activities, the underlying mechanism is not understood. Herein, we apply an integrative structural biology approach to investigate interactions of the yeast PITP Sec14 with small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) of its phospholipid exchange cycle. Using a combination of X-ray crystallography, solution NMR spectroscopy, and atomistic MD simulations, we dissect how SMIs compete with native Sec14 phospholipid ligands and arrest phospholipid exchange. Moreover, as Sec14 PITPs represent new targets for the development of next-generation antifungal drugs, the structures of Sec14 bound to SMIs of diverse chemotypes reported in this study will provide critical information required for future structure-based design of next-generation lead compounds directed against Sec14 PITPs of virulent fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide. While hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are two major pathologic types of PLC, combined HCC and ICC (cHCC-ICC) is a relatively rare subtype that shares both hepatocyte and cholangiocyte differentiation. However, the molecular feature of this unique tumor remains elusive because of its low incidence and lack of a suitable animal model. Herein, we generated a novel spontaneous cHCC-ICC model using a Sleeping Beauty-dependent transposon plasmid co-expressing oncogenic Myc and AKT1 and a CRISPR-Cas9 plasmid expressing single-guide RNA targeting p53 into mouse hepatocytes via in situ electroporation. The histological and transcriptional analysis confirmed that this model exhibits cHCC-ICC features and activates pathways committing cHCC-ICC formation, such as TGF-β, WNT, and NF-κB. Using this model, we further screened and identified LAMB1, a protein involved in cell adhesion and migration, as a potential therapeutic target for cHCC-ICC. In conclusion, our work presents a novel genetic cHCC-ICC model and provides new insights into cHCC-ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SAPHO syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease with a variety of clinical manifestations, which may be accompanied by other systemic inflammatory diseases in addition to the typical manifestations of common synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis. Here, we report the first case of SAPHO syndrome combined with Takayasu arteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The effects of drought on wheat have been studied extensively. However, there is limited information on changes in physiological activities during rehydration.A pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and persistent mild (65–75% field capacity (FC)), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe drought (45–55% FC) stress on photosynthesis, plant–water relations, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and yield.The activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPcase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) decreased by 7% and 9%, respectively, under severe stress compared with those in control. Persistent severe drought resulted in 31%, 235%, and 58% reduction in leaf water content, leaf water potential, and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr), respectively, compared with the control. After intermittent moderate drought (IS2), root length and Lpr increased by 11% and 8%, respectively, compared with the control, which contributed to the improvement of leaf water status. Intermittent and persistent drought stress led to a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents. After 14days of rehydration, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase and contents of proline and betaine increased by 53%, 33%, 20%, 17%, and 54%, respectively, compared with the control. The IS2 treatment increased the contribution of dry matter to grain, resulting in a 10% greater yield than that of the controls.The compensatory effect induced by rehydration increased wheat yield. This improvement was attributed to improved physiological activities and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of responses of wheat to repeated drought stimuli.Methods: The effects of drought on wheat have been studied extensively. However, there is limited information on changes in physiological activities during rehydration.A pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and persistent mild (65–75% field capacity (FC)), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe drought (45–55% FC) stress on photosynthesis, plant–water relations, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and yield.The activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPcase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) decreased by 7% and 9%, respectively, under severe stress compared with those in control. Persistent severe drought resulted in 31%, 235%, and 58% reduction in leaf water content, leaf water potential, and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr), respectively, compared with the control. After intermittent moderate drought (IS2), root length and Lpr increased by 11% and 8%, respectively, compared with the control, which contributed to the improvement of leaf water status. Intermittent and persistent drought stress led to a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents. After 14days of rehydration, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase and contents of proline and betaine increased by 53%, 33%, 20%, 17%, and 54%, respectively, compared with the control. The IS2 treatment increased the contribution of dry matter to grain, resulting in a 10% greater yield than that of the controls.The compensatory effect induced by rehydration increased wheat yield. This improvement was attributed to improved physiological activities and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of responses of wheat to repeated drought stimuli.Results: The effects of drought on wheat have been studied extensively. However, there is limited information on changes in physiological activities during rehydration.A pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and persistent mild (65–75% field capacity (FC)), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe drought (45–55% FC) stress on photosynthesis, plant–water relations, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and yield.The activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPcase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) decreased by 7% and 9%, respectively, under severe stress compared with those in control. Persistent severe drought resulted in 31%, 235%, and 58% reduction in leaf water content, leaf water potential, and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr), respectively, compared with the control. After intermittent moderate drought (IS2), root length and Lpr increased by 11% and 8%, respectively, compared with the control, which contributed to the improvement of leaf water status. Intermittent and persistent drought stress led to a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents. After 14days of rehydration, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase and contents of proline and betaine increased by 53%, 33%, 20%, 17%, and 54%, respectively, compared with the control. The IS2 treatment increased the contribution of dry matter to grain, resulting in a 10% greater yield than that of the controls.The compensatory effect induced by rehydration increased wheat yield. This improvement was attributed to improved physiological activities and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of responses of wheat to repeated drought stimuli.Conclusions: The effects of drought on wheat have been studied extensively. However, there is limited information on changes in physiological activities during rehydration.A pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and persistent mild (65–75% field capacity (FC)), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe drought (45–55% FC) stress on photosynthesis, plant–water relations, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and yield.The activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPcase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) decreased by 7% and 9%, respectively, under severe stress compared with those in control. Persistent severe drought resulted in 31%, 235%, and 58% reduction in leaf water content, leaf water potential, and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr), respectively, compared with the control. After intermittent moderate drought (IS2), root length and Lpr increased by 11% and 8%, respectively, compared with the control, which contributed to the improvement of leaf water status. Intermittent and persistent drought stress led to a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents. After 14days of rehydration, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase and contents of proline and betaine increased by 53%, 33%, 20%, 17%, and 54%, respectively, compared with the control. The IS2 treatment increased the contribution of dry matter to grain, resulting in a 10% greater yield than that of the controls.The compensatory effect induced by rehydration increased wheat yield. This improvement was attributed to improved physiological activities and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of responses of wheat to repeated drought stimuli.Graphical abstract: The effects of drought on wheat have been studied extensively. However, there is limited information on changes in physiological activities during rehydration.A pot experiment was performed to investigate the effects of intermittent and persistent mild (65–75% field capacity (FC)), moderate (55–65% FC), and severe drought (45–55% FC) stress on photosynthesis, plant–water relations, antioxidant systems, osmoregulation, and yield.The activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPcase) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPcase) decreased by 7% and 9%, respectively, under severe stress compared with those in control. Persistent severe drought resulted in 31%, 235%, and 58% reduction in leaf water content, leaf water potential, and root hydraulic conductance (Lpr), respectively, compared with the control. After intermittent moderate drought (IS2), root length and Lpr increased by 11% and 8%, respectively, compared with the control, which contributed to the improvement of leaf water status. Intermittent and persistent drought stress led to a significant increase in antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents. After 14days of rehydration, the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and glutathione peroxidase and contents of proline and betaine increased by 53%, 33%, 20%, 17%, and 54%, respectively, compared with the control. The IS2 treatment increased the contribution of dry matter to grain, resulting in a 10% greater yield than that of the controls.The compensatory effect induced by rehydration increased wheat yield. This improvement was attributed to improved physiological activities and drought tolerance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of responses of wheat to repeated drought stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of a 12-week multicomponent exercise intervention on metacognition among preadolescents with obesity. Seventy-five preadolescents were randomly assigned to either a multicomponent exercise group or a reading control group. An exercise intervention consisting of a jumping rope was utilized to develop multifaceted fitness features, with each session lasting for 75 min and three sessions being conducted per week for 12 weeks. Results revealed significant interactions between group and time point for cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, flexibility, and power, as well as for Tower of London task measures, including total move score, total executive time, and total planning-solving time, with better postintervention performances achieved by the exercise group. Positive correlations between the physical fitness and metacognition measurements were also observed. These findings suggest that the multicomponent exercise benefits metacognition in obese preadolescents, with exercise-associated changes in multifaceted fitness features mediating the relationship between exercise and metacognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis results from liver inflammation a nd progresses to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. It is k nown t hat nonalcoholic liver disease is mediated by the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor-2 (MD-2)--tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) signaling pathway. This study aimed to investigate whether alcoholic liver disease is also mediated by this pathway. To this end, we first established rat models of liver fibrosis by administering alcohol. Next, the rats were injected with anti-TLR4 and anti-MD-2 antibodies. Real Time Quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the activation of the TLR4/ MD-2--TNF-α signaling pathway and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Moreover, the expression of molecules related to liver fibrosis was estimated. The morphology of rat liver tissue was observed through hematoxylin--eosin staining and Masson staining. For in vitro studies, Kupffer cells (KCs) isolated from the liver were transfected with si-TLR4 and si-MD-2 and co-cultured with HSCs to determine the activity of HSCs. It was found that alcohol treatment activated the TLR4/MD-2--TNF-α signaling pathway and upregulated the molecules associated with liver fibrosis. However, inhibition of TLR4 and MD-2 partially reversed this trend. Notably, in vitro studies indicated that knockdown of TLR4 and MD-2 in KCs partially inhibited LPS-induced activation of KCs and HSCs. Overall, this study showed that alcohol induces liver fibrosis via the LPS-TLR4/MD-2--TNF-α signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have grown a large NaSr 3 Be 3 B 3 O 9 F 4 (NSBBF) crystal with a top-seeded solution method and generated a continuous-wave (cw) laser radiation at 266 nm with a Brewster-cut NSBBF. With a high-power cw 532 nm and a frequency doubling stage, up to 120 mW cw UV laser was generated at 266 nm. A high stability at 50 mW was obtained more than 10 h. This cw UV laser source is applicable for self-calibrating solar irradiators. • We have grown a NSBBF crystal with size of 45 × 30 × 25 mm3. • A continuous-wavelaser at 266 nm was realized using a Brewster-cut NSBBF with120 mW. • A stability of 50 mW was obtained for more than 10 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate retrieval of land surface temperature (LST) over urban areas is of great significance for urban thermal environment monitoring. In previous studies, most of the urban LST retrieval methods were developed based on the assumption of a flat surface without considering the influence of urban 3-D geometry structure, which has a significant impact on the retrieval accuracy of LST over urban areas. In this study, a radiative transfer equation (RTE)-based single-channel method was developed to retrieve LST with urban geometry effect correction from the Landsat 8 thermal infrared (TIR) data in band 10. The increase in adjacent radiance from the surrounding pixels and the decrease in atmospheric downwelling radiance caused by urban geometry structure were taken into account in this method. Because it is difficult to directly validate the retrieval accuracy of LST over urban areas using in situ LST measurements, the performance of the RTE-based LST retrieval method was evaluated via comparing brightness temperature (BT) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) simulated by the discrete anisotropic radiative transfer (DART) model and the urban RTE over three subregions. There is a good agreement between BT at the TOA simulated by the DART model and the urban RTE, with a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) of less than 0.25 K. The variations in LST retrieved with urban geometry effect correction over different local climate zones (LCZs) were analyzed. In general, built-up LCZs have relatively higher LST than land cover LCZs. The differences between LST retrieved without/with urban geometry effect correction over different LCZs are greater than 0.2 K. The largest average LST difference over built-up LCZs is approximately 0.9 K, whereas that over land cover LCZs is approximately 0.65 K. LST retrieved without/with urban geometry effect correction was used to calculate urban heat island intensity (UHII) in terms of the LCZ-based method. The results indicate that UHII calculated from LST with urban geometry effect correction is lower than that calculated from LST without urban geometry effect correction, with an average difference of approximately 0.5 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The research aim was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the ability of acupressure to reduce anxiety. Design: Randomized controlled trials were obtained through a search of electronic medical databases (four in English and one in Chinese) from inception to October 5, 2020. Two authors searched the databases, evaluated studies' methodological quality, and performed data extraction independently. The final studies for analysis were identified after discussion with the third author. Results: We obtained 27 studies for our systematic review and meta-analysis. Eight studies had a low overall risk of bias, and 13 had some bias concerns with methodological quality. According to the results, acupressure significantly reduced patient anxiety (standardized mean difference = 1.152; 95% confidence interval: 0.847-1.459, p < 0.001), and the study heterogeneity was high (Q= 299.74, p < 0.001, I² = 91.333%). Two studies reported acupressure-associated adverse events. We also performed a sensitivity analysis by omitting one outlier study, which had the largest effect size; however, high heterogeneity remained (I² = 87.816%). A subgroup analysis revealed significant differences between participant types (Q= 46.573, p < 0.001), levels of methodological quality (Q= 6.228, p = 0.044), and massage equipment (Q= 4.642, p = 0.031). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggests that acupressure can alleviate anxiety. Acupressure was more effective for inpatients and preoperative patients when finger massage was applied. In individuals with anxiety and a stable hemodynamic status, acupressure could be a promising treatment option. However, the substantial heterogeneity across studies means that any inference from the results should be performed cautiously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on Fate mapping via CCR2-CreER mice which reveals monocyte-to-microglia transition in development and neonatal stroke. It mentions fate mapping strategy revealed an acute influx of monocytes after neonatal stroke, which gradually transformed into a ramified morphology and expressed microglial marker genes for at least 62 days after injury.

The unprecedented time-dependent long-range supramolecular assembly of electron-deficient hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATN) core based on peripheral crowding with three out-ofplane cyclic ketals is reported. The single-crystal X-ray structure of the diethyl derivative provided detailed information as to how four molecules in a repeating unit were packed in order to avoid steric crowding of the out-of-plane cyclic ketal side chain, providing locking and fastening for stabilizing the selfassembled structure. The polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) did not instantaneously show any phase transition upon the cooling process. To our surprise, POM images showed a nucleation of spherulite up to 100 μm after 24 hour later. X-ray diffraction data further confirmed that these soft crystal formed a hexagonal-like crystal. The long-range self-assembly of the new material showed a slight red shift in the UV-vis absorption spectra and further substantiated by computational method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to optimize and transform closed mature apple orchards with standard rootstocks and improve the quality of fruit, taking a closed Red Fuji apple orchard as the test object, the effects of different density-reducing methods (deinterlacing, removing every other plant in each row, removing every other plant every other row) on the canopy microenvironment, tree structure, leaf photosynthesis and fruit quality were studied. The results showed that different density-reducing methods significantly reduced the orchard coverage and increased the crown transmittance. Among them, the deinterlacing treatment was the best in improving the population structure of the closed orchard, as it reduced the orchard coverage rate by 55.68 percentage points and the canopy transmittance by 82. 38 percentage points, compared with the control (CK). Different density-reducing methods all could significantly reduce the branch amount in the closed orchard and optimized the liranch composition. The three density-reducing methods decreased the number of branches per plant by 18.96% , 12.41% and 19.58% , respectively, cornered with the CK. And compared with the CK, the proportion of short branches and leafy branches to the total branches was increased by 17. 13% , 14. 27% and 7. 37% , respectively, and the proportion of long branches and developmental branches to the total branches was decreased by 24.47% , 18.04% and 10.79% , respectively. The effects of the different density-reducing methods on the temperature, relative light intensity, SPAD and leaf photosynthetic rate in canopies all followed an order of deinterlacing >removing every other plant in each row > removing every other plant every other row >CK, while those on the relative humidity showed an order of deinterlacing < removing every other plant in each row < removing every other plant every other row < CK. The average single fruit weight (238. 3 g) , coloring index (89.2) , smoothness index (83.2) , soluble solid content ( 15. 1% ) and high quality fruit rate (82.4% ) of the deinterlacing treatment were higher than those of other treatments, and the values were 18. 2% , 11.4% , 5. 85% , 26.9% and 25.2% higher than the CK, respectively. The use of deinterlacing to reduce density is the best for improving the microenvironment of closed apple orchards and improving the photosynthetic efficiency and fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is a growing threat to public health, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. EV-A71 infection is most prevalent in infants and children and causes a wide spectrum of clinical complications, including hand-footand- mouth disease (HFMD), pulmonary and neurological disorders. The pathogenesis of EV-A71 infection is poorly understood at present. It is likely that viral factors and host immunity, and their interplay, affect the pathogenesis and outcome of EV-A71 infection. The mammalian innate immune system forms the first layer of defense against viral infections and triggers activation of adaptive immunity leading to full protection. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the interaction between EV-A71 and the innate immune system. We discuss the role of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), and inflammasomes, in the detection of EV-A71 infection and induction of antiviral immunity. As a counteraction, EV-A71 viral proteins target multiple innate immune pathways to facilitate viral replication in host cells. These novel insights at the virus-host interphase may support the future development of vaccines and therapeutics against EV-A71 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects that listening and not listening to music had on pain relief, heart rate variability (HRV), and knee range of motion in total knee replacement (TKR) patients who underwent continuous passive motion (CPM) rehabilitation. We adopted a single-group quasi-experimental design. A sample of 49 TKR patients listened to music for 25 min during one session of CPM and no music during another session of CPM the same day for a total of 2 days. Results indicated that during CPM, patients exhibited a significant decrease in the pain level (p < .05), an increase in the CPM knee flexion angle (p < .05), a decrease in the lowfrequency/high-frequency ratio (LF/HF) and normalized LF (nLF) of the FHRV (p < .01), and an increase in the normalized HF (nHF) and standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN; p < .01) when listening to music compared with no music. This study demonstrated that listening to music can effectively decrease pain during CPM rehabilitation and improve the joint range of motion in patients who underwent TKR surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface temperature (LST) over urban areas is an essential parameter in the monitoring of urban thermal environment. Urbanization has resulted in a more complex geometric structure of urban surface than natural surface. However, in the conventional LST retrieval algorithms, the impact of urban geometric structure is usually neglected. In this study, an extended algorithm that combines the split-window algorithm (SW) and the temperature and emissivity separation algorithm (TES) was proposed to retrieve LST and land surface emissivity (LSE) over urban areas simultaneously from the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) thermal infrared (TIR) data. In the extended SW-TES algorithm with considering urban geometry effect, the brightness temperature at ground level was obtained using the SW algorithm, and the LST and LSE were retrieved simultaneously by using the TES algorithm. The results indicate that LST (LSE) retrieved by the extended SW-TES algorithm with urban geometry effect correction has generally lower (higher) values than that without urban geometry effect correction. The LST differences mostly vary from 0.3 K to 1.2 K, whereas the LSE differences are mainly concentrated between −0.01 and − 0.06. Furthermore, the root mean squared error (RMSE) between LST/LSE retrieved by the extended SW-TES algorithm with urban geometry effect correction and LST/LSE obtained from the ECOSTRESS level-2 LST/LSE product decrease with the increase of sky view factor (SVF). The largest RMSE is approximately 1.6 K for LST and 0.03 for LSE in the SVF of 0.1, which represents an urban pixel surrounded by high buildings within its adjacent pixels. There are no evident differences between LST/LSE retrieved by the extended SW-TES algorithm with urban geometry effect correction using five and three ECOSTRESS TIR bands. The LST differences are mainly concentrated between −0.2 K and 0.2 K, whereas the LSE differences mostly range from 0.001 to 0.004. The findings of this study indicate that it is necessary to consider urban geometry effect for accurate LST and LSE retrieval over urban areas. • An extended SW-TES algorithm is developed with urban geometry effect correction. • The uncertainties of the extended SW-TES algorithm are analyzed. • The extended SW-TES algorithm shows good performance in urban LST/LSE retrieval. • The magnitude of urban geometry effects on urban LST is up to 2.0 K. • The difference between retrieved LST/LSE using 5 and 3 ECOSTRESS TIR bands is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-saving irrigation is an important way to realize the sustainable development of the apple industry. In order to screen the best irrigation pattern for apple, taking 9-year-old 'Yanfu 10' Fuji/Malus robusta apple a the material, the effects of different irrigation methods (drip imgation, sprinkling imgation, and flood imgation) on the growth, fruit quality, and yield of apple trees were studied. The results showed that compared with the flood irrigation, drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation significantly increased the spring shoot length by 14. 8% and 9. 1%, respectively, and decreased the autumn shoot length by 11. 7% and 8. 8%, respectively. Drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation signiicantly increased the leaf area, chlorophyll content, and leaf weight, the leaf area increased by 3. 0% and1.9%, respectively, the chlorophyll content increased by 13.9% and 11.5%, respectively, and the leaf weight increased by 5. 8 % and 5.1%, respectively. Drip irrigation and sprinkling imgation could slightly increase the single fruit weight and fruit shape index, significantly increase the coloring index and smoothness index. The single fruit weight increaed by 3. 2% and 1. 9%, the coloring index increased by 6. 1% and 4.1 %, the smoothness index increaed by 4. 7% and 2. 8%, and the proportion of red fruit increased by 4.2% and 2. 2%, respectively. The content of soluble solids in drip imgation and sprinkling irrigation was signiicantly higher than that in flood imgation, which was 13.0% and 2.6% higher than CK, respectively. The fruit hardness in drip imgation and sprinkling imgation was 7.9% and 2.2% higher than CK, respectively, and that in drip imgation increaed significantly. The yield in drip imgation and sprinkling imgation was 12. 1% and 8.2% higher than CK, respectively. In conclusion, drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation could promote the growth of apple trees, improve the fruit quality, and increase the yield of apple trees, and the effect of drip imgation is better than sprinkling irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as water adsorbents has drawn increasing attention for their potential in energy-related applications such as water production and heat transformation. A specific MOF, MIL-100(Fe), is of particular interest for its large adsorption capacity with the occurrence of water condensation at a relatively low partial pressure. In the synthesis of MIL-100(Fe), depending on the reactants, structures with varying anion terminals (e.g., F-, Cl-, or OH-) on the metal trimer have been reported. In this study, we employed molecular simulations and density functional theory calculations for investigating the water adsorption behaviors and the relative structural stability of MIL-100(Fe) with different anions. We also proposed a possible defective structure and explored its water adsorption properties. The results of this study are in good agreement with the experimental measurements and are in support of the observations reported in the literature. Understanding the spatial configurations and energetics of water molecules in these materials has also shed light on their adsorption mechanism at the atomic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antifouling surfaces that are resistant to protein adsorption and cell adhesion are desirable for many biomedical devices, such as diagnostic devices, biosensors, and implants. In this study, we developed an antifouling hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) surface on hydroxyl poly-p-xylylene (PPX-OH). PPX-OH was deposited via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and an hPG film was then developed via the ring-opening reaction of glycidol. The hPG film greatly reduced the adhesion of L929 cells and platelets as well as protein adsorption. The addition of alkenyl groups in the hPG layer allows the conjugation of biomolecules, such as peptides and biotin, and elicits specific biological interactions. Since the CVD deposition of PPX-OH could be applied to most types of materials, our approach makes it possible to decorate an antifouling hPG film on most types of materials. Our method could be applied to biosensors, diagnostics, and biomedical devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the key role of western boundary currents in shaping water mass distribution and gyre water exchanges, this study characterizes mixing in an idealized western boundary current jet using a barotropic quasigeostrophic model with numerical particles deployed. Both the nonlocality of mixing, depicted by nonlocality ellipses, and mixing anisotropy, depicted by mixing ellipses, are estimated. Mixing is more nonlocal within the jet compared to the jet flanks. In general, the size of nonlocality ellipses, a metric of the degree of mixing nonlocality, scales with the eddy velocity magnitude and the equilibration time for diffusivity. The tilt and eccentricity of the nonlocality ellipses, a characterization of the anisotropy of mixing nonlocality, agree with those of momentum flux ellipses in the regions where mixing nonlocality is small. Mixing ellipse characteristics are flow regime dependent. In regions dominated by wave radiation, the mixing ellipses align with the contours of the wave streamfunction and are very anisotropic. Inside the recirculations, however, the mixing ellipses are nearly isotropic. Mixing ellipses are zonally elongated in the jet upstream because of the suppression of cross-jet mixing by the jet and the anisotropy of eddy velocity, and they can have negative minor axis length in the jet downstream, indicating negative cross-jet eddy diffusivity, which is consistent with upgradient eddy fluxes there. Thus, despite significant spatial heterogeneity in mixing nonlocality and anisotropy, in this idealized system at least, spatial patterns in these diagnostics tend to be relatively large scale and tied to larger-scale dynamics. The implications of these results to eddy parameterization and jet dynamics are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There will be longer and more intense periods of heat and drought stress in the future for terrestrial ecosystems. Although the responses of wheat plants to heat and drought stress alone have been extensively investigated, little is known about the extent to which their recovery can be assured after stress relief. In this study, a winter wheat pot experiment was conducted to investigate the changes in photosynthetic performance, antioxidant activity, osmoregulation, and membrane lipid peroxidation under heat stress (36 °C), drought (45–55% of soil water holding capacity), and combined stress conditions. The results showed that heat and drought stress significantly reduced the photosynthetic rate and the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were greatly activated by heat and drought stress to scavenge overproduced superoxide anion (O 2 -). Plants exhibited positive osmoregulation through the synthesis of soluble protein (SP), soluble sugar (SS), and proline (Pro) to improve membrane stability. Within a range of stress, combined heat and drought stress exhibited significant interactive effects in the above mentioned indicators. After stress relief, the majority of physiological processes were reversible, as indicated by the effective recovery of pigment contents, photosynthetic rate, antioxidant enzyme activities, osmoregulatory substance contents, and O 2 - production. Antioxidant enzyme activities tended to increase after recovering from 12 days of combined stress, whereas they were still not effective in mitigating oxidative damage. High levels of O 2 - and malondialdehyde (MDA) and a low relative growth rate during the recovery confirmed the irreversible damage caused by combined heat and drought stress. ROC (receiver operating characteristic) analysis indicated that GR and SS could accurately detect individual heat and drought stress that wheat plants were suffering or had suffered (AUC = 0.812–0.965), while POD and Pro had greater potential for diagnosing combined heat and drought stress (AUC = 0.871–0.958). Physiological indicators of stress tolerance were closely related to the photosynthetic rate during the stress, particularly Pro and GR. Collectively, the physiological processes of plants are reversible within a certain range of stress. POD, GR, Pro, and SS play vital roles in identifying and resisting heat, drought, and combined stress, and the recovery of these indicators contributed to improving photosynthesis and thereby increasing wheat growth. Our research contributes to the understanding of the underlying physiological mechanisms of plants in response to combined heat and drought stress and after stress relief. [Display omitted] • The responses of physiological activity to stress and recovery periods were studied. • Physiological processes of plants are reversible within a range of stresses. • POD, GR, Pro, and SS play vital roles in identifying heat and drought stress. • Physiological traits of stress resistance are closely related to photosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After initial treatment of prostate cancer, increases in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels commonly signify potential relapse or metastasis. 18F-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is considered a promising treatment due to its favorable physical properties. Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic value of 18F-PSMA PET/CT for the recurrence and/or metastasis of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (BRPca). Material and Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases. Combined sensitivity and specificity values for the use of 18F-PSMA PET/CT in patients with BRPca were obtained. The quality of the studies was tested using the Diagnostic Accuracy Research Quality Assessment tool. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 15 software, and heterogeneity was subsequently tested. Results: A total of 16 studies (1162 patients) were enrolled and had significant heterogeneity. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values for 18F-PSMA PET/CT in the diagnosis of prostate recurrence and/or metastasis were 0.93 (0.89–0.95), 0.94 (0.85–0.98), and 0.96 (0,94–0.98), respectively. Meta-regression analyses showed that the sources of heterogeneity did not relate to ligands, study designs, or participants. The pooled sensitivity and specificity values of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT were 0.90 (0.85–0.94) and 0.89 (0.85–0.93), respectively. The pooled sensitivity and specificity values of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT were 0.89 (0.85–0.93) and 0.93 (0.70–0.99), respectively. The per-patient pooled sensitivity and specificity values were 0.92 (0.86–0.96) and 0.83 (0.41–0.97), respectively. The per-lesion pooled sensitivity and specificity values were 0.91 (0.86–0.94) and 0.91 (0.86–0.94), respectively. Conclusion: According to our meta-analysis, 18F-PSMA PET/CT has the potential to be critical for the diagnosis of recurrence and/or metastasis in patients with BRPca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome in rare cases. Here we report a patient in whom PRES was the presenting manifestation of Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis. Case presentation: A 75-year-old woman presented with acute onset of hypertension, headache, blurred vision, and left eyelid drooping. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed characteristic PRES lesions involving the parietal and occipital lobes bilaterally. On the 6th day after symptom onset, the patient developed complete ptosis and external ophthalmoplegia of both eyes, progressive ataxia, and bilateral lower limb weakness. Cerebrospinal fluid analyses revealed albuminocytological dissociation (protein: 66.6 mg/dL, WBC: 0/μl), and nerve conduction studies showed demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy. The patient developed somnolence and a left extensor plantar response on the 8th day. A diagnosis of Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis was made. Treatment with plasmapheresis led to a rapid improvement of clinical symptoms. To date, only five similar cases have been reported, but this is the only case in which PRES developed prior to treatment. Conclusions: PRES can be a comorbid condition with Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis, either preceding or following treatment; caution should be used in patients with either syndrome who exhibit atypical presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects 200 million people worldwide, and 75% of HCV cases progress into chronic infections, which consequently cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infection is treated with currently considered standard drugs, including direct anti-viral agents (DAAs), alone or in combination with peginterferon- plus ribavirin. However, sustained viral responses vary in different cohorts, and high costs limit the broad use of DAAs. In this study, the ethanol and water extracts of 12 herbs from Lingnan in China were examined in terms of their inhibitory effect on HCV replication. Among the examined extracts, Spatholobus suberectus ethanol extracts suppressed HCV replication. By comparison, Extracts from Fructus lycii, Radix astragali (root), Rubus chingii Hu (fruit), Flos chrysanthemi Indici (flower), Cassia obtusifolia (seed), Lonicera japonica Thunb (flower), Forsythia suspense Thunb (fruit), Poria cocos (sclerotia), Carthamus tinctorius L. (flower), Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. (fruit), and Leonurus japonicas Houtt. (leaf) extracts failed to show a similar activity. Active S. suberectus fractions containing tannins as the major component also inhibited the in vitro translation of HCV RNA. The combination treatments of single compounds, such as epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate, were not as potent as crude S. suberectus fractions; therefore, crude S. suberectus extract may be a potential alternative treatment against HCV either alone or in combination with other agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for limitedstage small-cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC). However, the efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy (CCT) in LD-SCLC remains controversial despite several studies that were performed in the early years of CCT use. The aim of this study was to reevaluate the effectiveness and toxicities associated with CCT. Methods: This retrospective analysis evaluated 177 patients with stage IIIA and IIIB small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who underwent CCRT from January 2001 to December 2013 at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze patient prognosis factors. Results: Among the 177 patients, 72 (41%) received CCT and 105 (59%) did not receive CCT. PFS was significantly better for patients in the CCT group compared to that for patients in the non-CCT group (median PFS: 17.0 vs 12.9 months, respectively, P=0.031), whereas the differences in OS were not statistically significant (median OS: 31.6 vs 24.8 months, respectively, P=0.118). The 3- and 5-year OS rates were 33.3% and 20.8% for patients in the CCT group and 27.6% and 6.7% for patients in the non-CCT group, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that having a pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen level <5 ng/mL (P=0.035), having undergone prophylactic cranial irradiation (P<0.001), and having received CCT (P=0.002) could serve as favorable independent prognostic factors for PFS. Multivariate analysis for OS also showed that having undergone PCI (P<0.001) and having received CCT (P=0.006) were independent significant prognostic factors. Conclusion: CCT can improve PFS for patients with stage IIIA and IIIB SCLC following CCRT without significantly increasing treatment-related toxicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel stress tolerance strategies, such as heat and drought priming, are widely used in plants to increase tolerance to subsequent stresses. To date, it is still not known whether heat, drought, and combined stress priming can improve the tolerance of maize plants to heat, drought, and combined stresses by improving the morphology and distribution of roots and antioxidant defense mechanisms in maize seedlings. Here, seedlings of maize were firstly twice exposed to heat, drought, and combined stress at 33 °C/25 °C and 50–60% of soil water holding capacity (SWHC) followed by temperature and water recovery, and then subjected to more severe heat, drought, and combined stress at 36 °C/28 °C and 45–55% of SWHC. Under individual heat or drought stress, healthy values of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, leaf relative water content, leaf water potential, and leaf cooling were significantly reduced, while superoxide anion and MDA contents in roots were significantly increased. Combined heat and drought stress usually exhibit a typical superimposed effect for the abovementioned parameters. Plants with heat, drought, and combined stress priming improved the redox balance of maize roots by enhancing the activities of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, initiated increases in root vitality as well as osmoregulatory substance contents as evidenced by increased soluble sugar, soluble protein, and proline contents. Principal component analysis revealed a strong correlation between antioxidant enzyme activities and osmoregulatory substance contents in roots. The combined stress priming effectively increased total root length, total root surface area, total root volume, and total root dry weight when compared with no priming. Combined stress priming optimized root distribution, leading to an increase in root length density and root dry weight density in the 12–18, 18–24, and 24–30 cm soil layers. Additionally, a strong positive correlation was observed between leaf relative water content, leaf water potential, and leaf cooling, indicating that better leaf water relations in the primed plants were conducive to the improvement of leaf cooling capacity, which provides good conditions for the increase in photosynthetic rate to maintain the integrity of the maize plant. The significant increases in leaf area, specific leaf weight, aboveground dry mass, and a significant reduction in leaf rolling in combined stress-primed plants indicated that the negative effects of heat and drought stress can be effectively mitigated. The current data indicated that the beneficial stress memory induced by priming in maize seedlings developed their defense systems to trigger more effective clearance mechanisms against subsequent combined heat and drought stress. These findings provided evidence that heat, drought, and combined stress priming enhanced maize adaptability to subsequent heat, drought, and combined stress by improving the morphology, distribution, and antioxidant capacity of the root system. • The effects of combined heat and drought stress on leaf water relations, photosynthesis, , and root physiological activities were studied. • Combined stress-primed plants acquired a stress imprint. • The enhanced tolerance of primed plants to heat and drought stress may be attributed to improved physiological activities in roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-assembly of an end-functionalized PEO106-PPO70-PEO106 triblock copolymer (BCP) with acrylic end groups (Pluronic F127 diacrylate or FDA) in a protic ionic liquid (deuterated ethylammonium nitrate, dEAN) is studied using small-angle neutron scattering, shear rheology, and dielectric spectroscopy. This functionalization constitutes less than 1 wt % of the copolymer and has no effect on micelle formation in dEAN. The sol-gel transition and the supramolecular crystal structure of the concentrated FDA/dEAN solutions are also found to be unaffected by the acrylation of the end groups. Photo-cross-linking results in viscoelasticity enhancement of the FDA/dEAN solutions with FDA contents below the gel point. Cross-linking gels produces soft elastomers with exceptional elasticity and conductivity comparable to the un-cross-linked solutions. Tuning BCP microstructure via self-assembly in ionic liquids followed by chemical cross-linking is shown to be a promising route for the design of materials with specific mechanical properties and ionic conductivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study on institutional allies of undocumented students in the U.S. in relation to the concept of transformative resistance. Topics include the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), the application of the critical race theory in the study, and the importance of the development of policies to support undocumented students. It also mentions the need for partnerships between institutional allies and student activists.

Purpose: To investigate the phytochemical profile and antihyperplasic effect of ethanol extract of Fructus hordei. G (FHE) on hyperplasia of mammary gland (HMG) in rats. Methods: The Fructus hordei. G extract (FHE) was obtained by a rotary vacuum evaporator. The total flavonoids, total alkaloids and total phenolic compounds in FHE were assayed by aluminum chloride colorimetric method, acid-dye colorimetry and Folin-Ciocalteu method, respectively. HMG model rats were prepared for the experiments by injecting estradiol and progesterone. After oral administration with 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg of FHE for 30 days, breast nipple height, and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), malondialdehyde (MDA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) levels of the rats were measured by ELISA kits. The pathological morphology of mammary gland tissues was examined by optical microscopy. Results: The ethanol extract of FHE contained 1.88 ± 0.05 mg total flavonoids/g as quercetin equivalent (QE), 21.93 ± 0.06 mg hordenine equivalent (HE) of total alkaloids/g extract and 70.64 ± 0.11 mg total phenols/g gallic acid equivalent (GAE). The extract significantly diminished breast nipple height, MDA, 5-HT, E2, PRL, FSH and GnRH levels, and increased SOD, GSH-Px, P and LH levels (p < 0.05). FHE inhibited the alveolus, lobules and secretion of the mammary gland. Conclusion: Fructus hordei extract has significant antihyperplasia effect on mice mammary gland by regulating serum sex hormones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic liver injury characterized by progressive inflammation and deposition of extracellular matrix components. The pathological condition of liver fibrosis involves secretion of extracellular matrix proteins and formation of scar tissue. The major regulators involved in hepatic fibrogenesis are the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1/SMAD and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-initiated myeloid differentiation primary response 88 gene (MyD88)/NF-κB cell signaling pathways. This article reviews natural products and herbal medicines that have demonstrated activity against liver fibrosis through different mechanisms of action, including anti-hepatitis B and C virus activity, anti-inflammation, inhibition of cytokine production and nuclear receptor activation, and free radical scavenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient Michael addition of α,β-unsaturated γ-butyrolactam to various β-acyl acrylates and ene-diones to provide synthetically useful compounds was developed. The products were obtained with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >25:1 dr and 99% ee) containing adjacent tertiary stereocenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combustion characteristics of both pure propane hydrates and the mixtures of hydrates and quartz sands were investigated by combustion experiments. The flame propagation, flame appearance, burning time and temperature in different hydrate layers were studied. For pure propane hydrate combustion, the initial flame falls in the "premixed" category. The flame propagates very rapidly, mainly as a result of burnt gas expansion. The flame finally self-extinguishes with some proportion of hydrates remaining unburned. For the hydrate-sand mixture combustion, the flame takes the form of many tiny discontinuous flames appearing and disappearing at different locations. The burn lasts for a much shorter amount of time than pure hydrate combustion. High porosity and high hydrate saturation is beneficial to the combustion. The hydrate combustion is the combustion of propane gas resulting from the dissociation of the hydrates. In both combustion test scenarios, the hydrate-dissociated water plays a key role in the fire extinction, because it is the main resistance that restrains the heat transfer from the flame to the hydrates and that prevents the hydrate-dissociated gas from releasing into the combustion zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive infection of Trichoplusia ni cells by the baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) leads to expression of ~156 viral genes and results in dramatic cell remodeling. How the cell transcriptome responds to viral infection was unknown due to the lack of a reference genome and transcriptome for T. ni. We used an~60-Gb RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data set from infected and uninfected T. ni cells to generate and annotate a de novo transcriptome assembly of approximately 70,322 T. ni unigenes (assembled transcripts), representing the 48-h infection cycle. Using differential gene expression analysis, we found that the majority of host transcripts were downregulated after 6 h postinfection (p.i.) and throughout the remainder of the infection. In contrast, 5.7% (4,028) of the T. ni unigenes were upregulated during the early period (0 to 6 h p.i.), followed by a decrease through the remainder of the infection cycle. Also, a small subset of genes related to metabolism and stress response showed a significant elevation of transcript levels at 18 and 24 h p.i. but a decrease thereafter. We also examined the responses of genes belonging to a number of specific pathways of interest, including stress responses, apoptosis, immunity, and protein trafficking. We identified specific pathway members that were upregulated during the early phase of the infection. Combined with the parallel analysis of AcMNPV expression, these results provide both a broad and a detailed view of how baculovirus infection impacts the host cell transcriptome to evade cellular defensive responses, to modify cellular biosynthetic pathways, and to remodel cell structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay has received increasing attention owing to its good analytical performance and attractive potential for future protein assay. This Letter represents a novel and general strategy for elegant PEC immunoassay of the important cardiac marker troponin T (cTnT) at neutral conditions. Specifically, we first developed an efficient CdS quantum dots (QDs)/ TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) photoelectrode, on the basis of which an exquisite β-galactosidase (β-Gal) catalytic system was integrated with sandwich immunobinding for probing cTnT. In pH 7.4, β-Gal could catalyze the conversion of paminophenyl galactopyranoside (PAPG) to p-aminophenol (PAP), which could be easily photo-oxidized to p-quinone imine (PQI). Because the resulting photocurrent was directly related with the target concentration, an innovative PEC immunoassay could be realized for cTnT detection. The neutral operating condition of this protocol would greatly contribute to its wide applicability for protein assay. This work provides the first PEC immunoassay toward cardiac marker and, more significantly, opens a different perspective for future PEC immunoassay development through a general sensing protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is an increasing mental health issue worldwide. Previous studies have revealed decision-making impairments in excessive Internet gamers (EIGs) with high symptoms of IGA. However, the role of feedback processing in decision-making deficits among EIGs remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of feedback processing on decision-making deficits under risk among EIGs, using the Game of Dice Task (GDT) and a modified version of the GDT in which no feedback was provided. Twenty-six EIGs and 26 matched occasional Internet gamers (OIGs) were recruited. The results showed: (a) OIGs performed better on the original GDT than on the modified GDT (no feedback condition); however, EIGs performed similarly on both tasks; (b) EIGs and OIGs performed equally on the modified GDT; however, EIGs chose more disadvantageous options than OIGs on the original GDT; © EIGs utilized feedback less frequently on the original GDT relative to OIGs. These results suggest that EIGs are not able to utilize feedback to optimize their decisions, which could underlie their poor decision-making under risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is becoming increasingly popular due to reduced perioperative morbidity and mortality compared with open surgical repair. However, complications can occur when the left subclavian artery is involved. When performing TEVAR with left carotid-subclavian artery bypass the stent graft will extend to the left common carotid artery. We herein present the case of a patient with a type B aortic dissection with an acute intramural hematoma. Chylothorax was noted after TEVAR with left carotidsubclavian artery bypass. Case report A 66-year-old female with descending aortic dissection that was treated conservatively developed the sudden onset of back pain. Aortic computed tomography (CT) showed a type B intramural aortic dissection. TEVAR with left carotid-subclavian artery bypass was performed. Left chylothorax was noted after surgery with drainage of up to 1000 mL per day. Conservative management was ineffective. Thoracoscopic ligation of the thoracic duct was performed with resolution of the chyle leakage. Conclusion Chylothorax can occur after TEVAR with carotid-subclavian artery bypass and likely results from thoracic duct injury. When conservative treatments fail, ligation of the thoracic duct cephalad to aortic hiatus can resolve the chyle leakage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquatic environments of the Pearl River Delta in Southern China are subjected to contamination with various industrial chemicals from local industries. In this paper, the occurrence, seasonal variation and spatial distribution of alkylphenol octylphenol (OP) and nonylphenol (NP) in river surface water and sediments in the runoff outlets of the Pearl River Delta were investigated. NP and OP were detected in all water and sediment samples and their mean concentrations in surface water during the dry season ranged from 810 to 3366 ng/L and 85.5 to 581 ng/L, respectively, and those in sediments ranged from 14.2 to 95.2 ng/g dw and 0.4 to 3.0 ng/g dw, respectively. In surface water, much higher concentrations were detected in the dry season than those in the wet season. In sediments, the concentrations in the dry season were also mostly higher. High concentrations of NP and OP were found in Humen outlet, likely due to high levels of domestic and industrial wastewater discharges. An ecological risk assessment with the use of hazard quotient (HQ) was also carried out and the HQ values ranged from 3.6 × 10−5 to 35 and 64% of samples gave a HQ > 1, indicating that the current levels of NP and OP pose a significant risk to the relevant aquatic organisms in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is the principal catabolic prosurvival pathway during nutritional starvation. However, excessive autophagy could be cytotoxic, contributing to cell death, but its mechanism remains elusive. Arginine starvation has emerged as a potential therapy for several types of cancers, owing to their tumor-selective deficiency of the arginine metabolism. We demonstrated here that arginine depletion by arginine deiminase induces a cytotoxic autophagy in argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1)-deficient prostate cancer cells. Advanced microscopic analyses of arginine-deprived dying cells revealed a novel phenotype with giant autophagosome formation, nucleus membrane rupture, and histone-associated DNA leakage encaptured by autophagosomes, which we shall refer to as chromatin autophagy, or chromatophagy. In addition, nuclear inner membrane (lamin A/C) underwent localized rearrangement and outer membrane (NUP98) partially fused with autophagosome membrane. Further analysis showed that prolonged arginine depletion impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation function and depolarized mitochondrial membrane potential. Thus, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production significantly increased in both cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions, presumably leading to DNA damage accumulation. Addition of ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine or knockdown of ATG5 or BECLIN1 attenuated the chromatophagy phenotype. Our data uncover an atypical autophagy-related death pathway and suggest that mitochondrial damage is central to linking arginine starvation and chromatophagy in two distinct cellular compartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermoelectric conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric material Bi2Te3 is significantly affected by its microstructure because of its anisotropy. In this study, the zone-melting technique is used to grow Bi2Te3 columnar crystals. The zone-melting process directionally solidifies and purifies an ingot by a moving a heater along the ingot. For predicting the temperature variation and distribution in the crystallization process and the microstructures of Bi2Te3, a zone-melting model is developed and numerical simulation techniques are used. The simulation results are compared with experimental measurements to verify the numerical model. The verified numerical model is used to investigate the optimal process parameters. The process parameters, namely the temperature of the heater and the movement speed of the heater and the cooling devices, are adjusted in order to obtain good-quality columnar crystals. The shapes of the solidification interface, which greatly affect the direction of grain growth and the grain size, are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on a study which examined the synthesis of a cadmium II coordination polymer based on in situ formed 4-pyridinethiolate (pytH) ligand from 4,4'-dithiodipyridine under hydrothermal conditions characterized by thermal analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Topics discussed include the thermogravimetric analysis and photoluminescent property of the complex and examination of the photoluminescent property of complex 1 in the solid state at room temperature.

In order to leverage the full power of quantum noise squeezing with unavoidable decoherence, a complete understanding of the degradation in the purity of squeezed light is demanded. By implementing machine-learning architecture with a convolutional neural network, we illustrate a fast, robust, and precise quantum state tomography for continuous variables, through the experimentally measured data generated from the balanced homodyne detectors. Compared with the maximum likelihood estimation method, which suffers from time-consuming and overfitting problems, a well-trained machine fed with squeezed vacuum and squeezed thermal states can complete the task of reconstruction of the density matrix in less than one second. Moreover, the resulting fidelity remains as high as 0.99 even when the antisqueezing level is higher than 20 dB. Compared with the phase noise and loss mechanisms coupled from the environment and surrounding vacuum, experimentally, the degradation information is unveiled with machine learning for low and high noisy scenarios, i.e., with the antisqueezing levels at 12 dB and 18 dB, respectively. Our neural network enhanced quantum state tomography provides the metrics to give physical descriptions of every feature observed in the quantum state with a single scan measurement just by varying the local oscillator phase from 0 to 2π and paves a way of exploring large-scale quantum systems in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two novel congestion control strategies for mobile networks with differentiated services (Diff-Serv) traffic are presented, namely (i) a Markovian jump decentralized guaranteed cost congestion control strategy, and (ii) a Markovian jump distributed guaranteed cost congestion control strategy. The switchings or changes in the network topology are modeled by a Markovian jump process. By utilizing guaranteed cost control principles, the proposed congestion control schemes do indeed take into account the associated physical network resource constraints and are shown to be robust to unknown and time-varying network latencies and time delays. A set of Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) conditions are obtained to guarantee the QoS of the Diff-Serv traffic with a guaranteed upper bound cost. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and capabilities of our proposed strategies. Comparisons with centralized and other relevant works in the literature focused on Diff-Serv traffic and mobile networks are also provided to demonstrate the advantages of our proposed solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Many factors impact the onset of diabetes. Higher levels of physical activity and fruit-vegetable (FV) consumption are considered to be effective in reducing the risk; however, the combined effect is largely unknown. This study attempted to determine the combined effect of a higher level of physical activity and higher FV consumption on the subsequent risk of new diabetes. Methods: Data for this analysis were taken from the 1999 and 2003 datasets of the "Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging". A total of 4,400 participants (≥ 53 years old) completed the survey in 1999. After excluding those who had diabetes, heart disease, cancer, BMI <18.5, or incomplete data at baseline, those who died during 1999-2003, and those who failed to complete the 2003 survey, the net N was 2,243. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent or combined effect of physical activity and FV consumption on the risk of new diabetes four years later. Results: When the combination of high physical activity and high FV consumption was compared to no physical activity and low FV consumption, the risk of having new diabetes four years later was reduced to 39% (OR=0.39, 95% CI=0.20-0.76, p=0.006). All other combinations were not significant. When analyzed independently, only high physical activity was significant, high FV consumption was not. Conclusions: The combination of high physical activity and high FV consumption was highly effective in reducing the risk of new-onset diabetes in older Taiwanese. High physical activity alone was significant but high FV consumption alone was not. These results highlight the importance of having both daily physical activity and FV intake. Our results could provide the basis for a national policy on diabetes prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most complex halogenated contaminants, short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are scarcely reported in marine environments. In this work, a total of 117 surficial sediment (0-3 cm) samples and two sediment cores were collected from the Chinese Bohai and Yellow Seas to systematically study the spatial and temporal trends of SCCPs at a large scale in the Chinese marine environment. Total SCCP concentrations in the surficial sediments were in the range of 14.5-85.2 ng g-1 (dry weight, d.w.) with an average level of 38.4 ng g-1 d.w. Spatial distribution showed a decreasing trend with the distance from the coast to the open waters. Compositional pattern analysis suggested that C10 was the most predominant homologue group, followed by C11, C12, and C13 homologue groups. The concentrations of total SCCPs in sediment cores ranged from 11.6 to 94.7 ng g-1 d.w. for YS1 and from 14.7 to 195.6 ng g-1 d.w. for YS2, with sharp rise from the early 1950s to present based on 210Pb dating technique. The historical records in cores correspond well to the production and usage changes of CPs in China. Multivariate regression statistics indicate TOC, latitude and longitude are the major factors influencing surficial SCCP levels in the Chinese East Seas by combining analysis with the data from the East China Sea (R² = 0.332, p < 0.01). These findings indicated that the sources of SCCPs were mainly from river outflows via ocean current and partly from atmospheric depositions by East Asian monsoon in the sampling areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have identified a ubiquitin-binding domain within the NH2-terminal sequences of p210 BCR/ABL and determined that the binding site co-localizes with the binding site for β-catenin. The domain does not support the auto- or trans-kinase activity of p210 BCR/ABL or its ability to interact with GRB2 and activate ERK1/2 signaling. Expression of p210 BCR/ ABL, but not a p-catenin-binding mutant, in hematopoietic cells is associated with the accumulation of p-β-catenin (Tyr654) and increased TCF/LEF-mediated transcription. In a bone marrow transplantation model, the interaction between p-catenin and p-β-catenin (Tyr654) is detectable in mice transplanted with p210 BCR/ABL, but not the mutant. Whereas mice transplanted with p210 BCR/ABL exhibit myeloid disease with expansion of monocytes and neutrophils, mice transplanted with the mutant predominantly exhibit expansion of neutrophils, polycythemia, and increased lifespan. The increased disease latency is associated with expansion of megakaryocyte-erythrocyte progenitors, a decrease in common myeloid progenitors, and reduced β-catenin signaling in the bone marrow of the diseased mice. These observations support a model in which p210 BCR/ABL may influence lineage-specific leukemic expansion by directly binding and phosphorylating p-catenin and altering its transcriptional activity. They further suggest that the interaction may play a role in chronic phase disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]