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Background: Circβ-catenin, our first reported circRNA, has been reported to mediate tumorigenesis in various cancers. However, its biological functions and underlying mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unknown. Methods: The qRT-PCR examination was used to detect the expression of circβ-catenin, miR-197-3p, and CTNND1 in cells and human tissues. Western blot was conducted to detect the protein expression levels. The biological function of circβ-catenin was verified by MTT, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell assays. The in vivo effects of circβ-catenin were verified by nude mice xenograft and metastasis models. The regulatory network of circβ-catenin/miR-197-3p/CTNND1 was confirmed via dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays. Results: In the present study, circβ-catenin was found to promote CRC cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circβ-catenin served as miRNA decoy to directly bind to miR-197-3p, then antagonized the repression of the target gene CTNND1, and eventually promoted the malignant phenotype of CRC. More interestingly, the inverted repeated Alu pairs termed AluJb1/2 and AluY facilitated the biogenesis of circβ-catenin, which could be partially reversed by EIF4A3 binding to Alu element AluJb2. Conclusions: Our findings illustrated a novel mechanism of circβ-catenin in modulating CRC tumorigenesis and metastasis, which provides a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal contagious viral disease of domestic pigs and wild boars caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). The pandemic spread of ASF has caused severe effects on the global pig industry. Whole-genome sequencing provides crucial information for virus strain characterization, epidemiology analysis and vaccine development. Here, we evaluated the performance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in generating ASFV genome sequences from clinical samples. Thirty-four ASFV-positive field samples including spleen, lymph node, lung, liver and blood with a range of Ct values from 14.73 to 25.95 were sequenced. For different tissue samples collected from the same sick pigs, the proportion of ASFV reads obtained from the spleen samples was 3.69–9.86 times higher than other tissues. For the high-viral-load spleen samples (Ct < 20), a minimum of a 99.8% breadth of ≥10× coverage was revealed for all the samples. For the spleen samples with Ct ≥ 20, 6/12 samples had a minimum of a 99.8% breadth of ≥10× coverage. A high average depth of sequencing coverage was also achieved from the blood samples. According to our results, high-quality ASFV whole-genome sequences could be obtained from the spleen or blood samples with Ct < 20. The high-quality ASFV genome sequence generated in this study was further used for the high-resolution phylogenetic analysis of the ASFV genomes in the early stage of the ASF epidemic in China. Our study demonstrates that NGS may act as a useful tool for efficient ASFV genome characterization, providing valuable information for disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Berberine, a non-prescription medicine clinically applied for diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. Recent studies have demonstrated that it possesses anti-tumour properties in colorectal cancer, but the exact molecular mechanism remains obscure. Objectives: To elucidate the underly molecular mechanisms of berberine in colorectal cancer from a perspective of epigenetics, and tried to explore the role of lincROR-Wnt/β-catenin molecular axis in the berberine induced the anti-tumour activity in colorectal cancer. Methods: The effects of berberine on cell growth, cell cycle and apoptosis were examined in CRC cells. The in vivo effect of berberine on tumour growth was investigated using a xenograft mice model. Moreover, lincROR and Wnt/β-catenin signalling were detected by luciferase activity, qRT-PCR and western blotting assays. Key findings: Berberine suppressed cell growth in vitro via inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in CRC cell, and inhibited tumourigenesis in vivo. LincROR was significantly down-regulated by berberine, inducing the inactivation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling, meanwhile, the overexpression of lincROR partially reversed the suppressive effects on tumour growth and Wnt/β-catenin signalling induced by berberine. Conclusions: Berberine inhibits tumour growth partially via regulating the lincROR-Wnt/β-catenin regulatory axis, which provides a strategy for the design of anti-tumour drugs for CRC patients after our advanced validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the evolution of the renewal concept and protection mode of dwellings in ancient city in the new era, the guidelines for the renovation of dwellings compiled in the past have shown obvious limitations of the times. Its compilation form is too simple, and the content is slightly insufficient, and it is difficult to scientifically guide the high-standard renovation of traditional dwellings in the new era. In the compilation of the Technical Guidelines for Renovation of Yangzhou Traditional Dwellings, the core concept is "continuing the style and texture of the ancient city, inheriting the construction technology of private houses, and integrating innovative renovation techniques", and an overall framework for integrating the technical guidelines for renovation of traditional dwellings in "new era and new concept" is proposed. The classification guidance standards for different types of traditional dwellings and their surrounding ancillary environment are formulated, and the corresponding renovation plans of traditional dwellings are systematically drawn as supplementary guidance documents for the relevant classification guidance standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the manufacturability and mechanical properties of a low alloy heat treatable medium carbon steel by additive manufacturing, 42CrMo4 (AISI4140) specimens were manufactured by laser powder bed fusion. Influences of processing parameters on relative density and crack density were investigated. Moreover, Charpy impact tests, microhardness, and tensile tests for specimens with and without preheating were also studied. Results showed that the primary defects in the microstructure of additively manufactured samples were the lack of fusion pores and microcracks. The variation of processing parameters influences the porosity and microcracks prominently. The impact toughness of specimens with preheating is around three times higher than specimens without preheating. However, post heat treatment for as-built specimens, such as tempering at different temperature ranges, did not improve the impact toughness further. The detailed fracture mechanism for the massive difference in the impact toughness was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A semi-active suspension system can effectively improve vehicle ride comfort and handling stability, and the active detection of road information is key to achieving semi-active suspension. To improve the road elevation perception ability of vehicles, this study proposes a continuous multiple scanning recursive matching algorithm based on a single-line LIDAR sensor. Radar recursive scanning is used to obtain the multiple superposition data of echo signals, and coordinate matching is realized between historical scanning data and current scanning data. Simultaneously, the sensor height deviation and pitch angle deviation of the sensors are regressed to obtain an accurate pavement elevation. Considering the control effect of the active vehicle suspension, a vehicle suspension model with seven degrees of freedom is established. The semi-active suspension controller is constructed using a diagonal recursive neural network algorithm, and the neural network weight is trained using a genetic algorithm. In addition, a preview diagonal recursive neural network control strategy for semi-active suspension, based on the combination of road elevation information, is proposed. The results of a hardware-in-the-loop co-simulation, which was conducted based on the Simulink control model and dSPACE real-time simulation, revealed that the ride comfort and stability of the vehicle were improved owing to a preview of the elevation information of the road ahead and the active adjustment of the shock absorber of the suspension system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third front industrial cultural landscape has the dual attributes of "industry" and "nature". The special historical background and mountainous environment make it a distinctive industrial cultural landscape. Taking the third front industrial cultural landscape of southern Anhui as an example, this paper uses philosophy of technology to study this industrial cultural landscape with "modernity" characteristics, so as to make its "culture" return to the industrial cultural system and rethink, rather than the previous interpretation in the context of "cultural relics". Then, under the framework of natural system, technological system and cultural system, the deep-seated cultural philosophy characteristics of the third front industrial cultural landscape are explained from the technological nature of the three line industrial cultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous information network (HIN) embedding aims to learn the low-dimensional representations of nodes while preserving structures and semantics in HINs. Although most existing methods consider heterogeneous relations and achieve promising performance, they usually employ one single model for all relations without distinction, which inevitably restricts the capability of HIN embedding. In this paper, we argue that heterogeneous relations have different structural characteristics, and propose a novel Relation structure-aware HIN Embedding model, called RHINE. By exploring four real-world networks with thorough analysis, we present two structure-related measures which consistently distinguish heterogeneous relations into two categories: Affiliation Relations (ARs) and Interaction Relations (IRs). To respect the distinctive structural characteristics of relations, in RHINE, we propose different models specifically tailored to handle ARs and IRs, which can better capture the structures in HINs. Finally, we combine and optimize these models in a unified manner. Furthermore, considering that nodes connected via heterogeneous relations may have multi-aspect semantics and each relation focuses on one aspect, we introduce relation-specific projection matrices to learn node and relation embeddings in separate spaces rather than a common space, which can better preserve the semantics in HINs, referring to a new model RHINE-M. Experiments on four real-world datasets demonstrate that our models significantly outperform the state-of-the-art methods in four tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The superiority of ethanol-path anaerobic digestion was clarified via various means. • Liquid product presents higher recovery potential than gas product in carbon flux view. • The dominant microorganisms in the anaerobic digestion system are identified. To rapidly treat and stably utilize great quantities of fruit and vegetable waste (FVW), the strategies in anaerobic digestion pattern have been constantly improved. In this work, the efficiencies and capacities of carbon conversion in different FVW anaerobic digestion systems were studied. Compared to butyrate-path (BD) two-phase and single-phase anaerobic digestion (SD), the ethanol-path two-phase anaerobic digestion (ED) system showed the highest rate of converting insoluble into soluble carbon formation (82.2%) and methane yield conversed from soluble carbon which is 0.14 gCOD CH4 (gVSS d)−1. It was also found that the coexistence of Bacillus and Methanococcus in the methanogenic phase maintained fatty acids and methane generation. The advantage of carbon conversion efficiency in ED can be elucidated from the highest acetification rate (704.10 mgCOD (L h)−1) which means more converted acetate can be smoothly used for methane generation. Compared to methanogenesis converted from butyrate and propionate, the thermodynamic condition of methanogenesis converted from ethanol was more feasible. Also, the highest capacity of max methane production (197773.7 mL) of ED was simulated. ED might be an efficient and advantageous option for FVW methane digestion. Furthermore, comparison of acidogenic product and methane in conversion efficiency revealed that fatty acids should think as ideal anaerobic product rather than methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Anxious depression (AD) is a common, distinct depression subtype. This exploratory subgroup analysis aimed to explore the effects of acupuncture as an add-on therapy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for patients with AD or non-anxious depression (NAD). Patients and Methods: Four hundred and sixty-five patients with moderate-to-severe depression from the AcuSDep pragmatic trial were included in analysis. Patients were randomly assigned to receive MA+SSRIs, EA+SSRIs, or SSRIs alone (1:1:1) for six weeks. AD was defined by using dimensional criteria. The measurement instruments included 17-items Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Rating Scale for Side Effects (SERS), and WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Comparison between AD and NAD subgroups and comparisons between groups within either AD or NAD subgroups were conducted. Results: Eighty percent of the patients met the criteria for AD. The AD subgroup had poorer clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes compared to those of the NAD subgroup. For AD patients, the HAMD response rate, remission rate, early onset rate, and the score changes on each scale at most measurement points on the two acupuncture groups were significantly better than the SSRIs group. For NAD patients, the HAMD early onset rates of the two acupuncture groups were significantly better than the SSRIs group. Conclusion: For AD subtype patients, either MA or EA add-on SSRIs showed comprehensive improvements, with small-to-medium effect sizes. For NAD subtype patients, both the add-on acupuncture could accelerate the response to SSRIs treatment. The study contributed to the existing literature by providing insights into the potential benefits of acupuncture in combination with SSRIs, especially for patients with AD subtypes. Due to its limited nature as a post hoc subgroup analysis, prospectively designed, high-quality trials are warranted. Clinical Trials Registration: ChiCTR-TRC-08000297. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the stability of perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) is very crucial to their applications in optoelectronics. Polymeric encapsulation has been one of the most developed treatments to improve the stability of PNCs, however, the efficacy is limited due to the molecular gap between PNCs and the surrounding polymer. In this work, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) is developed as the binder to fill the molecular gap between PNCs and PMMA, which can not only tightly anchor on the PNC surface via hydrogen bonds but also polymerize into the outer polymeric network. As a consequence, the stability of PNCs against moisture and irradiation is significantly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple loss mechanisms involving multiple scattering and reflection, conductive loss, interface polarization, dipolar polarization as well as magnetic loss caused by exchange resonance, natural resonance and eddy current loss contribute to effective electromagnetic wave absorption behavior. • rGO/N-C/FeNi hybrids were synthesized via an environmentally friendly process. • Nitrogen was doped in the carbon matrix through exploiting pyrrole. • The hierarchical structure provides absorbers with favorable EM properties. A unique reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/nitrogen doped carbon (N-C)/FeNi hybrid was successfully synthesized via a green and environmentally friendly process by means of one pot method. The morphology, phase structure, composition and electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption behavior of all hybrids were studied in detail. All rGO/N-C/FeNi hybrids are composed of rGO sheets on which there are nitrogen doped carbon and FeNi nanoparticles, and the novel structure endows the absorber with multiple scattering and reflection, interfacial polarization, dipole polarization and so on, further bringing remarkable EM wave absorption behavior. Moreover, the complex permittivity of rGO/N-C/FeNi hybrids is able to be controlled through changing the amount of GO. All results show that the rGO/N-C/FeNi-3 hybrid displays a substantial improvement in EM wave absorption performance compared with other hybrids. The minimum reflection loss (RL min) value is −68.87 dB at 12.08 GHz with the thickness of 2.5 mm and the largest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) achieves 6.88 GHz at 2.2 mm with RL min value of −14.73 dB at 12.16 GHz. Our research proves that the unique structure and composition have the potential to elevate EM wave absorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an independent risk factor for the increased risk of death in patients with sepsis. In the current study, we first investigated the expression of circMTO1 in sepsis-induced AKI, and the underlying mechanism was further elucidated. The results showed that circMTO1 expression level was significantly decreased in serums and kidney tissues of US rats and RMCs treated with LPS. Besides, circMTO1 overexpression promoted cell viability, suppressed cell apoptosis and cytokines production of LPS-treated RMCs. Bioinformatics analysis showed that circMTO1 served as a sponge for miR-337. Furthermore, circMTO1 could inhibit the expression of KLF6. Altogether, our study first reported that circMTO1 expression was decreased in sepsis-induced AKI rat models and RMCs treated with LPS. CircMTO1 overexpression could attenuate AKI development by sponging miR-337 and regulating KLF6 expression, which may provide new ideas for evaluation the pathogenesis and the treatment of sepsis-induced AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Grain size is one of the essential components determining rice yield and is a target for both domestication and artificial breeding. Gibberellins (GAs) are diterpenoid phytohormones that influence diverse aspects of plant growth and development. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been identified that control grain size through phytohormone regulation. However, little is known about the role of GAs in the control of grain size. Here we report the cloning and characterization of a QTL, GW6 (GRAIN WIDTH 6), which encodes a GA‐regulated GAST family protein and positively regulates grain width and weight. GW6 is highly expressed in the young panicle and increases grain width by promoting cell expansion in the spikelet hull. Knockout of GW6 exhibits reduced grain size and weight, whereas overexpression of GW6 results in increased grain size and weight. GW6 is induced by GA and its knockout downregulates the expression of GA biosynthesis genes and decreases GA content in the young panicle. We found that a natural variation in the cis element CAAT‐box in the promoter of GW6 is associated with its expression level and grain width and weight. Furthermore, introduction of GW6 to Oryza indica variety HJX74 can lead to a 10.44% increase in rice grain yield, indicating that GW6 has great potential to improve grain yield in rice. Significance Statement: GW6 participates in the regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis in the rice panicle, by which it can positively regulate grain size and weight by promoting cell expansion in the spikelet hull and accelerating the grain filling rate, leading to a significant increase in grain yield. Therefore, GW6 has great potential to improve grain yield in rice breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate whether a multivariate association between alexithymia and coping styles is affected by self-inconsistency and whether the association contributed to obsessive-compulsive symptoms in 34 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and 53 healthy participants. Alexithymia, coping styles, self-inconsistency, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were evaluated using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, the Coping Style Questionnaire, the Self-Consistency and Congruence Scale, and the Vancouver Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, respectively. We found that self-inconsistency partially mediated the association between alexithymia and immature coping styles in the OCD patients but fully mediated the association in the healthy participants. Moreover, in the two groups, the alexithymia-coping coupling was related to contamination, obsession, indecisiveness, and ritualization, but not the checking symptom dimension. The findings suggest that the disturbance in identifying and describing feelings is associated with immature coping styles through disharmony between self-recognition and experience. The mechanism of the checking symptom seems to be distinct from other obsessive-compulsive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) has been widely used to evaluate cognitive deficits in schizophrenia (SCZ), however, no study has formally examined the validity of the MCCB in Chinese SCZ. This study compared Chinese SCZ patients with healthy Chinese controls on the MCCB and some additional neurocognitive tests to determine if the Chinese MCCB is an optimal battery to assess the cognitive deficits in Chinese SCZ patients. The study enrolled and examined 230 patients met DSM-IV criteria for SCZ and 656 healthy controls matched for gender, age and education. Besides the MCCB, we also included some additional neurocognitive tests that have been widely used in patients with schizophrenia. We selected MCCB and non-MCCB tests with large effect size, to assemble a new "optimal battery" and compared its performance with that of the standard MCCB. Comparing the putative "optimal" battery with the original MCCB, more patients with SCZ were identified as cognitively impaired according to the criteria of GDS ≥ 0.50 for the optimal battery (166 vs 135, or 72.2% vs 58.7%). The rate of cognitive impairment according to MCCB GDS in patients with SCZ who were currently working, ever worked and never worked are 45.5%, 61.6% and 70.8% (p = 0.051), whereas the optimal battery GDS showed 56.4%, 74.8%, 91.7% (p = 0.003), respectively. Our study needs validation with independent samples but suggests that the current "optimal" cognitive battery could be more sensitive than the widely used MCCB in detecting SCZ related cognitive impairment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript details a design method for a 500 kW solar power based microgrid system for space applications. The design method utilizes multiobjective optimization with the genetic algorithm considering four parameters that characterize solar power based microgrids (battery voltage, photovoltaic (PV) maximum power, PV maximum power point voltage, and number of panels per string). The final optimization metric is the ratio of daily average deliverable power to total system mass (W/kg) metric. The microgrid system is composed of a number of modular dc–dc microconverters, of which four topologies (buck, boost, buck–boost, and non-inverting buck–boost) are evaluated and compared. The non-inverting buck–boost converter is determined to be the best candidate, and the optimal system characteristics are provided and analyzed. The final system design achieves a specific power of 35.56 W/kg, with optimized result of 743.7 V battery voltage, 439.5 W PV maximum power, 182.7 V PV maximum voltage, and three panels per string. Based on the optimizations results, a prototype is designed, tested, and analyzed in terms of efficiency and low-temperature reliability. The converter achieved a peak efficiency of 98.4%, a power density of 3.54 W/cm3, a specific power of 3.76 W/g, and operated for over 267 h of 11-min low-temperature cycles from 0 to −140 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Platinum vinylcarbene complexes are potentially useful for organometallic synthesis and catalysis, but have been rarely studied. This work reports a convenient route to make platinum vinylcarbene complexes. Treatment of [PtCl 2 (PPh 3)] 2 with propargyl alcohols HC≡CC(OH)RR' (RR' = Ph 2 , cyclo -C 6 H 10 (OH), (i Pr)(C≡CTMS) and (H)(Ph)) in the presence of EtOH produced the vinylcarbene complexes trans -PtCl 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CRR'}(PPh 3). Under similar condition, [PtCl 2 (PPh 3)] 2 reacted with HC≡CC(OH)Me 2 to give cis -PtCl 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CMe 2 }(PPh 3). Complex trans -PtCl 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CPh 2 }(PPh 3) readily undergo a metathesis reaction with NaI to give trans -PtI 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CPh 2 }(PPh 3) which can isomerize to cis -PtI 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CPh 2 }(PPh 3). Complex trans -PtCl 2 { = C(OEt)-CH=CPh 2 }(PPh 3) reacted with PPh 3 to give EtCl and the acyl complex trans -PtCl{C(O)CH=CPh 2 }(PPh 3) 2 , which can undergo a decarbonylation reaction to give PtCl(CH=CPh 2)(PPh 3) 2. Graphical abstract A convenient route to make platinum vinylcarbene complexes is described. Treatment of [PtCl 2 (PPh 3)] 2 with propargyl alcohols HC≡CC(OH)RR' (RR' = Ph 2 , cyclo -C 6 H 10 (OH), (i Pr)(C≡CTMS) and (H)(Ph)) in the presence of EtOH produced the vinylcarbene complexes trans -PtCl 2 {=C(OEt)-CH=CRR'}(PPh 3). Image 1 Highlights • A convenient route to make platinum vinylcarbene complexes is described. • Three platinum vinylcarbene complexes have been characterized structurally. • The relative stability of cis and trans isomers of complexes of the type PtX 2 (PR 3){ = C(OR′)R"} are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently heterogeneous information network (HIN) analysis has attracted a lot of attention, and many data mining tasks have been exploited on HIN. As an important data mining task, recommender system includes a lot of object types (e.g., users, movies, actors, and interest groups in movie recommendation) and the rich relations among object types, which naturally constitute a HIN. The comprehensive information integration and rich semantic information of HIN make it promising to generate better recommendations. However, conventional HINs do not consider the attribute values on links, and the widely used meta path in HIN may fail to accurately capture semantic relations among objects, due to the existence of rating scores (usually ranging from 1 to 5) between users and items in recommender system. In this paper, we introduce the weighted HIN and weighted meta path concepts to subtly depict the path semantics through distinguishing different link attribute values. Furthermore, we propose a semantic path based personalized recommendation method SemRec to predict the rating scores of users on items. Through setting meta paths, SemRec not only flexibly integrates heterogeneous information but also obtains prioritized and personalized weights representing user preferences on paths. Experiments on three real datasets illustrate that SemRec achieves better recommendation performance through flexibly integrating information with the help of weighted meta paths. Moreover, extensive experiments validate the benefits of weighted meta paths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This cross-sectional study aimed to test the path relations between alexithymia, ego-dystonicity, anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy individuals. Methods: Fifty-eight patients with OCD (mean age 35.5 years) and 54 healthy participants (mean age 33.5 years) completed an assessment via a structured clinical interview. All of them completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Vancouver Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), the Self-Consistency and Congruence Scale (SCCS), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results: In the OCD patients, alexithymia (a linear combination of difficulty identifying and describing emotions in the self) was associated with the OC symptoms either with or without the presence of ego-dystonicity (a profile of self-inconsistency and self-stereotype). In the heathy participants, alexithymia was associated with the OC symptoms only through ego-dystonic experiences. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that ego-dystonicity partially affects the association between alexithymia and obsessive-compulsions. Alexithymia and ego-dystonicity have a synergistic effect on the symptoms of OCD. Alexithymia in healthy participants associates to the OC symptoms only through ego-dystonicity. Targeting ego-dystonicity dimensions in psychotherapy would help improve the symptoms of OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Routine clinical staging for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incorporates liver function, general health, and tumor morphology. Further refinement of prognostic assessments and treatment decisions may benefit from the inclusion of tumor biological marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and systemic inflammation indicator C-reactive protein (CRP). Methods: Data from a multicenter cohort of 2770 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy were analyzed. We developed the PACE risk score (Prognostic implications of AFP and CRP Elevation) after initially assessing preoperative AFP and CRP's prognostic value. Subgroup analyzes were performed in BCLC cohorts A and B using multivariable Cox analysis to evaluate the prognostic stratification ability of the PACE risk score and its complementary utility for BCLC staging. Results: Preoperative AFP ≥ 400ng/mL and CRP ≥ 10 mg/L emerged as independent predictors of poorer prognosis in HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy, leading to the creation of the PACE risk score. PACE risk score stratified patients into low, intermediate, and high-risk groups with cumulative 5-year overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates of 59.6%/44.9%, 43.9%/38.4%, and 20.6%/18.0% respectively (all P < 0.001). Increased PACE risk scores correlated significantly with early recurrence and extrahepatic metastases frequency (all P < 0.001). The multivariable analysis identified intermediate and high-risk PACE scores as independently correlating with poor postoperative OS and RFS. Furthermore, the PACE risk score proficiently stratified the prognosis of BCLC stages A and B patients, with multivariable analyses demonstrating it as an independent prognostic determinant for both stages. Conclusion: The PACE risk score serves as an effective tool for postoperative risk stratification, potentially supplementing the BCLC staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study was performed to investigate the influence of coolant ejection on the aerodynamic characteristics of the unsteady wake behind a trailing edge cutback. A high-resolution planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) system was emlpoyed to conduct detailed flowfield measurements at a Reynolds number of Re h = 2000 . The time-averaged velocity fields, the distributions of reverse-flow intermitteny and velocity deficts were comparatively studied, and contours of streamwise Reynolds stress and shear stress were examined to disclose the influence of coolant ejection on wake aerodynamic performance. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) ananlysis was applied to the velocity flowfileds to disclose the evolution of coherent structures and the mixing process between the cooling stream and mainstream. Large scale coherent structures shed from both the lip and lower plates were identified in low-order modes, indicating that these are the most energtic structures in the wake. Moreover, a “strip” structure was found in the unpaired third eigemode for lower blowing cases (VR = 0.5 and 0.75). By POD filtering with first six eigenmodes, the flapping motion of the separated shear layer from the upper shear layer of the lower plate was observed. Coherent strucutres were identified from the contours of swirling strength. It is speculated that the “strip” structure and the flapping of the seprarated shear layer is resuled from vortex merging, i.e., the merging of two clockwise-rotating vortical structures shed from the upper shear layers of the lip and lower plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of carbon fibers (CFs) on the microstructure and properties of Nickel based coatings, the carbon fibers reinforced Ni-based composite coatings (CFs/Ni) were fabricated on the surface of Q235 steel by laser cladding (LC). The microstructural and interfacial characteristics between CFs and Ni-based metallic matrix, microhardness and tensile strength of coatings were investigated. The results showed that the CFs with different contents presented the different morphologies and distribution in coatings. When the CFs increased from 0 vol% to 9 vol%, the homogeneity in distribution of CFs in coatings were improved first and then decreased. Especially, the distribution of CFs was the most uniform when the CFs content was 6 vol%. As a result, the average microhardness and ultimate tensile strength of the composite coating reached up to 678 HV 0.2 and 608 MPa, respectively, which was about 1.7 and 3.7 times respectively higher than the corresponding one of Ni-based coating without CFs. This can be attributed to the homogeneous distribution of CFs and the metal carbides as well as good bonding of the interface between CFs and matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Coding representation of metamaterials builds up a bridge between the physical world and the digital world, making it possible to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) waves by digital coding sequences and reach field‐programmable metamaterials. Here, the coding space is extended to complex domain and proposed complex digital codes to provide closer essence of EM‐wave propagation. Based on the analytic geometry and complex variable functions, an addition theorem on complex coding is established, which reveals inherent connections among digital codes with different bits and enables all higher‐bit digital codes to be represented by the 1‐bit complex codes. According to the complex coding and addition theorem, multifunctional metamaterials can be directly designed and realized without considering mutual coupling. When two different coding patterns with different functions are added together via the addition theorem in complex form, the combined coding pattern will directly generate the two functions simultaneously without any perturbations. A series of realistic coding metasurfaces is presented to demonstrate the powerful and flexible performance of the complex coding and addition theorem for independent controls of EM waves to reach multiple functions. Good agreements between numerical simulations and experimental results prove the feasibility of the proposed concept and theorem in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of Ni-based coatings, carbon fibers reinforced nickel-based composite coatings (CFs/Ni) were fabricated on the surface of 1Cr13 stainless steel by laser cladding (LC). The microstructure characteristics, microhardness, wear and corrosion performances of the composite coatings were investigated. The results show that CFs can effectively improve the corrosion and wear resistances of Ni-based coatings. With increasing laser scanning speed, the morphology of CFs in composite coatings is more integral and the corrosion and wear resistances of the composite coatings are improved. Especially, when laser scanning speed is increased to 8 mm/s, the average microhardness of the composite coating reaches up to 405 HV 0.2 , which is about 1.3 times higher than that of Ni-based coating. Moreover, the corrosion current density and the wear rate of the composite coating are only 7% and 55% of those of the Ni-based coating, respectively, which is attributed to the good properties and homogeneous distribution of CFs and finer microstructure of composite coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are equipped with onboard level-1 or level-2 chargers for home overnight or office daytime charging. In addition, off-board chargers can provide fast charging for traveling long distances. However, off-board high-power chargers are bulky, expensive, and require comprehensive evolution of charging infrastructures. An integrated onboard charger capable of fast charging of PEVs will combine the benefits of both the conventional onboard and off-board chargers, without additional weight, volume, and cost. In this paper, an innovative single-phase integrated charger, using the PEV propulsion machine and its traction converter, is introduced. The charger topology is capable of power factor correction and battery voltage/current regulation without any bulky add-on components. Ac machine windings are utilized as mutually coupled inductors, to construct a two-channel interleaved boost converter. The circuit analyses of the proposed technology, based on a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM), are discussed in details. Experimental results of a 3-kW proof-of-concept prototype are carried out using a \textrm220-V{\rm{rms}}, 3-phase, 8-pole PMSM. A nearly unity power factor and 3.96% total harmonic distortion of input ac current are acquired with a maximum efficiency of 93.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aluminum-based MOF/graphite oxide composite, MIL-68(Al)/GO, was synthesized and used to explore its adsorption performance toward methyl orange (MO). The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and N 2 adsorption-desorption. Compared to parent material, the composite possessed higher total pore volume and surface area. Meanwhile, a sandwich construction for the composite, with a preserved structure of MIL-68(Al) and GO, was also observed. Considering adsorption application, some key operating factors, adsorption isotherms, kinetics, mechanism, and regeneration were investigated. The adsorption isotherm conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity was 400 mg/g. For kinetics, the process of adsorption was more suitably described by a pseudo-second-order model. Moreover, this material can be used over a wide pH range and exhibited superior adsorption performance and regenerability for the adsorption of MO. From these results, MIL-68(Al)/GO was suggested here to be a promising adsorbent for removing MO from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JGCT) is a rare tumor, with approximately 100 cases reported in the literature. The authors respectively studied the clinical data of 11 patients diagnosed with JGCT in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2004 to 2014, and investigated the immunohistochemical profiles in 10 tumors. Nine of the 11 patients were diagnosed before the age of 40 years. Hypertension was present in all patients, while hypokalemia occurred in seven of 11 patients. Computed tomography detected JGCTs with a sensitivity of 100%. Immunoreactivities for CD34 and vascular endothelial growth factor were observed in most tumor specimens, suggesting that JGCTs express a variety of vessel-related immunohistochemical markers, although JGCTs are considered a tumor without abundant blood supply. Nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1 was common in JGCTs. Results from immunohistochemistry were negative for BRAF, HER2, and TFE3, suggesting that BRAF, HER2, and TFE3 genes might not play a part in tumorigenesis in JGCTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The relative density of additively manufactured AISI 4140 steel can affect the initial defect sizes, which further affect fatigue strength. • The lack of fusion defects with unmelted powder and entrapped shielding gas in specimens both reduce the densification efficiency of the hot isostatic pressing. • The initial defect size can vary in a range without affecting fatigue strength, and the residual stress has a strong effect on the initial defect size on fatigue strength. This work investigates the fatigue strength of AISI 4140 steel with different porosity levels manufactured by laser - powder bed fusion and looks into the influence of hot isostatic pressing on defects and fatigue strength. A detailed investigation of microstructural phases, defect distributions, fatigue behaviour, fractography, and residual stress was conducted to study the dominant influencing factors on the fatigue strength of AISI 4140. Results show that the defect size could vary in a certain range without deteriorating the fatigue strength. Although the hot isostatic pressing heat treatment can improve fatigue strength, some remaining defects may reduce the densification efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MIL-68(Al), a powdered aluminum-based metal organic framework (MOF), was synthesized and used to explore its adsorption behavior toward methyl orange (MO). The adsorption isotherm, thermodynamics, kinetics, and some key operating factors as well as changes in the material's structure were investigated. The adsorption isotherm conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity was 341.30 mg g-1. Thermodynamic data demonstrated that the adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic and showed positive entropy. For kinetics, the process of MO adsorption onto MIL-68(Al) was more suitably described by a pseudo-second-order model. Electrostatic and hydrogen-bonding interactions contributed to dye adsorption, with electrostatic interactions considered to be the principal binding force between adsorbent and adsorbate. Furthermore, MIL-68(Al) maintained a stable structure after adsorption. From these results, MIL-68(Al) was suggested here to be a stable MOF adsorbent for removing MO from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although cognitive symptoms are prevalent and negatively affect psychosocial functioning, they are not commonly assessed in clinical practice, particularly in China. Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression (PDQ-D) provides a subjective measure of cognitive dysfunction. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of Chinese version of PDQ-D in patients with MDD. The study sample comprised of 129 patients with MDD and 128 community volunteers. All patients with MDD were assessed with PDQ-D, Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment: Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SPH), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Community volunteers were assessed with PDQ-D, PHQ-9 and DSST. The Chinese version of PDQ-D showed excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Three factors were identified and together explained 62.48% of the total variance. Validity of the PDQ-D was supported by its significant correlations with self-reported impaired work productivity, disability in all sub-domains of SDS, along with significant difference between community volunteers and MDD patients in PDQ-D. The questionnaire also significantly correlated with PHQ-9, but no correlation between PDQ-D and DSST was found. The Chinese version of the PDQ-D was found to be psychometrically valid to evaluate subjective cognitive dysfunction in patients with MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gitelman syndrome (GS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the SLC12A3 gene, and is characterized by hypokalemia and metabolic alkalosis. In this study, we aimed to study the genotype, phenotype, and treatment in 42 GS patients, the largest sample size so far in mainland China. Method: We retrospectively studied the clinical data and genetic characteristics of 42 patients diagnosed with GS in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2012 to 2015. Therapeutic efficacy of spironolactone and potassium supplements was also studied retrospectively. Results: Eighty-one mutation alleles were found in 42 patients, and total of 52 distinctly different mutation alleles were identified, of which 15 were new mutation alleles. p.Asp486Asn was a hotspot in our series, with the allele frequency being 19.7 % (16/81), and was found in 13 patients (31.0 %). Treatment with spironolactone or potassium supplements alone significantly increased serum potassium concentration by 0.36 ± 0.37 and 0.45 ± 0.35 mmol/l, respectively (both P < 0.05), and combined therapy with spironolactone and potassium increased serum potassium concentration by 0.69 ± 0.64 mmol/l ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: 18.5 % (15/81) mutation sites identified in 42 Chinese GS patients are novel. p.Asp486Asn mutation is a hotspot, which is different from the reports from other countries. Spironolactone could moderately elevate serum potassium level, and spironolactone in combination with potassium supplements tended to be more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In LLC-based onboard battery charging architectures used in plug-in electric vehicles (PEV), the dc link voltage can be actively regulated to follow the battery pack voltage so that the LLC converter can operate in proximity of resonant frequency and achieve high efficiencies over the wide range of battery pack voltage. However, conventional boost-type power factor correction (PFC) converters are unable to provide ultrawide dc link voltages since their output voltages should always be larger than their input voltages. This paper proposes a Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based onboard PEV charger using single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC) PFC converter followed by an isolated LLC resonant converter. With the proposed charger architecture, the SEPIC PFC converter is able to provide an ultrawide range for dc link voltage, and consequently enhance the efficiency of the LLC stage by ensuring operation in proximity of resonant frequency. A 1-kW SiC-based prototype is designed to validate the proposed idea. The experimental result shows that the SEPIC PFC converter achieves unity power factor, 2.72% total harmonic distortion, and 95.3% peak conversion efficiency. The LLC converter achieves 97.1% peak efficiency and always demonstrates a very high efficiency across the ultrawide dc-link voltage range. The overall efficiency of the charger is 88.5% to 93.5% from 20% of the rated load to full load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most real systems consist of a large number of interacting, multi-typed components, while most contemporary researches model them as homogeneous information networks, without distinguishing different types of objects and links in the networks. Recently, more and more researchers begin to consider these interconnected, multi-typed data as heterogeneous information networks, and develop structural analysis approaches by leveraging the rich semantic meaning of structural types of objects and links in the networks. Compared to widely studied homogeneous information network, the heterogeneous information network contains richer structure and semantic information, which provides plenty of opportunities as well as a lot of challenges for data mining. In this paper, we provide a survey of heterogeneous information network analysis. We will introduce basic concepts of heterogeneous information network analysis, examine its developments on different data mining tasks, discuss some advanced topics, and point out some future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copper and iron bimetal modified Al-rich Beta zeolites from template-free synthesis were prepared for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO x with NH 3 in exhaust gas streams. Comparing to the Cu-based and Fe-based mono-component Beta catalysts, Cu(3.0)-Fe(1.3)-Beta bi-component catalyst shows better low-temperature activity and wider reaction-temperature window. Over 80% of NO conversion can be achieved at the temperature region of 125–500 °C. Due to the synergistic effect of copper and iron evidenced by XRD, UV–Vis–NIR, EPR and XPS measurements, the dispersion state of active components as well as the ratio of Cu 2+ /Cu + and Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ were improved over Cu(3.0)-Fe(1.3)-Beta. Isolated Cu 2+ and Fe 3+ ions which located at the exchange sites could be the active species at the low-temperature region, while FeO x cluster species may be more important to the high-temperature activity. During the test of sulfur resistance, Fe-containing samples including Cu(3.0)-Fe(1.3)-Beta and Fe(2.7)-Beta-4 present better performance compared to Cu(4.1)-Beta-4. Deactivation of Cu-based catalyst is attributed to the easier deposition of sulfates over the surface according to the results of TGA coupled with TPD experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report a simple dip coating method to grow a thin polydopamine (PDA) layer on the surface of polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) nano-fibers as the composite separator for application in high-safety lithium-ion batteries. A thin adherent PDA film uniformly distributed on the surface of PVDF-HFP nano-fibers, formed a unique core-shell structure. Compared with pure PVDF-HFP nonwoven membrane, the PDA coating PVDF-HFP composite membrane (PVDF-HFP-PDA) not only exhibits much higher thermal stability, but also shows enhanced mechanical strength and tensile strength, which are very important for the assemble and long-term performance of the batteries. The ionic conductivity of the PVDF-HFP-PDA composite membrane is 1.40 mS cm −1 which is much higher than 0.80 mS cm −1 of the polypropylene (PP) separator. The lithium-ion batteries with PVDF-HFP-PDA composite membrane show excellent cyclic stability and good rate performance. The PVDF-HFP-PDA composite membrane is suitable for applications in secondary lithium-ion batteries due to its advantages mentioned above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective and practical way to develop the lithium-ion power batteries with better safety performance is to increase the thermal shrinkage resistance of the separator at high temperature. In this work, a ceramic coating separator (CCS-PI) is manufactured by coating Al 2 O 3 ultrafine powder and thermal stable polyimide binder onto the surface of the porous polyethylene (PE) membrane. CCS-PI exhibits no thermal shrinkage up to 160 °C in dry state and maintains stable when packed inner the cells up to 165 °C. Meanwhile CCS-PI hasn't been punctured during the hot metal rod piercing testing. The above results all prove that the CCS-PI has high thermo-stability. In addition, the CCS-PI presents higher electrolyte uptake, better wettability with the electrolyte and enabled high ionic conductance when it is saturated with liquid electrolyte. The cells with this CCS-PI show good cyclic performance. Therefore, as-prepared CCS-PI is a promising separator to improve thermal safety and capacity retention for lithium-ion power batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A power factor preregulator (PFP) usually serves as the first stage of an active two-stage ac/dc converter in a variety of applications including inductive heating systems, wireless charging systems, and onboard chargers for plug-in electric vehicles. Conventionally, boost-type PFPs are utilized to regulate the dc-link voltage at a fixed voltage; however, a variable dc-link voltage can enhance the overall efficiency of the converters. In this paper, an interleaved single-ended primary inductor converter (SEPIC) with coupled inductors is proposed as the PFP stage for two-stage ac/dc converters. The converter is designed to operate in discontinuous conduction mode in order to achieve soft switching for switches and diodes. The directly coupled inductors are utilized to reduce the number of magnetic components and decrease the input current ripple. A 500-W interleaved SEPIC PFP prototype is designed to verify the benefits of this converter. The experimental results show that the converter can maintain high efficiency over a wide range of dc-link voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Mo-containing Ni-Mo 2 C/La 2 O 3 catalyst was prepared and its catalytic performance compared with that of Ni/La 2 O 3 for the dry reforming of methane (DRM). The former shows better catalytic stability, and there is the formation of Ni and La 2 MoO 6 and a small amount of β-Mo 2 C. By comparing Ni-Mo 2 C/La 2 O 3 with the Ni/La 2 MoO 6 and NiMoO x /La 2 O 3 catalysts that are similar in Ni and Mo loadings, we clarify the catalytic role of β-Mo 2 C in DRM reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a composite membrane with nonwoven polyimide (PI) membrane as structural support and polyethylene (PE) particles coating layer as a thermal shutdown layer, is fabricated as the separator for lithium-ion battery. Different from PI nonwoven membrane, the PE coating PI nonwoven composite membrane (PE–PI–S) not only shows excellent thermal shutdown function, similar to traditional multilayer PP/PE/PP separator, but also exhibits much higher thermal stability, better wettability to the polar electrolyte and lower internal resistance than the PP/PE/PP separator. The electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity of PE–PI–S increase from 58%, 0.84 mS cm −1 to 400%, 1.34 mS cm −1 , respectively. Furthermore, the thermal shutdown function of PE–PI–S can be controlled widely in the temperature range from 120 °C to more than 200 °C while the multilayer PP/PE/PP separator only with a shutdown temperature range from 130 °C to 160 °C. Lithium ion battery with PE–PI–S nonwoven separator also shows excellent stable cycling and good rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), packaging 10 tests selected from more than 90 nominated tests, is a method developed by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) group to evaluate the efficacy of treatments targeting cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. MCCB had been translated into a number of languages, but only the US and Spain had normative data reported. Inconsistency in translation and cultural differences make direct application of MCCB in China problematic. In this study, we administered the battery to a representative community sample based on Chinese population census in 2005 and obtained normative data. The effects of age, gender, education level, and scale of residence area on test performance were examined. The sample included 656 healthy volunteers from six sites in China. At each site, sample was stratified according to age, gender, and educational level, and scale of the area one was born in, grew up in and currently living in was recorded. We found age, gender, and education had significant effects on the normative data for MCCB in China, which are comparable to those found for the original standardized English version in the U.S. and the Spanish version in Spain. Remarkably, the residence scale effects on neuropsychological performance were significant, which should be taking into account when calculating the standardized T score for each subject. The practice effects were minor and test-retest reliability of MCCB was good, which suggests MCCB as an appropriate measure for clinical and research usage in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofibers fabricated by the electrospinning process have been used to construct sandwich-type Polyimide/Poly (vinylidene fluoride)/Polyimide (PI/PVDF/PI) separators with the thermal shutdown function for lithium ion batteries. This architecture uses the good thermal stability of PI as the top and bottom structure layers. Under high temperature operations, the middle layer made of PVDF nanofibers can melt and form a pore-free film to shut down the battery operation. The electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity of the PI/PVDF/PI separator are superior to those of commercial polyolefin separators at 476% and 3.46 mS cm −1 , respectively, resulting better battery performances in terms of impedance, discharge capacity and cycle life. Under high temperature treatments above 170 °C, the self-shutdown function of the PI/PVDF/PI has been observed within 10 minutes, which could serve as the safety mechanism to defend the thermal runaway issue of lithium ion batteries. The effects of heating temperature and different time on the morphologies of each layer and electrolyte uptake of the separator are characterized as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel catalysts catalyzing the DRM reaction have the problems of sintering and coking. Herein we proposed an idea of stabilizing nickel by Ni 17 W 3 alloy, and α-WC formed during the DRM reaction participated in the CO 2 activation, leading to a better coke resistance of Ni 17 W 3 /SiO 2 catalyst. Due to better Ni dispersion and less coke deposition, Ni 17 W 3 /SiO 2 catalyst exhibits an improved catalytic stability for the DRM reaction compared with the model Ni/SiO 2 catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Icariside II induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in CRC cells. • Icariside II suppressed the expression of β-catenin and led to the functional inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in CRC cells. • Icariside II suppressed the biogenesis of circβ-catenin via epigenetically targeting DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) in CRC cells. Icariside II, a flavonol glycoside, one of the major components of Traditional Chinese Medicine Herba epimedii. In the present study, we found that Icariside II suppressed the proliferation of CRC by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. The further mechanism investigation showed that Icariside II suppressed the expression of β-catenin and led to the functional inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Circβ-catenin was considered as a promising candidate for mediating the tumorigenesis and the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in CRC cells. Furthermore, Icariside II has been proven to suppress the biogenesis of circβ-catenin via epigenetically targeting DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) to decrease global DNA methylation levels in CRC cells. Taken together, our results indicated that Icariside II suppressed tumorigenesis by epigenetically silencing the activation of circβ-catenin-Wnt/β-catenin axis in colorectal cancer. More importantly, the information gained from this study suggest that Icariside II may have great potential to be developed as a therapeutic drug for CRC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on Caution Needed for Using Data of Readmission from National Cancer Database.

Descriptor-based analysis is a powerful tool for understanding the trends across various catalysts. In general, the rate of a reaction over a given catalyst is a function of many parameters-reaction energies, activation barriers, thermodynamic conditions, etc. The high dimensionality of this problem makes it very difficult and expensive to solve completely, and even a full solution would not give much insight into the rational design of new catalysts. The descriptor-based approach seeks to determine a few 'descriptors' upon which the other parameters are dependent. By doing this it is possible to reduce the dimensionality of the problem-preferably to 1 or 2 descriptors-thus greatly reducing computational efforts and simultaneously increasing the understanding of trends in catalysis. The 'CatMAP' Python module seeks to standardize and automate many of the mathematical routines necessary to move from 'descriptor space' to reaction rates for heterogeneous (electro) catalysts. The module is designed to be both flexible and powerful, and is available for free online. A 'reaction model' can be fully defined by a configuration file, thus no new programming is necessary to change the complexity or assumptions of a model. Furthermore, various steps in the process of moving from descriptors to reaction rates have been abstracted into separate Python classes, making it easy to change the methods used or add new functionality. This work discusses the structure of the code and presents the underlying algorithms and mathematical expressions both generally and via an example for the CO oxidation reaction. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new kind of ceramic-coating separator for lithium-ion batteries is successfully prepared by forming a ceramic layer consisted of Al 2 O 3 powder, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) mix binder onto one side of pristine PE separator. During the preparation of the separator, water is used as solvent and a very small amount of SBR–CMC mixture is applied as binder to obtain better thermal stability. The effect of thickness of the ceramic-coating layer on its thermal stability, physical properties and electrochemical performance is also investigated. The results clearly showed that the ceramic-coating separator with SBR–CMC binder has wonderful thermal stability, good wettability and high uptake of liquid electrolyte. Pouch cell tests with the ceramic-coating separator also show excellent stable cycle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Cu-exchanged Al-rich Beta zeolites from organotemplate-free synthesis was prepared and investigated for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO x with NH 3 in exhaust gas streams. In comparison to conventional Cu-Beta zeolite with Si/Al ratio of 19, Cu-Beta zeolite with Si/Al ratio of 4 is a superior low-temperature NH 3 -SCR catalyst. Very high NO conversion (>95%) can be achieved at temperatures as low as 150 to ∼400 °C. XRD, UV–Vis-NIR and NH 3 -TPD measurements show that more isolated Cu 2+ ions are present at the exchange sites of Al-rich Beta zeolite. The combination of CO-FTIR and H 2 -TPR analysis demonstrates that Cu 2+ ions could be reduced more readily on the Al-rich Beta than on the conventional Beta probably due to the proximity of the isolated Cu 2+ ions. These can be correlated to the enhancement of NO conversion at lower temperatures over Cu-exchanged Al-rich Beta zeolite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]