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PurposeTo investigate the immunoregulatory roles of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) in autoimmune dacryoadenitis.MethodsRabbits were treated with ADSCs or phosphate-buffered solution on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 after injection of activated peripheral blood lymphocytes, and clinical scores were determined by assessing tear production, break-up time, and fluorescein and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Inflammatory response was determined by measuring the expression of different mediators of inflammation in the lacrimal glands. The Th1/Th17-mediated autoreactive responses were evaluated by determining the proliferative response and the expression of cytokine genes and the lineage-determining transcription factors. The frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was also examined.ResultsThe ADSC-treated rabbits showed decreased autoimmune responses, and the secretory function of their lacrimal gland was restored significantly. Treatment with ADSCs downregulated the Th1 and Th17 responses but enhanced Tregs function. In addition, ADSC treatment noticeably suppressed the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MPP-2, IL-1β, and IL-6, whereas it enhanced the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10.ConclusionsOur results demonstrated that ADSC administration efficiently ameliorates autoimmune dacryoadenitis mainly via modulating Th1/Th17 responses.

The urbanization of suburbs has a significant impact on ocular health, however, the effect of this phenomenon on the epidemiology of eye diseases in the sub-urbanization region of China remains unclear. In this context, the population-based Beichen Eye Study (BCES) was conducted in the Beichen District of Tianjin, China. This article aims to summarize the background, design scheme and operation process of the study. The Chinese Clinical Trial Registry number was ChiCTR2000032280. In total, 8218 participants were randomly selected by a multi-stage sampling method. After their qualification was confirmed, participants were mainly invited to a centralized clinic via telephone interviews after promotion of the study in the community. Examinations included a standardized interview, anthropometric assessment, autorefraction, ocular biometry, visual acuity, anterior and posterior segment examinations, dry eye disease (DED), intra-ocular pressure, visual field testing, gonioscopy, and imaging of anterior segment, posterior segment, fundus, and optic disc. A peripheral venous blood sample was also collected for biochemical testing. For observational purposes, a community-based type II diabetes mellitus management mode was created and assessed for its effect in preventing the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Of the 8,218 residents, 7,271 were eligible for inclusion, and 5,840 (80.32%) subjects were enrolled in the BCES. Most of the participants were female (64.38%) with a median age of 63 years, and 98.23% representing Han Chinese descent. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the epidemiological characteristics of major ocular diseases and their moderators in a suburbanized region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological carrying capacity is of vital importance for the economic development and the scale of resource exploitation in one country or region. This paper more comprehensively summarizes and concludes the basic contents and evaluation methods of ecological carrying capacity with regard to the related studies of the domestic and foreign scholars. Keywords: Ecology, Carrying capacity, Sustainable development, 1. The origin of carrying capacity From the industrial revolution in the latter half of 18th century, the material civilization of human beings is developed highly in the process of [...]

Ecotourism is obviously with color of ecological education and popularization of ecological science. However, as a result of lack in environmental consciousness and ecological knowledge among tourism stakeholders, quite a lot of unsustainable development issues appear in ecotourism. Based on this background, the author puts forward advanced ecotourism education and goes deep into its necessity and critical aspects. Keywords: Ecotourism, Advanced ecotourism education, Sustainable development, 1. Proposal of advanced ecotourism education 1.1 Status quo of ecotourism education After the concept of ecotourism was put forward at the international environmental protection conference in Mexico in 1986, [...]

Summary: With the rapid development of China's economy, the extensive mode of growth supported by coal has caused great damage to resources and the environment. Problems such as gas drainage, coal gangue dumping, water resources destruction, and surface subsidence during the coal mining process have directly led to severe damage to the environment in the mining area to ensure the survival and development of the coal industry, and to achieve sustainable development, we must actively promote the "optimized layout, intensive development, green mining, safe production, and clean use." This paper proposes the multimedia communications model and green low‐carbon development mechanism in coal industry with cloud Internet of Things (IoT) to deal with this challenge. In a distributed computing scenario, the communication bandwidth between different nodes is very limited and heterogeneous, and some different computing nodes support a wide range of computing capabilities. Decentralized computing connects devices with computing power to the network, and the nodes communicate directly or indirectly will deal with this challenge effectively. The multimedia transmission is also applied to guarantee the visualized model. The experiment compared with the other state‐of‐the‐art methodologies has proven that the proposed model has the higher transmission efficiency and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotor radial force is changed by adjusting the windings current value to control rotor suspension for various kinds of bearingless switched reluctance motor (BSRM). To accomplish the BSRM's suspension control, the radial force analytical model is necessary. Currently the mathematic relationship among radial force, winding currents, and rotor rotation angle has been built for double-winding BSRM, but the rotor eccentricity displacement has not been considered. That is, the existing radial force analytical model only can be used to analyze rotor radial force when rotor shaft is located in the central position. Actually, the rotor radial force is significantly affected by the rotor shaft eccentricity displacement. It is difficult for the bearingless motor to keep the rotor shaft staying in the central position, and the rotor shaft always runs around the central position with an eccentricity displacement. The rotor eccentricity caused by the radial force is considered in the paper to obtain the air-gap permeance and the windings inductances. Furthermore, the radial forces analytical model considering the rotor eccentricity displacement is derived. Finally, the finite-element method (FEM)-based results are applied and the dynamics simulation using the proposed model is accomplished to verify the correctness of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]