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BACKGROUND: Elevated level of interleukin-8 (IL-8) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and contributes to poor prognosis. Previously, we have proved that Dicer inhibits HCC progression. In this study, we evaluated the potential interaction between IL-8 and Dicer as well as their influence on HCC. METHODS: Hepatocellular carcinoma cells of SMMC-7721 were divided into 2 groups for subsequent analysis: pCMV-Dicer group for Dicer-overexpressing lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-Dicer cells) and pCMV-NC group for empty lentivirus transfected cells (pCMV-NC cells). Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK8), wound healing, and transwell were used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Dicer overexpression on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells. The level of IL-8 was measured by flow cytometry bead-based immunoassays. Male nude BALB/c mice injected with pCMV-Dicer or pCMV-NC cell suspensions was used for transplant of HCC tumor. RESULTS: We found that the secretion of IL-8 was reduced in the medium of pCMV-Dicer cells (P = .027). Recombinant human IL-8 (rhIL-8) reversed the inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation (P < .01), migration (P = .003), and invasion (P = .001), whereas IL-8 inhibitor of reparixin enhanced inhibitory effect of Dicer on proliferation (P < .05), migration (P = .008), and invasion (P = .000). Lenvatinib downregulated the IL-8 level of HCC cells (P = .000) as well as promote Dicer-induced inhibition for HCC cells referring to proliferation (P < .05), migration (P = .000), and invasion (P = .000). Animal experiments also demonstrated that Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit the growth of HCC tumors (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Dicer cooperated with lenvatinib to inhibit HCC growth via downregulating IL-8, and Dicer displayed its potential capability to enhance the anti-tumor effect of lenvatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study infinite families of orthogonal exponentials of some self-affine measures. The digit set D = 0 0 , 1 0 , 0 2 and any 2 × 2 expanding integer matrix M ∈ M 2 (ℤ) can generate a self-affine measure μ M , D . Let 𝜖 7 = (1 3 , 1 3) t and M ∗ : = 3 M ̃ + M α be the transposed conjugate of M , where M ̃ ∈ M 2 (ℤ) and the elements of M α come from { 0 , 1 , 2 }. In this paper, we prove the following results. For M α ∈ { M α : M α 𝜖 7 ∈ ℤ 2 , det (M α) ∈ 3 ℤ } , μ M , D is a spectral measure. For M α ∈ { M α : M α 2 𝜖 7 ∈ ℤ 2 , M α 𝜖 7 ∉ ℤ 2 , det (M α) ∈ 3 ℤ } , there are infinite families of orthogonal exponentials, but none of them forms an orthogonal basis in L 2 (μ M , D). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For n ≥ 3, let Qn ⊂ C be an arbitrary regular n-sided polygon. We prove that the Cauchy transform FQn of the normalised two-dimensional Lebesgue measure on Qn is univalent and starlike but not convex in Ĉ \ Qn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Δ be an equilateral triangle, we define the Cauchy transform of the normalized two-dimensional Lebesgue measure μ on Δ by F (z) = ∫ Δ d μ (w) z − w . We prove that F is univalent and starlike, but not convex in C ˆ ∖ Δ. In particular, for the regular triangle P 3 with vertexes { e π i / 3 , − 1 , e 5 π i / 3 } , the Cauchy transform is convex of order α = − 1 − 3 3 2 (3 log ⁡ 2 − π) (≈ 0.339) in | z | > 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let m be a prime and { D k : D k = { 0 , 1 , ... , m s − 1 } t k , s , t k ∈ ℤ + } k = 1 ∞ be a sequence of finite arithmetic digit sets in ℤ with t k uniformly bounded, and let δ E be the discrete probability measure on the finite set E ⊂ ℝ with equal distribution. For 0 < ρ < 1 , the infinite Bernoulli convolution μ ρ , { D k } = δ ρ D 1 ∗ δ ρ 2 D 2 ∗ ⋯ ∗ δ ρ k D k ∗ ⋯ converges weakly to a Borel probability measure (Moran measure). In this paper, we study the existence of exponential orthonormal basis for L 2 (μ ρ , { D k }). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let D k = { 0 , r k , ... , (q k − 1) r k } be an arithmetic digit set for each k ≥ 1 , where 1 < q k ∈ ℤ + , r k ∈ ℤ + , and let { b k } k = 1 ∞ be a sequence of integers larger than 1. In this paper, we prove that the Moran measure μ { b k } { D k } generated by infinite convolution of finite atomic measures μ { b k } { D k } = δ b 1 − 1 D 1 ∗ δ (b 1 b 2) − 1 D 2 ∗ ⋯ ∗ δ (b 1 b 2 ⋯ b k) − 1 D k ∗ ⋯ is a spectral measure if b k = q k s k and s k ≥ r k , gcd ( r k gcd (r k , s k) , q k) = 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For an infinite Blaschke product B, does there necessarily exist δ > 0 such that each w satisfying |w| < δ is assumed infinitely often by B. Stephenson raised this question in 1979 and then constructed a counterexample in 1988 to prove that the answer to his problem is negative. In this paper, we find two sufficient conditions under which the answer to the problem is positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let μ M , D {\mu_{M,D}} be a self-affine measure generated by an expanding diagonal matrix M ∈ M 3 ⁢ (ℝ) {M\in M_{3}(\mathbb{R})} with entries ρ 1 , ρ 2 , ρ 3 {\rho_{1},\rho_{2},\rho_{3}} and the digit set D = { (0 , 0 , 0) t , (1 , 0 , 0) t , (0 , 1 , 0) t , (0 , 0 , 1) t } {D=\{(0,0,0)^{t},(1,0,0)^{t},(0,1,0)^{t},(0,0,1)^{t}\}}. In this paper, we prove that for any ρ 1 , ρ 2 , ρ 3 ∈ (1 , ∞) {\rho_{1},\rho_{2},\rho_{3}\in(1,\infty)} , if ρ 1 , ρ 2 , ρ 3 ∈ { ± x 1 r : x ∈ ℚ + , r ∈ ℤ + } {\rho_{1},\rho_{2},\rho_{3}\in\{\pm x^{\frac{1}{r}}:x\in\mathbb{Q}^{+},r\in% \mathbb{Z}^{+}\}} , then L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) {L^{2}(\mu_{M,D})} contains an infinite orthogonal set of exponential functions if and only if there exist two numbers of ρ 1 , ρ 2 , ρ 3 {\rho_{1},\rho_{2},\rho_{3}} that are in the set { ± (p q) 1 r : p ∈ 2 ⁢ ℤ + , q ∈ 2 ⁢ ℤ + - 1 ⁢ and ⁢ r ∈ ℤ + } {\{\pm(\frac{p}{q})^{\frac{1}{r}}:p\in 2\mathbb{Z}^{+},q\in 2\mathbb{Z}^{+}-1% \text{ and }r\in\mathbb{Z}^{+}\}}. In particular, if ρ 1 , ρ 2 , ρ 3 ∈ { p q : p , q ∈ 2 ⁢ ℤ + 1 } {\rho_{1},\rho_{2},\rho_{3}\in\{\frac{p}{q}:p,q\in 2\mathbb{Z}+1\}} , then there exist at most 4 mutually orthogonal exponential functions in L 2 ⁢ (μ M , D) {L^{2}(\mu_{M,D})} , and the number 4 is the best possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let n,b≥2 be two positive integers. For D={0,1,⋯,b−1}, let the self‐similar measure μbn,D be defined by μbn,D=1b∑d∈Dμbn,D(bnx−d). It is known [18] that μbn,D is a spectral measure with a spectrum Λ(bn,C)=∑j=0finiteajbnj:aj∈C,where C=bn−1{0,1,⋯,b−1}. In this paper, we give some conditions on τ∈Z under which the scaling set τΛ(bn,C) is also a spectrum of μbn,D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A broadband (0.8–5 GHz) CMOS current-mode direct-conversion receiver has been integrated in a 0.18- μ m CMOS process. The proposed receiver front-end features a broadband active-balun low-noise transconductance amplifier (LNTA) driving a current-mode passive mixer terminated by a low-input-impedance transimpedance amplifier (TIA). The receiver chain has improved robustness to out-of-band interference, conversion gain and outstanding linearity. With the technique of noise and distortion cancellation which performs a better input impedance matching, we employ a broadband common-gate–common-source (CG–CS) LNTA and a current mirror to improve both gain and noise figure (NF) performance. Compared to the 50% duty-cycle switching stage, the 25% duty-cycle I–Q switching stage is implemented by using serial switches driven by 50% quadrature local oscillator (LO) signals separately, which improves the down-conversion gain by 3 dB and lowers the noise figure. The transimpedance amplifier employs the g m -boosting technique to realize low input impedance and high transimpedance gain. The core circuit (RF and baseband signal path) consumes 26 mW, and the prototype receiver achieves approximately 33–34.5-dB conversion gain, 8.1–9.35-dB NF and 7.5–9.8-dBm IIP3 from 0.8 GHz to 5 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For an integral self-affine spectral measure, if the zeros of its Fourier transform are all integral vectors, it is proven that any its spectrum has a tree structure. For any subset with such tree structure, a sufficient condition and a necessary condition for the subset to be a spectrum are given, respectively. Applications are given to some known results as special cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let 𝒟 n = { 0 , a n , b n } = { 0 , 1 , 2 } (mod 3) , p n ∈ 3 ℤ + , n ≥ 1 , satisfy sup n ≥ 1 max { | a n | , | b n | } p n < ∞. Let μ { p n } , { 𝒟 n } = δ p 1 − 1 𝒟 1 ∗ δ (p 1 p 2) − 1 𝒟 2 ∗ ⋯ be the infinite convolution of probability measures with finite support and equal distribution. In this paper, we show that if lim n → ∞ p n = ∞ , then there exists a discrete set Λ such that { e 2 π i 〈 λ , x 〉 } λ ∈ Λ is an orthonormal basis for L 2 (μ { p n } , { 𝒟 n }). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a positive integer N ≥ 2 , let D N = { 0 , 1 , ... , N − 1 }. Let the self-affine measure μ ℳ (n) , 𝒟 N (n) be generated by an expanding real matrix ℳ (n) = diag (ρ 1 − 1 , ρ 2 − 1 , ... , ρ n − 1) and a finite digit set 𝒟 N (n) = { ∑ i = 1 n α i e i : α i ∈ D N , 1 ≤ i ≤ n } , where ρ i ∈ ℝ with 0 < | ρ i | < 1 and e i is the i th column of the n × n identical matrix I n , i = 1 , 2 , ... , n. In this paper, we prove that L 2 (μ ℳ (n) , 𝒟 N (n) ) contains an infinite orthogonal set of exponential functions if and only if there exists ρ i (1 ≤ i ≤ n) such that | ρ i | = (p i / q i) 1 / r i for some p i , q i , r i ∈ ℕ + with gcd (p i , q i) = 1 and gcd (q i , N) > 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commercial metal-organic framework (MOF) of Basosiv M050 and its composite materials potassium hydroxide/M050 (KOH/M050) and Au nanoparticles/M050 (AuNPs/M050) were coated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate to form novel flexible impedance-type humidity sensors. The electrical properties of M050 to which were added various amounts of KOH or AuNPs were studied in detail as functions of relative humidity (RH). The contributions of the KOH or the AuNPs to the humidity-sensing (linearity and sensitivity) properties and flexibility were thus elucidated. The M050 and composites of KOH/M050 and AuNPs/M050 films that were coated on PET substrates were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), UV–vis spectroscopy and infrared spectrometry. The sensor that was made of KOH/M050 film with 0.05 M added KOH exhibited high flexibility, the highest sensitivity, acceptable linearity, a short response time, a low temperature coefficient and long-term stability. The humidity-sensing mechanism of the KOH/M050 film was explained using complex impedance spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study a general bin packing game with an interest matrix, which is a generalization of all the currently known bin packing games. In this game, there are some items with positive sizes and identical bins with unit capacity as in the classical bin packing problem; additionally we are given an interest matrix with rational entries, whose element aij stands for how much item i likes item j. The payoff of item i is the sum of aij over all items j in the same bin with item i , and each item wants to stay in a bin where it can fit and its payoff is maximized.We find that if the matrix is symmetric, a Nash Equilibrium (NE) always exists. However the Price of Anarchy (PoA) may be very large, therefore we consider several special cases and give bounds for PoA.We present some results for the asymmetric case, too. Moreover we introduce a new metric, called the Price of Harmony (PoH for short), which we think is more accurate to describe the quality of an NE in the new model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on study on the mechanism of retinal development and degeneration. It describes a neural network chip (NN-Chip) developed to load single neurons into highly ordered microwells connected by microchannels. Convincing evidence of the existence of a cone-to-cone bystander killing effect was demonstrated while observing the distribution of apoptosis spreading from light-induced apoptotic cones to the surrounding cones.

Let D n = { 0 , a n , b n } = { 0 , 1 , 2 } ( m o d 3 ) , p n ∈ 3 Z + , n ≥ 1 , satisfy sup n ≥ 1 ⁡ max ⁡ { | a n | , | b n | } p n < ∞ . It is well-known that there exists a unique Borel probability measure μ { p n } , { D n } generated by the following infinite convolution product μ { p n } , { D n } = δ p 1 − 1 D 1 ⁎ δ ( p 1 p 2 ) − 1 D 2 ⁎ ⋯ in the weak convergence. In this paper, we give some conditions to ensure that there exists a discrete set Λ such that the exponential function system { e 2 π i λ x } λ ∈ Λ forms an orthonormal basis for L 2 ( μ { p n } , { D n } ) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key design characteristics (KDCs) are important information related to the product and part designs, which significantly influence on the product's functions, performances, and quality. Identifying KDCs for a complex product will help designers to focus on key design parameters during the design process and rapidly obtain design schemes based on their close relationships to the product's functions, performances, and quality. Although there are some researches on key characteristic (KC) identification, most of them are focused on key process characteristics (KPCs) and few on KDCs. There also lacks a KDC identification framework to support KDC identification with better completeness and diverse usages. Adaptive design is the most important pattern of complex product design. Therefore, this paper presents a systematic method to identify KDCs for complex product adaptive design, in which KDCs can be determined by two related phases. Firstly, a product design specification (PDS)-KDC Candidates Network (PKCN) is constructed by using existing product instance data, cluster analysis, KC flow-down, and network analysis approaches. Then, the result from the first phase is used as a basis to identify KDCs for adaptive design. Three KDC identification techniques: similarity reasoning technique, breadth-first search (BFS), and the gray relational analysis approach are applied to find out KDCs from the PKCN, which are the most sensitive to the variation of a PDS. These identified KDCs can help designers to understand the relationships between KDCs and PDS and rapidly develop a design scheme. The effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed method are verified by a case study via the development of an electric multiple unit (EMU)'s bogie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of NaOH pretreatment temperature on the physicochemical characteristics and methane production of anaerobically digested banana stems were investigated in this paper. With the increase of pretreatment temperature from 0 °C to 100 °C, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the soak liquid in the treated biomass approximately linearly increased from 5.9 g/L for the untreated stems to 34.0 g/L. A weight loss of 5.1% was observed for the untreated material, while it was up to 31.2% for the sample treated at 100 °C. The removal of lignin and hemicellulose accounted for the majority of the weight loss. The removal rates of lignin and hemicellulose increased from 15.0% to 41.6% and 1.9% to 23.6% when the treatment temperature increased from 0 °C to 100 °C, respectively. Moreover, the crystalline index (CI) of the banana stems also increased with rising temperature, resulting from the dissolution of amorphous cellulose with increasingly harsher alkaline environments. The optimal pretreatment temperature for banana stems was confirmed at 50 °C. In these conditions, methane was produced via anaerobic digestion with 239.9 mL/g total solid (TS) yield, which represented an increase of 66.7% over untreated banana stems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the non-spectral problem for the planar self-affine measures μ M , D generated by an expanding integer matrix M ∈ M 2 ( Z ) and a finite digit set D ⊂ Z 2 . Let p ≥ 2 be a positive integer, E p 2 : = 1 p { ( i , j ) t : 0 ≤ i , j ≤ p − 1 } and Z D 2 : = { x ∈ [ 0 , 1 ) 2 : ∑ d ∈ D e 2 π i 〈 d , x 〉 = 0 } . We show that if ∅ ≠ Z D 2 ⊂ E p 2 ∖ { 0 } and gcd ⁡ ( det ⁡ ( M ) , p ) = 1 , then there exist at most p 2 mutually orthogonal exponential functions in L 2 ( μ M , D ) . In particular, if p is a prime, then the number p 2 is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the contractive iterated function system Skz = e2πik/m + ρ(z - e2πik/m) with 0 < ρ < 1, k = 0, · · ·, m - 1, we let K ⊂ C be the attractor, and let μ be a self-similar measure defined by μ = 1/m Σk=0m-1 μoSk-1. We consider the Cauchy transform F of μ. It is known that the image of F at a small neighborhood of the boundary of K has very rich fractal structure, which is coined the Cantor boundary behavior. In this paper, we investigate the behavior of F away from K; it has nice geometry and analytic properties, such as univalence, starlikeness and convexity. We give a detailed investigation for those properties in the general situation as well as certain classical cases of self-similar measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to precisely tail the endocytosis process and determine the internal location of drug carriers in cells, fluorescent tracers with high sensitivity and versatility are one of the most powerful tools. Nevertheless, conventional single fluorescent probes always suffered from the interference of background fluorescence or the lack of long-time monitoring capability, resulting in the low resolution and efficiency. To overcome this drawback, nanocarriers capable of multicolor fluorogenic and ratiometric properties became an urgently needed solution. In this contribution, starting from pentafluorophenyl ester (PFP)- and tetraphenylethene (TPE)-functionalized phenyl isocyanide (PI) monomers as well as l-hydrophilic (HP) PI monomers, a type of well-defined amphiphilic block copolymer, P(PFPPI-co-TPEPI-co-HPPI)-b-HPPPI, with controlled molecular weights and tunable compositions was prepared through sequential living copolymerization with phenylethynyl Pd(II) complex as a single catalyst in one pot. Disulfide bonds were then introduced by the exchange reaction between PFP units and cystamine (Cys; a degradable cross-linker). The resultant P(CysPI-co-TPEPI-co-HPPI)-b-HPPPI copolymers showed a time-dependent disruption in the conditions mimicking the intracellular reducing environment and an aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) optical behavior that they were emissive when single chain dispersed but became nonfluorescent if the polymer chains were aggregated. Thanks to such a unique optical phenomenon, nanocarriers capable of fluorescence ratiometric property could be constructed after incorporating another solvatochromic dye, Nile red (NR), in water. This new class of core cross-linked NR@P(CysPI-co-TPEPI-co-HPPI)-b-HPPPI micelles not only exhibited excellent fluorescence ratiometric cell imaging ability but also possessed rapid cell membrane permeability due to the PEGylated single left-handed helical PPI corona and exposed the real-time disintegration of nanocarriers in front of us. Fatal and irreversible damage to cancer cells could be achieved by the high-efficiency delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. We speculate that these newly developed fluorescent integrated nanocarriers can potentially be utilized as a promising approach to cancer diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visible-light-induced C-3 selective trifluoroethylation of imidazoheterocycles using 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-iodoethane as trifluoroethyl radical sources was developed. The methodology enables the introduction of a trifluoroethyl group in a fast and efficient reaction under mild conditions with excellent regioselectivities and high functional group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) plays an important role in hand-foot-and-mouth disease. In this study, a series of diarylhydrazide analogues was synthesized, and the systematic exploration of SAR led to potent enterovirus inhibitors, of which compound 15 exhibits significant improvements in inhibition potency with an EC50 value of 0.02 μM against EV71. It is very interesting that this class of diarylhydrazides exhibits activities against a series of human enteroviruses at the picomolar level, including EV71 and Coxsackieviruses B1 (CVB1), CVB2, CVB3, CVB4, CVB5, and CVB6 (EC50 as low as 0.5 nM). Compared with the reference antienterovirus drug 1 (enviroxime) and known inhibitor 5 (WIN 51711), the four highly selective compounds 15, 27, 41 and 47 inhibited EV71 replication with EC50 values of 0.17-0.02 μM and SI values in a range of 978.4-12338. A preliminary mechanistic study indicated that VP1 might be the target site for this type of compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by loss of bone mass and degeneration of the microstructure of bone. Resveratrol (3,5,4-tri-hydroxystilbene; RESV) may delay the onset of a variety of age-related diseases. In the present study, an ovariectomized female rat model was used to detect the changes in microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) following RESV treatment. Subsequently, the target genes of miRNA were predicted using TargetScan software and determined using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Finally, the role of miR-338-3p in the proliferation and differentiation of human osteoblast (HOB) cells was confirmed. The predominant finding of the present study was the identification of an intact mechanism of the effect of RESV in osteoporosis treatment. The results suggested that RESV suppresses miR-338-3p, followed by an increase in the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 in HOB cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a term used for a group of conditions, including back pain, femoral nerve pain and sciatica. Currently available treatments and surgical options are insufficient for patients with LDH. Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (FLL) is a herb that is used for treating age-associated diseases. The results of the present study suggested that FLL may be used for treatment of patients with LDH. In the present study, matrix metalloproteinase-1, -3, -8 and -9 (MMP-1, -3, -8 and -9) protein and mRNA expression downregulation was observed in patients with LDH according to western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. By contrast, upregulation of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression was observed in patients with LDH, according to an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mechanical allodynia was observed in rats with LDH not treated with FLL; however, not in FLL-treated rats. IL-2, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α expression levels in the serum from untreated rats were significantly higher than that of the FLL-treated rat models. Protein expression levels of MMPs in FLL-treated rats were lower than those in untreated rats. However, the mechanisms underlying the association between FLL and protein expression levels require further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, we mainly discuss the connectedness of two kinds of self-affine sets. One is generated by matrix A=(p0-aq) and digit set D={(is,jt)T:i=0,1,...,|q|-1,j=0,1,...,|p|-1}, where s,t≠0 and p,q∈Z with 3≤|p|+1<|q|<2|p|-1. The other is generated by matrix A=(p0-aq) and digit set D={(is,(di+j)t)T:i=0,1,...,|p|-1,j=0,1,...,|q|-1}, where s,t≠0, and p,q,d∈Z with |p|,|q|≥2. The sufficient or necessary conditions for their connectedness are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful single-cell isolation is a primary step for subsequent chemical and biological analyses of single cells. Conventional single-cell isolation methods often encounter operational complexity, limited efficiency, deterioration of cell viability, incompetence in the isolation of a single-cell into nanoliter liquid, and/or inability to select single adherent cells with specific phenotypes. Here, we develop a hand-held single-cell pipet (hSCP) that is rapid, operationally simple, highly efficient, and inexpensive for unbiased isolation of single viable suspended cells directly from submicroliter cell suspensions into nanoliter droplets without the assistance of any additional equipment. An integrated SCP (iSCP) has also been developed for selective isolation of single suspended and adherent cells according to the fluorescence imaging and morphological features. The isolated single cells can be conveniently transferred into standard 96-/384-well plates, Petri dishes, or vials for cloning, PCR, and other single-cell biochemical assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the spectral property of a class of Sierpinski-type self-affine measures μ M , D (⋅) = 1 3 ∑ d ∈ D μ M , D (M (⋅) − d) on R 2 , where M = [ ρ 1 − 1 a 0 ρ 2 − 1 ] is a real upper triangular expanding matrix and D = { ( 0 0 ) , ( d 1 0 ) , ( d 2 d 3 ) } is a three-element real digit set with d 1 d 3 ≠ 0. A necessary and sufficient condition for μ M , D to be a spectral measure is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance(PMQR) genes and fluoroquinolones in the treatment and disease susceptibility of non-typhoidal salmonella which is the main cause of food borne diseases. Topics include the PMQR genes, human clinical cases in Canada and disease susceptibility.

Abstract: For an analytic function on the open unit disk and continuous on , the Cantor boundary behavior (CBB) is used to describe the curve that forms infinitely many fractal-look loops everywhere. The class of analytic functions with the CBB was formulated and investigated in Dong et al. [6]. In this note, our main objective is to give further discuss of the criteria of CBB in Dong et al. [6]. We show that the two major criteria, the accumulation of the zeros of near the boundary and the fast mean growth rate of near the boundary, do not imply each other. Also we make an improvement of another criterion, which allows us to have more examples of CBB. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the three-dimensional (3D) strip packing problem, we are given a set of 3D rectangular items and a 3D box B. The goal is to pack all the items in B such that the height of the packing is minimized. We consider the most basic version of the problem, where the items must be packed with their edges parallel to the edges of B and cannot be rotated. Building upon Caprara's work for the two-dimensional (2D) bin packing problem, we obtain an algorithm that, given any ε > 0, achieves an approximation of T∞ + ε ≈ 1.69103 + ε, where T∞ is the well-known number that occurs naturally in the context of bin packing. Our key idea is to establish a connection between bin packing solutions for an arbitrary instance I and the strip packing solutions for the corresponding instance obtained from I by applying the harmonic transformation to certain dimensions. Based on this connection, we also give a simple alternate proof of the T∞ + ε approximation for 2D bin packing due to Caprara. In particular, we show how his result follows from a simple modification of the asymptotic approximation scheme for 2D strip packing due to Kenyon and Rémila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Let be the space of analytic functions on the open disk and continuous on . Let be the boundary of , we are interested in the class of such that the image is a curve that forms loops everywhere. This fractal behavior was first raised by Lund et al. (1998) [21] in the study of the Cauchy transform of the Hausdorff measure on the Sierpinski gasket. We formulate the property as the Cantor boundary behavior (CBB) and establish two sufficient conditions through the distribution of zeros of and the mean growth rate of near the boundary. For the specific cases we carry out a detailed investigation on the gap series and the complex Weierstrass functions; the CBB for the Cauchy transform on the Sierpinski gasket will appear elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Context.--In the 2017 revised World Health Organization classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues, some mature T-cell lymphomas were reclassified and a few new provisional entities were established based on new data from clinical and laboratory studies. T follicular helper cell lymphoma is identified by T follicular helper cell markers. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALK negative, is a better-defined entity based on genetic abnormalities, and breast implant--associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma is recognized as a provisional entity. The gastrointestinal T-cell lymphomas are reclassified, with addition of a new provisional entity, indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by an indolent clinical course. Objective.--To review the diagnostic approaches to reclassified and newly established entities of mature T-cell lymphomas, focusing on significant immunophenotypic features and molecular genetic abnormalities. Relevant new discoveries after the publication of the 2017 World Health Organization classification are included. Data Sources.--Information from the literature most relevant to the 2017 World Health Organization revised classification and publications after 2016. Conclusions.--Incorporating clinical, morphologic, and immunophenotypic features usually provides sufficient evidence to reach a preliminary diagnosis of mature T-cell lymphoma. Molecular genetic studies can be very helpful for the final diagnosis and classification, especially in challenging cases. Some molecular genetic features have been found in breast implant--associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, distinct from anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALK negative. Immunohistochemical staining of 4 markers may enable further subtyping of peripheral T-cell lymphomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM-D) is a new gene vector developed in recent years. In this study, we successfully prepared G4PAMAM and detected its unique structure by NMR, FITR and TEM. We revealed that G4PAMAM could bind to human erythrocytes and BSA through electrostatic interaction respectively, and caused haemolysis and reduced bioavailability. However, G4PAMAM-VEGF-ASODN (antisense oligodeoxynucleotides) complex could prevent G4PAMAM from binding to the erythrocytes and BSA and remained stable as a conjugate, therefore the toxicity of the complex was reduced. Meanwhile, we showed that G4PAMAM could be used as a gene vector to deliver AODNs into breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells without significant cell toxicity, and it enhanced cellular uptake of ODNs. In vivo experiment of human breast tumor xenograft mice model, G4PAMAM also showed more efficiency of accumulating VEGF-ASODN to inhibit the tumor vascularization of breast tumor tissue than naked AODN. Furthermore, G4PAMAM could protect DNA in cytoplasm from digestion of restriction enzymes, which was important to become an effective tool in gene research and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to analyze models, techniques, algorithms and infrastructures needed to complete cooperative engagement for warships with constrained bandwidth based on the geodetic coordinate system. To increase the performance of maneuvering target tracking, the 2D and 3D target motion models and the observation model based on the geodetic coordinate system are derived. In order to cope with the target tracking and fusion problems which arise from the intense non-linearity and decentralization in a geodetic coordinate system, two decentralized fusion algorithms denoted as SR-UKF (TR) and SR-UKF (CI) which we developed before are used. Considering the limited bandwidth of the communication network in a battle environment, an adaptive selection scheme which captures the competitive and cooperative relations among the neighbor sensor nodes is developed for decentralized information dissemination. The simulation results show the efficiency, adaptivity and robustness of the proposed algorithms with high precision. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

On the investigation of biomimetic drag-reducing surface, direct replication of the firm scarfskins on low-resistance creatures to form biomimetic drag-reducing surfaces with relatively vivid morphology relative to the living prototype is a new attempt of the bio-replicated forming technology. Taking shark skin as the bio-replication template, the hot embossing method was applied to the micro-replication of its outward morphology. Furthermore, the skins were jointed together to form the drag-reducing surface in large area. The results of the resistance measurements in a water tunnel according to the flat-plate sample pieces have shown that the biomimetic shark-skin coating fabricated by the bio-replicated forming method has significant drag reduction effect, and that the drag reduction efficiency reached 8.25% in the test conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Session 4 of the 2005 Society of Hematopathology/European Association for Haematopathology Workshop focused on case presentations of precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoblastic lymphoma (pre-T ALL/LBL) and acute biphenotypic leukemia. Pre-T ALL represents approximately 15% of childhood and 25% of adult ALL cases. Pre-T LBL comprises 85% to 90% of LBL and frequently manifests as a mediastinal mass. Gene expression studies have shown distinct subtypes of LYL1+, HOX11+, TAL1+, and MLL+ pre-T ALL/LBL. HOX11 overexpression may correlate with a good prognosis in adult pre-T ALL. ABL gene amplification and NOTCH1 gene mutations in subsets of pre-T ALL/LBL suggest patients may benefit from therapy with tyrosine kinase and γ-secretase inhibitors, respectively. Acute biphenotypic leukemias are characterized by a single population of blasts that express myeloid, T- or B-lineage antigens in various combinations and account for fewer than 4% of all acute leukemias. The blasts have a high incidence of chromosome abnormalities. An accurate diagnosis of pre-T ALL/LBL and acute biphenotypic leukemia requires a multiparametric approach, including examination of morphologic features, immunophenotype, clinical characteristics, and cytogenetic and molecular findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let U(p,k) denote the class of functions f which are areally mean p-valent and have k maximal growth directions in Δ={z: &z.sfnc;z&z.sfnc;<1}. In this paper we give an asymptotic formula of the mean square of the logarithmic derivative f′/f for f∈U(p,k) with some restricted condition. This generalizes the corresponding result in [J. Anal. Math. 36 (1979) 36–43]. Also we construct a function f∈U(p,k) which does not satisfy this asymptotic formula. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Cauchy transform of a measure has been used to study the analytic capacity and uniform rectifiability of subsets in C. Recently, Lund et al. (Experiment. Math. 7 (1998) 177) have initiated the study of such transform F of self-similar measure. In this and the forecoming papers (Starlikeness and the Cauchy transform of some self-similar measures, in preparation; The Cauchy transform on the Sierpinski gasket, in preparation), we study the analytic and geometric behavior as well as the fractal behavior of the transform F. The main concentration here is on the Laurent coefficients {an}n=0∞ of F. We give asymptotic formulas for {an}n=0∞ and for F(k)(z) near the support of μ, hence the precise growth rates on |an| and |F(k)| are determined. These formulas are connected with some multiplicative periodic functions, which reflect the self-similarity of μ and K. As a by-product, we also discover new identities of certain infinite products and series. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Let q be even, F be the Cauchy transform of the self-similar measure μ = 1 q ∑ j = 0 q − 1 μ ∘ S j where S j (z) = e 2 j π i / q + ρ (z − e 2 j π i / q) with ρ ∈ (0 , 1) , and K be the attractor of { S j } j = 0 q − 1 and R q = dist (0 , K). As a follow-up of [8] , we not only study the asymptotic formula for the Taylor coefficients { b q k − 1 } k = 1 ∞ of F in | z | < R q , but also the chaotic behavior of F (n) near the attractor K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suppose that q = 2 m + 1 ≥ 5. Let F be the Cauchy transform of the self-similar measure μ = 1 q ∑ j = 0 q − 1 μ ∘ S j where S j (z) = e 2 j π i / q + ρ (z − e 2 j π i / q) with ρ ∈ (0 , 1). Let K be the attractor of { S j } j = 0 q − 1 and R q = dist (0 , K). The Laurent coefficients of F in | z | > 1 was studied in [18] and [2]. In this paper, we study the asymptotic formula of the Taylor coefficients { b q k − 1 } k = 1 ∞ of F in | z | < R q. We prove that the supremum of β satisfying { (q k) β R q q k b q k − 1 } k = 1 ∞ ∈ l ∞ is the Hausdorff dimension α of K , and that the accumulation points set of { (q k) α R q q k b q k − 1 } k = 1 ∞ is a union of some non-degenerate line segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the structural characteristics of protein Z (PZ), a vitamin K-dependent plasma protein. Characterization of PZ dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI); Function of PZ in the inhibition of Xa; Role of cDNA from human liver in ZPI synthesis; Homology of ZPI in relation to the serpin superfamily.

In recent years, the protection of PSESP has gradually become a hot issue in biodiversity research. Through the investigation and analysis of PSESP in Xinjiang, it is shown that; (1J there are 75 species of PSESP in Xinjiang, including 22 species of trees, 18 species of shrubs and 35 species of herbs. The habitats are mainly in extremely cold, extremely dry or extremely narrow conditions such as snow line, desert, mountain, wetland and so on. (2) 53 species (70.67%) are listed as national or autonomous region protected plants, and 22 species of PSESP are not listed in the protection; there are 70 species of PSESP listed in the red list, accounting for 93.33%. (3) The PSESP in Xinjiang are mainly distributed in the Altai Mountains, western Tianshan Mountains, Pamir Plateau and Karakoram Mountains; they are distributed in all kinds of nature reserves, forest parks, wetland parks and other natural ecological protection areas in Xinjiang. Ammopiptanihus nanus (M. Pop.) Cheng F., Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight, Calligonum roborovskii A. Los. and Prunus cerasifera Ehrhart have not been found in the literature, indicating that they are distributed in protected areas. In order to provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of biodiversity in Xinjiang, this paper puts forward some suggestions on the protection of PSESP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unprecedented palladium-catalysed fragmentary esterification-induced allylic alkylation (FEAA) of cyclic vinylogous anhydrides (CVAs) and allyl carbonates has been disclosed. The protocol features broad sp3-rich scaffold tolerance, rendering highly functionalized 1,6 and 1,7-dicarbonyls in up to high yields and diastereoselectivities. Three-component FEAA is also well tolerant to generate 1,6-dicarbonyls through the addition of extra O/N-nucleophiles. Furthermore, cyclic allyl carbonate-involved FEAA provides an efficient approach for the synthesis of structurally complex medium-sized rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Metformin is increasingly used in clinical practice for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus. However, its safety and long-term effects on fetuses exposed to metformin in uterus remain controversial. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database (last search was updated on 1 May 2019) for randomized controlled trials comparing metformin with insulin. Two reviewers extracted the data and calculated pooled estimates by use of a randomeffects model. Results: Twenty-four studies were included. Among these, seventeen RCTs (N=2828 participants) were included for quantitative analyses and seven studies were included only for qualitative synthesis. Metformin lowered the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension (p=.03; risk ratio (RR)=0.64; confidence interval (95%CI) [0.44, 0.95]), large for gestational age babies (p=.04; RR=0.82; 95% CI [0.68, 0.99]), macrosomia (p=.01; RR=0.63; 95%CI [0.45, 0.90]), neonatal hypoglycemia (p=.001; RR=0.72; 95%CI [0.59, 0.88]), and neonatal intensive care unit admission (p=.01; RR=0.74; 95%CI [0.58, 0.94]). Metformin did not increase premature delivery (p=.11; RR=1.28; 95%CI [0.95, 1.73]), preeclampsia (p=.45; RR=0.89; 95%CI [0.65, 1.21]), caesarean delivery (p=.20; RR=0.94; 95%CI [0.85, 1.04]), small for gestational age babies (p=.95; RR=0.99; 95%CI [0.69, 1.42]). The long-term results seemed to have no adverse effect, but the information was still limited. Conclusions: According to our review, metformin may have potential benefits for pregnant women and newborns with no obvious adverse effects. However, even more studies are needed to provide evidence for the future use of metformin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision soil fertilization is an important aspect of smart precision agriculture development, and the fertilization prescription map is a prerequisite for precision fertilization. Taking grapevine soil information as an example, this study explores the impact of different sampling densities on the accuracy of soil nutrient distribution. Experimental trials were conducted using sampling densities of 1m x 1m, 3m x 3m, 6m x 6m, 9m x 9m, and 12m x 12m, with the optimal sampling density determined to be 6m x 6m. Nutrient distribution maps were created using Bigemap and ArcGIS software, and based on nutrient balance calculations using ArcGIS software, fertilization prescription maps were developed. Furthermore, precise fertilization schemes for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers were formulated based on the prescription maps. This study provides methodological and data support for research on precision soil fertilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of the momentum space crystal based on the alkaline-earth atom 88Sr in narrow-line cooling has paved the way to explore this novel physical phenomenon in other cold atom systems. In this paper, a momentum space crystal based on the fermions 87Sr in narrow-line cooling of transition 1S0–3P1 is demonstrated. We theoretically analyze and compare the formation principle of the narrow-line with that of broad-line cooling, and achieve the momentum space crystal in experiment. Beyond that we present a series of numerical calculations of those important parameters which influence the distribution and size of the momentum space crystal. Correspondingly, we vary the values of these parameters in experiment to observe the momentum space crystal evolution and distribution. The experimental results are in conformity with the results of the theoretically numerical calculations. These results and analyses provide a detailed supplementary study on the formation and evolution of momentum space crystal. In addition, this work could also give a guideline on atomic manipulation by narrow-line cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let the 2 × 2 expanding matrix Rk be an integer Jordan matrix, i.e., Rk = diag(rk, sk) or Rk = J(pk), and let Dk = {0, 1, . . ., qk - 1}v with v = (1, 1)T and 2 ≤ qk ≤ pk, rk, sk for each natural number k. We show that the sequence of Hadamard triples {(Rk, Dk, Ck)} admits a spectrum of the associated Moran measure provided that lim infk→∞ 2qk‖R-1 k ‖ < 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Curcumin, a well-known hydrophobic polyphenol extracted from the rhizomes of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), has attracted great interest in the last ten years due to its multiple pharmacological activities. A growing body of evidence has manifested that curcumin has extensive pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxygenation, lipid regulation, antiviral, and anticancer with hypotoxicity and minor adverse reactions. However, the disadvantages of low bioavailability, short half-life in plasma, low drug concentration in blood, and poor oral absorption severely limited the clinical application of curcumin. Pharmaceutical researchers have carried out plenty of dosage form transformations to improve the druggability of curcumin and have achieved remarkable results. Therefore, the objective of this review summarizes the pharmacological research progress, problems in clinical application and the improvement methods of curcumin's druggability. By reviewing the latest research progress of curcumin, we believe that curcumin has a broad clinical application prospect for its wide range of pharmacological activities with few side effects. The deficiencies of lower bioavailability of curcumin could be improved by dosage form transformation. However, curcumin in the clinical application still requires further study regarding the underlying mechanism and clinical trial verification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]