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Accumulating evidence suggests that Rab GTPases representing the largest branch of Ras superfamily have recently emerged as the core factors for the regulation of osteoclastogenesis through modulating vesicular transport amongst specific subcellular compartments. Among these, Rab34 GTPase has been identified to be important for the post-Golgi secretory pathway and for phagocytosis; nevertheless, its specific role in osteoclastogenesis has been completely obscure. Here, upon the in vitro model of osteoclast formation derived from murine macrophages like RAW-D cells or bone marrow-derived macrophages, we reveal that Rab34 regulates osteoclastogenesis bidirectionally. More specifically, Rab34 serves as a negative regulator of osteoclast differentiation by promoting the lysosome-induced proteolysis of two osteoclastogenic surface receptors, c-fms and RANK, via the axis of early endosomes-late endosomes-lysosomes, leading to alleviate the transcriptional activity of two of the master regulator of osteoclast differentiation, c-fos and NFATc-1, eventually attenuating osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. Besides, Rab34 plays a crucial role in modulating the secretory network of lysosome-related proteases including matrix metalloprotease 9 and Cathepsin K across the ruffled borders of osteoclasts, contributing to the regulation of bone resorption.

To investigate the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) in the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients after bee stings.A total of 105 bee stings patients admitted to Mianyang Central Hospital from May 2019 to August 2021 were enrolled and were divided into AKI group (37 cases) and non-AKI group (68 cases) according to the occurrence of AKI. Baseline demographic information [gender, age, body mass index (BMI), sting season, sting site, number of stings, underlying disease, clinical manifestations, and inflammatory factor levels] were collected and compared between the two groups. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors associated with the occurrence of AKI in bee stings patients. Pearson model was used to analyze the correlation between PCT and other indicators; the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) were drawn to analyze the predictive value of each indicator on the occurrence of AKI in bee stings patients.There were significant differences in age, number of bee stings, and vomiting after admission between the two groups of patients. The levels of serum creatinine (SCr), PCT, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were significantly higher in the AKI group than those in the non-AKI patients [SCr (μmol/L): 122.36±32.45 vs. 76.74±28.52, PCT (μg/L): 1.42±1.05 vs. 0.34±0.21, IL-6 (ng/L): 277.52±120.25 vs. 112.14±73.34, hs-CRP (mg/L): 7.64±3.26 vs. 3.01±2.13, all P0.05]. Serum PCT levels were positively correlated with serum SCr, IL-6, and hs-CRP levels in patients with AKI after bee stings (r values of 0.486, 0.393, and 0.425, respectively; P = 0.002, 0.016, and 0.009, respectively). Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that age, SCr, PCT, IL-6, and hs-CRP were independent risk factors for AKI in patients with bee stings. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of age, SCr, PCT, IL-6 and hs-CRP for predicting AKI in patients with bee stings were 0.622 [95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.516 to 0.727], 0.722 (95%CI was 0.601 to 0.843), 0.869 (95%CI was 0.781 to 0.958), 0.739 (95%CI was 0.627 to 0.851) and 0.799 (95%CI was 0.700 to 0.900), respectively. The best cut-off value of PCT was 0.742 μg/L, the sensitivity was 75.70% and the specificity was 90.50%.The serum PCT level was significantly elevated in patients with AKI after bee stings, which is an independent risk factor for AKI after bee stings. Serum PCT level has better predictive efficacy for AKI after bee stings and can be used as a valid biomarker for clinical prediction.

A broadband and wide-beamwidth dual-polarized orthogonal dipole antenna for 4G/5G communication is presented in this letter. A pair of orthogonal deformed fan-shaped dipoles was used to obtain dual-polarization. The parasitic elements and metal cavity structure were used to increase the impedance bandwidth effectively. And the half-power beamwidths (HPBWs) of the antenna were effectively widened by using the metal cavity. Furthermore, a 1 × 4 antenna array was designed. The measured HPBWs of E -plane and H -plane radiation patterns were greater than 90° in the operating frequency band of 1.7–3.22 GHz (voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) < 2.0), and the gain was greater than 0 dBi in the range of ±60° pitch angle. The isolation of the two input ports was higher than 29 dB in the band of 1.7–3.22 GHz (61.8%).

A wideband and compact Fabry–Perot resonator antenna (FPRA) employing two layers of partially reflective surfaces (PRSs) is presented in this letter. The proposed PRSs with regular hexagonal units are used in wideband FPRA for the first time. Based on the compact arrangement of regular hexagon units and the addition of tripod branches, the size of FPRA is greatly reduced. Furthermore, the regular hexagonal units are arranged periodically along three directions on the 2-D plane, which means that one regular hexagon unit has six identical units around it. Therefore, there is a strong coupling between the PRS units, and units obtain a positive phase gradient in a wide range of 9.1–13.5 GHz, which is the basis for the formation of the wideband FPRA. The FPRA with dimensions of (2.2×2.2×0.6) λ03 (λ0 is the wavelength of the center frequency) has a 3 dB gain bandwidth over 9.2–13 GHz, relatively 34.2%, with a peak gain of 14.2 dBi. The prototype has been fabricated and tested, and validate the simulated results.

Herein, a nickel-catalyzed two-component reductive arylcyanation of aryl (pseudo)halide tethered alkenes using benzyl thiocyanate as the cyanide source via C–S bond activation is developed. Using this protocol, a wide scope of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters are accessible in moderate to excellent yields. The preliminary mechanistic investigations reveal that a Ni(I)/Ni(III) process might be involved in the mechanism.

Herein reported is a nickel-catalyzed reductive aryl thiocarbonylation of alkene via thioester group transfer strategy by using simple and readily available thioesters. In contrast to traditional activation of weaker C(acyl)-S bond, the C(acyl)-C bond of thioester was selectively cleaved to enable this reaction under mild conditions. Furthermore, this approach features operational simplicity and broad substrate scope, providing a complementary and practical route for thioester synthesis without requiring toxic thiol or CO gas.

A novel ortho-arene C–H acylation of aryl iodides catalyzed by the palladium/norbornene cooperative system by employing triazine esters has been developed, leading to the synthesis of polysubstituted aryl ketones. This ortho-acylation even proceeds smoothly in water. Preliminary mechanistic experiments indicate that the strong electron-withdrawing ability and coordination chemistry of triazine play crucial roles in this transformation.

A highly branched polysiloxane (S2) was prepared by an aqueous sol–gel process and used as an underlying crosslinker to modify silanized waterborne polyurethane (WPUS), and a novel crosslinked waterborne polyurethane (WPU)/polysiloxane composite with low VOC features was obtained. The good dispersibility of polysiloxane (S2) was proved by both TEM and DLS analyses, implying that the polysiloxane had an excellent intermiscibility with the WPU. The larger silsesquioxane network in the composite was proved by XPS, which was generated from the condensation of the Si–OH groups of polysiloxane and WPUS. On the basis of tensile results, the content of polysiloxane had a significant impact on the mechanical properties. The reinforcing and toughening synergy effect was found in the composite with a low concentration of S2. According to micrographs of the fracture surface, the dominating toughening mechanism was dependent on microcracks, while the high concentration of polysiloxane turned into silica particles in the WPU matrix, resulting in force concentration and degradation of the mechanical properties. However, the Young’s modulus increased with the increasing content of S2. Additionally, the incorporation of the crosslinked silsesquioxane structure also improved the hydrophobic properties and thermal stability of the composite.

From January 2020 to December 2020, high-resolution data of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were monitored by online instruments at a petroleum refinery. The measurement results showed that the external contaminants, meteorological conditions and photochemical reactions had a great influence on the VOC data measured in the petroleum refineries. Some significant differences were observed in the emission composition of different refineries, while propene (34.2%), propane (10.2%), n-butane (5.6%), i-pentane (5.0%) were the dominant species emitted from the refinery in this study. The correlations between compounds with similar atmospheric lifetimes were strong (R

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serve and harmful syndrome in the intensive care unit. The purpose of this study is to develop a prediction model that predict whether patients with AKI stage 1/2 will progress to AKI stage 3. Methods: Patients with AKI stage 1/2, when they were first diagnosed with AKI in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III), were included. We excluded patients who had underwent RRT or progressed to AKI stage 3 within 72 hours of the first AKI diagnosis. We also excluded patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We used the Logistic regression and machine learning extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) to build two models which can predict patients who will progress to AKI stage 3. Established models were evaluated by cross-validation, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and precision-recall curves (PRC). Results: We included 25711 patients, of whom 2130 (8.3%) progressed to AKI stage 3. Creatinine, multiple organ failure syndromes (MODS), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), sepsis, and respiratory failure were the most important in AKI progression prediction. The XGBoost model has a better performance than the Logistic regression model on predicting AKI stage 3 progression (AU-ROC, 0.926; 95%CI, 0.917 to 0.931 vs. 0.784; 95%CI, 0.771 to 0.796, respectively). Conclusions: The XGboost model can better identify patients with AKI progression than Logistic regression model. Machine learning techniques may improve predictive modeling in medical research. Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Critical care; Logistic Models; Extreme gradient boosting

The vinyl group terminated water-borne polyurethanes (WPU) with different DMPA content were prepared. Subsequently the core-shell polyurethane/polyacrylate (PUA) composite emulsions were synthesized by soap-free emulsion copolymerization. The WPU as sole surfactant was used in copolymerization, and the lowest surface tension could be achieved to 38.8 mN m−1. Furthermore, the final conversion of acrylic monomer was reached to 98% in the case of WPU reactive seed. The FTIR-ATR indirectly confirmed the core-shell structure of PUA, simultaneously combined with DSC results found that the compatibility of WPU and PA was enhanced by growing grafting efficiency. The TEM results further indicated that the amount of DMPA in WPU had a great significant role in polymerization and final morphology structure. The PUA composite particles changed from scattered structure, core-shell structure to multi-core structure with increasing DMPA content. Correspondingly, the reinforcing and toughening effects were also fo...

Shanghai BeBetter Education Consulting Center (hereinafter referred to as BeBetter Education) was registered in Shanghai Pudong Civil Affairs Bureau in July 2009. It is the first non-profit public organization dedicated to financial education of children and young people. BeBetter Education is a member of the Child & Youth Finance International, World Innovation Summit for Education, and the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network.

Rab11b, abundantly enriched in endocytic recycling compartments, is required for the establishment of the machinery of vesicle trafficking. Yet, no report has so far characterized the biological function of Rab11b in osteoclastogenesis. Using in vitro model of osteoclasts differentiated from murine macrophages like RAW-D cells or bone marrow-derived macrophages, we elucidated that Rab11b served as an inhibitory regulator of osteoclast differentiation sequentially via (i) abolishing surface abundance of RANK and c-Fms receptors, and (ii) attenuating nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc-1) upstream signaling cascades, following RANKL stimulation. Rab11b was localized in early and late endosomes, Golgi complex, and endoplasmic reticulum, moreover, its overexpression enlarged early and late endosomes. Upon inhibition of lysosomal function by a specific blocker, chloroquine (CLQ), we comprehensively clarified a novel function of lysosomes on mediating proteolytic degradation of c-Fms and RANK surface receptors, drastically ameliorated by Rab11b overexpression in RAW-D cell-derived osteoclasts. These findings highlight the key role of Rab11b as an inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis by directing the transport of c-Fms and RANK surface receptors to lysosomes for degradation via the axis of early endosomes-late endosomes-lysosomes, thereby contributing towards the systemic equilibrium of the bone resorption phase.

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) was used for predicting the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in several studies recently. We aimed to investigate the accuracy of PCT for predicting AKI in this study. Methods: Studies that assessed the predictive performance of PCT for the development of AKI in adult patients were searched from Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from inception to June 2020. We calculated the pooled sensitivities and specificities and the area under the summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) curves. I2 was used to test the heterogeneity and the potential heterogeneity was investigated by meta-regression. Results: In total, 9 of 119 studies with 4852 patients were included, 1272 were diagnosed with AKI. In the overall analysis, the area under the SROC curve was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.79–0.85) and the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64–0.85) and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.61–0.86), respectively. In the subgroup analysis among septic patients, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.59 (95% CI, 0.29–0.84) and 0.53 (95% CI, 0.31–0.74), and the area under the SROC was 0.57 (95% CI, 0.53–0.62). Conclusion: PCT may be a potential predictor for the development of AKI.

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a highly conserved molecular chaperone that plays a pivotal role in folding, activating and assembling a variety of client proteins. In addition, HSP90 has recently emerged as a crucial regulator of vesicular transport of cellular proteins. In our previous study, we revealed Rab11b negatively regulated osteoclastogenesis by promoting the lysosomal proteolysis of c-fms and RANK surface receptors via the axis of early endosome-late endosome-lysosomes. In this study, using an in vitro model of osteoclasts differentiated from murine macrophage-like RAW-D cells, we revealed that Rab11b interacted with both HSP90 isoforms, HSP90 alpha (HSP90α) and HSP90 beta (HSP90β), suggesting that Rab11b is an HSP90 client. Using at specific blocker for HSP90 ATPase activity, 17-allylamino-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), we found that the HSP90 ATPase domain is indispensable for maintaining the interaction between HSP90 and Rab11b in osteoclasts. Nonetheless, its ATPase activity is not required for regulating the turnover of endogenous Rab11b. Interestingly, blocking the interaction between HSP90 and Rab11b by either HSP90-targeting small interfering RNA (siHSP90) or 17-AAG abrogated the inhibitory effects of Rab11b on osteoclastogenesis by suppressing the Rab11b-mediated transport of c-fms and RANK surface receptors to lysosomes via the axis of early endosome-late endosome-lysosomes, alleviating the Rab11b-mediated proteolysis of these surface receptors in osteoclasts. Based on our observations, we propose a HSP90/Rab11b-mediated regulatory mechanism for osteoclastogenesis by directly modulating the c-fms and RANK surface receptors in osteoclasts, thereby contributing to the maintenance of bone homeostasis.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the structure of leader communication style in the context of organizational change. In doing so, the authors intend to shed more light on how leaders can effectively communicate change projects to their subordinates, which is viewed as the key to implementing change initiatives.Design/methodology/approach– This paper builds an integrated conceptual model for understanding leader’s communication style and subordinates’ commitment to change. By analyzing subordinates’ different fears of change, the paper further proposes a multidimensional structure of leader communication style in the context of change. The authors then develop a scale to measure these different dimensions and test the relationship between the proposed communication style and subordinates’ affective commitment to change.Findings– Leader communication style in the context of change is found to be composed of five dimensions: hope orientation, reality orientation, subordinate orientation, support orientation, and enforcement orientation. A cross-level field study of 31 teams and 194 members shows that hope orientation, subordinate orientation, and support orientation are positively associated with subordinates’ affective commitment to change.Originality/value– This paper identifies a new structure of leader communication style that will lead to a richer understanding of how leaders communicate to their subordinates in the context of change. It also contributes to the leadership literature by implying effective ways of communicating change projects.

With the rapid development of hospital information technologies, more and more hospitals build electronic medical record (EMR) systems, which provides a comprehensive source for medical data mining and analysis. Most current EMR systems adopt a mixed structure. On the other hand, most data mining algorithms are designed for highly structured data. In this paper, we study the problem of interesting association rule mining on unstructured EMR data. We first analyze characteristics of unstructured EMR data by analyzing real in-patient department EMR of chronic occupational disease from a major hospital in Qingdao, and then put forward a novel association rule mining algorithm, called Un-Apriori, based on Apriori. Un-Apriori adopts a two-step preprocessing procedure for the original EMR data to resolve problems induced by the unstructured EMR data and satisfy specific requirement of Apriori algorithm. Taking asbestosis, a typical chronic occupational disease, as example we evaluate performance of the proposed Un-Apriori algorithm. Two types of experiments are implemented on the Hadoop platform, results and corresponding analysis are also provided. Experiments show that it is feasible and effective to apply data mining algorithms to discover latent association relationships or patterns hidden in unstructured EMRs so long as the reprocessing method is appropriate. Achievements obtained in this paper also provide valuable assistance decision supports for personalized therapeutic regimens and daily health managements of asbestosis patients.

This paper studies the problem of location and query content preserving in location based service (LBS) systems. Based on the private information retrieval (PIR) theory and location k-anonymity model, we propose a new privacy preserving model, called (k, R, r)-anonymity, which is a light-weight and personalized resolution that can be implemented on mobile terminals. Main idea of the proposed model is to replace the user's real location and the query target by a specific area and a set of location types, respectively. A user may control his privacy preserving degree according to his specific demand by dynamically adjusting parameters of the proposed model, such as query contents, the size and location of the anonymous region, etc. Taking the nearest neighbor query as example, we evaluate performance of the proposed model and make a brief comparison with k-anonymity and PIR. Results show that the proposed model provides stronger anonymity protection than k-anonymity, whereas it its simpler and induces less additional overheads than PIR. In addition, it does not need a third-party privacy anonymity server either.

Fistular onion stalk is used as a traditional herbal medicine, and its extract exhibits certain beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. In this study, the effects of fistular onion stalk extract on the pathological features, circulating inflammatory cytokines, local renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and signaling pathway activities were examined using an in vivo model of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis of the aorta was induced by loading Sprague Dawley rats with a high-fat diet and vitamin D2. Fistular onion stalk extract administration began five weeks after the induction of atherosclerosis and continued for 12 weeks. Rats treated with fistular onion stalk extract showed a significant reduction in the pathological region compared with the vehicle-treated controls. Inhibition of atherosclerosis was associated with preservation of the vascular wall and immune cell infiltration. The extract also reduced the levels of the local inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α. Furthermore, the extract downregulated the local activity of the RAAS. In addition, extract treatment inhibited several inflammatory signaling pathways by preventing phosphorylation, including the nuclear factor κB, Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. These data indicate that fistular onion stalk extract may be useful for the attenuation of atherosclerosis, and the mechanism includes the regulation of the local inflammatory response.