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Acid rain is a serious environmental problem and has obvious impacts on the growth, reproduction, and photosynthesis of terrestrial plants. Ulva prolifera, a main blooming species of green tides, was studied on its physiological response to acid rain. The photosynthetic parameters were determined under different conditions (salinity: 1, 10, 30‰; pH: 3.0, 3.5, 4.5; duration: 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 h) followed by 24-h recovering under natural conditions. Results showed 1-h treatment with pH 3.5 caused 50-70% reduction in the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) and effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ФPSII) at normal salinity but when the low pH was combined with a salinity of 10‰ or lower, PSII activity was almoction under low pH (3.5) conditions. Finally, we speculated if the pH of acid rain ≤ 3.5, with 1‰ salinity and 2-h rainfall time, the amount of U. prolifera and the scale of green tides would decreast completely inhibited. Moreover, the low salinity (1‰ and 10‰) reduced the degree of photoprotese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on proliferation and apoptosis of esophageal cancer (EC) cells, and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EC cells (Eca109) were randomly divided into two groups, namely, Control group and DEX group. The viability, proliferation, and apoptosis of Eca109 cells were detected using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, respectively. Meanwhile, the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and c-Myc in Eca109 cells were measured by quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: The viability of Eca109 cells was remarkably weakened in DEX group when compared with Control group (p<0.05). DEX could significantly inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of Eca109 cells (p<0.05). Moreover, the mRNA and protein levels of ERK1/2 and c-Myc in Eca109 cells declined notably (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DEX represses the proliferation and facilitates the apoptosis of Eca109 cells prominently. The possible underlying mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of c-Myc gene expression through the ERK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the impact of random dopant fluctuation (RDF) on the statistical variations in negative capacitance MOSFETs (NCFETs) through a device simulation coupled with the Landau–Khalatnikov (LK) equation. Compact models for feedback mechanisms that are based on the internal gate voltage amplification in NCFETs are proposed. The results show that internal voltage amplification plays a decisive role in performance improvement of device variability. Further, our simulation study demonstrates that owing to the feedback mechanism, the dispersions of the performance parameters in NCFETs exhibit different statistical distribution characteristics compared to their MOSFET counterparts. Our study may provide further insight regarding device and/or circuit designs utilizing NCFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistic regression plays an important role in machine learning. People excitingly use it in conceptual matching yet with some details to be understood further. This paper aims to present a reasonable statement on logistic regression based on fuzzy sets and the factor space theory. An example about breast cancer diagnosis is displayed to show how the factor space theory can be incorporated into the understanding and use of logistic regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are believed to be involved in the recognition of semiochemicals. In the present study, western blot analysis, fluorescence-binding characteristics and immunolocalization of CmedPBP4 from the rice leaffolder, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, were investigated. Western blot analysis revealed that CmedPBP4 showed obvious antenna-specific expression patterns in female and male antenna, and made a clearly different sex-biased expression. Immunocytochemical labeling revealed that CmedPBP4 showed specific expression in the trichoid sensilla. Competitive fluorescence binding assays indicated that CmedPBP4 could selectively recognize three sex pheromone components (Z13-18:Ac, Z11-16:Al and Z13-18:OH) and eleven rice plant volatiles, including cyclohexanol, nerolidol, cedrol, dodecanal, ionone, (−)-α-cedrene, (Z)-farnesene, β-myrcene, R-(+)-limonene, (−)-limonene, and (+)-3-carene. Meanwhile the CmedPBP4 detection of sex pheromones and host odorants was pH-dependent. Our results, for the first time, provide further evidence that trichoid sensilla might be play an important role in detecting sex pheromones and host plant volatiles in the C. medinalis moth. Our systematic studies provided further detailed evidence for the function of trichoid sensilla in insect semiochemical perception. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of atorvastatin combined with trimetazidine on periprocedural myocardial injury and serum inflammatory mediators in unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 90 patients with UAP treated with conventional medications and PCI were recruited and were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group. The control group had 42 patients were treated with atorvastatin alone, while the experimental group had 48 cases treated with atorvastatin combined with trimetazidine. All the patients were checked the preoperative 24h and postoperative 24h PCI concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cT-nI), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interlukin-10 (IL-10). RESULTS: At the pre-PCI stage, every serum factors was no significant difference. 24 hours after the PCI intervention, the occurence of abnormal cTnI level in the experimental group was remarkable reduced than the control group. In the experimental group, the serum levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ significantly decreased (p < 0.05); while IL-10 was increased. In the control group, all the mediators were increased significantly except the hs-CRP (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: No unexpected symptom was found in patients with large dose atorvastatin combined with large dose trimetazidine. The administration of conventional medications together with the atorvastatin plus trimetazidine were able to reduce the prevalence of postoperative myocardial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined study of mineral O isotopes and hydroxyl contents was carried out for the contacts between ultrahigh-pressure eclogite and gneiss from main hole of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project in the Sulu orogen. While there is a large δ18O variation from −8.3 to 7.3‰ for all minerals, different styles of mineral-pair fractionation occur at the boundaries of different lithologies. Both equilibrium and disequilibrium O isotope fractionations are observed between quartz and the other minerals, with reversed fractionations between omphacite and garnet in some samples of eclogite. This suggests that both eclogite and gneiss acquired their negative δ18O values by meteoric-hydrothermal alteration of their protoliths at high temperatures before subduction, and that fluid-assisted O isotope exchange did take place across the boundary of different lithologies at local scales during amphibolite-facies retrogression. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis yielded H2O concentrations of 50 to 1144 p.p.m. (by weight) for garnet and 139 to 751 p.p.m. for omphacite. The state of equilibrium or disequilibrium O isotope fractionations between omphacite and garnet are correlated with variations in their water content at local scales, indicating that the internally derived fluid plays a critical role in retrograde metamorphism during exhumation. The retrograde metamorphism results in mineral reactions and O isotope disequilibria between some of the minerals, but the fluid for retrogression was derived from the decompression exsolution of structural hydroxyl and thus internally buffered in the O isotope composition. A quantitative estimate suggests that a hand specimen (3 × 6 × 9 cm) of eclogite composed of 70% garnet and 30% omphacite can release 0.316 g water by the decompression exsolution of structural hydroxyl, which can form 14.4 g amphibole during exhumation. This provides sufficient amounts of water for the amphibolite-facies retrogression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of Neoproterozoic low δ18O igneous rocks is a key to demonstrate that high-T water-rock interaction and low-18O magmatism in rift tectonic zones can serve as an efficient interface to transport heat and material from the Earth's interior to exterior at the onset of the snowball Earth event. Low δ18O values of -10.9 to +4.4 permil characteristic of meteoric origin were observed, on an areal extent over 30,000 km2, for mid-Neoproterozoic metaigneous zircons from the ultrahigh-pressure eclogite-facies metamorphic belt of Triassic ages along the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt, China. Although the zircon O isotope system could be reset to acquire its low δ18O values by exchange with matrix minerals during "wet" eclogite-facies metamorphism, the abnormal 18O depletion is confirmed by occurrence of Neoproterozoic low δ18O zircons in low-grade metaigneous rocks in the same belt. Cathodoluminscence imaging of zircons from low-grade metagranitoid and metavolcanic rocks shows preservation of the internal structures of oscillatory zoning typical of magmatic origin. Hornblende from two granites of low 6180 zircons gave Ar-Ar plateau ages of 747 ± 6 and 776 ± 12 Ma, ruling out that Phanerozoic metamorphism effected mineral O isotope values. Two groups of U-Pb ages were measured at 756 ± 5 Ma and 782 ± 5 Ma, respectively, for the low δ18O zircons. This indicates that low 6180 zircons crystallized during two episodes of low-18O magmatism in response to tectonic evolution from supercontinental rifting at ~780 Ma to breakup at ~750 Ma. The second episode of low-18O magmatism is contemporaneous with the continental Kaigas iceage. A plate-rift model is advanced to account for the tectonic connection between the low-18O magmatism, the continental glaciation and the supercontinental rifting during the Cryogeman period. High-T meteoric water-rock interaction occurred prior to low-18O magmatism in rift tectonic zones, and caldera collapse was responsible for melting of hydrothermally altered low δ18O rocks during rifting of the South China Block from the Rodinia supercontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]