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On August 6, 2023, a magnitude MW5.5 earthquake struck Pingyuan County, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, China. This event was significant as no large earthquakes had been recorded in the region for over a century, and no active fault had been previously identified. This study collects 1309 P-wave arrival times and 866 S-wave arrival times from 74 seismic stations less than 200 km to the epicenter to constrain the spatial distribution of the mainshock and its 125 early aftershocks by the double difference earthquake relocation method, and selects 864 P-waveforms from 288 stations located within 800 km of the epicenter to constrain the focal mechanism solution of the mainshock through centroid moment tensor inversion. The relocation and the inversion indicate, the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake was caused by a rupture on a buried fault, likely an extensive segment of the Gaotang fault. This buried fault exhibited a dip of approximately 75° to the northwest, with a strike of 222°, similar to the Gaotang fault. The rupture initiated at the depth of 18.6 km and propagated upward and northeastward. However, the ground surface was not broken. The total duration of the rupture was ~6.0 s, releasing the scalar moment of 2.589 5 × 1017 N·m, equivalent to MW5.54. The moment rate reached the maximum only 1.4 seconds after the rupture initiation, and the 90% scalar moment was released in the first 4.6 s. In the first 1.4 seconds of the rupture process, the rupture velocity was estimated to be 2.6 km/s, slower than the local S-wave velocity. As the rupture neared its end, the rupture velocity decreased significantly. This study provides valuable insights into the seismic characteristics of the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake, shedding light on the previously unidentified buried fault responsible for the seismic activity in the region. Understanding the behavior of such faults is crucial for assessing seismic hazards and enhancing earthquake preparedness in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-gradient drilling technology is difficult to detect and deal with well kick, which may cause safety problems such as well control. Once a well kick occurs, the pressure in the narrow annulus increases instantaneously, so it is particularly important to clarify the transmission law of pressure wave. Taking the pressure fluctuation in the annulus of double gradient drilling as an example, considering the boundary between the inner wall of the casing annulus and the outer wall of the drill string, the fluid resistance, the flow field distribution and the multiphase flow, this paper deduces and establishes the multiphase flow pressure wave velocity model in the annulus, and compares the calculation results with the pressure wave velocity model in the circular pipe. The research shows that when the casing and drill string are in the static condition with small roughness and little difference between them, the shear stress on the inner wall of the annulus and the outer wall of the drill string can be treated as equal, and the derivation of the annulus pressure wave velocity model can be simplified. The pressure wave velocity of multiphase flow in annulus is related to casing size, drill string size and multiphase fluid properties. Among them, the gas content is the main influencing factor. With the increase of the gas content, the pressure wave velocity decreases, but the decreasing range will gradually decrease. When the solid content is small, it has little effect on the pressure wave velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a cold-sensitive species that often faces cold stress, which adversely affects yield productivity and quality. However, the genetic basis for low-temperature adaptation in rice remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that 2 functional polymorphisms in O. sativa SEC13 Homolog 1 (OsSEH1), encoding a WD40-repeat nucleoporin, between the 2 subspecies O. sativa japonica and O. sativa indica rice, may have facilitated cold adaptation in japonica rice. We show that OsSEH1 of the japonica variety expressed in OsSEH1MSD plants (transgenic line overexpressing the OsSEH1 allele from Mangshuidao [MSD], cold-tolerant landrace) has a higher affinity for O. sativa metallothionein 2b (OsMT2b) than that of OsSEH1 of indica. This high affinity of OsSEH1MSD for OsMT2b results in inhibition of OsMT2b degradation, with decreased accumulation of reactive oxygen species and increased cold tolerance. Transcriptome analysis indicates that OsSEH1 positively regulates the expression of the genes encoding dehydration-responsive element-binding transcription factors, i.e. OsDREB1 genes, and induces the expression of multiple cold-regulated genes to enhance cold tolerance. Our findings highlight a breeding resource for improving cold tolerance in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) during mammalian spermatogenesis, as well as the biogenesis mechanism, remains to be explored. Here, we revealed widespread eccDNA formation in human sperms and mouse spermatogenesis. We noted that germline eccDNAs are derived from oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation in cells likely undergoing cell death, providing a potential new way for quality assessment of human sperms. Interestingly, small-sized eccDNAs are associated with euchromatin, while large-sized ones are preferentially generated from heterochromatin. By comparing sperm eccDNAs with meiotic recombination hotspots and structural variations, we found that they are barely associated with de novo germline deletions. We further developed a bioinformatics pipeline to achieve nucleotide-resolution eccDNA detection even with the presence of microhomologous sequences that interfere with precise breakpoint identification. Empowered by our method, we provided strong evidence to show that microhomology-mediated end joining is the major eccDNA biogenesis mechanism. Together, our results shed light on eccDNA biogenesis mechanism in mammalian germline cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the communication complexity of convex risk-averse optimization over a network. The problem generalizes the well-studied risk-neutral finite-sum distributed optimization problem, and its importance stems from the need to handle risk in an uncertain environment. For algorithms in the literature, a gap exists in communication complexities for solving risk-averse and risk-neutral problems. We propose two distributed algorithms, namely the distributed risk-averse optimization (DRAO) method and the distributed risk-averse optimization with sliding (DRAO-S) method, to close the gap. Specifically, the DRAO method achieves optimal communication complexity by assuming a certain saddle point subproblem can be easily solved in the server node. The DRAO-S method removes the strong assumption by introducing a novel saddle point sliding subroutine which only requires the projection over the ambiguity set P. We observe that the number of P-projections performed by DRAO-S is optimal. Moreover, we develop matching lower complexity bounds to show the communication complexities of both DRAO and DRAO-S to be unimprovable. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the encouraging empirical performance of the DRAO-S method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the case of a 51-year-old female who was rushed to a hospital department due to ulcer in her preexisting discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) lesions on her right cheek to discuss reconstruction of a large oncologic defect of the lower eyelid and infraorbital cheek using a modified supratrochlear artery forehead island (MSTAFI) flap. The flat is recommended to avoid the risk of necrosis and ectropion.

The article discusses a study conducted by researchers at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, which discovered a two-dimensional amorphous topological regime that is resistant to obstacles, defects, and local disorder. The study shows that the interaction between amorphism and topology enhances and ensures the creation of strong topological wave energy transport.

This study presents fuzzy decoupling predictive functional control for nonlinear hydro-turbine governing systems with time delay and strong coupling. Here, the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy approach and fuzzy neural network decoupling algorithm are implemented in the pretreatment of a four-dimensional time delay hydro-turbine governing system model, aiming to solve the nonlinearity and separate coupling variables of the hydro-turbine governing system effectively. Then, a new fuzzy decoupling predictive functional control strategy proposed by combining the simplified hydro-turbine governing system model and predictive function control as well as the robustness and stability of the designed controller are verified by theoretical derivation. Numerical experiment demonstrates effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach in comparison with fuzzy control under different operation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is usually achieved through multi-shot acquisitions and parallel imaging-based reconstructions. Multiple POCS (projections onto convex sets) based algorithms have been proposed for DWI reconstructions. However, the slow convergence of POCS and the suboptimal quality of the reconstructed images limit their applications. Purpose: In this study, a revised POCS algorithm for multi-shot DWI reconstruction is proposed based on FISTA (fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm) to achieve faster convergence and higher accuracy. Methods: In FISTA, the next iteration is computed based on two previous iterations, instead of only the previous one, to improve the convergence speed. This scheme is adopted into the relevant POCS-based algorithms, including POCSENSE (POCS-based sensitivity-encoding), POCSMUSE (POCS-based multiplexed sensitivity-encoding), iPOCSMUSE (iterative POCSMUSE), and POCS-ICE (POCS-enhanced inherent correction of motion-induced phase errors) to address the slow convergence problem. Simulations and in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Results: Experimental results show that the proposed method enables faster convergence compared to the original POCS. For example, for a spiral DWI simulation using eight-shot interleaves and having SNR of 20 dB, the iteration number needed for the revised POCS-ICE decreases by about 70% to achieve approximately the same nRMSE level as POCS-ICE. Additionally, it improves image quality in terms of fewer artifacts compared with the original POCS. Conclusions: The revised DWI reconstruction methods can achieve higher convergence rates than the original POCS-based algorithms and higher image quality with the same iteration numbers. As such, the proposed method can serve as a practical and efficient reconstruction method for multi-shot DWI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Northern Great Plains and the Canadian Prairies are known as the world's breadbaskets for its large spring wheat production and exports to the world. It is essential to accurately represent spring wheat growing dynamics and final yield and improve our ability to predict food production under climate change. This study attempts to incorporate spring wheat growth dynamics into the Noah-MP crop model, for a long time period (13-year) and fine spatial scale (4-km). The study focuses on three aspects: (1) developing and calibrating the spring wheat model at point-scale, (2) applying a dynamic planting/harvest date to facilitate large-scale simulations, and (3) applying a temperature stress function to assess crop responses to heat stress amid extreme heat. Model results are evaluated using field observations, satellite leaf area index (LAI), and census data from Statistics Canada and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Results suggest that incorporating a dynamic planting/harvest threshold can better constrain the growing season, especially the peak timing and magnitude of wheat LAI, as well as obtain realistic yield compared to prescribing a static province/state-level map. Results also demonstrate an evident control of heat stress upon wheat yield in three Canadian Prairies Provinces, which are reasonably captured in the new temperature stress function. This study has important implications for estimating crop productions, simulating the land atmosphere interactions in croplands, and crop growth's responses to the raising temperatures amid climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel DWH interconnection and sharing mode is proposed. • The CEEL based dynamic energy consumption calculation models for water heater clusters is established. • Two operational strategies for optimizing economic and environmental benefits were compared. • The maximum total energy consumption can be reduced by 41.58 %. Residential buildings in China are consuming over 20 % of their operating energy on domestic hot water (DHW), a percentage that has been increasing in recent years. The use of energy-efficient water heaters is a direct solution to reduce DHW energy consumption, but high costs and installation requirements often deter households from adopting them. This issue is particularly prevalent in high-rise residential buildings, resulting in a low adoption rate of energy-efficient water heaters in China's high-rise residential sector. To address this challenge, this study proposes a DHW interconnected and sharing mode as a novel approach to enhance DHW energy efficiency in high-rise residential buildings. A dynamic performance calculation model based on the China Energy Efficiency Label (CEEL) for various types of water heaters was developed to evaluate the energy efficiency of this mode. The total energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs of the building were assessed under both decentralized mode and interconnected and sharing mode. The findings indicate that implementing the interconnected and sharing mode can significantly decrease the annual total energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs of DHW. Among the two operational strategies examined (economic optimal and environmental optimal), the economic optimal strategy is more suitable for China's current energy landscape. Under the economic optimal strategy, the annual total energy consumption, carbon emissions, and energy costs of DHW in the target building are reduced by 41.58 %, 27.97 %, and 34.87%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Pseudosperma arenarium is proposed as a new species, based on morphological, ecological, molecular and biochemical evidence. The new species grows on sandy ground under Populus and Pinus sylvestris in north-western China and northern Europe, respectively. It is characterised by the combination of the robust habit, nearly glabrous pileus, large cylindrical basidiospores, thin-walled cheilocystidia and ecological associations with Populus alba x P. berolinensis and Pinus sylvestris and unique phylogenetic placement. Additionally, a comprehensive toxin determination of the new species using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was conducted. Results showed that it was a muscarine-positive species. The content were approximately five times higher in the pilei [4012.2 ± 803.14302.3 ± 863.2 mg/kg (k = 2, p = 95%)] than in the stipes [850.4 ± 171.1-929.1 ± 184.2 mg/kg (k = 2, p = 95%)], demonstrating the severity of mushroom poisoning when patients consumed different parts of the poisonous mushroom. Amatoxins, phallotoxins, ibotenic acid, muscimol, psilocybin and psilocin were not detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-phase closed thermosyphons have good thermal conductivity and are widely used in heat transfer applications. It is essential to establish an effective method for evaluating the steady-state heat transfer performance of two-phase closed thermosyphons, as such a method can help to select appropriate designs and to improve the efficiency of these devices. In this paper, the equivalent thermal conductivity is derived by the principle of equal total thermal resistance, in which the influence of the adiabatic length is eliminated. An evaluation model of the steadystate heat transfer performance of two-phase closed thermosyphons is established. Test results of three two-phase closed thermosyphons with total lengths of 220 mm, 320 mm, and 500 mm show that as the heat transfer rate increases, the equivalent thermal conductivity of these devices decreases by 28.91%, increases by 6.10% and increases by 10.02%, respectively, among which the minimum value is 831.63 W/mK and the maximum value is 1694.19 W/mK. The decrease (increase) in the equivalent thermal conductivity in the evaluation model indicates a decrease (increase) in the heat transfer performance. The results show that the equivalent thermal conductivity of the model can effectively evaluate the heat transfer performance of two-phase closed thermosyphons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent findings have implicated the role of myocardin re-expression in carcinogenesis. However, the clinical functions of myocardin in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is not known yet. The purpose for the cohort research was to investigate whether myocardin re-expression level may predict clinical prognosis in NPC patients. Methods: 148 NPC patients were recruited from September, 2005 to September, 2011 with median follow-up time of 4.5 years in a clinical practice setting. At study entry myocardin re-expression of these patients was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and additional 20 normal nasopharyngeal tissues were included as control. Two-sample t-test was used to compare mean myocardin reexpression levels and Chi-square test was used for comparing tumour recurrence rate. Logistic regression analysis was used for tumour local control rate, and log-rank test, Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazard model for disease-free survival and overall survival. Results: Myocardin IHC index was significantly downregulated in NPC samples than in normal nasopharyngeal tissues (mean ± standard deviation, 61.2 ±31.5 vs. 109.9 ±73.6, P= 0.009). However, among NPC patients was observed a roughly V-shaped change of myocardin IHC index according to Tumour T-stage (P=0.067); meanwhile higher IHC level was associated with more tumour recurrence rate in NPC patients (High vs. Low: 21.6% vs. 8.1%; P=0.021). Logistic regression analysis equally showed high myocardin IHC level was an independent risk factor for local tumour control rate regardless of adjustments [High vs. Low: unadjusted Odds Ratio (OR) 0.320, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.117 to 0.871; P=0.026]. Moreover, higher myocardin IHC level was associated with a marginal but not significant risk increase of disease-free survival [High vs. Low: adjusted Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.760, 95% CI: 0.981 to 3.158; log-rank: P=0.129]. A less obvious trend was observed with regard to overall survival [adjusted HR 1.409, 95% CI: 0.715 to 2.77; log-rank: P=0.745]. Conclusion: The study results suggested that high myocardin IHC index level could be a potential clinically prognostic intermediate biomarker for tumour recurrence for NPC patients in routine practice. Large well-designed cohort studies involving IHC re-expression change over time is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Numerous studies have shown that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can trigger innate immune signaling, and exercise can induce mitochondrial stress. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the influence of different types of acute exercise on the innate immune signaling triggered by mtDNA. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice (n = 18) were randomly and equally divided into three groups. They were control group, acute moderate-intensity endurance exercise group (AMIE), and 3-day exhaustive exercise group (EE) respectively. Mice were sacrificed immediately after exercise. The spleen, liver, and blood were taken for analysis. Results: The amount of mtDNA in the liver cytoplasm and plasma was significantly decreased after AMIE (p < .05). However, the amount of mtDNA in plasma was increased after EE (p < .05). The mRNA expression of TFAM, and most TLR9 and cGAS/STING signaling pathway-related genes in the liver and spleen was markedly elevated, whereas the expression of those genes in leukocytes was reduced after AMIE. Furthermore, AMIE significantly decreased the protein expression of NLRP3 inflammasome in the liver (p < .05) and STING in spleen (p < .01). Also, AMIE and EE caused a drop in circulating IFN-α levels (p < .05). Conclusion: A single bout of moderate-intensity exercise reduces mtDNA-induced innate immune signaling and suppresses inflammatory responses by decreasing hepatic cytoplasmic and circulating mtDNA. However, repeated bouts of exhaustive exercise stimulate innate immune signaling by increasing levels of circulating mtDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy is a common brain diseases, presenting severe diffuse brain dysfunction. The umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells have been reported to have protective role for treating diseases, while its role in sepsis-associated encephalopathy remained elusive. This brief report investigated the therapeutic effect of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on sepsis-associated encephalopathy in mice model and uncovering the underlying mechanism. The sepsis-associated encephalopathy mice were injected with 3 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was carried out to determine the production of inflammatory cytokines. Morris water maze test was used to evaluate mice's neurological dysfunction. Cell apoptosis and tissue injury of the cerebral cortex were assessed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated d UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and HE staining. Evans Blue leakage detection was used to examine the blood-brain barrier integrity. The protein levels were determined using Western blot. Results showed that the productions of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α), and high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) and activated NF-κB were increased in sepsis-associated encephalopathy mice, which were decreased by umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells treatment. Besides, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced cell apoptosis and neuron injury of the cerebral cortex in sepsis-associated encephalopathy mice. Moreover, cognitive dysfunction was observed in sepsis-associated encephalopathy mice, which was alleviated by umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells activated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In conclusion, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells alleviated inflammation, cell apoptosis and neuron injury of the cerebral cortex, and cognitive dysfunction in sepsis-associated encephalopathy animal model in a PI3K/AKT dependent pathway, making them to be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating sepsis-associated encephalopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified in many species, and some of them have been shown to play important roles in muscle development and myogenesis. However, the differences in lncRNAs between Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle remain undefined; therefore, we aimed to confirm whether lncRNAs are differentially expressed in the longissimus dorsi between these two types of cattle and whether differentially expressed lncRNAs regulate muscle differentiation. Methods: We used RNAseq technology to identify lncRNAs in longissimus muscles from these cattle. The expression of lncRNAs were analyzed using StringTie (1.3.1) in terms of the fragments per kilobase of transcript per million mapped reads values of the encoding genes. The differential expression of the transcripts in the two samples were analyzed using the DESeq R software package. The resulting false discovery rate was controlled by the Benjamini and Hochberg's approach. KOBAS software was utilized to measure the expression of different genes in Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways. We randomly selected eight lncRNA genes and validated them by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTqPCR). Results: We found that 182 lncRNA transcripts, including 102 upregulated and 80 downregulated transcripts, were differentially expressed between Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle. The results of RTqPCR were consistent with the sequencing results. Enrichment analysis and functional annotation of the target genes revealed that the differentially expressed lncRNAs were associated with the mitogenactivated protein kinase, Ras, and phosphatidylinositol 3kinase (PI3k)/Akt signaling pathways. We also constructed a lncRNA/mRNA coexpression network for the PI3k/Akt signaling pathway. Conclusion: Our study provides insights into cattle muscleassociated lncRNAs and will contribute to a more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying muscle growth and development in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced structural and functional interhemispheric connectivity correlates with the severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) behaviors in humans. Little is known of how ASD-risk genes regulate callosal connectivity. Here, we show that Fmr1, whose loss-of-function leads to Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), cell autonomously promotes maturation of callosal excitatory synapses between somatosensory barrel cortices in mice. Postnatal, cell-autonomous deletion of Fmr1 in postsynaptic Layer (L) 2/3 or L5 neurons results in a selective weakening of AMPA receptor- (R), but not NMDA receptor-, mediated callosal synaptic function, indicative of immature synapses. Sensory deprivation by contralateral whisker trimming normalizes callosal input strength, suggesting that experience-driven activity of postsynaptic Fmr1 KO L2/3 neurons weakens callosal synapses. In contrast to callosal inputs, synapses originating from local L4 and L2/3 circuits are normal, revealing an input- specific role for postsynaptic Fmr1 in regulation of synaptic connectivity within local and callosal neocortical circuits. These results suggest direct cell autonomous and postnatal roles for FMRP in development of specific cortical circuits and suggest a synaptic basis for long-range functional underconnectivity observed in FXS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Liraglutide, a well-established drug for treating diabetes mellitus (DM), has recently gained attention for its cardiovascular benefits in diabetes via multiple cellular activities; however, whether liraglutide improves myocardial damage by inhibiting pyroptosis and the mechanisms of these potential effects remain unknown. Materials and Methods: In this study, high-fat diet feeding and low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injection were used to construct a rat DM model. Rats with fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels >16.7 mmol/l received subcutaneous injections of liraglutide (0.2 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Metabolic parameters, the heart weight/body weight (HW/BW) ratio, and histopathology were examined. Protein levels of inflammatory, pyroptosis, and NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome markers were assessed via Western blotting. In in vitro studies, a sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) inhibitor (EX 527, 200 nM) and an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibitor (compound C, 20 µM) were used to inhibit Sirt1 and AMPK pathways, respectively. Results: Liraglutide significantly attenuated cardiac hypertrophy, pathological changes, inflammation, pyroptosis, and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, accompanied by increased Sirt1 and AMPK activation. Consistent with the in vivo results, liraglutide attenuated high glucose (HG)-induced pyroptosis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation along with enhanced Sirt1 and AMPK activation. After blockade of Sirt1 and AMPK signaling, the protective effect of liraglutide was restrained. Notably, EX 527 abolished the stimulatory effect of liraglutide on Sirt1 and AMPK signaling, whereas compound C blunted AMPK signaling without affecting Sirt1 signaling. Conclusion: Liraglutide may protect against myocardial damage by activating the Sirt1/AMPK signaling pathways to inhibit cellular pyroptosis in DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aims of current study were to present the clinical outcomes in patients with pediatric tibia shaft fractures who were treated with unilateral external fixation combined with joystick for fracture reduction and describe the details of our technique. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the patients with pediatric tibia shaft fractures who were treated with unilateral external fixation combined with joystick for fracture reduction between July 2018 and March 2020. The clinical outcomes were evaluated. Results: A total of 23 patients were included in the current study with the average age of 8.0 years (ranged 4–14 years). The average duration of hospital and follow-up were 5.9 days (ranged 4–8 days) and 17.4 months (ranged 8–27 months), respectively. At postoperative 3 days, the visual analog scale (VAS) score was 3.1±1.43, which was significantly lower than the preoperative score of 7.3±1.5. Of these, 2 cases showed redness and swelling of pin-tract and exudation at postoperative 1 month, who improved after oral antibiotics without causing fixation failure. The average time to full weight-bearing without crutches was 5.1 weeks (ranged 3–8 weeks). All patients achieved fracture healing and good functional recovery. No complications including fixation failure, reoperation, epiphyseal injury occurred, infection around implants, vessel damage, nerve damage, and limitation of joint movement were observed. The Johner-Wruh scores showed that 21 cases (91.3%) were “excellent” and 2 cases (8.7%) were “good.” Conclusions: This procedure had advantages of simple operation, minimum trauma, early recovery of lower limb function, and no risk of complications. It may provide a new choice for children with tibia shaft fractures who require surgical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been a growing interest in distributionally robust optimization (DRO) as a principled approach to data-driven decision making. In this paper, we consider a distributionally robust two-stage stochastic optimization problem with discrete scenario support. While much research effort has been devoted to tractable reformulations for DRO problems, especially those with continuous scenario support, few efficient numerical algorithms are developed, and most of them can neither handle the nonsmooth second-stage cost function nor the large number of scenarios K effectively. We fill the gap by reformulating the DRO problem as a trilinear min-max-max saddle point problem and developing novel algorithms that can achieve an O(1∕∈) iteration complexity which only mildly depends on K. The major computations involved in each iteration of these algorithms can be conducted in parallel if necessary. Besides, for solving an important class of DRO problems with the Kantorovich ball ambiguity set, we propose a slight modification of our algorithms to avoid the expensive computation of the probability vector projection at the price of an O(√K) times more iterations. Finally, preliminary numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the empirical advantages of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological hazards usually occur after heavy precipitation, especially during strong convection. Therefore, accurately identifying convective precipitation is very helpful for hydrological warning and forecasting. However, separating the convective, bright band (BB), and stratiform precipitation is found to be challenging when the convection is adjacent to or within the BB region. A new convection/BB/stratiform precipitation segregation algorithm is proposed in this study to resolve this challenging issue. This algorithm is applicable for a single radar volume scan data in native (polar) coordinates and consists of four processes: 1) check the freezing (08C) level to roughly assess whether convection is occurring or not; 2) identify the convective cores through analyzing composite reflectivity (maximum reflectivity for a given range gate among all the sweeps), vertically integrated liquid water (VIL), VIL horizontal gradient, and reflectivity at the levels of 08, 2108, and above 2108C; 3) delineate the whole convective region through the seeded region growing method by taking account of the microphysical differences between the BB and convective regions; and 4) delineate BB features in the stratiform region. The proposed algorithm utilizes the physical characteristics of different precipitation types for precisely segregating the convective, BB, and stratiform precipitation. This algorithm has been tested with radar data of different precipitation events and evaluated with three months of rain gauge data. The results show that the proposed algorithm performs consistently well for challenging precipitation events with the convection adjacent to or within a strong BB. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm could be used to improve the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) correction and reduce the overestimation of rainfall in the BB precipitation region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheromones play critical roles in habitat identification and reproductive behavior synchronization in the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). The bile acid 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) is a major component of the sex pheromone mixture from male sea lamprey that induces specific olfactory and behavioral responses in conspecific individuals. Olfactory receptors interact directly with pheromones, which is the first step in their detection, but identifying the cognate receptors of specific pheromones is often challenging. Here, we deorphanized two highly related odorant receptors (ORs), OR320a and OR320b, of P. marinus that respond to 3kPZS. In a heterologous expression system coupled to a cAMP-responsive CRE-luciferase, OR320a and OR320b specifically responded to C24 5α-bile acids, and both receptors were activated by the same set of 3kPZS analogs. OR320a displayed larger responses to all 3kPZS analogs than did OR320b. This difference appeared to be largely determined by a single amino acid residue, Cys-792.56, the C-terminal sixth residue relative to the most conserved residue in the second transmembrane domain (2.56) of OR320a. This region of TM2 residues 2.56-2.60 apparently is critical for the detection of steroid compounds by odorant receptors in lamprey, zebrafish, and humans. Finally, we identified OR320 orthologs in Japanese lamprey (Lethenteron camtschaticum), suggesting that the OR320 family may be widely present in lamprey species and that OR320 may be under purifying selection. Our results provide a system to examine the origin of olfactory steroid detection in vertebrates and to define a highly conserved molecular mechanism for steroid-ligand detection by G protein-coupled receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an innovative and successful manufacturing mode in Japanese production practice, seru production has attracted extensive attention due to its high efficiency, high flexibility, and quick responsiveness. This paper focuses on the order acceptance and scheduling problem in seru production system considering worker assignment simultaneously, where the worker's learning curve effect is also concerned because it is also an important issue for the stable performance of the entire production system. A bi-level programming model is built where the worker assignment on the upper level is to maximize worker's skill proficiency increments, while the lower level is to maximize the total net revenue by finding out the optimal order acceptance results and scheduling plan. Then, a bi-level nesting genetic algorithm (BNGA) is developed according to the natural structure of proposed mathematical model. Finally, a numerical example is applied to illustrate the feasibility and validity of the bi-level model and BNGA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the production of desalination plants, concentrated seawater is expelled to local marine environments, which may lead to hypersaline pollution. To assess environmental risk of hypersalinity, Crassostrea angulate, Scylla paramamosain and Epinephelus akaara were exposed to salinities of 30‰, 36‰ and 40‰, then changes of serum nonspecific immune indices were monitored for 96 hours, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity, and contents of serum total protein and albumin. Two-way ANONA revealed that salinity only affected contents of serum total protein and albumin in C. angulate, and content of serum albumin in S. paramamosain and content of serum total protein in E. akaara. Compared with the control, hypersaline treatments (36‰ and/or 40‰) first increased contents of serum total protein and albumin and then decreased them in C. angulate, suppressed content of serum albumin in S. paramamosain, and increased content of serum total protein in E. akaara. These results suggested that exposure to hypersalinity might enhance innate immunity of C. angulate and E. akaara, but suppressed it in S. paramamosain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the production of desalination plants, concentrated seawater is expelled to local marine environments, which may lead to hypersaline pollution. This study aimed to investigate the effects of concentrated seawater on Porphyra haitanensis by exposing P. haitanensis to salinity of 40‰, 36‰ and 30‰ (considered as the control) for 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 96 h. The results showed that chlorophyll a content showed no significant change among different salinities, while carotenoid, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin contents increased in treatment with 40‰ compared with the control. Carotenoid, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin can all function as antioxidants, suggesting that hypersaline exposure might trigger oxidative stress in P. haitanensis. Overall, the present study suggests that hypersaline pollution caused by desalination plants raises significant ecological risks for local marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly identified liver-enriched gene 1 (LEG1) encodes a protein with a characteristic domain of unknown function 781 (DUF781/LEG1), constituting a protein family with only one member in mammals. A functional study in zebrafish suggested that LEG1 genes are involved in liver development, while the platypus LEG1 homolog, Monotreme Lactation Protein (MLP), which is enriched in the mammary gland and milk, acts as an antibacterial substance. However, no functional studies on eutherian LEG1s have been published to date. Thus, we here report the first functional prediction study at the cellular level. As previously reported, eutherian LEG1s can be classified into three paralogous groups. Pigs have all three LEG1 genes (pLEG1s), while humans and mice have retained only LEG1a. Hence, pLEG1s might represent an ideal model for studying LEG1 gene functions. RNA-seq was performed by the overexpression of pLEG1s and platypus MLP in HepG2 cells. Enrichment analysis showed that pLEG1a and pLEG1b might exhibit little function in liver cells; however, pLEG1c is probably involved in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and protein folding. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis revealed that platypus MLP shows antibacterial activity, confirming the functional study in platypus. Therefore, our study showed from the transcriptomic perspective that mammalian LEG1s have different functions in liver cells due to the subfunctionalization of paralogous genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a research on roles of TMEM131 family transmembrane proteins in intracellular collagen assembly and secretory cargo trafficking. Topics discussed include dysregulation contributes to aging and many human disorders, including pathological tissue fibrosis in major organs; and premature collagen proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) assemble and route for secretion remains molecularly undefined.

The problem of poles assignment and robust poles assignment in linear discrete-time periodic (LDP) system via periodic state feedback is discussed in this paper. Based on a numerical solution to the periodic Sylvester matrix equation, an iterative algorithm of computing the periodic feedback gain can be obtained. By optimizing the free parameter matrix in the proposed algorithm, according to robustness principle, an algorithm on the minimum norm and robust poles assignment for the LDP systems is presented. Two numerical examples are worked out to illustrate the effect of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deposition of a GeSn film on Si substrate with GeCl 4 and SnCl 4 in H 2 as precursors was demonstrated by using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). A partially strain-relaxed, impurity-free, monocrystalline GeSn film with a surface roughness of 6 nm and a threading-dislocation density of 1 × 107 cm−2 could be directly grown at a rate of ca. 15 nm/min at a substrate temperature of 180 °C without the need of a buffer layer or post-annealing. A Sn atomic percentage exceeding 9% was achieved, providing a light absorption beyond 2. 4 μ m for the deposited 260-nm-thick film. The same deposition process for Ge and Sn enabled easier control of film deposition conditions and better clarification of the underlying mechanisms. The low deposition temperature renders this method compatible with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology, suitable for developing short-wave infrared Si photonics. • GeSn is deposited on Si substrate by PECVD with GeCl 4 and SnCl 4 in H 2. • Epitaxially-grown monocrystalline GeSn film with mild compressive strain is obtained. • Low threading-dislocation density and >9% Sn percentage are achieved. • GeSn film is grown at low substrate temperature without need of post-annealing. • The technique is suitable for developing short-wave infrared Si photonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of poles assignment and robust poles assignment in linear discrete-time periodic (LDP) system via periodic state feedback is discussed in this paper. Based on a numerical solution to the periodic Sylvester matrix equation, an iterative algorithm of computing the periodic feedback gain can be obtained. By optimizing the free parameter matrix in the proposed algorithm, according to robustness principle, an algorithm on the minimum norm and robust poles assignment for the LDP systems is presented. Two numerical examples are worked out to illustrate the effect of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To discuss the association of the T786C and G894T polymorphisms of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) with the occurrence and prognosis of aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). One hundred sixty-nine patients with aSAH were collected as the case group, which was divided into the good prognosis group and adverse prognosis group according to the condition 3 months after the treatment. One hundred fifty-six healthy volunteers were collected as the control group. The allele and genotype of T786C and G894T polymorphisms of eNOS were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The genotype and allele frequency of eNOS were compared between different groups. And then, the risk factors of aSAH occurrence and prognosis were analyzed by using the logistic regression model. Both the genotype and allele frequency distributions of T786C and G894T between the case group and control group were significantly different (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in the distribution of G894T and T786C allele frequency and G894T genotype between the good prognosis group and adverse prognosis group, and there was no difference in T786C genotype. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that T786C and G894T polymorphisms of eNOS were independent influencing factors on the occurrence of aSAH and the G894T polymorphism was also closely related to the prognosis. T786C and G894T polymorphisms of eNOS gene were correlated with the occurrence and prognosis of aSAH, and the G894T polymorphism might be an independent influencing factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct and validate a non-invasive clinical scoring model to predict mortality in HIV/TB patients at end stage of AIDS in China. There were 1,007 HIV/TB patients admitted to Beijing Ditan Hospital from August 2009 to January 2018 included in this study, who were randomly assigned to form derivation cohort and validation cohort. A clinical scoring model was developed based on predictors associated with mortality identified with Cox proportional hazard models. The discrimination and accuracy of model were further validated using the area under the ROC curves. The derivation and validation cohort consisted of 807 and 200 patients in 8:2 ratio, respectively. In derivation cohort, anemia (HGB < 90g/L), tuberculous meningitis, severe pneumonia, hypoalbuminemia, unexplained infections or space-occupying lesions, and malignancies remained independent risk factors of mortality in HIV/TB coinfected patients, and included in this clinical scoring model. The model indicated good discrimination, including AUC = 0.858 (95% CI: 0.782-0.943) in the derivation cohort, and AUC = 0.867 (95% CI: 0.832-0.902) in validation cohort, respectively. The predicted scores were categorized into two groups to predict the mortality: low-risk (0-2 points with mortality with 3.6-9.1%) and high-risk (4-16 points with mortality with 26.42-74.62%), in which 54.55% and 74.62% of patients with score of 5 to 11 and 12-16 were died among high-risk group. Kaplan-Meier curve indicated a significant difference in the cumulative mortality in the two groups by log-rank test (p < 0.001). A clinical scoring model to assess the prognosis in HIV/TB patients at end stage of AIDS was constructed based on simple laboratory and clinical features available at admission, which may be an easy-to-use tool for physicians to evaluate the prognosis and treatment outcome in HIV/TB co-infected patients. The model was also applicable for predicting the death of end-stage HIV/TB patients within a 12 months period after discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, much effort has been devoted to find the "optimum impedance" (i.e., the impedance that results in the maximum modal decay rate in flow duct acoustics for a given frequency, Mach number, and azimuthal mode order). Although such analysis can be carried out by means of numerical simulations, analytical expressions can also be derived to predict the optimum impedance. Previous works have been concerned with the optimum impedance of higher-order modes in rectangular ducts with uniform flow. In this work, the analysis is expanded to circular ducts for both uniform and sheared inviscid flows. Focus is given to typical operating conditions found in turbofan engine intakes and vehicle exhaust systems. It is shown that, in certain conditions, the optimum impedance is affected even by the presence of a small boundary-layer thickness. It is also noted that, for low Helmholtz numbers, the optimum impedance may have a negative resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigated the chemical constituents of hydrodistillation essential oil from the aerial parts of Artemisia frigida Willd. All together 14 components were identified by GC-MS. Moreover, we tested the fumigant and contact activities of the essential oil and its five major individual compounds (terpinen-4-ol, verbenone, camphene, a-terpineol and α-terpinyl acetate) against Liposcelis bostrychophila, Lasioderma serricorne and Tribolium castaneum. In fumigant toxicity tests, α-terpineol possessed the strongest activity (LC50 = 3.27 mg/L air) against L. serricorne. Terpinen-4-ol exhibited the strongest activity (LC50 = 0.08 and 3.74 mg/L air respectively) against L. bostrychophila and T. castaneum. As for contact toxicity, terpinen-4-ol and α-terpinyl acetate exhibited fair toxicity against L. bostrychophila (LD50 = 33.10 and 31.80 µg/cm² respectively) and L. serricorne (LD50 = 8.62 and 8.87 µg/adult respectively), and camphene possessed the strongest activity (LD50 = 5.13 µg/adult) against T. castaneum. The results indicated that A. frigida essential oil and its individual compounds had the potential to be developed as natural fumigants and insecticides for control of these three stored-product insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of poles assignment and robust poles assignment in linear discrete-time periodic (LDP) system via periodic state feedback is discussed in this paper. Based on a numerical solution to the periodic Sylvester matrix equation, an iterative algorithm of computing the periodic feedback gain can be obtained. By optimizing the free parameter matrix in the proposed algorithm, according to robustness principle, an algorithm on the minimum norm and robust poles assignment for the LDP systems is presented. Two numerical examples are worked out to illustrate the effect of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is an anion channel important in maintaining proper functions of the lung, pancreas, and intestine. The activity of CFTR is regulated by ATP and protein kinase A-dependent phosphorylation. To understand the conformational changes elicited by phosphorylation and ATP binding, we present here the structure of phosphorylated, ATP-bound human CFTR, determined by cryoelectron microscopy to 3.2-Å resolution. This structure reveals the position of the R domain after phosphorylation. By comparing the structures of human CFTR and zebrafish CFTR determined under the same condition, we identified common features essential to channel gating. The differences in their structures indicate plasticity permitted in evolution to achieve the same function. Finally, the structure of CFTR provides a better understanding of why the G178R, R352Q, L927P, and G970R/D mutations would impede conformational changes of CFTR and lead to cystic fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metastasis is the main cause of the lethality of prostate cancer. Class I phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks), which contain 4 isoforms, α, β, δ, and γ, are known to play important roles in cell growth, migration, invasion, and so on. However, the respective role of each PI3K isoform in cancer cell migration and invasion remains unknown. In a study that aimed to elucidate the respective role of the 4 PI3K isoforms, we investigated the change in migratory and invasive ability of DU145 cells after treatment with each PI3K isoform-specific inhibitor. Both migration and invasion of DU145 cells were potently blocked by each of the PI3Kβ inhibitors (GSK2636771 and TGX221) and PI3Kδ inhibitors (CAL101 and IC87114) while not obviously affected by PI3Kα inhibitor BYL719 or PI3Kγ inhibitor AS252424. Furthermore, knocking down PI3Kβ or PI3Kδ isoform led to a significant decrease in migration of DU145. The results suggest that PI3Kβ and PI3Kδ play key roles in prostate cancer cell migration, while PI3Kα and PI3Kγ might be redundant. Oral administration of GSK2636771 (100 mg/kg) and CAL101 (30 mg/kg) inhibited tumor growth in bone, an experimental model by intratibia injection of DU145 cells, with improved bone structure and bone mineral density analyzed by micro-computed tomography. Tissue staining indicated reduction of metastatic DU145 cells and osteoclasts in the bones of GSK2636771- and CAL101-treated mice compared to the untreated group. In summary, our results indicated the distinct roles of 4 PI3K isoforms in the migration of prostate cancer DU145 cells, and they demonstrated the in vitro and in vivo antimetastatic effect of PI3K-isoform specific inhibitors, most of which are in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The input and output factors of rice production from 1995-2017 in China were selected and DEA method was used to analyze the efficiency and its influencing factors from the economic benefits, social benefits and ecological benefits. The results indicate that the overall rice production efficiency is influenced by both the scale efficiency and pure technical efficiency. By the decomposing analysis, it shows that the low overall rice production efficiency is mainly caused by the low scale efficiency. The projection analysis shows that the negative influence of input too much on rice production efficiency is more than the output deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuation of bevacizumab plus second-line chemotherapy has significantly improved overall and progression-free survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the cost-effectiveness of such high cost therapy is still uncertain in China; so this analysis was performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these treatment options from the Chinese health care system perspective. Methods: A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using data from the ML18147 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00700102) by modeling a partitioned survival model. Main evaluation indicators were quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) with a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of $38,201 per QALY. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness and stability of the model. Subgroup and scenario analyses were also performed to make our study more relevant. Results: Bevacizumab plus chemotherapy increased 0.12 QALYs and an incremental cost of $22,761.62 compared with chemotherapy, resulting in an ICER of $188,904.09 per QALY. The model was most sensitive to the utility of progression-free survival and the cost of bevacizumab. Compared with chemotherapy, bevacizumab plus chemotherapy had a 0% cost-effectiveness probability, and no cost-effectiveness in subgroups at the WTP threshold of $38,201 per QALY. The scenario analysis found that bevacizumab biosimilar gained an ICER of $126,397.38 per QALY when assuming the cost of drugs was calculated at the most affordable price. Conclusions: At the WTP threshold of $38,201 per QALY, continuation of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy is unlikely considered cost-effective for patients after first progression of mCRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestine is vulnerable to irradiation injury, which induces cell death and compromises regeneration of intestinal crypts. It is well accepted that cryptic stem cells, which are responsible for cryptic regeneration under physiological and pathological conditions, are controlled by multiple cell-intrinsic and environmental signals such as Notch signaling. Therefore, in the present study, we tested whether a soluble Notch ligand tethered to endothelial cells--mD1R--the Delta--Serrate--Lag2 (DSL) domain of mouse Notch ligand Delta-like1 fused with a RGD motif could protect cryptic cells from irradiation-induced intestinal injury. The result showed that administration of mD1R, which activated Notch signaling in intestinal cells, ameliorated loss of body weight and reduction of cryptic structures in intestine after total body irradiation (TBI) in mice. Histological staining showed that injection of mD1R after TBI promoted cryptic cell proliferation and reduced cell apoptosis in crypts. Immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR showed that mD1R increased the level of Lgr5, Bmi1, Olfactomedin-4 (OLFM4), and IRIG1 in crypts, suggesting a protective effect on cryptic stem and progenitor cells after irradiation. Moreover, we found that administration of mD1R increased the number of Paneth cells and the mRNA level of Defa1, and the number Alcian Blue+ Goblet cells decreased first and then increased after irradiation, suggesting that mD1R promoted the maturation of the intestinal crypt after irradiation injury. Our data suggested that mD1R could serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of irradiation-induced intestinal injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A parameter extraction methodology of statistical process variations in FinFET is presented in this paper. First, the main impacts of various variation sources are decomposed, with detailed discussion on the correlation between threshold voltage and subthreshold swing. Second, following the Fin-edge roughness (FER) and gate-edge roughness (GER) compact models, the physical parameters, autocorrelation length and amplitude of root mean square of FER and GER, are extracted based on our proposed extraction procedure. Given a set of I-V (whether from TCAD or measured silicon data), this method can simply extract the process variation parameters from several experimental sets, such as experiments under different device geometries and/or bias conditions. With the extracted parameters integrated into compact models, the figure of merits of simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis results are well consistent with experimental measurements. The proposed methodology is not only helpful for model-based design-technology co-optimization, but also helpful for variation-aware circuit design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bovine mastitis, a serious disease associated with both high incidence and significant economic losses, posing a major challenge to the global dairy industry. The development of vaccines for protection from new infections by mastitis pathogens is of considerable interest to the milk production industry. Vaccination is a common and easy strategy for the control of infectious diseases, and the adjuvants used in the formulation is a critical factor for vaccine efficacy improvement. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate three different adjuvants for their ability to enhance immune responses of mice that vaccinated with Bovine Mastitis Multiple Vaccine. Materials, Methods & Results: The thymus and spleen index, the phagocytic ability of macrophage and the serum antibody levels of mice were detected after vaccination, respectively. The results showed that the thymus index, spleen index, and the phagocytic ability of macrophage of mice in Aluminum group exhibited a significant higher level (P < 0.05) compared with those in the control groups. The difference of the serum antibody levels was significant (P < 0.05) between experimental groups and control group after vaccination. The serum antibody concentration of mice in FIA group was higher compared with other groups and had a longer duration. The antibody concentration of mice in France 206 oil group can not increase as fast as the antibody concentration of Aluminum group, but it could last a longer time at a high level. In conclusion, multiple vaccines mixed with three different adjuvants (Aluminum, France 206 oil and Freund's incomplete adjuvant) for bovine mastitis could enhance the immunity of mice and could decrease mortality of mice against challenge. Take all results from this work into consideration, Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) would be the best candidate as the adjuvant for mastitis multiple vaccines. Discussion: The goal of vaccination is to generate strong immune response providing protection against infection for a time. Unlike attenuated live vaccines, killed whole organism or sub-unit vaccines generally require the addition of an adjuvant to be effective. What's more, different protective effects will usually obtained by different adjuvants even use same antigen. Adjuvants play an important role in increasing the efficacy of a number of different vaccines. In this study, three kinds of adjuvants (Aluminum hydroxide, France 206 oil and FIA) were evaluated for their adjuvant effects for multiple vaccine of bovine mastitis in mice and aluminum hydroxide did best as the vaccine adjuvant from the results. Aluminum hydroxide is a universally accepted adjuvant for both human and veterinary vaccines. The goal of vaccination is to generate strong immune response providing protection against infection for a time. Different protective effects will usually obtained by different adjuvants even use same antigen. In this work, FIA, Alum and 206 oil were chosen as adjuvants for inactivated antigens of Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed that there was a significantly higher antibody levels in vaccinated mice compared with those in control group. In addition, the mice in France 206 oil and FIA group performed a higher antibody levels and stronger immunity than mice in Aluminum hydroxide groups. These findings suggest that Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) would be the best candidate as the adjuvant for mastitis multiple vaccines investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The significance of PLK1 (polo-like kinase 1) has become increasingly essential as both a biomarker and a target for cancer treatment. Here, we aimed to determine the downstream genes of PLK1 and their effects on the carcinogenesis and progression of bladder cancer.Methods: Specific siRNA was utilized to silence the target gene expression. The cell proliferation, invasion and migration of bladder cancer cells by MTT assay, BrdU assay and transwell assay. The differential expression genes were identified using Affymetrix HTA2.0 Array. The KEGG, GO and STRING analysis were used to analyze the signaling pathway and protein-protein interaction. Spearman analysis was used to analyze the correlation between protein and protein, between protein and clincopathologic characteristics.Results: PLK1 siRNA hindered the proliferation, invasion and migration of bladder cancer cells, as determined by the MTT, BrdU and transwell assays. A total of 561 differentially expressed genes were identified using an Affymetrix HTA2.0 Array in PLK1 knockdown T24 cells. According to KEGG, GO and STRING analysis, five key genes (BUB1B, CCNB1, CDC25A, FBXO5, NDC80) were determined to be involved in cell proliferation, invasion and migration. PLK1 knockdown decreased BUB1B, CCNB1, CDC25A and NDC80 expressions but increased FBXO5 expression. BUB1B, CCNB1, CDC25A and NDC80 were positively correlated with cell proliferation, invasion, migration and PLK1 expression in tissues, but FBXO5 was negatively correlated with each of those factors. The results showed that the five genes expressions were significantly correlation with the PLK1 expression in normal bladder tissues and bladder cancer tissues. Four of them (BUB1B, CCNB1, CDC25A, NDC80) were obviously positive correlations with pT stage and metastasis. But FBXO5 was negative correlated with pT stage and metastasis. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between CCNB1 or CDC25A or NDC80 and histological grade; between BUB1B or NDC80 and recurrence.Conclusion: Five downstream genes of PLK1 were associated with the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion and migration in bladder cancer. Furthermore, these genes may play important roles in bladder cancer and become important biomarkers and targets for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current studies on preventive condition-based maintenance of power transmission and transformation equipment mainly focus on mid-term or long-term maintenance, and cannot meet the requirements of short-term especially temporary maintenance. In order to solve the defects of the present preventive maintenance strategies, according to the engineering application and based on risk-cost analysis, a short-term maintenance strategy is proposed in this manuscript. For the equipment working in bad health condition, its active maintenance costs and operation risk costs are evaluated, respectively. Then the latest maintenance time is calculated in accordance with the principle that its operation risk costs are no higher than active maintenance costs. Utilizing the latest maintenance time, the best maintenance time is calculated by setting the maximum relative earnings of postponing maintenance as the target, which provides the operation staffs with comprehensive maintenance-decision support. In the end, different cases on the IEEE 24-bus system are simulated. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed strategy are demonstrated by the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of uneven plant spacing, row spacing and sowing depth due to the collision of seeds with the tube wall or bouncing on the floor of the seed guide tube with the increase of operation speed of the current corn no-till planter, in this study, the high-speed seed belt technology was combined with the finger clip seed discharge device, a kind of high-speed no-till planter monomer was designed and installed in high-speed seed tube. At the same time, simulation analysis was made on the movement law of seeds in the seed guide tube when they fell from the finger clip seeder and the main structural parameters and the range of key parameters of the high-speed seed tube were determined. Through the prototype, the single-factor and quadratic orthogonal rotational combination test method, and the machine operating speed, the height of the high-speed seed tube and the seed guide angle were selected as the test factors in the seeding performance test. After parameter optimization, the optimal working parameters were determined: the machine forward speed was 12.18 km/h, the height of the high-speed seed tube from the ground was 42.22 mm, and the seed guide angle of the high-speed seed tube was 8.82°. The field test verified that under this parameter combination, the qualified-seeding index was 94.95%, the multiple-seeding index was 2.37%, and the missing-seeding index was 2.48%, showing stable working performance and satisfied the sowing and agronomic requirements of the no-till seeding operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrolein has been reported to have diverse toxic effects on various organs, including the reproductive system. However, little is known regarding the effects of maternal acrolein exposure on testicular steroidogenesis in male offspring. The present study investigated the effects of acrolein on fetal testosterone production and associated genes. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with vehicle (normal saline) or 1, 2 or 5 mg/kg acrolein from gestational day (GD) 14-20, and fetal testes were examined on GD 21. Fetal body and testicular weights were markedly reduced in pups following exposure to high doses of acrolein (5 mg/kg) in late pregnancy. Notably, in utero exposure of 5 mg/kg acrolein significantly decreased the testicular testosterone level and downregulated the expression levels of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD), whereas the levels of other steroidogenic enzymes, including scavenger receptor class B, cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme and steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase, were unaffected. Furthermore, the 3β-HSD immunoreactive area in the interstitial region of the fetal testes was reduced at a 5 mg/kg dose, whereas the protein expression levels of 4-hydroxynonenalwere dose-dependently increased following maternal exposure to acrolein. mRNA expression levels of insulin-like factor 3, a critical gene involved in testicular descent, were unaltered following maternal acrolein exposure. Taken together, the results of the present study suggested that maternal exposure to high doses of acrolein inhibited fetal testosterone synthesis, and abnormal expression of StAR and 3β-HSD may be associated with impairment of the steroidogenic capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) has been widely used to profile genome-scale DNA methylation in mammalian genomes. However, the applications and technical performances of RRBS with different fragment sizes have not been systematically reported in pigs, which serve as one of the important biomedical models for humans. The aims of this study were to evaluate capacities of RRBS libraries with different fragment sizes to characterize the porcine genome. Results: We found that the MspI-digested segments between 40 and 220 bp harbored a high distribution peak at 74 bp, which were highly overlapped with the repetitive elements and might reduce the unique mapping alignment. The RRBS library of 110-220 bp fragment size had the highest unique mapping alignment and the lowest multiple alignment. The cost-effectiveness of the 40-110 bp, 110-220 bp and 40-220 bp fragment sizes might decrease when the dataset size was more than 70, 50 and 110 million reads for these three fragment sizes, respectively. Given a 50-million dataset size, the average sequencing depth of the detected CpG sites in the 110-220 bp fragment size appeared to be deeper than in the 40-110 bp and 40-220 bp fragment sizes, and these detected CpG sties differently located in gene- and CpG island-related regions. Conclusions: In this study, our results demonstrated that selections of fragment sizes could affect the numbers and sequencing depth of detected CpG sites as well as the cost-efficiency. No single solution of RRBS is optimal in all circumstances for investigating genome-scale DNA methylation. This work provides the useful knowledge on designing and executing RRBS for investigating the genome-wide DNA methylation in tissues from pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sound insulation performance of the dash panel has a direct influence on the level of sound absorption of the whole vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt proper optimization strategies to optimize the dash panel and interior sound pressure response. Firstly, damping loss factor was imported into the dash panel and the coupling model of interior acoustic cavity to compute the sound pressure response of the driver. Sound pressure response had multiple peak noises in the analyzed frequency band. With the increase of the analyzed frequency, Contours for the noise of interior acoustic cavity became increasingly dispersed. Secondly, reverberation chambers on both sides were coupled with the dash panel respectively to establish AML model. In this way, the computational transmission loss would be more consistent with the actual situation. AML method can directly obtain transmission loss without extracting the transmission sound power to compute transmission loss through relevant formulas. In reported papers, there are big differences between simulation and experiment in the low frequency because it is difficult to simulate the real boundary conditions. The computational results of this paper were more consistent with experimental results in the whole frequency band, which indicated that it was more effective to use AML method to compute the transmission loss of the dash panel. Then, a sound package was applied to the dash panel to conduct parametric analysis. Results showed that the thickness of the sound-absorption layer could effectively improve transmission loss over 250 Hz. When the thickness of the sound-absorption layer was 15 mm, transmission loss was relatively optimal. In addition, the thickness of the air layer had little influence on transmission loss. Finally, genetic algorithm was also used to optimize the parameters of sound package of the dash panel. Results showed that the optimized dash panel had a higher average transmission loss and total mass, and the average sound pressure response of the driver also decreased. Additionally, the transmission loss and sound pressure response of the driver optimized by genetic algorithm at each frequency point were improved in the analyzed frequency band to obtain a low-noise and lightweight dash panel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]