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Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease characterized by damage to the joint cartilage that occurs throughout the entire joint tissue. This damage primarily manifests as pain in the affected area. In clinical practice, medication is commonly used to relieve pain, but the treatment's effectiveness is poor and recurrent attacks are likely. Schisandrin B is the most abundant biphenylcyclohexene lignan found in the traditional Chinese medicine Schisandra chinensis, and it possesses various pharmacological effects. This study aims to investigate the protective effect of Schisandrin B on mitochondrial damage in osteoarthritis (C28I2 cells) under an inflammatory environment induced by LPS. Cell proliferation and activity, scratch tests, and LDH release tests are utilized to assess cell growth and migration ability. The immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression levels of proliferation and apoptosis proteins. The Western Blot assay was used to detect the expression levels of mitochondrial fusion and division proteins. The JC-1 assay was used to detect changes in mitochondrial membrane potential. The mitochondrial fluorescence probe assay was used to detect mitochondrial activity. Through research, it was found that Schisandrin B promotes the proliferation, growth, and migration of C28I2 cells, reduces apoptosis of C28I2 cells, balances mitochondrial fusion and division, stabilizes mitochondrial membrane potential, and promotes mitochondrial activity in an LPS induced inflammatory environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to obtain estimations of Hausdorff dimension as well as fractal dimension of global attractors and pullback attractors for both autonomous and nonautonomous functional differential equations (FDEs) in Banach spaces. New criterions for the finite Hausdorff dimension and fractal dimension of attractors in Banach spaces are firslty proposed by combining the squeezing property and the covering of finite subspace of Banach spaces, which generalize the method established in Hilbert spaces. In order to surmount the barrier caused by the lack of orthogonal projectors with finite rank, which is the key tool for proving the squeezing property of partial differential equations in Hilbert spaces, we adopt the state decomposition of phase space based on the exponential dichotomy of the studied FDEs to obtain similar squeezing property. The theoretical results are applied to a retarded nonlinear reaction-diffusion equation and a non-autonomous retarded functional differential equation in the natural phase space, for which explicit bounds of dimensions that do not depend on the entropy number but only depend on the spectrum of the linear parts and Lipschitz constants of the nonlinear parts are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to propose a new method to construct pullback exponential attractors with explicit fractal dimensions for non-autonomous infinite-dimensional dynamical systems in Banach spaces. The approach is established by combining the squeezing properties and the covering of finite subspace of Banach spaces, which generalize the method established for autonomous systems in Hilbert spaces (Eden A, Foias C, Nicolaenko B, and Temam R Exponential attractors for dissipative evolution equations, Wiley, New York, 1994). The method is especially effective for non-autonomous partial functional differential equations for which phase space decomposition based on the exponential dichotomy of the linear part or variation techniques are available for proving squeezing property. The theoretical results are illustrated by applications to several specific non-autonomous partial functional differential equations, including a retarded reaction–diffusion equation, a retarded 2D Navier–Stokes equation and a retarded semilinear wave equation. The constructed exponential attractors possess explicit fractal dimensions which do not depend on the entropy number but only on some inner characteristics of the studied equations including the spectra of the linear part and the Lipschitz constants of the nonlinear terms and hence do not require the smooth embedding between two spaces in the previous work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum game is one of the branches of quantum information theory. It introduces quantum information processing to the classical game and solves the Prisoner's dilemma of the classical game. However, few works investigate the dynamics of a quantum duopoly Stackelberg game. This paper considers a quantum duopoly Stackelberg game model with marginal costs. Local stability and flip bifurcation conditions are established by choosing the speed of production adjustment and the quantum entanglement as the bifurcation parameter, respectively. It is found that when the bifurcation parameter passes the critical value, the system loses stability and the flip bifurcation occurs. Moreover, the direction of flip bifurcation is investigated based on the normal form. Five numerical examples are given to verify the obtained results, and the chaos is investigated by selecting quantum production adjustment (the quantum entanglement) as the control parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet‐derived growth factor C (PDGF‐C) is a member of PDGF/VEGF family, which is well‐known for important functions in the vascular system. It is widely reported that PDGF‐C is able to modulate cell proliferation. However, it is still not very clear about this cell modulating mechanism at the molecular level. In a screening of factors regulated by PDGF‐C protein, we fished out a factor called block of proliferation 1 (BOP1), which is a pivotal regulator of ribosome biogenesis and cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated the regulation of BOP1 by PDGF‐C and its role in modulating cell proliferation. We found that BOP1 was downregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in cells treated with PDGF‐C‐containing conditioned medium. On the other hand, BOP1 was upregulated in PDGF‐C deficient mice. Furthermore, we confirmed that overexpression of BOP1 inhibited HEK293A cell proliferation, whereas knockdown of BOP1 promoted cell proliferation. The mitogenic effect of PDGF‐C could be attenuated by downregulation of BOP1. Our results demonstrate a clear PDGF‐C–BOP1 signaling that modulates cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of treatment effects in the presence of unmeasured confounding is a persistent problem in the social, biological, and medical sciences. The problem of unmeasured confounding in settings with multiple treatments is most common in statistical genetics and bioinformatics settings, where researchers have developed many successful statistical strategies without engaging deeply with the causal aspects of the problem. Recently there have been a number of attempts to bridge the gap between these statistical approaches and causal inference, but these attempts have either been shown to be flawed or have relied on fully parametric assumptions. In this article, we propose two strategies for identifying and estimating causal effects of multiple treatments in the presence of unmeasured confounding. The auxiliary variables approach leverages variables that are not causally associated with the outcome; in the case of a univariate confounder, our method only requires one auxiliary variable, unlike existing instrumental variable methods that would require as many instruments as there are treatments. An alternative null treatments approach relies on the assumption that at least half of the confounded treatments have no causal effect on the outcome, but does not require a priori knowledge of which treatments are null. Our identification strategies do not impose parametric assumptions on the outcome model and do not rest on estimation of the confounder. This article extends and generalizes existing work on unmeasured confounding with a single treatment and models commonly used in bioinformatics. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to prove the existence and qualitative property of random attractors for a stochastic non-local delayed reaction–diffusion equation (SNDRDE) on a semi-infinite interval with a Dirichlet boundary condition at the finite end. This equation models the spatial–temporal evolution of the mature individuals for a two-stage species whose juvenile and adults both diffuse that lives on a semi-infinite domain and subject to random perturbations. By transforming the SNDRDE into a random evolution equation with delay, by means of a stationary conjugate transformation, we first establish the global existence and uniqueness of solutions to the equation, after which we show the solutions generate a random dynamical system. Then, we deduce uniform a priori estimates of the solutions and show the existence of bounded random absorbing sets. Subsequently, we prove the pullback asymptotic compactness of the random dynamical system generated by the SNDRDE with respect to the compact open topology, and hence obtain the existence of random attractors. At last, it is proved that the random attractor is an exponentially attracting stationary solution under appropriate conditions. The theoretical results are illustrated by application to the stochastic non-local delayed Nicholson's blowfly equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely explored owing to their excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. However, researchers have mainly focused on designing new structures of MOF crystals to adjust the NLO response while ignoring the influence of the number of metal–ligand coordination bonds on the NLO properties of MOFs. In this study, the influence of the coordination numbers of MOFs on their NLO properties is studied for the first time. Herein, MOFs with different coordination numbers, using trifluoroacetic acid as an auxiliary agent, are synthesized and their NLO properties are tested using the Z‐scan technique. The results reveal that the NLO absorption properties of MOFs with high coordination numbers can be effectively modulated from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption by increasing the excitation intensity. First‐principles calculations show that a change in the coordination numbers leads to a change in the charge transfer from metal to ligand, thereby resulting in different NLO responses. The MOFs with a high coordination number have potential applications in novel optical switches or logic gates. These results provide a reference for the precise adjustment of the NLO properties of MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the 3‐year implant‐related outcomes following alveolar ridge preservation in periodontally compromised molar sockets. Material and methods: Thirty implants were placed in 26 patients following either ridge preservation (test, n = 16) or natural healing (control, n = 14) at deficient molar extraction sites after a 6‐month healing period. The need for additional augmentation procedures at implant placement was recorded. Patients were assessed for 3 years following a definitive restoration. Patient information being collected included modified plaque index, the modified sulcus bleeding index, the peri‐implant probing depth clinically, and alterations of marginal bone level (MBL) radiographically. Results: There was a 100% survival rate of implants in both groups after 3‐year follow‐up. During implant placement operation, 35.7% in the control group and 6.3% in the test group required additional augmentation procedures. No statistically significant differences were determined for peri‐implant parameters and marginal bone levels between the two groups. The overall mean difference of MBL was 0.072 mm (95% CI [−0.279, 0.423]) during the 3 years of follow‐up. The success rate was 81.2% in the test and 78.6% in the control group. Conclusions: Implants placed into periodontally compromised molar‐extracted sites after ridge augmentation resulted in comparable outcomes to implant placement at naturally healed sites after 3‐year functional loading. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR‐ONN‐16009433). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous and extensive pinewood nematode disease has seriously threatened the sustainable development of forestry in China. At present, many studies have used high-resolution remote sensing images combined with a deep semantic segmentation algorithm to identify standing dead trees in the red attack period. However, due to the complex background, closely distributed detection scenes, and unbalanced training samples, it is difficult to detect standing dead trees (SDTs) in a variety of complex scenes by using conventional segmentation models. In order to further solve the above problems and improve the recognition accuracy, we proposed a new detection method called multi-scale spatial supervision convolutional network (MSSCN) to identify SDTs in a wide range of complex scenes based on airborne remote sensing imagery. In the method, a Gaussian kernel approach was used to generate a confidence map from SDTs marked as points for training samples, and a multi-scale spatial attention block was added into fully convolutional neural networks to reduce the loss of spatial information. Further, an augmentation strategy called copy–pasting was used to overcome the lack of efficient samples in this research area. Validation at four different forest areas belonging to two forest types and two diseased outbreak intensities showed that (1) the copy–pasting method helps to augment training samples and can improve the detecting accuracy with a suitable oversampling rate, and the best oversampling rate should be carefully determined by the input training samples and image data. (2) Based on the two-dimensional spatial Gaussian kernel distribution function and the multi-scale spatial attention structure, the MSSCN model can effectively find the dead tree extent in a confidence map, and by following this with maximum location searching we can easily locate the individual dead trees. The averaged precision, recall, and F1-score across different forest types and disease-outbreak-intensity areas can achieve 0.94, 0.84, and 0.89, respectively, which is the best performance among FCN8s and U-Net. (3) In terms of forest type and outbreak intensity, the MSSCN performs best in pure pine forest type and low-outbreak-intensity areas. Compared with FCN8s and U-Net, the MSSCN can achieve the best recall accuracy in all forest types and outbreak-intensity areas. Meanwhile, the precision metric is also maintained at a high level, which means that the proposed method provides a trade-off between the precision and recall in detection accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the spatial-temporal dynamics of a delayed reaction-diffusion Hopfield's neural network model (HNNM) under a Neumann boundary condition is considered. Our main concern is the absolute, also called the delay-independent, global or local stability of the trivial and nontrivial steady states of the HNNM with non-monotone activation functions. The dissipativity of the semiflow generated by HNNM is first proved and then the absolute attractivity of both the trivial and the nontrivial steady states is obtained by adopting the idea of connecting the spatial-temporal dynamics of the HNNM with the asymptotic behaviors of a finite-dimensional discrete dynamical system. Specifically, it is shown that the strong attractors of the finite-dimensional discrete dynamical system generated by the nonlinear activation function of the HNNM are indeed the attractors of the corresponding delayed reaction-diffusion HNNM. Numerical simulations are also conducted at last to illustrate the effectiveness of our established results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned about the existence of a random attractor for a stochastic nonlocal delayed reaction–diffusion equation (SNDRDE) under a Dirichlet boundary condition. This equation models the spatial–temporal evolution of the mature individuals for a two-stage species whose juvenile and adults both diffuse under random perturbations. By adopting the random dynamical system theory together with the stochastic inequality technique, we first give a uniform estimate of the solution and then prove the asymptotic compactness of the random dynamic system generated by the SNDRDE and, subsequently, obtain the existence of a random attractor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Levitation control is a core technique of magnetic levitation (Maglev) trains, whose performance has a significant impact on the driving safety and ride comfort during the operation of Maglev trains. With the rapid development of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials, a novel hybrid levitation system for Maglev trains, composed of HTS and normal conducting electromagnets, is becoming a more promising alternative to the conventional levitation system, due to a lager levitation air gap and lower energy consumption. The controller of the hybrid levitation system is hard to design due to strong nonlinearity, open-loop instability and fast-response requirements. In this study, we propose a robust model predictive control (MPC) strategy for the novel hybrid levitation system in which state constraints are taken into account, including the air gap, and the velocity and acceleration of the hybrid magnet. In the MPC strategy, the prediction model employs a stabilized model through nonlinear and linear state feedback. With regard to the online computational load, the primal-dual interior-point (PDI) algorithm is adopted to solve the optimization problem with high efficiency to deal with constraints in a real-time manner. Finally, simulation results are demonstrated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed MPC-PDI control strategy for the hybrid levitation system, and the significances considering state constraints are revealed. This study provides an engineering realization solution to the novel hybrid levitation system of a Maglev train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a delayed neutral-type neural network with diffusion is considered. Three spatiotemporal dynamic problems of such network, i.e., stability, Turing instability and oscillation, are addressed in detail. It is found that the diffusion may lead to Turing instability, and the time delay may result in oscillation. Then, a novel computing method is proposed to investigate the oscillation properties. Finally, numerical results not only verify the obtained results but also show the diffusion coefficients have a great effect on the appearance of pattern. There are six spatiotemporal patterns when diffusion varying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different solution temperatures on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced A380 (A380-GNPs) composites were investigated. The results show that the grain size of the composites was significantly refined by adding 0.9 wt% GNPs, and most of the Si phases in the A380-0.9 GNPs composite after solution treatment at 505 °C were spheroidal. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis indicated that most of the Al2Cu phases have been dissolved into the matrix. The hardness of the 505 °C solution treated composites increased by 28.8% compared to the A380-0.9 GNPs composites. Immersion corrosion tests revealed that the corrosion rate of the 505 °C solution-treated A380-0.9 GNPs composites (46.76 μg cm−2 d−1) was 24.9% lower than that of the non-solution-treated (58.41 μg cm−2 d−1). Electrochemical analyses showed that the corrosion voltage of the 505 °C solution-treated composites (− 507.41 mV) was 7.4% higher than that of the non-solution-treated (− 548.76 mV). The 505 °C solution-treated A380-0.9 GNPs composites had a high surface-area ratio between the anodic phases (α-Al) and the cathodic phases (Al2Cu, Si), and the anodic corrosion current densities were relatively weak, which resulted in the best corrosion resistance. The refinement and uniform distribution of cathodic phases, such as Al2Cu and eutectic Si, inhibit the occurrence of micro-galvanic corrosion and also reduce the corrosion rate of the composites.Graphical Abstract: The effects of different solution temperatures on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced A380 (A380-GNPs) composites were investigated. The results show that the grain size of the composites was significantly refined by adding 0.9 wt% GNPs, and most of the Si phases in the A380-0.9 GNPs composite after solution treatment at 505 °C were spheroidal. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis indicated that most of the Al2Cu phases have been dissolved into the matrix. The hardness of the 505 °C solution treated composites increased by 28.8% compared to the A380-0.9 GNPs composites. Immersion corrosion tests revealed that the corrosion rate of the 505 °C solution-treated A380-0.9 GNPs composites (46.76 μg cm−2 d−1) was 24.9% lower than that of the non-solution-treated (58.41 μg cm−2 d−1). Electrochemical analyses showed that the corrosion voltage of the 505 °C solution-treated composites (− 507.41 mV) was 7.4% higher than that of the non-solution-treated (− 548.76 mV). The 505 °C solution-treated A380-0.9 GNPs composites had a high surface-area ratio between the anodic phases (α-Al) and the cathodic phases (Al2Cu, Si), and the anodic corrosion current densities were relatively weak, which resulted in the best corrosion resistance. The refinement and uniform distribution of cathodic phases, such as Al2Cu and eutectic Si, inhibit the occurrence of micro-galvanic corrosion and also reduce the corrosion rate of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical value of Arrival-time Parametric Imaging (At-PI) in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions. METHODS: For this ethics committee-approved retrospective study, a total of 184 breast lesions in 176 women were included and gray-scale ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and At-PI were performed. In CEUS and At-PI, perfusion patterns, perfusion uniformity and color spatial distribution for lesions were analyzed qualitatively and the maximal diameter ratio of the lesion in accumulated parametric images and that in gray-scale images (MDRAI/GI) and area ratio of the lesion in accumuated parametric images and that in gray-scale images (ARAI/GI) were calculated quantitatively. Kappa and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient were used to evaluate the interobserver reproducibility for CEUS and At-PI and the intraobserver reproducibility for At-PI, respectively. The area under receiver operating characteristic (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and positive and negative likelihood ratios (PPV, NPV) were calculated for MDRAI/GI and ARAI/GI. RESULTS: Good interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility for At-PI were identified. In At-PI, there were statistically significant differences in perfusion patterns, color spatial distribution, MDRAI/GI and ARAI/GI between benign and malignant breast lesions (P < 0.05). The AUCs of MDRAI/GI and ARAI/GI were 0.895 and 0.954, respectively, with no significant difference between them (Z = 1.84, P > 0.05). By using the thresholds of 1.125 for MDRAI/GI and 1.21 for ARAI/GI, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of At-PI were 84.48%, 88.24%, 85.57%, 92.45% and 76.92%, respectively, for MDRAI/GI and 93.10%, 91.18%, 92.39%, 94.74% and 88.57%, respectively, for ARAI/GI. CONCLUSIONS: At-PI is helpful to distinguish benign from malignant breast lesions. And MDRAI/GI and ARAI/GI are useful and efficient features for differential diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G and H be two graphs. The maximum integer k , for which there exists an edge coloring ϕ : E (G) → { 1 , 2 , ... , k } that makes every copy of H has at least two edges with the same color, is the anti-Ramsey number of G with respect to H. Mycielski developed an interesting graph transformation that transforms G into the Mycielskian μ (G) of G. In this paper, we determine the anti-Ramsey number of μ (C n) with respect to cycles of length 4, 2 n and 2 n + 1 , respectively. • Graph transformation that transforms G into the Mycielskian μ (G) of a graph G. • Hamilton cycles in the graph obtained from μ (C n) by deleting vertices and/or edges. • Independent cycles in a 4-regular graph. • Determine the anti-Ramsey number of μ (C n) with respect to cycles of length 4, 2 n and 2 n + 1 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the stability and Hopf bifurcation in a general class of differential equation with nonlocal delayed feedback that models the population dynamics of a two age structured spices. The existence of Hopf bifurcation is firstly established after delicately analyzing the eigenvalue problem of the linearized nonlocal equation. The direction of the Hopf bifurcation and stability of the bifurcated periodic solutions are then investigated by means of center manifold reduction. Subsequently, we apply our main results to explore the spatial‐temporal patterns of the nonlocal Mackey‐Glass equation. We obtain both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous periodic solutions and numerically show that the former is stable while the latter is unstable. We also show that the inhomogeneous periodic solutions will eventually tend to homogeneous periodic solutions after transient oscillations and increasing of the immature mobility constant will shorten the transient oscillation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial–temporal patterns of the solutions to a differential equation with non-local delayed feedback that models the population dynamics of a two-stage species have been studied in this paper. The effects of the maturation time and immature mobility constant on the existence and stability of both spatially homogeneous and inhomogeneous periodic solutions are investigated by studying the Hopf bifurcation at the spatially homogeneous steady state and computing center manifold. Our results show that the bifurcated homogeneous periodic solutions are stable while inhomogeneous periodic solutions will eventually tend to homogeneous periodic solutions after transient oscillations. Furthermore, increasing of the immature mobility constant will weaken the periodic oscillation and shorten the transient oscillation time. Numerical simulations are given at last to verify our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A class of nonlocal delay differential equation with nonmonotone nonlinearity that arises from population dynamics is considered. The existence of travelling waves is established by constructing two auxiliary monotone dynamical systems combined with a global coupling condition. Our results require neither the compactness nor the reflection invariance of the solution semiflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐invasive transcranial direct‐current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe ischaemic stroke therapy. Cathodal bilateral tDCS (BtDCS) is a modified tDCS approach established by us recently. Because selenium (Se) plays a crucial role in cerebral ischaemic injury, we investigated whether cathodal BtDCS conferred neuroprotection via regulating Se‐dependent signalling in rat cerebral ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. We first showed that the levels of Se and its transport protein selenoprotein P (SEPP1) were reduced in the rat cortical penumbra following I/R, whereas cathodal BtDCS prevented the reduction of Se and SEPP1. Interestingly, direct‐current stimulation (DCS) increased SEPP1 level in cultured astrocytes subjected to oxygen‐glucose deprivation reoxygenation (OGD/R) but had no effect on SEPP1 level in OGD/R‐insulted neurons, indicating that DCS may increase Se in ischaemic neurons by enhancing the synthesis and secretion of SEPP1 in astrocytes. We then revealed that DCS reduced the number of injured mitochondria in OGD/R‐insulted neurons cocultured with astrocytes. DCS and BtDCS prevented the reduction of the mitochondrial quality‐control signalling, vesicle‐associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) and syntaxin‐4 (STX4), in OGD/R‐insulted neurons cocultured with astrocytes and the ischaemic brain respectively. Under the same experimental conditions, downregulation of SEPP1 blocked DCS‐ and BtDCS‐induced upregulation of VAMP2 and STX4. Finally, we demonstrated that cathodal BtDCS increased Se to reduce infract volume following I/R. Together, the present study uncovered a molecular mechanism by which cathodal BtDCS confers neuroprotection through increasing SEPP1 in astrocytes and subsequent upregulation of SEPP1/VAMP2/STX4 signalling in ischaemic neurons after rat cerebral I/R injury. Key points: Cathodal bilateral transcranial direct‐current stimulation (BtDCS) prevents the reduction of selenium (Se) and selenoprotein P in the ischaemic penumbra.Se plays a crucial role in cerebral ischaemia injury.Direct‐current stimulation reduces mitochondria injury and blocks the reduction of vesicle‐associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) and syntaxin‐4 (STX4) in oxygen‐glucose deprivation reoxygenation‐insulted neurons following coculturing with astrocytes.Cathodal BtDCS regulates Se/VAMP2/STX4 signalling to confer neuroprotection after ischaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to detect the expression of miR-373-3p and CCND2 in gemcitabine-resistance pancreatic carcinoma (PC) cells, investigate the relationship between miR-373-3p and CCND2, and explore their effects on PC propagation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Methods R software was applied for analyzing differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in cell samples. The potential biological pathway was determined by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, based on R software. The gemcitabine-resistance PC cells were screened out using MTT assay, and they were applied in the next experiments. MiR-373-3p and CCND2 expression in GEM-PANC-1 cells were measured by qRT-PCR. After transfection, the expression of CCND2 protein was examined via western blot assay. Cells viability and apoptosis were confirmed by MTT proliferation assay and Flow cytometry, whereas cells migration and invasion were analyzed by transwell assay. The targeting relationship between miR-373-3p and CCND2 was identified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results MiR-373-3p was found to be low expressed in GEM-PANC-1 cells while CCND2 was highly expressed in GEM-PANC-1 cells. MiR-373-3p negatively regulated CCND2 expression through KEGG_Cell_Cycle_Signaling_Pathway. The targeted relationship between miR-373-3p and CCND2 could be verified using dual luciferase reporter assay. MTT proliferation assay, transwell assay and Annexin V assay demonstrated that miR-373-3p suppressed GEM-PANC-1 cells propagation and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis, while CCND2 showed totally reverse effects compared with miR-373-3p. All the results suggested that miR-373-3p could enhance the chemosensitivity of GEM-PANC-1 cells by regulating CCND2. Conclusion MiR-373-3p inhibited cell propagation, migration and invasion and boosted apoptosis in gemcitabine resistance pancreatic carcinoma cells by targeting CCND2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LED-based light sources that can provide narrowly-centered spectrum have been frequently applied to manipulate the plant growth, development and metabolism in recent years. This study aimed to find out the effect of different light qualities on the production of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. The results showed RL (red light), BL (blue light), RBL (red light: blue light = 1:1) induced the strawberry fruit coloration earlier by increasing the content of total anthocyanins as a result of high expression of related genes, which was also concluded from a ⁎ , C ⁎ , h° values in ‘Tokun’ at 28 DAF, and RBL significantly promoted anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in these two strawberry genotypes during fruit development. Simultaneously, the contents of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins in ‘Toyonaka’ were also remarkably upregulated by BL and RL, respectively, indicating different strawberry genotypes to some extent probably had a distinct response to light quality. Hence, genotype factor should be taken into consideration when supplement of light quality was used as practical application in strawberry cultivation. Taken together, this study provided an insight into a further understanding of roles of light quality in the color formation for strawberry and a potential means to increase the health-related values of strawberry through altering the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin contents of the fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is devoted to the stability and attractivity analysis of a nonlocal delayed reaction–diffusion equation (DRDE) with a non-monotone bistable nonlinearity that describes the population dynamics for a two-stage species with Allee effect. By the idea of relating the dynamics of the nonlinear term to the DRDE and some stability results for the monostable case, we describe some basin of attractions for the DRDE. Additionally, existence of heteroclinic orbits and periodic oscillations are also obtained. Numerical simulations are also given at last to verify our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned with modeling and analyzing the dynamics for a two-stage species that lives on a half plane. We first derive a spatially nonlocal and temporally delayed differential equation that describes the mature population on a semi-infinite environment with a homogeneous Dirichlet condition. For the derived model, we are able to show that the solutions induce a k -set contraction semiflow with respect to the compact open topology on a bounded positive invariant set attracting every solution of the equation. To describe the global dynamics, we first establish a priori estimate for nontrivial solutions after exploring the delicate asymptotic properties of the nonlocal delayed effect, which enables us to show the repellency of the trivial equilibrium. Using the estimate, k -set contracting property as well as Schauder fixed point theorem, we then establish the existence of a positive spatially heterogeneous steady state. At last, we show global attractivity of the nontrivial steady state by employing dynamical system approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal materials are applied widely. In this work, a new benzothiazolium-based ionic organic NLO material (E)-2-(4-(dimethylamino)styryl)-3-methylbenzo[d]thiazol-3-ium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate (DABT) containing strong electron donor and acceptor was designed and theoretically investigated. A simple approach that can be employed in rapidly and efficiently evaluating the second-order nonlinear properties of organic crystals based on its crystal structure information was also proposed. Results indicate that the as-designed DABT crystal possesses non-centrosymmetric structure with space group P2 1 , and particularly, it exhibits a large static first-order hyperpolarizability of ∼117 × 10−30 esu. Moreover, the optical properties of the DABT, including its permittivity, absorption coefficient, and reflectance, were systematically investigated, revealing that the DABT crystal is an anisotropic and a new and promising material with hydrophobicity and anisotropy, holding great potential applications in nonlinear optics. • A new organic nonlinear optical material DABT was designed and theoretically investigated. • A simple approach for rapidly evaluating the second-order nonlinear properties was proposed. • DABT crystal exhibits a large static first-order hyperpolarizability of ∼117×10-30 esu. • DABT crystal is hydrophobic and would be stable in air exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of ophiopogon polysaccharide liposome (OPL) on macrophages in vitro. The phagocytic activity, the secretion of nitric oxide (NO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), the level of cytokines, chemokines and the expression of CD14 and MHC-II costimulatory molecules were measured. Results showed that OPL could significantly improve the phagocytic activity and the level of IL-1β, TNF-α, MCP-1 and MIP-1β, promote the secretion of NO and iNOS, and enhance the expression of CD14 and MHC-II costimulatory molecules in the peritoneal macrophages of mice compared with ophiopogon polysaccharide (OP). Altogether, these results suggested that OPL could activate macrophages, and the efficacy was significantly superior to OP. Therefore, OPL would be exploited in a potent immunomodulators. Moreover, it also provided the theoretical basis for further studying the mechanism of OPL on improving the immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smartphone based web browsing wastes a lot of power when downloading webpages due to the special characteristics of the wireless radio interface. In this paper, we identify these special characteristics, and address power consumption issues through two novel techniques. First, we reorganize the computation sequence of the web browser when loading a webpage, so that the web browser can first run the computations that will generate new data transmissions and retrieve these data from the web server. Then, the web browser can put the wireless radio interface into low power state, release the radio resource, and then run the remaining computations. Second, we introduce a practical data mining based method to predict the user reading time of webpages, based on which the smartphone can switch to low power state when the reading time is longer than a threshold. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our energy-aware approaches, we develop a testbed with Android phones on T-Mobile UMTS network. Experimental results show that our approach can reduce the power consumption of smartphone by more than 30 percent during web browsing. Moreover, our solution can further reduce the webpage loading time and increase the network capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Third‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) absorption properties and ultra‐fast carrier dynamics of organic 4‐N,N‐dimethylamino‐4'‐N'‐methyl‐stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) at the wavelength of 520 nm are investigated by femtosecond open‐aperture Z‐scan technique and transient absorption spectroscopy, respectively. Z‐scan measurements indicate that DAST solution exhibits ultra‐high nonlinear saturable absorption (SA) responses with a figure of merit of 4.57 × 10−13 esu cm and a saturation strength of 3.20 GW cm−2, far superior to those of the most known 2D SA materials under similar excitations. Transient absorption results reveal that the outstanding SA performances of the solution‐phase DAST are rooted in ultra‐fast ground‐state bleaching based on the Pauli blocking effect. The subsequent excited state carrier relaxation processes are dominated by rapid intraband carrier cooling and defect‐assisted interband Auger recombination. Moreover, high‐quality DAST−polyvinyl alcohol composite films prepared by solution casting exhibit similar ultra‐high SA responses and reliable long‐term stability without any degradation of their SA responses even after exposure to air moisture for 100 days. These findings establish an experimental and theoretical foundation for the development of high‐performance ultra‐fast optoelectronic devices based on organic NLO materials in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post‐collisional potassic‐ultrapotassic rocks can provide key clues to the change of the recycled material type and/or tectonic transition in subduction‐related zones. Despite continental materials widely recognized in their sources, it remains unclear whether such continental materials were contributed by former oceanic subduction or recent continental subduction. Here we address this issue by systematically investigating previously reported and our new chemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the post‐collisional K‐rich rocks in Southeast Tibet. Kink‐like compositional variations provide solid evidence for a primary control of fractional crystallization on the evolution of these K‐rich magmas. Their primary melts are demonstrated to have been produced by partial melting of phlogopite‐bearing peridotites in subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic signatures argue against involvement of the deeply subducted Indian continent but suggest a great contribution from sediments in oceanic slabs. A thinned (∼70–100 km) and hot (∼55–70 mW/m2) lithosphere is also unraveled beneath Southeast Tibet during the potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism. Together with geophysical data, here we suggest a two‐stage geodynamic model for post‐collisional potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism in Southeast Tibet: (a) Before the Indian‐Asia continental collision, phlogopite/K‐richterite‐bearing SCLM sources were formed through oceanic subduction‐related metasomatism; (b) After the Indian‐Asia continental collision, asthenosphere upwelling induced by post‐collisional tectonic extension or deep subduction of the Indian continental slab caused lithospheric thinning, partial melting of pre‐existing phlogopite/K‐richterite‐rich SCLM and thus K‐rich magmatism. This study provides new insights into the role of oceanic subduction and continental collision in post‐collisional potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism. Plain Language Summary: Potassic‐ultrapotassic rocks, a special group of K‐rich igneous rocks with K2O > 3.0 wt.% and K2O/Na2O > 1, have been widely recognized in post‐collisional settings. A large part of them also has low SiO2 (<56 wt.%), high MgO (>6.0 wt.%) and Mg# (>0.65; molar Mg/(Mg + Fe)), suggesting derivation from the mantle depths. Post‐collisional K‐rich rocks are widely distributed within the Himalaya‐Tibet Orogen. Over the last decades, numerous studies have focused on these K‐rich rocks because of their potentially great importance for understanding plateau uplift, continental subduction and Cu‐Mo‐Au mineralization. Although there is an increasingly clear consensus on the relevance of the deeply subducted Indian continent in the formation of the post‐collisional (<25 Ma) K‐rich rocks in Southwest Tibet, there remain considerable uncertainties about the mechanism of the potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism in Southeast Tibet. Based on the systematic investigation of previously reported and our new chemical and Sr‐Nd‐Pb isotopic data of the post‐collisional K‐rich rocks in Southeast Tibet, here we unravel phlogopite‐bearing peridotite lithospheric mantle sources for these K‐rich rocks. This study highlights that the potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism in Southeast Tibet was a combined result of pre‐collisional oceanic subduction‐related metasomatism and post‐collisional lithospheric thinning, a mechanism distinct from that in Southwest Tibet. Key Points: A primary control of fractional crystallization on magmatic evolution of post‐collisional potassic‐ultrapotassic rocks in Southeast TibetSubducting sediments within oceanic slabs rather than the deeply subducted Indian continent provided K‐rich materials in the sourcesA critical role of post‐collisional lithospheric thinning in the post‐collisional potassic‐ultrapotassic magmatism in Southeast Tibet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Materials and Methods Results Conclusions This study aimed to assess hard and soft tissue contour changes following micro crestal flap‐alveolar ridge preservation (MCF‐ARP) and natural healing (NH) in periodontally compromised molar extraction sites and to analyse the feasibility and need for bone augmentation during implant therapy.Fifty‐six patients with 70 sites were randomized into two groups at the site level (35 sites from 31 patients in the test group and 35 sites from 29 patients in the control group). Among whom, four patients contributed one tooth to the control group and one tooth to the test group. Hard tissue indicators were measured using cone beam computed tomography performed before tooth extraction and 6 months after surgery. Soft tissue contour changes were assessed using intraoral scanning performed before and immediately after surgery and also 2 weeks and 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery.Six months after surgery, the MCF‐ARP group showed less resorption in buccal bone height (p = .032) and greater augmentation in central bone height (p = .001) and ridge width (p = .009). The mean, vertical and horizontal collapse of buccal soft tissue contour in the MCF‐ARP group were 0.95 mm (p = .010), 0.61 mm (p = .019) and 0.56 mm (p = .013) less than that in the NH group, respectively. There were significantly (p = .007) fewer sites in the MCF‐ARP group than in the NH group (0% vs. 26.7%) for staged bone augmentation and more sites that could be treated with simple implant procedure in the MCF‐ARP group than in the NH group (71.9% vs. 56.6%).Compared with NH, MCF‐ARP reduced bone resorption in periodontally compromised molar extraction sites and maintained the buccal soft tissue contour. MCF‐ARP reduces the need for complex bone augmentation procedures in implant therapy. Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Register (ChiCTR) ChiCTR2200056335. Registered on 4 February 2022, Version 1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the treatment of kidney diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute tubular necrosis (ATN), prolonged contact between conductivity sensors and patients' bodily fluids is required, necessitating high biocompatibility for the electrodes. However, the widely used graphite electrodes exhibit limited biocompatibility, showing a cell survival rate of only 88% under indirect contact conditions, and <56% under direct contact conditions. Here, the surface detachment of graphite electrodes in liquid environments leading to cell death upon contact is observed and a solution is proposed to enhance biocompatibility and ensure conductivity, by forming a layer of interface‐stable coating (ISC) as a conductive isolation membrane on their surface. For applications with contact requirements, graphite‐like carbon (GLC) coated graphite electrodes are investigated and developed, resulting in an exceptional cell survival rate exceeding 96% under indirect contact conditions, and a relatively high survival rate exceeding 91% under direct contact conditions, both accompanied by significant proliferation. GLC‐coated graphite electrodes are successfully to monitor the dialysate conductivity in a hemodialysis machine and achieve stable monitoring with temperature compensation. The results demonstrate ISC graphite electrodes' potential in biomedical fluid monitoring, with the developed process applicable to other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timely and accurate assessment of flooding disasters and economic resilience is significant for post-disaster reconstruction and recovery. In July 2021, the National Polar-orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB) daily data were explored as a proxy to assess the flooding damage caused by heavy rainfall in Zhengzhou City, China. A combination of the night-time light (NTL) changes and the radiation normalization method was used to rapidly identify affected areas and extract populations following the flooding disaster. A daily gross domestic product (GDP) prediction model was developed to evaluate the economic resilience of Zhengzhou City using multi-temporal DNB daily and monthly NTL data. The severity of the disaster was estimated by the extent of power outages, flooding crisis regions, and affected populations. It has been predicted that the Zhengzhou economy is unlikely to be restored to its normal level before the end of 2021 owing to the dual impact of the coronavirus outbreak and flooding disaster; the revised recovery-time prediction is late April 2022. We concluded that our NTL data provided new, simple, and effective insights into the post-flooding assessment of the affected areas, populations, GDP forecast, and economic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an experimental study of the cooling capabilities of microchannel and micro-pin-fin based on-chip cooling systems. The on-chip cooling systems integrated with a micro heat sink, simulated power IC (integrated circuit) and temperature sensors are fabricated by micromachining and silicon-to-silicon direct bonding. Three micro heat sink structures: a microchannel heat sink (MCHS), an inline micro-pin-fin heat sink (I-MPFHS) and a staggered micro-pin-fin heat sink (S-MPFHS) are tested in the Reynolds number range of 79.2 to 882.3. The results show that S-MPFHS is preferred if the water pump can provide enough pressure drop. However, S-MPFHS has the worst performance when the rated pressure drop of the pump is lower than 1.5 kPa because the endwall effect under a low Reynolds number suppresses the disturbance generated by the staggered micro pin fins but S-MPFHS is still preferred when the rated pressure drop of the pump is in the range of 1.5 to 20 kPa. When the rated pressure drop of the pump is higher than 20 kPa, I-MPFHS will be the best choice because of high heat transfer enhancement and low pressure drop price brought by the unsteady vortex street. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their recent article, Ogburn et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(6):1142–1147) raised a cautionary tale for epidemiologic data fusion: Bias may occur if a variable that is completely missing in the primary data set is imputed according to a regression model estimated from an auxiliary data set. However, in some specific settings, a solution may exist. Focusing on a linear outcome regression model with a missing covariate, we show that the bias can be eliminated if the underlying imputation model for the missing covariate is nonlinear in the common variables measured in both data sets. Otherwise, we describe 2 alternative approaches existing in the data fusion literature that could partially resolve this issue: One fits the outcome model by leveraging an additional validation data set containing joint observations of the outcome and the missing covariate, and the other offers informative bounds for the outcome regression coefficients without using validation data. We justify these 3 methods in a linear outcome model and briefly discuss their extension to general settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) regulates a newly discovered cell death form called necroptosis. RIPK3 nuclear translocation and inflammatory factor release are involved in necroptosis after rat global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of interactions between the RIPK3 and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) necroptosis pathway and the JNK-mediated inflammatory pathway. Rats were subjected to 4-vessel occlusion and reperfusion injury. RIPK3 inhibitor GSK872, RIPk3 recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) and JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 were intracerebroventricular injected before I/R. Hippocampus CA1 tissue were obtained and RIPK3, AIF, p-JNK, IL-6 were determined by western blot analysis. The RIPK3 and AIF interaction were also analyzed by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation. The expression of endogenous RIPK3, AIF, p-JNK and IL-6 was increased in hippocampus CA1 in I/R group. In addition, RIPK3 was increased in both the total protein and nuclear protein. GSK872 administration reduced the number of neuron deaths and the expression of RIPK3, p-JNK and IL-6. GSK872 also improve the rat neurobehavior. While use RIPk3 rAAV treatment to overexpress RIPK3, it appeared lower neuron survival. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that RIPK3 and AIF formed as a novel complex in the cytoplasm first, and then nuclear translocation. GSK872 pretreatment decreased the number of RIPK3-positive cells and related to the generation of RIPK3-AIF complex in nuclear. Moreover, the production of inflammatory factors levels was found to be significantly elevated after I/R. We further use SP600125 to attenuate inflammation cascade. It not only inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors p-JNK and IL-6, but also inhibits RIPK3 and AIF in the cytoplasm. Collectively, the results of our study indicate that RIPK3-mediated necroptosis interacts with the JNK-mediated inflammatory signaling pathway to participate in global cerebral I/R injury. JNK-regulated inflammatory mediators may promote the necroptosis initiation. Unlabelled Image • RIPK3-AIF complex nuclear transfer mediates cell death after I/R injury. • Inhibitor GSK872 attenuates RIPK3-AIF complex enrichment in nucleus. • Regulation of RIPK3 affects the JNK and IL-6 induced inflammation. • JNK inflammatory signaling promotes the necroptosis initial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an experimental implementation of width-tunable neurons to train a binary neural network. The angle-dependent magnetic behavior in an oxide thin film highly mimics neurons with width-controllable activation window, providing an opportunity to train the activation functions and weights toward binary values. We apply this feature to train the MNIST dataset using a 684-800-10 fully connected network and achieve a high accuracy of 97.4%, thus opening an implementation strategy toward training neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify suitable potassium fertilizers for grape (Vitis vinifera L.) production and study their mechanism of action, the effects of four potassium-containing fertilizers (complex fertilizer, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate) on sugar and organic acid metabolism in grape fruits were investigated. Potassium-containing fertilizers increased the activity of sugar and organic acid metabolism-related enzymes at all stages of grape fruit development. During the later stages of fruit development, potassium-containing fertilizers increased the total soluble solid content and the sugar content of the different sugar fractions and decreased the titratable acid content and organic acid content of the different organic acid fractions. At the ripening stage of grape fruit, compared with the control, complex fertilizer, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate increased the total soluble solid content by 1.5, 1.2, 3.5, and 3.4 percentage points, decreased the titratable acid content by 0.09, 0.06, 0.18, and 0.17 percentage points, respectively, and also increased the total potassium content in grape fruits to a certain degree. Transcriptome analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the berries showed that applying potassium-containing fertilizers enriched the genes in pathways involved in fruit quality, namely, carbon metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, and fructose and mannose metabolism. Potassium-containing fertilizers affected the expression levels of genes regulating sugar metabolism and potassium ion uptake and transport. Overall, potassium-containing fertilizers can promote sugar accumulation and reduce acid accumulation in grape fruits, and potassium sulfate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate had the best effects among the fertilizers tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: CCR2 (C‐C chemokine receptor type 2) plays a crucial role in inflammatory and bone metabolic diseases; however, its role in peri‐implantitis remains unclear. This study aimed to explore whether CCR2 contributes to peri‐implantitis and the treatment effects of cenicriviroc (CVC) on peri‐implant inflammation and bone resorption. Materials and Methods: The expression of CCR2 was studied using clinical tissue analysis and an in vivo peri‐implantitis model. The role of CCR2 in promoting inflammation and bone resorption in peri‐implantitis was evaluated in Ccr2−/− mice and wild‐type mice. The effect of CVC on peri‐implantitis was evaluated using systemic and local dosage forms. Results: Human peri‐implantitis tissues showed increased CCR2 and CCL2 levels, which were positively correlated with bone loss around the implants. Knocking out Ccr2 in an experimental model of peri‐implantitis resulted in decreased monocyte and macrophage infiltration, reduced pro‐inflammatory cytokine generation and impaired osteoclast activity, leading to reduced inflammation and bone loss around the implants. Treatment with CVC ameliorated bone loss in experimental peri‐implantitis. Conclusions: CCR2 may be a potential target for peri‐implantitis treatment by harnessing the immune‐inflammatory response to modulate the local inflammation and osteoclast activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to compare hard‐ and soft‐tissue changes after ridge preservation in periodontally compromised molar sockets with and without primary wound closure. Materials and Methods: Forty molars with severe periodontitis requiring extraction were included and allocated to two treatment modalities. After tooth extraction, the sockets were filled with deproteinized bovine bone mineral and covered with a bioabsorbable porcine collagen membrane. Primary wound closure was achieved in the control group, whereas the test group underwent minimally invasive open healing. The dimensions of the bone and soft tissue were recorded at baseline and 6 months. Results: Over 6 months, the control and test groups had similar mean ridge heights at the center of sockets of 8.59 ± 2.47 mm and 8.47 ± 2.51 mm, respectively. The total volume of the control group increased from 1070.17 to 1713.52 mm3 for a mean gain of 643.35 mm3, whereas that of the test group increased from 992.51 to 1514.05 mm3 for a mean gain of 521.54 mm3. Compared with the test group, the control group showed a statistically significant decrease in keratinized tissue width of 1.08 ± 1.63 mm. Conclusions: Bone dimensional changes following ridge preservation with and without primary wound closure were comparable. ARP without primary wound closure preserves more keratinized tissue than that with (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR‐ONN‐16009433). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Various training models have been developed for laparoscopic training. Inanimate models including cadavers, ex-vivo simulator, and virtual reality (VR), are less realistic and often fail to display specific events such as bleeding, bile leakage, etc. Animal models provide more realistic experience, but constraints like cost involved, anesthetic requirement, and ethical approval have limited its application. We have designed a new training ex-vivo simulator—Smagister to address these issues. Methods: The Smagister consists of a normothermic machine perfusion platform, multivisceral organ of porcine abdominal cavity (liver, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, intestine, kidney, uterus, bladders, etc.), high-definition display, and software system. Blood gas analysis and number of peristalsis per hour were recorded. A questionnaire was used to subjectively assess vitality of the organ cluster every hour. Three laparoscopic procedures including cholecystectomy (LC), enterotomy closure (LEC) and hepatectomy (LLR) were performed on Smagister, with demonstration of specific events for each procedure. Six experts compared the procedures with actual surgery in terms of feasibility to complete procedures and demonstration of complications. Results: The fluctuation of perfusate glucose (6.1–8.2 mmol/L) and lactate (5.82–6.55 mmol/L) suggested metabolic function of the multivisceral organs. The mean number of peristalsis was 2.2/min. The simulated surgical view and anatomic structures closely resembled actual surgery during continuous perfusion (3.5 ± 1.0, 3.8 ± 0.8, respectively). The evaluation scores of haptic feedbacks were 3.8 ± 0.8, resembling live tissue handling. LC, LEC, and LLR were performed well on the Smagister, with clear display of the specific events. All six experts considered Smagister as a suitable training modality for both basic and advanced laparoscopic surgery. Conclusion: The amalgamation of live animal model and ex-vivo simulation in Smagister centralizes the virtue of both modalities, expands the training field, and provides high-fidelity laparoscopic training for both novice and senior surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of research has been devoted to developing novel superhydrophobic coatings. However, it is still a great challenge to pursuean environmentally friendly method that leads to superhydrophobic coatings. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time, an environmentally friendly method for the preparation of conductive superhydrophobic coatings with sandwich-like structures by using aminoethylaminopropyl polydimethylsiloxane modified waterborne polyurethane (SiWPU) and N-octadecylamine functionalized multi-wall carbon nanotubes. These environmentally friendly coatings with the sheet resistance of 1.1 ± 0.1 kΩ/sq exhibit a high apparent contact angle of 158.1° ± 2° and a low sliding angle below 1°. The influence of the surface texture before and after heat treatment on the wetting properties is discussed. In addition, the coatings can be electrically heated by 3~113 °C with a voltage of 12~72 V, and thus, can be used for deicing. Furthermore, the resulting coatings demonstrate good performance of wear resistance and ultraviolet resistance, which will have broad application potential in harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The aim of this study was to explore the role of hesperadin in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) mice, with the involvement of the mammalian ste20-like kinase 4 (MST4)/AKT signaling pathway. Methods. All mice were divided into four groups: sham group, sham+hesperidin group, ICH group, and ICH+hesperadin group. The effects of hesperadin were assessed on the basis of brain edema and neurobehavioral function. Furthermore, we observed MST4, AKT, phosphorylation of AKT (pAKT), and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) by western blotting. Protein localization of MST4 and LC3 was determined by immunofluorescence. Results. The expression of MST4 was upregulated at 12 h and 24 h after ICH. Brain edema was significantly decreased and neurological function was improved in the hesperadin treatment group compared to the ICH group (P < 0.05). Hesperadin decreases the expressions of MST and increases pAKT after ICH. Autophagy significantly increased in the ICH group, while hesperadin reduced this increase. Conclusion. Hesperadin provides neuroprotection against ICH by inhibiting the MST4/AKT signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Our previous study revealed that the C‐C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is a promising target for periodontitis prevention and treatment. However, CCR2 is a receptor with multiple C‐C motif chemokine ligands (CCLs), including CCL2, CCL7, CCL8, CCL13 and CCL16, and which of these ligands plays a key role in periodontitis remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the key functional ligand of CCR2 in periodontitis and to evaluate the potential of the functional ligand as a therapeutic target for periodontitis. Materials and Methods: The expression levels and clinical relevance of CCR2, CCL2, CCL7, CCL8, CCL13 and CCL16 were studied using human samples. The role of CCL2 in periodontitis was evaluated by using CCL2 knockout mice and overexpressing CCL2 in the periodontium. The effect of local administration of bindarit in periodontitis was evaluated by preventive and therapeutic medication in a mouse periodontitis model. Microcomputed tomography, haematoxylin and eosin staining, tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase staining, real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, bead‐based immunoassays and flow cytometry were used for histomorphology, molecular biology and cytology analysis. Results: Among different ligands of CCR2, only CCL2 was significantly up‐regulated in periodontitis gingival tissues and was positively correlated with the severity of periodontitis. Mice lacking CCL2 showed milder inflammation and less bone resorption than wild‐type mice, which was accompanied by a reduction in monocyte/macrophage recruitment. Adeno‐associated virus‐2 vectors overexpressing CCL2 in Ccl2−/− mice gingiva reversed the attenuation of periodontitis in a CCR2‐dependent manner. In ligation‐induced experimental periodontitis, preventive or therapeutic administration of bindarit, a CCL2 synthesis inhibitor, significantly inhibited the production of CCL2, decreased the osteoclast number and bone loss and reduced the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, IL‐6 and IL‐1β. Conclusions: CCL2 is a pivotal chemokine that binds to CCR2 during the progression of periodontitis, and targeting CCL2 may be a feasible option for controlling periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two spiro-D configured host materials DCPSO and DAPSO bearing electron-withdrawing group spironaphthalenone and electron-donating group phenylcarbazole or triphenylamine were designed and synthesized. The spironaphthalenone moiety was embedded in the host skeleton such that the host materials have twisted conformation and separated molecular frontier orbitals. The triplet energy of the DCPSO and DAPSO were estimated to be 2.60 and 2.45 eV, respectively, rendering them suitable host materials for red organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The single-carrier transporting devices revealed that DCPSO is a bipolar material with more balanced hole and electron flux in the emitting layer than that of DAPSO . Employing DCPSO as host, high external quantum efficiencies of 16.6% and 13.3% as well as negligible efficiency roll-off were achieved for red phosphorescent and red TADF OLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoleucine is a branched chain amino acid. The role of isoleucine in cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury remains unclear. Here, we show that the concentration of isoleucine is decreased in cerebrospinal fluid in a rat model of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury, the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). To our surprise, the level of intraneuronal isoleucine is increased in an in vitro model of cerebral ischemia injury, the oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). We found that the increased activity of LAT1, an L‐type amino acid transporter 1, leads to the elevation of intraneuronal isoleucine after OGD insult. Reducing the level of intraneuronal isoleucine promotes cell survival after cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury, but supplementing isoleucine aggravates the neuronal damage. To understand how isoleucine promotes ischemia‐induced neuronal death, we reveal that isoleucine acts upstream to reduce the expression of CBFB (core binding factor β, a transcript factor involved in cell development and growth) and that the phosphatase PTEN acts downstream of CBFB to mediate isoleucine‐induced neuronal damage after OGD insult. Interestingly, we demonstrate that direct‐current stimulation reduces the level of intraneuronal isoleucine in cortical cultures subjected to OGD and that transcranial direct‐current stimulation (tDCS) decreases the cerebral infarct volume of MCAO rat through reducing LAT1‐depencent increase of intraneuronal isoleucine. Together, these results lead us to conclude that LAT1 over activation‐dependent isoleucine‐CBFB‐PTEN signal transduction pathway may mediate ischemic neuronal injury and that tDCS exerts its neuroprotective effect by suppressing LAT1 over activation‐dependent signalling after cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]