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This study investigates a supply chain of fresh produce with consideration of option contracts and where stochastic market demand depends on freshness-keeping effort. Firstly, we investigate a benchmark scenario of an integrated supply chain with freshness effort and consideration of decreases in both the quality and quantity of produce while in the supply chain. Secondly, we introduce call, put, and bidirectional option contracts to mitigate risks of the retailer. A call option contract can reduce the underage risk, while a put option contract can reduce the overage risk, and a bidirectional option contract can reduce bilateral risks. We derive the optimal ordering decisions and freshness-keeping effort for a retailer in a supply chain of fresh produce with option contracts, and the conditions for achieving coordination of the supply chain. We find that the bidirectional option results in the highest option price and lowest option order quantity, while the call option results in the lowest initial order quantity and the put option results in the highest initial order quantity. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the impacts of various parameters on optimal decision-making. This paper provides managerial insights for reducing risk in fresh produce supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe perturbative methods for improving finite-basis Hartree–Fock calculations toward the complete-basis limit. The best method appears to offer quadratic error reduction and preliminary numerical applications demonstrate that remarkably accurate Hartree–Fock energies can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a navigation filter fused with information of visual optical flow and data collected from an inertial measurement unit during GPS signal degradation. Under the assumption that the tracked feature points are located on a level plane, the feature depth can be explicitly expressed and an exact measurement model was derived. Moreover, an error model analysis for a block-matching-based optical flow algorithm has been investigated. The measurement error follows a Gaussian distribution, which is a prerequisite for leveraging the errorstate Kalman filter. Subsequently, a local observability analysis of the proposed filter was performed yielding the expression of three unobservable directions. We emphasize the ability of the proposed filter to estimate the aircraft's state, especially for accurate altitude estimation, without any help of prior knowledge or extra sensors. Finally, an extensive Monte Carlo analysis was used to verify the findings in the observability results showing that all states can be estimated except the absolute horizontal positions and rotation around the gravity vector. The effectiveness of the proposed filter is demonstrated through experimental hardware used to acquire outdoor flight test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracorporeal life support is used as a salvage procedure to treat refractory cardiopulmonary failure. There are limited data addressing discrepancies between pre- and postmortem findings in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We investigated discrepancies between clinical and autopsy findings in patients placed on ECMO to assess in what proportion of patients were there significant cardiovascular or other pathologies present that were not clinically apparent prior to death. After institutional review board approval, a list of deceased ECMO patients who underwent autopsy examination from 2004 through 2015 was obtained from our institutional database. Retrospective analyses of findings on clinical investigations done while patients were on ECMO and findings on autopsy examination were compared and stratified according to modified Goldman Criteria, which classify discrepancies into four grades depending on their impact on patient's management and mortality. Of 19 patients, 18 patients had venoarterial ECMO (9 central + 5 peripheral + 4 conversions of ECMO type) and 1 patient received venovenous ECMO. Clinically unrecognized findings were found on autopsy in all patients. 56.6% of total discrepancies found were major [class I/II; e.g., myocardial infarction (MI), intracranial bleeding]. All patients had major discrepancies (class I/II) with an average of 4.21 class I discrepancies per patient. Class I discrepancies are findings which could have altered the course of treatment and survival of the patient if recognized premortem. The most common discrepancies were cardiovascular (MI 63.2%, marked cardiac remodeling 42.1%, severe coronary disease 31.6%) in nature across four classes of discrepancies. We found major discrepancies between premortem and postmortem diagnoses in patients who underwent ECMO. Our findings underscore difficulties in clinically diagnosing events on ECMO as well as the need for enhanced surveillance and better diagnostic techniques in ECMO patients. Further prospective studies are necessary to understand effects of ECMO on major organs. • Extracorporeal life support is used as a salvage procedure to treat refractory cardiopulmonary failure. • There are limited data addressing discrepancies between pre- and postmortem findings in patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). • Major discrepancies were found between premortem and postmortem diagnoses in all patients who underwent ECMO in our analysis. • Central ECMO was associated with significantly fewer discrepancies compared to peripheral and conversion ECMO runs. • We found significant overall discrepancies between pre- and postmortem findings in patients undergoing ECMO from 2004 through 2015 in our institution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Three novel ferrocene appended naphthalimide derivatives (2a , 2b and 6) were synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR and mass spectroscopies. In electrochemical experiments, all of the ferrocene appended naphthalimide derivatives exhibited reversible one-electron oxidation in CV curves. And the DNA binding ability of the compounds was studied by ethidium bromide displacement experiments and UV–visible spectrophotometry. The ferrocene appended naphthalimide derivative 6 also exhibited the highest DNA binding ability in all the tested compounds. According to the viscosity results, all of the synthesized compounds displayed the partial intercalation binding mode to DNA duplex. Bis-naphthalimide compound 5 was used as reference compound to evaluate the synergistic effect of the ferrocene group in ferrocene appended naphthalimide derivative 6. The cytotoxicity of the synthesized compounds against 4 different human cancer cell lines (EC109, BGC823, SGC 7901 and HepG2) was studied by MTT assay. The ferrocene appended bis-naphthalimide derivative 6 showed the best cytotoxicity against tested human cancer cells in all the synthesized naphthalimide derivatives and control drug amonafide. The uptake of naphthalimide derivative 6 was proved by laser confocal images. In addition, the DNA damage induced by naphthalimide derivative 6 was studied by comet assay. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Bis-naphthalimide with suitable linker is helpful to improve the cytotoxicity. • Bis-naphthalimide with ferrocene exhibit synergistic effect in cytotoxicity. • The cytotoxicity is due to DNA damage in cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the construction of a multi-period newsvendor model, this study examines the ordering behaviour and pricing decisions of a fresh produce firm. The firm ordered the fresh produce via a wholesale price contract and option contract to determine the optimal preliminary order quantity, option order quantity, and retail pricing when faced with price-dependent random demand. We first determine the optimal decision that could be made through the use of the single-period model. The results revealed that the firm's retail price, option order quantity and total order quantity all increased in the circulation loss rate. In contrast, the preliminary order quantity was found to decrease in the circulation loss rate. In the multi-period model, the retail price and total order quantity were unaffected by the price difference between the regular and concessionary prices, while an increase in the price difference caused an increase in the option order quantity and decrease in the preliminary order quantity in the previous period. Further, a lower discount factor for the concessionary price than for the regular price did not have as much of an effect on the retail price and total order quantity, while a rise in the discount factor led to a fall in the option order quantity as well as a rise in the preliminary order quantity in the previous period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber film has been used as an inhibitor and insulation in solid rocket motors (SRMs) due to its excellent heat-insulating property. EPDM is wrapped on the surface of the grain layer-by-layer via an adhesive; thus, the adhesive property between EPDM films is one of the key factors that influence the structural integrity of an SRM. The adhesive properties are largely temperature dependent, therefore, it is essential to study the effect of temperature on the properties of the bonding interface between EPDM films. In this article, double cantilever sandwich beam (DCSB) and uniaxial tensile experiments were performed to study the temperature-dependent mode I fracture of the bonding interface, in the service temperature range of the SRMs. A comparison of experimental and numerical results obtained using experimental parameters indicates that the fracture parameters determined by the simple beam theory (SBT) and the compliance-based beam method (CBBM) are not accurate. Next, we obtained accurate parameters using an inverse analysis method. Moreover, we made an initial attempt to establish a temperature-dependent cohesive zone model to predict the temperature-dependent fracture behavior of adhesively bonded joints. Good agreement between experimental and numerical results demonstrates that this temperature-dependent model is applicable. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Emulsified isoflurane (EIso), as a result of its rapid anesthetic induction, recovery and convenience, is widely used as a novel intravenous general anesthetic. Treatment with EIso can reduce injuries caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) to organs, including the heart, lung and liver, without knowing understanding the molecular mechanism. The present study hypothesized that treatment with EIso can affect the physiological processes of human lung bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) prior to I/R. To test this hypothesis, the present study first constructed stable p53 knockdown and synthesis of cytochrome c oxidase (SCO)2 knockdown 16HBE cells. The above cells were subsequently treated with EIso at a concentration of 0.1 and 0.2% for 24 h. The relevant concentration of fat emulsion was used as a negative control. The expression levels of p53, p21, SCO1, SCO2 and Tp53-induced glycolysis and apoptosis regulator (TIGAR) were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Subsequently, the cell proliferation, respiration and glycolysis were investigated. The results revealed that EIso treatment significantly decreased the transcription of TIGAR, SCO1 and SCO2, and increased the transcription of p21, which are all p53 target genes, in a p53-independent manner. The cell cycle was inhibited by arresting cells at the G0/G1 phase. Respiration was reduced, which caused a decrease in oxygen consumption and the accumulation of lactate and reactive oxygen species. Taken together, EIso treatment inhibited the proliferation and respiration, and promoted glycolysis in 16HBE cells. This regulatory pathway may represent a protective mechanism of EIso treatment by inhibiting cell growth and decreasing the oxygen consumption from I/R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at cost saving and pollution reduction, a novel desulfurization wastewater evaporation treatment system (DWETS) for handling wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) wastewater of a coalfired power plant was studied. The system's advantages include simple process, and less investment and space. The feasibility of this system has been proven and the appropriate position and number of nozzles, the spray droplet size and flue gas temperature limitation have been obtained by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The simulation results show that a longer duct, smaller diameter and higher flue gas temperature could help to increase the evaporation rate. The optimal DWETS design of Shangdu plant is 100 μm droplet sprayed by two nozzles located at the long duct when the flue gas temperature is 130 °C. Field tests were carried out based on the simulation results. The effects of running DWETS on the downstream devices have been studied. The results show that DWETS has a positive impact on ash removal efficiency and does not have any negative impact on the electrostatic precipitator (ESP), flue gas heat exchanger and WFGD. The pH values of the slurry of WFGD slightly increase when the DWETS is running. The simulation and field test of the DWETS show that it is a feasible future technology for desulfurization wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We design several implicit asymptotic-preserving schemes for the linear semiconductor Boltzmann equation with a diffusive scaling, which lead asymptotically to the implicit discretizations of the drift-diffusion equation. The constructions are based on a stiff relaxation step and a stiff convection step obtained by splitting the system equal to the model equation. The one space dimensional schemes are given with the uniform grids and the staggered grids, respectively. The uniform grids are considered only in two space dimension. The relaxation step is evolved with the BGK-penalty method of Filbet and Jin [F. Filbet and S. Jin, J. Comp. Phys. 229(20), 7625-7648, 2010], which avoids inverting the complicated nonlocal anisotropic collision operator. The convection step is performed with a suitable implicit approximation to the convection term, which gives a banded matrix easy to invert. The von-Neumman analysis for the Goldstein-Taylor model show that the one space dimensional schemes are unconditionally stable. The heuristic discussions suggest that all the proposed schemes have the correct discrete drift-diffusion limit. The numerical results verify that all the schemes are asymptotic-preserving. As far as we know, they are the first class of asymptotic-preserving schemes ever introduced for the Boltzmann equation with a diffusive scaling that lead to an implicit discretization of the diffusion limit, thus significantly relax to stability condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five soluble polysaccharide fractions were sequentially extracted with water, EDTA, Na2CO3, 4% KOH, and 14% KOH solutions at room temperature for 4 h from cell wall material of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei) fruits, and their physicochemical properties were examined. The sequential treatments yielded a total 36.02% soluble polysaccharides of the dry cell wall material. HPAEC and spectroscopy (FT-IR, NMR) analyses indicated that water-, EDTA-, and Na2CO3-soluble polysaccharide fractions were mainly composed of pectins, followed by lower amounts of arabinogalactans and glucans, while the two KOH-soluble fractions were mainly composed of hemicelluloses. Homogalacturonan was proven to be the predominant component in the isolated blueberry fruit pectic substance. The isolated blueberry fruit hemicelluloses could be defined as a linear β-(1→4)-linked-xylopyranosyl, in which xylose was the predominant neutral sugar (69.98 to 77.16%), followed by lower amounts of galactose, glucose, arabinose, and mannose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time series of precipitable water (PW) in 30 min intervals has been determined through experimentation and operational application of a ground-based global positioning system (GPS) network in Chengdu Plain, which is used for precise and reliable meteorological research. This study is the first to apply PW to the southwest vortex (SWV) and heavy rain events by using the data from an intensive SWV experiment conducted in summer 2010. The PW derived from the local ground-based GPS network was used in the monitoring and analysis of heavy rain caused by the SWV and the Tibetan Plateau vortex (TPV). Results indicate that an increase in GPS precipitable water (GPS-PW) occurs prior to the development of the TPV and SWV; rainfall occurs mainly during high levels of GPS-PW. The evolution features of GPS-PW in rainfall process caused by different weather systems over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) also differ. These results indicate the reference values for operational applications of GPS-PW data in short term forecasting and now casting of high-impact weather in addition to further investigation of heavy rain caused by the TPV, SWV, and other severe weather systems over the TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dodecyl benzenesulfonic acid functionalized silica-coated magnetic nanopartides (γ-Fe2O3@SiO2·DDBSA) were readily prepared and identified as an efficient catalyst for the synthesis of a library of spirooxindole-pyrimidine derivatives by three-component condensation reaction of barbituric acids, isatins and cyclohexane-1,3-diones. The aqueous reaction medium, easy recovery of the catalyst using an external magnet, and high yields make the protocol sustainable and economic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss several measures of the quality of a molecular orbital. Each requires only that the orbital be associated with a well-defined Fock operator and is thus applicable to both Hartree-Fock and density functional orbitals. One of the measures, the y diagnostic, ranges from y = 0 (perfect) to y = rc/2 (poor) and is conceptually simple. We illustrate its usefulness by applying it to a number of small atoms and ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel nanoparticles supported on boehmite were prepared by a modified electroless nickel-plating method and a direct reduction method. We mainly studied the catalyst synthesized by the direct reduction method. The as-prepared nickel catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The catalytic behavior in selective hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol and p-chloronitrobenzene to p-chloroaniline was studied and compared with Ni–B/γ-Al2O3 catalyst prepared by incipient-wetness impregnation and Ni–B/Al2O3·xH2O catalyst synthesized by a coprecipitation method. The Ni–B/boehmite catalysts were found to be more reactive than the Ni–B/γ-Al2O3 and Ni–B/Al2O3·xH2O catalysts. The superior activity of the Ni–B/boehmite catalyst was attributed to the small Ni–B particles and large amount of structural water, which enhanced the hydrophilicity of the catalyst. The Ni–B/boehmite sample was prepared by a direct reduction method. Compared with boehmite (a), the black spheres in b represent Ni–B cluster, the Ni–B cluster is about 20 nm in diameter.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a novel approach of synthesis of (7-Methoxynaphth-1-yl)acetic Acid which has a high yield. It overviews the procedure applied including the application of Wittig-Horner reaction for the preparation of 4a and 4b compounds. It notes that the result of the Wittig-Horner reaction was proceeded for subsequent treatment of dehydrogenation with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone to get the ester 5. The experimental procedure in devising the new approach is described in the article.

With the global energy consumption on the rise and the gradual decline in conventional oil production, unconventional reservoirs have received considerable attention in the last decade. However, due to the unique physical properties and a large number of micro/nanopores in unconventional reservoirs, fluid flow in these reservoirs is considerably different from conventional ones. Therefore, it is highly important to conduct research on elucidating these fluid flow mechanisms. Furthermore, to avoid problems associated with the rapid production decline and low recovery efficiency in such reservoirs, an enhanced oil recovery technology that can efficiently and economically develop unconventional reservoirs is urgently required. This paper systematically summarizes the current research on flow mechanisms, including capillary imbibition, molecular-scale fluid flow and productivity prediction in unconventional reservoirs, and introduces the enhanced oil recovery and application status of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement technology, along with a brief analysis of their advantages and disadvantages. This study is intended to serve a reference for the efficient development of unconventional reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denitrification plays a critical role in soil nitrogen (N) cycling, affecting N availability in agroecosystems. However, the challenges in direct measurement of denitrification products (NO, N2O, and N2) hinder our understanding of denitrification N losses patterns across the spatial scale. To address this gap, we constructed a data‐model fusion method to map the county‐scale denitrification N losses from China's rice fields over the past decade. The estimated denitrification N losses as a percentage of N application from 2009 to 2018 were 11.8 ± 4.0% for single rice, 12.4 ± 3.7% for early rice, and 11.6 ± 3.1% for late rice. The model results showed that the spatial heterogeneity of denitrification N losses is primarily driven by edaphic and climatic factors rather than by management practices. In particular, diffusion and production rates emerged as key contributors to the variation of denitrification N losses. These findings humanize a 38.9 ± 4.8 kg N ha−1 N loss by denitrification and challenge the common hypothesis that substrate availability drives the pattern of N losses by denitrification in rice fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the 1,1,3,3- Tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) used in organic synthesis as a mild reducing agent for the preparation of organopolysiloxanes. It states that TMDS is a donor of hydride for semihydrogenation of acetylenes to olefins. It also states that practical method for catalytic reduction of carboxamides to amines was developed in the combination of platinum and TMDS.

Human serum albumin (HSA) is a highly water-soluble protein with 67% alpha-helix content and three distinct domains (I, II, and III). HSA offers a great promise in drug delivery with enhanced permeability and retention effect. But it is hindered by protein denaturation during drug entrapment or conjugation that result in distinct cellular transport pathways and reduction of biological activities. Here we report using a protein design approach named reverse-QTY (rQTY) code to convert specific hydrophilic alpha-helices to hydrophobic to alpha-helices. The designed HSA undergo self-assembly of well-ordered nanoparticles with highly biological actives. The hydrophilic amino acids, asparagine (N), glutamine (Q), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y) in the helical B-subdomains of HSA were systematically replaced by hydrophobic leucine (L), valine (V), and phenylalanine (F). HSArQTY nanoparticles exhibited efficient cellular internalization through the cell membrane albumin binding protein GP60, or SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine)-mediated pathways. The designed HSArQTY variants displayed superior biological activities including: i) encapsulation of drug doxorubicin, ii) receptor-mediated cellular transport, iii) tumor cell targeting, and iv) antitumor efficiency compare to denatured HSA nanoparticles. HSArQTY nanoparticles provided superior tumor targeting and antitumor therapeutic effects compared to the albumin nanoparticles fabricated by antisolvent precipitation method. We believe that the rQTY code is a robust platform for specific hydrophobic modification of functional hydrophilic proteins with clear-defined binding interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aconitum transsectum Diels. (Ranunculaceae) is an important medicinal plant that is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, but its morphological traits make it difficult to recognize from other Aconitum species. No research has sequenced the chloroplast genome of A.transsectum, despite the fact that phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast genome sequences provides essential evidence for plant classification. Results: In this study, the chloroplast (cp) genome of A. transsectum was sequenced, assembled, and annotated. A. transsectum cp genome is a 155,872 bp tetrameric structure including a large single copy (LSC, 87,671 bp) and a small single copy (SSC, 18,891 bp) section, as well as a pair of inverted repeat sequences (IRa and IRb, 25,894 bp each). 131 genes are encoded by the complete cp genome, comprising 86 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The most favored codon in the A. transsectum cp genome is AUG, and 46 repeats and 241 SSRs were also identified. The A. transsectum cp genome is similar in size, gene composition, and IR expansion and contraction to the cp genomes of seven Ranunculaceae species. Phylogenetic analysis of cp genomes of 28 plants from the Ranunculaceae family shows that A. transsectum is most closely related to A. vilmorinianum, A. episcopale, and A. forrestii of Subgen. Aconitum. Conclusions: Overall, this study provides complete cp genome resources for A. transsectum that will be beneficial for identifying potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exocyst complex component 3 Sec6 of mammals, one of the components of the exocyst complex, participates in numerous cellular functions, such as promoting cell migration and inhibiting apoptosis. In this study, the Sec6 was obtained from Epinephelus coioides , an economically important cultured fish. The full length of E. coioides Sec6 was 2655 bp including a 245 bp 5′ UTR, a 154 bp 3′ UTR, and a 2256 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding 751 amino acids, with a molecular mass of 86.76 kDa and a theoretical pI of 5.57. Sec6 mRNA was detected in all the tissues examined, but the expression level is different in these tissues. Using fluorescence microscopy, Sec6 were distributed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. After SGIV infection, the expression of E. coioides Sec6 was significantly up-regulated in both trunk kidney and spleen response to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important pathogens of E. coioides. Sec6 could increase the SGIV-induced cytopathic effects (CPE), the expression of the SGIV genes VP19, LITAF, MCP, ICP18 and MCP, and the viral titers. Besides, E. coioides Sec6 significantly downregulated the promoter of NF-κB and AP-1, and inhibited the SGIV-induced apoptosis. The results demonstrated that E. coioides Sec6 might play important roles in SGIV infection. • Epinephelus coioides Sec6 was characterized. • Sec6 mRNA were detected in all tissues examined, and the differential expression was analyzed. • Sec6 can affect the expression of viral genes.. • Sec6 could regulate the SGIV-induced cells apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendrocalamus sinicus, which is the largest bamboo species in the world, has broad prospects for use in biomass-energy and biorefinery applications. In this study, five soluble hemicelluloses fractions were sequentially isolated with 80% ethanol (containing 0.025 M HCl or 0.5% NaOH), and alkaline aqueous solutions (containing 2.0, 5.0, or 8.0% NaOH) at 75 °C for 4 h from dewaxed D. sinicus, and their structural properties were examined. Gel permeation chromatography analysis revealed that the hemicelluloses isolated from D. sinicus had a wide distribution of molecular weights. The hemicelluloses isolated by ethanol had lower weight-average molecular weights (ranging from 17380 to 19620 g/mol), while the hemicelluloses isolated using alkaline aqueous solutions had higher weight-average molecular weights (ranging from 22510 to 42150 g/mol). Neutral sugar analysis indicated that the soluble hemicelluloses were mainly composed of arabinoglucuronoxylans, followed by minor amount of starch. Spectroscopic analyses suggested that the isolated arabinoglucuronoxylans from bamboo (D. sinicus) could be defined as a linear (1→4)-β-linked-xylopyranosyl backbone to which α-L-arabinofuranose and/or 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid units were attached as single-unit side chains via α-(1→3) and/or α-(1→2) linkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are important for maintaining protein homeostasis and cell survival. In this study, Hsp27 of Epinephelus coioides , an economically important marine fish in China and Southeast Asian countries, was characterized. E. coioides Hsp27 contains the consered ACD_HspB1_like domain and three p38 MAPK phosphorylation sites, located at Thr-13, Thr-60 and Ser-167. E. coioides Hsp27 was distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus, its mRNA was detected in all 14 tissues examined, and its expression was up-regulated after challenge with Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), an important E. coioides pathogen. Over-expression of E. coioides Hsp27 significantly upregulated the expressions of the key SGIV genes (VP19, LITAF, MCP, and ICP18), downgraded the expressions of the E. coioides immune factors (IRF3, IRF7, ISG15, and TRAF6) and proinflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-8), downgraded the activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), and substantially inhibited the cell apoptosis induced by SGIV infection. These data illustrated that E. coioides Hsp27 might be involved in SGIV infection by negatively regulating the innate immune response. • Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) was characterized from Epinephelus coioides. • E. coioides Hsp27 mRNA were detected in all tissues examined, and significantly up-regulated during SGIV infection. • E. coioides Hsp27 can promote SGIV replication, and negatively regulates innate immune response. • E. coioides Hsp27 could inhibit the SGIV-induced cells apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor cells acquire the capacity of resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy via cell-matrix and cell-cell crosstalk. Integrins are the most important cell adhesion molecules, in which αV integrin mainly mediating the tight contact between tumor cells. Methodology/Principal Findings: To investigate the role of αV integrin in multi-cellular radioresistance (MCR) of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), we performed immunohistochemistry and Western blotting to find that the expression of αV integrin in the tumor tissue of radioresistant patients is much higher than that in radiosensitive patients. In vitro, we cultured human NPC cell line CNE-2 cells as multi-cellular spheroids (MCSs) or as monolayer cells (MCs), and found that the expression of αV integrin in MCSs is significantly higher than that in MCs. MTT, flow cytometry and clonogenic suvival assays showed that MCSs are less sensitive to X-ray irradiation than MCs while blocking of αV integrin in MCSs dramatically reversed their radioresistance. Furthermore, as detected by Western blotting, MCSs displayed sustained activation of the stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) pathway in presence of irradiation. Blocking of αV integrin in MCSs decreased the expression of phosphorylated JNK. Additionally, blocking of SAPK/JNK signaling pathway synergistically induced apoptosis of MCSs exposed to irradiation by increasing the expression of cleaved caspase-3. In vivo, we found that irradiation combined with αV integrin blocking treatment significantly enhanced the radiosensitivity of NPC xenografts. Conclusions: Our results indicate a novel role of αV integrin in multi-cellular radioresistance of NPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine soluble polysaccharide fractions were sequentially extracted with hot water at 80, 100, and 120 °C for 3 h, and 60% aqueous ethanol containing 0.25, 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, 3.00, and 5.00% NaOH at 80 °C for 3 h from dewaxed bamboo (Dendrocalamus brandisii) sample, and their chemical compositions and physicochemical properties were examined. The sequential treatments yielded 20.6% soluble polysaccharides of the dry dewaxed bamboo material. Molecular weight and neutral sugars analysis revealed that the soluble polysaccharides were mainly composed of arabinoglucuronoxylans and amylose starch. Spectroscopy (FT-IR, ¹H, 13C, and 2D-HSQC NMR) analyses suggested that the isolated arabinoglucuronoxylans from bamboo (D. brandisii) could be defined as a linear (1→4)-β-linked-xylopyranosyl backbone to which a-L-arabinofuranose units and/or short chains of 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid were attached as side residues via α-(1→3) and/or α-(1→2) linkages. In addition, it was found that the thermal stability of polysaccharides increased with an increment of their molar mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, environmentally friendly procedure has been developed for the synthesis of quinoxaline derivatives in the presence of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The reaction between 1,2-diamines and 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds was carried out in water to afford quinoxaline derivatives in high yield. The catalyst can be recovered by the use of an external magnet and reused for five cycles with almost consistent activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a measure change related to Bayes' rule recursive estimates are obtained for an approximate conditional density where a state process has deterministic dynamics and it is observed in additive Gaussian noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of tripodal ferrocenyl bis-naphthalimide derivatives were synthesized and characterized. All of the bis-naphthalimide derivatives exhibited good DNA binding ability which was confirmed by ethidium bromide (EB) displacement experiment and ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption titration. And the binding mode of these compounds was proved to be a hybrid binding mode by experiments. The cytotoxicity of synthesized compounds against 4 different human cancer cell lines (EC109, BGC823, SGC7901 and HEPG2) was evaluated by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. All of the bis-naphthalimide derivatives exhibited good anticancer activity than the positive control drug (amonafide), which was due to the promotion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in test cancer cells by the reversible one-electron redox process of ferrocenyl bis-naphthalimide derivatives. Although there was no obvious relationship between the binding constants and the chain length, the structure cytotoxicity relationship revealed that the linker of n = 3, m = 1 was the best choice for the tested tripodol bis-naphthalimide derivatives. A series of tripodal ferrocenyl bis-naphthalimide derivatives were synthesized to study the DNA binding ability and the cytotoxicity induced by reactive oxygen species. All of the compounds exhibited good DNA binding ability. And the structure cytotoxicity relationship revealed that the structure of 5h was the best choice. [Display omitted] • A series of tripodal ferrocenyl bis-naphthalimide derivatives were synthesized. • These compounds exhibited a synergistic effect between ferrocene and naphthalimide groups. • The naphthalimide units in the hybrid molecules exhibited good DNA binding ability. • The ferrocene group significantly increased the cellular reactive oxygen species level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of vascular complications associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and identify prognostic and predictive factors.Data Sources: Systematic search for publications reporting vascular complications on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, published from 1972 to January 31, 2020, was conducted via PubMed, Scopus, and Embase.Study Selection: Of 4,076 references screened, 47 studies with 6,583 patients were included in final analyses. Studies with fewer than 10 patients were excluded.Data Extraction: Relevant data, including demographics, comorbidities, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cannulation characteristics, occurrence rates of early and late vascular complications, patient outcomes, and use of distal perfusion cannula, were extracted from selected articles into an excel sheet specifically designed for this review.Data Synthesis: Random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regression analyses were undertaken. Overall pooled estimate of vascular complications in our meta-analysis was 29.5% (95% CI, 23.6-35.9%). Two-thousand three-hundred forty-seven vascular complications in 6,124 venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients compared with 95 in 459 venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients (odds ratio, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.87-2.96; p < 0.0001) were analyzed. Successful weaning off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation occurred in 60.6% of pooled patients; 46.2% were eventually discharged. Pooled prevalences of vascular complications like significant bleeding, limb ischemia, and cannula site bleeding were 15.4% (95% CI, 8.6-23.7%), 12.6% (95% CI, 10.0-15.5%), and 12.6% (95% CI, 9.6-18.5%), respectively. Meta-analysis showed that the use of distal perfusion cannula was associated with lower odds of limb ischemia (odds ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.17-2.47; p = 0.03) Meta-regression showed that male sex, smoking, advanced age, and comorbidities contributed to higher in-hospital mortality, while distal perfusion cannula was protective.Conclusions: Nearly a third of patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation develop vascular complications; elderly males with comorbidities appear vulnerable. The use of distal perfusion cannulas caused significant reduction in limb ischemia and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High ground temperature and geo-stress are difficulties encountered in current deep rock mass engineering development. However, research materials on the strength and deformation of rock mass from room temperature to 100 °C are limited. Triaxial compression experiments subjected to coupling temperatures at 25 °C, 50 °C, and 75 °C and confining pressures at 10, 20, and 30 MPa, respectively, were conducted on sandstone from Chongqing Beibei mining area by adopting the rock multi-field coupling triaxial instrument to reveal the mechanical properties of sandstone and its changes and laws of physical parameters under the influence of temperature. The stress strain curve, failure load, average modulus, peak strain, cohesion, and internal friction angle of sandstone were obtained based on the indoor experiment result analysis. Moreover, the influence of temperature and pressure coupling interaction on the physical property and deformation mechanism of sandstone were revealed by analyzing the parameters of mechanical properties. Results show the following: (1) The failure process of sandstone due to coupling temperature and pressure is generally consistent with the stress-strain curve of conventional triaxial compression, and the failure mode is shear failure; (2) When temperature is constant, the failure load increases with confining pressure(a high temperature leads to the rapid increase in confining pressure growth rate); when confining pressure is constant, the failure load influenced by temperature exhibits complex effects related to coupling temperature and pressure; (3) When temperature rises, the average modulus of sandstone first increases then reduces with increasing confining pressure; when the confining pressure is constant, the average modulus reduces along with increasing temperature; (4) The axial peak strain increases with temperature and confining pressure; (5) Cohesion and internal friction angle decrease with increasing temperature, and the weakening effect on cohesion due to temperature increase is larger than that on internal friction angle. This study provides references to explain coupling temperature and pressure issues of rocks in temperature ranging from room temperature to 75 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Seawater piston pump is a key power component for underwater equipment. Low pressure pulsation and vibration have become the key requirements of high quality seawater piston pump in the interest of improving the stability, reliability and stealth of underwater equipment. A new type crankshaft seawater piston pump was studied in this paper. The kinematics of the pistons was analyzed and a simulation model was established. The simulation results indicated that its pressure pulsation rate was as high as 17%. Fortunately, after integrating accumulators and optimizing the precharge pressures, the pressure pulsation rate can be reduced below 5% in the working range. The pump possessed better performance when the accumulators were precharged with optimized multiple pressures than with a single pressure. In addition, experimental analysis was conducted through measuring the pressure pulsation and vibration acceleration under different conditions. The experiment results of the pressure pulsation well agreed with the simulation results. Besides, the vibration acceleration of the seawater piston pump was obviously reduced in wide working range when the accumulators were precharged with the optimized combination multiple parameters. In conclusion, integrating accumulators into pump and optimizing the precharge parameters can reduce the pressure pulsation and vibration acceleration in the working range. Highlights • The kinematic of the pistons was theoretically analyzed and discussed. • The simulation of the seawater piston pump was completed by using AMESim software. • A group of accumulators were integrated into the seawater piston pump. • The precharge parameters were optimally combined. • Experiment was conducted to verify the property of the pulsation and vibration reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States spends more than $250 million each year on the American Community Survey (ACS), a labor-intensive door-todoor study that measures statistics relating to race, gender, education, occupation, unemployment, and other demographic factors. Although a comprehensive source of data, the lag between demographic changes and their appearance in the ACS can exceed several years. As digital imagery becomes ubiquitous and machine vision techniques improve, automated data analysis may become an increasingly practical supplement to the ACS. Here, we present a method that estimates socioeconomic characteristics of regions spanning 200 US cities by using 50 million images of street scenes gathered with Google Street View cars. Using deep learning-based computer vision techniques, we determined the make, model, and year of all motor vehicles encountered in particular neighborhoods. Data from this census of motor vehicles, which enumerated 22 million automobiles in total (8% of all automobiles in the United States), were used to accurately estimate income, race, education, and voting patterns at the zip code and precinct level. (The average US precinct contains ~1,000 people.) The resulting associations are surprisingly simple and powerful. For instance, if the number of sedans encountered during a drive through a city is higher than the number of pickup trucks, the city is likely to vote for a Democrat during the next presidential election (88% chance); otherwise, it is likely to vote Republican (82%). Our results suggest that automated systems for monitoring demographics may effectively complement labor-intensive approaches, with the potential to measure demographics with fine spatial resolution, in close to real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n efficient and direct protocol for the preparation of 12-aryl-8,9,10,12-tetrahydro-benzo[ a]xanthen-11-one derivatives employing a three-component one-pot reaction of aryl aldehydes, 2-naphthol and cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in the presence of a catalytic amount of cyanuric chloride (2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine, TCT) under solvent-free conditions is described. The desired products are obtained in high yields with short reaction times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Holo-Hilbert spectral analysis (HHSA) method is introduced to cure the deficiencies of traditional spectral analysis and to give a full informational representation of nonlinear and non-stationary data. It uses a nested empirical mode decomposition and Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) approach to identify intrinsic amplitude and frequency modulations often present in nonlinear systems. Comparisons are first made with traditional spectrum analysis, which usually achieved its results through convolutional integral transforms based on additive expansions of an a priori determined basis, mostly under linear and stationary assumptions. Thus, for non-stationary processes, the best one could do historically was to use the time-frequency representations, in which the amplitude (or energy density) variation is still represented in terms of time. For nonlinear processes, the data can have both amplitude and frequency modulations (intra-mode and inter-mode) generated by two different mechanisms: linear additive or nonlinear multiplicative processes. As all existing spectral analysis methods are based on additive expansions, either a priori or adaptive, none of them could possibly represent the multiplicative processes. While the earlier adaptive HHT spectral analysis approach could accommodate the intra-wave nonlinearity quite remarkably, it remained that any inter-wave nonlinear multiplicative mechanisms that include cross-scale coupling and phase-lock modulations were left untreated. To resolve the multiplicative processes issue, additional dimensions in the spectrum result are needed to account for the variations in both the amplitude and frequency modulations simultaneously. HHSA accommodates all the processes: additive and multiplicative, intra-mode and inter-mode, stationary and non-stationary, linear and nonlinear interactions. The Holo prefix in HHSA denotes a multiple dimensional representation with both additive and multiplicative capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation of formic acid on edge-truncated cubic platinum nanoparticles/C catalysts is investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicates that the surface of edge-truncated cubic platinum nanoparticles is composed of two types of coordination sites. The oxidation behavior of formic acid on edge-truncated cubic platinum nanoparticles/C is investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The apparent activation energies are found to be 54.2, 55.0, 61.8, 69.5, 71.9, 69.26, 65.28kJ/mol at 0.15, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7V, respectively. A specific surface area activity of 1.76 mA*cm[?]2 at 0.4 V indicates that the edge-truncated cubic Platinum nanoparticles are a promising anode catalyst for direct formic acid fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]