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Considerable progress has been made in understanding the function of alveolar epithelial cells in a quiescent state and regeneration mechanism after lung injury. Lung injury occurs commonly from severe viral and bacterial infections, inhalation lung injury, and indirect injury sepsis. A series of pathological mechanisms caused by excessive injury, such as apoptosis, autophagy, senescence, and ferroptosis, have been studied. Recovery from lung injury requires the integrity of the alveolar epithelial cell barrier and the realization of gas exchange function. Regeneration mechanisms include the participation of epithelial progenitor cells and various niche cells involving several signaling pathways and proteins. While alveoli are damaged, alveolar type II (AT2) cells proliferate and differentiate into alveolar type I (AT1) cells to repair the damaged alveolar epithelial layer. Alveolar epithelial cells are surrounded by various cells, such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and various immune cells, which affect the proliferation and differentiation of AT2 cells through paracrine during alveolar regeneration. Besides, airway epithelial cells also contribute to the repair and regeneration process of alveolar epithelium. In this review, we mainly discuss the participation of epithelial progenitor cells and various niche cells involving several signaling pathways and transcription factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present a complete and simplified solution procedure for the inventory model under trapezoidal type demand, Weibull-distributed deterioration, and partial backlogging. A published paper already provide a solution approach for this kind of inventory models. However, we will show that his approach is too complicated that depending on the partition the domain of a trapezoidal type demand to result in three sub-optimal problems. However, this paper will show that the already exist approach is correct but tedious. Moreover, a generalization of this kind of inventory systems from a trapezoidal type demand to any positive demand under a condition of generalized backlogged rate is also developed by this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of video electroencephalography (VEEG) combined with magnetic resonance imaging diffusion tensor imaging (MRI-DTI) in epilepsy. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, clinical data of 60 patients who underwent both VEEG and MRI examinations at the Neurosurgery Department of Quzhou People's Hospital from December 2020 to March 2023 were retrospectively reviewed, and a total of 55 patients were finally included. We evaluated the diagnostic value of combining VEEG and MRI to determine seizure type, location of epileptic focus, and structural abnormalities of brain tissue, using surgical and pathological results as the gold standard. Results: The accuracy of the combined approach for determining the seizure type was 98.18%, which was higher than the accuracy of MRI (85.45%, P<0.05) or VEEG (81.82%, P<0.05) alone. The accuracy of joint examination for lesion location was 100.00%, which was higher than those of MRI (85.45%, P<0.05) or VEEG (83.64%, P<0.05) alone. Similar abnormal brain tissue structure detection rates was found for both MRI and VEEG (P>0.05). Conclusions: The application of MRI-DTI combined with VEEG to diagnose patients with epilepsy allows for the identification of abnormal structural changes in brain and the location of lesions. Combining both approaches can improve the diagnostic accuracy of each technique alone and provide a reference for the formulation and adjustment of disease management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertensive nephropathy continues to be a major cause of end-stage renal disease and poses a significant global health burden. Despite the staggering development of research in hypertensive nephropathy, scientists and clinicians can only seek out useful information through articles and reviews, it remains a hurdle for them to quickly track the trend in this field. This study uses the bibliometric method to identify the evolutionary development and recent hotspots of hypertensive nephropathy. The Web of Science Core Collection database was used to extract publications on hypertensive nephropathy from January 2000 to November 2023. CiteSpace was used to capture the patterns and trends from multi-perspectives, including countries/regions, institutions, keywords, and references. In total, 557 publications on hypertensive nephropathy were eligible for inclusion. China (n=208, 37.34%) was the most influential contributor among all the countries. Veterans Health Administration (n=19, 3.41%) was found to be the most productive institution. Keyword bursting till now are renal fibrosis, outcomes, and mechanisms which are predicted to be the potential frontiers and hotspots in the future. The top seven references were listed, and their burst strength was shown. A comprehensive overview of the current status and research frontiers of hypertensive nephropathy has been provided through the bibliometric perspective. Recent advancements and challenges in hypertensive nephropathy have been discussed. These findings can offer informative instructions for researchers and scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the paper of feeder bus systems. In their systems, the condition to guarantee the existence of the optimal solution is not discussed. We investigate the Hessian matrix to find criterion to locate the maximum solution and derive the closed form solution for the profit function. Moreover, we derive a formulated estimation for the route spacing in order to provide readers with a detailed look into existing methods, and their characteristics and applicability to analyze the closed form profit function. In our note, we have found: (a) To find the criterion to insure the profit function has critical points and show the condition to guarantee that the small one is uniquely maximum point; (b) To solve the maximum profit in a closed form and find the condition to insure the maximum profit is positive such that operation of the bus system is profitable; (c) To construct a better formulated approximation and compare numerical examples from their paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable sweat sensors are gaining significant attention due to their unparalleled potential for noninvasive health monitoring. Sweat, as a kind of body fluid, contains informative physiological indicators that are related to personalized health status. Advances in wearable sweat sampling and routing technologies, flexible, and stretchable materials, and wireless digital technologies have led to the development of integrated sweat sensors that are comfortable, flexible, light, and intelligent. Herein, we report a flexible and integrated wearable device via incorporating a microfluidic system and a sensing chip with skin-integrated electronic format toward in-situ monitoring of uric acid (UA) in sweat that associates with gout, cardiovascular, and renal diseases. The microfluidic system validly realizes the real-time capture perspiration from human skin. The obtained detection range is 5-200 µM and the detection limit is 1.79 µM, which offers an importance diagnostic method for clinical relevant lab test. The soft and flexible features of the constructed device allows it to be mounted onto nearly anywhere on the body. We tested the sweat UA in diverse subjects and various body locations during exercise, and similar trends were also observed by using a commercial UA assay kit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective • To explore the application value and safety of elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) in pediatric femoral fractures (FFs), providing more reliable safety for the treatment of FFs in the future. Methods • This study selected 60 cases of pediatric FFs who completed fracture treatment in our hospital between March 2014 and January 2023, with 32 cases undergoing ESIN fixation included in the research group (RG) and another 28 cases receiving plate internal fixation assigned to the control group (CG). The operative time (OT), intraoperative blood loss (IBL), incision length, fracture healing time, fixator removal time, weight-bearing time, and hospital length of stay (HLOS) of the two groups were counted, and the pain of the children was evaluated by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The clinical efficacy and complication rate were recorded, and the hip and knee functions before and after treatment were evaluated by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score. After the completion of treatment, the child’s family was surveyed about their satisfaction with the treatment. Results • The research group had less OT, IBL, and incision length, as well as shorter fracture healing time, fixator removal time, weight-bearing time, and HLOS than the control group (P < .05), with markedly lower VAS scores at 12h-48h postoperatively (P < .05). In addition, the research group demonstrated an obviously higher overall response rate (96.88%) and a lower complication rate (15.63%) than the control group (P < .05). Furthermore, HSS scores and treatment satisfaction were higher in the research group than in the control group (P < .05). Conclusions • ESIN is a highly effective treatment for pediatric femoral fractures, leading to accelerated fracture healing, improved mobility, and exhibiting high clinical application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to address an unresolved question raised in a previously published paper regarding the 1-9 bounded scale and consistency index. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that researchers need not be concerned about the inconsistency phenomenon highlighted in the aforementioned article. This paper has a four-fold purpose. Firstly, we illustrate that by employing an alternative ordering approach for the entries of a comparison matrix, the issue of inconsistency can be eliminated. Secondly, we emphasize that, by accepting Murphy's assumptions, we can present an efficient method for deriving the priority vector without relying on the comparison matrix. This reveals that Murphy's assumptions are excessively stringent for ordinary researchers to accept. Additionally, we offer a simplified version to establish the condition for the optimal solution in an inventory model with a temporary price discount, which was previously proposed in another published paper. Consequently, an additional condition put forth by the aforementioned paper becomes redundant. We have made revisions to a related paper discussing local stability intervals in the Analytic Hierarchy Process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, an ordered weighted averaging operator with the degree of orness and the measure of entropy was examined by us. The purpose of this paper is twofold. We first prove that the maximum value of the degree of orness is attained by the weight with a uniform distribution. Next, we provide a reasonable explanation to clarify why the induced ordered weighted averaging operator can perform better than the regression model. Our further examination will help researchers understand an ordered weighted averaging method and an induced ordered weighted averaging approach in group decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the minimum problem proposed by a recently published paper to point out that their formulated optimal solution is incomplete since in their formulations variables are mingled together. For a reduced version of their minimum problem, we convert the objective function from six variables into a variable minimum problem. For a special case of the fuzzy controlling parameter, we derive an approximated formulated solution that attains the minimum value within 0.0208% average estimation error. In the direction of future research, we propose a minimum problem under symmetric expressions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we provide a further examination for partitioning a network into communities by intersection-union operation and group action on sets. We point out that the similarity measure proposed by a previously published article contained questionable results and then we present our improvements. Our findings will help realize this research topic to obtain a reasonable division for a network to reveal the inner structure of related communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers developed a method to apply the row geometric mean method to improve the consistent index of a given reciprocal comparison matrix. We provide a detailed examination of their approach to find out that sometimes their adjustments will violate the 1-9 scale rule proposed by the original restriction in Analytic Hierarchy Process. Hence, their development contained severely questionable results. We advise practitioners with caution when trying to apply their approach to adjust their comparison matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many pepper cultivars can be raised under artificial lighting in a plant factory. An easily measured parameter is needed to fast predict fruit loading in pepper cultivars. In this study, four pepper cultivars with contrasting manners in growth and fruiting were cultured under three light-emitting diode (LED) spectra in comparison with a sunlight control. It was found that the red-light spectrum (71.7% red-, 13.7% green-, 14.6% blue-lights) increased over 40% of dry mass in fruits, while the green-light spectrum (26.2% red-, 56.4% green-, 17.4% blue-lights) induced no fruiting compared to the control. Only two cultivars responded by fine root morphology, which was characterized as smaller surface-area and fewer tip-number in the blue-light spectrum (7.8% red-, 33.7% green-, 48.5% blue-lights) than in red LED light. Tip-number showed a negative correlation with fruit dry-mass in three cultivars, while fine root diameter increased with dry mass in fruits. In conclusion, fine root tip-number can be used as a predictor of fruit dry-mass in pepper cultivars high in fruit quality or yield. The red-colour light was recommended for raising pepper cultivars in a plant factory with the purpose of greater fruit productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial AAA (ATPase Associated with diverse cellular Activities) protein ATAD1 (in humans; Msp1 in yeast) removes mislocalized membrane proteins, as well as stuck import substrates from the mitochondrial outer membrane, facilitating their re-insertion into their cognate organelles and maintaining mitochondria's protein import capacity. In doing so, it helps to maintain proteostasis in mitochondria. How ATAD1 tackles the energetic challenge to extract hydrophobic membrane proteins from the lipid bilayer and what structural features adapt ATAD1 for its particular function has remained a mystery. Previously, we determined the structure of Msp1 in complex with a peptide substrate (Wang et al., 2020). The structure showed that Msp1's mechanism follows the general principle established for AAA proteins while adopting several structural features that specialize it for its function. Among these features in Msp1 was the utilization of multiple aromatic amino acids to firmly grip the substrate in the central pore. However, it was not clear whether the aromatic nature of these amino acids were required, or if they could be functionally replaced by aliphatic amino acids. In this work, we determined the cryo-EM structures of the human ATAD1 in complex with a peptide substrate at near atomic resolution. The structures show that phylogenetically conserved structural elements adapt ATAD1 for its function while generally adopting a conserved mechanism shared by many AAA proteins. We developed a microscopy-based assay reporting on protein mislocalization, with which we directly assessed ATAD1's activity in live cells and showed that both aromatic amino acids in pore-loop 1 are required for ATAD1's function and cannot be substituted by aliphatic amino acids. A short α-helix at the C-terminus strongly facilitates ATAD1's oligomerization, a structural feature that distinguishes ATAD1 from its closely related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of low recognition accuracy of emotion recognition models is easily caused by interference such as data redundancy and irrelevant features. In this paper, we propose a speech emotion recognition (SER) method based on an attentional convolutional neural network (CNN) bidirectional gated recurrent unit (Bi-GRU) fusing visual information. First, we pretrained the log-mel spectrograms in a ResNet-based attentional convolutional neural network (RACNN) to extract speech features. Second, the CNN-extracted facial static appearance features are fused with speech features using a deep Bi-GRU to obtain speech appearance features. A series of gated recurrent units with attention mechanisms (AGRUs) are used to extract facial geometric features. Then, the hybrid features are obtained by further combining the integrated speech appearance features with facial geometric features, and kernel linear discriminant analysis (KLDA) is used to discriminate them. Finally, the proposed method in this paper obtained accuracies of 87.92% and 89.65% on the RAVDESS and eNTERFACE'05 emotion databases, respectively. The experimental results demonstrate that the method in this paper effectively improved the accuracy and robustness of SER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In eukaryotic cells, stressors reprogram the cellular proteome by activating the integrated stress response (ISR). In its canonical form, stress-sensing kinases phosphorylate the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2 (eIF2-P), which ultimately leads to reduced levels of ternary complex required for initiation of mRNA translation. Previously we showed that translational control is primarily exerted through a conformational switch in eIF2's nucleotide exchange factor, eIF2B, which shifts from its active A-State conformation to its inhibited I-State conformation upon eIF2-P binding, resulting in reduced nucleotide exchange on eIF2 (Schoof et al. 2021). Here, we show functionally and structurally how a single histidine to aspartate point mutation in eIF2B's ß subunit (H160D) mimics the effects of eIF2-P binding by promoting an I-State like conformation, resulting in eIF2-P independent activation of the ISR. These findings corroborate our previously proposed A/I--State model of allosteric ISR regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, numerical solutions of the variable-coefficient Korteweg-De Vries (vcKdV) equation with space described by the Caputo fractional derivative operator is developed. The propagation and interaction of vcKdV equation in different cases, such as breather soliton and periodic suppression soliton, are numerically simulated. Especially, the Fourier spectral method is used to solve the fractional-in-space vcKdV equation with breather soliton. From numerical simulations and compared with other methods, it can be easily seen that our method has low computational complexity and higher precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) can repair oxidative damage-caused 30-phosphoglycolates and promote cancer progression. However, the clinical significance of TDP1 and its correlation with microRNAs (miRNAs) in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. Methods: The relationship of TDP1 or let-7c-5p with the clinical outcomes of GC was determined by a tissue microarray and TCGA dataset. Cell viability and invasion were assessed by MTT and Transwell assays. Pearson correlation analysis, luciferase gene report, qRT-PCR, and Western blot analyses were used to analyze the interaction between TDP1 and let-7c-5p in GC tissues and cells. Results: We found that TDP1 expression was elevated in GC tissues and associated with the dysregulation of let-7c-5p. Knockdown of TDP1 inhibited GC cell proliferation and invasion. let-7c-5p could be found to bind with TDP1, reduce its expression levels, and represent a predictive marker in GC. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that dysregulation of let-7c-5p/TDP1 axis could predict a poor prognosis in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upconversion luminescence properties of (Yb3+/Er3+): NaYF4 and Mn2+ doped (Yb3+/Er3+): NaYF4 nanocrystals have been investigated under pulsed high magnetic field. The emission ratio of red to green of the bare (Yb3+/Er3+): NaYF4 nanocrystals increases by about 42% as the magnetic field increases from 0 T to 40 T. While for Mn2+ doped (Yb3+/Er3+): NaYF4 nanocrystals, the ratio keeps almost unchanged due to the energy transferring between Mn2+ and Yb3+/Er3+. The effects of temperature on the upconversion emissions are also compared for the two types of nanocrystals. Our observations have prospective applications in biological imaging and magnetic field detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a frequency reconfigurable antenna was presented. This antenna is made up of a square loop and a microstrip line with a gap, in which the few layer graphene (FLG) sheet is located to achieve frequency reconfigurable. FLG is likes a lumped resistor with resistance. And the surface impedance can be adjusted by applying a direct current bias voltage, which obtains two work modes that imitate switch. Additionally, the experimental evidence show the proposed frequency reconfigurable antenna can provide a tunable bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Good feature reproducibility enhances model reliability. The manual segmentation of gastric cancer with liver metastasis (GCLM) can be time-consuming and unstable. Purpose: To assess the value of a semi-automatic segmentation tool in improving the reproducibility of the radiomic features of GCLM. Material and Methods: Patients who underwent dual-source computed tomography were retrospectively reviewed. As an intra-observer analysis, one radiologist segmented metastatic liver lesions manually and semi-automatically twice. Another radiologist re-segmented the lesions once as an inter-observer analysis. A total of 1691 features were extracted. Spearman rank correlation was used for feature reproducibility analysis. The times for manual and semiautomatic segmentation were recorded and analyzed. Results: Seventy-two patients with 168 lesions were included. Most of the GCLM radiomic features became more reliable with the tool than the manual method. For the intra-observer feature reproducibility analysis of manual and semi-automatic segmentation, the rates of features with good reliability were 45.5% and 62.3% (P < 0.02), respectively; for the inter-observer analysis, the rates were 29.3% and 46.0% (P < 0.05), respectively. For feature types, the semiautomatic method increased reliability in 6/7 types in the intra-observer analysis and 5/7 types in the inter-observer analysis. For image types, the reliability of the square and exponential types was significantly increased. The mean time of semi-automatic segmentation was significantly shorter than that of the manual method (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The application of semi-automated software increased feature reliability in the intra- and inter-observer analyses. The semi-automatic process took less time than the manual process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The ability to recognize individuals from their vocalizations is an important trait of human beings. In the current study, we aimed to examine how congenital amusia, an inborn pitch-processing disorder, affects discrimination and identification of talkers' voices. Method: Twenty Mandarin-speaking amusics and 20 controls were tested on talker discrimination and identification in four types of contexts that varied in the degree of language familiarity: Mandarin real words, Mandarin pseudowords, Arabic words, and reversed Mandarin speech. Results: The language familiarity effect was more evident in the talker identification task than the discrimination task for both participant groups, and talker identification accuracy decreased as native phonological representations were removed from the stimuli. Importantly, amusics demonstrated degraded performance in both native speech conditions that contained phonological/linguistic information to facilitate talker identification and nonnative conditions where talker voice processing primarily relied on phonetics cues, including pitch. Moreover, the performance in talker processing can be predicted by the participants' musical ability and phonological memory capacity. Conclusions: The results provided a first set of behavioral evidence that individuals with amusia are impaired in the ability of human voice identification. Meanwhile, it is found that amusia is not only a pitch disorder but is likely to affect the phonological processing of speech, in terms of using phonological information in native speech to analyze a talker's identity. The above findings expanded the understanding of the nature and scope of congenital amusia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AAA protein Msp1 extracts mislocalized tail-anchored membrane proteins and targets them for degradation, thus maintaining proper cell organization. How Msp1 selects its substrates and firmly engages them during the energetically unfavorable extraction process remains a mystery. To address this question, we solved cryo-EM structures of Msp1-substrate complexes at near-atomic resolution. Akin to other AAA proteins, Msp1 forms hexameric spirals that translocate substrates through a central pore. A singular hydrophobic substrate recruitment site is exposed at the spiral’s seam, which we propose positions the substrate for entry into the pore. There, a tight web of aromatic amino acids grips the substrate in a sequence-promiscuous, hydrophobic milieu. Elements at the intersubunit interfaces coordinate ATP hydrolysis with the subunits’ positions in the spiral. We present a comprehensive model of Msp1’s mechanism, which follows general architectural principles established for other AAA proteins yet specializes Msp1 for its unique role in membrane protein extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modification greatly improved konjac glucomannan (KGM) characteristics and expanded its application range. For this purpose, the combination of acidolysis with oxidation was chosen to modify KGM in a heterogeneous system. In this study, we mainly discussed the effect of acidolysis and oxidation on the structure and properties of KGM. The experimental results indicated that the acidolysis and oxidation destroyed the structure of KGM particles, and reduced its crystalline degree. The size of derivatives was greater than that of KGM, and their surface became very rough. The acidolysis and oxidation decreased obviously the swelling capacity of KGM, but increased the acid and alkali resistance. The thermal characteristic parameters of KGM such as onset decomposition temperature, onset temperature, peak temperature, enthalpy change, and so on were affected by the acidolysis and oxidation. The oxidation of hydrogen peroxide did not led to any carboxyl groups being introduced into KGM molecular chains, whereas it resulted in the reduction in the viscosity of KGM. There is no synergistic effect between KGM or its derivatives and starch paste. • Disruption of konjac glucomannan (KGM) granules caused by acidolysis was different from one generated by oxidization. • Acidolysis and oxidization cannot introduce any new chemical groups into the molecular chains of KGM. • Effect of acidolysis on KGM particle size is more obvious than that of oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated contamination rates and possible contamination routes of Salmonella in two typical tilapia sashimi processing plants in Taiwan. We found that the overall isolation rate was 5.0% ( n = 61), from a total of 1,218 samples collected in a year from different processing sections (freezing, scaling and bleeding, visceral removal, washing and disinfection, and packaging) and from different operating times (before processing and 3 and 6 h after processing began). In plant A, which is a relatively well-operated plant compared with plant B, Salmonella was only found in the freezing, scaling and bleeding, and visceral removal sections, with isolation rates ranging from 0 to 9.3%. No Salmonella was identified in the final ready-to-eat products at plant A. In plant B, Salmonella was found in all sections and in the final products, with isolation rates ranging from 4.6 to 36.1%. Regarding the processing times, the contamination rates increased significantly ( P < 0.05) 3 h after processing began in plant B. Among the isolates, 10 serotypes were detected, some of which are commonly observed in human salmonellosis cases in Taiwan, indicating a risk of zoonoses. However, only four isolates showed antimicrobial resistance in the current study. With molecular subtyping, we observed accumulated and persistent Salmonellae contamination patterns in plant B. These results suggest that inadequate sanitation impairs the foodborne pathogen control program in tilapia sashimi plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the implementation of the two-child policy in China, an increased number of women of advanced maternal age (AMA) have been giving birth. Formulating evidence-based guidance for the clinical management of this population is crucial. This retrospective study aimed to explore factors influencing the mode of delivery in women of AMA. Data on 350 women of AMA who delivered at Shanghai Putuo Maternity & Infant Health Hospital from January to June of 2016 were collected. Results indicated that most (114/134, 85%) of the multiparae chose delivery via cesarean section (CS) because of uterine scarring. There were significant differences in the body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy, BMI at delivery, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnancyinduced hypertension (PIH), and placenta previa between the CS and vaginal delivery groups (P < 0.05 for all). The current results suggest that vaginal delivery is recommended for the first delivery whenever reasonable. Moreover, management of metabolic disorders during pregnancy is essential to effectively reduce the rate of CS among women of AMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly common, but we lack data from young adults. Such data are of interest because epidemiological data support vitamin D as a possible risk modulator for diabetes and cardiovascular ('cardiometabolic') disease. Our objectives were to assess vitamin D status (as plasma 25(OH)D concentration) and investigate associations between this and biomarkers of cardiometabolic disease risk in a group of still-healthy young adults in Hong Kong.Methods and Study Design: In this observational study, fasting venous blood was collected from 196 (63 males, 133 females), young (18-26 years) non-smoking, nonobese, consenting adults in good general health. Plasma 25(OH)D was measured by LC-MS/MS. A panel of established cardiometabolic risk factors (HbA1c, plasma glucose, lipid profile, hsCRP) and blood pressure were also measured.Results: Mean (SD) plasma 25(OH)D concentration was 42.1 (13.0), with range 15.7-86.8 nmol/L; 141/196 subjects (72%) had vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D <50 nmol/L); 13/184 (6.6%) were severely deficient (<25 nmol/L). Inverse association was seen between 25(OH)D and fasting glucose (r=-0.18; p<0.05). Higher HbA1c and TC:HDL-C ratio and lower HDL-C were seen in those with plasma 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L (p<0.05).Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent and associated with poorer cardiometabolic risk profile in these young adults. Public health strategies for addressing vitamin D deficiency are needed urgently. These new data provide support for further study on vitamin D deficiency as a modifiable risk factor for cardiometabolic disease and the ameliorative effects of increased vitamin D intake on cardiometabolic disease risk profile of vitamin D-deficient young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The warm mix recycling technology of asphalt pavement can improve the resource utilization rate of solid waste in highway construction industry on a large scale, and reduce the emission of harmful gases (NO X , CO 2 , benzopyrene, etc.) during road construction. It is one of the effective ways to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutralization strategy in highway construction industry. The purpose of this study is to analyze the regeneration mechanism of warm mixed recycled asphalt from the perspective of quantitative research systematically, and to provide scientific basis for the popularization and application of this technology. In this study, the basic performance test, rheological performance test, microstructure test, chemical composition and molecular weight test of warm mixed recycled asphalt with different content of reclaimed asphalt pavement(RAP) were carried out to clarify the performance change, physical and chemical change mechanism of recycled asphalt during the process of warm mixed regeneration. The results show that: (1) The basic performance of asphalt can be restored to the level of matrix asphalt after regeneration, but the viscoelasticity can not be restored to the level of matrix asphalt, and the anti-aging performance of recycled asphalt is worse than that of matrix asphalt. (2) Microscope technology + digital image processing technology can effectively observe and analyze the microstructure of warm mixed recycled asphalt. The results of atomic force microscopy(AFM) showed that the formation of ' bee structures ' required a fixed proportion of each component of asphalt. The use of regenerant adjusted the asphalt component, which could make the recycled asphalt appear ' bee structures '. The regeneration process mainly increased the light components of asphalt, but the results of optical microscope analysis showed that the number of micelles did not increase significantly. (3) The main change during the process of warm mixed asphalt regeneration is physical reconciliation, no chemical changes (no new functional groups). However, the configurational change occurred in this process, and the functional groups involved in the configurational change did not exceed 15% of the total number; the process of configurational change is mainly from macromolecule to medium molecules, and the macromolecules involved in the change do not exceed 6% of the total number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and research question: The aim of this study is to test Macswan's ((1999). A minimalist approach to intrasentential code switching. New York, NY: Garland; (2000). The architecture of the bilingual language faculty: Evidence from intrasentential code-switching. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 3, 37-54; (2005). Codeswitching and generative grammar: A critique of the MLF model and some remarks on "modified minimalism". Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 8, 1-22.) PF Disjunction Theorem (PFDT), which was proposed based on Chomsky's ((1995). The minimalist program. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.) minimalist programme, to answer the following question: Is code-switching (CS) behaviour governed by CS-specific grammar or an innate mechanism that produces monolingual and bilingual utterances in our language faculty? Methodology: A quantitative approach was adopted to test the PFDT with the Southern Min/Mandarin CS data. Data and analysis: 811 lexical items extracted from 343 bilingual clauses in my Southern Min/Mandarin CS corpus, and almost no violation against this model (i.e., a word-internal switch) was found, except one example that was regarded as the informant's slip of tongue. Findings/conclusions: The results of this study confirm the prediction of the PFDT that phonological systems cannot be mixed within a word. Originality: Although the morphosyntactic structures and in some cases the pronunciations of morphemes are identical, tonal differences of these two languages still prohibit word-internal switches. Significance/implications: This study thus supports the PFDT and argues that CS behaviour is governed by a single innate mechanism that governs both monolingual and bilingual language production and that the so-called CS-specific grammar/mechanism is not necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the diffusion of charged particles in the weakly ionized plasma with the power-law κ-distributions and without the magnetic field. The electrons and ions have different κ-parameters. We obtain the expressions of both diffusion and mobility coefficients of electrons and ions respectively in the plasma. We find that these new transport coefficient formulae depend strongly on the κ-parameters in the power-law distributed plasma. When we take κ→∞, these formulae reduce to the classical forms in the weakly ionized plasma with a Maxwellian distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulated evidence supports the potent stimulating effects of multiple small molecules on the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) which are important for the therapy of various hematological disorders. Here, we report a novel, optimized formula, named the SC cocktail, which contains a combination of three such small molecules and four cytokines. Methods: Small-molecule candidates were individually screened and then combined at their optimal concentration with the presence of cytokines to achieve maximum capacity for stimulating the human CD34+ cell expansion ex vivo. The extent of cell expansion and the immunophenotype of expanded cells were assessed through flow cytometry. The functional preservation of HSC stemness was confirmed by additional cell and molecular assays in vitro. Subsequently, the expanded cells were transplanted into sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice for the assessment of human cell viability and engraftment potential in vivo. Furthermore, the expression of several genes in the cell proliferation and differentiation pathways was analyzed through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) during the process of CD34+ cell expansion. Results: The SC cocktail supported the retention of the immunophenotype of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells remarkably well, by yielding purities of 86.6 ± 11.2% for CD34+ cells and 76.2 ± 10.5% for CD34+CD38- cells, respectively, for a 7-day culture. On day 7, the enhancement of expansion of CD34+ cells and CD34+CD38-cells reached a maxima of 28.0 ± 5.5-fold and 27.9 ± 4.3-fold, respectively. The SC cocktail-expanded CD34+ cells preserved the characteristics of HSCs by effectively inhibiting their differentiation in vitro and retained the multilineage differentiation potential in primary and secondary in vivo murine xenotransplantation trials. Further gene expression analysis suggested that the small-molecule combination strengthened the ability of the cytokines to enhance the Notch pathway for the preservation of HSC stemness, and inhibited the ability of the cytokines to activate the Wnt pathway for HSC differentiation. Conclusions: We developed an optimal small-molecule/cytokine combination for the enhancement of HSC expansion via inhibition of differentiation. This approach indicates promising application for preparation of both the HSCs and the mature, functional hematopoietic cells for clinical transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a pair of high-resolution N-body simulations implementing two dark matter models, namely the standard cold dark matter (CDM) cosmogony and a warm dark matter (WDM) alternative where the dark matter particle is a 1.5 keV thermal relic. We combine these simulations with the GALFORM semi-analytical galaxy formation model to explore differences between the resulting galaxy populations.We use GALFORM model variants forCDM and WDM that result in the same z = 0 galaxy stellar mass function by construction. We find that most of the studied galaxy properties have the same values in these two models, indicating that both dark matter scenarios match current observational data equally well. Even in underdense regions, where discrepancies in structure formation between CDM and WDM are expected to be most pronounced, the galaxy properties are only slightly different. The only significant difference in the local universe we find is in the galaxy populations of 'Local Volumes', regions of radius 1-8 Mpc around simulated MilkyWay analogues. In such regions, our WDM model provides a better match to observed local galaxy number counts and is five times more likely than the CDM model to predict subregions within them that are as empty as the observed Local Void. Thus, a highly complete census of the Local Volume and future surveys of void regions could provide constraints on the nature of dark matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The typhoon Damrey that hit Jiangsu the populous coastal province of China on 2 August 2012 is a rarely seen tropical cyclone in that it has a higher latitude origin, and it is part of a twin typhoon. In this study, a recently developed analysis tool--multiscale window transform (MWT) and the MWT-based localized multiscale energy and vorticity analysis (MS-EVA)--is applied to investigate its genesis and maintenance. The fields are reconstructed onto three scale windows: large-scale, tropical cyclone-scale, and cumulus convection-scale windows. It is found that the track of Damrey is well along the edge of the subtropical high. Its birth is mainly caused by a strong barotropic instability in the lower troposphere around 24°-25° N. Its later amplification, however, is quite different, related to a baroclinic instability in the upper troposphere. Also discovered in this study is that a strong center of upscale canonical transfer exists over the East China Sea at the mouth of Yangtze River, which accounts for the rapid decay of Damrey before landing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce an R package PGEE that implements the penalized generalized estimating equations (GEE) procedure proposed byWang et al. (2012) to analyze longitudinal data with a large number of covariates. The PGEE package includes three main functions: CVfit, PGEE, and MGEE. The CVfit function computes the cross-validated tuning parameter for penalized generalized estimating equations. The function PGEE performs simultaneous estimation and variable selection for longitudinal data with high-dimensional covariates; whereas the function MGEE fits unpenalized GEE to the data for comparison. The R package PGEE is illustrated using a yeast cell-cycle gene expression data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Isokinetic muscle strength training is presently the most advanced method of muscle strength training. However, the existing control schemes of the training equipment are usually limited to the structure of the brake.Objective: In order to solve this problem, this paper presents a solution to an isokinetic system based on the force control of a DC servomotor.Methods: A new fuzzy impedance nonlinear controller is designed by analyzing the relevant requirements of isokinetic motion. A series of force tracking comparison experiments between a fuzzy PI controller and a classical PI controller are studied. In addition, some strength training experiments employing different driving forces and target speeds are also conducted.Results: The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this fuzzy impedance force tracking control strategy.Conclusion: Using the aforementioned methods, a comprehensive motion algorithm was designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly mutagenic A:8-oxoguanine (oxoG) base pair is generated mainly by misreplication of the C:oxoG base pair, the oxidation product of the C:G base pair. The A:oxoG base pair is particularly insidious because neither base in it carries faithful information to direct the repair of the other. The bacterial MutY (MUTYHin humans) adenineDNAglycosylase is able to initiate the repair of A:oxoG by selectively cleaving the A base from the A:oxoG base pair. The difference between faithful repair and wreaking mutagenic havoc on the genome lies in the accurate discrimination between two structurally similar base pairs: A:oxoG and A:T. Here we present two crystal structures of the MutY N-terminal domain in complex with either undamaged DNA or DNA containing an intrahelical lesion. These structures have captured for the first time a DNA glycosylase scanning the genome for a damaged base in the very first stage of lesion recognition and the base extrusion pathway. The mode of interaction observed here has suggested a common lesion-scanning mechanism across the entire helix-hairpin-helix superfamily to which MutY belongs. In addition, small angle X-ray scattering studies together with accompanying biochemical assays have suggested a possible role played by the C-terminal oxoG-recognition domain of MutY in lesion scanning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the knowledge of junior doctors on the 2015 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) guideline recommended by Chinese society of infectious diseases and Chinese society of hepatology, Chinese medical association. Methods: Junior doctors, who were already engaged in the field of CHB, were invited to complete a questionnaire-based survey betweenMayand June 2016. The questionnaire consisted of 28 items focusingonknowledge in the following three sections: mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) prevention, response-guided therapy (RGT) strategies, and special patients' antiviral therapy. Results: Responses were received from 562 out of 600 participants. Among those 562 junior doctors, about 10%~ 30% were not familiar with the use of hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG), and 18.8% did not know that newborn with HBsAg-positive mother could be breastfed after giving HBIG and vaccine. About 20.6% of junior doctors did not know the possible withdrawal indications recommended by the guideline. For HBeAg-positive patients receiving low genetic barrier drugs, about 30% of junior doctors did not know that the antiviral strategies should be adjusted according to HBV DNA levels at treatment week 24. For CHB patients receiving chemotherapy, about 25% of participants did not know antiviral therapy should be started at least 1 week earlier, and about 20% did not know that adefovir dipivoxil or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate should be avoided in patients with kidney diseases or high-risk of developing kidney diseases. Conclusions: The knowledge on CHB guideline was rather unsatisfactory in junior doctors. Our finding highlights the urgent need for strengthening junior doctors to gain a greater understanding of CHB guideline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disproportionately affects survivorship outcomes in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Perceived threat has been applied to understand vaccination behavior. The purpose of this study was to describe demographic and clinical factors related to the perceived threat of COVID-19 among those undergoing/after HNC treatment. HNC patients who were undergoing or after radiation or chemoradiation were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Participants completed a phone survey that included the Perceived Threat Scale of COVID-19, the Perceived Stress Scale, demographics, COVID-19 screening items, State of Florida COVID-19 screening positive data. Descriptive statistics, Chi Square test, t-test, and multiple regression were performed. Participants (N=30) mean age was 62.5 years (SD=11.1). The most common tumor site was the mouth (37%) and 60% had stage III/IV cancer. The majority underwent chemo-radiation (57%) and had completed treatment (63%). In a multiple regression model, only perceived stress (b=1.20, SE=0.478, t=2.51, p=0.019) and female sex were significant predictors of perceived threat of COVID-19 (b=6.81, SE=2.79, t=2.44, p=0.022). Health messages include threat of COVID-19 should be carefully designed. HNC cancer patients, especially females, who perceived more threat from COVID-19, are those who encountered more stressful emotion. Effective and transparent communication from scientific organizations, public health experts, and media outlets on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines should be the focus to promote vaccination behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble sugars function not only as the energy and structural blocks supporting plants, but also as osmoregulators and signal molecules during plant adaptation to water deficit. Here, we investigated drought resistance in transgenic apple (Malus - domestica) overexpressing MdFRK2, a key gene regulating fructose content and sugar metabolism. There is no obvious phenotypic difference between MdFRK2-overexpressing transgenic plants and WT plants under the well-watered condition. However, the transgenic plants and the grafted plants using MdFRK2-overexpressing rootstock exhibited improved tolerance to drought stress. Overexpression of MdFRK2 significantly promoted the growth of root system under drought stress. RNA sequencing showed that under drought stress, genes involved in sugar metabolism, transcription regulation, signal transduction or hormone metabolism were differentially expressed in MdFRK2 transgenic plants. Consistent with the gene expression profile, the activities of enzyme (SDH, FRK and NI) involved in sugar metabolism in the roots of MdFRK2 transgenic plants were significantly higher than those of untransformed control plants after drought stress. Under drought stress, overexpression of MdFRK2 promoted the accumulation of IAA, and decreased the contents of ABA and CK in apple root system. In conclusion, these results suggest that MdFRK2 can promote the growth of apple roots under drought stress by regulating sugar metabolism and accumulation, hormone metabolism and signal transduction, and then resist drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Verbal fluency test (VFT), one of the most commonly used tests to evaluate executive function (EF), can be subdivided into letter fluency (LF) and semantic fluency (SF). Although SF tasks have been established in Eastern societies, it is difficult to develop a LF task (Non-SF task) in Mandarin. This study thus aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Chang Gung University Orthographical Fluency Test (CGUOFT), a non-SF task with Chinese characters. Method: A total of 290 participants were recruited from the community. Thirty participants were retested for the test-retest reliability. Three tests of EFs were used for the criterion-related validity. Results: CGUOFT has fair internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. The concurrent validity of CGUOFT is also acceptable. An exploratory factor analysis showed a one-factor structure, and the CGUOFT scores significantly correlated with sex, age and educational level. Conclusions: This study might be the first one considering the Chinese characters to establish a VFT. Based on good psychometric properties, it merits evaluations of the CGUOFT from clinical samples in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2-year study was performed at two ready-to-eat tilapia sashimi processing plants (A and B) to identify possible routes of contamination with Listeria monocytogenes during processing. Samples were collected from the aquaculture environments, transportation tanks, processing plants, and final products. Seventy-nine L. monocytogenes isolates were found in the processing environments and final products; 3.96% (50 of 1,264 samples) and 3.86% (29 of 752 samples) of the samples from plants A and B, respectively, were positive for L. monocytogenes. No L. monocytogenes was detected in the aquaculture environments or transportation tanks. The predominant L. monocytogenes serotypes were l/2b (55.70%) and 4b (37.97%); serotypes 3b and 4e were detected at much lower percentages. At both plants, most processing sections were contaminated with L. monocytogenes before the start of processing, which indicated that the cleaning and sanitizing methods did not achieve adequate pathogen removal. Eleven seropulsotypes were revealed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and serotyping. Analysis of seropulsotype distribution revealed that the contamination was disseminated by the processing work; the same seropulsotypes were repeatedly found along the work flow line and in the final products. Specific seropulsotypes were persistently found during different sampling periods, which suggests that the sanitation procedures or equipment used at these plants were inadequate. Plant staff should improve the sanitation procedures and equipment to reduce the risk of L. monocytogenes cross-contamination and ensure the safety of ready-to-eat tilapia products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that information from peripherally presented images is present in the human foveal retinotopic cortex, presumably because of feedback signals. We investigated this potential feedback signal by presenting noise in fovea at different object-noise stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs), whereas subjects performed a discrimination task on peripheral objects. Results revealed a selective impairment of performance when foveal noise was presented at 250-ms SOA, but only for tasks that required comparing objects' spatial details, suggesting a task- and stimulus-dependent foveal processing mechanism. Critically, the temporal window of foveal processing was shifted when mental rotation was required for the peripheral objects, indicating that the foveal retinotopic processing is not automatically engaged at a fixed time following peripheral stimulation; rather, it occurs at a stage when detailed information is required. Moreover, fMRI measurements using multivoxel pattern analysis showed that both image and object category-relevant information of peripheral objects was represented in the foveal cortex. Taken together, our results support the hypothesis of a temporally flexible feedback signal to the foveal retinotopic cortex when discriminating objects in the visual periphery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The fast growing photosynthetic microalgae have been widely used in aquaculture, food, health, and biofuels. Recent findings in the diatom has proposed a pivotal role of NADP-malic enzyme in generation of NADPH as an important supply of reducing power for fatty acid biosynthesis. To test the lipogenic malic enzyme for fatty acid synthesis in green algae, here the malic enzyme gene PtME from the oleaginous diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum was expressed in a representative green microalga Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Results: The engineered C. pyrenoidosa strain showed higher enzymatic activity of malic enzyme which subsequently promoted fatty acid synthesis. The neutral lipid content was significantly increased by up to 3.2-fold than wild type determined by Nile red staining, and total lipid content reached 40.9 % (dry cell weight). The engineered strain exhibited further lipid accumulation subjected to nitrogen deprivation condition. Upon nitrogen deprivation, engineered microalgae accumulated total lipid up to 58.7 % (dry cell weight), a 4.6-fold increase over the wild type cells under normal culture condition. At cellular level, increased volume and number of oil bodies were observed in the engineered microalgal cells. Conclusions: These findings suggested that malic enzyme is a pivotal regulator in lipid accumulation in green microalga C. pyrenoidosa, and presenting a breakthrough of generating ideal algal strains for algal nutrition and biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes of Treg/Th17 cells ratio and their associated cytokines have some correlations with an immune modulatory effect of Telbivudine treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of the dynamic ratio of Treg/Th17 cells in the mechanism of LdT therapy and their relationships with the clinical responses. We detected the frequency and cytokines production of Treg and Th17 cells in 28 hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 96 weeks after initial LdT therapy. LdT could upregulate the frequency of Th17 cells and Th17 cells associated cytokines, downregulated the frequency of Treg cells and level of TGF-β, which leads to the decrease of Treg/Th17 ratio in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. Treg/Th17 ratio at treatment week 36 could independently predict HBeAg seroconversion in the first 2 years of Telbivudine treatment. Telbivudine therapy can decrease Treg/Th17 ratio, which may predict HBeAg seroconversion during treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) appearance quality, as defined by both grain shape and lack of chalkiness, are key breeding goals throughout the world's rice-producing areas. To understand the genetic effects on rice appearance quality, we grew a double-haploid (DH) population derived from the cross between two short-grain rice cultivars, japonica Chunjiang 06 (CJ06) and indica Taichung Native 1 (TN1), in both subtropical Hangzhou and tropical Hainan, China. Transgressive segregation was noted for all measured traits: grain length (GL), grain width (GW), length/width ratio (LW), percentage of kernels with chalk (CK), average chalk size (CS) per kernel, and chalkiness degree (CD, calculated as CK ' CS). High positive correlations observed between the chalkiness measures (CK, CS, and CD) with GL and GW indicate that grain shape may have pleiotropic effects on grain chalkiness. Nineteen main-effect QTL and nine epistatic interaction pairs were detected for grain chalkiness and shape. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were on all 12 chromosomes and explained 8.0 to 23.6% of the phenotypic variance observed under the two environments. One chalkiness QTL and one shape QTL had main effects in both locations. However, when epistasis was considered, seven of 10 identified main-effect regions also had epistatic effect on either grain chalkiness or shape. This demonstrated that epistasis plays an important role in determining grain chalkiness, shape, and the association between chalkiness and shape. The identified QTL and epistatic interactions provide further understanding of the genetic basis of grain appearance quality and assistance in improving grain appearance quality of rice through breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Post-discharge care remains a challenge because continuity of care is often interrupted and adverse events frequently occur. Previous studies have focused on early readmission but few have investigated emergency department (ED) visit after discharge.Methods: This retrospective observational study was conducted between April 2011 and March 2012 in a referral center in Taiwan. Patients discharged from the general medical wards during the study period were analyzed and their characteristics, hospital course, and associated factors were collected. An ED visit within 30 days of discharge was the primary outcome while readmission or death at home were secondary outcomes.Results: There were 799 discharged patients analyzed, including 96 (12 %) with an ED visit of 12.4 days post-discharge and 111 (14 %) with readmissions at 13.3 days post-discharge. Sixty patients were admitted after their ED visit. Underlying chronic illnesses were associated with 72 % of ED visits. By multivariate analysis, Charlson score and the use of naso-gastric tube were independent risk factors for ED visit within 30 days after discharge.Conclusions: Early ED visit after discharge is as high as 12 %. Patients with chronic illness and those requiring a naso-gastric tube or external biliary drain are at high risk for post-discharge ED visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salicylate and acetylsalicylic acid are potent and widely used anti-inflammatory drugs. They are thought to exert their therapeutic effects through multiple mechanisms, including the inhibition of cyclo-oxygenases, modulation of NF-kB activity, and direct activation of AMPK. However, the full spectrum of their activities is incompletely understood. Here we show that salicylate specifically inhibits CBP and p300 lysine acetyltransferase activity in vitro by direct competition with acetyl-Coenzyme A at the catalytic site. We used a chemical structure-similarity search to identify another anti-inflammatory drug, diflunisal, that inhibits p300 more potently than salicylate. At concentrations attainable in human plasma after oral administration, both salicylate and diflunisal blocked the acetylation of lysine residues on histone and non-histone proteins in cells. Finally, we found that diflunisal suppressed the growth of p300-dependent leukemia cell lines expressing AML1-ETO fusion protein in vitro and in vivo. These results highlight a novel epigenetic regulatory mechanism of action for salicylate and derivative drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on rice (Oryza sative L.) seedlings for physiological and biochemical response exposed to subsequent salinity or polyethylene glycol and NaCl (as drought) stress. Salinity or drought induced stress decreased growth-significantly (p<0.05) reduced pigment content, stomatal conduction (gs), transpiration (E) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn), whereas no significant change in intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) was recorded relative to controls. NaCl+PEG stress also reduced POD activity. MDA content and total soluble sugar content increased significantly (p<0.05) under NaCl or NaCl+PEG induced stress. Chlorophyll fluorescence decreased significantly in NaCl-treated plants. However, positive effects were observed in PEG pre-treated (PEG-NaCl, PEG-NaCl+PEG) rice seedlings than NaCl or NaCl+PEG-treated ones. PEG pre-treatment promoted rice seedlings growth and regulation capacity in rice seedlings tolerance to NaCl or drought stress by increase in plant biomass, chlorophyll contents, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic parameters and antioxidative enzymes activities. The positive effects to the pre-treatment of rice seedlings suggested that cross-adaptation of PEG pre-treatment mediated protection of salinity and drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article established the joint analysis subsystem framework in the seismic data quality analysis system, based on QT component technology. In this framework the whole working area can be displayed in satellite photos and remote sensing map, and the users can import the Shp format file, remote sensing image file and CGM explanation file. Framework to manage the various layers to import pictures, and with the work area measuring line overlay display, the system loads the entire work area measuring line information from the database in order to plan the form of detection points, shot a total of centre bin and guns evaluation results in GIS layers were on display. Such a framework can visually describe the physical distribution lines, elevation changes, the evaluation results, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]