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The paper considers a class of vector optimization problems with cone constrained generalized equations. By virtue of advanced tools of variational analysis and generalized differentiation, a limiting normal cone of the graph of the normal cone constrained by the second-order cone is obtained. Based on the calmness condition, we derive an upper estimate of the coderivative for a composite set-valued mapping. The necessary optimality condition for the problem is established under the linear independent constraint qualification. As a special case, the obtained optimality condition is simplified with the help of strict complementarity relaxation conditions. The numerical results on different examples are given to illustrate the efficiency of the optimality conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly establishes the sensitivity analysis of a multiobjective optimization problem with parameterized quasi-variational inequalities (QVIs). Using the (regular) coderivative of the associated epigraphical multifunction, the (regular) subdifferentials of the efficient frontier maps are estimated, which involve the (regular) coderivatives of the solution mapping to the parameterized QVIs. Under the linear independent constraint qualification, the defined auxiliary set-valued mappings in the parameterized QVIs are clam. The detailed formulae of subdifferentials of the efficient frontier maps are obtained and examples are simultaneously provided for analyzing and illustrating the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To evaluate and compare the dosimetry of field-in-field (FIF) and wedged beams (WB) techniques for patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant radiotherapy after conservative surgery. A total of 89 patients with breast cancer participated in this study. Each patient received a computed tomography–based treatment plan with opposed tangential fields. Two planning techniques (FIF and WB) were generated for each patient by using the Pinnacle treatment-planning system. Three indices, the homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), and uniformity index (UI), as well as maximum dose (Dmax), median dose (D50), number of portals, monitor unit (MU), and lung volume at 20Gy (lung20) were used for comparison. The mean values tested using a t-test indicated that the WB technique had a significantly lower HI (p < 0.0001), a significantly higher CI (p < 0.0001), and a significantly higher D50 (p = 0.0002) than did the FIF technique. The FIF technique had a significantly higher Dmax compared with the WB technique, but lung20 did not exhibit a significant difference. By contrast, the FIF technique had a significantly higher UI and a significantly lower MU compared with the WB technique, but a significantly higher number of portals were found in the FIF technique. The FIF technique did not demonstrate superior dosimetric results. The WB technique had a significantly lower HI, higher CI, lower Dmax, and lower number of portals; but the FIF technique had a significantly higher UI and lower MU. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant cytochrome P450s (CYPs) are well known as the largest family of enzymes that contribute to both primary metabolism and the chemical diversity of plant secondary metabolites. It is important to elucidate the in vivo role of CYPs in secondary metabolism, in order to apply them in the production of valuable metabolites in medicinal plants via metabolic engineering. CYP76AH1 has been suggested to catalyze the conversion of the carbon skeleton miltiradiene into the intermediate ferruginol, which is involved in the biosynthesis of tanshinones, the chief bioactive ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhiza . However, its role in planta remains to be elucidated. In this work, we constructed a CYP76AH1 RNAi system for hairy roots. Metabolic analysis of RNAi-AH1 hairy root lines showed a significantly increased accumulation of miltiradiene compared to the control lines. At the same time, the concentration of ferruginol decreased revealing the in vivo catalytic activity of CYP76AH1. The content of tanshinones decreased significantly after silencing of CYP76AH1 , which verified its key role in the biosynthesis of tanshinones, and indicated that it could be used as a target for metabolic engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Twenty-five Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms were selected for genetic classification. • Scanning electron microscopy micromorphology and quantitative taxonomy were used to classify the germplasms. • Validated expressed sequence tags markers were also used to classify the Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms. • All methods were combined to identify and name four new Rehmannia glutinosa cultivars. • Provides the first scientific basis for the sorting of Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms. Abstract Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch. is a valuable medicinal and industrial crop, in the clinical use of traditional Chinese medicine has been a thousand years of history, grown widely in the central plain of China. Different cultivars have wide differences in crop yield and quality. Furthermore, long-term mixed cultivation has led to a serious confusion between Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms, which has significantly restricted the breeding of fine cultivars. In this study, 25 core Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms were collected and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to obtain micromorphology. Quantitative taxonomy was then used to identify the genetic relationship between the Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms. Forty agronomic traits, including 24 scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micromorphology traits, were chosen to construct the quantitative taxonomy dendrogram. In addition, expressed sequence tags (EST) derived microsatellite markers were also identified and validated in the 25 different Rehmannia glutinosa germplasms to confirm the genetic relationships. Based on a combination of these approaches, four new cultivars were discovered, and were given the standard names “Huaidihuang 01 2017, Huaidihuang 02 2017, Huaidihuang 03 2017 and Huaidihuang 04 2017” according to the international code of nomenclature for cultivated plants (ICNCP) (1995 edition). The study has provided important pollen and seed micromorphology data, as well as genetic diversity data, that can be used as basis for the scientific classification and identification of Rehmannia glutinosa cultivars. It also indicates the hierarchical status of the newly identified cultivars, which will help in protecting the germplasm resources, as well as in Rehmannia glutinosa introduction, cultivation, and breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix (LR), known as Gaoben (GB) in Chinese, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2000 years. However, the varieties of LR are not well characterized at present, and traditional recognition methods have encountered increasing difficulties. This research attempts to distinguish different varieties of LR and its adulterants based on their chemical composition. A total of 61 representative samples were collected, and their varieties were confirmed by combining expert opinion with DNA molecular technology. All of the samples were characterized by an UHPLC-Q/TOF-MS method. The marker components that may contribute to variety discrimination were discerned by a data mining method, and they were then hypothesized, analyzed, and identified. A cluster analysis was performed by partial least squares (PLS) based on their MS signals. Furthermore, a feature extraction to find out the characteristic components, and a correspondence analysis to illustrate the corresponding relationship between the varieties and their components, were developed. As a result, 71 components were identified, of which 27 components were unambiguously identified by comparison with standards. The cluster analysis shows that varieties of LR and its adulterant samples exhibited a certain classification trend, with butylphthalide, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide A, ferulic acid, ( Z )-ligustilide, bergapten, levistilide A, vanillic acid, isochlorogenic acid C and isochlorogenic acid A as characteristic chemical components. The varieties and their components showed a modest correlation. In conclusion, our study verified the possibility of discriminating the varieties of LR according to their chemical compositions. This research provides a new reference for the recognition of LR and its adulterants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, eigenvalue optimization has gained remarkable attention in various engineering applications. One of the main difficulties with numerical analysis of such problems is that the eigenvalues, considered as functions of a symmetric matrix, are not smooth at those points where they are multiple. We propose a new explicit nonsmooth second-order bundle algorithm based on the idea of the proximal bundle method on minimizing the arbitrary eigenvalue over an affine family of symmetric matrices, which is a special class of eigenvalue function–D.C. function. To the best of our knowledge, few methods currently exist for minimizing arbitrary eigenvalue function. In this work, we apply the-Lagrangian theory to this class of D.C. functions: the arbitrary eigenvalue function λiwith affine matrix-valued mappings, where λiis usually not convex. We prove the global convergence of our method in the sense that every accumulation point of the sequence of iterates is stationary. Moreover, under mild conditions we show that, if started close enough to the minimizerx*, the proposed algorithm converges tox* quadratically. The method is tested on some constrained optimization problems, and some encouraging preliminary numerical results show the efficiency of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Acute skin reaction during adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer is an inevitable process, and its severity is related to the skin dose. A high–skin dose area can be speculated based on the isodose distribution shown on a treatment planning. To determine whether treatment planning can reflect high–skin dose location, 80 patients were collected and their skin doses in different areas were measured using a thermoluminescent dosimeter to locate the highest–skin dose area in each patient. We determined whether the skin dose is consistent with the highest-dose area estimated by the treatment planning of the same patient. The χ 2 and Fisher exact tests revealed that these 2 methods yielded more consistent results when the highest-dose spots were located in the axillary and breast areas but not in the inframammary area. We suggest that skin doses shown on the treatment planning might be a reliable and simple alternative method for estimating the highest skin doses in some areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate whether the location of moist desquamation matches high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after breast conservative surgery. Methods: One hundred and nine breast cancer patients were enrolled to this study. Their highest skin dose area (the hot spot) was estimated from the treatment planning. We divided the irradiated field into breast; sternal/ parasternal; axillary; and inframammary fold areas. The location for moist desquamation was recorded to see if it matches the hot spot. We also analyzed other possible risk factors which may be related to the moist desquamation. Results: Forty-eight patients with 65 locations developed moist desquamation during the RT course. Patients with larger breast sizes and easy to sweat are two independent risk factors for moist desquamation. The distribution of moist desquamation occurred most in the axillary area. All nine patients with the hot spots located at the axillary area developed moist desquamation at the axillary area, and six out of seven patients with the hot spots located at the inframammary fold developed moist desquamation there. The majority of patients with moist desquamation over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas had the hot spots located at these areas. Conclusions: For a patient with moist desquamation, if a hot spot is located at the axillary or inframammary fold areas, it is very likely to have moist desquamation occur there. On the other hand, if moist desquamation occurs over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas, we can highly expect these two areas are also the hot spot locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate whether the location of moist desquamation matches high dose area for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) after breast conservative surgery.Methods: One hundred and nine breast cancer patients were enrolled to this study. Their highest skin dose area (the hot spot) was estimated from the treatment planning. We divided the irradiated field into breast; sternal/parasternal; axillary; and inframammary fold areas. The location for moist desquamation was recorded to see if it matches the hot spot. We also analyzed other possible risk factors which may be related to the moist desquamation.Results: Forty-eight patients with 65 locations developed moist desquamation during the RT course. Patients with larger breast sizes and easy to sweat are two independent risk factors for moist desquamation. The distribution of moist desquamation occurred most in the axillary area. All nine patients with the hot spots located at the axillary area developed moist desquamation at the axillary area, and six out of seven patients with the hot spots located at the inframammary fold developed moist desquamation there. The majority of patients with moist desquamation over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas had the hot spots located at these areas.Conclusions: For a patient with moist desquamation, if a hot spot is located at the axillary or inframammary fold areas, it is very likely to have moist desquamation occur there. On the other hand, if moist desquamation occurs over the breast or sternal/parasternal areas, we can highly expect these two areas are also the hot spot locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]