Search

Objective To analyze the epidemiological status of bladder cancer incidence and mortality in Gansu Province from 2010 to 2019. Methods The cancer registry data from Gansu Province during 2010 and 2019 was analyzed to calculate the crude incidence and mortality rates of bladder cancer, as well as the age-standardized rates for the Chinese population (AS- RC), the world population (ASRW), and the average annual percentage change (AAPC). Results In 2019, the crude incidence rate of bladder cancer in Gansu Province was 5.34 per 100 000, with the age-standardized rate for China at 3.44 per 100 000 and the world standard rate at 3.35 per 100 000. The incidence rates for males and females were 8.2 per 100 000 and 2.38 per 100 000, respectively; the urban and rural incidence rates were 5.38 per 100 000 and 5.27 per 100 000, respectively. The crude mortality rate was 1.62 per 100 000, with the age-standardized rates at 0.96 per 100 000 for China and 0.94 per 100 000 for the world. The mortality rates for males and females were 2.54 per 100 000 and 0.66 per 100 000, respectively; the urban and rural mortality rates were 1.68 per 100 000 and 1.52 per 100 000, respectively. The peak incidence and mortality rates were observed in the age groups of 75-79 years and 85 years and older, respectively. From 2010 to 2019, the incidence of bladder cancer in Gansu Province showed a yearly increase, with an AAPC of 5.06% (95%Cl: 2.58-7.58) for crude incidence and an AAPC of 5.18% (95%Cl: 2.48-7.95) for age-standardized incidence; the AAPC for mortality was 0.18% (95%Cl: -7.34-8.32) for crude mortality and -2.76% (95%Cl: -12.32-5.62) for age-standardized mortality. Conclusion In 2019, the incidence and mortality rates of bladder cancer in Gansu Province were lower than the national average. However, there was an upward trend in incidence from 2010 to 2019, with significant gender differences. Greater attention should be paid to bladder cancer prevention and control strategies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vat photopolymerization (VPP) technology allows for the direct formation of complex structural Si 3 N 4 components, without the constraints of moulds, which is an emerging process for the preparation of Si 3 N 4 ceramics. However, the low curing depth makes it difficult to prepare Si 3 N 4 ceramics by VPP. To address this issue, the study proposes coating Si 3 N 4 particles with thermosetting resin. The UV absorption of the modified composite powder were reduced. The thermosetting resin could be removed during the debinding process without introducing impurities, which has minimal impact on the properties of the Si 3 N 4 parts. The study investigated the impact of E51 coating modification on the phopopolymerization of Si 3 N 4 slurries, and the mechanical properties after sintering. Moreover, the peak flexural strength and density of Si 3 N 4 prepared from modified Si 3 N 4 using VPP technology combined with air pressure liquid-phase sintering process were 382.67 MPa and 2.95 ± 0.02 g/cm3, respectively, at 2 wt% of E51 coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To present the expression of calsyntenin‐1 (Clstn1) in the brain and investigate the potential mechanism of Clstn1 in lithium–pilocarpine rat seizure models. Thirty‐five male SD adult rats were induced to have seizures by intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride pilocarpine. Rats exhibiting spontaneous seizures were divided into the epilepsy (EP) group (n = 15), whereas those without seizures were divided into the control group (n = 14). Evaluate the expression of Clstn1 in the temporal lobe of two groups using Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Additionally, 55 male SD rats were subjected to status epilepticus (SE) using the same induction method. Rats experiencing seizures exceeding Racine's level 4 (n = 48) were randomly divided into three groups: SE, SE + control lentivirus (lentiviral vector expressing green fluorescent protein [LV‐GFP]), and SE + Clstn1‐targeted RNA interference lentivirus (LV‐Clstn1‐RNAi). The LV‐GFP group served as a control for the lentiviral vector, whereas the LV‐Clstn1‐RNAi group received a lentivirus designed to silence Clstn1 expression. These lentiviral treatments were administered via hippocampal stereotactic injection 2 days after SE induction. Seven days after SE, Western blot analysis was performed to evaluate the expression of Clstn1 in the hippocampus and temporal lobe. Meanwhile, we observed the latency of spontaneous seizures and the frequency of spontaneous seizures within 8 weeks among the three groups. The expression of Clstn1 in the cortex and hippocampus of the EP group was significantly increased compared to the control group (p <.05). Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence showed that Clstn1 was widely distributed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats, and colocalization analysis revealed that it was mainly co expressed with neurons in the cytoplasm. Compared with the SE group (11.80 ± 2.17 days) and the SE + GFP group (12.40 ± 1.67 days), there was a statistically significant difference (p <.05) in the latency period of spontaneous seizures (15.14 ± 2.41 days) in the SE + Clstn1 + RNAi group rats. Compared with the SE group (4.60 ± 1.67 times) and the SE + GFP group (4.80 ± 2.05 times), the SE + Clstn1 + RNAi group (2.0 ±.89 times) showed a significant reduction in the frequency of spontaneous seizures within 2 weeks of chronic phase in rats (p <.05). Elevated Clstn1 expression in EP group suggests its role in EP onset. Targeting Clstn1 may be a potential therapeutic approach for EP management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Pickering emulsions have attracted increasing attention from multiple fields, including food, cosmetics, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and agriculture. Their stability relies on the presence of colloidal particles instead of surfactant at the droplet interface, providing steric stabilization. Here, we demonstrate the microscopic attachment and detachment of particles with tunable contact angle at the interface underlying the Pickering emulsion stability. We vary the interfacial tension continuously by varying the temperature offset of a phase-separated binary liquid from its critical point, and employ confocal microscopy to directly observe the particles at the interface to determine their coverage and contact angle as a function of the varying interfacial tension. When the interfacial tension decreases upon approaching the binary liquid's critical point, the contact angle and detachment energy (ΔE) drop, and the particles move out of the interface. Microscopic imaging suggests necking and capillary interactions lead to clustering of the particles, before they eventually desorb from the interface. Macroscopic measurements show that concomitantly, coalescence takes place, and the emulsion loses its stability. These results reveal the interplay of interfacial energies, contact angle and surface coverage that underlies the Pickering emulsion stability, opening up ways to manipulate and design the stability through the microscopic behavior of the adsorbed particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kink effect is a phenomenon that typically occurs in InP-based InAlAs/InGaAs high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) at cryogenic temperatures. It results in higher output conductance (gDS) and non-monotonic behavior. This Letter discusses the origin and suppression of the kink effect in InP HEMTs at cryogenic temperatures, which is linked to the structure of gate recess passivation. At room temperature, two devices with different gate recess passivation structures show similar characteristics. However, a temperature-sensitive kink is observed in the non-passivated gate recess structure, leading to the discontinuous transconductance (gm) and the non-monotonic threshold voltage (Vth) shifts. Based on pulsed and static (non-pulsed) measurement data, surface traps and impact ionization in the high-field region are identified as the origin of the kink effect. Specifically, a positive Vth shift of +160 mV is caused by surface traps when the temperature drops to 150 K. A negative Vth shift of –60 mV is due to the enhanced impact ionization below 150 K. Conversely, the device with a passivated gate recess has a negligible kink effect and effectively improves discontinuous gm and the non-monotonic Vth shifts (+25 mV) when the temperature drops. Therefore, the device with a passivated gate recess is significant for suppressing the kink effect and maintaining the stability of the device in variable temperature environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a simplified sonar dome model, an optimization method for internal gradients of functionally graded material (FGM) acoustic windows is proposed in this paper. This method can be used to design optimized FGM acoustic windows with better turbulent self-noise suppression and sound transmission performances. A theoret- ical model of FGM acoustic windows to evaluate the reduction of self-noise caused by the turbulent boundary layer (TBL) pulsating pressure and the sound transmission loss (STL) is derived through the double Fourier transform and the wavenumber frequency spectrum analysis, respectively, based on the transfer matrix idea and the classical elastic theory. The accuracy of the theory is verified by the finite element results of COMSOL Multiphysics. Utilizing the genetic algorithm (GA) and taking the monotonic gradient as the constraint condi- tion, the internal gradient optimization method of FGM acoustic windows obtains the optimization variables in the Bernstein polynomial when the optimization objective is minimized by iterating the optimization variables in the deviation function represented by the Bernstein polynomial that is introduced in the gradient function. The STL, the turbulent self-noise reduction or a weighting function of the STL and turbulent self-noise re- duction of FGM acoustic windows is chosen as the optimization objective. The optimization calculation of the sound transmission or turbulent self-noise suppression performances is carried out for the FRP-rubber FGM (FGM with fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) as the substrate material and rubber as the top material) acoustic window. The optimized results show that both the sound transmission and turbulent self-noise suppression performance are effectively improved, which verifies the effectiveness of the optimization method. Finally, the mechanism of the sound transmission and self-noise suppression characteristics before and after optimization are explained and analyzed based on the equivalent model of graded materials. The research results of this paper provide a reference value for the future design of FGM acoustic windows for sonar domes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report that the core sequence of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, KLVFF, when equipped with a C-terminal cysteine residue, exhibited an extremely low minimum hydrogelation concentration of 0.05 wt% in the presence of Ag+ in pH 5 buffer, with this concentration 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of the pentapeptide itself. The CD signal of the Ag+- L -KLVFFC hydrogel was observed to be sensitive to the early-stage aggregation of amyloid β peptide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractGFH009 is a potent and highly selective cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) inhibitor currently under phase II clinical trials. In this study, we investigated the metabolism and disposition of GFH009 in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, as well as in vitro metabolism of CD-1 mouse, SD rat, beagle dog, cynomolgus monkey, and human.A radiolabelled study indicated that [14C]GFH009 was quickly and widely distributed throughout the body, but presented low levels in brain, testis, and epididymis after a single intravenous dose of 6 mg (100 µCi)/kg to SD rats.GFH009 undergoes systemic metabolic changes, primarily through O-demethylation, oxidation to carboxylic acid and N-dealkylation, cleavage off the methoxyisopropyl moiety being a minor pathway. These metabolic pathways were found to be mainly consistent both in vitro and in vivo.In SD rats, GFH009 was rapidly and completely eliminated, with faeces serving as the major excretion pathway and urine serving as the minor one. Besides, the major clearance pathway for GFH009 was excretion and the minor one was metabolism.GFH009 exhibits favourable drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties, which provides valuable insights into the disposition of GFH009 and can be used to guide future clinical studies.GFH009 is a potent and highly selective cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) inhibitor currently under phase II clinical trials. In this study, we investigated the metabolism and disposition of GFH009 in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, as well as in vitro metabolism of CD-1 mouse, SD rat, beagle dog, cynomolgus monkey, and human.A radiolabelled study indicated that [14C]GFH009 was quickly and widely distributed throughout the body, but presented low levels in brain, testis, and epididymis after a single intravenous dose of 6 mg (100 µCi)/kg to SD rats.GFH009 undergoes systemic metabolic changes, primarily through O-demethylation, oxidation to carboxylic acid and N-dealkylation, cleavage off the methoxyisopropyl moiety being a minor pathway. These metabolic pathways were found to be mainly consistent both in vitro and in vivo.In SD rats, GFH009 was rapidly and completely eliminated, with faeces serving as the major excretion pathway and urine serving as the minor one. Besides, the major clearance pathway for GFH009 was excretion and the minor one was metabolism.GFH009 exhibits favourable drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties, which provides valuable insights into the disposition of GFH009 and can be used to guide future clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous materials have gained significant attention in diverse fields due to their potential applications. This study presents a feasible method to produce biocompatible porous materials using wet foam as a template. The synergistic effects of gliadin particles (GP) and gellan gum (GG) significantly hindered the drainage of liquid and the aging of bubbles in wet foam, specifically, GPs exhibited excellent foaming capacity and provided Pickering stabilization, and GG formed a gel network within the continuous phase upon cooling facilitating the fast capture of bubbles. Besides, these wet foams exhibited exceptional stability for duration of up to 84 days after preparation. Furthermore, these GPs-GG wet foams were used as templates enabling the production of porous materials, which exhibited micron-sized porosities ranging from 84.3% to 93.4%, with average pore sizes varying from 5.0 μm to 156.9 μm. Moreover, the average pore diameter could be easily adjusted by altering the concentrations of GPs and GG. These porous materials displayed non-cytotoxic properties and demonstrated favorable mechanical performance and exceptional water absorption capacity. Furthermore, their highly open and interconnected pore structures promoted cell growth and facilitated the proliferation of HaCaT cells from the material's surface to its interior after 1 week of culture. This study thus showcases a straightforward and feasible method for fabricating macroporous materials using biocompatible components. The potential applications of these materials, particularly in the fields of cell-cultured meat, biotechnology and biomedicine, are highly promising. [Display omitted] • The synergistic stabilizing effects of GPs and GG restrict liquid drainage and aging of bubbles. • The obtained foam exhibits exceptional stability lasting up to 84 days after preparation. • The porous foams have favorable mechanical performance, exceptional water absorption capacity, and high porosities. • The highly open and interconnected pore structures of the foams facilitate 3D cell proliferation. • This work presents a straightforward and feasible method for fabricating biobased wet foams and porous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitral/tufted cells (M/TCs) form complex local circuits with interneurons in the olfactory bulb and are powerfully inhibited by these interneurons. The horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB), the only GABAergic/inhibitory source of centrifugal circuit with the olfactory bulb, is known to target olfactory bulb interneurons, and we have shown targeting also to olfactory bulb glutamatergic neurons in vitro. However, the net efficacy of these circuits under different patterns of activation in vivo and the relative balance between the various targeted intact local and centrifugal circuits was the focus of this study. Here channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) was expressed in HDB GABAergic neurons to investigate the short-term plasticity of HDB-activated disinhibitory rebound excitation of M/TCs. Optical activation of HDB interneurons increased spontaneous M/TC firing without odor presentation and increased odor-evoked M/TC firing. HDB activation induced disinhibitory rebound excitation (burst or cluster of spiking) in all classes of M/TCs. This excitation was frequency dependent, with short-term facilitation only at higher HDB stimulation frequency (5 Hz and above). However, frequency-dependent HDB regulation was more potent in the deeper layer M/TCs compared with more superficial layer M/TCs. In all neural circuits the balance between inhibition and excitation in local and centrifugal circuits plays a critical functional role, and this patterned input-dependent regulation of inhibitory centrifugal inputs to the olfactory bulb may help maintain the precise balance across the populations of output neurons in different environmental odors, putatively to sharpen the enhancement of tuning specificity of individual or classes of M/TCs to odors. NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Neuronal local circuits in the olfactory bulb are modulated by centrifugal long circuits. In vivo study here shows that inhibitory horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca (HDB) modulates all five types of mitral/tufted cells (M/TCs), by direct inhibitory circuits HDB → M/TCs and indirect disinhibitory long circuits HDB → interneurons → M/TCs. The HDB net effect exerts excitation in all types of M/TCs but more powerful in deeper layer output neurons as HDB activation frequency increases, which may sharpen the tuning specificity of classes of M/TCs to odors during sensory processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After hydraulic fracturing treatment, a reduction in permeability caused by the invasion of fracturing fluids is an inevitable problem, which is called water blocking damage. Therefore, it is important to mitigate and eliminate water blocking damage to improve the flow capacities of formation fluids and flowback rates of the fracturing fluid. However, the steady-state core flow method cannot quickly and accurately evaluate the effects of chemical agents in enhancing the fluid flow capacities in tight reservoirs. This paper introduces a time-saving and accurate method, pressure transmission test (PTT), which can quickly and quantitatively evaluate the liquid flow capacities and gas-drive flowback rates of a new nanoemulsion. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the damage mechanism of different fluids and the adsorption of chemical agents on the rock surface. Parallel core flow experiments were used to evaluate the effects of the nanoemulsion on enhancing flowback rates in heterogeneous tight reservoirs. Experimental results show that the water blocking damage mechanisms differ in matrices and fractures. The main channels for gas channeling are fractures in cracked cores and pores in non-cracked cores. Cracked cores suffer less damage from water blocking than non-cracked cores, but have a lower potential to reduce water saturation. The PTT and SEM results show that the permeability reduction in tight sandstones caused by invasion of external fluids can be list as guar gum fracturing fluid > slickwater > brine. Parallel core flow experiments show that for low-permeability heterogenous sandstone reservoirs with a certain permeability ratio, the nanoemulsion can not only reduce reverse gas channeling degree, but also increase the flowback rate of the fracturing fluid. The nanoemulsion system provides a new solution to mitigate and eliminate water blocking damage caused by fracturing fluids in tight sandstone gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) monotherapy with active control treatment for insomnia in patients with medical or psychiatric comorbidities. Both international (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library) and Chinese (WanFang, and CNKI) databases were systematically searched. The random effects model was used. Thirteen RCTs comparing CBT-I (n = 441) and active controls (n = 412) groups were included. CBT-I group showed significant advantage over active controls at post-treatment assessment in terms of Insomnia Severity Index (ISI; SMD = -0.74), sleep onset latency (SMD = -0.36), wake after sleep onset (SMD = -0.21), sleep quality (SMD = 0.56), Pittsburgh sleep quality index total scores (PSQI; SMD = -0.76) and the total score of dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep scale (DBAS; SMD = -1.09). Subgroup analyses revealed significant improvement in sleep onset latency in patients with psychiatric disorders (SMD = -0.45), while significant reduction of number of wakeup after sleep onset was found in patients with medical conditions (SMD = -0.31). This meta-analysis found that CBT-I monotherapy had greater efficacy than other active control treatment for insomnia in patients with medical or psychiatric comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Suicide is a major cause of premature death among physicians, but the prevalence of suicide‐related behaviors (including suicidal ideation, SI and suicide attempt, SA) is inconsistent across studies. This meta‐analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of suicide‐related behaviors among physicians and its associated factors. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched from commencement date to August 14, 2018. Eligible studies on the prevalence of suicide‐related behaviors among physicians were included. Results: Thirty‐five eligible studies with 70,368 physicians were included. The lifetime prevalence of SI was 17.4% (95% CI: 13.8%–21.8%), while the 1‐year prevalence was 8.6% (95% CI: 7.1%–10.3%), 6‐month prevalence was 11.9% (95% CI: 2.7%–39.2%), and 1‐month prevalence was 8.6% (95% CI: 5.6%–13.0%). The lifetime prevalence of SA was 1.8% (95% CI: 0.9%–3.7%), while the 1‐year prevalence was 0.3% (95% CI: 0.1%–0.8%). Subgroup analyses revealed that geographic region was significantly associated with lifetime and 1‐year prevalence of SI, while sample size was significantly associated with 1‐month prevalence of SI. Conclusions: This meta‐analysis found a relatively high prevalence of suicide‐related behaviors, particularly lifetime SI, among physicians. Appropriate preventive and treatment measures should be implemented to reduce the risk of suicide‐related behaviors in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cognitive dysfunction is common in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This is a meta-analysis of studies that compared cognitive dysfunction between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.Methods: Both international and Chinese databases were systematically searched. Studies that compared cognitive function between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) were analyzed using the random-effects model.Results: Twelve studies with 9,518 participants (4,411 schizophrenia and 5,107 bipolar patients) were included in the analyses. Schizophrenia patients performed significantly worse than bipolar patients on the MCCB total scores with a large effect size (SMD=-0.80, 95%CI: -1.21 to -0.39), as well as on all the 7 subscale scores; attention (SMD=-2.56, 95%CI: -3.55 to -1.57) and social cognition (SMD=-0.86, 95%CI: -1.13 to -0.58) with large effect sizes; and speed of processing (SMD=-0.75, 95%CI: -1.00 to -0.49), working memory (SMD=-0.68, 95%CI: -0.91 to -0.45), verbal learning (SMD=-0.78, 95%CI: -0.95 to -0.61), visual learning (SMD=-0.65, 95%CI: -0.83 to -0.48), and reasoning and problem solving (SMD=-0.61, 95%CI: -0.93 to -0.29) with medium effect sizes.Conclusion: Compared to bipolar patients, patients with schizophrenia had more severe cognitive dysfunction in this meta-analysis, particularly in attention and social cognition. Timely assessment and treatment of cognitive dysfunction should be part of standard management protocols in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an eight-qubit cluster entangled state, a novel quantum voting protocol is put forward, where the voting message of any eligible voter Bob can be transferred to the teller David with the help of multiple supervisors Alicej(j = 3, 4, ∗). The anonymous authentication between voters and the vote management center (VMC) provides the anonymity of Bob's identity and voting contents. The supervision in the whole voting process can avoid the teller David's dishonest behaviour. The quantum one-time pad encryption and quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols are adopted to guarantee the unconditional security of our proposed voting protocol. Additionally, the teller Bob can successfully recover the voting message with probability 1 and our protocol only depends on Bell measurement and single particle measurement, which makes our quantum voting protocol more practical and easy to implement with currently available technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Several neuroimaging studies demonstrated that visual deprivation led to significant cross-modal plasticity in the brain's functional and anatomical architecture. Purpose: To investigate the pattern of the interhemispheric functional connectivity in individuals with late blindness using the voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) methods. Material and Methods: Forty-four individuals with late blindness (22 men, 22 women; mean age = 39.88 ± 12.84 years) and 55 sighted control individuals (35 men, 20 women; mean age = 43.13 ± 13.98 years)—closely matched for age, sex, and education—underwent resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans. The VMHC and seed-based FC methods were applied to assess interhemispheric coordination in a voxel-wise manner. Results: Compared with the sighted control groups, the late blindness groups showed decreased VMHC values in the bilateral cuneus/calcarine/lingual gyrus (CUN/CAL/LING) (BA 17/18/19) (voxel level: P < 0.001, Gaussian random field [GRF] correction, cluster level: P < 0.005). Meanwhile, for seed-based FC analysis, compared with the sighted control group, the late blindness group showed a decreased FC between the right lower VMHC regions and the bilateral CUN/LING/CAL/precuneus (PreCUN)/left middle occipital gyrus (MOG) (BA 18/19/30/31) and left precentral gyrus (PreCG) and postcentral gyrus (PostCG) (BA 2/3/4/6). The late blindness group showed a decreased FC between the left lower VMHC regions and the bilateral CUN/LING/CAL/PreCUN (BA 18/19/31) and left PreCG and PostCG (BA 2/3/4/6) relative to the sighted control group (voxel level: P < 0.001, GRF correction, cluster level: P < 0.005). Moreover, a negative correlation was observed between the duration of blindness and VMHC values in the bilateral CUN/CAL/LING (r = −0.393, P = 0.008) in individuals with late blindness. Conclusion: Our results indicated that late blindness induced substantial impairment of interhemispheric coordination in the visual cortex. This might reflect impaired visual fusion, visual recognition function, and top-down modulations in individuals with late blindness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on systematic DFT calculations, silaborane-based superhalogen anions, which obey the Wade–Mingos rule, are shown to be capable of giving rise to superacids via their combination with protons. Compared to previous carborane-based systems, the acidities of the composites here are stronger in both the gas phase and solution phase. Thus, the potential of candidates based on silaborane could be greater than those based on carborane in the search for ultra-strong acidic systems. Within a given group, a higher superhalogen anion vertical electron detachment energy (VDE) generally leads to stronger acidity. This consistency arises from the dominant role of the VDE, as established through the decomposition of the gas-phase acidity into different contributions. Thus, constructing superacids from superhalogens is a rational route whose future should be positive. Besides the VDE, other effects, i.e., the deformation energy (DE) and bond dissociation energy (BDE), could also be crucial, especially in terms of the differences between the acidities of composites belonging to different groups. A comparison between the results in the gas phase and solution phase indicates that complete calculations of both gas-phase ΔGacid and solution-phase pKa values are necessary to obtain an unbiased description of the acidity. The solvation free energies of the participants in the deprotonation process, especially the conjugate acid, are responsible for the discrepancies between gas phase and solution phase behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. A retrospective clinical study. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fluoroscopy-guided atlantoaxial pedicle screw fixation in patients younger than 12 years. Summary of Background Data. C1-C2 pedicle screw fixation is a widely accepted treatment method for atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD). However, data regarding its use for atlantoaxial fusion (AAF) in children are limited. Methods. Thirty-six consecutive patients younger than 12 years underwent C1-C2 pedicle screw fixation for AAD between 2007 and 2017. Anatomical parameters of the C1 pedicle were measured on preoperative computed tomography (CT). Accuracy of pedicle screw fixation was assessed on postoperative CT using the following definitions: Type I, screw threads completely within the bone; Type II, less than half the diameter of the screw violating the surrounding cortex; and Type III, clear violation of the transverse foramen or spinal canal. Demographic, surgical, radiation dose, and clinical data were recorded. Results. Patients underwent 144 screw fixations (67 C1 pedicle screws, 68 C2 pedicle screws, 5 C1 lateral mass screws, and 4 C-2 laminar screws) for a variety of pediatric AADs, with 36.5 +/- 8.5 months of follow-up. Among the 135 pedicle screws, 96.3% were deemed "safe" (Type I or II) and 80.7% (109/135) of the screws were rated as being ideal (Type I); five screws (3.7%) were identified as unacceptable (Type III). Average estimated blood loss (EBL) was 92 mL, and the average total radiation exposure during the operation was 6.2 mGy (in the final 26 cases). There were no neurovascular injuries. All patients showed radiographic stability and symptom resolution. Conclusion. C1-C2 pedicle screw fixation under fluoroscopy is safe and effective for the treatment of AAD in children younger than 12 years. However, it may be technically challenging owing to the special anatomical features of children and should be performed by experienced surgeons. Level of Evidence: 3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Impairment of prospective memory (PM) in schizophrenia has gained increasing attention. This meta-analysis systematically examined PM impairment in schizophrenia.Methods: Both English (PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library) and Chinese (WanFang, Chinese Biomedical and China Journal Net databases) databases were systematically searched from their inception until August 14, 2017. Case-control studies of PM in schizophrenia were included. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using the random-effects model.Results: Twenty-nine case-control studies (n = 2492) were included in the analyses. The overall and three subtypes of PM were compared between patients with schizophrenia (n = 1284) and healthy controls (n = 1208). Compared to healthy controls, patients performed significantly poorer in overall (SMD = -1.125), time-based (SMD = -1.155), event-based (SMD = -1.068), and activity-based PM (SMD = -0.563). Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences between older and younger patients (SMD = -1.398 vs. -0.763), higher male predominance and no sex predominance (SMD = -1.679 vs. -0.800), lower and higher education level (SMD = -1.373 vs.-0.637), chronic and first-episode patients (SMD = -1.237 vs. -0.641) and between eco-valid and dual-task laboratory measurements (SMD = -1.542 vs. -0.725) regarding overall PM. Meta-regression analysis showed that higher negative symptom score was significantly associated with more severe overall PM impairment in patients (P = 0.022).Conclusions: In this meta-analysis the overall PM and all its subtypes, particularly the time-based PM, were significantly impaired in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lysosomes break down various biomolecules and spinster is one of the major efflux carriers removing degradation products from lysosomal lumen to keep it in healthy size and proper function. Although it is well established that a dysfunctional spinster will cause enlarged lysosomes and in turn lead to developmental defects and abnormal behavior in animals, little was known about the transportation mechanism and substrate specificity of spinster. Here, we report a crystal structure of spinster homolog from Hyphomonas neptunium, HnSPNS, in its inward-facing conformation with and without substrate bound. HnSPNS is crystallized in a monomer and a substrate-binding cavity was formed in the center of its transmembrane helices. A blob of electron density corresponding to its substrate was found in the cavity near a conserved residue, R42, which is locked in position by the interactions with conserved residues E129 and R122. Our results suggest that human spinster serves as a transporter translocating negatively-charged lipophilic small molecules and E129 might serve as a switch to control the conformational change via its protonation-deprotonation cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pickering High Internal Phase Emulsions (HIPEs) stabilized by food-grade particles have received considerable attention. In this work, we first demonstrated the use of chitosan-caseinophosphopeptides (CS-CPP) nanocomplexes as particulate emulsifiers to stabilize the interface of natural oils and water. For this purpose, we developed the CS-CPP nanocomplexes through electrostatic interactions and demonstrated their application in the formation of stable Pickering HIPEs. The microstructures, e.g., interfacial frameworks, of the CS-CPP nanocomplexes partition between the continuous phase and interfacial region, and the states of the droplets of Pickering HIPEs were visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and an optical microscope. The compressed droplets in Pickering HIPEs formed a percolating 3D-network framework that endowed emulsions with viscoelastic, self-supporting, and ideal thixotropic features. In addition, the gelatinous state of Pickering HIPEs combined with robust and compact CS-CPP nanocomplexes formed an interfacial layer around the droplets, thus depressing the oxidation of linseed oil. The contents of primary and secondary oxidation products in HIPEs were lower than that in bulk oil and emulsions stabilized by surfactants. An in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) model was constructed to characterize the lipid oxidation, lipid digestion and curcumin bioaccessibility of Pickering HIPEs. Interestingly, this route enhanced the bioaccessibility of curcumin from 20.49% (bulk oil) to 49.21% (Pickering HIPEs). This work offers a facile method to develop Pickering HIPEs by food-grade particles, which help to fill the gap between the performance of CS-CPP nanocomplexes-stabilized Pickering HIPEs and potential applications as oral delivery systems of nutraceuticals. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of the CS-CPP nanocomplexes stabilized Pickering HIPEs proposed to relate physical performance and digestion fate of emulsions to their microstructure. Image 108971 Highlights • Edible Pickering HIPEs were made firstly by CS-CPP nanocomplexes. • Stable Pickering HIPEs had viscoelastic, self-supporting and ideal thixotropic features. • Pickering HIPEs possess promising potential to replace PHOs in processed foods. • Oxidative stability was evaluated under thermally accelerated process and in vitro digestion. • As-prepared Pickering encapsulation enhanced the bio-accessibility of curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated changes in intra- and inter-regional functional connectivity (FC) in individuals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) by using regional homogeneity (ReHo) and FC methods. Sixteen RP individuals and 14 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans (fMRI). A combined ReHo and FC method was conducted to evaluate synchronization of brain activity. Compared with HCs, RP individuals had significantly lower ReHo values in the bilateral lingual gyrus/cerebellum posterior lobe (LGG/CPL). In FC analysis, the RP group showed decreased positive FC relative to the HC group, from bilateral LGG/CPL to bilateral LGG/cuneus (CUN) and to left postcentral gyrus (PosCG). In contrast, the RP group showed increased negative FC relative to the HC group, from bilateral LGG/CPL to bilateral thalamus, and decreased negative FC from bilateral LGG/CPL to right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and to left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). Moreover, ReHo values of the bilateral LGG/CPL showed negative correlations with the duration of RP. FC values of the bilateral LGG/CPL-left IPL showed negative correlations with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the right eye and left eye in RP individuals. Our results reveal reduced synchronicity of neural activity changes in the primary visual area in RP individuals. Moreover, RP individuals showed intrinsic visual network disconnection and reorganization of the retino-thalamocortical pathway and dorsal visual stream, suggesting impaired visuospatial and stereoscopic vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that early blindness is associated with abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) between the primary visual cortex (V1) and other sensory areas. However, the V1 pattern of spontaneous neural activity occurring in late blindness (LB) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intrinsic FC patterns of V1 in LB. Materials and methods: Thirty LB individuals (18 males and 12 females; mean age: 38.76±14.43 years) and 30 sighted controls (SCs) individuals (18 males and 12 females; mean age: 38.67±13.85 years) closely matched for age, sex, and education, underwent resting-state magnetic resonance imaging scans. Region of interest analysis was performed to extract the correlation coefficient matrix among each pair of Brodmann area (BA) 17 and FC between V1 and vision-related subcortical nuclei. Results: Compared with SCs, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the left V1 and the bilateral cuneus (CUN)/lingual gyrus (LGG)/calcarine (CAL) (BA 18/19/30) and left precentral gyrus (PreCG) and the postcentral gyrus (PostCG) (BA 2/3/4). Also, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the right V1 and the bilateral CUN/LGG/CAL (BA 18/19/30) and the left PreCG and PostCG (BA 2/3/4/6) (voxel-level: P<0.01, cluster-level: P<0.05). Meanwhile, LB individuals showed a decreased FC between the left V1 and the right V1 and increased FC between the left V1 and the right superior colliculus, the right V1, and the left hippocampus (P<0.05). Moreover, a positive correlation was observed between the onset age of blindness and FC values in V1 to CUN/LGG/CAL in LB. Conclusion: Our results highlighted that LB induces a decreased FC between V1 and higher visual areas, motor cortices, and somatosensory cortices at rest. This might indicate that LB humans could present with impaired top-down modulations, visual imagery, and vision-motor function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which analyzed the microprocess of deformation and fracture for pure and bismuth-segregated tilt bicrystals of metal copper, by the molecular dynamics method. Information on the symmetric tilt bicrystals considered; Relaxed structure of the grain boundaries; Microprocess of deformation and fracture.

Graphical abstract The novel blue-light emitting alkaline metal–organic frameworks was converted to white-light emitter by selective ion–exchange of lanthanide metal ions. Unlabelled Image Highlights • A novel blue-light emission alkaline metal–organic frameworks was synthesized. • Eu3+ was fixed to generate white-light emission instead of “three primary colors”. • The amount of Ln3+ was obtained via two trajectories in the CIE color space model. • The white-light emission can be realized at an adjusted excitation wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for older patients with severe psychiatric disorders, but their knowledge and attitudes regarding ECT have not been well studied. This study examined the knowledge and attitudes of older Chinese patients and their caregivers towards ECT. Method: A total of 216 participants comprising older patients treated with ECT (n = 108) and their caregivers (n = 108) were recruited. Their knowledge and attitudes regarding ECT were assessed using self‐reported questionnaires. Results: Most caregivers received sufficient information on the therapeutic effects of ECT, but inadequate information about the ECT process, its adverse effects, and risks was provided to caregivers and patients before treatment. Although ECT was generally viewed as beneficial, effective, and safe, around two‐thirds of patients and caregivers believed that ECT should be used only for critically ill patients. Over half of the patients reported adverse effects caused by ECT, with memory impairment being the most commonly reported. Conclusions: Clinicians in Chinese psychiatric hospitals need to provide sufficient information on ECT to older patients and their caregivers before treatment, particularly regarding the treatment process and adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The indirect pathway striatal medium spiny projection neurons (iMSNs) are critical to motor and cognitive brain functions. These neurons express a high level of cAMP‐increasing adenosine A2a receptors. However, the potential effects of cAMP production on iMSN spiking activity have not been established, and recording identified iMSNs in freely moving animals is challenging. Here, we show that in the transgenic mice expressing cAMP‐producing G protein Gs‐coupled designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug (Gs‐DREADD) in iMSNs, the baseline spike firing in MSNs is normal, indicating DREADD expression does not affect the normal physiology of these neurons. Intraperitoneal injection of the DREADD agonist clozapine‐N‐oxide (CNO; 2.5 mg/kg) increased the spike firing in 50% of the recorded MSNs. However, CNO did not affect MSN firing in Gs‐DREADD‐negative mice. We also found that CNO injection inhibited the spike firing of globus pallidus external segment (GPe) neurons in Gs‐DREADD‐positive mice, further indicating CNO excitation of iMSNs. Temporally coincident with these effects on spiking firing in the indirect pathway, CNO injection selectively inhibited locomotion in D2 Gs‐DREADD mice. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that cAMP production in iMSNs can increase iMSN spiking activity and cause motor inhibition, thus addressing a long‐standing question about the cellular functions of the cAMP‐producing adenosine A2a receptors in iMSNs. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14181. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prospective memory (PM) can be impaired in patients with psychiatric disorders including depression. This meta-analysis systematically examined PM in patients with depression.Methods: The meta-analysis was conducted according to the guidelines from Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). Case-control studies on PM in patients with depression were included. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random effect models.Results: Ten case-control studies (n = 596) comparing patients with depression (n = 299) with healthy controls (n = 297) were included in the analyses. Compared with healthy controls, patients with depression had significant impairment in event-based PM (EBPM) [8 trials, n = 436; SMD: -0.87 (95%CI: -1.43, -0.31), P = 0.002; I2 = 87%]. Significance was observed after removing two outlier trials [SMD: -0.44 (95%CI: -0.69, -0.20), P = 0.0004; I2 = 23%] and also in 8 out of the 13 subgroup analyses. Similarly, time-based PM (TBPM) was significantly impaired in patients with depression [4 trials, n = 239; SMD: -0.89 (95%CI: -1.46, -0.31), P = 0.003; I2 = 78%] when compared with healthy controls.Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that both TBPM and EBPM appeared to be impaired in patients with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitive and rapid detection of platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), a cancer-related protein, could help early diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cancers. Although some methods have been developed to detect PDGF-BB, few can provide quantitative results using an affordable and portable device that is suitable for home use or field application. In this work, we report the first use of a portable kind of personal glucose meter (PGM) combining a catalytic and molecular beacon (CAMB) system with a cation exchange reaction (CX reaction) for ultrasensitive PDGF-BB assay. It realized the amplification of the detection in three ways, including greater aptamer payload on nanoparticles, CX reaction releasing thousands of Zn 2+ and the cycle by the catalyzing cleavage of 8–17 DNAzyme. In the process, with the addition of PDGF-BB into the aptasensor, the specific recognition between aptamer and protein was initiated resulting in the combination of ZnS NNC for further CX reaction to release thousands of Zn 2+ , which could cleave the substrate DNA in the CAMB system realizing multiple cycle. The cleaved DNA fragment was designed with invertase-labeled could convert sucrose into glucose which could be detected and quantified by PGM accompanying with the change of color of the control window from yellow to green. The enhanced signal of the PGM has a relationship with the concentration of PDGF-BB in the range of 3.16×10 –16 M to 3.16×10 –12 M, and the detection limit is 0.11 fM. Moreover, the catalytic and cleavage activities of 8–17 DNAzyme can be achieved in solution; thus, no enzyme immobilization is needed for detection. The triply amplified strategy showed high selectivity, stability, and applicability for detecting the desired protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate prospective memory (PM) and the association with clinical factors at 1-year follow-up in first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Thirty-two FES patients recruited from a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in Beijing and 17 healthy community controls (HCs) were included. Time- and event-based PM (TBPM and EBPM) performances were measured with the Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (C-CAMPROMPT) at baseline and at one-year follow-up. A number of other neurocognitive tests were also administered. Remission was determined at the endpoint according to the PANSS score ≤ 3 for selected items. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between time (baseline vs. endpoint) and group (FES vs. HCs) for EBPM (F(1, 44) = 8.8, p = 0.005) and for all neurocognitive components. Paired samples t-tests showed significant improvement in EBPM in FES (13.1±3.7 vs. 10.3±4.8; t = 3.065, p = 0.004), compared to HCs (15.7±3.6 vs. 16.5±2.3; t = -1.248, p = 0.230). A remission rate of 59.4% was found in the FES group. Analysis of covariance revealed that remitters performed significantly better on EBPM (14.9±2.6 vs. 10.4±3.6; F(1, 25) = 12.2, p = 0.002) than non-remitters at study endpoint. The association between EBPM and 12-month clinical improvement in FES suggests that EBPM may be a potential neurocognitive marker for the effectiveness of standard pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, the findings also imply that PM may not be strictly a trait-related endophenotype as indicated in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forsterite powders with controllable morphology were synthesized using oxides as raw materials in NaCl- KCl molten salt media. The effects of MgO/SiO2 ratio, calcining temperature, and salt/oxide ratio on the phase composition and morphology of the powders are investigated. The results indicate that single-phase forsterite powders can be synthesized from a mixture of MgO and SiO2 with a MgO/SiO2 molar ratio of 2:1.3 at 700°C. With the increase in calcining temperature, the powders obtained changes from an irregular to a columnar morphology. In addition, the morphology of the forsterite powders produced can also be controlled by altering the salt/oxide ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to break through the technical bottlenecks of the traditional power transmission medium which existing in the sheet forming process, this paper firstly proposes a method of the sheet metal bidirectional pressure forming using a magnetorheological fluid (MRF), then the experimental device and the key structure are developed. Taking the 304 stainless steel sheet as an example, the results of the sheet metal forming under different current intensity conditions are compared. When the current intensity is increased from 0 to 4 A, the increase of the sheet forming limit reaches to 18.03 %. The maximum thinning rate of the wall thickness decreases from 28 to 22.6 %, but the forming height has an increasing trend when the punch down stroke is 15 mm. The sheets' wall thickness distribution and deformation uniformity are improved by the loading force transmission and the viscosity shear of the MRF under the gradual increased magnetic field. In conclusion, with the maturity of the process theory, it is expected to open up a new way for the study of the sheet flexible medium pressure molding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fluorescent label-free “turn-on” NAD + and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) biosensing strategy is proposed by fully exploiting ligation triggered Nanocluster Beacon (NCB). In the presence of the target, the split NCB was brought to intact, which brought the C-rich sequence and enhancer sequence in close proximity resulting in the lightening of dark DNA/AgNCs (“On” mode). Further application was presented for logic gate operation and aptasensor construction. The feasibility was investigated by Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Fluorescence, lifetime and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) etc. The strategy displayed good performance in the detection of NAD + and ATP, with the detection limit of 0.002 nM and 0.001 mM, the linear range of 10–1000 nM and 0.003–0.01 mM, respectively. Due to the DNA/AgNCs as fluorescence reporter, the completely label-free fluorescent strategy boasts the features of simplicity and low cost, and showing little reliance on the sensing environment. Meanwhile, the regulation by overhang G-rich sequence not relying on Förster energy transfer quenching manifests the high signal-to-background ratios (S/B ratios). This method not only provided a simple, economical and reliable fluorescent NAD + assay but also explored a flexible G-rich sequence regulated NCB probe for the fluorescent biosensors. Furthermore, this sensing mode was expanded to the application of a logic gate design, which exhibited a high performance for not only versatile biosensors construction but also for molecular computing application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influence of expandable graphite on flame retardancy and mechanical properties of organic-inorganic hybrid material based on sodium silicate and polyisocyanate has been investigated. The results of mechanical measurement show that adding expandable graphite decreases the maximum of the compressive strength from 5.98 to 1.49 MPa. The thermal property is evaluated by thermal conductivity test, thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that adding the expandable graphite increases thermal conductivity of composite and lowers maximum heat release rate. The material with expandable graphite has better flame retardancy than original material with an obvious decrease in heat release rate, fire spread and thermal decomposition rate. What is more, intumescent graphite has the obvious effect to suppress flame and prevent the composite from fire. Scanning electron microscope shows that many large particles and gaps appear after compression deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions have gained interest in many fields, including food, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and agriculture. However, research on Pickering W/O emulsions is limited due to the lack of available stabilizers. This study aimed to demonstrate the development of edible Pickering W/O emulsions using biocompatible and biodegradable gliadin/ethyl cellulose complex particles (GECPs) with neutral hydrophobicity as the stabilizer. The characterizations of GECPs indicated that the particle size, contact angle, and dynamic interfacial tension could be adjusted by varying the gliadin-to-ethyl cellulose (EC) ratio. The investigations of emulsions revealed that the most stable emulsions were obtained when the gliadin-to-EC ratio was 2:1. Moreover, stable emulsions could be prepared at particle concentrations higher than 1.5%. The phase inversion of emulsions from W/O to O/W occurred at 55 wt% water. Confocal laser scanning microscopy and the theoretical calculations confirmed that GECPs formed multiple interfacial layers and acted as physical barriers against coalescence, thereby contributing to the stability of emulsions for at least 433 days; no reverse inversion occurred after 2.3 years of storage. This study provided a new approach to prepare stable Pickering W/O emulsions from GECPs. This strategy might open interesting avenues in solving the dilemma where Pickering stabilization using edible particles is required. Schematic illustration of preparation for stable Pickering W/O emulsions using biocompatible gliadin/ethyl cellulose complex particles as the particulate emulsifier. [Display omitted] • Biocompatible gliadin/ethyl cellulose complex particles (GECPs) were fabricated using simple method. • GECPs were used to generate food-grade W/O Pickering emulsions with a stable period of at least 2.3 years. • The W/O emulsions can contain up to 50 wt% water phase. • The type of emulsions shifted from W/O to O/W at water fraction higher than 55 wt%. • Formation of multiple interfacial GECPs layers was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of the frequency slice wavelet transform (FSWT) to distinguish the fault feature is weak under the condition of strong background noise; in order to solve this problem, a fault feature extraction method combining the singular value decomposition (SVD) and FSWT was proposed. Firstly, the Hankel matrix was constructed using SVD, based on which the SVD order was determined according to the principle of the single side maximum value. Then, the denoised signal was further processed by the FSWT to obtain the time-frequency spectrum of the passband. Finally, the detailed analysis was carried out in the time-frequency area with concentrated energy, and the signal was reconstructed by the inverse-FSWT. The processing effect for the pitting corrosion and the tooth broken faults of the gears shows that the faulty feature can be extracted effectively from the envelope spectrum of the reconstructed signal, which means the proposed method is able to help obtain a qualified result and has the potential to be carried out for the practical engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the flame-retardant properties of polymer materials, an organic-inorganic hybrid material was obtained by various mixed ratios of sodium silicate solution and polyisocyanate. The chemical structure of materials was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the microstructures were observed by scanning electron microscope. The influence of various ratios of polyisocyanate and sodium silicate on the flame-retardant properties of hybrid materials was emphatically investigated. The results showed that Si-O and Si-O-Si bonds were introduced into the hybrid materials and the surfaces were rougher than that of rigid polyurethane. The hybrid materials had better flame-retardant properties than the rigid polyurethane with an obvious decrease in heat release rate, spread rate of fire, decomposition rate and increase in residue and LOI value. When the hybrid materials were burning, less carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide were produced. In addition, the TG curve showed that the mass of hybrid materials decreased more slowly than the mass of the rigid polyurethane. So the hybrid materials showed excellent flame-retardant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a strategy of nitrogen anion doping to suppress negative gate-bias illumination instability. The electrical performance and negative gate-bias illumination stability of the ZnSnON thin film transistors (TFTs) are investigated. Compared with ZnSnO-TFT, ZnSnON-TFT has a 53% decrease in the threshold voltage shift under negative bias illumination stress and electrical performance also progresses obviously. The stability improvement of ZnSnON-TFT is attributed to the reduction in ionized oxygen vacancy defects and the photodesorption of oxygen-related molecules. It suggests that anion doping can provide an effective solution to the adverse tradeoff between field effect mobility and negative bias illumination stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new Hamiltonian lattice hierarchy is analytically investigated, which can be reduced to some classic integrable lattice hierarchies, such as Ablowitz-Ladik hierarchy, Volterra hierarchy and multi-Hamiltonian lattice hierarchy, etc. By choosing the auxiliary problem , we present a Darboux transformation (DT) to the new discrete matrix spectral problem. As its applications, a series of analytical solutions are generated in a recursive manner. Finally, the graphical analysis of these analytical solutions are presented, respectively. The DT of other lattice hierarchies can be also constructed in this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thioflavin T (ThT), as one of the most exciting fluorogenic molecules, boasts the “molecular-rotor” ability to induce DNA sequences containing guanine repeats to fold into G-quadruplex structures. It has been demonstrated to sense this change by its remarkable fluorescence enhancement. In this work, taking T4 polynucleotide kinase (PNK) as a model, the ThT/G-quadruplex based platform and λexonuclease (λexo) cleavage reaction were combined to design a label-free “turn-on” strategy for fast, simple and accurate detection of T4 PNK activity and its inhibition. In the presence of T4 PNK, the designed thioflavin T based molecular beacon (TMB) DNA probe could be phosphorylated and then digested by the cleavage of λexo, releasing the G-quartets. These then bound to ThT to form ThT/G-quadruplexes with an obvious fluorescence generation, for the “turn-on” detection of T4 PNK. In comparison to traditional methods, the proposed TMB probe is convenient, requiring no sophisticated labeling and separation processes and displaying high analytical performance. It exhibits a satisfying detection result for the activity of T4 PNK with a low detection limit of 0.001 U mL−1. This is not only meaningful for further research on disease-related biochemical processes, but also valuable for molecular-target therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To investigate the changing of idiopathic membranous nephropathy ( iMN) in China. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed renal disease spectrum of 6049 patients who underwent renal biopsy at Peking University First Hospital from January 2003 to December 2012. The patients were grouped into two periods at a 5-year interval: 2003-2007 (period 1) and 2008-2012 (period 2). Results Among 6049 renal biopsied patients, 3831 (63.3%) patients were diagnosed as primary glomerular disease ( PGD). The proportion of nephrotic syndrome ( NS) in PGD was significantly higher in period 2 than that in period 1 (1016/2214 [55.0%] vs 682/1617 [42.2%], P = 0.022). The proportion of iMN in PGD increased from 16.8% (217/1617) in period 1 to 29.35% (646/2214) in period 2 in all groups of age ( P < 0.001). There was no significant difference of clinical characteristics including age, gender, hypertension, serum cholesterol and proteinuria between the two periods ( P > 0.05). However, in young patients with iMN (14-44 years old), the percentage of renal histopathology stage I and stage II of iMN in PGDs was significantly higher in period 2 than that in period 1 (101/1240 [8.15%] vs 210/1340 [15.7%], P < 0.001). Conclusion Our study suggests that the frequency of iMN in PGD in our referral diagnostic centre has doubled over the past 10 years. The increase of adult iMN is mainly due to the increase of early stages of iMN in young patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method of online identification of the parameters of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) by model reference adaptive identification based on Popov Super Stability Theory. Firstly, the relations of parameters in the Field Orientation Control (FOC) system are analysed. Secondly, the proposed identification method of PMSM concerns two parts. In the case of high-speed operation of the motor, the method can accurately identify the inductance indq-axis and the permanent magnet (PM) flux linkage. On the other hand, in the case of low speed, it can accurately identify the winding resistance of the stator. The method does not require additional excitation signals, but only makes use of motor voltage, current and their deviations. Thirdly, a simple and effective dead-time compensation method has been applied to inhibit the dead-time effects on the parameter identification. At last, the simulation and experiment results clearly demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the electrophysiological properties and functional integration of different phenotypes of transplanted human neural precursor cells (hNPCs) in immunodeficient NSG mice. Postnatal day 2 mice received unilateral injections of 100,000 GFP+ hNPCs into the right parietal cortex. Eight weeks after transplantation, 1.21% of transplanted hNPCs survived. In these hNPCs, parvalbumin (PV)-, calretinin (CR)-, somatostatin (SS)-positive inhibitory interneurons and excitatory pyramidal neurons were confirmed electrophysiologically and histologically. All GFP+ hNPCs were immunoreactive with anti-human specific nuclear protein. The proportions of PV-, CR-, and SS-positive cells among GFP+ cells were 35.5%, 15.7%, and 17.1%, respectively; around 15% of GFP+ cells were identified as pyramidal neurons. Those electrophysiologically and histological identified GFP+ hNPCs were shown to fire action potentials with the appropriate firing patterns for different classes of neurons and to display spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs). The amplitude, frequency and kinetic properties of sEPSCs and sIPSCs in different types of hNPCs were comparable to host cells of the same type. In conclusion, GFP+ hNPCs produce neurons that are competent to integrate functionally into host neocortical neuronal networks. This provides promising data on the potential for hNPCs to serve as therapeutic agents in neurological diseases with abnormal neuronal circuitry such as epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubilities of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in methanol and binary mixtures of methanol and water were measured by a synthetic method from 293.15 to 333.15 K. The experimental data were correlated by means of the Apelblat equation and the (CNIBS)/Redlich-Kister empirical models. The influences of the concentration of methanol and temperature on the solubility is discussed. The experimental results could be useful for optimizing the preparation process of hexanitrostilbene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the information industry and the Internet develop rapidly, the use of big data enters people's vision and attracts attention. It makes the recommendation system come into being how to quickly extract the desired information from the excessive information. In the recommendation system, user-based collaborative filtering algorithm has become a research hotspot. Existing researches focus on improving collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm by using the kernel method, but still face the cold start problem, the diversity problem, the data sparsity problem, the concept drift problem and more others. To solve these problems, this paper proposes the user-based collaborative filtering based on kernel method and multi-objective optimization (MO-KUCF) which introduces kernel density estimation and multi-objective optimization. It can be increasing diversity of the recommendation systems, improving concept drift in dynamic data and the accuracy and diversity of the recommendation system. The dataset used in this article is the Netflix dataset. It analyzes the MO-KUCF algorithm with the user-based collaborative filtering (UCF) and user-based collaborative filtering based on kernel method (KUCF) by the mean absolute error (MAE). The MAE is compared with the internal user diversity I u index, and the pre-processed data set is divided into the training set and the test set, which are provided to the recommendation system for recommendation and evaluation. The results show that the accuracy of MO-KUCF improves by 5.6%, and the diversity also increases with decreasing values. Combining multi-objective optimization techniques with kernel density estimation methods can improve the diversity of recommendation systems effectively and solve the concept drift problem to achieve the purpose of improving system accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed at investigating prospective memory and its socio-demographic and neurocognitive correlates in non-psychotic, first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with schizophrenia compared to patients with first episode schizophrenia (FES), and healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Forty-seven FES patients, 50 non-psychotic FDRs (23 offspring and 27 siblings) of patients with chronic schizophrenia (unrelated to the FES group) and 51 HCs were studied. The Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (C-CAMPROMPT) was used to measure time-based prospective memory (TBPM) and event-based prospective memory (EBPM) performance. Other cognitive functions (involving respective memory and executive functions) were evaluated with standardized tests. Results: After controlling for basic demographic characteristics including age, gender and educational level, there was a significant difference between FDRs, FES and HCs with respect to both TBPM (F(2,142) = 10.4, p<0.001) and EBPM (F(2,142) = 10.8, p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that lower scores of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) and the STROOP Word-Color Test (SWCT) contributed to TBPM impairment, while lower educational level and higher scores of the Color Trails Test-2 (CTT-2) contributed to EBPM deficit in FDRs. Conclusions: FDRs share similar but attenuated prospective memory impairments with schizophrenia patients, suggesting that prospective memory deficits may represent an endophenotype of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the gas drainage efficiency has attracted much attention, the importance of safe drainage should be recognized. Under the effect of gas drainage, air flows into the drainage borehole through fractures, providing sufficient oxygen for coal spontaneous combustion and making gas drainage concentration decline into the explosion scope. Based on the risk of coal spontaneous combustion induced by gas drainage and gas explosion in the drainage pipe, the concept of safe drainage was proposed, and the safety factor was defined to quantitatively evaluate the security of gas drainage. By establishing the seepage and diffusion of multicomponent gas, coal-oxygen reaction and heat transfer equations and analyzing the evolution of multicomponent gas flow, oxygen concentration and temperature field, the theoretical model for safe drainage of coal seam gas was built. Taking gas drainage project in Shanjiaoshu Mine of Panjiang Coal and Electricity Group as example, the influence of negative pressure, sealing quality, permeability of distressed zone, gas absorption speciality and coal spontaneous combustion characteristics on safety factor of gas drainage were studied, and some technical measures to ensure the safe drainage were given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tuberculosis remains a global public health problem in recent years. To develop novel type of potential antitubercular agents, twelve novel dihydroartemisinin–fluoroquinolone (DHA–FQ) conjugates (three types of molecules) were gradually designed and conveniently synthesized. All the newly synthesized conjugates were well characterized and evaluated against different Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in vitro. The screening results showed that five DHA–FQ conjugates were active toward M. tuberculosis H37Rv, and compound 3a exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity (MIC=0.0625μg/mL), which was comparable to the positive control Moxifloxacin and even stronger than Ofloxacin. Conjugates 2a and 3a also displayed comparable activities against various clinically isolated sensitive and resistant M. tuberculosis strains (MIC=0.125–16μg/mL) to Moxifloxacin. All target compounds possessed selective anti-M. tuberculosis ability. Preliminary structure–activity relationship demonstrated that short linker between DHA and FQ was favorable for strong antitubercular activity. This study provides a new clue for the development of novel antitubercular lead molecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose The study examined the rate of remission in individuals experiencing a first episode of schizophrenia ( FES) in China and explored predictors of remission in the acute phase of the illness. Design and Methods Fifty-five FES patients were randomly treated with risperidone, olanzapine, or aripiprazole at therapeutic doses for 8 weeks, and their clinical profiles and cognition were assessed using standardized assessment instruments at entry and the end of the study. Findings Of the 55 patients, 30 (54.5%) remitted by the end of the 8-week study. In univariate analyses, shorter duration of untreated psychosis, higher scores on both the time-based prospective memory ( TBPM) and event-based prospective memory tasks and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-revised, and less severe negative symptoms were significantly associated with remission. In stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses, only higher scores on the TBPM significantly predicted remission. Individuals having higher scores reflecting better TBPM at baseline were more likely to achieve remission after 8 weeks of optimized antipsychotic treatment. Practice Implications TPBM may be useful in helping clinicians identify those FES patients most likely to achieve a favorable treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]