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This paper develops a time‐space double radial basis function (TSDRBF) method to solve PDEs arising from multiasset option pricing. By TSDRBF discretization for the high‐dimensional PDEs, a linear system (LS) is obtained. After solving the LS, multi‐asset options of European and American style are restored, with number N of space discretization, number M¯ of time nodes, and number M of time RBF discretization. Numerical examples confirm that the TSDRBF method has exponentially convergent rates for the number N and number M, while the convergence is linear for the number M¯. Compared with finite difference, TSDRBF avoids the difficulty of space discretization, and the convergence is greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies an artificial neural network (ANN) for multi-asset European options. Firstly, a simple three-layer ANN-3 is established with undetermined weights and bias. Secondly, the time–space discrete PDE of the multi-asset option is given and the corresponding discrete data are fed into the ANN-3. Then, using least squares error as the objective function, the weights and bias of ANN-3 are trained well. Numerical examples are carried out to confirm the stability, accuracy and efficiency. Experiments show the ANN's relative error is about  0.8 % . This method can be extended into multi-layer ANN- q (q > 3)  and extended into American options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Situs inversus is a rare congenital condition, defined by the mirror‐image transposition of the abdominothoracic organs. It is linked to an increased risk of different disorders, for example, congenital heart defects and primary ciliary dyskinesia. Recently, some reports have been on the increased incidence of situs inversus after the COVID‐19 pandemic. Objectives: To investigate the association between maternal COVID‐19 infection and fetal situs inversus occurrence risk. Methods: All pregnant women who underwent fetal ultrasound examinations at Jinan Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January to May of 2022 and 2023 were recruited. A chi‐square test was conducted to assess the association of maternal COVID‐19 infection with the incidence rate of fetal situs inversus. Results: A total of 8381 patients, including 25 with situs inversus fetuses were recruited. A total of 3956 patients had COVID‐19, while 4400 did not. Among 25 mothers with situs inversus fetuses, 22 had COVID‐19 and 3 without recent infection. Our analysis showed a strong link between COVID‐19 and a higher risk of fetus situs inversus (P <.001, odds ratio 8.196). Conclusion: Maternal COVID‐19 infection in the early stages of the pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of fetal situs inversion occurrence. Therefore, further research in this field seems necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-energy CT has shown promising results in determining tumor characteristics and treatment effectiveness through spectral data by assessing normalized iodine concentration (nIC), normalized effective atomic number (nZeff), normalized electron density (nED), and extracellular volume (ECV). This study explores the value of quantitative parameters in contrast-enhanced dual-layer spectral detector CT (SDCT) as a potential tool for detecting lymph node activity in lymphoma patients. A retrospective analysis of 55 lymphoma patients with 289 lymph nodes, assessed through 18FDG-PET/CT and the Deauville five-point scale, revealed significantly higher values of nIC, nZeff, nED, and ECV in active lymph nodes compared to inactive ones (p < 0.001). Generalized linear mixed models showed statistically significant fixed-effect parameters for nIC, nZeff, and ECV (p < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) values of nIC, nZeff, and ECV reached 0.822, 0.845, and 0.811 for diagnosing lymph node activity. In conclusion, the use of g nIC, nZeff, and ECV as alternative imaging biomarkers to PET/CT for identifying lymph node activity in lymphoma holds potential as a reliable diagnostic tool that can guide treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) is a dietary antioxidant score that plays a protective role in many diseases, including depression, osteoporosis, papillomavirus infection, etc. However, the association between CDAI and coronary heart disease (CHD) is currently unclear. We aim to explore the correlations between CDAI and the risk of CHD. Methods: Eligible participants were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2018. All participants in this cross-sectional study are required to undergo two separate 24-h dietary recall interviews. Average daily intakes of dietary antioxidants were used to calculate CDAI. CHD status was determined through a questionnaire. Weighted multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between CDAI and CHD. Moreover, we also used restricted cubic spline to explore Non-linear correlations. Sensitivity analysis using unweighted logistic analysis and subgroup analysis were used to demonstrate the stability of the results. Results: A total of 34,699 participants were eligible for analysis.Compared to the participants without CHD, the participants with CHD showed lower levels of CDAI. After adjusting confounding factors in the multivariate weighted logistic regression model, CDAI was inversely associated with CHD (Q4 vs. Q1, OR = 0.65 (0.51–0.82, P < 0.001). Restricted cubic spline showed that there was a negative non-linear correlation (L-shaped) between CDAI and CHD, suggesting a potential saturation effect at higher CDAI levels, with the inflection point of 0.16. Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable. No significant statistically interaction was showed in subgroup analysis. Conclusions: There was a negative non-linear correlation between CDAI and CHD in US adults. However, further prospective studies are still needed to reveal their relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate myocardial strain in patients with different coronary artery disease-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS) levels using the computed tomography (CT) feature tracking technology and to investigate the relationship of myocardial strain with coronary artery calcium scores (CACs) and the degree of coronary artery stenosis. We prospectively enrolled 237 consecutive patients to undergo coronary CT angiography. The participants were divided into the following groups: control (n = 87), CAD-RADS 1 (n = 43), CAD-RADS 2 (n = 43), CAD-RADS 3 (n = 38), and CAD-RADS 4 and above (n = 26). Myocardial strains were analyzed by commercial software, and CACs and coronary stenosis were assessed on post-processing stations. Differences between multiple groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal–Wallis test. Logistic regression were used to analyze the effects of dichotomous variables. As the CAD-RADS level increased, the global circumferential strain (GCS), global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global radial strain (GRS) of the left ventricle based on CT gradually decreased. A significant correlation was observed between global myocardial strain and CACs (GRS: r = − 0.219, GCS: r = 0.189, GLS: r = 0.491; P < 0.05). The independent predictors of obstructive CAD were age (β = 0.065, odds ratio [OR] = 1.067, P = 0.005), left ventricular ejection fraction (β = 0.145, OR = 1.156, P = 0.047), and GLS (β = 0.232, OR = 1.261, P = 0.01). CT-derived GLS of the left ventricle is correlated with CAD-RADS levels and CACs. It may be a better indicator than CACs to reflect the severity of CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camellia oleifera C.Abel is an important oilseed crop. While germplasm resources have been widely collected and conserved, their genetic diversity remained to be explored effectively. Therefore, genomic libraries were constructed and sequenced, and all clean reads were assembled into 673,863 unigenes. In total, 27,953 SSRs were detected from all the unigenes, and 17,517 SSR primer pairs were successfully designed. Furthermore, we re-evaluated the genetic diversity of the germplasm bank of C. oleifera using 22 SSR markers. The number of alleles (Na), the effective number of alleles (Ne), the Shannon index (I), the polymorphic information index (PIC) ranged from 4 to 25 (mean of 11.41), 2.014 to 9.284 (mean of 4.800), 0.716 to 2.471 (mean of 1.682), 0.380 to 0.883 (mean of 0.717), respectively. Finally, a core collection consisting of 45 samples (15% of the 300 trees in the entire germplasm bank) was developed, the genetic diversity parameters of which showed nonsignificant differences from the entire germplasm bank. Genomic SSR development, the re-evaluation of genetic diversity and the development of a core collection from the germplasm bank in this study provided useful tools, abundant genetic resources and an effective collection for the utilization and deep exploration of C. oleifera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2D Dy(III) metal–organic layer (MOL 1) was synthesized under solvothermal conditions. Structural analysis suggests that the Dy(III) ions in each one-dimensional (1D) arrangement are evenly arranged in the form of broken lines. The 1D chains are linked to one another via ligands to form a 2D layer that generates a 2D surface with elongated apertures. The photocatalytic activity study suggests that MOL 1 exhibits good catalytic activity in flavonoids by the formation of an O2˙− radical as an intermediate. This is the first reported method of synthesizing flavonoids using chalcones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: D129 is an EMS-induced mutant with dwarf phenotype, which has important breeding potential to cultivate new varieties suitable for high-density planting in maize Plant height is one of the important agronomic traits that affecting maize planting density, identification of superior dwarf mutants can provide important genetic materials for breeding new varieties suitable for high-density planting. In this study, we identified a dwarf mutant, d129, from maize EMS-induced mutant population. Gene mapping indicated that a G-to-A transition in the second exon of the br2 gene was responsible for the dwarf phenotype of the d129 mutant using MutMap method, which was further validated through allelism testing. Compared with WT plants, the average plant height and ear height of d129 were reduced by 26.67% and 39.43%, respectively, mainly due to a decrease in internode length. Furthermore, the d129 mutant exhibited increased internode diameter, which is important for increasing planting density due to the lodging resistance may be enhanced. Endogenous hormone measurement demonstrated that the contents of IAA and GA3 in the internode of the mutant were significantly lower than that of WT plants. RNA-seq analysis indicated that at least fifteen auxin-responsive and signaling-related genes exhibited differential expression, and some genes involved in cell development and other types of hormone signaling pathways, were also identified from the differential expressed genes. These genes may be related to the reduced hormone contents and decreased elongation of internode cells of the d129 mutant. Our study provided a novel dwarf mutant which can be applied in maize breeding to cultivate new varieties suitable for high-density planting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate a novel subtraction method (S-MAR), combing metal artifact reduction (MAR), virtual monochromatic imaging (VMI), and subtraction CT angiography (CTA) to remove the metal artifacts of coils after endovascular embolotherapy of intracranial aneurysms. Method: In this retrospective study, 29 patients with 38 coils after endovascular embolotherapy of intracranial aneurysms who underwent cerebral CTA using a dual-layer detector spectral CT were included. Conventional CT images (CI), virtual non-enhanced (VNC) images and VMI ranging from 40 to 120 KeV in steps of 10 were reconstructed. These images were then postprocessed to CIMAR, VMIMAR and VNCMAR with MAR software (O-MAR; Philips Healthcare, Cleveland, OH, USA). The novel subtraction method (S-MAR) was derived from subtraction imaging between VNCMAR and the optimal VMIMAR. Contrast-to-noise (CNR) and Noise(Background) of CI, CIMAR, VMI, and VMIMAR were calculated quantitatively. Two Independent radiologists qualitatively assessed artifacts in all images using coil artifact score (CA score), a 5-point Likert scale. Besides, all coils were divided into two groups (group 1: diameter < 5.0 mm, group 2: diameter ≥ 5.0 mm). Differences between two groups were statistically analyzed. Results: The optimal KeV was 40 KeV. Strong correlations between diameter of coils and the CA score of CI were found (rs = 0.652, P < 0.05). CNR, Noise and CA score were significantly improved by CIMAR and VMIMAR compared with CI (P < 0.05). The S‑MAR showed significantly better performance compared with CI, CIMAR, VMI, and VMIMAR in reducing metal coil artifacts according to the CA score (P < 0.05), especially in group 2. Conclusion: The novel S‑MAR proved to be a promising method to reduce coil metal artifacts and elevate the vessel visualization adjacent to coils. It could develop to be widely used in cerebral CTA after coiled aneurysms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and tumor marker level changes of acupuncture plus chemotherapy (FOLFOX4) for advanced gastric cancer. Methods. One hundred and twenty patients with advanced gastric cancer who were treated at our hospital between May 2019 and April 2021 were recruited for prospective analysis, and all patients were allocated to the control and experimental groups in a 1 : 1 ratio using the random number table method, with 60 patients in each group. They received either chemotherapy using the FOLFOX4 regimen (control group) or the FOLFOX4 chemotherapy plus acupuncture (experimental group). Outcome measures included tumor marker levels, quality of life, and adverse events. Results. Before treatment, the two groups showed similar tumor markers levels and the MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) scores (P > 0.05). FOLFOX4 chemotherapy plus acupuncture was associated with significantly lower levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9, and CA72-4 versus FOLFOX4 chemotherapy alone (P < 0.05). The patients who were given FOLFOX4 chemotherapy plus acupuncture showed significantly increased SF-36 scores versus monotherapy of the FOLFOX4 regimen (P < 0.05). The joint therapy resulted in a significantly lower incidence of adverse events versus the monotherapy (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Acupuncture plus chemotherapy using the FOLFOX4 regimen can effectively regulate the serum tumor marker levels of patients with advanced gastric cancer, with a high safety profile, which provides a viable treatment alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine plus paclitaxel and radiotherapy in progressive gastric cancer. Methods. In this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial, 70 patients with advanced gastric cancer receiving radio-chemotherapy between May 2018 and June 2020 were assessed for eligibility in our institution and recruited. They were assigned via the random number table method at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine plus paclitaxel and radiotherapy (control group) or acupuncture on neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine plus paclitaxel and radiotherapy (intervention group). The outcome measures included symptom mitigation, quality of life, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores. Results. The two groups showed similar results in abdominal circumference, intraabdominal pressure, and bowel sounds before treatment (P > 0.05). Acupuncture plus conventional treatment was associated with better mitigation on intraabdominal pressure (11.08 ± 1.37 vs. 12.17 ± 2.68) and bowel sounds (4 [3, 4] vs. 3 [3, 4]) versus conventional treatment alone (P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in TCM symptom scores was observed between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). Acupuncture plus conventional treatment resulted in a lower TCM symptom score (24.63 ± 4.56 points) versus conventional treatment (31.17 ± 4.91 points) (P < 0.05). The eligible patients given acupuncture showed significantly higher scores of physical function, role function, emotional function, cognitive function, and social function (81.52 ± 5.37, 88.17 ± 5.17, 85.15 ± 6.71, 78.45 ± 5.85, and 80.98 ± 7.14) versus those without acupuncture (52.98 ± 8.23, 69.87 ± 5.54, 68.24 ± 9.22, 61.34 ± 6.27, and 64.79 ± 6.89) (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Acupuncture is effective in the recovery of acute toxicity after radio-chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer, which provides a certain reference for clinical treatment and is worthy of application and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought-induced 19 (Di19) family genes play important roles in plant growth, development, and environmental stress responses. However, little is known about this family in maize. The upstream regulatory network of Di19 genes remains poorly understood in plant stress response, especially. In this study, seven ZmDi19 genes were identified, and sequence alignment, gene structure, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the ZmDi19-5 promoter was cloned and multiple putative stress-responsive cis-acting elements (CAEs) were found in the promoter region. The transient transformation assay indicated that firefly luciferase (LUC)-expressed activity driven by the ZmDi19-5 promoter can be significantly induced by drought stress. A 450 bp core region of ZmDi19-5 promoter was identified, and 28 upstream regulatory proteins were screened using yeast one-hybird (Y1H) system. According to the functional annotation, some genes were related to photosynthesis, light response, and water transport, which may suggest the important roles of these genes in drought response. Particularly, five members that may be involved in drought response exhibited strong binding activity to the core region of the ZmDi19-5 promoter. This study laid an important foundation for further revealing the molecular mechanisms and regulatory network of Di19 genes in drought stress response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To study the clinical efficacy of modified Yiwei Shengyang decoction combined with FOLFOX4 chemotherapy regimen in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer and its effect on tumor marker levels. Methods. A total of 106 patients with advanced gastric cancer who were treated in our hospital from September 2019 to September 2021 were recruited and assigned via random number allocation to receive either FOLFOX4 chemotherapy (control group) or modified Yiwei Shengyang decoction plus FOLFOX4 chemotherapy (observation group). Outcome measures included clinical efficacy and tumor marker levels. Results. Modified Yiwei Shengyang decoction plus FOLFOX4 chemotherapy was associated with a significantly higher efficacy (86.79%, including 22 (41.51%) cases of complete response (CR), 24 (45.28%) cases of partial response (PR), 6 (11.32%) cases of stable disease (SD), and 1 (1.89%) case of progressive disease (PD)) compared to FOLFOX4 chemotherapy alone (47.16%, including 10 (18.87%) cases of CR, 15 (28.30%) cases of PR, 21 (39.62%) cases of SD, and 7 (13.21%) cases of PD) (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the levels of CEA and CA19-9 between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05). Modified Yiwei Shengyang decoction plus FOLFOX4 chemotherapy resulted in significantly lower levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (2.08 ± 0.47, 15.12 ± 6.74) compared to FOLFOX4 chemotherapy alone (5.46 ± 1.84, 31.82 ± 7.48) (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Modified Yiwei Shengyang decoction plus FOLFOX4 chemotherapy regimen is effective in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. It regulates the levels of various serum tumor markers in patients and controls the disease, so it is worthy of clinical application and promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize (Zeamays L.) is an essential food crop worldwide, but it is highly susceptible to salt stress, especially at the seedling stage. In this study, we conducted physiological and comparative transcriptome analyses of seedlings of maize inbred lines An'nong876 paternal (cmh15) and An'nong876 maternal (CM37) under salt stress. The cmh15 seedlings were more salt-tolerant and had higher relative water content, lower electrolyte leakage, and lower malondialdehyde levels in the leaves than CM37. We identified 2559 upregulated and 1770 downregulated genes between salt-treated CM37 and the controls, and 2757 upregulated and 2634 downregulated genes between salt-treated cmh15 and the controls by RNA sequencing analysis. Gene ontology functional enrichment analysis of the differentially expressed genes showed that photosynthesis-related and oxidation-reduction processes were deeply involved in the responses of cmh15 and CM37 to salt stress. We also found differences in the hormone signaling pathway transduction and regulation patterns of transcription factors encoded by the differentially expressed genes in both cmh15 and CM37 under salt stress. Together, our findings provide insights into the molecular networks that mediate salt stress tolerance of maize at the seedling stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selenium is an essential trace element for humans and animals. As with oxygen and sulfur, etc., it belongs to the sixth main group of the periodic table of elements. Therefore, the corresponding amino acids, such as selenocysteine (Sec), serine (Ser), and cysteine (Cys), have similar spatial structure, physical, and chemical properties. In this review, we focus on the neglected but key role of serine in a possible mechanism of the physiological adaptation to Se-deficiency in human beings with an adequate intake of dietary protein: the insertion of Cys in place of Sec during the translation of selenoproteins dependent on the Sec insertion sequence element in the 3′UTR of mRNA at the UGA codon through a novel serine-dependent pathway for the de novo synthesis of the Cys-tRNA[Ser]Sec, similar to Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec. We also discuss the important roles of serine in the metabolism of selenium directly or indirectly via GSH, and the maintenance of selenium homostasis regulated through the methylation modification of Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec at the position 34U by SAM. Finally, we propose a hypothesis to explain why Keshan disease has gradually disappeared in China and predict the potential health risk of the human body in the physiological adaptation state of low selenium based on the results of animal experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Frequent occurrence of extreme high temperature is a major threat to crop production. Increasing evidence demonstrates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have important biological functions in the regulation of the response to heat stress. However, the regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs involved in heat response requires further exploration and the regulatory network remains poorly understood in maize. Results: In this research, high-throughput sequencing was adopted to systematically identify lncRNAs in maize inbred line CM1. In total, 53,249 lncRNAs (259 known lncRNAs and 52,990 novel lncRNAs) were detected, of which 993 lncRNAs showed significantly differential expression (DElncRNAs) under heat stress. By predicting the target genes, 953 common targets shared by cis- and trans-regulation of the DElncRNAs were identified, which exhibited differential expression between the control and the heat stress treatments. Functional annotation indicated that a number of important biological processes and pathways, including photosynthesis, metabolism, translation, stress response, hormone signal transduction, and spliceosome, were enriched for the common targets, suggesting that they play important roles in heat response. A lncRNA-mediated regulatory network was constructed to visualize the molecular response mechanism in response to heat stress, which represented the direct regulatory relationships of DElncRNAs, differentially expressed miRNAs, target genes, and functional annotations. Conclusions: This study lays a foundation for further elucidation of the regulatory mechanism for the response to heat stress in the maize inbred line CM1. The findings provide important information for identification of heat-responsive genes, which will be beneficial for the molecular breeding in the cultivation of heat-tolerant maize germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi often experience oxidative stress in response to the environment during growth. In this study, Aspergillus niger HY2, whose presence easily results in paddy mildew, was used to investigate the effects of different carbon sources on morphological development, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolites, and antioxidant enzymes activities. Morphological development mainly includes the changes in conidial production and colony diameter. ROS metabolites production include the content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide anion (O2·−), and malondialdehyde (MDA). The results indicated that A. niger HY2 adapted to H2O2 exposure by decreasing growth and increasing the activities of some antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Different carbon sources also affected the expression of the developmental-specific gene flbA and the oxidative stress tolerance-related gene cat. When incubated with glucose, sucrose, and xylose as carbon sources, A. niger exhibited stronger oxidative stress tolerance, but when incubated with maltose as a carbon source, A. niger exhibited relatively poor oxidative stress tolerance. Our results can provide a theoretical basis for further understanding mechanisms of metabolic adaptation and developing targeted strategies to control the spoilage caused by A. niger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies suggested that serine can promote the synthesis of selenoproteins and the interaction, transformation, and replacement of serine, cysteine, and selenocysteine have been observed in the human body. This study was designed to clarify whether the dietary intakes of serine and sulfate-containing amino acids (SAAs) could directly affect the selenium (Se) nutritional status or the level of milk Se in lactating women. Breast milk and plasma samples were collected from a total of 264 lactating Chinese women when they revisited their local hospital at the 42nd day postpartum to detect the concentration of Se with ICP-MS and the content of selenoprotein P (SEPP1) and the activity of glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) in the plasma by ELISA. The daily Se intake by each subject was calculated based on her own plasma Se concentration. The 24-h dietary record data for 3 consecutive days were collected to calculate their dietary intakes of protein together with each amino acid daily based on the China Food Composition Tables (CFCT). Ordinal polytomous logistic regression was applied to examine the determinants of BMI values for lactating women. For all subjects, the concentration of plasma SEPP1 and milk Se of participants with insufficient Se intake were significantly associated with the dietary intake of serine and 2 SAAs (methionine and cystine), respectively (P < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between each amino acid related to the synthesis of endogenous serine and every biomarker of the Se nutrition status in subjects with an insufficient dietary protein intake (P > 0.05). The ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that dietary protein intake (ordinal OR 1.012, 95% CI = 0.004–0.020, P = 0.002) and plasma SEPP1 (ordinal OR 0.988, 95% CI = − 0.023 to − 0.001, P = 0.036) affected the BMI value together in these lactating women. In conclusion, dietary serine and SAAs were found to directly affect the nutritional status, and both high protein intake and low plasma SEPP1 might be the health risks in these lactating Chinese women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ursolic acid (UA), a natural product, shows a broad spectrum of anticancer effects. However, the poor bioavailability and efficacy of UA limit its clinical application. We developed novel analogues of UA with enhanced antitumor activities by the extensive chemical modification of UA. We developed multiple compounds by structural modification of UA, and found that UA232 had stronger activity than UA. The effects of UA232 (0–50 μM) on inhibiting the proliferation of A549 and H460 cells were determined by CCK-8 for 24, 48, or 72 h. The proapoptotic effect of UA232 was analyzed by microscopy and flow cytometry, and the potential signal pathway affected by UA232 was further validated by Western blotting and flow cytometry. Compared with UA, UA232 showed a stronger ability to inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells (IC50 = 5.4–6.1 μM for A549 and 3.9–5.7 μM for H460 cells). UA232 could induce not only cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase but also apoptosis in both A549 and H460 cells. The treatment of UA232 could lead to an increase of CHOP expression rather than an increase in Bax or caspase-8, indicating that the apoptosis induced by UA232 was correlated with the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) pathway. Treatment with the ER stress-specific inhibitor, 4-PBA, decreased the ability of UA232 to induce apoptosis in A549 and H460 cells. UA232 induced apoptosis through the ER stress pathway, and showed stronger growth-inhibitory effects in A549 and H460 cells compared to UA, which may be a potential anticancer drug to suppress the proliferation of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the differences of thermal conductivity of different types and specifications of thermal insulation materials, the reproducibility of different thermal conductivity test equipment was tested, and the influence of the average temperature of hot and cold plate, temperature difference between hot and cold plate, laboratory temperature and drying process on the determination of thermal conductivity was studied. Detailed measures for the accuracy and reproducibility of thermal conductivity measurement are proposed. Compared with the experimental results, the optimization effect is obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green and renewable organic redox molecules are greatly advantageous over conventional inorganic intercalation electrode materials in terms of electrochemical reversibility and cycling stability. However, their electrical insulation prevents them from being used alone as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Herein, 2-amino-3-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone (ACNQ) molecules were covalently grafted onto graphene nanosheets (GNS) via diazotization. The ACNQ-functionalized GNS (CNQ-GNS) electrode material exhibited a high specific capacitance of 364.2 ± 10 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, which is much larger than that of bare GNS (190 ± 6 F g−1). Moreover, the electrode exhibited an outstanding rate capability (capacitance retention of 76.8% at 100 A g−1). Finally, an asymmetric supercapacitor device was fabricated using graphene nanosheets as the positive electrode and the optimized CNQ-GNS as the negative electrode, which displayed a high energy density of 19.1 W h kg−1 at a power density of 0.8 kW kg−1 with a long cycling life span (nearly no loss after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g−1) in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Briefly, the highly conductive GNS scaffold delivers a high electrical double-layer capacitance, while the organic functional groups covalently bonded on the GNS contribute additional faradaic pseudocapacitance, resulting in outstanding electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of high‐dynamic range (HDR) image and video, displaying an HDR image or video on a standard dynamic range displays with natural visual effect, clear details on local areas, and high‐contrast ratio has become an important issue. To achieve HDR, local‐dimming technique has been commonly practiced. In this paper, we investigate the problem of local dimming for LED‐backlight LC display to provide algorithm support for developing HDR displays. A novel local‐dimming algorithm is proposed to improve the contrast ratio, enhance the visual quality, and reduce the power consumption of the LCDs. The proposed algorithm mainly consists of two parts. The first part is a backlight luminance extraction method based on dynamic threshold and the maximum grayscale of an image block to improve the contrast ratio and reduce the power consumption. In the second one, a pixel compensation method based on logarithmic function is used to improve the visual quality and contrast ratio. At the same time, in order to better smooth the backlight diffusion at the edges of the backlight luminance signal to enhance the accuracy of the pixel compensation, we draw on the idea of BMA and improve it to establish the backlight diffusion model with different low‐pass‐filter templates for different types of blocks. Simulation and measured results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the competing ones in contrast ratio, visual quality, and power‐saving ratio. We investigate the problem of local dimming for LED‐backlight LC display to provide algorithm support for developing HDR displays. The focus of this research is on the realization of the potential of local‐dimming strategy in improving the CR and visual quality of LED‐backlight LC displays. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperform the competing ones in contrast ratio and visual quality, consume less energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laplace transform method (LTM) has a lot of applications in the evaluation of European-style options and exotic options without early exercise features. However the Laplace transform methods for pricing American options have unsatisfactory accuracy and suffer from the instability. The aim of this paper is to develop a Laplace transform method for pricing American Strangles options with the underlying asset price following the constant elasticity volatility (CEV) models. By approximating the free boundaries, the Laplace transform is taken on a fixed space region to replace the moving boundaries space. After solving the linear system in Laplace space, Gaver-Stehfest formula (GSF) and hyperbola contour integral method (HCIM) are applied to compute the Laplace inversion. Numerical results show that the LTM-HCIM outperform the LTM-GSF in regard to the accuracy and stability for the option values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterogeneity in human breast cancer poses a challenge for effective treatment. Better understanding of tumor initiation and development will help to resolve this problem. Current models explaining intratumoral diversity include cancer stem cells, clonal evolution and cancer cell dedifferentiation and reprogramming. Herein, a new model, cancer transmission, is proposed to explain cancer heterogeneity. We found breast cancer cells (MCF10A.NeuT) were capable of transforming normal mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A). The transformed cells exhibited cancerous properties including enhanced proliferation and migration, loss of apical-basal polarity and depolarized acini structure associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The transformed MCF10A cells displayed distinct EMT characteristics compared to parental cells. We further showed that cancer cell-secreted factors were sufficient to induce cancerous transformation of normal cells. Furthermore, transformed cells were resistant to radiation treatment, providing new insights into mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the danthron molecule (1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone, DT) with multi-electron redox centers as a novel organic electrochemically active material for supercapacitors has been decorated on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (RGNs) via a facile one-step reflux method. The resultant danthron functionalized RGNs (DT–RGNs) composite electrode material not only provided a fast and reversible 4e−/4H+ redox reaction because of two types of redox-active organic functional groups (carbonyl and hydroxyl) in DT, but also preserved the unique electrode architecture with the required conductivity of the graphene nanosheets. In the three-electrode system, the optimized electrode (DT–RGNs 3 : 5) exhibited an excellent capacitance of 491 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 which is three times higher than that of bare RGNs. Most importantly, the DT–RGNs electrode showed an ultrahigh rate capability of 80.8% capacitance retention at 100 A g−1 and a superior electrochemical stability of 98.8% after 10 000 cycles at 10 A g−1, outstripping a great amount of reported organic and inorganic electrodes. Meanwhile, the effect of intramolecular and/or intermolecular hydrogen bonds between carbonyl and hydroxyl on the electrochemical properties of the DT–RGNs electrode was investigated. Finally, the novel symmetric supercapacitor (DT–RGNs SSC) was assembled to evaluate the actual energy storage properties of electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically porous, nitrogen-doped, and interconnected carbon nanosheets (HPN-CS) have been prepared from agaric through a one-step method, that is, simultaneous carbonization, activation, and nitrogen-doping. Potassium hydroxide infiltrated into the cell walls of agaric acts as an in-built activating agent to induce a unique architecture of the resultant material. HPN-CS have average pore diameter of 2.6 nm, specific surface area of 1565.6 m2 g-1, and high volume fraction of macro/mesopores (71.7%). It is noted that a lot of micropores with the simple pore structure are homogeneously distributed on the interconnected carbon nanosheets. The symmetric supercapacitor based HPN-CS achieve a high operation voltage of 2.0 V and energy density of 27.2 Wh kg-1 (at a power density of 1 kW kg-1) in aqueous electrolyte of 2 m Li2SO4. Even at the power density of 50 kW kg-1 (50 times increase, a full charge-discharge within 3.2 s), energy density still holds at 20.8 Wh kg-1, indicating an excellent energy storage/release performance. In addition, the single device is able to easily light 60 light-emitting diodes (working voltage 2.0-2.2 V) in parallel after charging for only 10 s, showing an outstanding potential in the practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical oxidation is used to cut and unzip multi-walled carbon nanotubes in the transverse direction and the axial direction to form graphene oxide nanoribbon (GONR). Ruthenium oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanoribbon composite (RuO2/rGONR) with a 72.5 wt% RuO2 loading is synthesized through an aqueous-phase reaction, in which GONR is served as starting material, followed by mild thermal treatment in ambient air. The resulting RuO2/rGONR composite achieves specific capacitance up to 677 F·g−1 at the current density of 1 A·g−1 in three-electrode system using 1 mol·L−1 H2SO4 as electrolyte. The resultant electrode exhibits an excellent rate capability (91.8% retention rate at 20 A·g−1). Especially, the symmetric supercapacitor assembled on the basis of RuO2/rGONR electrode delivers high energy density (16.2 Wh·kg−1) even at the power density of 9885 W·kg−1, which is very essential for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) lamellar SnO2 is grown on a carbon cloth (CC) substrate (denoted as 3D lamellar SnO2/CC) through hydrothermal reactions and subsequent thermal treatments. The resulting 3D lamellar SnO2/CC can be directly used as an electrode in supercapacitors without the necessity for addition of either binder or conductive species, and achieves a specific capacitance as high as 247 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 within a potential window ranging from −0.6 to 0.3 V because of the unique porous structure accessible to electrolyte ions. In order to match the capacitive behaviors of 3D lamellar SnO2/CC in the two-electrode systems, reduced graphene oxide/carbon cloth (rGO/CC) is prepared by starting from GO. The rGO/CC and 3D lamellar SnO2/CC are respectively used as positive and negative electrodes to assemble an asymmetric supercapacitor. The device exhibits not only an excellent cycle stability (76.9% after 10 000 cycles at 3 A g−1), but also high energy density of 22.8 W h kg−1 at a power density of 850 W kg−1 under a cell voltage of 1.7 V. Moreover, the as-fabricated supercapacitor has green and environmentally friendly features because an aqueous neutral electrolyte is employed in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/bisphenol A (BPA) composites were prepared by an adsorption-reduction method. The composites are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results confirm that BPA is adsorbed on the basal plane of RGO by π-π stacking interaction. Furthermore, the electrochemical behaviors were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that the RGO/BPA nanocomposites exhibit ultrahigh specific capacitance of 466 F·g−1 at a current density of 1 A·g−1, excellent rate capability (more than 81% retention at 10 A·g−1 relative to 1 A·g−1) and superior cycling stability (90% capacitance decay after 4000 cycles). Consequently, the RGO/BPA nanocomposites can be regarded as promising electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to find the optimal coverage optimization algorithm of wireless sensor networks (wireless sensor networks, WSN), which maintain the energy balance of the entire network, is currently a hot research, in order to improve the wireless sensor network coverage rate. This paper proposes a WSN node coverage optimization method (chaotic escape particle swarm optimization, ECPSO) based on chaotic escaped swarm optimization algorithm. Firstly, the coverage optimization rate is taken goal to establish WSN coverage optimization mathematical model which is used to describe the node coverage problem, then chaotic escape particle swarm algorithm is used to solve the mathematical model to realize the node coverage optimization. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm speeds up the WSN coverage optimization speed, and the nodes are distributed more uniformly, so the sensor node coverage rate is improved. It is a highly effective WSN nodes covering algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work Mn3O4/reduced graphene oxide hydrogel (Mn3O4-rGOH) with three dimensional (3D) networks was fabricated by a hydrothermal self-assembly route. The morphology, composition, and microstructure of the as-obtained samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry analysis (TG), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Moreover, the electrochemical behaviors were evaluated by cyclic voltammogram (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The test results indicated that the hydrogel with 6.9% Mn3O4 achieved specific capacitance of 148 F·g−1 at a specific current of 1 A·g−1, and showed excellent cycling stability with no decay after 1200 cycles. In addition, its specific capacitance could retain 70% even at 20 A·g−1 in comparison with that at 1 A·g−1 and the operating window was up to 1.8 V in a neutral electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: The acute and residual (or long-term) bone marrow (BM) injury induced by ionizing radiation (IR) is a major clinic concern for patients receiving conventional radiotherapy and victims accidentally exposed to a moderate-to-high dose of IR. In this study, we investigated the effects of the treatment with the p38 inhibitor SB203580 (SB) and/or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the hematoimmune damage induced by IR in a mouse model. Specifically, C57BL/6 mice were exposed to a sublethal dose (6 Gy) of total body irradiation (TBI) and then treated with vehicle, G-CSF, SB, and G-CSF plus SB. G-CSF (1 µg/mouse) was administrated to mice by intraperitoneal (ip) injection twice a day for six successive days; SB (15 mg/kg) by ip injection every other day for 10 days. It was found that the treatment with SB and/or G-CSF significantly enhanced the recovery of various peripheral blood cell counts and the number of BM mononuclear cells 10 and 30 days after the mice were exposed to TBI compared with vehicle treatment. Moreover, SB and/or G-CSF treatment also increased the clonogenic function of BM hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and the frequency of BM lineage−Sca1+c-kit+ cells (LSK cells) and short-term and long term hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) 30 days after TBI, in comparison with vehicle treated controls. However, the recovery of peripheral blood B cells and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was not significantly affected by SB and/or G-CSF treatment. These results suggest that the treatment with SB and/or G-CSF can reduce IR-induced BM injury probably in part via promoting HSC and HPC regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Increasing attention has been paid to enhancing biological control through habitat management in agricultural systems for enhanced pest management. Pest management benefits can be realised by intercropping, which can increase natural enemy abundance and, in turn, reduce pest abundance. In this study, the composition and temporal dynamics of arthropod communities in pear orchards when intercropped with aromatic plants were investigated, and the effectiveness and applicability of aromatic plants as intercrops for enhancing insect control were assessed. RESULTS: When compared with natural grasses or clean tillage, intercropping significantly reduced pest abundance and increased the ratio of natural enemies to pests. Intercropping also shortened the occurrence duration and depressed the incidence peak in annual dynamics curves of the pest subcommunity and the arthropod community, mainly because of the repellent effects of aromatic plants. Equally important, intercropping significantly reduced the numbers of major pests, such as Psylla chinensis, Aphis citricola and Pseudococcus comstocki, while their incidence period was delayed to varying degrees, and the numbers of their dominant natural enemies ( Coccinella septempunctata, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Chrysoperla sinica) increased. CONCLUSION: Intercropping with aromatic plants led to a considerable improvement in arthropod pest management by enhancing the activity of the beneficial arthropod community within the pear orchard ecosystem. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) was used to decorate graphene nanosheets to obtain a novel and environmentally friendly electrode material for supercapacitors. The fast redox reactions between hydroquinone and quinone generate pseudocapacitance. Graphene layers which have adsorbed TBHQ interact with each other to construct a three-dimensional network. Through this network, electrolyte ions can easily access the surface of graphene to generate electric double-layer capacitance. Electrochemical measurements have shown that using TBHQ as a redox modifier of graphene can obtain a maximum value of 302 F g-1 and provide a 51% enhancement in specific capacitance. Furthermore, excellent rate capability and cycling ability are achieved using the TBHQ-decorated graphene nanosheet electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To observe the difference in number of epidermal stem cell and its function between wild-type (WT) mice and the third generation of Terc knockout (G3Terc-/- ) mice. Methods Flowcytometry was used to analyse and sort epidermal stem cells; Quantitative real-time PCR is used to analyse the relative expression level of p21 in epidermal stem cells; Self-renewal ability was reflected by the number of colonies formed by epidermal stem cells. Results Basal and suprabasal ratios in epidermal stem cells in WT mice were (9.56±1.06)% and (1.22±0.08)% respectively; basal and suprabasal ratios in epidermal stem cell in G3Terc-/- mice were (17.36±3.56)% and (2.92±0.72)% respectively. Relative p21 expression level in G3Terc-/- mice was 6.40 fold to WT mice; Number of colonies formed by WT mice epidermal stem cells were (280.20±29.81) per 104 cell, number of colonies formed by G3Terc-/- mice epidermal stem cells were (29.28±5.24) per 104 cell, which present significant difference to each other (P<0.05) . Conclusion Compared to WT mice, epidermal stem cells in G3Terc-/- mice were aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined the influence of pre-pregnancy body weight on the rates of attempted and successfully assisted-vaginal delivery.Methods: We used 2008-2016 inpatient records including 3408 women who had singleton gestations and needed operative delivery assistance to conduct a retrospective cohort study. Patients were categorized based on pre-pregnancy BMI (normal weight = 18.5 to less than 25 or obese = 30 or greater). We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of attempted and successful forceps or vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery by body weight adjusted for marital status, age, gestational age, induction of labor, episiotomy, diabetes, and birth weight.Results: The proportion of women with attempted either vacuum or forceps was lower among women who were obese pre-pregnancy compared to women who were normal weight. Women with excessive gestational weight gain, large for gestational age neonates, and diabetes were less likely to have a vacuum-assisted or forceps-assisted vaginal delivery attempted. Conversely, women who received labor augmentation or induction, used epidural anesthesia, gained inadequate weight, and delivered a small for gestational age infant were more likely to have a vacuum-assisted or forceps-assisted vaginal delivery attempted. Compared to normal weight women, obese women who received forceps-assisted vaginal delivery were more likely to have a successful vaginal delivery.Conclusion: Women who had normal weight had higher likelihood to attempt assisted vaginal delivery compared to women who had pre-pregnancy obesity. However, when assisted vaginal delivery was attempted, success rates were higher when forceps-assisted delivery was used compared to vacuum-assisted delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]