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Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii)‐associated polymorphic effector proteins are crucial in parasite development and regulating host anti‐T. gondii immune responses. However, the mechanism remains obscure. Here, it is shown that Toxoplasma effector dense granules 4 (GRA4) restricts host IFN‐I activation. Infection with Δgra4 mutant T. gondii strain induces stronger IFN‐I responses and poses a severe threat to host health. Mechanistically, GRA4 binds to phosphorylated TBK1 to promote TRIM27‐catalyzed K48‐ubiquitination at Lys251/Lys372 residues, which enhances its recognition by autophagy receptor p62, ultimately leading to TBK1 autophagic degradation. Furthermore, an avirulent Δgra4 strain (ME49Δompdc/gra4) is constructed for tumor immunotherapy due to its ability to enhance IFN‐I production. Earlier vaccination with ME49Δompdc/gra4 confers complete host resistance to the tumor compared with the classical ME49Δompdc treatment. Notably, ME49Δompdc/gra4 vaccination induces a specific CD64+MAR‐1+CD11b+ dendritic cell subset, thereby enhancing T cell anti‐tumor responses. Overall, these findings identify the negative role of T. gondii GRA4 in modulating host IFN‐I signaling and suggest that GRA4 can be a potential target for the development of T. gondii vaccines and tumor immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental campaign was undertaken to characterize the mechanical properties of newly proposed aluminum alloy ribs (ARs)-anchored glass fiber–reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars via tensile, short beam shear and pullout tests. The investigated variables consisted of bar surface treatments (smooth, shallow-ribbed, and deep-ribbed) and anchorage design parameters (radial extrusion and initial wall thickness). The results derived from the tensile test showed that the tensile strength of the ARs-anchored GFRP bars could be designed and optimized by adjusting the radial extrusion and initial wall thickness of the anchorage. The short beam shear test further validated that the presence of the ARs on the GFRP bar increased its interlaminar shear strength by up to 25%. The pullout test conducted on specimens with favorable anchorage design parameters based on tensile and short beam shear tests demonstrated significantly high bond strengths between 11.45 and 46.63 MPa at the bar–anchorage interface, with enhancements ranging from 60% to several times compared with that of the bar–concrete interface under different parameter combinations. The proposed ARs-anchored GFRP bars present an effective alternative to conventional GFRP bars in applications where a short anchorage length is preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar application to soil is widely recognized as a promising agricultural management practice to increase crop production by enhancing the physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of the soil. Despite the fact that numerous studies have investigated biochar production and alterations in soil properties, the effects of biochar on contrasting soils within the same region remain poorly understood, especially for semi-arid regions. Therefore, a three-year field experiment was initiated in 2020 wherein biochar was applied once to a buckwheat field at rates of 0, 20, 40, and 60 Mg ha−1 (BC0: no biochar; BC1: 20 Mg ha−1; BC2: 40 Mg ha−1; BC3: 60 Mg ha−1) for two soil types (aeolian sandy and grey meadow soil) in the northeast of Inner Mongolia, China. The soil water storage (SWS), nutrient contents (organic matter, available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), microbial biomass (carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), and enzyme activities (urease, invertase, and alkaline phosphatase) were assessed at a soil depth of 0–15 cm as part of the soil quality assessment, and the buckwheat grain yield was estimated for crop productivity evaluation. The results showed that biochar amendment improved selected soil physicochemical and microbiological properties and buckwheat yields for both soil types. Compared to BC0, the biochar addition increased buckwheat yields, on average, by 11.23% to 22.82% in aeolian sandy soil and by 7.36% to 14.87% in grey meadow soil across three years. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) and random forest analysis (RFA) indicate that soil available nutrients and microbiological properties were the most important factors influencing buckwheat yields in aeolian sandy soil and grey meadow soil, respectively. Based on RFA, the available potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen were found to contribute at rates of 13.10%, 10.06%, and 8.12%, respectively, to buckwheat yields in aeolian sandy soil. In contrast, alkaline phosphatase, urease, and microbial biomass carbon contribute 20.26%, 8.48%, and 7.82%, respectively, to the buckwheat yields in grey meadow soil. Following biochar addition, there was greater improvement in soil health and buckwheat production for aeolian sandy soil than grey meadow soil. In conclusion, biochar addition is an effective practice for improving soil health and crop productivity in both aeolian sandy soil and grey meadow soil in semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality time series exhibit significant periodic patterns, which are linked to a diverse array of emission sources and atmospheric processes. To discern and distinguish these periodic drivers, we have devised a two‐step decomposition approach that integrates a machine learning‐based model for weather normalization with Morlet wavelet analysis. This approach was applied to a 7‐year data set encompassing six regulated air pollutants across eight Chinese cities. Our analysis revealed distinct periodicities in weather‐normalized concentrations of primary air pollutants: a dominant annual cycle with periodicity around 365 days, which accounts for over 50% of the variance on average and is primarily driven by recurrent winter heating activities; daily cycles characterized by regular diurnal patterns attributable to combustion sources such as traffic; and periodicities exceeding 512 days that associated with long‐term regulatory policies targeting SO2. Particularly notable was the significant drop in the strength of the annual cycle in northern cities following the implementation of China's clean heating policies in 2017/2018, affirming the success of these initiatives. Additionally, diurnal dispersion and photochemistry, large‐scale atmospheric circulation, and synoptical weather patterns are likely responsible for the observed daily cycle (accounting for over 40% of the variance), annual periodicities, and intra‐monthly variations in the meteorologically driven concentrations, respectively. The varying power of these periodic drivers across time and locations implies the heterogeneity of emission rates and region‐specific climates. This work highlights the efficacy of this decomposition approach in air quality research, warranting attention for its potential value for enhancing our understanding of air pollution dynamics. Plain Language Summary: Periodic patterns can be widely observed in Earth's environment, particularly in the atmosphere, lead to repeating fluctuations in air pollution that correspond to regular time intervals. These changes are driven by a combination of emissions from various sources and weather patterns. Understanding what causes air quality changes is crucial for effective intervention. This study introduces a refined method to analyze air pollution, using machine learning to distinguish between the effects of human activities and natural weather variations on pollution levels. Additionally, Morlet wavelet analysis is used to identify the specific periodic forces driving these changes. Tested on several years of air quality data from eight Chinese cities, the method effectively pinpointed recurring pollution patterns linked to both emissions and weather on different time scales. The study reveals varying impacts of these patterns by region and time, due to differences in emission rates and region‐specific climates. The proposed approach is expected to enhance our understanding of air pollution dynamics and inform policy decisions for better air quality management. Key Points: Drivers of air quality variation can be differentiated and interpreted based on their periodic patterns and powersYearly recurring winter heating‐related activities account for the most significant variation in primary air pollutants in northern Chinese citiesThe varying power of periodic drivers over time and locations emphasizes the heterogeneity of emission rates and region‐specific climates [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The haunched joint with ribbed anchor webs in the concrete-filled double steel tubular (CFDST) structure was proposed in this study. The CFDST column and the steel beam were connected by ribbed webs, which were anchored inside the column and connected to the beam web by the bolted connection, and haunches were welded to shift plastic hinges from the joint core to the beam end. The cyclic loading test was conducted on three beam-to-column joint specimens. Seismic behaviors, including failure modes, strain and stress responses, hysteretic curves, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity, were, respectively, analyzed. Besides, finite element (FE) modeling was validated and was used to further analyze the seismic behavior in consideration of connection constructional details, geometric dimensions, material strength, and axial compression ratios. The parametric investigation shows that besides ribs and haunches, stiffening diaphragms are practicable to connect the double tubes, especially for the high-strength steel beam; beam-to-column bending stiffness ratio per unit length is appropriate to be 0.3–0.5; choosing low strength grade of concrete is allowed to satisfy engineering requirements; the axial compression ratio should be limited within 0.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A chemical transport model (CTM) is an essential tool for air quality prediction and management, widely used in air pollution control and health risk assessment. However, the current models do not perform very well in reproducing the observations of some major chemical components, for example, sulfate, nitrate, ammonium and organic carbon. Studies have suggested that the uncertainties in the model chemical mechanism, source emission inventory and meteorological field can cause inaccurate simulation results. Still, the emission source profile (used to create speciated emission inventories for CTMs) of PM 2.5 has not been fully taken into account in current numerical simulation. Based on the characteristics and variation rules of chemical components in typical PM 2.5 sources, different simulation scenarios were designed and the sensitivity of simulated PM 2.5 components to the source chemical profile was explored. Our findings showed that the influence of source profile changes on simulated PM 2.5 components' concentrations cannot be ignored. Simulation results of some components were sensitive to the adopted source profile in CTMs. Moreover, there was a linkage effect: the variation in some components in the source profile would bring changes to the simulated results of other components. These influences are connected to chemical mechanisms of the model since the variation in species allocations in emission sources can affect the potential composition and phase state of aerosols, chemical reaction priority, and multicomponent chemical balance in thermodynamic equilibrium systems. We also found that the perturbation of the PM 2.5 source profile caused variation in simulated gaseous pollutants, which indirectly indicated that the perturbation of source profile would affect the simulation of secondary PM 2.5 components. Our paper highlights the necessity of paying enough attention to the representativeness and timeliness of the source profile when using CTMs for simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing ambient black carbon (BC) relies on the targeted control of anthropogenic emissions. Measuring emission changes in source‐specific BC aerosol is essential to assess the effectiveness of regulatory policies but is difficult due to the presence of meteorology and multiple co‐existing emissions. Herein, we propose a data‐driven approach, combining dispersion‐normalized factor analysis (DN‐PMF) with a machine learning weather adjustment (deweathering) technique, to decompose ambient BC into source emissions and meteorological drivers. Six refined BC sources were extracted from the factor analysis of aethalometer multi‐wavelength BC and concurrent observational datasets. In addition to the widely reported dominant sources, such as vehicular emissions (VE) and coal/biomass burning (BB), a discernible port and shipping emission source were identified with potential impacts on coastal air quality. The source‐specific BC showed abrupt changes in response to interventions (e.g., holidays) after separating weather‐related confounders. Significant reductions in deweathered coal and BB, VE, and local dust verified the effectiveness of policies, such as clean winter‐heating and support for the Clean Air Actions. As revealed by a post‐hoc model explanation technique, the evolution of the boundary layer was the predominant meteorological driver exerting the opposite impact on local sources with respect to distant regional‐wide sources, that is, the port and shipping emissions. Plain Language Summary: Throughout the course of human history, substantial efforts have been made worldwide to alleviate air pollution. Quantifying how a regulatory action (intervention) can impact air pollutant emissions and air quality is crucial, but complicated owing to multiple confounders (e.g., meteorology). Black carbon (BC) is a primary air pollutant that warms the atmosphere, worsens air quality, and impairs human health. Herein, we applied a data‐driven approach, combining factor analysis with machine learning techniques, to attribute ambient BC to its emission sources and meteorological‐related drivers. Using this coupled approach, the impacts of a series of human interventions (e.g., holiday effects, the COVID‐19 lockdown, clean‐heating policy, and the Chinese Clean Air Action) on source‐specific BC can be quantified. Our analyses highlight that this approach is also applicable to other regulated air pollutants, with great potential to facilitate air quality accountability studies. Key Points: Six refined black carbon (BC) sources were resolved from the factor analysis of aethalometer BC combined with concurrent measurementsPositive matrix factorization (PMF) coupled with the deweathering technique enables the detection of emission changes in source‐specific aerosol over timeImpacts of human interventions (holidays and the COVID lockdown, winter heating policy, Clean Air Actions) on BC aerosol were quantified [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollutant concentration is a function of emission rates and meteorology. To accurately evaluate the effect of control measures, the meteorological covariate must be corrected from the observations. This study quantified the impacts of emission abatement and meteorological condition on the interannual variations of SO2, NO2, CO, O3, PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in 31 major Chinese cities using an optimized machine learning-based meteorological normalization technique. Overall, the annual average concentrations of SO2, NO2, CO, PM10 and PM2.5 were reduced by 86%, 51%, 99%, 86% and 88% from 2015 to 2020, respectively, in the studied cities, attributable to their emission reductions. However, the concentration of O3 was found with no significant decrease with the reduction of precursors. Emission abatement notably improved air quality between 2015 and 2018. Such a decline in emissions tended to progressively slow down since 2018. Overall, the meteorological conditions in 2016–2017 and 2018–2019 were unfavorable for a better air quality, while it became favorable in 2020–2021. Specifically, emission abatement in 2021 further lowered the concentrations of SO2, NO2, CO, and PM2.5, while the emission of PM10 increased. And changes in precursors emissions worsened O3 air quality. To meet the demand of improving air quality, more aggressive abatement measures need to be formulated to synergistically reduce NOx, volatile organic compounds, and coarse particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of clinical trials, there is interest in the treatment effect for subpopulations of patients defined by intercurrent events, namely disease‐related events occurring after treatment initiation that affect either the interpretation or the existence of endpoints. With the principal stratum strategy, the ICH E9(R1) guideline introduces a formal framework in drug development for defining treatment effects in such subpopulations. Statistical estimation of the treatment effect can be performed based on the principal ignorability assumption using multiple imputation approaches. Principal ignorability is a conditional independence assumption that cannot be directly verified; therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the robustness of results to deviations from this assumption. As a sensitivity analysis, we propose a joint model that multiply imputes the principal stratum membership and the outcome variable while allowing different levels of violation of the principal ignorability assumption. We illustrate with a simulation study that the joint imputation model‐based approaches are superior to naive subpopulation analyses. Motivated by an oncology clinical trial, we implement the sensitivity analysis on a time‐to‐event outcome to assess the treatment effect in the subpopulation of patients who discontinued due to adverse events using a synthetic dataset. Finally, we explore the potential usage and provide interpretation of such analyses in clinical settings, as well as possible extension of such models in more general cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical transport model (CTM) is an essential tool for air quality prediction and management, widely used in air pollution control and health risk assessment. However, the current models do not perform very well in simulating PM2.5 components. Studies suggested that the uncertainties of model chemical mechanism, source emission inventory and meteorological field can cause inaccurate simulation results. Still, the emission source profile of PM2.5 has not been fully taken into account in current numerical simulation. This study aims to answer (1) Whether the variation of source profile adopted in chemical transport models (CTMs) has an impact on the simulation of PM2.5 chemical components? (2) How much does it impact? (3) How does the impact work? Based on the characteristics and variation rules of chemical components in typical PM2.5 sources, different simulation scenarios were designed and the sensitivity of components simulation results to PM2.5 sources profile was explored. Our findings showed that the influence of source profile changes on simulated PM2.5 concentration was insignificant, but its impact on PM2.5 components could not be ignored. The variations of simulated components ranged from 8 % to 167 % under selected different source profiles, and simulation results of some components were sensitive to the adopted PM2.5 source profile in CTMs. These influences are connected to the chemical mechanisms of the model since the variation of species allocations in emission sources directly affected the thermodynamic equilibrium system. We also found that the perturbation of the PM2.5 source profile caused the variation of simulated gaseous pollutants, which indirectly indicated that the perturbation of the source profile affected the simulation of secondary PM2.5 components. Given the vital role of air quality simulation in environment management and health risk assessment, the representativeness and timeliness of source profile should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the effectiveness of long-term air pollution regulatory measures is important for control policy formulation. Efforts have been made using chemical transport modelling and statistical approaches to evaluate the efficacy of the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP; 2013–2017) and the Blue Sky Protection Campaign (BSPC; 2018–2020) enacted in China. Changes in air quality due to reduction in emissions can be masked by meteorology, making it highly challenging to reveal the real effects of control measures. A knowledge gap still existed with respect to how sources changed before and after the CAAP and BSPC were implemented, respectively, particularly in coastal areas where anthropogenic emissions mixed with additional natural sources (e.g. marine aerosol). This work applied a machine-learning-based meteorological normalization approach to decouple the meteorological effects from air quality trend in a coastal city in northern China (Qingdao). Secondly, the relative changes in source contributions to ambient PM2.5 with a ∼ 10-year observation interval (2011–2012, 2016, and 2019) were also investigated. We discovered that the largest emission reduction section was likely from coal combustion as the meteorologically normalized SO2 dropped by ∼ 15.5 %yr-1 , and the annual average dispersion-normalized SO42- decreased by ∼ 41.5 %. Change in the meteorologically normalized NO2 was relatively stable (∼ 1.0 %yr-1), and NO3- changed inappreciably in 2016–2019 but was significantly higher than that prior to the CAAP. Crustal dust decreased remarkably after the CAAP began. Industrial emissions, for example, steel-related smelting, decreased after 2016 due to the relocation of steel-making enterprises. Note that vehicle emissions were increased in importance as opposed to the other primary sources. Similar to other megacities, Qingdao is also at risk of increased ozone pollution that in turn facilitates secondary-particle formation in the future. The policy assessment approaches applied in this work also work for other places where air quality management is highly in demand to reduce air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Profile (PROMIS-29) has been widely used to measure health outcomes from the patient's perspective. It has not been validated in adults with aortic disease. The aim of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of the Chinese PROMIS-29 among patients undergoing surgery for aortic dissection (AD).Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied. Eligible patients completed a questionnaire that contained the PROMIS-29 and legacy measures, including the Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12), 8-item Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2), and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The structural validity of the PROMIS-29 was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's α. Construct validity was assessed by calculating Spearman's rank correlations and comparing known-group differences.Results: In total, a sample of 327 AD patients was included in the final analysis. Most of them were male (89%) with a mean age of 52.7 (± 10.3). CFA revealed good model fit of the seven-factor structure within PROMIS-29, as well as most domains in single-factor analysis. Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's α > 0.90. Correlations between comparable domains of the PROMIS-29 and those of legacy questionnaires and most know-group comparisons were observed as hypothesized.Conclusions: This study found evidence for acceptable structural validity, construct validity and internal consistency of the PROMIS-29 in a sample of AD patients. It can be applied to AD survivors by researchers or clinicians, measuring outcomes after surgery and identifying those with worse health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particle (PM2.5) mass concentration and relative humidity (RH) are the primary factors influencing atmospheric visibility. There are some studies focused on the complex, nonlinear relationships among visibility, PM2.5 concentration, and RH. However, the relative contribution of the two factors to visibility degradation, especially for different aerosol types, is difficult to quantify. In this study, the normalized forward sensitivity index method for identifying the dominant factors of visibility was used on the basis of the sensitivity of visibility to PM2.5 and RH changes. The visibility variation per unit of PM2.5 or RH was parameterized by derivation of the visibility multivariate function. The method was verified and evaluated based on 4453 valid hour data records in Tianjin, and visibility was identified as being in the RH-sensitive regime when RH was above 75%. In addition, the influence of aerosol chemical compositions on sensitivity of visibility to PM2.5 and RH changes was discussed by analyzing the characteristics of extinction components ((NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3, organic matter, and elemental carbon) measured in Tianjin, 2015. The result showed that the fitting equation of visibility, PM2.5, and RH, separately for different aerosol types, further improved the accuracy of the parameterization scheme for visibility in most cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious obstetric complication. Recent studies point out that the functions of long intergenic noncoding RNA 00473 (linc00473), miR‐424‐5p, and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway were involved in the invasion and migration of extravillous trophoblast. Here, we investigated the role and mechanism of linc00473 in HTR‐8/SVneo trophoblastic cell line and its role in PE. Method: The expression levels of linc00473 and miR‐424‐5p in placental tissues and the transfection efficiency of miR‐424‐5p were detected by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). HTR‐8/SVneo cell invasion and proliferation were determined by transwell and Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) assays. The protein expressions of wnt3a, p‐GSK3β, GSK3β, active β‐catenin, and total β‐catenin were detected by Western blot. The apoptosis and migration of HTR‐8/SVneo cells were detected by flow cytometry and wound healing assays. The targeting relationships between linc00473, miR‐424‐5p, and wnt3a were predicted by ENCORI database and TargetScan V7.2 and were determined using dual‐luciferase reporter assay. Results: The expression level of linc00473 was low and miR‐424‐5p was high in placenta of PE patients. Linc00473 can target miR‐424‐5p, while miR‐424‐5p target wnt3a. High expression of linc00473 and wnt3a promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis. However, miR‐424‐5p mimic inhibited HTR‐8/SVneo cells proliferation, migration, invasion, while promoted cell apoptosis, partially reversed the effect of linc00473, while wnt3a overexpression partially counteracted the effect of miR‐424‐5p mimic. Conclusion: Linc00473 mediates the regulation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway by miR‐424‐5p to affect the invasion and migration ability of trophoblastic cell line HTR‐8/SVneo. It indicated that linc00473 is involved in PE and could be a therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Annexin A1 (ANXA1) exerts anti-nociceptive effect through ANXA1 receptor formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALX (receptor for lipoxin A4), FPR2) at the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) level. However, the mechanisms remain elucidated. By using radiant heat, hot/cold plate, tail flick, von Frey, and Randall-Selitto tests to detect nociception in intact and chemical (capsaicin, menthol, mustard oil, formalin or CFA) injected AnxA1 conditional knockout (AnxA1−/−) mice, applying calcium imaging and patch clamp recordings in cultured DRG neurons to measure neuronal excitability, conducting immunofluorescence and western blotting to detect the protein levels of TRPV1, FPR2 and its downstream molecules, and performing double immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation to investigate the interaction between Calmodulin (CaM) and TRPV1; we aim to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms of ANXA1's role in antinociception. Results: AnxA1−/− mice exhibited significant sensitivity to noxious heat (mean ± SD, 6.2 ± 1.0 s vs. 9.9 ± 1.6 s in Hargreaves test; 13.6 ± 1.5 s vs. 19.0 ± 1.9 s in hot plate test; n = 8; P < 0.001), capsaicin (101.0 ± 15.3 vs. 76.2 ± 10.9; n = 8; P < 0.01), formalin (early phase: 169.5 ± 32.8 s vs. 76.0 ± 21.9 s; n = 8; P < 0.05; late phase: 444.6 ± 40.1 s vs. 320.4 ± 33.6 s; n = 8; P < 0.01) and CFA (3.5 ± 0.8 s vs. 5.9 ± 1.4 s; n = 8; P < 0.01). In addition, we found significantly increased capsaicin induced Ca2+ response, TRPV1 currents and neuronal firing in AnxA1 deficient DRG neurons. Furthermore, ANXA1 mimic peptide Ac2-26 robustly increased intracellular Ca2+, inhibited TRPV1 current, activated PLCβ and promoted CaM-TRPV1 interaction. And these effects of Ac2-26 could be attenuated by FPR2 antagonist Boc2. Conclusions: Selective deletion of AnxA1 in DRG neurons enhances TRPV1 sensitivity and deteriorates noxious heat or capsaicin induced nociception, while ANXA1 mimic peptide Ac2-26 desensitizes TRPV1 via FPR2 and the downstream PLCβ-Ca2+-CaM signal. This study may provide possible target for developing new analgesic drugs in inflammatory pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anticentromere antibody (ACA) is a member of the antinuclear antibody spectrum (ANAs) which has been speculated to be associated with subfertility. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the induction of ACA production and its potential interference with early-stage embryos. Methods: Recombinant centromere protein-A (CENP-A) or centromere protein-B (CENP-B) and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) were used to immunize mice. Serum ACA level was then evaluated by using an indirect immunofluorescence test. Immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect IgG in follicles in ovarian tissues and early-stage embryos. Results: Following treatment, serum positive ACA was observed in mice treated with CENP and CFA. Furthermore, IgG were detected in follicular fluid and early-stage embryos from mice treated with CENP and CFA. Conclusions: This study preliminarily indicated that ACA induced by CENP and CFA may penetrate into the living embryos of early-stage in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory respiratory disease. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD. In the present study, we set to investigate the role and mechanism of LOC729178 on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced inflammatory damage in 16HBE cells. The expression levels of LOC729178, miR-144-3p, and PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 2 (PHLPP2) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry, respectively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay was performed to evaluate the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-8. Targeted relationships among LOC729178, miR-144-3p, and PHLPP2 were verified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Our data indicated that LOC729178 was underexpressed in COPD tissues and CSE-treated 16HBE cells. Exogenous expression of LOC729178 alleviated CSE-induced inflammatory injury in 16HBE cells. LOC729178 targeted miR-144-3p by directly binding to miR-144-3p. miR-144-3p was a downstream effector of LOC729178 function. PHLPP2 was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-144-3p. Furthermore, LOC729178 operated as a post-transcriptional regulator of PHLPP2 expression through miR-144-3p. Our current study suggested that LOC729178 overexpression alleviated CSE-induced inflammatory injury in 16HBE cells at least in part by up-regulating PHLPP2 via sponging miR-144-3p, providing a rationale for developing LOC729178 as a potential therapeutic agent against COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wearable information storage devices have aroused particular attention due to their great promise in smart electronics and healthcare service. These devices require all the memory circuit components to be flexible and stretchable, especially for the memory storage elements. Herein, a planar zigzag‐structured nitrogen‐doped picene is successfully constructed as the active layer to obtain resistive switching memory devices, which possess both robust mechanical flexibility and electrical reliability. Attributed to the large‐area film morphological uniformity, the nonvolatile flexible memory devices exhibit highly reproducible resistive switching behavior, accompanying with concentrated distributions of switching voltages and resistance states under repetitive conformal deformation operation. The insight gained from this work may afford new opportunities for realizing high‐performance wearable information storage electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External diaphragm joint has been widely used in concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) structure because of its large stiffness, good plasticity, and high bearing capacity. This paper studied new external diaphragm joints designed to connect concrete-filled double steel tubular (CFDST) columns and steel beams. Experiments were conducted to investigate the cyclic performance of nine joint specimens subject to cyclic horizontal load and fixed axial load at the top of the column. The variable parameters considered in the test were axial load of the CFDST column, width of external diaphragm, configuration of anchorage web and beam to column bending stiffness ratio. The load–displacement hysteresis behaviors were discussed. Failure mode of the joints was mainly dependent on beam to column bending stiffness ratio (k) and axial compression ratio (n), so the limit of these two factors should be considered to avoid the column failure in engineering design applications. The shear strain level in panel zone was high especially for weak-column joints. Results also showed that initial stiffness of external diaphragm joint significantly increased with the improvement of axial compression ratio, but the stiffness suffered a sharp degradation; the ductility and energy absorption ability improved with the width improvement of the external diaphragm; ribbed anchorage webs effectively improved initial stiffness and bearing capacity of external diaphragm joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper firstly studied the internal force transfer mechanism of vertical stiffener joints in concrete-filled double steel tubular (CFDST) frame structures on the basis of finite element modeling (FEM). Analytical models of shear force and bending moment were established through the appropriate material constitutive equations and equilibrium theory. Then, the proposed models were used to predict and evaluate the shear and bending resistance of the vertical stiffener joint. Six joint specimens were tested to verify the rationality of the theoretical models, and the design suggestions for construction were subsequently discussed. The analysis indicated that the vertical stiffener together with the anchorage web played a dominated role in the internal force transfer mechanism. The computed bending resistance obtained by the tension model agreed well with the measured experimental data, and the shear resistance in the panel zone was sufficient to guarantee the ductile failure in the test. The vertical stiffener determined the plastic hinge so as to ensure the strong connection between the CFDST column and the steel beam. The ribbed anchorage web was an effective way of increasing the shear and bending resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of atmospheric particulates on the chemistry and acidity of rainwater during the washout process in areas with highly acidic rainfall, rainwater and particulates (before, during and after rain) were sampled and analyzed from June 2008 to June 2009 in the Yangtze River Delta region, China. The volume-weighted mean pH of the rainwater was only 4.44 in Hangzhou, and the average concentrations of TSP (total-suspended particulates) and PM10 (particulates with aerodynamic equivalent diameters of less than 10 μm) during the study period were 191 μg/m3 and 155 μg/m3, respectively. The measured acid buffering capacities of PM10 and TSP were 1.31 ± 0.45 and 1.61 ± 0.84 ml/mg, on average, respectively, indicating that both had a certain acid buffering capacity. Rain appeared to have a pronounced scouring effect on particulates, except for F− and Cl− in PM10. Upon combining the correlation analysis between ions in particulates and rainwater with Enrichment Factor and Principal Component Analysis of the rainwater chemistry, the results suggested that the components of rainwater were mainly derived from washout processes acting on particulates from crustal dust and building industry sources (Ca2+), marine sources (Na+, K+ (in spring), Mg2+ and Cl−) and anthropogenic sources, especially secondary aerosols emitted from agricultural land, motor vehicles and industrial plants (NO3−, SO42-, and NH4+). The F− in rainwater was mainly contributed by gaseous pollutants, such as HF from cooling systems, coal burning and surrounding factories. Implications: The interaction between particulates and rain in areas with highly acidic rainfall include the following: rain appears to have a pronounced scouring effect on most components in the particulates; the components of the rainwater are mainly derived from washout processes acting on PM contributed by crustal dust, sea salt and secondary aerosol subcloud; and the acid buffering capacities of PM10 and TSP in Hangzhou are 1.31 ± 0.45 and 1.61 ± 0.84 ml/mg, respectively, and had a certain acid buffering capacity toward rainwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke, which accounts for 87% of all strokes, constitutes the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in China. Although the genetics and epigenetics of stroke have been extensively investigated, few studies have examined their relationships at different stages of stroke. This study assessed the characteristics of transcriptome changes at different stages of ischemic stroke using a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and bioinformatics analyses. Cerebral cortex tissues from tMCAO mice at days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 were removed for RNA-Seq and small RNA-Seq library construction, sequencing, and bioinformatics analysis. We identified differentially expressed (DE) genes and miRNAs and revealed an association of the up-regulated or down-regulated DEmiRNAs with the correspondingly altered DEgene targets at each time point. In addition, different biological pathways were activated at different time points; thus, three groups of miRNAs were verified that may represent potential clinical biomarkers corresponding to days 1, 3, and 7 after ischemic stroke. Notably, this represents the first functional association of some of these miRNAs with stroke, e.g., miR-2137, miR-874-5p, and miR-5099. Together, our findings lay the foundation for the transition from a single-point, single-drug stroke treatment approach to multiple-time-point multi-drug combination therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol acidity plays a key role in secondary aerosol formation. The high-temporal-resolution PM 2.5 pH and size-resolved aerosol pH in Beijing were calculated with ISORROPIA II. In 2016–2017, the mean PM 2.5 pH (at relative humidity (RH) > 30 %) over four seasons was 4.5±0.7 (winter) > 4.4±1.2 (spring) > 4.3±0.8 (autumn) > 3.8±1.2 (summer), showing moderate acidity. In coarse-mode aerosols, Ca2+ played an important role in aerosol pH. Under heavily polluted conditions, more secondary ions accumulated in the coarse mode, leading to the acidity of the coarse-mode aerosols shifting from neutral to weakly acidic. Sensitivity tests also demonstrated the significant contribution of crustal ions to PM 2.5 pH. In the North China Plain (NCP), the common driving factors affecting PM 2.5 pH variation in all four seasons were SO42- , TNH3 (total ammonium (gas + aerosol)), and temperature, while unique factors were Ca2+ in spring and RH in summer. The decreasing SO42- and increasing NO3- mass fractions in PM 2.5 as well as excessive NH3 in the atmosphere in the NCP in recent years are the reasons why aerosol acidity in China is lower than that in Europe and the United States. The nonlinear relationship between PM 2.5 pH and TNH3 indicated that although NH3 in the NCP was abundant, the PM 2.5 pH was still acidic because of the thermodynamic equilibrium between NH4+ and NH3. To reduce nitrate by controlling ammonia, the amount of ammonia must be greatly reduced below excessive quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Ca–P coating was electrochemically deposited on micro-arc oxidized Ti–6Al–4V to improve the alloy's biological activity. The influence of the applied voltage on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of the Ca–P coating was investigated. The coating's evolution mechanism in vitro was also discussed. The surfaces of the coated specimens were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and potentiodynamic polarization tests. The results indicated that the applied voltage had a distinct effect on the phase composition, morphology, and thickness as well as the corrosion behavior of the deposited coatings. Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate tended to form at 2.5 V, whereas hydroxyapatite deposited at 4.5 V. The coating prepared at 3.5 V consisted of both dicalcium phosphate dihydrate and hydroxyapatite. All the coatings could induce apatite formation in simulated body fluid. The passive current densities of the specimens prepared at 3.5 V and 4.5 V were about two orders of magnitude smaller than that of the 2.5 V sample. The specimen prepared at 3.5 V obtained the best corrosion resistance, which had the highest resistance of the Ca–P coating and micro-arc oxidation layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on published literature and typical profiles from the Nankai University source library, a total of 3326 chemical profiles of the main primary sources of ambient particulate matter (PM) across China from 1987 to 2017 are investigated and reviewed to trace the evolution of their main components and identify the main influencing factors concerning their evolution. In general, the source chemical profiles are varied with respect to their sources and are influenced by different sampling methods. The most complicated profiles are likely attributed to coal combustion (CC) and industrial emissions (IE). The profiles of vehicle emissions (VE) are dominated by organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), and vary due to the changing standards of sulfur and additives in gasoline and diesel as well as the sampling methods used. In addition to the sampling methods used, the profiles of biomass burning (BB) and cooking emissions (CE) are also impacted by the different biofuel categories and cooking types, respectively. The variations of the chemical profiles of different sources, and the homogeneity of the subtype source profiles within the same source category are examined using uncertainty analysis and cluster analysis. As a result, a relatively large variation is found in the source profiles of CC, VE, IE, and BB, indicating that these sources urgently require the establishment of local profiles due to their high uncertainties. The results presented highlight the need for further investigation of more specific markers (e.g., isotopes, organic compounds, and gaseous precursors), in addition to routinely measured components, in order to properly discriminate sources. Although the chemical profiles of the main sources have been previously reported in the literature, it should be noted that some of these chemical profiles are currently out of date and need to be updated immediately. Additionally, in the future, specific focus should be placed on the source profile subtypes, especially with respect to local IE in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the low cyclic loading test results of vertical stiffener joints between concrete-filled double steel tubular (CFDST) columns and steel beams, the shear transfer mechanism and shear resistance were analyzed in this paper. A conceptual model formulated was presented in terms of equilibrium and stress-strain relationships. The results calculated by the theoretical model and the available experimental data were compared, and then one new concept of shear storage coefficient was proposed for the determination of the shear storage capacity of the joint, which quantitatively explained the ductility failure progression of the joint specimens in the seismic performance test. It was concluded that the vertical stiffener joint had sufficient shear resistance, which met the seismic design principle of strong shear and weak bending. Results show that the ribbed joints have greater shear resistance than unribbed ones; lengthening the overhang of the vertical stiffener can both increase shear resistance and shear storage capacity of the joint; axial compression ratio can reduce the shear storage capacity. The paper also suggests that the joint design should ensure enough safety storage of shear resistance to improve the seismic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new type of joint for connecting steel beams with a concrete-filled double-skin steel tubular (CFDST) column. Four half-scale specimens of the joint with different specifications were constructed and tested under a constant axially compressive force with vertical low-reversal loads applied to the beam ends to examine their failure modes and hysteretic behaviors. The beam hinging mechanism of the joint was observed in the radian area of the horizontal end plates. The proposed connection was found to exhibit good energy dissipation capabilities with its limit rotation in the failure state reaching 0.05 rad, thus satisfying the FEMA-350 ductility requirement of ≥0.03 rad for seismic resistance. A finite element analysis (FEA) model of the joint was also established and validated by comparing its predictions with experimental results. The FEA model was used to investigate the effects of different parameters such as the stiffened height of the web anchorage plate, axial load level, steel and concrete strengths, steel ratio on the moment-rotation relationship, and initial stiffness of the connection. This paper presents some important design considerations of the connection, as well as aspects requiring further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented a comparative study of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) stub columns with three different confinement types from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP): outer circular CFRP, inner circular CFRP, and outer square CFRP. The compressive mechanism and physical properties of the composite column were analyzed firstly aiming at investigating the confinement effect of CFRP. Ultimate axial bearing capacity of these three CFRP-confined CFST columns was calculated based on Unified Theory of CFST and elastoplastic limit equilibrium theory, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding tests are adopted to validate the feasibility of the two calculation models. Through data analysis, the study confirmed the ultimate strength calculation results of the limit equilibrium method were found to be more reliable and approximate to the test results than those of Unified Theory of CFST. Then axial bearing capacity of the pure CFST column was predicted to evaluate the bearing capacity enhancement ratio of the three types of composite columns. It was demonstrated that the averaged enhancement ratio is 16.4 percent, showing that CFRP-confined CFST columns had a broad engineering applicability. Through a comparative analysis, this study also confirmed that outer circular CFRP had the best confinement effect and outer square CFRP did better than inner circular CFRP. The confinement effect of CFRP increased with the decrease of concrete strength, and it was proportional with relative proportions of CFRP and steel under the same concrete strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the environmental effectiveness of the control measures for atmospheric pollution in Shijiazhuang, China, a large-scale controlling experiment for emission sources of atmospheric pollutants (i.e. a temporary emission control action, TECA) was designed and implemented during 1 November 2016 to 9 January 2017. Compared to the no-control action and heating period (NCAHP), under unfavourable meteorological conditions, the mean concentrations of PM2:5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and chemical species (Si, Al, Ca2+, Mg2+) in PM2:5 during the control action and heating period (CAHP) still decreased by 8, 8, 5, 19, 30.3, 4.5, 47.0, and 45.2 %, respectively, indicating that the control measures for atmospheric pollution were effective. The effects of control measures in suburbs were better than those in urban area, especially for the control effects of particulate matter sources. The control effects for emission sources of carbon monoxide (CO) were not apparent during the TECA period, especially in suburbs, likely due to the increasing usage of domestic coal in suburbs along with the temperature decreasing. The results of positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis showed that crustal dust, secondary sources, vehicle emissions, coal combustion and industrial emissions were main PM2:5 sources. Compared to the whole year (WY) and the no-control action and no-heating period (NCANHP), the contribution concentrations and proportions of coal combustion to PM2:5 increased significantly during other stages of the TECA period. The contribution concentrations and proportions of crustal dust and vehicle emissions to PM2:5 decreased noticeably during the CAHP compared to other stages of the TECA period. The contribution concentrations and proportions of industrial emissions to PM2:5 during the CAHP decreased noticeably compared to the NCAHP. The pollutants' emission sources during the CAHP were in effective control, especially for crustal dust and vehicles. However, the necessary coal heating for the cold winter and the unfavourable meteorological conditions had an offset effect on the control measures for emission sources to some degree. The results also illustrated that the discharge of pollutants might still be enormous even under such strict control measures. The backward trajectory and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis in the light of atmospheric pollutants suggested that the potential source areas mainly involved the surrounding regions of Shijiazhuang, i.e. south of Hebei and north of Henan and Shanxi. The regional nature of the atmospheric pollution in the North China Plain revealed that there is an urgent need for making cross-boundary control policies in addition to local control measures given the high background level of pollutants. The TECA is an important practical exercise but it cannot be advocated for as the normalized control measures for atmospheric pollution in China. The direct cause of atmospheric pollution in China is the emission of pollutants exceeding the air environment's self-purification capacity, which is caused by an unreasonable and unhealthy pattern for economic development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concentrates on four types of concrete-filled twin steel tubes (CFTST) columns with the advantage of higher bearing capacity, stronger stiffness, better fire-resistant and explosion-resistant performance. It is a meaningful and worthwhile job to study various joint forms for CFTST frame structure. Several existing frame joints were concluded between every CFTST column connected with H-shape steel beams or reinforced concrete (RC) beam. The constructional detail and force-transferring mechanism of these beam-column connections were described respectively. The joint performances especially failure modes in- fluenced by main joint components were analyzed according to present research achievements. On the basis of the weakness analysis, some joint components were optimized to make joints behave better than the original ones. Lastly, some suggestions of the frame joint design in CFTST structures were given and the relevant study for next stage was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved understanding of the fractionation and geochemical characteristic of rare earth elements (REEs) from steel plant emissions is important due to the unclear atmospheric signature of these elements and their adverse impact on human health and the environment. In this study, ambient particulate matter of different sizes was collected from one site in an integrated iron and steelmaking industrial zone (HG) and one urban background site with no direct industrial emissions (ZWY) during a 1-year sampling campaign in China. The total concentrations of REEs for TSP, PM and PM were 27.248, 14.989, 3.542 ng/m in HG and 6.326, 5.274, 1.731 ng/m, respectively, in ZWY, which revealed the local influence of the steelmaking activities to the air quality. With respect to ZWY, the REEs in HG site are obviously fractionated in the coarser fraction, and LREEs account for more than 80 % of the total REE burden in all of the samples. Additionally, the REEs in HG and ZWY show a homogeneous trend with successively increased LREE/HREE ratios from the coarse particles to the fine particles. In our samples, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm are the most enriched rare earth elements, especially in the HG site. Moreover, ternary diagrams of LaCeSm indicate that the REEs in HG are potentially contributed by steelworks, carrier vehicles, coal combustion, and road dust re-suspension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Thermo-induced multishape memory polymers are a growing focus of smart materials because of its promising applications. Multishape memory effect is generally attained by using polymers with broad phase transition and multiphase polymers. The latter is of particular interest for copolymerization and polymer compositing. One requirement has to be fulfilled to achieve multishape memory effect, which is to have two reversible phase transitions. In this study, we report synthesis of polymer composite composed of strong segregated polymers by using reaction-induced phase separation. We demonstrate the method by using polyurethane (PU) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA). With adjusting the weight ratio, the polymer composites exhibit a phase spectrum from phase separation to miscible composite. The composite with PU/PMAA =3:1 demonstrated triple-shape memory effect. Based on the results, we argued the effect of segregation on the shape memory effect for polymer composites. With the addition of PMAA, the polymer composite also exhibits pH/water-induced shape memory effect. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43534. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, maize stover was vermicomposted with the epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida. The results showed that, during vermicomposting process, the earthworms promoted decomposition of maize stover. Analysis of microbial communities of the vermicompost by high-throughput pyrosequencing showed more complex bacterial community structure in the substrate treated by the earthworms than that in the control group. The dominant microbial genera in the treatment with the earthworms were Pseudoxanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Streptomyces, Cryptococcus, Guehomyces, and Mucor. Compared to the control group, the relative abundance of lignocellulose degradation microorganisms increased. The results indicated that the earthworms modified the structure of microbial communities during vermicomposting process, activated the growth of lignocellulose degradation microorganisms, and triggered the lignocellulose decomposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to evaluate the effects of salt stress on the biomass production and fuel characteristics of energy crop switchgrass in Northern China. A greenhouse-pot experiment was conducted to investigate the salt tolerance of the Blackwell, Cave-in-rock and Sunburst cultivars, using the dominant native grassLeymus chinensisas a reference. All three switchgrasses yielded a greater aboveground biomass per plant than Leymus under low-salt conditions (≤2 g NaCl kg−1). However, their biomass production declined significantly at higher salt concentrations. The most salt-tolerant cultivar with respect to biomass production was Cave-in-rock, followed by Blackwell and Sunburst. Among the biomass fuel characteristic studied, ash composition was more significantly affected by salt stress than calorific values. High salt concentrations in the soil increased the content of Ca, Cl and Na in the biomass ash but reduced that of K. The impact of salt stress on ash transformation during combustion was estimated by considering three molar ratios of mineral elements. Growth in high-salt soils reduced the slagging tendency of the fuel, as indicated by the K/(Ca + Mg) ratio. The added Na is unlikely to cause eutectic formation during switchgrass combustion because the Na/(K + Na) ratio was generally below 0.2. However, the addition of NaCl increased the risk of forming chlorine-rich deposits (probably from the fly ash), as indicated by the Cl/(K + Na) ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Identification of larvae is of great importance in the field of biosafety. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was applied in the identification of larvae, and 200 larvae samples ofHeliocoverpa armigera Hubner (cotton bollworm), Spodoptera exigua Hiibner (beet armyworm), Prodenia litura Fabriicus,andOstrinia nubilalis Hubern (corn borer)were selected, from which the spectra of the 4000-7000 cm−1waveband were obtained for analysis. The results showed that the identification accuracy of the prediction larvae sets predicted by the model of PLS-DA (partial least squares-discriminant analysis) was 100%; the correlation coefficient between the NIR-predicted category variable value and the true value was above 0.90; and the identification accuracy of the prediction larvae sets predicted by the Mahalanobis distance method and correlation coefficient method was above 90%. NIRS provides a promising approach for early category identification of pests in agriculture and forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The evolution history of the Yangtze River attracted increasing attention in recent years. Comparison of the properties of the floodplain sediments between the upper and lower reaches of the Three Gorges is of significance to identify the material detrital sources for the Yangtze River Basin. Clinopyroxene (Cpx) is the typical mineral widely distributed in the sediments of the Yangtze River Basin. Cpx was extracted from the fine sediments with the grain size ranging from 0.063 to 0.125 mm in the upper and lower reaches of the Three Gorges. The sediments, from which the Cpx was extracted, were taken from the floodplains of the catchments of both the Yangtze River and the Hanjiang River, as well as from the surface of the Zhoulao Core drilled in the center of the Jianghan Basin where the two rivers flow through. Geochemistry of these Cpx was investigated, concerning the contents of major elements measured by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and the contents of trace elements analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The Cpx in the Yangtze River contains titaniferous augite which is sourced from the Panzhihua-Xichang region in South Sichuan Province, whereas the Cpx in the Hanjiang River is mainly from the surroundings without any titaniferous augite. The REE analysis infers that the titaniferous augite is the diagnostic mineral of the upper Yangtze River, and thus could be used as a tracer mineral to identify the detrital sources for the sediments formed during the evolution of the Yangtze River. The Cpx from the surface sediments of the Jianghan Plain (Zhoulao Core) shows comparable geochemical nature with that of the Yangtze River, but is different in geochemistry from that of the Hanjiang River, implying that the modern sediments in the Jianghan Plain are mainly sourced from the upper Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss and injury of neurons play an important role in the onset of various neurodegenerative diseases, while both microgliosis and astrocyte loss or dysfunction are significant causes of neuronal degeneration. Previous studies have suggested that an extract enriched panaxadiol saponins from ginseng has more neuroprotective potential than the total saponins of ginseng. The present study investigated whether a fraction of highly purified panaxadiol saponins (termed as Rb fraction) was protective for both glia and neurons, especially GABAergic interneurons, against kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxicity in rats. Rats received Rb fraction at 30 mg/kg (ip), 40 mg/kg (ip or saline followed 40 min later by an intracerebroventricular injection of KA. Acute hippocampal injury was determined at 48 h after KA, and impairment of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory as well as delayed neuronal injury was determined 16 to 21 days later. KA injection produced significant acute hippocampal injuries, including GAD67-positive GABAergic interneuron loss in CA1, paralbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic interneuron loss, pyramidal neuron degeneration and astrocyte damage accompanied with reactive microglia in both CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. There was also a delayed loss of GAD67-positive interneurons in CA1, CA3, hilus and dentate gyrus. Microgliosis also became more severe 21 days later. Accordingly, KA injection resulted in hippocampus-dependent spatial memory impairment. Interestingly, the pretreatment with Rb fraction at 30 or 40 mg/kg significantly protected the pyramidal neurons and GABAergic interneurons against KA-induced acute excitotoxicity and delayed injury. Rb fraction also prevented memory impairments and protected astrocytes from KA-induced acute excitotoxicity. Additionally, microglial activation, especially the delayed microgliosis, was inhibited by Rb fraction. Overall, this study demonstrated that Rb fraction protected both astrocytes and neurons, especially GABAergic interneurons, and maintained microglial homeostasis against KA-induced excitotoxicity. Therefore, Rb fraction has the potential to prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concentrates on the compressive bearing capacity of one composite column of a Concrete-Filled Square Steel Tube (CFSST) reinforced by a circular steel tube inside. Some tests were conducted to consider the compression behaviour of the stub columns under axial compressive loading. Through an elastoplastic limit analysis based on Unified Strength Theory (UST), the ultimate load capacity of the CFSST columns reinforced by inner circular steel tube under axial compression has been derived, which has a good agreement with the experimental results in comparison with other empirical models. So this model is extended to predict the optimal design of the inner tube, namely,Di/tiandDi/B. In addition, another simple model is also proposed to testify the optimal section of this composite column. With the optimal circular steel tubes inside the CFSST column, the composite column can result in significant savings in column size, which ultimately can lead to significant economic savings and higher bearing capacity. The results show that it has a theoretical significance and application value to adopt circular steel tube to strengthen CFSST column. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This review highlights the materials, mechanisms and applications of microencapsulation by interfacial polycondensation in different areas. This technology entraps active ingredients inside microcapsules/microspheres, having an average diameter ranging from nanosize to several 100 µ. Polycondensation reactions take place at the boundary of two phases to form the shells of microcapsules or matrix microspheres. The emulsion can be classified into three types: water-in-oil, oil-in-water and oil-in-oil. According to the hydrophilic-lipophilic property of core phase, different active substances, such as proteins, enzymes, insecticides, herbicides, vitamins, catalysts, drugs, essential oils, dyes and phase change materials, have been successfully incorporated into different microcapsules/microspheres. Based on the shell-forming materials, this technology is capable of preparing polyamine, polyurea, polyurethane, polythiourea, polyester, polyepoxide, polyacrylamide and polysiloxane microcapsules. Over the past two decades, microcapsules prepared by interfacial polycondensation have been widely used in carbonless paper, cosmetics, pharmacy, agriculture, energy storage/transfer, thermal insulation/regulation and information and magnetic recording. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the feasible dose and schedule for everolimus, an oral mTOR inhibitor, combined with vinorelbine and trastuzumab for patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer pretreated with trastuzumab. In this phase Ib multicenter, Bayesian dose-escalation study, 50 patients received everolimus 5 mg/day, 20 mg/week, or 30 mg/week plus vinorelbine (25 mg/m on day 1 and 8 every 3 weeks) and trastuzumab (2 mg/kg weekly). Endpoints included end-of-cycle-1 dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) rate (primary endpoint), safety, relative dose intensity, overall response rate (ORR), and pharmacokinetics. Grade 3/4 neutropenia was the most common end-of-cycle-1 DLT and occurred in 10 of 30 and 4 of 14 patients in the 5 mg/day and 30 mg/week cohorts, respectively. Other end-of-cycle-1 DLTs included single cases of febrile neutropenia, grade 3 stomatitis with concomitant fatigue, grade 2 stomatitis, grade 3 anorexia, and grade 2 acneiform dermatitis, all in the 5-mg/day cohort. Based on the recorded DLTs and global safety, everolimus 5 mg/day and 30 mg/week were chosen as the optimal dose levels for the daily and weekly arms. Forty-seven patients were evaluable for efficacy. ORR was 19.1%, with a disease control rate of 83.0% and median progression-free survival of 30.7 weeks. No drug interaction was observed between everolimus and vinorelbine. Everolimus combined with weekly vinorelbine and trastuzumab generally was well tolerated and had encouraging antitumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer that progressed on trastuzumab (NCT00426530). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcapsules for enzyme immobilization were successfully fabricated via interfacial cross-linking of poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI). A method based on laminar jet break-up technique using a commercial instrument developed to produce alginate beads is reported for the first time for production of PEI microcapsules. The diameter, wall thickness and pore size of membranes were obtained from confocal laser scanning microscopy by labelling PEI and proteins. The composition of membranes was analysed by elemental analysis. Larger microcapsules ( ca 200 µm diameter) were obtained with the encapsulation device. In comparison, the emulsion method produced smaller capsules ( ca 20 µm diameter) but with a wider size distribution. Encapsulation efficiency for both methods was analysed by bicinchoninic acid and fluorescence assays, yielding efficiencies of 94 ± 2% and 83 ± 3% for the emulsion method and encapsulation device, respectively. Glucose oxidase from Aspergillus Niger and Laccase from Trametes Versicolor were encapsulated by both microencapsulation methods and their activities were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]