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Morphological novelties, including formation of trait combinations, may result from de novo gene origination and/or co-option of existing genes into other developmental contexts. A variety of shape-color combinations of capitular florets occur in Chrysanthemum and its allies. We hypothesized that co-option of a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase gene into the floral symmetry gene network would generate a white zygomorphic ray floret. We tested this hypothesis in an evolutionary context using species in Chrysanthemum sensu lato, a monophyletic group with diverse floral shape-color combinations, based on morphological investigation, interspecific crossing, molecular interaction and transgenic experiments. Our results showed that white color was significantly associated with floret zygomorphy. Specific expression of the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase gene CCD4a in marginal florets resulted in white color. Crossing experiments between Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium and Ajania pacifica indicated that expression of CCD4a is trans-regulated. The floral symmetry regulator CYC2g can activate expression of CCD4a with a dependence on TEOSINTE BRANCHED1/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING (TCP) binding element 8 on the CCD4a promoter. Based on all experimental findings, we propose that gene co-option of carotenoid degradation into floral symmetry regulation, and the subsequent dysfunction or loss of either CYC2g or CCD4a, may have led to evolution of capitular shape-color patterning in Chrysanthemum sensu lato.

To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes on the success of bronchial arterial embolization (BAE) in patients with and without systemic artery-to-pulmonary vessel fistula (SA-PF) and to evaluate the feasibility of CTA in the assessment of SA-PF.We retrospectively enrolled 420 consecutive patients that underwent BAE for hemoptysis control in our hospital from September 2011 to May 2019. The clinical characteristics, preprocedural CTA findings, BAE procedural findings, and follow-up outcomes were collected. Patients were divided into two groups according to DSA findings: patients with SA-PF and those without.A total of 184 (43.7%) patients presented with SA-PF. Pneumonia was less likely to be the concomitant condition in patients with SA-PF (p 0.001). The mean number of culprit arteries per patient was significantly higher in patients with SA-PF compared to that in patients without SA-PF (p = 0.017). The SA-PF patients saw a greater probability of recurrence (HR: 2.782, 95% CI: 1.617-4.784, p 0.001). SA-pulmonary venous fistula (SA-PVF) favored lower hemoptysis recurrence rate (HR: 0.199, 95%CI: 0.052-0.765, p = 0.019). SA-pulmonary artery fistula (SA-PAF) can be detected by optimized CTA protocol with a detection rate of 65.3% (49/75).The presence of SA-PF is an independent risk factor predicting early recurrence of hemoptysis after BAE. SA-PVF seems to be a protective factor for longer hemoptysis control compared to SA-PAF. Optimized preprocedural CTA is a reliable examination to identify SA-PAF.• The appearance of SA-PF is associated with a greater probability of early recurrent hemoptysis after bronchial artery embolization. • The presence of SA-PVF seems to be a protective factor for longer hemoptysis control after BAE compared to SA-PAF. • Optimized CTA protocol seems to be a promising auxiliary examination to detect SA-PAF.

In this paper, we present an algorithm that computes the generalized \v{C}ech complex for a finite set of disks where each may have a different radius in 2D space. An extension of this algorithm is also proposed for a set of balls in 3D space with different radius. To compute a $k$-simplex, we leverage the computation performed in the round of $(k-1)$-simplices such that we can reduce the number of potential candidates to verify to improve the efficiency. An efficient verification method is proposed to confirm if a $k$-simplex can be constructed on the basis of the $(k-1)$-simplices. We demonstrate the performance with a comparison to some closely related algorithms.

The analysis of teacher behavior of massive teaching videos has become a surge of research interest recently. Traditional methods rely on accurate manual analysis, which is extremely complex and time-consuming for analyzing massive teaching videos. However, existing works on action recognition are difficultly transplanted to the teacher behavior recognition, because it is difficult to extract teacher’s behavior from complex teaching scenario, and teacher’s behaviors are given professional educational semantics. These methods are not adequate for the need of the teacher behavior recognition. Thus, a novel and simple recognition method of teacher behavior in the actual teaching scene for massive teaching videos is proposed, which can provide technical assistance for analyzing teacher behavior and fill the blank of automatic recognition of teacher behavior in actual teaching scene. Firstly, we discover the educational pattern which it be named “teacher set”, that is, the spatial region of the video of the whole class where teachers should exist. Based on this, the algorithm of teacher set identification and extraction (Teacher-set IE algorithm) is studied to identify the teacher in the teaching video, and reduce the interference factors of classroom background. Then, an improved behavior recognition network based on 3D bilinear pooling (3D BP-TBR) is presented to enhance fusion representation of three-dimensional features thus identifying the categories of teacher behavior, and experiments show that 3D BP-TBR can achieve better performance on public and self-built dataset (TAD-08). Hence, our whole approach can increase recognition accuracy of teacher behavior in the actual teaching scene to utilize the deep integration of educational characteristics and action recognition technology.

Background and purpose Tooth eruption is a complicated process regulated by the dental follicles (DF). Our recent study discovered that tooth eruption was inhibited upon injection of bleomycin into DF. However, the mechanisms were unknown. Experimental approach Human dental follicle cells (hDFCs) were treated by bleomycin or exogenous TGF-β1 or transfected by plasmids loading SMAD7 or shRNA targeting SMAD7, followed by osteogenesis induction assay and signalling analysis. Human fresh DF tissues and Wistar rats were used to further confirm bleomycin function. Key results Bleomycin decreased expression of RUNX2 and osteogenic genes in hDFCs, reducing osteogenic capacity. TGF-β1 expression was up-regulated in bleomycin-treated hDFCs. The effects of exogenous TGF-β1 were similar to those of bleomycin in hDFCs. Additionally, compared to SMAD2/3, SMAD7 expression increased more in bleomycin- or TGF-β1-treated hDFCs. Overexpression of SMAD7 likewise significantly decreased RUNX2 expression and osteogenic capacity of hDFCs. Knockdown of SMAD7 markedly attenuated the inhibitory effects of bleomycin and TGF-β1 on osteogenic capacity and RUNX2 expression of hDFCs. Most importantly, changes in TGF-β1, SMAD7, and RUNX2 expressions were similar in the DF of rats and humans treated with bleomycin. Conclusion and implications SMAD7 was a negative regulator of osteogenic differentiation in DFCs through suppressing RUNX2 expression. Bleomycin or TGF-β1 inhibited osteogenic differentiation of DFCs via a TGF-β1/SMAD7/RUNX2 pathway. Our findings might be beneficial for enhancing the osteogenic activity of DFCs or inhibiting the eruption of undesirable teeth.

Reactive powder concrete-filled steel tubes (RPCFSTs) have become an important research target in recent years. In engineering applications, RPCFSTs can provide superior vertical components for high-rise and tower buildings, thereby enabling developers to provide more floor space. However, this type of composite structure is prone to inelastic outward local buckling. The use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) wrapping to suppress such local buckling has shown great potential in limited test results. This paper presents experimental results concerning the axial compression of CFRP-confined reactive powder concrete-filled circular steel tubes (CF-RPCFSTs). We included 18 specimens in our experimental investigation, varying the number of CFRP layers, steel tube thickness, and RPC strength. According to our test results, CF-RPCFSTs exhibit compression shear failure and drum-shaped failure. The CFRP wrap can effectively enhance bearing capacity and postpone local buckling of the steel tube. In addition, three-layer CFRP-confined RPC-filled thin-wall steel tubes are suitable for engineering. We also propose a model to calculate the bearing capacity of CF-RPCFSTs. Compared to the existing model of CFRP-confined concrete-filled steel tubes, the results obtained using the proposed model are in good agreement with our experimental results.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a high-grade, aggressive bone sarcoma. LncRNAs play a key regulatory role in controlling biological and pathological processes. The expression of lncRNA SNHG9 varies among different cancer tissues, and the role of SNHG9 in OS progression is unclear. In this study, we found SNHG9 overexpression in OS tissues and cells. In addition, downregulated SNHG9 expression impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of OS cells. SNHG9 expression was positively regulated by the transcription factor SOX4. SNHG9 interacted with miR-214-5p as a molecular sponge and SOX4 was identified as the target of miR-214-5p. The interaction affected the expression of SNHG9, miR-214-5p, and SOX4, and regulated OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Therefore, the SNHG9/miR-214-5p/SOX4 feedback loop performs an important role in OS progression and might be used as a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OS.

In this paper, we present an algorithm that computes the generalized Čech complex for a finite set of disks where each may have a different radius in 2D space. An extension of this algorithm is also proposed for a set of balls in 3D space with different radius. To compute a $k$-simplex, we leverage the computation performed in the round of $(k-1)$-simplices such that we can reduce the number of potential candidates to verify to improve the efficiency. An efficient verification method is proposed to confirm if a $k$-simplex can be constructed on the basis of the $(k-1)$-simplices. We demonstrate the performance with a comparison to some closely related algorithms.

The rising amount of construction and demolition wastes (C & DWs) is triggering serious environmental and social problems globally. This study conducted an experimental investigation of basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced concrete with recycled aggregates (RAs) sourced from C & DWs. The flexural strength, the flexural to compressive strength ratio, and the drying shrinkage are set as indicators for the evaluation of the coupling effect of BF and RA in concrete. Results show that BF generated a significant effect on the flexural strength until the BF dosage was no higher than 1%. The excessive mixing amount of BF, though it still contributed to a positive effect on elevating the flexural strength, was of a reduced utility. Regarding the flexural to compressive strength ratio (denoted as ratio), BF and RA jointly produced a positive synergistic effect. In addition, the BF was verified as competent in curbing the adverse effect of RA incorporation upon the drying shrinkage. Relative to the benchmark concrete which contains 100% RA and no BF, 1% BF contributed to a 31.6% reduction in the drying shrinkage. The results prove that BF reinforcement is a feasible and promising approach to curb the drawbacks of RA concrete.

Climate change may lead to biodiversity loss and species extinction. Understanding the impacts of climate change on the distribution pattern of endangered species is of great value to the identification of priority reserves and the formulation of relevant conservation strategies. Based on the distribution data of Marco Polo sheep (气候变化可能造成生物多样性下降和物种灭绝。开展气候变化对濒危野生动物分布格局影响的研究,对识别野生动物优先保护区、制定相关保护策略具有重要价值。本研究基于2017—2018年在新疆塔什库尔干野生动物自然保护区野外调查获得的马可波罗盘羊(

Herein, the paper reports an experimental investigation lasting one year on the chloride resistance of polypropylene fiber (PF) reinforced concrete with fly ash (FA). Four influential factors at four levels were studied, viz. water to binder ratio (w/b) (0.53, 0.34, 0.29, and 0.25), PF dosage (0%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% in volume basis of the total volume of concrete), FA content (0%, 15%, 25%, and 35% in mass substitution ratio of cement) and concentration of NaCl solution (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%). Dry–wet cyclic immersion and long-term soaking were taken into consideration in addition to the aforementioned factors. A L16(44) orthogonal table was used to sequence influencing factors and to determine the optimal combination. Results showed that 7% NaCl solution caused the highest chloride content in 0–5 mm depth, whilst the w/b ratio of 0.25 curbed the chloride penetration within 10 mm even for concrete subjected to dry–wet cyclic immersion for 360 d. Subsequently, a respond surface model (RSM) basing on polynomials was constructed to visually evaluate the effect of PF dosage and FA content. Results clarified that a cubic model was more precise and PF dosage and FA content turned out to have the positive facilitation to chloride resistance. The positive effect of PF however is not consistent and commensurate for concrete with varied fly ash content. Finally, a fuzzy logic based nonlinear model accommodating all seven influencing factors was verified to be proper and adaptive in predicting chloride content.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of noncoding RNA nucleotides >200 bp, has been demonstrated to play vital role in the development of cancer. FEZ family zinc finger 1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1) has been reported as an lncRNA which acts as a tumor-promoting effect in some cancers. However, the role of it in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its potential regulatory mechanism was unclear now. Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the levels of FEZF1-AS1 and mRNA CTNNB1 (β-catenin) in ESCC tissues and cells. Cell transfection experiments were used to knock down or overexpress the level of FEZF1-AS1 in EC1 and EC9706 cell lines. WST-1 assays, cell cycle assays, scratch wound assays, migration, and invasion assays were used to evaluate the function of FEZF1-AS1 in ESCC progression. Results: FEZF1-AS1 was remarkably upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Silencing of FEZF1-AS1 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cells, while overexpression of FEZF1-AS1 notably accelerated ESCC migration and invasion. Meanwhile, the levels of FEZF1-AS1 had no effect on ESCC cell proliferation and cell cycle. We also found that β-catenin was upregulated in ESCC tissues, and the level of it was positively correlated with the expression of FEZF1-AS1. Silencing of FEZF1-AS1 could decrease the mRNA and protein level of β-catenin, while overexpression FEZF1-AS1 could lead to the contrary. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the expression of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 played an important role in ESCC progression, especially the motility of the tumor. FEZF1-AS1 may provide us with a new sight for ESCC treatment.

Gastritis is a common inflammation of stomach with multiple pathogenesis. This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of oral octreotide (OCT) against ethanol-induced acute gastric injury and H. pylori-induced chronic gastritis via promoting gastric mucosa restoration, reducing gastric acid secretion and inflammation. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided and treated with three doses of OCT (0.5, 2.5, 10 mg/kg) alone or combined respectively with 10 mg/kg omeprazole (OME), 0.2 g/L metronidazole (MTZ)/0.1 g/L clarithromycin (CLR) in drinking water. Oxidative stress analysis, bacterial load analysis, qPCR, gastric histopathology examinations were performed in our study. Ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer was restored by OCT alone at doses of 2.5 mg/kg, or combined with OME as indicated by markedly reducing Gastrin, Il-6 and Il1b expression through induction of Muc5ac and Occludin, significantly improving hyperacidity and gastric bleeding. As well, OCT combined with MTZ/CLR restored the integrity of gastric mucosa damaged by H. pylori via elevating the expression of Muc5ac and somatostatin receptor 2, decreasing inflammation and increasing the number of chorionic or glands. Besides, OCT is more suitable for long-term medication in the treatment of chronic gastritis than OME. In conclusion, our results proved that the newly developed oral OCT-based therapies were more effective to reverse gastric mucosa damage and inflammation in ethanol and H. pylori infection-induced gastric injury, it is of great significance for supplementing new clinical regimens for the treatment of acute and chronic gastritis.

A photocatalytic mortar containing recycled clay brick powder (RCBP), recycled fine aggregate (RFA), recycled glass (RG), and nanoscale titanium dioxide (NT) was fabricated to degrade low-concentration sulfur dioxide. Instead of intermixing or dip-coating, NT was firstly loaded onto the surface of carriers (RFA and RG) using a soaking method to prepare composite photocatalysts (CPs) denoted as NT@RFA and NT@RG. The prepared CPs can both take full advantage of the intrinsic characteristics of construction wastes, namely, the high porosity and alkalinity of RFA and the light-transmitting property of RG, and can significantly reduce the cost of using NT. RG in high dosage potentially triggers alkali–silica reaction (ASR) in cement-based materials, which affects the durability of the prepared mortar. RCBP, another typical construction waste sourced from crushed clay bricks, was proven to be a pozzolan similar to grade II fly ash. The combined use of RCBP and RG in photocatalytic mortar is expected to simultaneously improve durable performance and further raise the upper content limit of construction wastes. Results exhibit that 70% cement plus 30% RCBP as cementitious material can sufficiently control ASR to an acceptable level. The filling effect and the pozzolanic reaction caused by RCBP result in a decline in porosity and lessened alkalinity, which decreases sulfur dioxide removal. The paper uses both response surface methodology (RSM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) to model photocatalytic efficiency with various initial concentrations and flow rates and finds the ANN to have a better fitting and prediction performance.

Understanding the roles played by geography and ecology in driving species diversification and in the maintenance of species cohesion is the central objective of evolutionary and ecological studies. The multi-phased orogenesis of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and global climate changes over late-Miocene has profoundly influenced the environments and evolution of organisms in this region and the vast areas of Asia. In this study, we investigate the lineage diversification ofChrysanthemum-group in subtribe Artemisiinae (tribe Anthemideae, Asteraceae) likely under the effects of climate changes during this period. Using DNA sequences of seven low-copy nuclear loci and nrITS and the coalescent analytical methods, a time-calibrated phylogeny of subtribe Artemisiinae was reconstructed with emphasis onChrysanthemum-group. The monophyleticChrysanthemum-group was well resolved into two major clades corresponding toChrysanthemumandAjania, two genera which can be well identified by capitulum morphology but have been intermingled in previous plastid and ITS trees. WithinChrysanthemum, a later divergence betweenCh. indicum-complex andCh. zawadskii-complex can be recognized. The time frames of these sequential divergences coincide with the late Cenozoic uplift of the Northern QTP and the concomitant climatic heterogeneity between eastern and inland Asia. Reconstruction of historical biogeography suggested the origin ofChrysanthemum-group in Central Asia, followed by eastward migration ofChrysanthemumandin situdiversification ofAjania. WithinChrysanthemum,Ch. indicum-complex andCh. zawadskii-complex exhibited contemporary distributional division, the former in more southern and the latter in more northern regions. The geographic structure of the three lineages inChrysanthemum-group have been associated with the niche differentiation, and environmental heterogenization in Asia interior.

Understanding the roles played by geography and ecology in driving species diversification and in the maintenance of species cohesion is the central objective of evolutionary and ecological studies. The multi-phased orogenesis of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and global climate changes over late-Miocene has profoundly influenced the environments and evolution of organisms in this region and the vast areas of Asia. In this study, we investigate the lineage diversification of Chrysanthemum-group in subtribe Artemisiinae (tribe Anthemideae, Asteraceae) likely under the effects of climate changes during this period. Using DNA sequences of seven low-copy nuclear loci and nrITS and the coalescent analytical methods, a time-calibrated phylogeny of subtribe Artemisiinae was reconstructed with emphasis on Chrysanthemum-group. The monophyletic Chrysanthemum-group was well resolved into two major clades corresponding to Chrysanthemum and Ajania, two genera which can be well identified by capitulum morphology but have been intermingled in previous plastid and ITS trees. Within Chrysanthemum, a later divergence between Ch. indicum-complex and Ch. zawadskii-complex can be recognized. The time frames of these sequential divergences coincide with the late Cenozoic uplift of the Northern QTP and the concomitant climatic heterogeneity between eastern and inland Asia. Reconstruction of historical biogeography suggested the origin of Chrysanthemum-group in Central Asia, followed by eastward migration of Chrysanthemum and in situ diversification of Ajania. Within Chrysanthemum, Ch. indicum-complex and Ch. zawadskii-complex exhibited contemporary distributional division, the former in more southern and the latter in more northern regions. The geographic structure of the three lineages in Chrysanthemum-group have been associated with the niche differentiation, and environmental heterogenization in Asia interior.

Evolutionary shifts among radiate, disciform and discoid flowerheads have occurred repeatedly in a number of major lineages across the Asteraceae phylogeny; such transitions may also appear within evolutionarily young groups. Although several studies have demonstrated that CYC2 genes partake in regulating floral morphogenesis in Asteraceae, the evolution of capitulum forms within a recently diverging lineage has remained poorly understood. Here, we study the molecular regulation of the shift from a radiate to a disciform capitulum within the Chrysanthemum group. This is a recently radiating group mainly comprising two genera, Chrysanthemum and Ajania, that are phylogenetically intermingled but distinct in flowerhead morphology: Chrysanthemum spp. with radiate capitula and Ajania spp. with disciform capitula. We found that the morphogenesis of zygomorphy in the marginal floret in Ajania was disrupted soon after floral primordium emergence; CYC2g, one of the CYC2 copies that was expressed prominently in the ray floret of Chrysanthemum was not expressed in flowerheads of Ajania. Weakening the expression of ClCYC2g in Chrysanthemum lavandulifolium led to the gradual transition of a ray flower toward the disc-like form. Molecular evolutionary analyses indicated that the disciform capitulum might have evolved only once, approximately 8 Mya, arising from dysfunction of the CYC2g orthologs. A 20-nt deletion, including a putative TATA-box of the Ajania-type CYC2g promoter, appeared to inhibit the expression of the gene. Considering the divergent habitats of Chrysanthemum and Ajania, we propose that the shift from radiate to disciform capitulum must have been related to changes in pollination strategies under selective pressure.

Adaptive highly efficient mulching technologies for use on dryland agricultural ecosystems are crucial to improving crop productivity and water-use efficiency (WUE) under climate change. Little information is available on the effect of using different types of mulch on soil water thermal conditions, or on root/shoot trait, leaf area index (LAI), leaf area duration (LAD), yield, and WUE of spring maize. Hence, in this study, white transparent plastic film (WF), black plastic film (BF), and maize straw (MS) was used, and the results were compared with a non-mulched control (CK). The results showed that the mean soil temperature throughout the whole growth period of maize at the 5&ndash, 15 cm depth under WF and BF was higher than under MS and CK, but under BF, it was 0.6 ℃ lower than WF. Compared with CK, the average soil water storage (0&ndash, 200 cm) over the whole growth period of maize was significantly increased under WF, BF, and MS. WF and BF increased the soil water and temperature during the early growth stages of maize and significantly increased root/shoot biomass, root volume, LAI, LAD, and yield compared with MS. Higher soil temperatures under WF obviously reduced the duration of maize reproductive growth and accelerated root and leaf senescence, leading to small root/shoot biomass accumulation post-tasseling and to losses in yield compared with BF.

Additional file 1. Fig S1. Positive HR-ESI-MS data for active substance. Fig S2. 1H NMR spectrum active subsatnce in D2O. Fig S3. 13C NMR spectrum of active substance in D2O.

Reactive powder concrete-filled steel tubes (RPCFSTs) have become the focus of research in recent years owing to their ultra-high strength and good ductility. However, the steel tube in this type of member often exhibits an inelastic outward local buckling. The use of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) can effectively suppress this outward local buckling and has shown great advantages in strengthening a new alternative structure. In this work, we conducted axial compression experiments to study the effect of slenderness ratio on the performance of circular RPCFST columns strengthened by CFRP. A total of 12 specimens were manufactured, and compression tests were conducted by varying the length of the members (800, 1200, and 1600 mm) and CFRP layers (0–3). The results showed that sufficient CFRP confinement can significantly improve the bearing capacity and ductility of the RPCFST columns. However, the confinement effect decreased with the increase in the slenderness ratio. We suggest a slenderness ratio of 40 and a three-layer CFRP-confined slender RPCFST column for engineering applications. Based on Euler’s theory for unified materials, a theoretical model for the elastic and elastoplastic instabilities of slender CFRP-confined RPCFST columns was proposed, and the calculation and experimental results were in good agreement.

Traditional time-based reliability assessment methods compute reliability measures of a multistate system (MSS) purely based upon historical time-to-failure data collected from a large population of identical systems. Using these methods, one can only assess the reliability of a system from a population or statistical perspective. Moreover, these methods fail to characterize the stochastic behavior of a specific individual MSS over time. Accordingly, in this paper, a dynamic reliability assessment method that can aggregate inspection data across multiple levels (such as component level, subsystem level, and system level) of a nonrepairable MSS has been studied. In general, inspection data collected from multiple levels of a system can be imperfect, but they are stochastically correlated with the actual states of the inspected system and components. A set of two-stage recursive Bayesian formulations has been put forth to dynamically update the reliability function of a specific MSS over time by utilizing imperfect inspection data collected simultaneously or asynchronously from multiple levels of the system. The proposed method is exemplified via an illustrative example of an underground flow transmission system. The impact of the probability of detection on the accuracy of the remaining useful life prediction is also examined.

Lijun Yang,* Yafei Ye,* Jie Chu, Jinlin Jia, Yunhui Qu, Ting Sun, Huiqing Yin, Liang Ming, Junhu Wan, Fucheng HeDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of noncoding RNA nucleotides >200 bp, has been demonstrated to play vital role in the development of cancer. FEZ family zinc finger 1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1) has been reported as an lncRNA which acts as a tumor-promoting effect in some cancers. However, the role of it in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its potential regulatory mechanism was unclear now.Methods: qRT-PCR was used to detect the levels of FEZF1-AS1 and mRNA CTNNB1 (β-catenin) in ESCC tissues and cells. Cell transfection experiments were used to knock down or overexpress the level of FEZF1-AS1 in EC1 and EC9706 cell lines. WST-1 assays, cell cycle assays, scratch wound assays, migration, and invasion assays were used to evaluate the function of FEZF1-AS1 in ESCC progression.Results: FEZF1-AS1 was remarkably upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Silencing of FEZF1-AS1 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cells, while overexpression of FEZF1-AS1 notably accelerated ESCC migration and invasion. Meanwhile, the levels of FEZF1-AS1 had no effect on ESCC cell proliferation and cell cycle. We also found that β-catenin was upregulated in ESCC tissues, and the level of it was positively correlated with the expression of FEZF1-AS1. Silencing of FEZF1-AS1 could decrease the mRNA and protein level of β-catenin, while overexpression FEZF1-AS1 could lead to the contrary.Conclusion: Our results suggested that the expression of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 played an important role in ESCC progression, especially the motility of the tumor. FEZF1-AS1 may provide us with a new sight for ESCC treatment.Keywords: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, lncRNA, FEZF1-AS1, biological function, β-catenin

Upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 is observed in gastric cancer tissue, and high IL-6 serum levels predict a poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients. The IL-6/STAT3 pathway has been confirmed to play essential roles in the process of carcinogenesis, including gastric cancer. Thus, blockade of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway may be a potentially effective therapeutic option for gastric cancer. Micheliolide (MCL), a guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone, possesses anti-inflamma tory properties and can attenuate the IL-6 level. In addition, MCL has been widely reported to possess anti-tumor activity. But the anti-cancer effect of MCL on gastric cancer is unclear. In this study, we detected the effects of MCL on gastric cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by performing MTT, colony formation, TUNEL and western blot assays, and found that MCL inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis

Ytterbium (Yb) containing magnesium alloys have aroused extensive interests because of their excellent mechanical properties. Unfortunately, their potential biomedical applications as a biodegradable implant material remain uncertain to date. In this study, in vitro degradation behavior and biocompatibility of the newly developed Mg–5.8 Zn–2.0 Yb–0.5 Zr (wt.%, denoted as ZYbK620) alloy during aging treatment were investigated. The results reveal that the dimension and distribution of Yb containing phases act a significant role in biocorrosion resistance and biocompatibility of ZYbK620 alloys. The peak-aged sample with much finer and denser nanoprecipitates possesses the lowest corrosion rate and best integrity after long-term immersion. Further biocompatibility testing demonstrates that the alloys with different aging times all exhibit favorable cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility, suggesting that the ZYbK620 alloy can be a promising candidate for biomedical applications.

In this thesis, we study three periodic-review, finite-horizon inventory systems in the presence of supply and demand uncertainties. In the first part of the thesis, we study a multi-period single-station problem in which supply uncertainty is modeled by partial supply. Formulating the problem under a robust optimization (RO) framework, we show that solving the robust counterpart is equivalent to solving a nominal problem with a modified deterministic demand sequence. In particular, in the stationary case the optimal robust policy follows the quasi-(s, S) form and the corresponding s and S levels are theoretically computable. In the second part of the thesis, we extend the RO framework to a multi-period multi-echelon problem. We show that for a tree structure network, decomposition applies so that the optimal single-station robust policy remains valid for each echelon in the tree. Furthermore, if there are no setup costs in the network, then the problem can be decomposed into several uncapacitated single-station problems with new cost parameters subject to the deterministic demands. In the last part of the thesis, we consider a periodic-review Assemble-To-Order (ATO) system with multiple components and multiple products, where the inventory replenishment for each component follows an independent base-stock policy and product demands are satisfied according to a First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) rule. We jointly consider the inventory replenishment and component allocation problems in the ATO system under stochastic component replenishment lead times and stochastic product demands. The problems are formulated under the stochastic programming (SP) framework, which are difficult to solve exactly due to a large number of scenarios. We use the sample average approximation (SAA) algorithms to find near-optimal solutions, which accuracy is verified by the numerical experiment results. Thesis Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

As k-out-of- n systems have widespread applications in engineering practices, their reliability modeling and evaluation are a great concern of reliability community. However, most reported works on k-out-of- n reliability modeling and evaluation are based on the premise that all the components are s-independent. Such simplified treatment may not be realistic as components in a system often suffer the same working or environmental conditions and/or interact with one another, resulting in dependency between their failure processes. To characterize such dependency in reliability modeling and evaluation, a copula-based reliability modeling for dependent multi-state k-out-of- n systems is developed in this work using copula functions and minimal paths of system states. The state probability and reliability functions of dependent multi-state k-out-of- n systems with identical components, nonidentical components, and partially dependent components are formulated. Two illustrative examples and a port oil transportation system are presented to demonstrate the implementation of the proposed method, and a sensitivity analysis is also conducted to examine how sensitive the reliability measures are with respect to the degree of dependency.

Sampling procedure. (DOCX 21 kb)

Mixed amine solvents have gained increasing attention in recent years. The absorption and desorption performance of mixed amine solvents for CO2 were analyzed by experiments. The absorption rate, absorption load, and desorption rate were used as the evaluating index. The experiment results show that the smaller proportion of MDEA/DETA solvents is the higher absorption load and absorption rate are, but the final desorption degree does not rise. When the rate of TETA is high, it is helpful to improve absorption rate and reduce desorption time of MDEA + TETA, but it is not necessary to add excessive TETA into mixed amine solvents.

Based on kernel density estimation (KDE) and Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLID), a new data-driven fault diagnosis method is proposed from a statistical perspective. The ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) together with the Hilbert transform is employed to extract 95 time- and frequency-domain features from raw and processed signals. The distance-based evaluation approach is used to select a subset of fault-sensitive features by removing the irrelevant features. By utilizing the KDE, the statistical distribution of selected features can be readily estimated without assuming any parametric family of distributions; whereas the KLID is able to quantify the discrepancy between two probability distributions of a selected feature before and after adding a testing sample. An integrated Kullback- Leibler divergence, which aggregates the KLID of all the selected features, is introduced to discriminate various fault modes/damage levels. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated via the case studies of fault diagnosis for bevel gears and rolling element bearings, respectively. The observations from the case studies show that the proposed method outperforms the support vector machine (SVM)-based and neural network-based fault diagnosis methods in terms of classification accuracy. Additionally, the influences of the number of selected features and the training sample size on the classification performance are examined by a set of comparative studies.

Mixed amine solvents have become research trend as their great performance of decarbonization in recent years. The kinetics model was established and fitted to the experimental data. Then the reaction kinetics of mixed solvents of MDEA and enamine in CO2 absorption process were analyzed through model. The results showed that the optimum concentration of absorbent and operating temperature exists in single MDEA system. As for mixed amine systems, the CO2 absorption capacity was stronger as the DETA or TETA dosages were greater. The model prediction accuracy for single MDEA solvent was better while the model prediction accuracy for 2.0 MDEA/1.0 DETA was decreased. When absorption rate was slower, the reaction was more close to the pseudo first order, and then the prediction accuracy of the model was higher. The research in this paper can promote the industrial applications of mixed amine solvents.

In this letter, we report the impact of the barrier layer on the performance of HfO2-based conductive bridge RAM (CBRAM) devices with TeTiW as the source layer. The considerable improvement of retention in the CBRAM device using TiW as the barrier layer is attributed to the lower amount of oxygen vacancies in the switching layer, which is justified from the O1s core level in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Therefore, the diffusion of Te in the resistive layer of the device with the TiW barrier layer is limited even at high temperature. The TeTiW/TiW/HfO2/TiN CBRAM device provides an excellent endurance of more than 104 cycles, with an on/off ratio of 200. Such a device also features long retention for up to 104 s at 200 °C.

A two-step biotechnological process was developed using Bacillus licheniformis S6 to provide a simple and economical procedure which significantly improved feather meal nutrition value. Compared with IFM (initial feather meal) and CFM (commercial feather meal), SFEFM (feather meal gained by solid fermentation and enzymolysis with continuous agitation) had a significant improvement ( P in vitro digestibility, contents of oligopeptides and soluble protein released in digestive juice by pepsin-pancreatin digestion procedure, furthermore, some deficient essential amino acids in feather protein (histidine, methionine, lysine) were enhanced. Comapared with CFM, the oligopeptides released into digestive juice of ISFM (feather meal obtained by the biotechnological process described in the paper with intermittent shaking) was significantly enhanced ( P in vitro digestibility was statistically ( P >0.05) equivalent to CFM. The summary of the finding to IFM treatment and possible means of further improvements were also listed.

In this paper, the adsorption of heavy metals by biomass, namely dry garlic stem, an environmentally-friendly and natural adsorbent, were studied．The efficiency of the adsorbent was studied under different experimental conditions by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration and contact time using batch adsorption technique. The results show that at pH 5.50, room temperature, the adsorption time 90 min and the amount of garlic stem 0.5 g, Co2+ have the maximum adsorption capacity. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Co2+ on garlic stem is 14.9 mg/g. At pH 9.50, the adsorption time 90 min and the amount of garlic stem 0.7g, Cd2+ have the maximum adsorption at the same temperature. The maximum adsorption of the Cd2+ is 20.90 mg/g. At pH 10.0, the adsorption time 150 min and the amount of garlic stem 0.3g, Ni2+ have the maximum adsorption at the same temperature. The dry garlic stem is a efficient adsorbent in removing cobalt, cadmium and nickel from aqueous solution.

This study reported the feasibility of adsorption of heavy metals using dry garlic stem, an environmentally-friendly and natural adsorbent．Using batch adsorption technique, the efficiency of the adsorbent was studied under different experimental conditions by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration and contact time. The results show that at pH 2.03, adsorption temperature 35°C, the adsorption time 90 min and the amount of garlic stem 1.0 g, Pb2+ have the maximum adsorption capacity. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Pb2+ on garlic stem is 28.42 mg/g and the adsorption rate is 94.74%. At pH 4.05, the adsorption time 120 min and the amount of garlic stem 1.0, Cu2+ have the maximum adsorption at the same temperature. The maximum adsorption of the Cu2+ is 20.90 mg/g and the adsorption rate is 69.75%. The dry garlic stem was found to be efficient in removing lead and copper from aqueous solution as compared to other adsorbents already used for the removal of these ions.

Organic lightweight aggregate concrete (OAC) is produced by replacing normal aggregate with organic aggregate in concrete or mortar either partially or fully, depending on the requirements of the strength and density. The study aims to investigate the compressive strength of OAC containing virgin EPS beads, recycled EPS granules and rubber granules with diameter 3-5 mm, and the influence of cement matrix on compressive strength of OAC. The results show that compressive strength of OAC decreases as organic aggregate content increases; furthermore, the decreasing rate of the strength is slowing down. The dimensionless compress strength-density relationship of EPS lightweight aggregate concrete (PAC) containing virgin EPS, recycled EPS and different cement matrix has uniform law. It can be modeled as σ*pl/σs=0.916(ρ*/ρs)3.04. The experimental compressive strength of ultra-lightweight EPS concrete with density lower than 900 kg/m3is much higher than the value calculated by Gibson formula. The larger the relative density is, the greater the difference between the two is. The dimensionless compressive strength-density relationship of rubcrete can be modeled as σ*pl/σs=0.956(ρ*/ρs)8.66. The compressive strength of rubcrete, compared with PAC, is more sensitive to the relative density.

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of EPS content on failure mode, stress-strain relationship and elastic modulus of expanded polystyrene aggregate concrete (PAC) with density lower than 900 kg/m3under uniaxial loading. The results show that PAC performs a good compressibility in the compression failure process. Apparent oblique crack appears in the case of uniaxial compression specimen damage; the lower the density is, the smaller the tilt angle of oblique cracks will be. Stress-strain curve of PAC with density larger than 422 kg/m3maintains a straight line relationship on ascending segment but varies with the density on the descent segment. The lower the density is, the larger PAC residual relative stress will become. Elastic modulus of PAC is proportional to 5.85 times index of relative density.

The shock Hugoniot relationship of concrete was studied based on concrete test subjected to the high-velocity impacting loading by one stage gas gun. The P-U(pressure-partical speed) shock Hugoniot relationship curve of concrete was gained from the D-U(shocking wave speed-partical speed) curve of concrete, and the equation of volume pressure P and volume strain v was put forward according to the example analysis. Moreover, based on the polynomial Grьneisen equation, the parameters of high-pressure equation of state of concrete were got by fitting the test date, and the theoretical values from the equation matched well with the experimental ones.

The numerical simulation method has been used to projectile penetrating concrete for many years. However, most previous research work has concentrated on the cuboids concrete model. Very few studies have been conducted to investigate the penetration process of complex concrete model. In this paper, numerical simulations of laboratory tests are conducted to show the penetration process of wedge concrete model. A double scalar damage model based on the concept of continuum damage mechanics is applied to modeling the failure of concrete. In the numerical model of wedge concrete, the wedges with different angles are modeled.

BACKGROUND The classic glycine receptor (GlyR) in the central nervous system is a ligand-gated membrane-spanning ion channel. Recent studies have provided evidence for the existence of GlyR in endothelial cells, renal proximal tubular cells and most leukocytes. In contrast, no evidence for GlyR in myocardial cells has been found so far. Our recent researches have showed that glycine could protect myocardial cells from the damage induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Further studies suggest that myocardial cells could contain GlyR or binding site of glycine. METHODS In isolated rat heart damaged by LPS, the myocardial monophasic action potential (MAP), the heart rate (HR), the myocardial tension and the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the coronary effluent were determined. The concentration of intracellular free calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) was measured in cardiomyocytes injured by LPS and by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R), which excludes the possibility that reduced calcium influx because of LPS neutralized by glycine. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the GlyR in myocardial tissue. GlyR and its subunit in the purified cultured cardiomyocytes were identified by Western blotting. RESULTS Although significant improvement in the MAP/MAPD(20), HR, and reduction in LDH release were observed in glycine + LPS hearts, myocardial tension did not recover. Further studies demonstrated that glycine could prevent rat mycordial cells from LPS and hypoxia/reoxygenation injury (no endotoxin) by attenuating calcium influx. Immunohistochemistry exhibited a positive green-fluorescence signaling along the cardiac muscle fibers. Western blotting shows that the purified cultured cardiomyocytes express GlyR beta subunit, but GlyR alpha1 subunit could not be detected. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that glycine receptor is expressed in cardiomyocytes and participates in cytoprotection from LPS and hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. Glycine could directly activate GlyR on the cardiomyocytes and prevent calcium influx into the cardiomyocytes.

Berberine is thought to be an immunomodulator, so the present study aimed to investigate the effect of berberine on mortality, lung and intestine injury in endotoxemic mice, and the mechanism of its action.Mice were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 28 mg/kg, ip), and neutral sulfate berberine was administrated intragastrically. Mortality was monitored every 12 h, and histology of the lungs and intestine as well as the plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon- gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-10, and nitric oxide (NO) levels were examined.Pretreatment with 50 mg/kg neutral sulfate berberine once a day for 5 days significantly decreased the mortality rate and attenuated tissue injury of the lungs and small intestine in mice challenged with LPS. LPS stimulated a marked increase in plasma levels of TNF-alpha, IFN- gamma, IL-12, IL-10, and NO. The administration of berberine significantly reduced plasma TNF-alpha, IFN- gamma, and NO levels, but did not suppress plasma IL-12 levels in mice exposed to LPS. Furthermore, pretreatment with neutral sulfate berberine augmented IL-10 secretion stimulated by LPS in mice.Pretreatment with neutral sulfate berberine attenuates tissue injury and improves survival in endotoxemic mice, which may be mediated, at least in part, by the inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediator production and upregulation of IL-10 release. These findings might provide a new strategy for the treatment of endotoxemia.

Effects of neutral sulfate berberine on LPS-induced cardiomyocyte TNF-α secretion, abnormal calcium cycling, and cardiac dysfunction in rats

An engineering nanorod array in a ZnO-based electrochemical metallization device for nonvolatile memory applications was investigated. A hydrothermally synthesized nanorod layer was inserted into a Cu/ZnO/ITO device structure. Another device was fabricated without nanorods for comparison, and this device demonstrated a diode-like behavior with no switching behavior at a low current compliance (CC). The switching became clear only when the CC was increased to 75 mA. The insertion of a nanorods layer induced switching characteristics at a low operation current and improve the endurance and retention performances. The morphology of the nanorods may control the switching characteristics. A forming-free electrochemical metallization memory device having long switching cycles (>104 cycles) with a sufficient memory window (103 times) for data storage application, good switching stability and sufficient retention was successfully fabricated by adjusting the morphology and defect concentration of the inserted nanorod layer. The nanorod layer not only contributed to inducing resistive switching characteristics but also acted as both a switching layer and a cation diffusion control layer.

Protein ubiquitination and deubiquitination are closely associated with tumorigenesis. The incidence of most tumorigenesis associated with abnormal expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Nedd4 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and highly expressed in prostate cancer cells, breast cancer cells, and ovarian cancer cells [1]. Based on the three-dimensional structure of Nedd4 ubiquitin ligase and its characteristics, we used computer simulations and structural biology information to design and synthesize compounds to inhibit the activity of Nedd4 ubiquitin ligase. In this paper, we would like to report the design, synthesis, and biological activities of these compounds. Among those compounds, five new compounds have not been reported before. All the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR and were tested for their antitumor activities using DU145, PC3, and PNT1A cell lines. The results showed that 4-(4-chlorobenzoyl) piperazin-1-yl) (4-(phenoxymethyl) phenyl) methanone has antiproliferative activity against DU145 with an IC50 of 3.86 μM.