Search

The obesity epidemic is a global health concern with Asian countries facing one of the most rapid rises in obesity rates. However, given the underwhelming long-term efficacy of weight loss strategies, especially in Asia, this review aims to explore barriers and facilitators to weight management of patients with overweight and obesity in Asia.Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science were searched for articles discussing barriers and facilitators of treatment to obesity from both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients. Qualitative and mixed method studies from Asia were included. Key quotes were extracted, coded, and thematically analysed with reference to Thomas and Harden's methodology.A total of 26 articles were included in this review. From the patients' perspective, three main themes were identified, factors influencing poor eating behaviour, inhibiting lifestyle modifications, and facilitating lifestyle modifications. Patients highlighted several barriers including the lack of social support, physiological limitations to exercise and low health literacy. Rigid sociocultural norms and lack of accessible healthcare services, exercise facilities and healthy food exacerbated the barriers. Facilitators to lifestyle modifications consisted of strong support systems and high health literacy. HCPs agreed that low health literacy, lack of social support and patient motivation impeded patients' weight loss attempts but were unaware of the other barriers they faced.There are discrepancies between ideas of barriers and facilitators of HCPs and patients. A mixture of population-level, primary care, and personal interventions are required to address this disparity and enhanced health literacy would improve weight loss outcomes.

PDF file - 746K, Forest plot of overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival in OSCC patients treated with surgery and post-operative radiotherapy with and without TPF induction chemotherapy.

PDF file - 81K, Supplemental table S1: Survival comparison between the cN2 patients treated with and without TPF induction chemotherapy. Supplemental table S2: Univariate Cox model analysis. Supplemental table S3: Multivariate Cox model analysis with interaction analysis. Supplemental table S4: Correlation between cyclin D1 expression and response to TPF induction chemotherapy. Supplemental table S5: Survival comparison between the cN2 patients treated with and without TPF induction chemotherapy according to cyclin D1 expression.

Induction chemotherapy is likely to be effective for biologically distinct subgroups of patients with cancer with biomarker detection. To investigate the prognostic and predictive values of cyclin D1 expression in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) who were treated in a prospective, randomized, phase III trial evaluating standard treatment with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy preceded or not by induction docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (TPF), immunohistochemical staining for cyclin D1 was conducted in pretreatment biopsy specimens of 232 out of 256 clinical stage III/IVA OSCC patients randomized to the clinical trial. Cyclin D1 index was estimated as the proportion of tumor cells with cyclin D1 nuclear staining. A low cyclin D1 expression predicted significantly better overall survival (OS; P = 0.001), disease-free survival (P = 0.005), locoregional recurrence-free survival (P = 0.003), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS; P = 0.002) compared with high cyclin D1 expression. Cyclin D1 expression levels were not predictive of benefit from induction TPF in the population overall. However, patients with nodal stage cN2 whose tumors had high cyclin D1 expression treated with TPF had significantly greater OS (P = 0.025) and DMFS (P = 0.025) when compared with high cyclin D1 cN2 patients treated with surgery upfront. Patients with low cyclin D1 level or patients with cN0 or cN1 disease did not benefit from induction chemotherapy. This study indicates that cN2 OSCC patients with high cyclin D1 expression can benefit from the addition of TPF induction chemotherapy to standard treatment. Cyclin D1 expression could be used as a biomarker in further validation studies to select cN2 patients that could benefit from induction therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 12(6); 1112–21. ©2013 AACR.

PDF file - 3255K, Subgroup analysis of overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis free-survival in 232 OSCC patients with low and high cyclin D1 expression

PDF file - 2826K, Overall survival (A), disease-free survival (B), locoregional recurrence-free survival (C), and distant metastasis-free survival (D) in 232 OSCC patients with low and high cyclin D1 expression.

PDF file - 10421K, Immunohistochemical staining for cyclin D1, negative (A), weak positive (B), and strong positive staining (C), original magnification �200.

Polylysines have been frequently used in drug delivery and antimicrobial and cell adhesion studies. Because of steric hindrance, chirality plays a major role in the functional difference between poly-l-lysine (PLL) and poly-d-lysine (PDL), especially when they interact with the plasma membranes of mammalian cells. Therefore, it is speculated that the interaction between chiral polylysines and the plasma membrane may cause different cellular behaviors. Here, we carefully investigated the interaction pattern of PLL and PDL with plasma membranes. We found that PDL could be anchored onto the plasma membrane and interact with the membrane lipids, leading to the rapid morphological change and death of A549 cells (a human lung cancer cell line) and HPAEpiCs (a human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cell line). In contrast, PLL exhibited good cytocompatibility and was not anchored onto the plasma membranes of these cells. Unlike PLL, PDL could trigger protective autophagy to prevent cells in a certain degree, and the PDL-caused cell death occurred

In the postharvest processing of tea leaves, withering is the first indispensable manufacturing process which produces the mellow, umami and sweet taste of white tea. In this study, we aimed to determine the dynamic changes of the main metabolites and clarify the key differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in forming the characteristic taste of white tea during withering. Phytochemical analyses revealed that the contents of total catechins and starch decreased continuously, whereas the contents of theaflavin, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), maltose, and soluble sugars increased significantly during withering (from 0–48 h). Meanwhile, the elevation of α-amylase (AMY), β-amylase (BAM), total amylase, and glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activities may be correlated with the accumulation of GABA and maltose. By transcriptome sequencing, we detected 9 707, 15 921, 17 353, and 17 538 DEGs at 12, 24, 36, and 48 h of the withering process, respectively, compared with 0 h sample (fresh leaves). The transcript levels of most of the DEGs involved in catechin biosynthesis were significantly inhibited, whereas those involved in catechin oxidation were significantly up-regulated, which could be correlated to a decrease in catechin content and an increase in theaflavin content. The DEGs involved in GABA biosynthesis were considerably up-regulated, and the down-regulation of SPMS could reduce the competition for converting spermidine to GABA. The up-regulation of the AMY and BAM genes could trigger starch degradation, resulting in the increase of soluble sugar content. These results provide new insights into the importance of the withering process to the characteristic taste of white tea.

Three non-fullerene acceptors with benzonitrile groups were synthesized, which could reduce the non-radiative recombination energy loss and enhance the efficiency in organic solar devices.

Thermoelectric transport, i.e., charge current driven by a temperature gradient (Seebeck effect) and heat current driven by an electric current (Peltier effect), provides fundamental insights on microscopic thermodynamics and kinetics of materials and enables devices that convert between heat and electrical work. The ionic Seebeck effect in ionic thermoelectric materials was reported more than one century ago while the reciprocal phenomenon, the ionic Peltier effect, remains unexplored due to experimental challenges. This work reports experimental observations and quantitative measurements of the ionic Peltier effect by an ultrasensitive temperature difference metrology (UTDM) with an extremely high temperature difference resolution up to 4 uK. UTDM enables the probing of sub-mK-level temperature responses of ionic Peltier effect even in the presence of parasitic Joule heat. We observe high ionic Peltier coefficients (up to 450 mV) in liquid electrolytes commonly used in Li-ion batteries. These high Peltier coefficients are approximately one order of magnitude greater than the Peltier coefficients of well-optimized electronic thermoelectric materials and comparable to Peltier coefficients of lightly doped silicon. Our work provides a platform to study the microscopic physics of ionic Peltier effect and understanding the thermodynamics and kinetics of ion transport in Li-ion batteries.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-18 is produced mainly in the heart and can be associated with the development of cardiac hypertrophy that leads to cardiac dysfunction. However, the effects of hypoxia on IL-18 expression and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) secretion remain largely unknown. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of hypoxia on IL-18 production and its role in ANF secretion by using an isolated perfused beating rat atrial model. Methods: The level of ANF in the perfusates was determined by radioimmunoassay, and the protein levels of Src, IL-18 and its receptors (IL-18-Rα and IL-18-Rβ), Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) and RhoA, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), T cell factor (TCF) 3 and 4, and lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) 1 in atrial tissue samples were detected by Western blotting. Results: Hypoxia significantly upregulated the expression of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Src, and this effect was blocked by endothelin-1 receptor type A (BQ123) and type B (BQ788) antagonists. Hypoxia also enhanced the expression of RhoGEF and RhoA concomitantly with the upregulation of IL-18, IL-18-Rα and IL-18-Rβ. The hypoxia-induced RhoGEF and RhoA were abolished by Src inhibitor 1 (SrcI), and the protein levels of IL-18 and its two receptors were also blocked by SrcI. Moreover, the hypoxia-induced expression levels of ATF3, TCF3, TCF4 and LEF1 were repealed by IL-18 binding protein, and the hypoxia-promoted secretion of ANF was also obviously attenuated by this binding protein. Conclusions: These findings imply that Src-IL-18 signaling is involved in the release of ANF in hypoxic beating rat atria.

beta-Ga2O3 is a wide bandgap semiconductor with electrical properties better than SiC and GaN which makes it promising for applications of next-generation power devices. However, the thermal conductivity of \b{eta}-Ga2O3 is more than one order of magnitude lower than that of SiC and GaN, resulting in serious thermal management problems that limit device performance and reliability. This work reports selectively transferring of high thermal conductivity 3C-SiC thin film grown on Si to beta-Ga2O3 (001) substrate using surface activated bonding (SAB) technique at room temperature, to attempt extracting the heat from the surface of the devices. A 4.5-nm-thick interfacial crystal defect layer is formed at the as-bonded 3C-SiC/beta-Ga2O3 interface. The thickness of the interfacial crystal defect layer decreases with increasing annealing temperature, which decreases to 1.5 nm after annealing at 1000 C. No voids and unbonded area are observed at the interfaces, even after annealing at temperature as high as 1000 C. The thermal boundary conductance (TBC) of the 1000 C-annealed 3C-SiC/beta-Ga2O3 interface and thermal conductivity of the beta-Ga2O3 substrate was measured by time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR). The 3C-SiC/beta-Ga2O3 TBC value was determined to be 244 MW/m2-K, which is the highest value ever reported for SiC/Ga2O3 interfaces, due to the high-quality heterointerface. Our works demonstrate that selective transferring of 3C-SiC film to the beta-Ga2O3 substrate is an efficient path to improve heat dissipation of the \b{eta}-Ga2O3 power devices.

Mechanical degrees of freedom, which have often been overlooked in various quantum systems, have been studied for applications ranging from quantum information processing to sensing. Here, we develop a hybrid platform consisting of a magnomechanical cavity and an optomechanical cavity, which are coherently coupled by the straightway physical contact. The phonons in the system can be manipulated either with the magnetostrictive interaction or optically through the radiation pressure. Together with mechanical state preparation and sensitive readout, we demonstrate the microwave-to-optical conversion with an ultrawide tuning range up to 3 GHz. In addition, we observe a mechanical motion interference effect, in which the optically driven mechanical motion is canceled by the microwave-driven coherent motion. Manipulating mechanical oscillators with equal facility through both magnonic and photonic channels enables new architectures for signal transduction between the optical, microwave, mechanical, and magnetic fields.

The damage effect of PTFE/Al/W reactive fragment impacting partially-filled fuel tank is investigated by combining the ballistic gun experiment and theoretical analysis. The experimental results show that, with the impact velocity ranging from 806m/s to 1331m/s, the reactive fragments successfully perforate the front plate of fuel tank and cause the flash-ignition of fuel/air mixture, but the fuel tank does not fail obviously. Based on the experimental results, a temperature analysis model of reactive debris is developed by combining the energy release characteristic of reactive material and the convective heat transfer model. The model result shows that the high-temperature reactive debris can effectively ignite fuel/air mixture, which is in good agreement with the experimental results.

Background Intensive evidence has highlighted the effect of aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events on cancer progression when triggered by dysregulation of the SR protein family. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism in breast cancer (BRCA) remains elusive. Here we sought to explore the molecular function of SRSF1 and identify the key AS events regulated by SRSF1 in BRCA. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression and clinical correlation of SRSF1 in BRCA based on the TCGA dataset, Metabric database and clinical tissue samples. Functional analysis of SRSF1 in BRCA was conducted in vitro and in vivo. SRSF1-mediated AS events and their binding motifs were identified by RNA-seq, RNA immunoprecipitation-PCR (RIP-PCR) and in vivo crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation (CLIP), which was further validated by the minigene reporter assay. PTPMT1 exon 3 (E3) AS was identified to partially mediate the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the P-AKT/C-MYC axis. Finally, the expression and clinical significance of these AS events were validated in clinical samples and using the TCGA database. Results SRSF1 expression was consistently upregulated in BRCA samples, positively associated with tumor grade and the Ki-67 index, and correlated with poor prognosis in a hormone receptor-positive (HR+) cohort, which facilitated proliferation, cell migration and inhibited apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We identified SRSF1-mediated AS events and discovered the SRSF1 binding motif in the regulation of splice switching of PTPMT1. Furthermore, PTPMT1 splice switching was regulated by SRSF1 by binding directly to its motif in E3 which partially mediated the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the AKT/C-MYC axis. Additionally, PTPMT1 splice switching was validated in tissue samples of BRCA patients and using the TCGA database. The high-risk group, identified by AS of PTPMT1 and expression of SRSF1, possessed poorer prognosis in the stage I/II TCGA BRCA cohort. Conclusions SRSF1 exerts oncogenic roles in BRCA partially by regulating the AS of PTPMT1, which could be a therapeutic target candidate in BRCA and a prognostic factor in HR+ BRCA patient.

ObjectiveRehabilitation is essential in reducing stroke disability and should be performed as early as possible. Exercise is an established and effective rehabilitation method; however, its implementation has been limited as its very early use exacerbates cerebral injury and is restricted by patients' unstable conditions and disabilities. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a passive and accessible therapy in acute phases of stroke and appears to have similar neuroprotective effects as exercise. This study assessed the safety and feasibility of the novel rehabilitation strategy—early RIC followed by exercise (RICE) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).MethodsWe conducted a single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial with AIS patients within 24 h of stroke onset or symptom exacerbation. All enrolled patients were randomly assigned, at a ratio of 1:1, to either the RICE group or the sham-RICE group (sham RIC with exercise). Each group received either RIC or sham RIC within 24 h after stroke onset or symptom exacerbation, once a day, for 14 days. Both groups started the exercise routine on day 4, twice daily, for 11 total days. The safety endpoints included clinical deterioration, recurrence of stroke, hemorrhagic transformation, complications, and adverse events resulting from RICE during hospitalization. The efficacy endpoints [Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, Barthel Index, and walking ability] were evaluated at admission and 90 days after stroke onset.ResultsForty AIS patients were recruited and completed the study. No significant differences in baseline characteristics were found between the two groups, which included risk factors, stroke severity at admission, pre-morbid disability, and other special treatments. No significant differences were found in the safety endpoints between two groups. Excellent recovery (mRS 0–2) at 3 months was obtained in 55% of the patients with RICE as compared 40% in sham group, but it did not reach a significant level.ConclusionsRICE was safe and feasible for AIS patients, and seems to be a promising early stroke rehabilitation. The results of this study suggest a need for a future randomized and controlled multicenter trial with a larger sample size to determine the efficacy of RICE.

Microalgae host varied microbial consortium harboring cross-kingdom interactions with fundamental ecological significance in aquatic ecosystems. Revealing the complex biofunctions of the cultivable bacteria of phycosphere microbiota is one vital basis for deeply understanding the mechanisms governing these dynamic associations. In this study, a new light-yellow pigmented bacterial strain LZ-28 was isolated from the highly-toxic and harmful algal bloom-forming dinoflagellate

As an emerging industry formed by the integration of multiple industries, the e-sports industry contributes to urban development, economic growth, and promotion of urban image owing to the characteristics of low pollution, strong driving effect, and high social influence. However, the e-sport industry is a new industry with limited studies about the general features, evolutionary mechanism, and spatial dynamics. As an e-sports industry center in China, Shanghai has the most complete e-sports industry chain and the largest industrial scale. This study takes Shanghai as a classical case to explore the spatial evolution process, features, and influencing factors of the e-sports industry using the spatial analysis methods, including the kernel density estimation, nearest neighbor index, and the Kriging spatial interpolation analysis based on the data mining of Shanghai e-sports enterprises from 2006 to 2018. The results show that, first, according to factors such as historical background, policy support, and development characteristics, the e-sports industry in Shanghai can be divided into the initial stage from 2006 to 2010, the rapid development stage from 2010 to 2014, and the explosive growth stage from 2014 to 2018. Second, the spatial distribution of the e-sports industry in Shanghai has evolved from a dual-core aggregation to a multi-core aggregation with the characteristics of central aggregation and simultaneous outward expansion. The south and north are the main directions of the expansion of e-sports enterprises. Third, high-capital e-sports enterprises tend to focus on software parks and universities in the surrounding area. There are currently four high-capital hotspots, namely, Zizhu Science Park in Minhang District, Zhaojiabang Road in Xuhui District, Lantian Enterprise Development Industrial Park in Jiading District, and Tiandi Software parks in Putuo District. These hotspots will have more opportunities to extend more competitive e-sports enterprises in the future because spin-off firms can inherit excellent capabilities from the parent firms. Fourth, based on the analysis framework of agglomeration economy—enterprise spin-off—institutional environment, this study analyzes the evolution mechanism of e-sports industry cluster in Shanghai. The agglomeration economy plays a centripetal role, the enterprise spin-off enables new enterprises to inherit successful routines from the parent company, and the institutional environment is conducive to the formation and management of industries. Compared with previous studies which showed that the government plays a smaller role in promoting the cultural industry, the development of the e-sports industry is affected more by the institutional environment. Finally, at an urban scale, government policy planning has a guiding effect on the location selection of the e-sports industry. High-quality human resources, economic development level, e-sports market environment, and transportation convenience are the key factors for the aggregation of e-sports enterprises. In addition, compared with traditional industries, the e-sports industry has the characteristics of competition as a sporting activity. Furthermore, the excitement of competition and the holding of big e-sports events will have a significant impact on the development of the e-sports industry. This study explores the spatial-temporal pattern, evolution process, influencing factors, and evolution mechanisms of the e-sports industry in Shanghai from the perspective of evolutionary economic geography. This study verifies and enriches the theory of evolutionary economic geography from an empirical perspective, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing the spatial distribution of the e-sports industry, developing an e-sports industry cluster district, and enhancing the urban cultural brand. It also provides a decision-making reference for other cities to develop the e-sports industry.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidases (NOXs) are the major enzymatic source of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX2 and NOX4 are expressed in the heart but its role in hypoxia-induced atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion is unclear. This study investigated the effect of NOX on ANP secretion induced by hypoxia in isolated beating rat atria. The results showed that hypoxia significantly upregulated NOX4 but not NOX2 expression, which was completely abolished by endothelin-1 (ET-1) type A and B receptor antagonists BQ123 (0.3 µM) and BQ788 (0.3 µM). ET-1-upregulated NOX4 expression was also blocked by antagonists of secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2; varespladib, 5.0 µM) and cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2; CAY10650, 120.0 nM), and ET-1-induced cPLA2 expression was inhibited by varespladib under normoxia. Moreover, hypoxia-increased ANP secretion was evidently attenuated by the NOX4 antagonist GLX351322 (35.0 µM) and inhibitor of ROS N-Acetyl-D-cysteine (NAC, 15.0 mM), and hypoxia-increased production of ROS was blocked by GLX351322. In addition, hypoxia markedly upregulated Src expression, which was blocked by ET receptors, NOX4, and ROS antagonists. ET-1-increased Src expression was also inhibited by NAC under normoxia. Furthermore, hypoxia-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and protein kinase B (Akt) were completely abolished by Src inhibitor 1 (1.0 µM), and hypoxia-increased GATA4 was inhibited by the ERK1/2 and Akt antagonists PD98059 (10.0 µM) and LY294002 (10.0 µM), respectively. However, hypoxia-induced ANP secretion was substantially inhibited by Src inhibitor. These results indicate that NOX4/Src modulated by ET-1 regulates ANP secretion by activating ERK1/2 and Akt/GATA4 signaling in isolated beating rat hypoxic atria.

Cyberspace mimic defense (CMD) is an active defense theory that has emerged in recent years. By dynamically constructing and scheduling multiple executors, the CMD can not only effectively defend against security threats caused by unknown cyberspace weaknesses, but also improve the present situation of information asymmetry between attackers and defenders in cyberspace. However, as one of the key technologies of the CMD, the scheduling strategy algorithm still needs to be improved in real-time security, reliability, and universality, which has restricted the development and large-scale deployment of the CMD. To solve this problem, we propose an optimal seed scheduling strategy algorithm (OSSSA) in this paper. After using continuous-time Markov processes to mathematically analyze the model of the mimic defense system in cyberspace, we introduce the key factors and their evaluation methods that affecting the CMD defense performance in the OSSSA, then propose a reliable working mechanism of the OSSSA. Furthermore, we present an evaluation method that can effectively evaluate the defense performance of the scheduling algorithms. Experimental results from software simulations and real experiments show that the OSSSA has better real-time defense performance than the current mainstream scheduling strategy algorithms, and can adapt to different practical application scenarios, which is helpful to the further development of the CMD.

BackgroundMalnutrition and obesity are interdependent pathologies along the same spectrum. We examined global trends and projections of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths from malnutrition and obesity until 2030.MethodsUsing data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study involving 204 countries and territories, trends in DALYs and deaths were described for obesity and malnutrition from 2000 to 2019, stratified by geographical regions (as defined by WHO) and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). Malnutrition was defined according to the 10th revision of International Classification of Diseases codes for nutritional deficiencies, stratified by malnutrition type. Obesity was measured via body mass index (BMI) using metrics related to national and subnational estimates, defined as BMI ≥25 kg/m2. Countries were stratified into low, low-middle, middle, high-middle, and high SDI bands. Regression models were constructed to predict DALYs and mortality up to 2030. Association between age-standardised prevalence of the diseases and mortality was also assessed.FindingsIn 2019, age-standardised malnutrition-related DALYs was 680 (95% UI: 507–895) per 100,000 population. DALY rates decreased from 2000 to 2019 (−2.86% annually), projected to fall 8.4% from 2020 to 2030. Africa and low SDI countries observed highest malnutrition-related DALYs. Age-standardised obesity-related DALY estimates were 1933 (95% UI: 1277–2640). Obesity-related DALYs rose 0.48% annually from 2000 to 2019, predicted to increase by 39.8% from 2020 to 2030. Highest obesity-related DALYs were in Eastern Mediterranean and middle SDI countries. BACKGROUND: Malnutrition and obesity are interdependent pathologies along the same spectrum. We examined global trends and projections of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and deaths from malnutrition and obesity until 2030.METHODS: Using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease study involving 204 countries and territories, trends in DALYs and deaths were described for obesity and malnutrition from 2000 to 2019, stratified by geographical regions (as defined by WHO) and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). Malnutrition was defined according to the 10th revision of International Classification of Diseases codes for nutritional deficiencies, stratified by malnutrition type. Obesity was measured via body mass index (BMI) using metrics related to national and subnational estimates, defined as BMI ≥25 kg/m 2. Countries were stratified into low, low-middle, middle, high-middle, and high SDI bands. Regression models were constructed to predict DALYs and mortality up to 2030. Association between age-standardised prevalence of the diseases and mortality was also assessed. FINDINGS: In 2019, age-standardised malnutrition-related DALYs was 680 (95% UI: 507-895) per 100,000 population. DALY rates decreased from 2000 to 2019 (-2.86% annually), projected to fall 8.4% from 2020 to 2030. Africa and low SDI countries observed highest malnutrition-related DALYs. Age-standardised obesity-related DALY estimates were 1933 (95% UI: 1277-2640). Obesity-related DALYs rose 0.48% annually from 2000 to 2019, predicted to increase by 39.8% from 2020 to 2030. Highest obesity-related DALYs were in Eastern Mediterranean and middle SDI countries.INTERPRETATION: The ever-increasing obesity burden, on the backdrop of curbing the malnutrition burden, is predicted to rise further.FUNDING: None.

To improve the damage performance of the shaped charge when damaging the concrete target, a new structure of shaped charge with reactive material composite liner was proposed. The behavior of reactive material composite liner-shaped charge penetrating the concrete target was researched by numerical simulation in the finite element simulation platform Autodyn-2D. The effects of the ratio of liner diameter and the ratio of the liner thickness of the inner liner to the composite liner on the penetration depth, hole diameter, and the following behavior of reactive materials were obtained. Numerical simulations show that, with increasing the liner diameter ratio and the liner thickness ratio, the penetration depth and hole diameter of the composite jet into concrete first increase and then gradually decrease. However, the increase of the liner diameter ratio and thickness ratio also means a decrease in the reactive materials’ total mass, which will significantly affect the following reactive materials into the penetration hole. Simulated results further show that it is better to find out that the liner diameter ratio is 0.7 and the liner thickness ratio is 0.2~0.4. The penetration depth and hole diameter of the composite jet into the concrete match well with the quality of the following reactive materials.

At present, the traditional mode of research and development for mass-produced wetsuits usually requires repeated sample making and try-on evaluation, and performance cannot be predicted, monitored and evaluated in real time; this can lead to problems including low material utilization and production efficiency. In this study, real human body static and dynamic measurements, material properties and structure data are applied through 3D software to build an accurate virtual model, and new wetsuits are designed through simulation, optimization and evaluation. The static and dynamic fitting performance above and underwater is comprehensively evaluated in virtual and real environments, and it is proved that the virtual development mode can accurately and effectively guide the development and evaluation of wetsuits, and can meet personalized comfort and functional requirements today. This simulation evaluation method avoids repeated sample preparation, some unnecessary waste of materials and environmental pollution, and improves manufacturing efficiency.

Additional file 1. Supplementary materials for the prediction and prognosis of adverse maternal and foetal/neonatal outcomes in pulmonary hypertension.

International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 2, 6, 79-92

When attacked by herbivores, plants emit volatiles to attract parasitoids and predators of herbivores. However, our understanding of the effect of plant volatiles on the subsequent behaviour of conspecific parasitoids when herbivores on plants are parasitized is limited. In this study, rice plants were infested with gravid females of the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens for 24 hr followed by another 24 hr in which the BPH eggs on plants were permitted to be parasitized by their egg parasitoid, Anagrus nilaparvatae; volatiles from rice plants that underwent such treatment were less attractive to subsequent conspecific parasitoids compared to the volatiles from plants infested with gravid BPH females alone. Chemical analysis revealed that levels of JA and JA-Ile as well as of four volatile compounds-linalool, MeSA, α-zingiberene and an unknown compound-from plants infested with BPH and parasitized by wasps were significantly higher than levels of these compounds from BPH-infested plants. Laboratory and field bioassays revealed that one of the four increased chemicals-α-zingiberene-reduced the plant's attractiveness to the parasitoid. These results suggest that host plants can fine-tune their volatiles to help egg parasitoids distinguish host habitats with parasitized hosts from those without.

The traditional rolling process for large ring part is to forge a large ring blank from a large cast ingot firstly and then ring rolling it to a large ring. However, large ingots are more likely to produce casting defects such as voids and composition segregation. The casting defects will bring hereditation to the final ring product, especially for super-large ring whose dimeter is more than ten meters. In this paper, a novel constructive hot ring rolling method to manufacture the high performance large ring is proposed. In this process, ring blank units are forged by high-quality small ingots firstly. Then the ring blank units are assembled together to a large ring blank and surface welded along the unit interface. Finally, the large assembled ring blank is heated and ring rolled to a large seamless ring. To verify the feasibility of the constructive hot ring rolling process, an experiment of constructive hot ring rolling process was carried out in the laboratory condition. Two separated rings are machined firstly. Then cleaning the surface of the two rings and assembling them together. Follow on, the upper and lower interfaces of the assembled ring are welded in the surface areas. Finally, the ring blank is heated to high temperature and deformed by radial ring rolling. The microstructure status and mechanical properties of the forming ring are tested. It is found that the interface is healed after high temperature rolling. The tensile strength of the constructive rolling ring is close to the ring rolled from a seamless ring blank. The research work can provide a new idea for the manufacturing technology of high performance large ring.

AIM: To investigate the effect of inclination and eccentricity of intraocular lens(IOL),on optical imaging quality via wavefront aberration optical path system.METHODS: The spherical IOL Sensar AR40e, the aspherical monofocal IOL Tecnis ZA9003, and the aspheric multifocal IOL Tecnis ZM900 were measured at the center of the center using a laboratory-built Hartmann-Shack IOL wavefront aberration path system at 5.0mm simulated pupil diameter. 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8mm, the effect on the optical imaging quality when tilting 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25° to the nasal side and the temporal side, and quantitative imaging quality by high-order aberration and modulation transfer function.RESULTS: The Temnis ZA9003 MTF value was higher than AR40e and Tecnis ZM900 when inclinationed within 5°, while the three IOL MTF values were significantly different when inclinationed 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°. Tecnis ZA9003 The IOL inclination angle was significantly positively correlated with the coma(r=0.842, Pr=0.229, P=0.241). The three IOL MTF values were obtained when the eccentricity was 0.6 and 0.8 mm. Significant differences(both PCONCLUSION: When the inclination of aspheric IOL(-0.27μm spherical aberration)is less than 5°and the eccentricity is less than 0.4mm, aspherical IOL has a better imaging quality than that of spherical IOL. Tecnis ZM900 IOL has a lower optical imaging quality than that of spherical and aspheric IOL when the eccentricity of IOL is more than 0.4mm.

To observe the effect of Qiang Jin exercises on the muscle strength and activity of lumbar spine in patients with lumbar disc herniation.From March 2016 to September 2017, at the Department of Orthopaedics, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a total of 110 subjects were enrolled, and 98 eligible subjects were screened. The subjects were randomized by stratified randomization and divided into experimental group and control group, 49 cases in each group, 25 males and 24 females in the experimental group, 25 males and 24 females in the control group. The experimental group exercised with Qiang Jin exercises, one time each morning and evening, each time10 sets were made;the control group used classic rehabilitation training, training twice a week, and three months was a course of treatment. After 12 weeks of training, the muscle strength and activity of the lumbar spine were evaluated and compared with the muscle strength and activity of the lumbar spine before training.The experimental group and the control group had different muscle strength and activity of the lumbar spine before and after treatment (Qiang Jin exercises can effectively improve the muscle strength and activity of the lumbar spine and improve the daily living ability of patients.

The application of a coordination container in biomedicine is hindered by single binding domains and unsatisfactory biostability and biocompatibility. Herein, we designed a sulfonylcalix[4]arene-based decahexanuclear zinc(II) coordination container employing a flexible tetracarboxylate ligand as a linker and utilized it as a novel drug delivery system. The coordination container consisting of one endo and four exo cavities provides multiple binding domains for efficient encapsulation of drug molecules as clearly revealed by systematic host-guest studies using NMR techniques of 1H NMR titration experiments and 2D NOESY and diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy studies. Incorporation of a flexible p-phenylene-bis(methanamino) spacer into the container via the carboxylate linker allowed a stepwise drug loading process through sequential binding at endo and exo cavities, as well as enabling pH-responsive stepwise drug release. The drug-loaded coordination container not only exhibits excellent biostability and biocompatibility but also provides encouraging therapeutic efficiency toward inflammatory macrophages as revealed by in vitro studies. The novel strategy for engineering the endo cavity of a coordination container provides a new approach to achieving controlled drug delivery and opens up new opportunities for designing novel functional supramolecular materials.

The reversible heat in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to entropy change is fundamentally important for understanding the chemical reactions in LIBs and developing proper thermal management strategies. However, the direct measurements of reversible heat are challenging due to the limited temperature resolution of applied thermometry. In this work, by developing an ultra-sensitive thermometry with a differential AC bridge using two thermistors, the noise-equivalent temperature resolution we achieve (10 uK) is several orders of magnitude higher than previous thermometry applied on LIBs. We directly observe reversible heat absorption of a LIR2032 coin cell during charging with negligible irreversible heat generation and a linear relation between heat generations and discharging currents. The cell entropy changes determined from the reversible heat agree excellently with those measured from temperature dependent open circuit voltage. Moreover, it is found that the large reversible entropy change can cancel out the irreversible entropy generation at a charging rate as large as C/3.7 and produce a zero-heat-dissipation LIB during charging. Our work significantly contributes to fundamental understanding of the entropy changes and heat generations of the chemical reactions in LIBs, and reveals that reversible heat absorption can be an effective way to cool LIBs during charging.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is an important treatment option for individuals with cancer, but it has certain limitations. Identifying a better target that can overcome tumor immune escape and stimulate T cell activity is critical. This research aimed to delve into the molecular mechanism underlying the immunoregulatory function of metadherin (MTDH), which is a novel and potential therapeutic target in hepatocellular cancer (HCC). A small interfering RNA library was screened using the luciferase reporter assay and PD-L1 promoter. The Cancer Genome Atlas database and HCC tissues were used to investigate the relationship between MTDH and PD-L1. The association between MTDH and β-catenin/lymphoid enhancer binding factor (LEF-1) was discovered by co-immunoprecipitation. The chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was used to investigate the interaction of MTDH with the PD-L1 promoter when LEF-1 expression was silenced. Locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) were used to inhibit MTDH. We utilized in vitro co-cultures and in vivo syngeneic tumor development experiments to confirm the effectiveness of MTDH ASO combined with PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb). MTDH was demonstrated to be a PD-L1 modulator. MTDH increased PD-L1 expression and upregulated PD-L1 transcriptional activity through β-catenin/LEF-1 signaling. More importantly, MTDH ASO improved the anti-PD-1 response and increased cytotoxic T-cell infiltration in PD-1 mAb-treated malignancies. MTDH effectively predicts the therapeutic efficacy of ICB therapy. Our results imply that combining MTDH ASO with PD-1 mAb could be a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC. In addition, MTDH is a potential novel biomarker for predicting the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment.

In this paper, we investigate the non-Markovian quantum transport dynamics of a two-terminal Majorana device that is made of an asymmetric topological superconducting chain coupled to two leads. This asymmetric superconducting chain is analytically solvable and can be realized by a hybrid system of semiconductor nanowire coupled to superconductors or by 1D transverse-field Ising chains. In such asymmetric superconducting chains, by the change of chemical potential, its ground state undergoes a topological quantum phase transition from the topological Majorana bound state to the trivial Andreev bound state while the ground state energy remains zero. We solve the exact transient transport current and the corresponding differential conductance. The results show that the presence or absence of the interference between the left and right Majorana zero modes plays an important role on the topological phase transition of conductance. It cause the edge-localized topologically trivial states to be insulated with zero conductance, while the nonlocally distributed topologically nontrivial states always have a quantized conductance 2e^2/h. This dramatic change associated with topological phase transition for zero-mode differential conductance at zero bias is independent of the structure of leads and the coupling strength. We also examine the finite size effect of the superconducting chain and the coherence effect between zero mode and non-zero energy modes on the differential conductance in this two-terminal Majorana device., 15 pages, 7 figure

AlGaN/GaN E/D-mode GaN inverters are successfully fabricated on a 150-mm Si wafer. P-GaN gate technology is applied to be compatible with the commercial E-mode GaN power device technology platform and a systematic study of E/D-mode GaN inverters has been conducted with detail. The key electrical characters have been analyzed from room temperature (RT) to 200 °C. Small variations of the inverters are observed at different temperatures. The logic swing voltage of 2.91 V and 2.89 V are observed at RT and 200 °C at a supply voltage of 3 V. Correspondingly, low/high input noise margins of 0.78 V/1.67 V and 0.68 V/1.72 V are observed at RT and 200 °C. The inverters also demonstrate small rising edge time of the output signal. The results show great potential for GaN smart power integrated circuit (IC) application.

A flexible Ti/Cr/Ti multilayer strain gauge have been successfully developed based on polyimide substrate. The pure Ti metal strain gauge have shown the hysteresis phenomenon at the relationship between resistance and strain during tensile test. The experimental results of multilayer strain gauge show that adding Cr interlayer can improve the recovery and stability of the sensing electrode. When the interlayer Cr thickness was increased from 0 to 70 nm, the resistance decreased from 27 to 8.8 kΩ. The gauge factor (GF) value also decreased from 4.24 to 2.31 with the increase in the thickness of Cr interlayer from 30 to 70 nm, and the hysteresis phenomenon disappeared gradually. The multilayer Ti/Cr/Ti film has feasible application for strain sensor.

Background This study was performed to investigate the effect of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) on the biological behavior of tumor cells and tumorigenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods OSCC HB96, CAL27, and Tca8113 cells were transfected with the following plasmids: siRNA-IGFBP3, pcDNA-0-IGFBP3, or siRNA-NC (negative control). The effect of aberrant IGFBP3 on cell viability, apoptosis, and colony formation was assessed. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis were used to measure IGFBP3 mRNA and protein levels, respectively. HB96 and CAL27 cells were transfected with IGFBP3-expressing lentiviral plasmids and then transplanted into nude mice to monitor xenograft tumor formation. Results An optimal transfection efficiency was obtained with 50 pmol siRNA-IGFBP3. Transient silencing of IGFBP3 significantly reduced cell viability, and increased apoptosis in comparison with the non-targeting negative control (NC). Overexpressing IGFBP3 promoted cell viability. Additionally, in comparison with the NC group, both cell growth and colony formation were reduced, while apoptosis was elevated in stably transfected cells. Moreover, silencing IGFBP3 inhibited cell viability and tumor formation in nude mice after 3 weeks, and colony formation, diminished tumorigenesis in nude mice, but promoted cell apoptosis in OSCC cells. Conclusions Collectively, our study revealed a protumorigenic role for IGFBP3 in OSCC cancer cells, and demonstrated a potential mechanism for the dysregulation of IGFBP3 in cell growth. Therefore, IGFBP3 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OSCC.

The apparent charge sequence of cable joint samples with typical defects at different test voltages is utilized as a feature for pattern recognition of partial discharge (PD). The vector quantization and fast matching algorithm are introduced to realize PD pattern recognition of the cable. First, the codebook design makes use of Linde–Buzo–Gray encoding technology. Second, the code matrices of PD training samples and testing samples under different defects of cable joints are obtained, and the code occurrence frequency matrix is calculated. Finally, a fast matching algorithm is used to match the code occurrence frequency matrices of training and testing samples. The defect type with the highest matching degree is chosen as the recognition result. The recognition results of 100 samples of cable joints with four defect types demonstrate that the recognition algorithm has the advantages of high execution efficiency and high-recognition rate.

Graphite oxide (GO), often being used as a precursor of graphene-based materials, can be prepared through a modified Hummers' method. The last step of GO synthesis, i.e. the removal of hydrogen chloride (HCl), is generally time-consuming, costly and polluting. Herein, the HCl-containing graphite oxide (H-GO) and pure GO aqueous suspensions were respectively hydrothermally treated followed by freeze-drying, leading to two graphene aerogels (H-GA and GA). Characterization results show that the two aerogels possess similar microstructure but distinct surface chemistry properties. When used as the active electrode materials in supercapacitors, GA and H-GA show comparable electrochemical properties in KOH aqueous electrolyte. In EMIMBF4 ionic liquid electrolyte, H-GA shows larger specific capacitance (243 F g−1 at 1 A g−1), better rate capability, and higher energy density (135 Wh kg−1 at 1 kW kg−1) compared with GA (216 F g−1, 120 Wh kg−1), which is attributed to its higher O/C ratio and better electrolyte wettability. We propose that it is not always necessary to conduct the HCl removal, and H-GO could be directly used as a precursor, which not only saves the time and cost remarkably but also may open up a relatively facile route to fabricate some graphene-based functional bulk materials.

Four new sulfonylcalix[4]arene-supported coordination containers have been designed and synthesized through the self-assembly of Co(II)/Ni(II), p-tert-butylsulfonylcalix[4]arene, and ortho-dicarbox...