Search

The settlement performance of an immersed tunnel in the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) transportation project is described. The geological profile underlying the immersed tunnel is presented and the corresponding field monitoring system is introduced. The function of semi-rigid elements is analysed. The observed results related to longitudinal deformation patterns during construction (e.g. long-term settlement, differential settlement and structural behaviour) are described and analysed. Differential settlement occurred when there was a large variation in soil properties, at the joints of two adjacent elements and in different segments of the same element. Differential settlement occurred in both the longitudinal and transverse direction. During the operational period, permanent settlement was strongly related to back-silting. Tide loading and the immersion of adjacent elements may have caused transient settlement related to elastic deformation, but tide loading had less influence on the permanent settlement.

Acylated anthocyanins derived from dietary sources have gained significant attention due to their health-promoting properties and potential as natural colorants with high stability. However, exploration of the functional food products using acylated anthocyanins enriched in fruits and vegetables remains largely delayed in food industries. The black goji (Lycium ruthencium) fruit (LRF) is a functional food that is extensively used due to its exceptionally high levels of acylated anthocyanins, including petanin. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the functional properties and anthocyanin components of LRF. The stability, bioaccessibility, bioavailability, and bioactivities of petanin, the major anthocyanin component, are compared with those of LRF anthocyanin extracts and other food sources. Furthermore, the biosynthetic pathway and regulatory network of petanin in LRF are proposed and constructed, respectively. The key genes that could be potentially used for metabolic engineering to produce petanin are predicted. Finally, the potential application of petanin derivatives in the food industry is also discussed. This review presents comprehensive and systematic information about the dual-function of petanin as a bioactive component and a promising natural colorant for future food industrial applications.

In this study, field monitoring testing and machine learning are used to analyze vegetated soil’s response to various rainfall events under natural environmental conditions. Parameters that reflect the soil, vegetation, and atmosphere of three monitoring points at different distances from a tree (0.5 m, 1.5 m, and 3.0 m) at a constant depth (0.2 m) are quantified and used for multivariate model development. A machine learning method, multi-gene genetic programming (MGGP), is used to formulate the relationships between two indices representing vegetated soil response and six selected influential parameters. Analysis indicates that for a complicated system, the MGGP method is suitable for establishing an efficient computational model under conditions of limited data. Global sensitivity analysis and parametric study are conducted, based on the obtained multivariate models, to reveal the effect of each influential parameter, indicating that rainfall pattern has much the same impact on variations in soil suction as rainfall amount and intensity and tree canopy do. An advanced rainfall pattern can trigger a more rapid response of vegetated soil than intermediate and delayed rainfall patterns can. Rainfall pattern’s effect on the descent rate of soil suction is nonlinear.

The Notch1-mediated inflammatory response participates in the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The vascular endogenous bioactive peptide intermedin (IMD) plays an important role in maintaining vascular homeostasis. However, whether IMD inhibits AAA by inhibiting Notch1-mediated inflammation is unclear. In this study, we found Notch intracellular domain (NICD) and hes1 expression were higher in AAA patients’ aortas than in healthy controls. In angiotensin II (AngII)-induced AAA mouse model, IMD treatment significantly reduced AAA incidence and maximal aortic diameter. IMD inhibited AngII-enlarged aortas and -degraded elastic lamina, reduced NICD, hes1 and inflammatory factors expression, decreased infiltration of CD68 positive macrophages and the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 protein level. IMD inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage migration in vitro and regulated macrophage polarization. Moreover, IMD overexpression significantly reduced CaCl2-induced AAA incidence and down-regulated NICD and hes1 expression. However, IMD deficiency showed opposite results. Mechanically, IMD treatment significantly decreased cleavage enzyme-a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) level. Pre-incubation with IMD17-47 (IMD receptors blocking peptide) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase b (PI3K/Akt) inhibitor LY294002 reversed ADAM10 level. In conclusion, exogenous and endogenous IMD could inhibit the development of AAA by inhibiting Notch1 signaling-mediated inflammation via reducing ADAM10 through IMD receptor and PI3K/Akt pathway.

BACKGROUND Rice spikelet rot disease (RSRD) is an emerging disease that significantly reduces rice yield and quality. In this study, we evaluated the potential use of the broad-spectrum endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 as a biocontrol agent against RSRD. We also compared the control effects of different treatments, including chemical fungicides and treatment with multiple strains and single strains in combination or individually, against RSRD. The objective of this study was to find an effective and environmentally friendly control strategy to reduce the occurrence of RSRD and improve the rice yield. RESULTS In pot experiments, the effect of B3 alone was better than that of fungicide or combined measures. The results showed that root colonization by B3 significantly reduced the incidence and disease index of RSRD by 41.0% and 53.8%, respectively. This was related to enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity, and to significantly upregulated expression levels of OsAOX, OsLOX, OsPAL, and OsPR10 in rice. Moreover, B3 improved the diversity of the bacterial community rather than the fungal community in the rice rhizosphere. It also led to a decrease in Fusarium proliferatum colonization and fumonisin content in the grain. Finally, root development was markedly promoted after B3 inoculation, and the yield improved by 48.60%. The result of field experiments showed that the incidence of RSRD and the fumonisin content were observably reduced in rice receiving B3, by 24.41% and 37.87%, respectively. CONCLUSION The endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambaris B3 may become an effective tool to relieve rice spikelet rot disease. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Energy storage systems are widely used in various fields such as renewable energy generation, hybrid electric vehicle, power grid, etc. However, the difference in characteristics among energy storage cells is one of the bottlenecks faced by large-scale application of energy storage systems, and the voltage imbalance among cells will gradually increase due to nonuniform characteristics. To solve this problem, this paper proposed a transformer-less voltage equalizer based on multi-stacked type converters for series-connected energy storage cells. Only two switches controlled by same driving signals are required and all cell voltages become uniform automatically without current sensor, voltage sensor and closed-loop control. Compared with the conventional single-switch voltage equalizer, the proposed equalizer not only inherits the current limit characteristic of conventional equalizer in discontinuous conduction mode operation but also obtains higher equalization speed and reduced current ripple. Operation principles and characteristics analysis of proposed equalizer are introduced, and the experimental verification are carried out to verify the effectiveness and superiority of proposed equalizer.

Vascular calcification is a common phenomenon in older adults. Intermedin (IMD) is a cardiovascular bioactive peptide inhibiting vascular calcification. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether IMD1-53 attenuates aging-associated vascular calcification. Vascular calcification was induced by vitamin D3 plus nicotine (VDN) in young and old rats. The calcification in aortas was more severe in old rats treated with VDN than young control rats, and IMD expression was lower. Exogenous administration of IMD1-53 significantly inhibited the calcium deposition in aortas and the osteogenic transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in VDN-treated old rats. Moreover, levels of aging-related p16, p21 and β-galactosidase were all greatly decreased by IMD1-53. These results were further confirmed in rat and human VSMCs in vitro. In addition, IMD-deficient mouse VSMCs showed senescence features coinciding with osteogenic transition as compared with wild-type mouse VSMCs. Mechanistically, IMD1-53 significantly increased the expression of the anti-aging factor sirtuin 1 (sirt1); the inhibitory effects of IMD1-53 on calcification and senescence were blocked by sirt1 knockdown. Furthermore, preincubation with inhibitors of PI3K, AMPK or PKA efficiently blunted the upregulatory effect of IMD1-53 on sirt1. Consequently, IMD1-53 could attenuate aging-associated vascular calcification by upregulating sirt1 via activating PI3K/Akt, AMPK and cAMP/PKA signaling.

Tunneling-induced ground surface settlement is associated with many complex influencing factors. Beyond factors related to tunnel geometry and surrounding geological conditions, operational factors related to the shield machine are highly significant because of the complexity of shield-soil interactions. Distinguishing the most relevant factors can be very difficult, for all factors seem to affect tunneling-induced settlement to some degree, with none clearly the most influential. In this research, a machine learning method is adopted to intelligently select features related to tunneling-induced ground settlement based on measured data and form a robust non-parametric model with which to make a prediction. The recorded data from a real construction site were compiled and 12 features related to the operational factors were summarized. Using the intelligent method, two other features in addition to cover depth–pitching angle and rolling angle–were distinguished from among the 12 feature candidates as those most influencing the settlement trough. Another new finding is that advance rate does not emerge in the top 10 selected models from the observational data used. The generated non-parametric model was validated by comparing the measured data from the testing dataset and performance on a new dataset. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the contribution of each factor. According to the results, engineers in general practice should attend closely to pitching angle during tunnel excavation in soft soil conditions.

This paper presents the roof fall collapse of a coal mine that occurred, causing 20 deaths and 1 injury, in Qinghai Province, China, on 14 August 2021. After the primary investigation of this incident and a brief description of the rescue action undertaken, this report discussed the possible reasons behind this disaster. The fissure water and damaged rock mass are the dominant triggering factors of this incident. Little concern for risk assessment and monitoring systems is one of the main man-made mistakes. Consequently, the reflections and suggestions are put forward to reduce or prevent the occurrence of roof fall incidents in coal mines. The noteworthy actions that are necessary in coal mine projects are conducting risk assessments based on geological condition and building proper support systems for coal mines considering he situation in situ.

The collapse of a 30-year-old hotel building in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province on 12 July 2021 raised legitimate questions about the identification of old buildings’ condition and risks stemming from remedial operations. This short communication reports and investigates the causes of this accident, which led to 17 deaths and 5 injuries. Subsequently, it describes the rescue actions undertaken, including logistic means, operational strategies, and procedure sequencing. The causes of the accident were attributed to: (i) the poor quality and fragility of the building, (ii) illegal renovations and extensions, as well as (iii) the laxism of relevant departments that failed to timely check the risk level of the building before these renovations. Thanks to efficient organization and management, the rescue operations were completed within 42 h. Based on this preliminary analysis, some recommendations are proposed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

CLYC (Ce) crystal is a new type of inorganic scintillator with excellent performance, which can realize neutron and gamma dual mode measurement. CLYC (Ce) detector is widely used in national defense, homeland security, nuclear imaging, environmental monitoring, nuclear medicine and other fields. The detection efficiency of the detector is an important index in the design and development of the detector. The detection model of CLYC (Ce) detector is established by using Geant4 program based on Monte Carlo method, and the factors affecting the detection efficiency of detector are studied. The results show that: the detection efficiency is related to the shape and size of crystal section. The detection efficiency of rectangular section is lower than that of circular and square section, and the larger the crystal radial size and length, the higher the detection efficiency. The detection efficiency of CLYC (Ce) detector is related to the energy of rays: the higher the energy of neutrons and gamma rays are, the lower the detection efficiency is. It indicates that the crystal responds better to thermal neutrons and low-energy gamma rays. At the same time, if the radiation source is emanative, the smaller the distance between the radiation source and the detector, the higher the detection efficiency of the scintillator.

Intermedin (IMD), a paracrine/autocrine peptide, protects against cardiac fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Previous study reports that activation of Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome contributed to cardiac fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether IMD mitigates cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting NLRP3. Cardiac fibrosis was induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion for 2 weeks in rats. Western blot, real-time PCR, histological staining, immunofluorescence assay, RNA sequencing, echocardiography and hemodynamics were used to detect the role and the mechanism of IMD in cardiac fibrosis. Ang II infusion resulted in rat cardiac fibrosis, shown as over-deposition of myocardial interstitial collagen and cardiac dysfunction. Importantly, NLRP3 activation and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) was found in Ang II treated rat myocardium. Ang II infusion decreased the expression of IMD and increased the expression of the receptor system of IMD in the fibrotic rat myocardium. IMD treatment attenuated the cardiac fibrosis and improved cardiac function. In addition, IMD inhibited the upregulation of NLRP3 markers and ERS markers induced by Ang II. In vitro, IMD knockdown by small interfering RNA significantly promoted the Ang II-induced cardiac fibroblast and NLRP3 activation. Moreover, silencing of inositol requiring enzyme 1 α (IRE1α) blocked the effects of IMD inhibiting fibroblast and NLRP3 activation. Pre-incubation with PKA pathway inhibitor H89 blocked the effects of IMD on the anti-ERS, anti-NLRP3 and anti-fibrotic response. In conclusion, IMD alleviates cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation via suppressing IRE1α and cAMP/PKA pathway.

Intermedin (IMD), a paracrine/autocrine peptide, protects against cardiac fibrosis. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Previous study reports that activation of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome contributes to cardiac fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether IMD mitigated cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting NLRP3. Cardiac fibrosis was induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion for 2 weeks in rats. Western blot, real-time PCR, histological staining, immunofluorescence assay, RNA sequencing, echocardiography, and hemodynamics were used to detect the role and the mechanism of IMD in cardiac fibrosis. Ang II infusion resulted in rat cardiac fibrosis, shown as over-deposition of myocardial interstitial collagen and cardiac dysfunction. Importantly, NLRP3 activation and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) were found in Ang II-treated rat myocardium. Ang II infusion decreased the expression of IMD and increased the expression of the receptor system of IMD in the fibrotic rat myocardium. IMD treatment attenuated the cardiac fibrosis and improved cardiac function. In addition, IMD inhibited the upregulation of NLRP3 markers and ERS markers induced by Ang II. In vitro, IMD knockdown by small interfering RNA significantly promoted the Ang II-induced cardiac fibroblast and NLRP3 activation. Moreover, silencing of inositol requiring enzyme 1 α (IRE1α) blocked the effects of IMD inhibiting fibroblast and NLRP3 activation. Pre-incubation with PKA pathway inhibitor H89 blocked the effects of IMD on the anti-ERS, anti-NLRP3, and anti-fibrotic response. In conclusion, IMD alleviated cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation through suppressing IRE1α via the cAMP/PKA pathway.

On account of the poor biocompatibility of synthetic prosthesis, millions of rhinoplasty recipients have been forced to choose autologous costal cartilage as grafts, which suffer from limited availability, morbidity at the donor site and prolonged operation time. Here, as a promising alternative to autologous costal cartilage, we developed a novel xenogeneic costal cartilage and explored its feasibility as a rhinoplasty graft for the first time. Adopting an improved decellularization protocol, in which the ionic detergent was substituted by trypsin, the resulting decellularized graft was confirmed to preserve more structural components and better mechanics, and eliminate cellular components effectively. The in vitro and in vivo compatibility experiments demonstrated that the decellularized graft showed excellent biocompatibility and biosecurity. Additionally, the functionality assessment of rhinoplasty was performed in a rabbit model, and the condition of grafts after implantation was comprehensively evaluated. The optimized graft exhibited better capacity to reduce the degradation rate and maintain the morphology, in comparison to the decellularized costal cartilage prepared by conventional protocol. These findings indicate that this optimized graft derived from decellularized xenogeneic costal cartilage provides a new prospective for future investigations of rhinoplasty prosthesis and has great potential for clinical application.

[ES] El presente trabajo fin de máster tiene como objetivo principal realizar un estudio sobre la situación laboral de los trabajadores extranjeros en España, entendiendo por trabajadores extranjeros a aquellos que realicen una prestación de servicios, tanto por cuenta propia como por cuenta ajena, y que no tengan la nacionalidad española ni la de alguno de los países miembros de la Unión Europea. En el desarrollo del trabajo se pretende, en primer lugar realizar un análisis de la situación real de los trabajadores extranjeros en España, a partir de las cifras y datos estadísticos disponibles gracias a las instituciones más relevantes en esta materia. Así por ejemplo, interesa en un primer momento poner de manifiesto el número de extranjeros que trabajan en España, sus características sociodemográficas y los sectores económicos en los que prestan sus servicios. Por otro lado, se tratarán las distintas formas de legalización de los extranjeros en España así como derechos laborales de estos trabajadores. Por último, también se trata de enseñar, por un lado, unos fenómenos más habituales de la vulneración de derechos de trabajadores en relaciones laborales en base a unas hipótesis propuestas. Por otro lado, las posibles consecuencias derivadas de casos propuestos conforme a las leyes y normativas respectivas vigentes., [EN] The main objective of this master's thesis is to carry out a study on the labor situation of foreign workers in Spain, understanding foreign workers to be those who provide services, both self-employed and employed, and who do not have Spanish nationality or the nationality of any of the member countries of the European Union. In the development of this work, we intend, first of all, to analyze the real situation of foreign workers in Spain, based on the figures and statistical data available thanks to the most relevant institutions in this field. Thus, for example, it is of interest to highlight the number of foreigners working in Spain, their socio-demographic characteristics and the economic sectors in which they provide their services. On the other hand, the different forms of legalization of foreigners in Spain will be discussed, as well as the labor rights of these workers. Finally, on the one hand, the aim is also to show the most common phenomena of the violation of workers' rights in labour relations on the basis of proposed hypotheses. On the other hand, the possible consequences of the proposed cases in accordance with the respective laws and regulations in force.

A green and efficient visible light induced Meerwein hydration reaction of alkenes in aqueous medium using mpg-C3N4 as a recyclabe photocatalyst has been disclosed. This protocol provides a direct approach for the preparation of racemic alcohols via a free radical mechanism. Water acted as both a solvent and a reagent without any additives or co-solvents. The metal-free heterogeneous semiconductor is found to be fully recyclable at least 5 times without any significant reduction in activity. The Meerwein hydration reaction has an excellent substrate scope and gave the desired products in moderate to high yields. Furthermore, this reaction could be carried out under solar light irradiation and is applicable for large-scale reactions with satisfactory results.

Columnar inclusion is a versatile and cost-effective technique for improving weak soils. Currently, most approaches are based on the “equal strain” assumption to calculate the deformation of soft ground reinforced by columnar inclusions. In this study, a new model to simulate the behavior of column-reinforced soft soil under equal stress conditions based on the variational principles is proposed. The proposed model satisfies the force equilibrium and deformation compatibility simultaneously, which is seldom fulfilled in traditional empirical methods or other analytical models. The corresponding analytical solution is obtained and its accuracy is verified by comparing it with the numerical solutions using finite element analysis. The comparisons of the proposed solution with an existing solution show that the proposed solution can provide very close agreement over a wide range of parameters while the existing solution is only able to provide a reasonable agreement for a certain range of stiffness ratio of the column and soft ground. In addition, a parametric study is made to illustrate the influence of various parameters on ground settlement predictions. The parametric study indicated that, by increasing the ratio of elastic modulus between the stone column and surrounding soils and the ratio between the radius of the stone column and the space of the stone column, the load transfer effect has been significantly improved, and the ground settlement becomes smaller. Furthermore, the Poisson’s ratio of the surrounding soil also has a very significant effect on ground settlement, while the effect of the Poisson’s ratio of the stone column on ground settlement is less significant compared with that of the surrounding soil.

Background: Recent studies have shown that the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is closely related to the gut microbiota. Moxibustion, a common treatment in traditional Chinese medicine, is the burning of the herb moxa over acupuncture points. Moxibustion has been used to improve the inflammation and gastrointestinal dysfunctions in gastrointestinal disorders such as UC. In this study, we investigated whether moxibustion could improve the gut microbial dysbiosis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS).Methods: Twenty-five male rats were randomly assigned into five groups: normal (NG), UC model (UC), moxibustion (UC+MOX), mesalazine (UC+MES), and normal rats with moxibustion (NG+MOX). The UC rat model was established by administering DSS solution. The rats in the UC+MOX and NG+MOX groups were treated with moxibustion at Tianshu (bilateral, ST25) points once daily for 7 consecutive days, and the UC+MES group rats were treated with mesalazine once daily for 7 consecutive days. After intervention, gut microbiota profiling was conducted by metagenomic high throughput sequencing technology. The gut microbiota composition, diversity and function were analyzed and compared using metagenomics methodologies.Results: The most abundant phyla of five groups were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Moxibustion treatment increased abundance levels of Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Synergistetes and decreased abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria. At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroides, Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2, were increased and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3, Parabacteroides, Porphyromonas, Alistipes, Parasutterella were decreased in the UC group in comparsion with those in the NG group. Moxibustion increased the abundance of Bacteroides and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3 and decreased Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2. In addition, compare with the NG group, genes involved in certain metabolic pathways, such as energy production and conversion, amino acid transport and metabolism, nucleotide transport and metabolism, carbohydrate transport and metabolism, replication, recombination and repair, were under-represented in the UC group, and these changes in the metabolic pathways could be reversed by moxibustion treatment and mesalazine treatment.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that moxibustion treatment may protect the host from mucosal inflammation by modulating the intestinal microbiota community.

Background The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is closely related to the gut microbiota. Moxibustion has been used to improve the inflammation and gastrointestinal dysfunctions in gastrointestinal disorders such as UC. In this study, we investigated whether moxibustion could improve the gut microbial dysbiosis induced by dextran sulphate sodium. Methods Twenty-five male rats were randomly assigned into five groups. The UC rat model was established by administering DSS solution. The rats in the moxibustion and normal rats with moxibustion groups were treated with moxibustion at Tianshu (bilateral, ST25) points, and the mesalazine group rats were treated with mesalazine once daily for 7 consecutive days. Disease activity index (DAI) and haematoxylin and eosin staining were used to evaluate the effect of moxibustion. Gut microbiota profiling was conducted by metagenomic high throughput sequencing technology. The gut microbiota composition, diversity and function were analyzed and compared using metagenomics methodologies. Results The DAI scores and histopathology scores in the moxibustion and mesalazine groups were significantly decreased compared with the UC group (P Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, Synergistetes and decreased abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria. At the genus level, the abundance of Bacteroides, Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2, were increased and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3, Parabacteroides, Porphyromonas, Alistipes, Parasutterella were decreased in the UC group in comparsion with those in the NG group. Moxibustion increased the abundance of Bacteroides and Bacteroides_bacterium_H3 and decreased Bacteroides_bacterium_M7, Prevotella, Bacteroidales_bacterium_H2. In UC group, the specie Bacteroides_massiliensis was negatively (P Bacteroides_eggerthii_CAG109 and Bacteroides_eggerthii were negatively (P Prevotella_sp_CAG1031 and Bacteroides_bacterium_H2 were significant positively (P Conclusions Our findings suggest that moxibustion treatment may protect the host from mucosal inflammation by modulating the intestinal microbiota community.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by cytopenia that results in infection and bleeding. However, there are few reports of cerebral infarction in MDS. In this case report we reported a Chinese female patient diagnosed MDS without drugs and an onset of acute cerebral infarction. Imaging examinations showed an ischemic stroke and further bone marrow aspiration identified MDS in the patient. Low dose aspirin and rehydration were used to improve symptom, as well as anti-epileptic drugs and rehabilitation. We also reviewed acute cerebral infarction associated with MDS from a total of three reported cases without drugs for the treatment of MDS. Our data provide further evidence that acute ischemic stroke might be associated with MDS, which may be due to complex chromosomal abnormality and inflammatory processes.

To satisfy the grid-connected voltage level, both photovoltaic modules and energy storage modules are connected in series. However, the multiple photovoltaic modules often fall into local maximum power point under partial shading conditions during practical operation, and the multiple energy storage modules may suffer from a reduction in the effective capacity caused by characteristic differences among modules. To solve this problem, a novel cascaded modular photovoltaic-energy storage system is proposed in this paper. In the proposed topology, the energy storage modules achieve maximum power point tracking of the corresponding distributed photovoltaic module, and the proposed energy optimization strategy based on particle swarm optimization can ensure the efficient constant active power transmission from a photovoltaic energy storage (PV/ES) system to the grid in a certain time period under capacity constraints. Compared with conventional photovoltaic systems, the proposed scheme can avoid hot spots or the hot strings phenomena for PV modules and the large current and voltage stresses for DC/DC converters. Furthermore, the proposed energy optimization strategy for the coordination of all ES modules can realize the independent MPPT of each PV module and the constant active power between the PV/ES system and the grid under inconsistency of the light intensity under partial shading conditions. A hardware-in-loop photovoltaic-energy platform is established to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed topology and control strategy, and the proposed system achieves efficiency of about 97% under partial shading conditions, thus providing an effective and practical solution for power generation system.

Background Few studies have compared the etiology and clinical features between pure lateral medullary infarction (LMI) and pure medial medullary infarction (MMI). Methods All patients included were hospitalized at The First Affiliated Hospital and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from January 2015 to July 2020. Their risk factors, clinical manifestation, stroke mechanisms and short‐term prognosis were analyzed retrospectively. Results Among the 387 patients enrolled, 266 (68.7%) had LMI, 109 (28.2%) had MMI, and 12 (3.1%) (nine men and three women) had LMI plus MMI. We analyzed the 375 patients of LMI and MMI. The average ages of LMI and MMI were 59.4 years and 62.69 years, respectively. Univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the existing risk factors of MMI relative to LMI. Prior infarction, poor glycemic control, and atherosclerosis were more frequently associated with MMI than with LMI. The clinical manifestation was significantly different between LMI and MMI. We used modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score as the short‐term prognostic evaluation criteria, and MMI appeared worse than LMI. Conclusions This study reveals that: (1) patients with MMI are older than those with LMI; (2) prior infarction, poor glycemic control, and atherosclerosis are independent risk factors of MMI than that of LMI; (3) the clinical manifestations of LMI and MMI are heterogeneous; (4) short‐term prognosis of MMI is worse than LMI., The largest number of patients comparing medial medullary infarction and lateral medullary infarctionPrior infarction, poor glycemic control, and atherosclerosis are more frequently associated with MMI than with LMIShort‐time prognosis is worse in MMI than in LMI

Atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and rupture increase the risk of acute coronary syndromes. Advanced lesion macrophage apoptosis plays important role in the rupture of atherosclerotic plaque, and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) has been proved to be a key mechanism of macrophage apoptosis. Intermedin (IMD) is a regulator of ERS. Here, we investigated whether IMD enhances atherosclerotic plaque stability by inhibiting ERS-CHOP-mediated apoptosis and subsequent inflammasome in macrophages. We studied the effects of IMD on features of plaque vulnerability in hyperlipemia apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice. Six-week IMD1-53 infusion significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion size. Of note, IMD1-53 lowered lesion macrophage content and necrotic core size and increased fibrous cap thickness and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) content thus reducing overall plaque vulnerability. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that IMD1-53 administration prevented ERS activation in aortic lesions of ApoE−/− mice, which was further confirmed in oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) induced macrophages. Similar to IMD, taurine (Tau), a non-selective ERS inhibitor significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion size and plaque vulnerability. Moreover, C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), a pro-apoptosis transcription factor involved in ERS, was significantly increased in advanced lesion macrophages, and deficiency of CHOP stabilized atherosclerotic plaques in AopE−/− mice. IMD1-53 decreased CHOP level and apoptosis in vivo and in macrophages treated with ox-LDL. In addition, IMD1-53 infusion ameliorated NLRP3 inflammasome and subsequent proinflammatory cytokines in vivo and in vitro. IMD may attenuate the progression of atherosclerotic lesions and plaque vulnerability by inhibiting ERS-CHOP-mediated macrophage apoptosis, and subsequent NLRP3 triggered inflammation. The inhibitory effect of IMD on ERS-induced macrophages apoptosis was probably mediated by blocking CHOP activation.

One new anthraquinone, questinlin (1), four known anthraquinones (2–5), together with three known benzophenone derivatives (6–8) were isolated from a wetland fungus Aspergillus flavipes PJ03-11. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC), mass spectrometry, and optical rotation and IR spectra. In addition, the cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines (HepG2, Caco-2 and A549) were evaluated. In this article, Aspergillus flavipes PJ03-11, a wetland soil fungus isolated from Honghaitan, Panjin city, Liaoning province, was used to study the secondary metabolites through one strain many compounds (OSMAC) methods. By changing the culture medium and adding the substance stimulating the metabolism of the strain into the fermentation medium, the peak type and amount of ethyl acetate extract in the fermentation medium were studied by HPLC. Finally, 2 mM MgCl2 was added into the rice solid medium for the expansion fermentation.

The endophytic fungus Periconia sp. TJ403-rc01 (Dematiaceae) isolated from the leaves of Rosa chinensis Jacq. (Rosaceae) was cultivated on rice medium and chemically investigated, affording two new lanostane-type triterpenoids, namely pericinones A and B (1 and 2). Their structures were determined mainly by 1 D and 2 D NMR and HRESIMS data. Notably, it is the first report of lanostane-type triterpenoids from species of Periconia. Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity against the NO production with IC50 values of 24.12 ± 0.73 and 11.38 ± 1.56 μM, respectively.

It is difficult to estimate the state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion battery based on electrochemical mechanism model in real time application, since the mechanism model of the battery is too complex. In this paper, a SOH estimation method based on feedforward neural network is proposed. Only the operation data of the battery is required to train the neural network, which will be used to estimate the SOH of battery. Hence, the mechanism model is unnecessary for SOH estimation. Two schemes for estimating the SOH of battery are designed, which are based on internal resistance and capacity, respectively. Simulation results show that the estimating errors of SOH are below 5%.

Lei Guo,1,* Jingjing Lin,2,* Weiyang Ying,3 Chanfan Zheng,4 Linshuang Tao,2 Binyu Ying,1 Bihuan Cheng,1 Shengwei Jin,4 Beilei Hu2 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pain Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 4Clinical Research Unit, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Beilei HuDepartment of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail hubeilei902@126.comShengwei JinDepartment of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail jinshengwei69@163.comObjective: The WHO has upgraded the status of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from epidemic to global pandemic. The psychometric properties aspects of COVID-19 patients without comorbidities in the short term after discharge have not been reported. In this study, the Short Form 36 (SF-36) was used to evaluate the psychometric properties and to find relevant risk factors.Methods: The study was conducted in seven hospitals from January 2020 to April 2020. The SF-36 questionnaire was administered one month after discharge. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression model were used to analyze the risk factors of psychometric properties impairment.Results: In univariate analysis of independent risk factors, according to the comparison of whether the duration of positive nucleic acid was greater than 20 days, the positive nucleic acid duration was independently related to the decreased role-emotional value [100, IQR (66– 100) vs 100, IQR (0, 100); p = 0.0156]. In addition, multivariable linear regression model showed that male sex and positive nucleic acid duration were related to decreased role-emotional value (p = 0.03< 0.05; p = 0.01< 0.05, respectively). Mental health was associated with age (p= 0.0435). Subsequently, we divided into three subgroups: less than seven days, 7 to 14 days and more than 14 days according to the positive nucleic acid duration. The results revealed that there were significant differences in the vitality value and mental health value of patients aged 46 to 69 in the subgroup where the positive nucleic acid duration longer than 14 days (p= 0.0472; p= 0.0311< 0.05, respectively). Similarly, there are also significant differences in role-emotional value in different genders (p= 0.0316).Conclusion: The study described the psychometric properties of COVID-19 patients without comorbidities shortly after discharge. Risk factors for psychometric properties damage included age, male sex, and nucleic acid duration.Keywords: COVID-19, psychometric factor, SF-36

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic helminth disease that can cause organ lesions leading to health damage. During a schistosome infection, schistosome eggs can flow into the liver along the portal vein. Numerous inflammatory cells gather around the eggs, causing granulomas and fibrosis in the liver. In this process, many molecules are involved in the initiation and regulation of the fibrous scar formation. However, the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for the progression of granuloma formation and fibrosis initiation caused by schistosome infection have not been extensively studied. In this study, C57BL/6 wild-type mice and Stat3flox/flox Alb-Cre mice were infected with cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum. Liver injury, effector molecule levels, and RNA transcriptome resequencing of liver tissue were detected at 4, 5, and 6 weeks postinfection. We investigated the role of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) in Schistosoma-induced liver injury in mice. After 6 weeks postinfection, there was obvious liver fibrosis. A sustained pathological process (inflammation, oxidative stress, proliferation, and apoptosis) occurred in S. japonicum-induced liver fibrosis initiation. Meanwhile, we observed activation of the STAT3 pathway in hepatic injury during S. japonicum infection by RNA transcriptome resequencing. Liver deficiency of phospho-STAT3 alleviated infection-induced liver dysfunction, hepatic granuloma formation, and fibrosis initiation. It also promoted STAT3-dependent apoptosis and reduced liver inflammation, oxidative stress, and proliferation. Our results suggest that STAT3 signal pathway and its mediating inflammation, oxidative stress, proliferation, and apoptosis are involved in S. japonicum-induced liver injury and may be a new potential guideline for the treatment of schistosomiasis.

Person re-identification (re-ID) is an important and challenging topic in video surveillance and public security. Re-ID aims to retrieve persons from different cameras. Despite the developments in recent years, re-ID still faces many challenges due to different camera views, changeable person posture, complex background, and occlusion. To exploit more discriminative image similarity descriptor, we propose a novel method in this paper. First, we design a body partition extraction network to extract three body regions with efficient alignment. Second, we propose a multi-stream contribution framework to fuse feature distance with different contributions and generate the final image similarity descriptor. In addition, we combine re-ID and semantic segmentation. A mask feature is introduced to the proposed framework and we design a contribution feedback module to generate contribution coefficients dynamically. Third, in order to improve re-ID performance, we propose a fragment learning method to optimize the contribution feedback module. Fourth and last, we propose a ${k}$ -distribution re-ranking strategy to further improve performance. Our method achieves competitive results on two popular datasets, CUHK03, and Market1501, with rank-1 accuracy of 93.5% and 85.7%. The proposed re-ranking method achieves 2.3% and 2.8% performance boost. The data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-stream contribution framework and the ${k}$ -distribution re-ranking strategy.

Bozhi Ye, 1,* Yawen Weng, 2,* Shuang Lin, 1 Jiahui Lin, 3 Zhouqing Huang, 1 Weijian Huang, 1 Xueli Cai 1 1Department of Cardiology, The Key Lab of Cardiovascular Disease of Wenzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pediatrics, The Second School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 3The First School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xueli CaiDepartment of Cardiology, The Key Lab of Cardiovascular Disease of Wenzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 2 Fuxue Road, ZheJiang 325000, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail cardiosherry@126.comWeijian HuangDepartment of Cardiology, The Key Lab of Cardiovascular Disease of Wenzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 2 Fuxue Road, ZheJiang 325000, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail weijianhuang69@126.comBackground: Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have recently been reported to promote vasculogenesis by differentiating into endothelial cells and releasing numerous cytokines and paracrine factors. However, due to low cell activity, their potential for clinical application is not very satisfactory. This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2D 3) on the vasculogenesis of MSCs.Methods: MSCs were isolated from the femurs and tibias of rats and characterized by flow cytometry. After treatment with different concentrations of 1,25(OH) 2D 3 (0 μM, 0.1 μM and 1 μM), the proliferation of MSCs was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and the migratory capability was measured by Transwell assays and cell scratch tests. Capillary-like structure formation was observed by using Matrigel. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of FLK-1 and vWF to investigate the differentiation of MSCs into endothelial cells. Western blotting and gelatin zymography were used to detect the expression and activities of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted by MSCs under the influence of 1,25(OH) 2D 3. Finally, the VDR antagonist pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P) and the PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor LY294002 were utilized to test the phosphorylation levels of key kinases in the PI3K/AKT pathway by Western blotting and the formation of capillary-like structures in Matrigel.Results: The proliferation and migratory capability of MSCs and the ability of MSCs to form a tube-like structure in Matrigel were enhanced after treatment with 1,25(OH) 2D 3. Moreover, MSCs treated with 1,25(OH) 2D 3 showed high expression of vWF and Flk-1. There was a significant increase in the expression of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted by MSCs treated with 1,25(OH) 2D 3, as well as in the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. The phosphorylation level of AKT increased with time after 1,25(OH) 2D 3 treatment, while LY294002 weakened AKT phosphorylation. In addition, the ability to form capillary-like structures was reduced when the VDR and PI3K/AKT pathways were blocked.Conclusion: This study confirmed that 1,25(OH) 2D 3 treatment can strengthen the ability of MSCs to promote vasculogenesis in vitro, and the mechanism may be related to the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.Keywords: multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells, 1,25-(OH) 2D 3, vasculogenesis, vitamin D receptor, PI3K/AKT pathway

Phase change materials (PCMs) are widely used in energy storage and energy transportation system as chill medium because of its large apparent heat and latent heat during phase change process. The studies on stability of PCM slurry and microencapsulation phase change materials (MEPCMs) slurry with different surfactants have been carried out in the experiments. The turbidity of the slurry was tested in order to analyze the stability of the slurry. The different surfactants polyethylene glycol400 and sodium alginate were selected to mix with PCMs' slurry. The results show that the surfactants have positive improvement effect on MEPCM slurry and negative improvement effect on PCM slurry.

This short communication reports a water inrush hazard during the construction of the Shijingshan Tunnel in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. On 15 July 2021, a water inrush accident occurred at the construction site 1.16 km away from the tunnel entrance, resulting in 14 casualties. The purpose of this study is to investigate and discuss the water inrush process in this atypical case. The principal causes of this tunneling accident include the special geological conditions at the construction site, high hydraulic conductivity at the part that connects the underground water system and the overlying water body (the Jida Reservoir), and the impact of heavy rainfall. Moreover, four significant suggestions are proposed to prevent the possible occurrence of water inrush disaster: (1) assessing the risk level in areas prone to water inrush; (2) getting a comprehensive geological prediction based on borehole data and artificial intelligent methods; (3) establishing a monitoring system during the tunneling process; (4) strengthening the self-protection skills of construction workers.

A huge gas explosion occurred on 13 June 2021 in Shiyan City, China, resulting in 25 casualties and serious injuries to 37 people. The main victims of this explosion were stall keepers and customers buying breakfast and fresh vegetables in the food market. There is a continuous need to enhance the understanding of such unfortunate events, given the dangers they pose. This study analyzes the causes of this accident considering the general background and scenes of the explosion, and then describes the rescue operations undertaken. The investigation results revealed that the explosion was caused by the poor maintenance of gas facilities and negligence of safety regulations. It is, therefore, recommended that the control of these two main aspects be strengthened to reduce the recurrence of such unfortunate accidents.

In this study, a simplified axisymmetric model is built to simulate a column supported embankment system. The model is based on a cylindrical unit cell that contains one column with the surrounding soil and a layer of overlying embankment fill. The deformation of the column with the surrounding soil is simulated using a deformed shape function. The embankment fill is divided into an inner cylinder and an outer hollow cylinder to simulate the soil arching effect. The stress continuity and volume deformation continuity are applied to combine the behavior of the embankment fill and that of the column-reinforced foundation together. A semi-analytical solution is obtained, and it is verified using a finite element analysis and a case study. After that, parametric studies are put forward to evaluate the load transfer mechanism within the embankment fill, the shear stress at the interface between the column and the surrounding soil, and the vertical stress distribution within the column. The influences of the column modulus, the spacing between columns, the height of the embankment fill, and the length of the column on the soil arching effect are investigated and discussed. It is concluded that when the column modulus becomes larger, the stress ratio between the column and the surrounding soil increases correspondingly. The height of equal settlement plane is close to the net spacing between columns, but it changes slightly with a change in the column modulus.

Background and aims Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) dedifferentiation contributes to neointima formation, which results in various vascular disorders. Intermedin (IMD), a cardiovascular paracrine/autocrine polypeptide, is involved in maintaining circulatory homeostasis. However, whether IMD protects against neointima formation remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of IMD in neointima formation and the possible mechanism. Methods IMD 1-53 (100ng/kg/h) or saline water was used on rat carotid-artery balloon-injury model. The mouse left common carotid-artery ligation-injury model was established using IMD-transgenic and C57BL/6J mice. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the protein expression in rat carotid arteries. Radioimmunoassay was used to determine the serum IMD level. The hematoxylin andeosin staining was used for carotid arteries morphological testing. In vitro , for rat primary cultured VSMC phenotype transition, proliferation and migration assays, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) reagent and IMD 1-53 peptide were added to the culture media at the final concentration of 20 ng/mL and 10 -7 mol/L respectively. Quantification of VSMC proliferation involved MTT and BrdU assay and migration was detected by wound-healing assay. Western blot and realtime PCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA levels of tissues or cells. Results With the rat carotid-artery balloon-injury model, IMD was significantly downregulated in injured arteries and plasma. Exogenous IMD 1-53 greatly inhibited neointima formation and prevented VSMC from switching to a synthetic phenotype. With the left common carotid-artery ligation-injury model, IMD-transgenic mice showed less neointima formation than C57BL/6J mice. PDGF-BB reduced IMD mRNA expression in rat primary cultured VSMCs but increased that of its receptors, calcitonin receptor-like receptor or receptor activity-modifying proteins. Furthermore, PDGF-BB promoted VSMC proliferation and migration and transformed VSMCs to the synthetic phenotype, which was reversed with IMD 1-53 treatment. Mechanistically, IMD 1-53 maintained the contractile VSMC phenotype via the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway. Conclusions IMD attenuated neointima formation both in the rat model of carotid-artery balloon injury and mouse model of common carotid-artery ligation injury. IMD protection may be mediated by maintaining a VSMC contractile phenotype via the cAMP/PKA pathway.

Direct sulfonylation between alkenes and sulfonyl chloride was achieved at room temperature by a visible-light-induced photo­redox process. This method allows the chemoselective synthesis of α-chloro and vinyl sulfone derivatives with moderate to high yields. The selectivity of the reaction was fully controlled by the electronic properties of the alkenes.

Surcharge combined with vacuum preloading is a common technique for accelerating the consolidation process in ground improvement. A unit cell model for the axisymmetric consolidation of a soft soil using a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) under a surcharge, combined with vacuum preloading, is investigated in this study. Based on this model, analytical solutions for a multi-layer soil system are put forward and the explicit expressions for two-layer and one-layer systems are presented. The accuracy of the proposed solution is verified using an analytical solution available in the literature. In the parametric study, the influencing factors on the consolidation process, such as, the smear zone, the PVD spacing, the hydraulic conductivity in the radial direction, the coefficient of vacuum decrease, are taken into account. The water flow in the radial direction plays an important role in the consolidation process while the impact of the vertical flow mainly develops around the interfaces between two adjacent layers. In addition, the proposed analytical solution is applied in a case history with three different layers and the results are reasonable.

A novel dietary fiber (MsCDF) based core of maize straw (Core) was prepared by using high boiling solvent of sodium peroxide by high pressure pretreatment (HBSHP). The composition of MsCDF, and several physicochemical properties for MsCDF related to its nutritional quality were investigated. The results revealed that the MsCDF contains high contents total dietary fiber (TDF), soluble dietary fiber (SDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and two main monosaccharaides, xylose and glucose. Meanwhile, the studies of physicochemical properties of MsCDF indicated that MsCDF performed well water-holding capacity (WHC), oil-holding capacity (OHC), Swelling, solubility (SOL), Glucose dialysis retardation index (GDRI) and adsorption capacity on cholesterol. The results of this study serve as evidence that MsCDF can be used as a functional food additive, Core can be used as a crude material to produce MsCDF and the technology of HBSHP can be used to modify the physico-chemical properties of Core.

Diabetic nephropathy is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Recent studies suggest that immunological mechanisms have a key role in the pathogenesis of DM, therefore these mechanisms may be important targets for diabetes therapy. The present study evaluated the effects of anti-α1-adrenergic receptor antibody (α1-R Ab) mediation and doxazosin treatment in a rat model of DM. It was observed that levels of 24-h urinary protein, serum creatinine and transforming growth factor-β1 in DM were significantly increased after α1-R Ab mediation (all P

Short-term optimal hydrothermal scheduling plays one of the most important roles in the modern power system plan and operation. The problem aims at minimizing the total fuel cost of the thermal units while satisfying various constraints such as power balance, water balance and other constraints on thermal units as well as hydro units. Except for the above various constraints, transmission network topology and valve point effects are also introduced into the mathematical optimizing model of the short-term hydrothermal scheduling (STHS) problem. Then a small-population based parallel differential evolution approach is proposed to solve the STHS problem considering power flow constraints. In the proposed approach, a large population is divided into several subpopulations each with a small population size and several parallel running processes of one or more CPUs are performed synchronously each evolving a certain subpopulation and searching for the optimal solution independently. Two different methods are employed in the proposed parallel DE approach in order to avoid low diversity of the small population in each process. One is implemented through the small population itself and the other through the communication mechanism among different running processes. Four constraint handling rules as well as a lead operation are proposed to enhance the feasibility of solutions. Numerical results for two well-known sample test systems are presented to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed parallel DE algorithm to generate optimal solutions of STHS problem. Two other test systems with transmission networks of standard IEEE 9-bus and IEEE 39-bus are also employed to test the effectiveness of the proposed parallel DE algorithm. The results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic helminth disease that can cause severe inflammatory pathology, leading to organ damage, in humans. During a schistosomal infection, the eggs are trapped in the host liver, and products derived from eggs induce a polarized Th2 cell response, resulting in granuloma formation and eventually fibrosis. Previous studies indicated that the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-, leucine-rich repeat-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is involved in schistosomiasis-associated liver fibrosis and that taurine could ameliorate hepatic granulomas and fibrosis caused by Schistosoma japonicum infection. Nevertheless, the precise role and molecular mechanism of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the protective effects of taurine in S. japonicum infection have not been extensively studied. In this study, we investigated the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the hepatoprotective mechanism of taurine in schistosoma-induced liver injury in mice. NLRP3 deficiency ameliorated S. japonicum-infection-induced hepatosplenomegaly, liver dysfunction, and hepatic granulomas and fibrosis; it also reduced NLRP3-dependent liver pyroptosis. Furthermore, taurine suppressed hepatic thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)/NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mice with S. japonicum infections, thereby inhibiting the activation of downstream inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-1β and subsequent pyroptosis. Our results suggest that the TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and mediating pyroptosis are involved in S. japonicum-induced liver injury and may be a potential therapeutic target for schistosomiasis treatment. In addition, taurine may be useful to alleviate or to prevent the occurrence of schistosomiasis-associated liver fibrosis.

Shuang Lin,1,2 Lei Tang,1 Ranhua Jiang,3 Yu Chen,1 Sheng Yang,1 Ling Li,1 Ping Li1 1Department of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Zhongyi Northeast International Hospital, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology, Liaoyang Diabetes Hospital, Liaoyang, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ping LiDepartment of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No.39, Huaxiang Road, Tiexi District, Shenyang 110022, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 18940255673Email scizhong@163.comLing LiDepartment of Endocrinology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No.36, Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 18940251181Fax +86 02425944460Email liling8864@hotmail.comAim: To investigate the relationship of the aspartate aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratio (AST/ALT) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents in northeast China.Methods: A stratified cluster random sample of 935 students 11–16 years of age in a city in the northeast of China were enrolled in 2010–2011. Participants were given a physical examination and a laboratory evaluation, and 93 participants were followed-up after 5 years.Results: AST/ALT was negatively correlated with waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, uric acid, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance. It was positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein. Multivariate logistic regression showed that the risk of MetS was 6.02 times greater in adolescents with the lowest, compared with the highest, AST/ALT. Central obesity was the MetS component most closely associated with low AST/ALT [odds ratio (OR) =5.13, 95% CI: 2.83, 9.28]. Five years later, baseline AST/ALT was negatively correlated with WC (r=−0.21, P=0.046), BMI (r=−0.29, P=0.005) and fasting plasma glucose (r=−0.25, P=0.017).Conclusion: In adolescents, AST/ALT was significantly associated with MetS and its components and predicted overweight/obesity in adulthood.Keywords: metabolic syndrome, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, adolescents

Vascular calcification (VC) is thought to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. IntermedinApoEAs compared to the high-fat diet alone, Hcy treatment significantly increased atherosclerotic lesion areas and the number of calcified nodules in aortic roots and was reduced by IMD infusion or 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) treatment. In vitro, as compared to calcifying medium alone, Hcy treatment further increased alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium content, and calcium nodule number in human aorta vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs), all blocked by IMD or PBA pretreatment. Mechanistically, IMD or PBA significantly alleviated endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) activation compared with Hcy treatment. In parallel, IMD or PBA attenuated the messenger RNA levels of osteogenic markers and inflammatory cytokines in aortas and their protein levels in lesions of aortic roots. In vitro, Hcy treatment significantly increased the protein levels of osteoblast-like cell markers in primary rat VSMCs and inflammation markers in mouse peritoneal macrophages, all decreased with IMD or PBA pretreatment. IntermedinIntermedin

In this chapter, the physical and chemical properties of natural fibers (i.e., natural moisture content, specific gravity, breaking tensile strength, breaking strain, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and ash) were examined for their influences in the soil reinforcement. A total of 11 factors including soil moisture content, soil density and fiber percentage were evaluated by using the Bayesian nonparametric general regression (BNGR) method. The robustness of the BNGR algorithm was validated using k-fold cross-validation. A parametric study was carried out to unveil the effects of these input variables. The results indicated that a higher fiber percentage or larger soil density induces higher reinforcement effect. Besides, the cellulose in a natural fiber is found to have a significant effect on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) followed by the ash. With respect to the physical properties, the breaking strain is found to be highly correlated with the UCS, while the effects of fiber natural moisture content, specific gravity and breaking tensile strength are less significant parameters.