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BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammatory markers are associated with patient survival in pancreatic cancer (PC). The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) in PC patients who underwent radical surgery. Platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade is a composite evaluation index based on liver function. Patients with pancreatic head cancer are prone to obstructive jaundice, which leads to abnormal liver function. Based on this, we also explored the prognostic value of PALBI grade in PC patients. METHODS: Patients with pathologically confirmed PC who had undergone radical surgery (with negative surgical margin) for the first time at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2013 to December 2019 and followed up by December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Peripheral blood cell count is easily affected by infection or hematological diseases, which affects the results, so it is excluded. Clinical data and laboratory examination indexes were collected. The SII and PALBI grade were calculated. The cutoff values were determined using the Youden index. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the prognostic value of the SII and PALBI grade through univariate and multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients [median age, 60.29 years; 128 (59.8%) men] met the inclusion criteria. There were 140 patients (65.4%) with pancreatic head cancer according to the tumor location. They were divided into high and low SII or PALBI groups by cutoff values of 705 and −5.6, respectively. According to the multivariate analysis, SII (P

Background Previous studies have reported that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) plays an important role in the pathological process of atherosclerosis. The aim was to elucidate the relationship between serum VCAM-1 and early AD in DM patients. Methods Serum samples for VCAM-1 were tested in 208 DM patients. All included DM patients were followed up for a median of 36 months prospectively. The prognostic value of serum VCAM-1 for predicting AD events was analyzed by using Cox proportional hazard. Results Serum VCAM-1 was independently associated with AD history after adjusting for related confounding factors in patients with DM at baseline by using the logistic regression analysis (OR=1.861; 95% CI, 1.435–2.539; Ptrend=0.020). The Cox proportional hazard model suggested that VCAM-1 was a prognostic factor for AD events in the DM patients (HR=2.728; 95% CI, 1.785–5.439; Ptrend

Background The available treatments for refractory hyperkeratotic eczema are inadequate with frustrating results. We, therefore, incorporated Calcipotriol and Betamethasone Dipropionate (Daivobet®), and Viaminate into the mainstay treatment to improve the clinical symptoms. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Daivobet® and Viaminate as a potential treatment alternative for refractory hyperkeratotic eczema. Patients and Methods Between 2013 and 2015, 61 patients diagnosed with refractory hyperkeratotic eczema (RHE) who had shown inadequate response to conventional therapies were pooled from a single center. Besides, they were all treated with Daivobet®, Viaminate, and an occlusive dressing mixture containing 5% salicylic acid ointment and 25% zinc oxide paste following inadequate response to conventional therapies (corticosteroids plus 25% zinc oxide paste and 5% salicylic acid ointment). Investigators Global Assessment (IGA) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) assessed baseline and outcome measures for the degree of hyperkeratinization (0-clear; 3-moderate; 4-severe). Results Of the 61 patients, 49 (80.3%) patients presented with moderate RHE and 12 (19.7%) with severe RHE. After 24 weeks of treatment, the period for loss of keratinization was significantly lower in patients with moderate RHE (3.9±1.9 weeks) than those with severe RHE (10.8±1.0 weeks) with a P-value

It is a considerable challenge for the phase behavior of chemical separation industry to correlate and predict the vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) data of the binary and ternary systems containing as...

Depending on the available experimental data (T, p, x, y, and HE), the vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data of the completely miscible isobaric systems at low pressure are accurately correlated and ...

Picea wilsonii is widely used for a forestation and landscaping in China. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress tolerance in this species remain elusive. In this study, we examined the transcriptomic changes induced by drought and salt stress in 8-week-old seedlings of P. wilsonii via RNA-Seq analysis; seedlings grown under normal conditions (without abiotic stress) served as a control. Approximately 36.26 Gb of transcriptome data were obtained from the three treatments. A total of 4171 (2579 up-regulated and 1732 down-regulated) and 3438 (1592 up-regulated and 1706 down-regulated) differentially expressed genes were identified under drought and salt treatments, respectively. Both RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analyses showed that the expression of PwNAC genes, including PwNAC11, 24, 36, 38, 45, 47, 51 and 52, was greatly induced not only by salt stress but also by drought treatment, suggesting that these genes are involved in both salt and drought stress resistance in P. wilsonii. This is the first report of the transcriptome analysis of P. wilsonii. Our data will serve as a valuable genomic resource for the further characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying abiotic stress tolerance in P. wilsonii.

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The separation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions from phosphoric acid–nitric acid aqueous solution is very significant for the neutralization process of nitrophosphate fertilizer. This paper studied the adsorption equilibrium, kinetics, and dynamic separation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions by strong acid cation resin, and the effects of phosphoric acid and nitric acid on the adsorption process were investigated. The results reveal that the adsorption process of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in pure water on resin is in good agreement with the Langmuir isotherm model and their maximal adsorption capacities are 1.86 mmol·g−1 and 1.83 mmol·g−1, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions on resin fits better with the pseudo-first-order model, and the adsorption equilibrium in pure water is reached within 10 min contact time, while at the present of phosphoric acid, the adsorption rate of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions on resin will go down. The dynamic separation experiments demonstrate that the designed column adsorption is able to undertake the separation of metal ions from the mix acids aqueous solution, but the dynamic operation should control the flow rate of mix acid solution. Besides nitric acid solution was proved to be effective to completely regenerate the spent resin and achieve the recyclable operation of separation process.

Removal of iron (III) and aluminum ions from phosphoric acid-nitric acid (PA-NA) solutions including their batch adsorption kinetics on sulfonic/monophosphonic acid chelation resin (S957) and the dynamic adsorption-elution process at the different operating parameters is studied. The results reveal that Fe(III) ion and Al(III) ion in PA-NA solutions on S957 resin present the slow batch adsorption rate. Their adsorption equilibriums are reached at 60 min and 40 min contact time, respectively. The dynamic adsorption process of Fe(III) ion and Al(III) ion is dependent on the feed flow rate through the fixed bed column, and at the 0.5 mLmin-1 flow rate, Fe(III) ion and Al(III) ion can be greatly removed from PA-NA solutions. In the dynamic elution process, the flow rate shows little effect on the elution process of Fe(III) and Al(III) ions. The better regeneration solution for the dynamic elution process is HCl solution, and the optimized concentration of HCl solution is 8 mol•L-1.

Fe3+ and Al3+ ions existed in phosphoric acid–nitric acid solutions are very troublesome for the neutralization process of nitrophosphate (NP) fertilizer. This paper studied the performances of three chelating resins (S957, S950 and S930) on the removal of Fe3+ and Al3+ ions from phosphoric acid–nitric acid solutions, and one strong acid cation resin (001×7) was also studied for comparison. The batch adsorption equilibrium of Fe3+ ion and Al3+ ion on four resins and the effects of phosphoric acid and nitric acid concentrations on the separation characteristics of four resins were firstly investigated. After that, the dynamic adsorption and elution processes through the fixed bed column were carried out. The batch adsorption results reveal that S957 and 001×7 resins present the higher adsorption ability to Fe3+ ion and Al3+ ion in pure water. But in phosphoric acid–nitric acid solutions, the adsorption ability of S957 and S950 resins is better for the removal of Fe3+ ion and Al3+ ion, whereas 001×7 and S930 resins present very low or even no adsorption ability. The dynamic adsorption and elution processes show that S957 resin is more suitable for the further dynamic operation in view of the recyclability of separation process, while S950 resin expresses poor regeneration performance. Moreover, the coexistent Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions in phosphoric acid–nitric acid solutions have little influence on the removal of Fe3+ and Al3+ ions through the fixed bed S957 resin column. All results demonstrate that S957 resin is capable of removing the Fe3+ and Al3+ ions from phosphoric acid–nitric acid solutions.

With the development of fully electric vehicle technology, the high-power electrical load of electric transmission armored vehicles is increasing, and the electrical characteristics of each load are different, which makes the coordination control of the on-board integrated power system in the process of mode conversion more difficult, and the synchronization accuracy is required to be improved. In view of the above problems, the digital control circuit of vehicle integrated power system based on DSP is designed. Through the control circuit of each high voltage node monitoring, control system components coordinated action for power distribution, complete the system work mode fast, stable, safe conversion. The experimental results verify the rationality of the control circuit design.

Additional file 4: Fig. S2. Sequence logos of MYB transcription factor domains in blueberry.

Additional file 3: Fig. S1. Validation of RNA-seq sequencing data by RT-qPCR. Expression of 16 VcMYB DEGs in leaf (A) or root (B) under drought stress. The left y-axis (black bars) is the relative expression level of qRT-PCR. The right y-axis (gray bars) is log10 (FPKM + 1) of RNA-sEq. Each value is indicated as the mean value ± standard error of three independent determinations, and different letters represent significant differences at p

Additional file 7: Fig. S3. Functional annotation of DEGs on the basis of gene ontology.

Lingyun Zhang,1 Huawu Mao2 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Zutangshan Hospital, Nanjing 211153, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurology, Taizhou Second People’s Hospital, Taizhou 225500, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Huawu MaoDepartment of Neurology, Taizhou Second People’s Hospital, NO. 27 Jiankang Road, Jiangyan District, Taizhou City 225500, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 52388245686Email 3126376830@qq.comBackground: Previous studies have reported that diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) plays an important role in the pathological process of atherosclerosis. The aim was to elucidate the relationship between serum VCAM-1 and early AD in DM patients.Methods: Serum samples for VCAM-1 were tested in 208 DM patients. All included DM patients were followed up for a median of 36 months prospectively. The prognostic value of serum VCAM-1 for predicting AD events was analyzed by using Cox proportional hazard.Results: Serum VCAM-1 was independently associated with AD history after adjusting for related confounding factors in patients with DM at baseline by using the logistic regression analysis (OR=1.861; 95% CI, 1.435– 2.539; Ptrend=0.020). The Cox proportional hazard model suggested that VCAM-1 was a prognostic factor for AD events in the DM patients (HR=2.728; 95% CI, 1.785– 5.439; Ptrend< 0.001). Stratified analysis showed that the significant association between AD event and serum VCAM-1 in DM patients was not affective by CVD history.Conclusion: Our results showed that higher VCAM-1 levels were significantly related to a higher risk of AD events in DM patients. The serum biomarker might be beneficial to predict AD early. Serum VCAM-1 might be a good biochemical parameter for predicting AD in DM.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, prognostic value

Amelia Nabatanzi,1 Magesa Mafuru,2 Musa Male,3 Chunxia Tian,4 Lingyun Zhang,1 Ting Wu,1 Shidi Wu,1 Changzheng Huang1 1Department of Dermatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Changzheng HuangDepartment of Dermatology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-13971176116Fax +86-27-85768188Email hcz0501@126.comBackground: The available treatments for refractory hyperkeratotic eczema are inadequate with frustrating results. We, therefore, incorporated Calcipotriol and Betamethasone Dipropionate (Daivobet®), and Viaminate into the mainstay treatment to improve the clinical symptoms. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Daivobet® and Viaminate as a potential treatment alternative for refractory hyperkeratotic eczema.Patients and Methods: Between 2013 and 2015, 61 patients diagnosed with refractory hyperkeratotic eczema (RHE) who had shown inadequate response to conventional therapies were pooled from a single center. Besides, they were all treated with Daivobet®, Viaminate, and an occlusive dressing mixture containing 5% salicylic acid ointment and 25% zinc oxide paste following inadequate response to conventional therapies (corticosteroids plus 25% zinc oxide paste and 5% salicylic acid ointment). Investigators Global Assessment (IGA) and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) assessed baseline and outcome measures for the degree of hyperkeratinization (0-clear; 3-moderate; 4-severe).Results: Of the 61 patients, 49 (80.3%) patients presented with moderate RHE and 12 (19.7%) with severe RHE. After 24 weeks of treatment, the period for loss of keratinization was significantly lower in patients with moderate RHE (3.9± 1.9 weeks) than those with severe RHE (10.8± 1.0 weeks) with a P-value < 0.01. Furthermore, they required a significantly shorter total treatment duration (10.6 ± 4.3 weeks) than those with severe RHE (20.3± 3.6 weeks) with a P-value of < 0.01. However, there were no significant differences in post hoc analysis at week 36 with P-values of 0.46 and 1.00 for IGA and POEM, respectively.Conclusion: Our results showed that the incorporation of Viaminate and Daivobet® into mainstay treatment was effective and safe for the long-term management of RHE.Keywords: refractory, hyperkeratosis, eczema, Viaminate, Daivobet&reg

Although HER2-targeted therapy has been shown to prolong the survival of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, most patients eventually progress due to drug resistance. Novel treatment options are urgently needed to overcome resistance to HER2-targeted therapy. The VEGF/VEGFR (Vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors) pathway is essential in tumor angiogenesis, which may be a promising target in HER2-positive breast cancer providing a rationale for the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting VEGFR. Here, we present a case of a heavily pretreated advanced breast cancer patient who did not respond to HER2-targeted therapy and developed resistance to multiple lines of HER2-targeted treatment. The patient was treated with apatinib at a dose of 500 mg daily, and obtained partial remission (PR) with a progression-free-stage (PFS) of 6 months. Our case indicates that apatinib might have anti-tumor activity in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer with HER2-targeted resistance. This case is of value which may provide new insights into strategies for HER2-targeted therapy resistance options in the clinic.

Monodispersed spherical Bi2MoO6 precursors with particle sizes about 20–40 nm were successfully obtained by a water-in-oil microemulsion technique. Well-crystallized Bi2MoO6 photocatalysts ...

Mono-dispersed and uniform SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles have been synthesized using a thermal decomposition technique. The prepared SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles have narrower size distribution than the particles synthesized previously using other preparation techniques. In order to improve the photocatalytic performance of SrMoO4-based materials, the SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles were also diluted in an amorphous SiO2 matrix with different concentrations of SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles. Although crystalline SiO2 is an insulator and has no photocatalytic activity due to its intrinsic properties, the results suggested that the current SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles diluted in amorphous SiO2 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance in the degradation process of methyl blue. Large absorption in the visible and ultraviolet light was observed by the UV–vis absorbance spectra. The smallest energy gap in these samples was found to be 2.0 eV. In particular, the photodegradation efficiency of methyl blue over SrMoO4-based samples was up to about 88% in 60 min when the quantitative ratio of SrMoO4:0.1Eu and SiO2 was fixed to be 1:2, respectively. By synthesizing the undiluted and SiO2 diluted SrMoO4:0.1Eu samples, this work provides an effective technique to improve the photocatalytic activity of SrMoO4-based materials, especially SrMoO4:0.1Eu nanoparticles.

Reticular BiVO4 catalysts were successfully synthesized via a modified sol–gel method. Here, citric acid (CA) was used as the chelating agent and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used as the chelating agent and template. Furthermore, the effects of pH values and EDTA on the structure and morphology of the samples were studied. We determined that EDTA and pH played important roles in the determination of the morphology of the as-prepared BiVO4 samples. Photocatalytic evaluation revealed that the reticular BiVO4 exhibited superior photocatalytic performance characteristics for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light (λ > 400 nm) exposure, about 98% of the MB was found to degrade within 50 min. Moreover, the degradation kinetics of MB was in good agreement with pseudo-first-order kinetics. The obtained apparent reaction rate constant kapp of reticular BiVO4 was much higher than that of BiVO4 synthesized by the citric acid sol–gel method.

This chapter examines the impact of tourism on the Aobao religious festival held in Tuva and Kazakh settlements in Kanas, Xinjiang, China. In many indigenous communities, tourism impacts religious festivals and undermines their purposes by exposing them to market forces and commercialism. Some compromises have to be made to balance traditional values and modern commercial demands. A comparison of four Aobao festivals held in different villages with different levels of tourism development is presented to illustrate the changes that have occurred at those venues and the determinants of those changes. The chapter discusses the changes to the festival due to government sponsorship and tourists' demands.

Bi2MoO6 catalysts with rare earth dopants have been successfully synthesized using the facile hydrothermal method. The morphologies, phase content, and optical absorption properties of these catalysts with rare earth dopants are measured via X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-DRS) techniques. The internal relationship between these measurement properties have also been analyzed. Our results suggest that in the Nd and Sm-doping cases, one new phase Bi3.64Mo0.36O6.55 has been synthesized. The morphologies and microstructures of Bi2MoO6 system have also been changed correspondingly. The photocatalytic activities of these doped Bi2MoO6 samples are also evaluated via the photodegradation of RhB under visible light irradiation. The results indicate that, with rare earth doping, the photocatalytic activities of these Bi2MoO6 samples have been greatly improved. Moreover, the mechanism about the enhancement of photocatalytic activity has also been discussed.

Y2O3: 5%Eu3+, x%Li+ phosphor thin film was fabricated via an electro-deposited method. The dependence of the morphology and luminescent properties for Y2O3: 5%Eu3+, x%Li+ thin film on Li content, deposition time and solution concentration were studied. The results indicate that the morphology and the emission intensity strongly depend on the Li content, deposition time, and solution concentration. It is found that the Li addition is beneficial to the formation of flower morphology and then enhances the photoluminescence intensity. The optimal Li content is 15% for Y2O3: 5%Eu3+, x%Li+.

To probe the potential utilities in the photocatalyst and luminescent materials, a series of SrMoO4 samples have been prepared via the hydrothermal preparation with different stirring speeds. These SrMoO4 samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, UV–diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV–vis). It has been found that the lattice parameters and [MoO4] tetrahedron distortion of SrMoO4 samples are increased with the increased stirring speed in the process of hydrothermal preparation. By changing the stirring speeds, spindle and succulent-like morphologies have been obtained. UV–vis results show that the band gaps of SrMoO4 samples are sensitive to the stirring speed. As for the luminescent and photocatalytic properties, our experimental results clearly suggest that, compared with those samples without stirring, the luminescent and photocatalytic activities are enhanced with stirring in the hydrothermal preparation. The photodegradation of methyl blue (MB) over SrMoO4 system increases from 30% to 50% with stirring, which may be related to small band gaps and porous surfaces. Our results indicate that stirring may be one important technique to improve the photocatalytic properties, especially in the process of hydrothermal method.

SrMoO 4 :Eu 3+ (10%) phosphors were produced via hydrothermal synthesis and co-precipitation. We systematically analyzed how the morphology and luminescence properties of the phosphors were affected by the synthesis conditions, including the pH of the precursor solution, stirring speed, and post-sintering temperature. The samples synthesized at pH = 8 and 9 were spindle-like rods with a core–shell structure. When the stirring speed increased to V s = 150 r/min, the core–shell structure disappeared. Photoluminescence measurements indicated that the SrMoO 4 :Eu 3+ samples under ultraviolet radiation produced strong red emission centered at 616 nm. The luminescence properties were greatly affected by the pH, stirring during hydrothermal reaction, and use of post-annealing. The related mechansim is discussed.

Bi 2 MoO 6 samples with different morphologies have been prepared using co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. Octahedral-, spherical-, and plate-like particles have been obtained by changing some external factors including preparation methods, solvent types, and surfactants. Our results suggest that pure Bi 2 MoO 6 phase with nanoplate morphology are easily obtained via hydrothermal preparation method using ethylene glycol solvent. The photocatalytic and photoelectric properties of these Bi 2 MoO 6 samples have also been investigated in detail. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity is enhanced with addition of surfactants, such as Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and cetytrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The excellent photocatalytic activity is found for CTAB addition, which is nearly 100%. It may be ascribed to the specifically exposed facets structure, which is related to larger visible light absorption and improved separation of photogenerated charge carriers.

Y2O3:5 %Eu3+, x %Li+(x = 0, 2, 5, 8, and 10) phosphor have been synthesized by the sol–gel method. The microstructure and luminescent properties were also investigated for all samples by X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic morphology, and photoluminescence measurement. The Li addition is beneficial to the enhancement of luminescent intensity, and the optimal Li content is 8 % for Y2O3:5 %Eu3+. The enhancement could be attributed to three factors: one is the lattice shrinking due to smaller Li ionic radius, secondly, the appearance of the oxygen vacancies, and thirdly, the reducing number of OH− group by doping with Li+ ions.

3D microarchitecture Sr3V2O8:xSm3+ phosphors have been fabricated via hydrothermal method, and their crystalline phase, morphology, and luminescent properties were investigated. The SEM results indicate that the broom- and flower-like micorarchitecture is self-assembled by numerous nanorods. The luminescent properties of Sr3V2O8:xSm3+ samples suggest that the most intense emission is located around 648 nm due to 4G5/2 → 6H9/2 transition of Sm3+. The emission intensity is enhanced with Sm doping and the related mechanism is discussed in detail.

MnFe2O4:xEu3+ nanostructures were successfully fabricated via a two-step method (microemulsion combined with calcination). The as-prepared products were characterized by XRD, SEM, VSM and PL spectra analyses for the determination of the phase purity, morphology and compositions, magnetic and luminescence properties. The results showed that as-calcinated at 450 °C MnFe2O4:xEu3+ particles with the average diameter of 30–80 nm have an irregular shape. The content of Eu3+ doping has great important influence on the magnetic properties. The M s values decreases from 42.06 to 0.69 emu/g with the increasing of Eu3+ content from 0 to 1.0 mol/L. The luminescence properties were also investigated by PL spectra. It was found that the fluorescence intensity of MnFe2O4:xEu3+ nanomaterials increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing of content of Eu3+. When the content of Eu3+ is about 0.05 mol/L, the fluorescence intensity of the products reached the maximum values.

SrMoO4 and SrMoO4:xEu3+(yDy3+) phosphors were synthesized via co-precipitation method. Two influence factors on the luminescent and morphology properties of the phosphors have been discussed in detail. One is pH value of the precursor solution, and the other is the Eu(Dy) doping content. In addition to the spindle-like microstructure, cylindrical shape, and the flower-like structure are obtained by varying the pH values or Eu(Dy)-doping in SrMoO4. The possible formation mechanism is also put forward on the basis of experimental results. The most intense emission is located around 616 and 577 nm due to 5D0 → 7F2 and 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 transition of Eu3+ and Dy3+, respectively. The emission intensity is enhanced with Eu(Dy) doping and the related mechanism is discussed in detail.

Picea wilsonii transcription factor PwNAC2 enhanced plant tolerance to salt and drought stress through multiple signaling pathway and interacted with PwRFCP1 to participate in flowering regulation. NAC is one of the largest transcription factor families in plants, however, its role is not yet fully understood. Here, we identified a transcription factor PwNAC2 in Picea wilsonii, which localized in nucleus with transcriptional activity in C-terminal region and can form homodimer by itself. Expression analysis by real-time PCR showed that PwNAC2 was induced by multiple abiotic stresses and phytohormones stimuli. PwRFCP1 (Resemble-FCA-contain-PAT1 domain), an interaction protein of PwNAC2 was screened via yeast two hybrid. Luciferase complementation assay confirmed the interaction in vivo and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay showed the interaction in nucleus. PwNAC2 overexpression retarded Arabidopsis hypocotyls growth which is closely related to light, whereas promotion of hypocotyls growth by PwRFCP1 is independent on light. Under drought or salt treatment, overexpression of PwNAC2 in Arabidopsis showed more vigorous seed germination and significant tolerance for seedlings by ROS scavenging, reducing of membrane damage, slower water loss and increased stomatal closure. ABA or CBF-pathway marker genes were substantially higher in PwNAC2 transgenic Arabidopsis. Overexpression of PwRFCP1 promotes flowering in transgenic Arabidopsis, whereas PwNAC2 delayed flowering by altering the expression of FT, SOC1 and FLC. In addtioin, PwRFCP1 overexpression plants showed no higher tolerance to stress treatment than Col-0. Collectively, our results indicate that PwNAC2 enhanced plant tolerance to abiotic stress through multiple signaling pathways and participated in PwRFCP1-regulated flowering time.

Eu3+ and Ba2+ co-doped Sr4V2O9 samples are prepared via a hydrothermal method and the structure, morphology, and photoluminescence properties are investigated. Sr4V2O9 is composed of disperse nano-rods. However, with Eu3+ and Ba2+ co-doping, nano-rods begin agglomerated and extend outward from the center to form a flower-like structure. Photoluminescence measurement indicates that Ba2+ dopants greatly enhance the emission intensity, for example, the enhanced emission intensity reaches for 234% when Ba2+ content is 5% for Sr4V2O9:Eu3+ (10%),Ba2+ (x%). However, with Ba2+ increasing further, the emission intensity decreases for Sr4V2O9:Eu3+ (10%),Ba2+ (x%) and Sr4V2O9:Eu3+(15%),Ba2+ (x%) samples, which is ascribed to the quenching behaviors. Further, CIE coordinates of (0.666, 0.333) for Sr4V2O9:Eu3+ (15%),Ba2+ (8%) sample, very similar to the (0.665, 0.334) coordinates for the commercial red phosphor Y2O3S:Eu3+, can be obtained.

Although tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has shown efficacy in a phase 2 clinical trial, development of resistance to TRAIL by tumor cells is a major roadblock. We investigated whether quercetin, a flavonoid, can sensitize human ovarian cancer cells to TRAIL. Results indicate that quercetin sensitized cancer cells to TRAIL. The quercetin induced expression of death receptor DR5 but did not affect expression of DR4 in cancer cells. The induction of DR5 was mediated through activation of JNK and through upregulation of a transcription factor CCAAT enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP); as silencing of these signaling molecules abrogated the effect of quercetin. Upregulation of DR5 was mediated through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), as ROS scavengers reduced the effect of quercetin on JNK activation, CHOP upregulation, DR induction, TRAIL sensitization, downregulated the expression of cell survival proteins and upregulated the proapoptotic proteins. Furthermore, quercetin enhances TRAIL mediated inhibition of tumor growth of human SKOV-3 xenograft was associated with induction of apoptosis, activation of caspase-3, CHOP and DR5. Overall, our data suggest that quercetin enhances apoptotic death of ovarian cancer cells to TRAIL through upregulation of CHOP-induced DR5 expression following ROS mediated endoplasmic reticulum-stress.

A thin tapered glass micropipette has been widely applied in biomedical application. During the micromachining process of tapered micropipette by P-2000 laser-based micropipette puller, four process parameters affect the shape of the micropipette, and they are Heat, Velocity, Delay and Pull, respectively. Because of the interaction between any two of these factors, it is difficult to find the optimal parameters to meet the requirement of micropipette tip shape. A special micropipette shape for the application of functional electrical simulation is fabricated and optimized by the orthogonal experiments. The micropipette shape is with a tip diameter of [email protected], the change value of the tip diameter located at the length of [email protected] as small as than [email protected] and total length of 6-12mm. The experimental results show that the optimum matching ones in the given values of the discrete parameters are with the Heat setting of 700, the Velocity setting of 45, the Delay setting of 145 and the Pull setting of 225. The results and analysis presented in the manuscript are based on the use and settings of CO"2 laser-based micropipette puller (P-2000, Sutter Instrument) and no physical equivalence could be defined for the various settings except the Delay parameter. Then its application for functional electrical stimulation of muscle tissue is introduced and the corresponding experiments are performed.

The term and role of a “culture broker” is examined based on the definition provided by Smith and ethnographic research of 12 months of living among the Tuva and Kazakh residents in Kanas, Xinjiang, China. Here it is suggested that Kazakhs operate as a culture broker by impersonating Tuva in Home Visits. A series of symbiotic relationships are found where stakeholders condone such impersonation to achieve different ends – these stakeholders and goals being identified in the paper. Amendments are consequently proposed to Smith's original model.

TiO2 with NIR-absorption and visible upconversion luminescence (UC-TiO2) is prepared by a sol–gel method and calcined at 700 °C for 6 h. The material broadens the response region of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) from an ultraviolet–visible region to the whole region of the solar spectrum. It shifts NIR sunlight to visible light which matches the strong absorbing region of the dye (N719). DSSCs based on UC-TiO2 achieved higher conversion efficiency than that on raw TiO2. UC-TiO2 was mixed with commercial raw TiO2 as additive, and the short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage and conversion efficiency of the DSSC reached to the optimum values 13.38 mA/cm2, 0.78 V and 6.63% (AM1.5 global), comparing with the blank values: 7.99 mA/cm2, 0.75 V and 4.07%, respectively. Also the mechanisms of upconversion by multiphoton absorption and energy transfer processes are interpreted in this paper.

Pathogenic protein fibrils have been shown in vitro to have nucleation-dependent kinetics despite the fact that one-dimensional structures do not have the size-dependent surface energy responsible for the lag time in classical theory. We present a theory showing that the conformational entropy of the peptide chains creates a free-energy barrier that is analogous to the translational entropy barrier in higher dimensions. We find that the dynamics of polymer rearrangement make it very unlikely for nucleation to succeed along the lowest free-energy trajectory, meaning that most of the nucleation flux avoids the free-energy saddle point. We use these results to construct a three-dimensional model for amyloid nucleation that accounts for conformational entropy, backbone H bonds, and side-chain interactions to compute nucleation rates as a function of concentration.

CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) are involved in many aspects of plant responses to abiotic stresses. However, their functions are poorly understood in fruit trees. In this study, a salt-induced MdCIPK6L gene was isolated from apple. Its expression was positively induced by abiotic stresses, stress-related hormones and exogenous Ca(2+). MdCIPK6L was not homologous to AtSOS2, however, its ectopic expression functionally complemented Arabidopsis sos2 mutant. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid assay showed that MdCIPK6L protein interacted with AtSOS3, indicating that it functions in salt tolerance partially like AtSOS2 through SOS pathway. As a result, the overexpression of both MdCIPK6L and MdCIPK6LT175D remarkably enhanced the tolerance to salt, osmotic/drought and chilling stresses, but did not affect root growth, in transgenic Arabidopsis and apple. Also, T-to-D mutation to MdCIPK6L at Thr175 did not affect its function. These differences between MdCIPK6L and other CIPKs, especially CIPK6s, indicate that MdCIPK6L encodes a novel CIPK in apple. Finally, MdCIPK6L overexpression also conferred tolerance to salt, drought and chilling stresses in transgenic tomatoes. Therefore, MdCIPK6L functions in stress tolerance crossing the species barriers, and is supposed to be a potential candidate gene to improve stress tolerance by genetic manipulation in apple and other crops.

This paper reviewed recent research in environmental governance as a response to environmental challenges at various spatial, temporal and administrative scales. It documented the shift of approach from regulation to governance, and attempted to provide a comprehensive understanding why and how the transformation occurred. It also described major factors and forces of environmental governance, and discussed research advance in environmental governance theory. Finally, this paper summarized recent research findings on environmental governance in China, and listed policy recommendation for enhancing the governance.

This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between anemia and postoperative chemotherapy in elderly cancer patients.One hundred and fifty-seven elderly patients ( age ≥ 60) with pathologically confirmed breast, lung and digestive tract cancers, who had HGB ≥ 120 g/L and ECOG scores 0-2, were included in this study. We reviewed their clinicopathological data and analyzed the correlation of anemia in breast cancer patients after 1, 3 or 5 cycles and lung cancer patients after 1, 2 or 3 cycles of postoperative chemotherapy.Among the 157 cases, the overall proportion of anemia was 31.8% (50/157) , with 18.8% in male and 47.2% in female patients (P0.001). After three cycles of chemotherapy, the proportion of anemia was 57.9% in lung cancer, 34.5% in breast cancer, 26.3% in gastric cancer and 9.3% in colorectal cancer patients (P0.001). The proportion of anemia during 5 cycles chemotherapy (three cycles in lung cancer) was gradually increasing. In the lung cancer patients, anemia was observed in 66.7% of patients who received vinorelbine plus cispiatin regimen and 25.0% of cases who received vinorelbine regimen chemotherapy (P = 0.044).In most elderly patients with normal hemoglobin level and in good conditions, the chemotherapy-related anemia is mild and less frequent. Age should not limit the adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly cancer patients. Attention should be paid to the possibility of anemia in elderly female lung cancer patients receiving multiple cycle platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.

The construction of model province of national rural informationization, which needs more departments jointly and participants, is a systematic, socialized major project. Hubei provincial government, standing in the angle of planning the province's economic and social development as a whole, proposes the “one Yuan multi-level” development strategy and it has laid a solid foundation to make Hubei province become the construction pilot provinces of “model province of national rural informationization”. In the construction of model province of rural informationization, the open and inclusive concept is of great significance to realize national long-term goals and make the rural information service sustained and long efficient. At the same time, each department and each participation main body coordinate with each other, which realize the integration of rural information service resources and prevent rural information service from redundant and inefficient investment. Therefore, in the construction of model province of national rural informationization, Hubei province need to uphold the open and inclusive concept, further emancipate the mind, and complement each other. It should strengthen organizational leadership, complete the top planning and design, strengthen the department coordination, innovate information services operating mechanism, strengthen integration of information resources and integrated application of service platform, strengthen the system construction and examination management, strengthen the propaganda guidance, and further promote each work of model province carried out smoothly and orderly.

The theoretical model of the ion channel is described and the conductivity mechanism on the single ion channel of biomembrane has been discussed. By starting with the Boltzmann equation, we obtain the distribution function of ions in the single channel and the expression of electric current in the case of the cylindrical symmetry. Our model takes into account the selectivity for different ions and supports the binding site model. It has been shown that the interaction between the ion and the protein and water environment in biomembrane is the key factor. The theoretical relation of current-voltage is in agreement with the experimental values.