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Under natural lighting conditions, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) aerial images contain low-light images, which affect the accuracy of target detection, and detection tasks based on aerial images often have high real-time requirements. To address the above problems, a feature-level adaptive enhancement target detection algorithm for UAV aerial images is proposed. Firstly, an improved Laplace operator is fused with the IAT (illumination adaptive transformer) image enhancement network to enhance the edge features of the target and improve the target detection ability. Secondly, a two-branch structure is used to learn the normal image and the enhanced image in parallel, and the learnt features are fused in an adaptive selection manner to construct a BLENet (bad lighting enhancement net) feature-level adaptive enhancement network, which can adapt to the illumination and enhance the information of the image automatically. Then, the deformable convolutional FS-DC module based on frequency domain separation and the FS-C2F module with parameter sharing are designed so as to reduce the number of model parameters and computational redundancy while enhancing the ability of capturing high-frequency information. Finally, the regression loss function Wise-IoU is improved so that the model further focuses on the medium- and high-quality anchor frames, thus reducing the boundary regression loss and improving the localization accuracy. Experimental results on the publicly available dataset visDrone2023 show that compared with the baseline model, the final model improves the mAP@0.50 by 2.3 percentage points while keeping the FPS at 99 frames per second, which makes it suitable for UAV aerial photography real-time inspection and monitoring tasks under the environment of varying light in the open air.

There are problems of interference between Devices-to-Devices (D2D) communication users and cellular users, mutual interference between D2D communication users, and environmental interference caused by the existence of environmental obstacles in the D2D communication system assisted by Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS). In order to solve the problems, an optimization algorithm aiming at maximizing the total rate of the system is proposed to maintain the high quality of services among cellular users and D2D communication. Simulation experiments show that the total system speed under the tabu search-successive convex approximation algorithm is improved by 56% compared with the phase shift optimization algorithm. The total system speed under the tabu search-successive convex approximation algorithm is improved by 21.2% compared with the power allocation algorithm.

Three-dimensional(3D) Bi2WO6 architecture was successfully synthesized via a hydr-othermal process. The g-C3N4 quantum dots(QDs) were deposited on the surface of as-synthesized 3D Bi2WO6 hierarchical structure to construct the novel Z-scheme g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 heterojunctions via a simple impregnation-calcination method. The morphology, composition and visible-absorptive properties of as-synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, UV-Vis-DRS techniques. Methylene blue(MB) and p-nitrophenol(p-NPh) were selected as model pollutant to investigate the effect of g-C3N4 QDs on the photocataytic activity of Bi2WO6 nanoarchitecture. The results reveal that as-prepared Bi2WO6 exhibits the 3D architecture with the pore size of about 10nm via a simple impregnation-calcination method. g-C3N4 QDs with the size of about 5nm can be deposited on the surface of secondary nanoplate of Bi2WO6. The photocatalytic activity of Z-scheme g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 is superior to the pure g-C3N4 and Bi2WO6, and 10%g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 exhibits the best photocatalytic activity for MB and p-NPh. The apparent rate constant (kapp) for the degradation of MB is as high as 4.5 and 5.8 times, 2.6 and 1.6 times for p-NPh compared to that of pure g-C3N4 and Bi2WO6, respectively. The O2·- is the main reactive species during the photocatalytic process. The catalytic efficiency enhancement of g-C3N4/Bi2WO6 relative to Bi2WO6 or g-C3N4 can be attributed to the formation of heterojunction between g-C3N4 QDs and Bi2WO6, which suppresses the recombination of photogenerated electron/hole pairs as well as broaden the light absorption.

The study aimed to develop a Streptococcus suis type 2 (SS2) vaccine medium with a high antigenic activity. SS2 CVCC60615 strain was used as the experimental object. The SS2 vaccine medium was developed by a single factor test, Plackett-Burman test, steepest ascent test and response surface analysis. The culture medium fermentation verification results showed that the maximum viable count in the culture medium of SS2 vaccine was 1.09 x 109 CFU/mL, which was 2.41 times higher than that obtained by using TSB medium. Through the determination of SS2 antigenic activity at different time points, it was found that the antigenic activity of bacteria was the highest within 1~3 h after the count of viable bacteria reached the maximum in the fermentation culture process of SS2. The mice infection test showed that the inactivated vaccine prepared when the SS2 antigen activity was the highest had a higher IgG antibody titer and a vaccine protection rate than the commercial inactivated vaccine. The study indicates that the inactivated vaccine prepared using the developed high antigen activity SS2 vaccine culture medium has the advantages of high IgG antibody titer and strong immune protection force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MnO2/graphene/polythiophene composites were synthesized by in-situ hydrothermal oxidation-reduction method. The morphology and crystallinity of the composites were characterized with scanning electron microscope ( SEM ) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy ( XRD) . The electrochemical charge-discharge performance of the nanocomposites was tested by the battery test system. The results showed that globulg MnO2 was grown both on the surface of graphene and the gap of large particles of polythiophene in the nanocomposites. The specific capacity of synthesized MnO2/G/PTh composites was 300 mAh/g after the cycle of 20 times, the first charge and discharge efficiency of the nanocomposites with the ratio of 20 : 1 : 0.67 was 46.5%, the discharge capacity was the highest. The charge-discharge stability and coulombic efficiency of the MnO2/graphene/polythiophene nanocomposites were better than that of pristine MnO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsteady characteristics of ventilated cavitating flows around axisymmetric body with a cavitator are addressed by using experimental methods. Cavities around the body are observed by means of a high-speed video camera in the different conditions. The results show that the shapes of the cavities increase with the increase in ventilation rate at the same Froude number, and they develops from the free cavities to the supercavities. In the supercavitating flow stage, a smooth and clear interface exists between main stream and supercavitating region. The cavity shapes decrease with the increase in Froude number at the same ventilation rate. The ventilated air doesn't form a big bubble because the air flows to downstream of flow field with the high speed flow. The unsteady characteristics can be observed in ventilated cavitating now field. The velocity of re-entrant jet increases with the increase in ventilation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To impulse the application of supercavitation in the field of underwater weapon drag-reduction, the characteristics of cavitating flows around axisymmetric body which was with a cavitator were addressed by means of experimental methods. Cavity shapes around the body were obtained by means of a high-speed video camera in different cavitation numbers, and the time-averaged velocity and vorticity distributions were obtained by means of a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. The results show that the high-fluctuating region with lower velocity corresponds to the cavitating area; the velocity in this area is much lower than main stream area. At the cloud cavitation stage, the large vortices become more dispersed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulations and tests for initial disturbances of rocket are the key to analysis dynamic behaviors of Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). The simulation system of launch dynamics for MLRS was developed using transfer matrix method of multi-body system and the theory of launch dynamics. The dynamical responses of multiple launch rocket and its motion patterns within the barrel were simulated. Test system for initial disturbances using new optical lever was developed, and the initial disturbances of big caliber rocket were firstly tested in China. The simulations and test results are in good agreement, which validates the correctness of the theory, simulation, test and measurement techniques. The key technology to improve firing dispersion of MLRS by controlling initial disturbances is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of visible light catalyst Cu -- Bi2WO6 is prepared by hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD and UV--vis DRS. Thiophene in octane solution is used as the model compound, and the desulfurization activity of Cu -- Bi2WO6 is researched by photo--catalytic oxidation in visible light. The effects of catalyst's pH value, mass, irradiation time and air flow on the desulfurization efficiency are also investigated. The results show that the Cu -- Bi2WO6 has a significant red -- shift in the absorption band in the visible region, and the absorption intensity increases greatly for the composite catalyst. The catalyst exhibits the highest activity in neutral condition. When the amount of air is 300 mL/min, catalyst dosage is 0. 5 mg/L, with the 400 W metal halide lamp irradiation for 180 min, the Cu--Bi2WO6 has a better photo -- catalytic oxidation desulfurization effect, and the desulfurization rate can reach 97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes the investigation of the physical parameter identification problem of multibody system. Combining Transfer Matrix Method of Mulibody System (MS-TMM) and the optimization technology based on Genetic Algorithms (GA), a new physical parameter identification method (MS-TMM&GA) is introduced. The dynamic model is developed, and natural vibration of multibody system is analyzed by MS-TMM. The identification problem is exchanged for an optimization problem which is formulated as a global minimum solution of the objective function defined by parameters of natural frequency and augmented eigenvectors of multibody system. And the physical parameters are identified. The computational steps and the flow chart of physical parameter identification based on system modal parameters are presented. Two numerical examples are computed and discussed, which illustrate the feasibility and affectivity of the proposed approach. The proposed method (TMM-GA) combines and extends transfer matrix method of multibody system and genetic algorithm, with the advantages that the global dynamic equations of the complex multibody system are not needed and the orders of involved system matrices are decreased greatly, the high precision and efficiently searching optimal results can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the influences of vibration of launch tube on launching rocket at its initial disturbance stage in Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) were studied in the paper. In practical engineering there are noises during vibration control of MLRS. The dynamical model of MLRS based on transfer matrix of multi-body system was built. In independent modal space, H2 optimal controller is designed to control vibration of launch tube of MLRS. Numerical simulations of dynamical response of MLRS under Control have been carried Out. PD controller is contrasted with H2 optimal one. The numerical results indicate that H2 optimal controller enables the system to have good transient state and stable state performance, thus better resistance to disturbance. It can effectively curb the noise interference, strengthen the system robust performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess a density modify based turbulence model,the unsteady cloud cavitating flow around a Clark-y hydrofoil is investigated by coupled experimental and numerical methods. A high speed camera is used to visualize the flow structures, and laser Doppler velocity (LDV) is employed for velocity measurement. The numerical simulations are conducted on the two dimensional hydrofoil section, the different turbulence models including the density modify based turbulence model are used for computation. It is shown that the new model can predict successively the characteristic of cavitation and the detail process of the cavitation shedding through adjusting the eddy viscosities. The average flow velocity values accord basically with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic model of multibody system was developed for the damping system of strapdown inertial navigation. The transfer equations and transfer matrices of the damping system were derived, and the overall transfer equation, the overall transfer matrix and the power spectrum density of the system response were obtained by Transfer Matrix Method of multibody system. The general method for vibration analysis and the proposed method were respectively used to obtain the dynamic responses of the damping system with random input. The feasibility and effectiveness of this method was verified by the simulation results. The method had numerous advantages of modeling flexibility and higher computational speed without developing global dynamics equations. Compared with other dynamic methods, the method was more beneficial to analysis for laser gyro strapdown inertial navigation system, and a new method has been provided for designing the damping system of strapdown inertial navigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By building the general analysis method for chain multibody system with feedback control and constructing the corresponding Control Component, the Discrete Time Transfer Matrix Method for Controlled Multibody System (CMS-DT-TMM) is developed. When using this method to study controlled multibody system dynamics, the global dynamics equations will not be required. With the advantages of modeling flexibility and higher computational speed, the proposed method is more efficient in dynamic design and real-time control for the complex controlled multibody system than other methods of the multibody systems dynamics. Using a combined scheme of PD feedback and command voltages applied to PZT actuators, which are bonded to the surface of the flexible link, and basing on the proposed method, the corresponding transfer matrixes of flexible one-link manipulator system is developed, and the trajectory tracking and active vibration control are achieved. Numerical simulation is given to validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsteady cavitating flows around a Clark-Y hydromantic hydrofoil is studied by using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) system. It is used to measure the cavity shapes and velocity and vorticity fields. The experiment results show that, firstly, with the decrease of the cavitation number, different flow structure characteristics can be observed in the cavitating flows, for unsteady cloud cavitating, a selfoscillation behavior of the whole sheet cavitation is obtained, with large length fluctuations and vapor cloud shedding; as the flow structure changes, there are obvious differences between the velocity distributions of cavitation flows, the high-fluctuating region with lower velocity gradually expands with the decrease of cavitation number, and the lower velocity area relates to the cavitation area. In various stages of cavitation, the vorticity concentrated in the rear vortex separation region. In cloud cavitation stage, more vortices structures can be seen in the cavitation area due to the frequently mass and momentum transformation, for vorticity gathering area, the original vortex changed into a large group of scattered distribution of vorticity, and also, the vortex regions expanded significantly [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cavitating flow around an axisymmetric blunt body is studied based on the experiments and numerical simulations. A high-speed video camera is used to observe the processes of cavity development and shedding. A partially-averaged Navier-Stokes (PANS) method which is a hybrid RANS/LES turbulent model is applied in numerical simulation. The results show that the characteristics of cavity developing and shedding vary as cavitation number is changed. With the decrease in the cavitation number, the period of cavity developing increases and the shedding of small scale vortices occurs. Moreover, it is found that the shedding generally contains two processes; cavity break-off and cavity shedding. The cavity break-off probably occurs at the location which is about 0. 3D away from the shoulder. The cavity sheds with U-vortex type which is induced by the re-entrant flow. In addition, the cavity tends to be steady when the break-off cavity is in conjunction with the attached cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the variation of lung tissue dielectric properties with tidal volume under in vivo conditions to provide reliable and valid a priori information for techniques such as microwave imaging. In this study, the dielectric properties of the lung tissue of 30 rabbits were measured in vivo using the open-end coaxial probe method in the frequency band of 100 MHz to 1 GHz, and 6 different sets of tidal volumes (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 mL) were set up to study the trends of the dielectric properties, and the data at 2 specific frequency points (433 and 915 MHz) were analyzed statistically. It was found that the dielectric coefficient and conductivity of lung tissue tended to decrease with increasing tidal volume in the frequency range of 100 MHz to 1 GHz, and the differences in the dielectric properties of lung tissue for the 6 groups of tidal volumes at 2 specific frequency points were statistically significant. This paper showed that the dielectric properties of lung tissue tend to vary non-linearly with increasing tidal volume. Based on this, more accurate biological tissue parameters can be provided for bioelectromagnetic imaging techniques such as microwave imaging, which could provide a scientific basis and experimental data support for the improvement of diagnostic methods and equipment for lung diseases.

Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of death in diabetic patients. Among them, diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of specific cardiomyopathy excluding myocardial damage caused by hypertension and coronary heart disease. It is characterized by abnormal metabolism of cardiomyocytes and gradual decline of cardiac function. The clinical manifestations of DCM are impaired diastolic function in early stage and impaired systolic function in late stage. Eventually it developed into heart failure. Mitochondria are the main organelles that provide energy in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondrial dynamics refers to the dynamic process of mitochondrial fusion and fission, which is an important approach for mitochondrial quality control. Mitochondrial dynamics plays a crucial role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and cardiac function. The proteins that regulate mitochondrial fission are mainly Drp1 and its receptors, Fis1, MFF, MiD49 and MiD51. The protein that performs mitochondrial outer membrane fusion is Mfn1/2, and the inner membrane fusion protein is Opa1. This paper reviews recent progress on mitochondrial dynamics in DCM. The main contents are as follows: mitochondrial dynamics imbalance in both type 1 and 2 DCM is manifested as increased fission and inhibited fusion. The molecular mechanism of the former is mainly associated with up-regulated Drp1 and down-regulated Opa1, while the molecular mechanism of the latter is mainly associated with up-regulated Drp1 and down-regulated Mfn1/2. Increased mitochondrial fission and inhibited fusion can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and promote the development of DCM. The active ingredients of the traditional Chinese medicine such as punicalagin, paeonol and endogenous substance melatonin can improve mitochondrial function and alleviate the symptoms of DCM by inhibiting mitochondrial fission or promoting mitochondrial fusion. This article is helpful to further understand the role and mechanism of mitochondrial dynamics in DCM, and provide new treatment methods and intervention strategies for clinical DCM patients based on mitochondrial dynamics.

In this paper, the differences between air probe and filled probe for measuring high-frequency dielectric properties of biological tissues are investigated based on the equivalent circuit model to provide a reference for the methodology of high-frequency measurement of biological tissue dielectric properties. Two types of probes were used to measure different concentrations of NaCl solution in the frequency band of 100 MHz-2 GHz. The results showed that the accuracy and reliability of the calculated results of the air probe were lower than that of the filled probe, especially the dielectric coefficient of the measured material, and the higher the concentration of NaCl solution, the higher the error. By laminating the probe terminal, liquid intrusion could be prevented, to a certain extent, to improve the accuracy of measurement. However, as the frequency decreased, the influence of the film on the measurement increased and the measurement accuracy decreased. The results of the study show that the air probe, despite its simple dimensional design and easy calibration, differs from the conventional equivalent circuit model in actual measurements, and the model needs to be re-corrected for actual use. The filled probe matches the equivalent circuit model better, and therefore has better measurement accuracy and reliability.

This study aims to propose a multifrequency time-difference algorithm using spectral constraints. Based on the knowledge of tissue spectrum in the imaging domain, the fraction model was used in conjunction with the finite element method (FEM) to approximate a conductivity distribution. Then a frequency independent parameter (volume or area fraction change) was reconstructed which made it possible to simultaneously employ multifrequency time-difference boundary voltage data and then reduce the degrees of freedom of the reconstruction problem. Furthermore, this will alleviate the illness of the EIT inverse problem and lead to a better reconstruction result. The numerical validation results suggested that the proposed time-difference fraction reconstruction algorithm behaved better than traditional damped least squares algorithm (DLS) especially in the noise suppression capability. Moreover, under the condition of low signal-to-noise ratio, the proposed algorithm had a more obvious advantage in reconstructions of targets shape and position. This algorithm provides an efficient way to simultaneously utilize multifrequency measurement data for time-difference EIT, and leads to a more accurate reconstruction result. It may show us a new direction for the development of time-difference EIT algorithms in the case that the tissue spectrums are known.

Objective: To investigate the role of the pannexin-1 (Panx1) protein in the invasion and migration of testicular cancer Tcam-2 cells and its possible action mechanism., Methods: Tcam-2 cells were treated with carbenoxolone (CBX) at 100 μmol/L and probenecid (PBN) 200 μmol/L. Then the intercellular fluorescence transmission was assessed by real-time fluorescence assay, the extracellular ATP concentration measured by chemi-luminescence immunoassay, the invasive and migratory abilities of the Tcam-2 cells detected by Transwell assay, and the expressions of the proteins Panx1, p-ERK1/2, ERK1/2, vimentin, MMP-9 and E-cadherin in the TM3 Leydig cells and testicular cancer Tcam-2 cells determined by Western blot., Results: Western blot showed that the expression of the Panx1 protein was significantly higher in the testicular cancer Tcam-2 cells than in the TM3 Leydig cells (2.79 ± 0.17 vs 1.00 ± 0.06, P<0.05). The rates of intercellular fluorescence transmission in the Tcam-2 cells treated with CBX and PBN were markedly decreased as compared with the blank control group (［61.54 ± 3.30］% and ［68.06 ± 4.03］% vs ［99.50 ± 3.12］%, P<0.01), and so were the extracellular ATP concentrations (［57.06 ± 5.80］% and ［56.42 ± 7.70］% vs ［110 ± 8.16］%, P<0.01). The numbers of migrated Tcam-2 cells in the CBX and PBN groups were significantly reduced in comparison with that in the control (11.5 ± 1.11 and 8.25 ± 1.23 vs 331.00 ± 30.80, P<0.05), and so were those of the invaded ones (11.75 ± 3.77 and 11.5 ± 3.5 vs 89.00 ± 13.09, P<0.01). CBX and PBN significantly down-regulated the expression of p-ERK1/2 as compared with that in the blank control group (0.538 ± 0.05 and 0.476 ± 0.02 vs 0.98 ± 0.03, P<0.05), as well as those of vimentin (0.541 ± 0.09 and 0.705 ± 0.07, P<0.01) and MMP-9 (0.439 ± 0.08 and 0.557 ± 0.065, P<0.01) but up-regulated that of E-cadherin (3.896 ± 0.06 and 3.551 ± 0.04, P<0.01)., Conclusions: The Panx1 protein is highly expressed in testicular cancer Tcam-2 cells. CBX and PBN can inhibit the function of the panneixn1 channel and reduce the invasive and migratory abilities of the Tcam-2 cells, which is associated with the decreased expression of the p-ERK1/2 protein.

Brassinosteroid (BR) is a class of plant-specific steroidal hormone and plays vital roles in plant growth, developmental and stress response. As the core component of BR signaling, the BES1/BZR1 transcription factors are activated by the BR signal, bind to the E-box (CANNTG) or BRRE element (CGTGT/CG) enriched in the promoter of downstream target genes and regulate their expression. Besides BR signal transduction, BES1/BZR1s are also involved in other signaling pathways such as abscisic acid, gibberellin and light to co-regulate plant growth and development. Recently, BES1/BZR1s were found to be related to stress resistance. In this review, we summarize recent advances of molecular mechanism of the BES1/BZR1 transcription factors regulating plant growth, development and stress resistance through signal transduction to provide a reference for related researches.

To obtain data for the accumulation of Pb and its risk in soils in the Xijiang River drainage of Guangxi, 2594 samples were collected from nonferrous metal mining soils, farmland soils (paddy soils and dryland soils), and the background soils in the drainage area. Geostatistical analysis combined with GIS was used to study the soil spatial distribution characteristics and pollution distribution of the soil Pb content. The results showed that the Pb background value of the soil was 51.84 mg ·kg -1 in the Xijiang River Basin, and the results of the single sample T test showed that the soil background value was significantly higher than that of a previous study (22.08 mg ·kg -1 ) and the soil background value (20.50 mg ·kg -1 ) in Guangxi province. The geometric mean concentration of Pb in the mining soils, dryland soils, and paddy soils were 655.9, 116.7, and 40.63mg ·kg -1 , respectively, significantly higher than that in other soils. Using GB 15618-1995 and the baseline as the limiting value, the corresponding exceedance rate of the mining soils, dryland soils, and paddy soils were 57.69%, 16.40%, and 8.92% and 54.95%, 8.09%, and 2.03%. The mining soils and farmland soils had an obvious lead accumulation trend. There was an obvious spatial autocorrelation of Pb in the soil, and the structural variation was dominant. The content of Pb in the upper reaches of the Xijiang River reached the middle and lower reaches of the Xijiang River, and the soil Pb was characterized by an obvious decrease. The accumulation of high Pb content in the upper reaches of Diaojiang River is much larger than that in the lower reaches of Diaojiang River. The content of Pb in soil samples in the Xijiang River Basin was mainly rated between mild pollution and moderate pollution, and the pollution was concentrated in the municipal administrative area and the mining activity area. The pollution of the soil in Jinchengjiang and Nandan counties was closely related to the frequent local mining activities.

Nandan county is usually called "land of nonferrous metals". In order to discuss the impact of mining activities on the health of inhabitants in Nandan county, 200 human hair samples were collected from 4 villages (Liuzhai is a uncontaminated contrast areas, Chehe, Dachang and Zhanglao are contaminated areas) of Nandan and analyzed for contents of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn. The results showed that the average contents of As, Sb, Cd and Pb were 1.260, 2.161, 2.466 and 20.92 μg·g -1 in the human hair samples from contaminated areas. They were 4.0, 20, 2.1 and 1.9 times higher than those in the contrast areas, and the Sb contents in human hair of Chehe and Dachang were higher than the recommended normal range. The contents of human hair Zn showed a negative correlation with the age of people ( P <0.05), and contents of human hair Cd and Pb showed a weak negative correlation with the age of people in contaminated areas ( P <0.1). The independent-samples t -test showed that Cd contents in male hair were apparently higher than those in female hair ( P <0.05), however, Cu and Zn contents in female hair were apparently higher than those in male hair ( P <0.05), in the contaminated areas. There were positive correlations between As and Sb, Cd and Pb, as well as As and Cd ( P <0.01), while other elements showed no significant correlation between pairs. It was therefore concluded that contamination from the mining activities has exposed a serious threat to human health in the mine contaminated areas in Nandan county.

Objective: To explore a method of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology for preparation of personalized rat brain tissue cavity scaffolds so as to lay the foundation for the repair of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with tissue engineered customized cavity scaffolds., Methods: Five male Sprague Dawley rats[weighing (300±10) g] were induced to TBI models by electric controlled cortical impactor. Mimics software was used to reconstruct the surface profile of the damaged cavity based on the MRI data, computer aided design to construct the internal structure. Then collagen-chitosan composite was prepared for 3D bioprinter of bionic brain cavity scaffold., Results: MRI scans showed the changes of brain tissue injury in the injured side, and the position of the cavity was limited to the right side of the rat brain cortex. The 3D model of personalized cavity containing the internal structure was successfully constructed, and cavity scaffolds were prepared by 3D printing technology. The external contour of cavity scaffolds was similar to that of the injured zone in the rat TBI; the inner positive crossing structure arranged in order, and the pore connectivity was good., Conclusions: Combined with 3D reconstruction based on MRI data, the appearance of cavity scaffolds by 3D printing technology is similar to that of injured cavity of rat brain tissue, and internal positive cross structure can simulate the topological structure of the extracellular matrix, and printing materials are collagen-chitosan complexes having good biocompatibility, so it will provide a new method for customized cavity scaffolds to repair brain tissue cavity after TBI.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of bio-impedance spectroscopy (BIS) analysis for marginal tissue malignancy/benignancy identification during Breast-Conserving Surgery (BCS)., Methods: A multicenter parallel-group clinical trial was conducted with the patients who received breast conserving surgery in 2 hospitals. One hundred and fifty breast tissue specimens were collected and analyzed by BIS, frozen section biopsy and paraffin section biopsy respectively. Results were compared and statistical analysis was implemented., Results: For BIS technique to identify malignant/benign marginal tissues, the sensitivity was 92.98%, and the specificity was 94.62%. The coherence of BIS results and frozen section biopsy results was significant, and the Kappa value was higher than 0.75. The mean measuring time of BIS was 2.63 min, which was shorter than frozen section biopsy (18.97 min) and paraffin section biospy (1.12 d)., Conclusion: BIS technique likely has high accuracy in tissue identification so has potential to be adopted as a real-time indicator for marginal tissue malignancy/benignancy identification during breast-conserving surgery.

Due to the collapse of the Pb/Zn tailing dam of Huanjiang, Guangxi, the farmland along Huanjiang River are strongly acidic and heavy metal-contaminated, resulting in the loss of agricultural production. To explore some remedies and the migration of heavy metals in heavy metal contaminated-soil of Huanjiang, this study investigated the effects of different types of amendments (lime, calcium magnesium phosphate, organic fertilizer, polypropylene amide) on tested soils through soil leaching test. The results showed that T1 soil was severely acidified, reducing the pH of the soil layer to clean contact, while T2, T3, T4, T5 could significantly improve the contaminated soil pH, ranging from 2.7 to 3.2, 1.6 to 2.7 respectively. Compared with T1, in the contaminated soil at 0-20 cm, T2, T3, T4, T5 could effectively activate Pb and immobilize Zn. Compared with T1, in 20-60 cm clean soil, there was no significant differences in the effect of different treatments on DTPA-Pb and DTPA-Zn (P < 0.05). Compared with T1, T4 and T5 could provide good growing conditions for plants, which might provide technical support for future measurements such as bioremediation.

The present work investigated the variations in the active characteristics of sludge during the operation period of an aeration membrane bioreactor, as well as their effects on the fouling of membrane module. Through discharging the excess sludge, the concentration of the mixed liquor was maintained at around 4 000 mg x L(-1) for 75 days, during which the characteristics of sludge were carefully tested every day to reflect its variation. Results indicated the dehydrogenase activity increased with the prolonging operation time. The increased activity of dehydrogenase had two effects on the operation of the bioreactor, one was the enhancement of pollutant removal by the microorganisms, while the other effect was the increase of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), which led to a deteriorative effect on the membrane fouling. During the operation of the bioreactor, the sludge yield coefficient first increased, and then decreased to a certain degree with obvious decrease in particle size and increase in the amount of EPS, which also enhanced the quality of the effluent. At the same time, protozoon and metazoan were observed in the whole bioreactor at the late operational phase but relatively rare at the initial phase. Analysis of membrane fouling showed that the fouling rate of the membrane module increased during the late operational period, which was attributed to the deposition of fine sludge particles and EPS caused by the decreased particle size of the sludge and the increased amount of EPS.

The present work focused on a rapid enrichment and cultivation of denitrifying phosphate-removal bacteria (DPB) in a membrane bio-reactor(MBR) by using A2/O anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant as seed, as well as providing an identification method. In the experiments, sodium acetate was used as the carbon source and a certain amount of nitrate was added to the MBR in the anoxic stage. Results showed that, with the efficient trap of the hollow-fiber membrane module, the proportion of DPB in all the phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) increased from 24% to 93% within 35 days after two-stage's cultivation including anaerobic/aerobic and anaerobic/anoxic, during which the removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus reached more than 90%. The activated sludge was identified by combining a regular method and the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, which demonstrated that Pseudomonas sp. and Rhodocyclus sp. were the dominant bacteria in the used bioreactor.

Aim: To explore the mechanisms by which splicing factor SC35 regulates the costimulatory molecule B7-H3 expression in vitro through bioinformatic and molecular biological methods., Methods: We screened some regulatory proteins which might take part in regulating B7-H3 expression using bioinformatic methods. Then RNA interference (RNAi) and real-time PCR were performed to test if these proteins took part in the regulation., Results: Splicing factor SC35, SRP40 and SF50 might play an important role in the regulation of B7-H3 expression. In PHA-activated T cells, B7-H3 was upregulated obviously and at the same time SC35 was also upregulated. When we suppressed SC35 expression using RNAi, we found B7-H3 was also downregulated., Conclusion: Splicing factor SC35 might take part in the regulation of B7-H3 expression, which could help understand B7-H3 biological function.

For improving the performance and sludge settling property of an activated sludge reduction process with uncoupler, in this investigation, uncoupler and nano-sized magnetic particles were added simultaneously to a sequencing batch reactor for exploring their synergistic effects to the characteristics of activated sludge. The results showed that the volume reduction of sludge reached 41% with single 2,4,5-Trichlorophenol (TCP) Comparing with the control experiment, the biodegradability and settling properties of the activated sludge decreased. Under the actions of TCP combined with nano-sized magnetic particles, the volume reduction of sludge reached 34%, the removal efficiencies of COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus as well as the sludge settling property were not significantly influenced. After 31 d's operation, the dehydrogenase activity was improved by 10%-18% and exhibited an accumulative effect over time. It was observed with an optical microscope that the species and amounts of protozoon and metazoan increased and a compact structure of sludge floc was formed. The results also indicated that using nano-sized magnetic particles and uncoupler could restrict the yield of excess sludge and improve the performance of an activated sludge system.

Objective: To explore the changes in metabolites in the greasy tongue coating in patients with chronic gastritis., Methods: Forty chronic gastritis patients presenting with greasy tongue coating, 30 chronic gastritis patients presenting with non-greasy tongue coating, and 20 healthy control persons presenting with light red tongues and thin white coating were enrolled, and the tongue coating was detected by combining artificial diagnosis and the Z-BOX Tongue Digital Analyzer's diagnosis. Samples of all the tongue coatings were collected before treatment. The metabolic fingerprinting of the tongue coating samples was obtained using ultra-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS), and the metabolic components in the tongue coating samples were detected. After this, principal component analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to identify potential metabolic markers. Finally, the components were identified using the Chemspider and HMDB searching., Results: UPLC-MS results were analyzed by OPLS-DA and showed that the metabolites among the three groups were distributed in different regions. The different potential metabolic markers between the patients with or without greasy coating were 3-ketolactose, 2-deoxy-D-ribose, UDP-D-galactose metarhodopsin, ascorbate, picolinate and histidine. The different potential metabolic markers between the greasy coating group and the normal group were 3-ketolactose, UDP-D-galactose, leukotriene A4 and vitamin D(2)., Conclusion: The metabolites of the greasy coating group, the non-greasy coating group and the normal group show significant differences in energy metabolism, mainly of glucose metabolism. This demonstrated that glucose metabolism may be one of the mechanisms leading to the formation of greasy coating.

Objective: To compare the axonal transport of wild-type (WT) and K141N mutant HSP22 in transfected primary cultured cortical neurons., Methods: The plasmid (pCAGGS-HA-wtHSP22 or pCAGGS-HA-K141NHSP22) with WT or K141N mutant HSP22 gene and a GFP-expressing plasmid (pEGFP-N1) were co-transfected respectively into primary cultured cortical neurons. The axonal transport of WT and K141N mutant HSP22 was observed. And the distance traveled by WT and K141N mutant HSP22 was analyzed., Results: The WT HSP22 was transported within axons and uniformly present throughout the entire length of axons. K141N mutant HSP22 failed to be transported to the same extent and was present only in cell body and proximal portion of axons. Analysis of distance traveled revealed that WT HSP22 traveled significantly further than the K141N mutant HSP22., Conclusion: The axonal transport of K141N mutant HSP22 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of CMT2L.

The genetic transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been widely applied to research of transgenic plants. As the vector of the exotic genes, the integration patterns of T-DNA fragments affects not only transformation efficiency and stability, but also expression properties of the transgenes. This review summaries the two major patterns and the rules of T-DNA integration in Agrobacterim-mediated transformation, rules of T-DNA mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, as well as research tools for flanking sequence amplification. It is attempted to provide references for researches on transformation and T-DNA integration mutation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Objective: To investigate the effect of parasympathectomy on secretion of submandibular glands and the feasibility of treatment for xerostomia in rats., Methods: Twenty Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing 200 - 300 g were randomly divided into the experimental group (n = 12), in which the right chorda-lingual nerve was cut, and the control group (n = 8). The secretion of submandibular gland was measured for 5 min by Schirmer test for both groups., Results: The stimulated saliva flow rate decreased on 1st, 12th and 24th week after denervation in the right operated submandibular glands (P < 0.05). No difference in secretion was found between the left non-operated glands and the control group. Comparing with the left non-operated gland and the control gland, the saliva flow rate at rest in the right operated submandibular gland increased on the 1st, 12th and 24th week (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: After parasympathectomy of rat submandibular glands, the saliva flow rate at rest increased in the denervated gland, which suggests that parasympathectomy of submandibular gland might be used as a therapy for xerostomia.

Objective: To investigate the effect of baicalin on pulmonary functions and its mechanism during the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by oleic acid (OA) in rats., Methods: Rats were randomized into 5 groups: control, ARDS (OA induction, 0.12 mg/kg), baicalin-treated group (150 mg/kg), baicalin-treated group (300 mg/kg) and baicalin-treated group (450 mg/kg). The blood samples and lung tissue were collected at 10 min, 1, 2 and 6 h after OA injection. The lung concentration of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was detected by an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit. Meanwhile, blood gas analysis and pulmonary pathological examination were also performed., Results: The level of arterial oxygen partial pressure and oxygenation index decreased (P < 0.01 vs. control) and oxygenation index (190 mm Hg, 1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) reached the diagnostic standard of ARDS at 2 h in ARDS group. In baicalin-treated group (150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg), the level of arterial oxygen partial pressure and oxygenation index increased versus the ARDS group. In baicalin-treated group (450 mg/kg), the level of arterial oxygen partial pressure was undifferentiated at 1, 2 and 6 h (P > 0.05) and decreased at 10 min (46.8 mm Hg, P < 0.05) versus the ARDS group. The level of MPO increased in baicalin-treated (300 mg/kg) and ARDS groups. Compared with the ARDS group, the level of MPO decreased significantly in baicalin-treated group (300 mg/kg) at 10 min, 1 and 2 h. Meanwhile, the pulmonary pathological damage improved in baicalin-treated group (300 mg/kg)., Conclusion: An appropriate dose of baicalin may improve hypoxemia of ARDS induced by OA in rats. It may be due to the inhibition of MPO activity.

The expression of imprinted genes is regulated by epigenetic mechanism. In plant endosperm, the allele of imprinted genes is expressed in a pattern of parent-of-origin-dependent. The expression of imprinted genes plays essential roles in the development of embryos and their annexe structures, as well as seed size, reproductive barriers and apomixis. Along with the progress of plant epigenetic research, the exploration of imprinted genes is becoming hotspot in epigenetic research. This review focused on the parental conflict theory about the origin of imprinted genes, and the latest research advances in expression regulation mechanism of plant imprinted genes, using the examples of the important imprinted genes MEA, FIS2, FWA, MPC, and PHE1 in Arabidopsis, and FIEI and FIE2 in maize.

Objective: To explore the clinical application value of transurethral ureteroscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of hemospermia., Methods: We summed up and analyzed the experience in the diagnosis and treatment of 43 hemospermia patients by transurethral ureteroscopy and douching therapy., Results: The disease causes were clearly determined and the therapeutic procedures successfully accomplished in all the cases. The mean surgical time was 20 (18 -45) minutes. No significant complications developed either intraoperatively or postoperatively. The patients were followed up for 1 -24 months, during which hemospermia symptoms completely disappeared in 35 and were relieved in 6 of the cases, but the other 2 remained unimproved. All the patients had normal sexual life and none experienced retroinfection postoperatively., Conclusion: Transurethral ureteroscopy, advantageous for its safety, high rate of detection, good effect of treatment and fewer complications, deserves to be popularized in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of hemospermia.

Aim: To obtain mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein and to investigate its biological function and effects on T lymphocyte activation., Methods: The genes coding extracellular domain of mouse B7-H3 and the Fc fragment of human IgG1 were amplified from pMD19-T/mouse B7-H3 and pMD19-T/human IgG1 vectors by PCR. The two genes were combined with mouse B7-H3-Fc fragment by overlap PCR. Then the resulting gene fragment was inserted into eukaryotic vector pIRES2-EGFP after digested with EcoR I and Bgl II to construct the recombinant vector pIRES2-EGFP/B7-H3-Fc. The recombinant vector was transfected into CHO cells with LipfectAMINE™ 2000, and the cells were further selected with G418. The collected supernatant of the transfected cell line cultured in serum-free media was ultrafiltrated and concentrated, then purified by Protein G column. The expression of mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein was confirmed by Western blot. Effects of fusion protein on T cells proliferation and cytokine production in vitro was studied by methods of CCK8 and ELISA., Results: The results showed that the transfected CHO cell line secreting mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein was constructed successfully. In vitro, mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein obviously promoted the proliferation of T cells in a dose-dependent manner., Conclusion: A transfected CHO cell line stably expressing mouse B7-H3-Fc fusion protein has been obtained and the B7-H3-Fc fusion protein stimulates the proliferation of T cells and cytokines production in vitro.

In this paper, factors contributing to the formation of pulse wave were analyzed based on hemodynamic principles. It is considered that formation of pulse wave was related to its propagation and reflection characteristics. Propagation of the pulse wave was characterized by pulse wave velocity, and reflection of the pulse wave was characterized by reflection coefficient. Pulse wave velocity and reflection coefficient were proposed as the eigenvectors of pulse wave in pulse diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine, and support vector machine (SVM) was used to recognize slippery pulse, stringy pulse and plain pulse. Pulse wave velocity and reflection coefficient of the slippery, stringy and plain pulses in healthy people were calculated in this study, and SVM with Gaussian radial basis function was used for classifying. Results showed that pulse wave velocity and reflection coefficient with physiological and pathological significance had advantages in distinguishing slippery pulse, stringy pulse and plain pulse, which offered a new idea for recognizing pulse condition.

Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, a key enzyme in trehalose synthesis pathway of plant, plays an important role in response to abiotic stress in xerophilous rock lily and other resurrection plants. In this study, homologous amplification and RACE technique were used to clone gene SpTPS1 for trehalose-6-phosphate synthase from Selaginella pulvinata, which is an endemic xerophilous plant in China. The full-length cDNA is 3223 bp long, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 2790 bp. Protein sequence comparison showed that the pupative amino acid sequence of this ORF shares high similarity to trehalose-6-phosphate synthases of mode species, especially at the conserved sites of catalytic activity centers. Yeast functional complementation test showed that trehalose-6-phosphate synthase mutant (tps1 big up tri, open), transformed by the ORF of SpTPS1 gene, can restore growth on the medium supplemented with glucose as a sole carbon source. This result indicated that SpTPS1 of S. pulvinata encodes for an active protein and is hopeful to be applied in transgenic improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in plant.

Metal elements, especially the heavy metal element, need to be considered for resource utilization of paper sludge. Seventeen kinds of metal elements were determined by ICP-AES method, which were form two kinds of paper sludge from Anhui Shanying paper mill, one kind of paper sludge from Fujian Qingshan paper mill, and one kind of paper sludge from Fujian Zhongzhu paper mill. The results show that there are different amounts of metal elements in the 4 kinds of paper sludge including poisonous metal elements, such as Cr, etc, metal element which is poisonous when excessive, such as Fe, etc, and P and K which are beneficial for plant growth Al and Ca contents are maximal. The recovery ratio for Fujian Zhongzhu paper mill obtained by standard addition method is 94.4%-107.3%. Heavy metal elements content lower than the national standard GB/4284-84 "Control standards for pollutions in sludge form agricultural use". The order of heavy metal elements content is paper sludge from Fujian Zhongzhu paper mill

Objective: To analyze MFN2 gene mutation in Chinese patients Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) and to establish a quick and effective diagnostic method., Methods: Through denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) combined with DNA sequencing, MFN2 gene mutation analysis was carried out in 35 Chinese CMT2 patients including 9 probands of CMT2 pedigree and 26 sporadic CMT2 patients., Results: The investigators found three abnormal sequence variations in MFN2 gene: c.281G-->A, c.395G-->A and c.408A-->T. c.395G-->A (C132T) was a novel causative missense mutation firstly reported while c.281G-->A (R94Q) a hotspot mutation and c.408A-->T (V136V) a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The accuracy and specificity of DHPLC detection reached up to 100%., Conclusion: Through DHPLC combined with DNA sequencing, MFN2 mutations are detected in Chinese CMT2 patients. There are two causative missense mutations: c.395G-->A (C132T) and c.281G-->A (R94Q) and one SNP c.408A-->T (V136V). Such a method is an effective and economic diagnostic screening tool of MFN2 gene in CMT patients on a large scale.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an extensive class of tiny RNA molecules that regulate the expression of target genes by means of complementary base pair interactions. Identification of miRNAs and their target genes is essential to understand the regulation network of miRNAs in gene expression. With the method of bioinformatic computation, we used previously deposited miRNA sequences from Arabidopsis, rice, and other plant species to blast the databases of maize expressed sequence tags and genomic survey sequence that do not correspond to protein coding genes. A total of 11 novel miRNAs were identified from maize following a range of filtering criteria. All the potential miRNA precursors can be folded into the typical secondary structure of miRNA family, despite of variation in length and structure. Using these miRNAs sequences, we further blasted the databases of maize mRNAs and identified 26 target genes for seven of the eleven newly identified miRNAs. These genes encode twenty-six proteins involved in metabolism, signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, transmembrane transport, biostress, and abiostress responses, as well as chloroplast assembly. The identification of these novel miRNAs is a useful complement to the maize miRNA database.

La-Ce codoping nano-TiO2 catalyst was prepared by microwave-assisted sol process with TBT and distilled water as forerunner body, ethanol as solvent and glacial acetic acid as inhibitor. The prepared samples were characterized by using XRD, XPS and UV-Vis techniques. Results of structural characterization indicated that the prepared samples were all pure anatase phase nano-TiO2 and their diffraction peak broadened obviously after La and Ce doping. Results of XPS analysis revealed that La-O bond existed in the samples and many oxygen vacancies were produced on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles after La and Ce codoping. UV-Vis absorption spectra demonstrated that the prepared samples had strong and wide absorption band between 200 and 400 nm and the absorption intensity increased after La and Ce doping because of La(III)-O charge-transfer transition, Ce (IV) f --> d transition and Ce (IV)-O charge-transfer transition. Photocatalytic experiment results showed that the titanium dioxide's photocatalytic activity increased obviously after La and Ce codoping. The optimal parameters for the preparation were obtained by adjusting the mole ratio of La and Ce in photocatalysts. When the doping amount of La and Ce was 2% and 0.04% respectively, the prepared sample exhibited high photocatalytic activity, the decoloration ratio of methyl orange solution was above 90%, and COD removal of cigarette factory wastewater was 86.11%.

Objective: To develop an inquiry scale for diagnosis of heart system syndromes, and to discuss the provisional standardization of the inquiry method in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)., Methods: Based on scale-making method, Chinese medicine theory and literature searching, an inquiry scale for diagnosis of heart system syndromes in TCM was developed. Statistics method, frequency counting and Delphi method were used for analysis. The inquiry scale was revised and tested repeatedly to check the test reliability, internal consistency reliability, and content validity, etc., Results: The inquiry scale for diagnosis of heart system syndromes mainly covered basic data, chief complaint, history of present illness (accompanying symptoms) and past history, with appendix of inspection and palpation information as well as diagnosis made according to traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Among them, general inquiries covered fever and chills, sweating, head-body and chest-belly symptoms, taste and diet, stool and urine, sleep, mood, and gynecologic symptoms, which were scaled in 8 dimensions. And 66 symptom variables were screened finally. The scale had a good content validity and its coefficient alpha was 0.82. For the results of test-retest reliability, the Kappa values of using the scale for diagnosis of heart-qi deficiency, heart-yang deficiency, turbid phlegm, and cold coagulation twice by the same doctor ranged from 0.74 to 1, showing that the consistency of the scale was relatively high. The Kappa values of evaluation of scorer reliability in diagnosis of heart-qi deficiency, heart-yang deficiency, and heart-yin deficiency were also high, which were 0.63, 0.72, 1 and 0.48 respectively. Other results of diagnosis had low-consistency or even no diagnostic agreement., Conclusion: The research on the scale for inquiry in TCM indicates that it is feasible for the standardization of inquiry scale for diagnosis of heart system syndromes in TCM, offering a reference for research on the inquiry scales for other systems.