Search

Boron meter is commonly used for real-time monitoring of boron concentration in the primary circuit water of pressurized water reactors to ensure the safe operation of the reactor. This paper introduces the use of Am-Be neutron source and He-3 neutron detector for a boron meter. It analyzes the physical properties of a boron meter, including the energy spectrum characteristics of Am-Be neutron sources, the sensitivity of He-3 neutron detector, radiation shielding of the boron meter’s detection device, and the fitting relationship between neutron count rate and boron concentration. The boron meter was accurately physically modeled using the MCNP program, and the calculated results were comprehensively compared with experimental results. A method using correction factor μ to adjust the count rate’s calculated results was proposed. The research results show that the sensitivity of He-3 neutron detectors, the dose rate on the surface of the boron meter detection device, neutron count rate, and other calculated results are consistent with the experimental results, verifying the accuracy of the boron physical model. This physical model can be used for more refined computational analysis or to optimize the current physical design of the boron meter, thus saving experimental costs.

Abstract Background To evaluate the improvement of evaluation accuracy of cervical maturity for Chinese women with labor induction by adding objective ultrasound data and machine learning models to the existing traditional Bishop method. Methods The machine learning model was trained and tested using 101 sets of data from pregnant women who were examined and had their delivery in Peking University Third Hospital in between December 2019 and January 2021. The inputs of the model included cervical length, Bishop score, angle, age, induced labor time, measurement time (MT), measurement time to induced labor time (MTILT), method of induced labor, and primiparity/multiparity. The output of the model is the predicted time from induced labor to labor. Our experiments analyzed the effectiveness of three machine learning models: XGBoost, CatBoost and RF(Random forest). we consider the root-mean-squared error (RMSE) and the mean absolute error (MAE) as the criterion to evaluate the accuracy of the model. Difference was compared using t-test on RMSE between the machine learning model and the traditional Bishop score. Results The mean absolute error of the prediction result of Bishop scoring method was 19.45 h, and the RMSE was 24.56 h. The prediction error of machine learning model was lower than the Bishop score method. Among the three machine learning models, the MAE of the model with the best prediction effect was 13.49 h and the RMSE was 16.98 h. After selection of feature the prediction accuracy of the XGBoost and RF was slightly improved. After feature selection and artificially removing the Bishop score, the prediction accuracy of the three models decreased slightly. The best model was XGBoost (p = 0.0017). The p-value of the other two models was

Summary: Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant head and neck cancer with a high incidence in Southern China and Southeast Asia. Patients with remote metastasis and recurrent NPC have poor prognosis. Thus, a better understanding of NPC pathogenesis may identify novel therapies to address the unmet clinical needs. Methods: H3K27ac ChIP-seq and HiChIP was applied to understand the enhancer landscapes and the chromosome interactions. Whole genome sequencing was conducted to analyze the relationship between genomic variations and epigenetic dysregulation. CRISPRi and JQ1 treatment were used to evaluate the transcriptional regulation of SOX2 SEs. Colony formation assay, survival analysis and in vivo subcutaneous patient-derived xenograft assays were applied to explore the function and clinical relevance of SOX2 in NPC. Findings: We globally mapped the enhancer landscapes and generated NPC enhancer connectomes, linking NPC specific enhancers and SEs. We found five overlapped genes, including SOX2, among super-enhancer regulated genes, survival related genes and NPC essential genes. The mRNA expression of SOX2 was repressed when applying CRISPRi targeting different SOX2 SEs or JQ1 treatment. Next, we identified a genetic variation (Chr3:181422197, G > A) in SOX2 SE which is correlated with higher expression of SOX2 and poor survival. In addition, SOX2 was highly expressed in NPC and is correlated with short survival in patients with NPC. Knock-down of SOX2 suppressed tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Interpretation: Our study demonstrated the super-enhancer landscape with chromosome interactions and identified super-enhancer driven SOX2 promotes tumorigenesis, suggesting that SOX2 is a potential therapeutic target for patients with NPC. Funding: A full list of funding bodies that contributed to this study can be found in the Acknowledgements section.

Objective Estrogen receptor-related receptor γ (ERRγ), is implicated in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. The function of ERRγ in tumor angiogenesis, however, is to be revealed. This study was designed to elaborate the regulatory effect of ERRγ on angiogenesis in endometrial cancer (EC).Methods Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was adopted to determine the protein expression of ERRγ, VEGFA, CD31 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in tumor tissues. HEC-1A cells stably expressing ERRγ were established bytransfection, and then an endothelial cell tube formation assay was performed. CCK-8 assay was employed for cell viability, and wound healing assay for cell migration ability. Besides, western blot, ELISA and qRT-PCR were used to examine the VEGFA expression. After hypoxia treatment of ERRγ overexpressing HEC-1A cells, the ERRγ expression and VEGFA expression were determined by western blot. Finally, EC xenografts in nude mice were constructed by subcutaneous injection of ERRγ stably expressing HEC-1A cells and control HEC-1A cells.Results IHC results revealed a negative correlation between the expression of ERRγ and VEGFA in EC tissues. ERRγ overexpression significantly decreased the level of HIF-1 in tumor tissue of nude mice. ERRγ overexpression down-regulated inhibited angiogenesis capability and inhibited the proliferation and migration of HEC-1A cells. Furthermore, ERRγ expression was suppressed under the condition of hypoxia while restoration of ERRγ partially inhibited hypoxia-induced VEGFA expression in HEC-1A cells.Conclusions ERRγ is an angiogenesis suppressor and involved in hypoxia-induced VEGFA expression in EC. Hence, ERRγ might be a promising antiangiogenic target for human EC.

Numerical simulation is becoming an important research method in the field of supersonic flow. Its accuracy and reliability have always been the key to its further application and the focus of current researches. In this study, a series of numerical simulations of transverse supersonic jet in supersonic free flow are carried out based on Reynolds averaged (RANS) solver. Firstly, the flow field structure obtained by different calculation cases is studied, and the mechanism of the difference of flow field structure is described. Furthermore, by changing the accuracy of difference scheme for the convection term and the turbulence model, the different simulation results are compared with the experimental data. The deviation from numerical simulation compared with the experiment is further analyzed to clarify the critical factors affecting the calculation reliability. The results show that improving the accuracy of the scheme cannot effectively improve the calculation results, while choosing an appropriate turbulence model can be helpful to improve the calculation accuracy. When the numerical simulation of jet flow mixing in supersonic flow field is carried out, the conclusions of this study can provide a support for determining the numerical model method and error analysis.

Ischemic stroke is the most common type of cerebrovascular disease with high disability rate and mortality. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the homeostasis of the brain’s microenvironment and impedes the penetration of 98% of drugs. Therefore, effective treatment requires the better drug transport across membranes and increased drug distribution. Nanoparticles are a good choice for drugs to cross BBB. The main pathways of nano delivery systems through BBB include passive diffusion, adsorption-mediated endocytosis, receptor-mediated transport, carrier-mediated transport, etc. At present, the materials used in brain-targeted delivery can be divided into natural polymer, synthetic polymers, inorganic materials and phospholipid. In this review, we first introduced several ways of nano delivery systems crossing the BBB, and then summarized their applications in ischemic stroke. Based on their potential and challenges in the treatment of ischemic stroke, new ideas and prospects are proposed for designing feasible and effective nano delivery systems.

Pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (VECs) are the main damaged cells in the pathogenesis of various respiratory diseases and they mediate the development and regulation of the diseases. Effective intervention targeting pulmonary VECs is of great significance for the treatment of respiratory diseases. A variety of cell markers are expressed on the surface of VECs, some of which can be specifically combined with the drugs or carriers modified by corresponding ligands such as ICAM-1, PECAM-1, and P-selectin, to achieve effective delivery of drugs in lung tissues. In addition, the great endothelial surface area of the pulmonary vessels, the “first pass effect” of venous blood in lung tissues, and the high volume and relatively slow blood perfusion rate of pulmonary capillaries further promote the drug distribution in lung tissues. This review summarizes the representative markers at the onset of respiratory diseases, drug delivery systems designed to target these markers and their therapeutic effects.

BackgroundOrthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a life-saving option for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the expanded OLT criteria remain controversial.ObjectiveThe study aimed to explore whether expanded OLT criteria can be applied to Chinese cirrhotic patients with HCC.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed risk factors for HCC recurrence and death and compared patients’ tumor characteristics and outcomes in groups of Milan, “Up-to-seven,” and Hangzhou criteria, and groups between met and unmet the combinative criteria of “Up-to-seven” and AFP of < 1000 ng/mL.ResultsAmong 153 patients who underwent OLT for HCC from January 2015 to February 2019 in 4 years of follow-up, 20 (13.1%) patients had HCC recurrence, and 11 (7.2%) had HCC-related death. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) of > 1000 ng/mL (hazard ratio [HR]: 10.05, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.45–41.13, P = 0.001) was an independent risk factor for HCC recurrence and HCC-related death (HR: 6.63, 95%CI: 1.31–33.52, P = 0.022). Patients who did not meet Milan criteria but satisfied the “Up-to-seven” criteria had no differences in overall survival (OS) (P = 0.69) and disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.35) than patients who met the Milan criteria. The combination of “Up-to-seven” criteria and AFP of < 1000 ng/mL differed significantly (HR: 18.9; 95% CI: 4.0–89.2; P < 0.001). Patients with HCC who met the “Up-to-seven” criteria and AFP of < 1000 ng/mL (n = 121) had excellent survival with 4-year OS of 91.6% (P < 0.001) and DFS of 90.8% (P < 0.001), which is significantly better compared to the other group (n = 32) (OS of 67.5% and DFS of 46.5%) and patients who met the Milan criteria (n = 108, OS of 89.8%, DFS of 89.6%), allowing 28.9% (13/45) of patients who did not meet the Milan criteria to benefit from OLT.ConclusionChinese cirrhotic patients with HCC who met the combinative criteria of “Up-to-seven” and AFP of < 1000 ng/mL had better survival than those who met the Milan criteria, and these combinative criteria benefited more patients and may become a better option for OLT.

Abstract Bright and low‐cost emitting organic molecules are very desirable for electrochemiluminescence (ECL). Here, we report a facile one‐step, three‐component reaction of readily available precursors to synthesize pyrido[1,2‐α]pyrimidine derivatives (1–4), all which give off green photoluminescence (PL). In contrast, the electrochemistry and ECL properties of these luminophores are affected by the extent of the conjugation and the nature of the peripheral substituents. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations identified the aromatic chain substitution could extend the conjugation of pyrido[1,2‐α]pyrimidine core and stabilize the electrogenerated radicals required for generation of an excited state, affording pyrido[1,2‐α]pyrimidine 3 the highest ECL activity among the studied samples. ECL in annihilation route confirmed weak emission, but great improvement was made using oxidizing co‐reactant species (benzoate radical from benzoyl peroxide, BPO) with an efficiency of 43 % relative to that of Ru(bpy)3(PF6)2. The pyrido[1,2‐α]pyrimidine 3/BPO system is more robust than those of reducing co‐reactant species [tri‐n‐propylamine radical or 2‐(dibutylamino) ethanol radical] and is one of the highest among the reported organic electrochemiluminophores. ECL spectroscopy revealed that the monomeric excited states were the main species to emit light. Their straightforward, one‐step, green synthesis, and their structure tunability represent significant advantages in the development of readily accessible dyes for PL and especially ECL applications.

Abstract Background Vitamin D (VitD) can regulate immune responses and maternal VitD-deficiency can affect immune responses in the offspring. This study aimed at investigating the effects of maternal VitD-deficiency during pregnancy on Treg and Breg responses in offspring mice with house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic airway inflammation. Methods Female BALB/c mice were randomized and fed with normal chow or VitD-deficient diet until their offspring weaned. The offspring mice were fed with normal chow and injected with vehicle or HDM to induce allergic airway inflammation. The levels of serum 25(OH)D, cytokines and infiltrate numbers as well as percentages of Tregs and Bregs in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed. The relative levels of VitD receptor (VDR), VitD-binding protein (VDBP), Cytochromes P450 (CYP) 27b1, and CYP24A1 mRNA transcripts in the lungs of different groups of mice were measured. Results Maternal VitD-deficiency significantly reduced serum 25(OH)D levels in offspring mice. VitD-deficiency significantly increased the relative levels of VDR, VDBP and CYP27B1 mRNA transcripts, but decreased CYP24A1 expression in the lungs of mice. In comparison with the control mice, significantly elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increased numbers of lymphocytes and eosinophils, but decreased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines were detected in the BALF of VitD-deficient mice. VitD-deficiency significantly increased the frequency of Th1, Th2, Th9, Th17 cells, but decreased regulatory T (Tregs) and B cells (Bregs) in the BALF of mice with allergic airway inflammation. Conclusion Maternal VitD-deficiency lowed serum 25(OH)D levels and enhanced HDM-induced allergic airway inflammation in the offspring by impairing Breg and Treg responses.

This study investigates the characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer in a curved circular pipe under an inflow of Ma = 3.0. The pipe consisted of a straight part and a curved part with a turning angle of 36° and a radius of curvature, γ = R/Rc, of γ = 0.0825. The nanoparticle-based planar laser scattering technique was applied to visualize the structure of the instantaneous flow field, and a large eddy simulation was conducted to uncover the physical aspects of development of the turbulent boundary layer. The distributions of density and vorticity, baroclinic pressure caused by the density and pressure gradients, and other physical quantities were analyzed. The asymmetry of the turbulent boundary layer in the curved part of the pipe, as influenced by curvature, secondary flow, and oblique shock, was obtained as the boundary layer on the inner wall gradually thickened while that on the outer wall gradually thinned. The secondary flow took the mainstream outer bend of the curved pipe and drew the low-energy fluid in the boundary layer to its inner bend, which led to the gradual thickening of the turbulent boundary layer from the outer to the inner bend along the circumferential direction. A low-speed region was formed in the downstream region of the inner part. The intersection between the oblique shock wave and the shear layer led to a high baroclinic pressure that promoted the generation of the vortex and forced the boundary layer to turn and inhibit the separation in the inner part.

The features of upper atmospheric midnight density maximum (MDM) around low geographic latitudes are studied based on neutral mass densities data at altitudes 360–480 km, derived from the accelerometer measurements aboard on the three polar orbiting satellites CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload), GRACE-A (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-A), and SWARM-C (The Earth's Magnetic Field and Environment Explorers-C). The MDM appears during the local times from 23:00 to 02:00 LT (Local Time), whose peak locates at the low latitudes within 15 ∘ and two valleys locate at the middle latitudes between 35 ∘ and 45 ∘ on both hemispheres separately. The structure of MDM drifts toward the southern hemisphere overall. The MDM's amplitude decreases with increases in altitude and solar radiation level. The seasonal effect weakens the MDM's amplitudes around the summer and winter solstices, while the amplitudes around the spring and autumn equinoxes are extremely significant due to the slight seasonal difference between both hemispheres. Three atmospheric density models DTM2000 (Drag Temperature Model 2000), NRLMSISE00 (US Naval Research Laboratory Mass Spectrometer and Incoherent Scatter Radar Extended atmosphere model), and JB2008 (Jacchia-Bowman 2008 model) are used to simulate the MDM along these three satellites' orbits, and compared with the observations. It is found that the JB2008 model is failed to describe the MDM, and the other two models underestimate the MDM's amplitudes at altitudes 360 km and 480 km: the simulated amplitudes by the DTM2000 model are 46% and 53% of the observed amplitudes, respectively, and only 33% and 26% for the NRLMSISE00 model. These three models are also failed to depict the MDM's variation with altitude, solar radiation level, and seasonal effects. In order to correct the model prediction, a 6th-order Legendre polynomial of geographic latitude, coupled with arguments of local time and altitude, is designed to fit the MDM signals from the three satellites' observations. In terms of amplitude and phase of the MDM, the fitting results agree with the observations very well, and the correlation coefficient is 0.923. It indicates that this empirical polynomial could be helpful to the density model correction and high accuracy prediction of spacecrafts in low Earth orbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays a key role in pain modulation in the brain. There are high expressions of CGRP and CGRP receptor in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), an important brain structure in pain modulation. The present study explored the role and mechanisms of CGRP and CGRP receptor in nociceptive modulation in ACC in naïve rats and inflammatory rats. Administration of different does of CGRP in ACC induced significant antinociception in a dose-dependent manner in both naïve rats and rats with inflammatory pain. The CGRP-induced antinociception was attenuated by injection of the CGRP receptor antagonist CGRP8-37 in ACC. Interestingly, both CGRP-induced antinociception and CGRP receptor expression decreased in ACC in rats with inflammatory pain compared with naïve rats. Knockdown of CGRP receptor in ACC by siRNA targeting to CGRP receptor attenuated both the CGRP receptor expression and the CGRP-induced antinociception significantly in rats. These findings demonstrate that CGRP and CGRP receptor participate in nociceptive modulation in ACC in rats, inhibiting CGRP receptor expression induces decrease in CGRP-induced antinociception in ACC.

Background/Aims: This study is aimed at identification of miR-195-5p/MMP14 expression in cervical cancer (CC) and their roles on cell proliferation and invasion profile of CC cells through TNF signaling pathway in CC. Methods: Microarray analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and DAVID were used to analyze differentially expressed miRNAs, mRNAs and signaling pathways. MiR-195-5p and MMP14 expression levels in CC cell were determined by qRT-PCR. Western blot was employed to measure MMP14 and TNF signaling pathway-relating protein level. Luciferase reporter system was used to confirm the targeting relationship between MMP14 and miR-195-5p. Cell proliferation and invasion was respectively deeded by CCK8, transwell. In vivo experiment was carried out to study the impact of MMP14 and miR-195-5p on CC development in mice. Results: The microarray analysis and the results of qRT-PCR determined that miR-195-5p was under-expressed and MMP14 was over-expressed in CC cells. GSEA and DAVID analysis showed that TNF signaling pathway was regulated by miR-195-5p/MMP14 and activated in cervical carcinoma cells. The miR-195-5p and MMP14 have a negative regulation relation. In vivo experiment found that down-regulated MMP14 and up-regulated miR-195-5p suppressed the tumor development. Conclusion: Our results suggest that MMP14 is a direct target of miR-195-5p, and down-regulated MMP14 and up-regulated miR-195-5p suppressed proliferation and invasion of CC cells by inhibiting TNF signaling pathway.

In the reported research, they only analyzed the impacts of restraint damping parameters on acoustic characteristics of skin panels, but failed to adopt advanced optimization algorithms to conduct an optimization design on restraint damping effects. In addition, they did not conduct further research on noises in cabins with skin panels as the basis. Aiming at these questions, according to the acoustic model and the PSO-CGA algorithm, the acoustic characteristics of the skin panel were conducted a multi-objective optimization, and a better structure with low noise and light weight was finally obtained. The computational model was also validated by its experimental test. In order to verify the effectiveness of the PSO-CGA algorithm after parameter selection, it was compared with the traditional CGA and PSO algorithm. Three kinds of algorithms adopted the same population to conduct a multi-objective optimization of transmission loss of skin panels. Optimized results showed that: the PSO-CGA model in the paper had a high clustering degree. Transmission loss of most iteration points was obviously more than those of other two kinds of algorithms. Noises in the cabin could be improved effectively.

A deep neural network, while avoiding its complex process of feature selection, requires sufficient training samples to learn those connection weights of adjacent layers. However, in many real applications, not enough training samples are available in all cases. This paper suggests a universal-todomain-specific learning method based on recurrent neural network for cross-domain sentiment classification and activity recognition. In the situation of having only a small amount of training samples that is in available, the structure of its network model can be adjusted flexibly according to the needs of a target domain classification or recognition. Where there are two points of our concern as follows: 1) the finetune and regular constraints can increase its training efficiency by updating in a small local area, namely, sharing these parameters between input and hidden layers with a target domain and 2) then, a linear output network moves on its implementing amelioration from subtlety as an exploration or exploitation in order to mitigate the phenomenon of over-fitting. Aiming at an actual situation, this domain-specific learning model with a slide window of instances and features is designed and implemented for a good long-short term memory. Finally, the two strategies are applied into IMDB reviews, Amazon product reviews, and human activities recognition collected by the built-in gyroscope sensors data, and the experimental results verify their validity.

Three dimensional (3D) bioprinting, which involves depositing bioinks (mixed biomaterials) layer by layer to form computer-aided designs, is an ideal method for fabricating complex 3D biological structures. However, it remains challenging to prepare biomaterials with micro-nanostructures that accurately mimic the nanostructural features of natural tissues. A novel nanotechnological tool, electrospinning, permits the processing and modification of proper nanoscale biomaterials to enhance neural cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and subsequent nerve regeneration. The composite scaffold was prepared by combining 3D bioprinting with subsequent electrochemical deposition of polypyrrole and electrospinning of silk fibroin to form a composite polypyrrole/silk fibroin scaffold. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze scaffold composition. The surface morphology of the scaffold was observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A digital multimeter was used to measure the resistivity of prepared scaffolds. Light microscopy was applied to observe the surface morphology of scaffolds immersed in water or Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium at 37°C for 30 days to assess stability. Results showed characteristic peaks of polypyrrole and silk fibroin in the synthesized conductive polypyrrole/silk fibroin scaffold, as well as the structure of the electrospun nanofiber layer on the surface. The electrical conductivity was 1 × 10−5–1 × 10−3 S/cm, while stability was 66.67%. A 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay was employed to measure scaffold cytotoxicity in vitro. Fluorescence microscopy was used to observe EdU-labeled Schwann cells to quantify cell proliferation. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect S100β immunoreactivity, while scanning electron microscopy was applied to observe the morphology of adherent Schwann cells. Results demonstrated that the polypyrrole/silk fibroin scaffold was not cytotoxic and did not affect Schwann cell proliferation. Moreover, filopodia formed on the scaffold and Schwann cells were regularly arranged. Our findings verified that the composite polypyrrole/silk fibroin scaffold has good biocompatibility and may be a suitable material for neural tissue engineering.

Abstract Background Intrinsically unstructured or disordered proteins function via interacting with other molecules. Annotation of these binding sites is the first step for mapping functional impact of genetic variants in coding regions of human and other genomes, considering that a significant portion of eukaryotic genomes code for intrinsically disordered regions in proteins. Results DisBind (available at http://biophy.dzu.edu.cn/DisBind ) is a collection of experimentally supported binding sites in intrinsically disordered proteins and proteins with both structured and disordered regions. There are a total of 226 IDPs with functional site annotations. These IDPs contain 465 structured regions (ORs) and 428 IDRs according to annotation by DisProt. The database contains a total of 4232 binding residues (from UniProt and PDB structures) in which 2836 residues are in ORs and 1396 in IDRs. These binding sites are classified according to their interacting partners including proteins, RNA, DNA, metal ions and others with 2984, 258, 383, 350, and 262 annotated binding sites, respectively. Each entry contains site-specific annotations (structured regions, intrinsically disordered regions, and functional binding regions) that are experimentally supported according to PDB structures or annotations from UniProt. Conclusion The searchable DisBind provides a reliable data resource for functional classification of intrinsically disordered proteins at the residue level.

Hydraulic support plays a key role in ground control of longwall mining. The smart prediction methods of support load are important for achieving intelligent mining. In this paper, the hydraulic support load data is decomposed into trend term, cycle term, and residual term, and it is found that the data has clear trend and period features, which can be called time series data. Based on the autoregression theory and weighted moving average method, the time series model is built to analyze the load data and predict its evolution trend, and the prediction accuracy of the sliding window model, ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model, and SARIMA (Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model to the hydraulic support load under different parameters are evaluated, respectively. The results of single-point and multipoint prediction test with various sliding window values indicate that the sliding window method has no advantage in predicting the trend of the support load. The ARIMA model shows a better short-term trend prediction than the sliding window model. To some extent, increasing the length of the autoregressive term can improve the long-term prediction accuracy of the model, but it also increases the sensitivity of the model to support load fluctuation, and it is still difficult to predict the load trend in one support cycle. The SARIMA model has better prediction results than the sliding window model and the ARIMA model, which reveals the load evolution trend accurately during the whole support cycle. However, there are many external factors affecting the support load, such as overburden properties, hydraulic support moving speed, and worker’s operation. The smarter model of SARIMA considering these factors should be developed to be more suitable in predicting the hydraulic support load.

Preoperative serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been used as a prognostic indicator for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib or undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, but its significance in predicting survival of HCC patients who received curative resection remains undefined. A total of 683 patients with histopathologically confirmed HCC were enrolled in this study. The prognostic significance of preoperative serum LDH was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and a Cox proportional hazards regression model. The association between the preoperative serum LDH and clinicopathological parameters was evaluated by the χ2 test or linear regression analysis when appropriate. Higher preoperative serum LDH level was associated with worse prognosis. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, the preoperative serum LDH level could predict overall survival and recurrence independently. Higher preoperative serum LDH level is associated with the elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein, the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen, larger tumor size, the presence of macrovascular invasion, the advanced tumor–lymph node–metastasis stage, worse tumor differentiation, and Child-Pugh B. Preoperative serum LDH level was an inexpensive, simple, convenient, and routinely measured biomarker exhibiting a potential to select patients at high risk with poor clinical outcome for appropriate treatment strategies.

A novel method for producing high-quality lycopene from Blakeslea trispora through submerged fermentation is studied. 2-Isopropylimidazole at 300 mg/L completely inhibited lycopene cyclase, which limited the accumulation of γ-carotene and β-carotene. 2-Isopropylimidazole also intensified the metabolic flow of lycopene by increasing the expression levels of key enzymes involved in the lycopene synthetic pathway. Ketoconazole at 20 mg/L reduced the metabolic flow of ergosterol and increased lycopene content and production by 76.6% and 64.3%, respectively. Lycopene accounted for approximately 96% of the total carotenoids, whereas cis-lycopene accounted for approximately 35% of the total lycopene. The content and nutritional quality of lycopene from B. trispora were higher than those of lycopene from tomatoes. B. trispora is an ideal source of natural lycopene.

The design and synthesis of 5,7-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-2-thioaceto-(2-fluorobenzyl) hydrazone (TPTH), which self-assembled into supramolecularmicrofibers with blue organic light-emitting properties, is reported. This is the firstoccurrence of the molecular self-assembly of 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives.

This work centered on the double-toggle clamping mechanism with diagonal-five points for the high-speed precise plastic injection machine. Based on Lagrange equations, the differential equations of motion for the beam elements are established, in a rotating coordinate system and an absolute coordinate system, respectively. 43 generalized coordinates and a model matrix for the mechanism are created and some coordinate matrices are derived. By coupling the coordinate transformation and matrix manipulation, a high nonlinear and strong time-variant elastic dynamic model is obtained. Based on the dynamic model, a Kineto-Elasto Dynamics (KED) analysis and a Kineto-Elasto Static (KES) analysis are carried out, respectively. By comparing and analyzing the simulation results of KED and KES, the regularity of elastic vibration of the clamping mechanism in high-speed clamping process has been revealed.

Background: Receptor interacting serine/threonine kinase 1 (RIPK1) mediates apoptosis by regulating the classic proapoptotic effectors Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (Bak). Although Bcl-2-related ovarian killer (Bok) is structurally similar to Bak and Bax, it is unclear whether it mediates apoptosis in skeletal muscle ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury. We hypothesized that by regulating Bok-mediated apoptosis, inhibiting RIPK1 with necrostatin-1 would reduce skeletal muscle IR injury. Methods: Rats were randomized into four groups: sham (SM), IR, IR treated with necrostatin-1 (NI), or vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide (DI). For the IR group, the right femoral artery was clamped for 4 hours and then reperfused for 4 hours, and for the NI and DI groups, necrostatin-1 (1.65 mg/kg) and the equal volume of dimethyl sulfoxide were intraperitoneally administered prior to IR induction. The structural damage of muscle tissue and protein expression of Bok, Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase-3 were investigated, and apoptotic cells were identified with terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining. In vitro, human skeletal muscle cells (HSMCs) were exposed to 6 hours of oxygen-glucose deprivation followed by normoxia for 6 hours to establish an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model. To determine the role of Bok, cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and flow cytometry were examined to demonstrate the effects of necrostatin-1 and Bok knockdown on the OGD/R insult of HSMCs. Results: Necrostatin-1 pretreatment markedly reduced IR-induced muscle damage and RIPK1, Bok, and cleaved caspase-3 expression, whereas upregualted Bcl-2 expression (p < 0.05). Furthermore, necrostatin-1 prevented mitochondrial damage and decreased TUNEL-positive muscle cells (p < 0.05). In vitro, HSMCs treated with necrostatin-1 showed reduced Bok expression, increased cell viability, and reduced LDH release in response to OGD/R (p < 0.05), and Bok knockdown significantly blunted the OGD/R insult in HSMCs. Conclusion: Necrostatin-1 prevents skeletal muscle from IR injury by regulating Bok-mediated apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) and Th17 cells are known to be involved in the alloreactive responses in organ transplantation, but little is known about the relationship between Tregs and Th17 cells in the context of liver alloresponse. Here, we investigated whether the circulating Tregs/Th17 ratio is associated with acute allograft rejection in liver transplantation. In present study, thirty-eight patients who received liver transplant were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups: acute allograft rejection group (Gr-AR) (n = 16) and stable allograft liver function group (Gr-SF) (n = 22). The frequencies of circulating Tregs and circulating Th17 cells, as well as Tregs/Th17 ratio were determined using flow cytometry. The association between Tregs/Th17 ratio and acute allograft rejection was then analyzed. Our results showed that the frequency of circulating Tregs was significantly decreased, whereas the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was significantly increased in liver allograft recipients who developed acute rejection. Tregs/Th17 ratio had a negative correlation with liver damage indices and the score of rejection activity index (RAI) after liver transplantation. In addition, the percentages of CTLA-4(+), HLA-DR(+), Ki67(+), and IL-10(+) Tregs were higher in Gr-SF group than in Gr-AR group. Our results suggested that the ratio of circulating Tregs/Th17 cells is associated with acute allograft rejection, thus the ratio may serve as an alternative marker for the diagnosis of acute rejection.

Ordered porous solid-state architectures constructed via non-covalent supramolecular self-assembly have attracted increasing interest due to their unique advantages and potential applications. Porous metal-coordination organic frameworks (MOFs) are generated by the assembly of metal coordination centers and organic linkers. Compared to MOFs, porous hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) are readily purified and recovered via simple recrystallization. However, due to lacking of sufficiently ability to orientate self-aggregation of building motifs in predictable manners, rational design and preparation of porous HOFs are still challenging. Herein, we summarize recent developments about porous HOFs and attempt to gain deeper insights into the design strategies of basic building motifs.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α) is an inflammatory cytokine which may play important role on the immune response may control the progression of cervical lesions. There is a possible association between TNF-α rs1800629 G/A polymorphism and cervical lesions, but previous studies report conflicting results. We performed a meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the association between TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and cervical lesions risk. METHODS: Literature searches of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Wanfang databases were performed for all publications on the association between TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and cervical lesions through December 15, 2012. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence interval (95%CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association. RESULTS: Twenty individual case-control studies from 19 publications with a total of 4,146 cases and 4,731 controls were finally included into the meta-analysis. Overall, TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of cervical lesions under two main genetic comparison models (For A versus G: OR 1.22, 95%CI 1.04-1.44, P = 0.017; for AA versus GG: OR 1.32, 95%CI 1.02-1.71, P = 0.034). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity further showed that there was a significant association between TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and increased risk of cervical lesions in Caucasians but not in Asians. Subgroup analysis by the types of cervical lesions showed that there was a significant association between TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism and increased risk of cervical cancer (For A versus G: OR 1.24, 95%CI 1.05-1.47, P = 0.011; for AA versus GG: OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.01-1.70, P = 0.043; for AA/GA versus GG: OR 1.25, 95%CI 1.01-1.54, P = 0.039). CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis suggests that TNF-α rs1800629 polymorphism is associated with increased risk of cervical lesions, especially in Caucasians.

In the title complex, (C2H7N2)2[Mn(C14H6N2O4)2]·7H2O, the MnII atom is coordinated by four N atoms and four O atoms from two 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylate ligands in a distorted dodecahedral geometry. The double negative charge is balanced by two ethanamidinium cations. A three-dimensional supramolecular structure is formed through N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.553 (2) Å].

In the title compound, C5H8N3+·C24H20B−·C20H18N6, the 1,2-bis(5,7-dimethyl-1,8-naphthyridin-2-yl)diazene molecule is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0045 Å) and aligned in nearly coplanar manner with the 2,6-diaminopyridinium ion, making a dihedral angle of 5.19 (5)°. The diaminopyridine molecule is protonated on the central pyridine N atom and the B atom bears the counter-charge. The amine groups of the diamino pyridinium cation form intramolecular N—H...N hydrogen bonds, resulting in linear and bent interactions with the naphthyridine ring system.

The [2 + 2] photochemical additions of 1,3-dimethylthymine (DMT) with benzophenone and its 4,4'-substituted derivatives (BPs), difluoro, di-tert-butyl, and dimethoxy benzophenones, are investigated at a temperature range from -40 to 70 degree Celsius. The photochemical reactions, which are cycloaddition of the 5-6 double bond of DMT with the carbonyl group of BPs, reveal largely temperature-dependent regioselectivity.