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Tacrolimus, one of the macrolide calcineurin inhibitors, is the most frequently used immunosuppressant after transplantation. Long-term administration of tacrolimus leads to dyslipidemia and affects liver lipid metabolism. In this study, we investigated the mode of action and underlying mechanisms of this adverse reaction. Mice were administered tacrolimus (2.5 mg·kg−1·d−1, i.g.) for 10 weeks, then euthanized; the blood samples and liver tissues were collected for analyses. We showed that tacrolimus administration induced significant dyslipidemia and lipid deposition in mouse liver. Dyslipidemia was also observed in heart or kidney transplantation patients treated with tacrolimus. We demonstrated that tacrolimus did not directly induce de novo synthesis of fatty acids, but markedly decreased fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in AML12 cells. Furthermore, we showed that tacrolimus dramatically decreased the expression of HMGCS2, the rate-limiting enzyme of ketogenesis, with decreased ketogenesis in AML12 cells, which was responsible for lipid deposition in normal hepatocytes. Moreover, we revealed that tacrolimus inhibited forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) nuclear translocation by promoting FKBP51-FoxO1 complex formation, thus reducing FoxO1 binding to the HMGCS2 promoter and its transcription ability in AML12 cells. The loss of HMGCS2 induced by tacrolimus caused decreased ketogenesis and increased acetyl-CoA accumulation, which promoted mitochondrial protein acetylation, thereby resulting in FAO function inhibition. Liver-specific HMGCS2 overexpression via tail intravenous injection of AAV8-TBG-HMGCS2 construct reversed tacrolimus-induced mitochondrial protein acetylation and FAO inhibition, thus removing the lipid deposition in hepatocytes. Collectively, this study demonstrates a novel mechanism of liver lipid deposition and hyperlipidemia induced by long-term administration of tacrolimus, resulted from the loss of HMGCS2-mediated ketogenesis and subsequent FAO inhibition, providing an alternative target for reversing tacrolimus-induced adverse reaction.

Background: Bile duct leaks (BDLs) are serious complications that occurs after hepatobiliary surgery and trauma, leading to rapid clinical deterioration. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the first-line treatment for BDLs, but it is not clear which patients will respond to this therapy and which patients will require additional surgical intervention. The aim of our study was to explore the predictors of successful ERCP for BDLs. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from six centers' databases. All consecutive patients who were clinically confirmed as BDLs were included in the study. Collected data were demographics, disease severity, and ERCP procedure characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to select independent predictive factors that affect the outcome of ERCP for BDLs, and a nomogram was established. Calibration and ROC curves were used to evaluate the models. Results: Four hundred and forty-eight consecutive patients were clinically confirmed as BDLs and 347 were excluded. In the 101 patients included patients, clinical success was achieved in 78 patients (77.2%). In logistic multivariable regression, two independent factors were negatively associated with the success of ERCP: SIRS (OR, 0.183; 95% CI 0.039–0.864; P= 0.032) and high-grade leak (OR 0.073; 95% CI 0.010–0.539; P= 0.010). Two independent factors were positively associated with the success of ERCP: leak-bridging drainage (OR 4.792; 95% CI 1.08–21.21; P= 0.039) and cystic duct leak (OR 6.193; 95% CI 1.03–37.17; P= 0.046). The prediction model with these four factors was evaluated using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.9351. The calibration curve showed that the model had good predictive accuracy. Conclusion: Leak-bridging drainage and cystic duct leak are positive predictors for the success of ERCP, while SIRS and high-grade leak are negative predictors. This prediction model with nomogram has good predictive ability and practical clinical value, and may be helpful in clinical decision-making and prognostication. Graphical abstract:

RNA-cleaving ribozymes are promising candidates as general tools of RNA interference (RNAi) in gene manipulation. However, compared with other RNA systems, such as siRNA and CRISPR technologies, the ribozyme tools are still far from broad applications on RNAi due to their poor performance in the cellular context. In this work, we report an efficient RNAi tool based on chemically modified hammerhead ribozyme (HHR). By the introduction of an intramolecular linkage into the minimal HHR to reconstruct the distal interaction within the tertiary ribozyme structure, this cross-linked HHR exhibits efficient RNA substrate cleavage activities with almost no sequence constraint. Cellular experiments suggest that both exogenous and endogenous RNA expression can be dramatically knocked down by this HHR tool with levels comparable to those of siRNA. Unlike the widely applied protein-recruiting RNA systems (siRNA and CRISPR), this ribozyme tool functions solely on RNA itself with great simplicity, which may provide a new approach for gene manipulation in both fundamental and translational studies.

Enhancing hepatic gluconeogenesis is one of the main modes of meeting the glucose requirement of dairy cows. This study attempted to determine whether the gluconeogenesis precursor propionate had an effect on the expression of the main genes involved in gluconeogenesis in calf hepatocytes and elucidate the associated mechanisms. Calf hepatocytes were obtained from 5 healthy calves (1 d old; 30 to 40 kg) and exposed to 0-, 1-, 2.5-, or 5-mM sodium propionate (NaP), which is known to promote the expression of genes involved in the gluconeogenesis pathway, including fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and glucose-6-phosphatase. With regard to the underlying mechanism, propionate promoted the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4, and forkhead box O1 (transcription factors that regulate the expression of hepatic gluconeogenic genes) by promoting mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), but inhibiting mTORC2 activity (P < 0.01). We also established a model of palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatic injury in calf hepatocytes and found that PA could inhibit the gluconeogenic capacity of calf hepatocytes by suppressing the expression of gluconeogenic genes, inhibiting mTORC1, and promoting the activity of mTORC2 (P < 0.01). In contrast, NaP provided protection to calf hepatocytes by counteracting the inhibitory effect of PA on the gluconeogenic capacity of calf hepatocytes (P < 0.05). Collectively, these findings indicate that NaP enhances the gluconeogenic capacity of calf hepatocytes by regulating the mTOR pathway activity. Thus, in addition to improving the glucose production potential, propionate may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of hepatic injury in dairy cows.

A nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling of aziridines and allylic chlorides was realized by using manganese metal as the reducing agent. This protocol afforded a convenient approach to obtain β-allyl-substituted arylethylamines bearing various functional groups. The utility of this reaction was also demonstrated by scale-up preparation and diverse transformations, including the synthesis of Baclofen and several bioactive molecular motifs.

As medical facilities are usually built at urban areas, special concrete aggregates and evaluation methods are needed to optimize the design of concrete walls by balancing density, thickness, material composition, cost, and other factors. Carbon treatment rooms require a high radiation shielding requirement, as the neutron yield from carbon therapy is much higher than the neutron yield of protons. In this case study, the maximum carbon energy is 430 MeV/u and the maximum current is 0.27 nA from a hybrid particle therapy system. Hospital or facility construction should consider this requirement to design a special heavy concrete. In this work, magnetite is adopted as the major aggregate. Density is determined mainly by the major aggregate content of magnetite, and a heavy concrete test block was constructed for structural tests. The compressive strength is 35.7 MPa. The density ranges from 3.65 g/cm3to 4.14 g/cm3, and the iron mass content ranges from 53.78% to 60.38% from the 12 cored sample measurements. It was found that there is a linear relationship between density and iron content, and mixing impurities should be the major reason leading to the nonuniform element and density distribution. The effect of this nonuniformity on radiation shielding properties for a carbon treatment room is investigated by three groups of Monte Carlo simulations. Higher density dominates to reduce shielding thickness. However, a higher content of high-Z elements will weaken the shielding strength, especially at a lower dose rate threshold and vice versa. The weakened side effect of a high iron content on the shielding property is obvious at 2.5 μSv/h. Therefore, we should not blindly pursue high Z content in engineering. If the thickness is constrained to 2 m, then the density can be reduced to 3.3 g/cm3, which will save cost by reducing the magnetite composition with 50.44% iron content. If a higher density of 3.9 g/cm3with 57.65% iron content is selected for construction, then the thickness of the wall can be reduced to 174.2 cm, which will save space for equipment installation.

Cutting force plays an important role in the analysis of machining dynamics. In trimming of thin-walled structures, the stick-out length of the workpiece is very large when compared with the traditional milling process, which may result in a large vibration velocity along the tool axis. Since the amplitude of the vibration velocity of the workpiece is comparable to that of the tool velocity caused by the rotary motion of the spindle, it affects the relative velocity between the tool and the workpiece, making the trimming process an oblique cutting process with a time-varying inclination angle, instead of a constant value β, the helix angle of the tool. To this end, we developed a dynamic cutting force model to investigate this effect, and compared simulated and dynamometer-measured cutting forces to validate the established model. The results show that the vibration velocity of the workpiece in the trimming process has a modulating effect on cutting forces, which can significantly reduce the amplitude of the cutting force along the tool axis.

Model design and slicing contour generation in additive manufacturing (AM) data processing face challenges in terms of efficiency and scalability when stereolithography files generated by complex functionally graded structures have millions of faces. This paper proposes a hybrid modeling and direct slicing method for AM to efficiently construct and handle complex three-dimensional (3D) models. All 3D solids, including conformal multigradient structures, were uniformly described using a small amount of data via signed distance fields. The hybrid representations were quickly discretized into numerous disordered directed lines using an improved marching squares algorithm. By establishing a directional HashMap to construct the topological relationship between lines, a connecting algorithm with linear time complexity is proposed to generate slicing contours for manufacturing. This method replaces the mesh reconstruction and Boolean operation stages and can efficiently construct complex conformal gradient models of arbitrary topologies through hybrid modeling. Moreover, the time and memory consumption of direct slicing are much lower than those of previous methods when handling hybrid models with hundreds of millions of faces after mesh reconstruction.

Current methods of acquiring data from outcrops with tight gas rocks yield insufficient data. To resolve this, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) oblique photogrammetry was used to quantitatively assess the Pingtouxiang outcrop in the North Shanxi province, China. Rapid and flexible data acquisition, processing, and interpretation helped, develop a three-dimensional (3-D) geological model for a typical outcrop; here, the model of the delta deposit outcrop has 3-D coordinates that correspond to oblique image data, allowing for both the accurate location of field points and for measurements of the rock body. This provides the foundation for studying the stratigraphic architecture of the outcrop. Assessments of experimental sand plot contours and deposition patterns were carried out, in addition to the physical distribution of different sand bodies including superimposed distributary channels, superimposed distributary channels with sheet sand and bars or with continuous or isolated sheet sand. Different sand body types have varied scales and architecture patterns. Virtual well data, lithological calibration, and a geological model and database were used to establish 3-D stratigraphic and lithological models of a typical outcrop via sequential indicator simulation (SIS). Multi-point geostatistical simulations (MPS) were then used to establish a 3-D geological model of the sand bodies that is more in line with our current understanding of the geology of the outcrop area.

The optimal width of resection margin (RM) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the value of imaging tumor capsule (ITC) and imaging tumor size (ITS) in guiding RM width for patients with HCC.

Theory of Inventive Problem Solving or TRIZ is a methodology developed by Genrich Altshuller. The problem-solving methodology, widely used in the technology field, was applied in the services industry. A systematic framework comprising of eight stages is developed following the inventive TRIZ concept.

Introduction:A strong association was previously established between body mass index (BMI) and female reproductive system tumors; however, the causal relationship is unclear. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to further explore this association. Methods:Genetic information for BMI was retrieved from a published genome-wide association study involving 339,224 participants. Genetic associations with five common female reproductive system tumors were obtained from the FinnGen, UK Biobank studies, and other large consortia. Results:Genetic predisposition towards BMI exhibits a significant association with multiple tumors of the female reproductive system. Specifically, for every 1-unit increase in BMI log-transformed odds ratio (OR). The OR fluctuations overall for patients with breast cancer ranged from 0.661 to 0.996 (95% confidence interval [CI],0.544-1.000, P < 0.05). When stratified by estrogen receptor (ER) status, the OR for patients with ER (+) breast cancer ranged from 0.782 to 0.844 (95% CI, 0.616-0.994, P < 0.05) and that for those with ER (-) breast cancer ranged from 0.663 to 0.789 (95% CI, 0.498-0.991, P < 0.05). Additionally, ORs were as follows for cancer types: 1.577–1.908 (95% CI, 1.049-2.371, P < 0.05) for endometrial carcinoma; 1.216–1.303 (95% CI, 1.021-1.591, P < 0.05) for high-grade serous ovarian cancer; 1.217 (95% CI, 1.034-1.432, P < 0.05) for low-grade malignant serous ovarian cancer; and 1.502 (95% CI, 1.112-2.029, P < 0.05) for endometrioid ovarian carcinoma. Furthermore, our findings indicated that genetic predisposition towards BMI did not exhibit a causal association with uterine fibroids, cervical precancerous lesions, or cervical cancer itself. Conclusion:A genetic association was established between a high BMI and high risk of developing multiple tumors of the female reproductive system and their associated subtypes. This underscores the significance of taking measures to prevent reproductive system tumors in women who have a high BMI.

A new style of low temperature combustion cigarettes was prepared by implanting a thermally conductive cellulose/coper composite rod (TCCR) in the cut tobacco section, so as to explore the application feasibility at the low temperature environment. The burning temperature of the cigarettes was investigated by thermocouple to study the influence of the implanted TCCRs. The emission of conventional components and seven harmful components in mainstream smoke were also carried out to study the effect of TCCRs. The results show that implantation of TCCRs could reduce the burning temperature of cigarettes effectively, which decreased over 100 °C. In compared with conventional cigarettes, the amount of nicotine and nicotine-freed dry particulate matter (NFDPM) in mainstream smoke of TCCRs implanted cigarettes changed little, while the release of harmful components such as CO, HCN, NNK and phenol decreased over 20%. Moreover, the TCCRs, which made of copper paper with 2 g / 18 g weight ratio of pulp and copper, and 5 mm interval perforating, could reduce the burning temperature of cigarettes by 145 °C and the hazard index by 2.01.

Coral mucus, tissue, and skeleton harbor compositionally different microbiota, but how these coral compartments shape the microbial evolution remains unexplored. Here, we sampled bacteria inhabiting a prevalent coral species Platygyra acutaand sequenced genomes of 234 isolates comprising two populations in Rhodobacteraceae, an alphaproteobacterial lineage representing a significant but variable proportion (5–50%) of the coral microbiota. The Ruegeriapopulation (20 genomes) contains three clades represented by eight, six, and six isolates predominantly sampled from the skeleton (outgroup), mucus (clade-M), and skeleton (clade-S), respectively. The clade-M possesses functions involved in the utilization of coral osmolytes abundant in the mucus (e.g., methylamines, DMSP, taurine, and L-proline), whereas the clade-S uniquely harbors traits that may promote adaptation to the low-energy and diurnally anoxic skeleton (e.g., sulfur oxidation and swimming motility). These between-clade genetic differences were largely supported by physiological assays. Expanded analyses by including genomes of 24 related isolates (including seven new genomes) from other marine environments suggest that clade-M and clade-S may have diversified in non-coral habitats, but they also consolidated a key role of distinct coral compartments in diversifying many of the above-mentioned traits. The unassigned Rhodobacteraceae population (214 genomes) varies only at a few dozen nucleotide sites across the whole genomes, but the number of between-compartment migration events predicted by the Slatkin–Maddison test supported that dispersal limitation between coral compartments is another key mechanism diversifying microbial populations. Collectively, our results suggest that different coral compartments represent ecologically distinct and microgeographically separate habitats that drive the evolution of the coral microbiota.

This study experimentally investigates the effect of the opening configuration on the buckling stability and bearing performance of a structural beam web used in a commercial aircraft made of composite materials. The buckling and strength analyses on three opening configurations (circular, oblong, and rhombic) were carried out using test samples with identical web surface size. It is found that the rhombic opening has the minimum effect on the buckling stability and strength of the structure. To compensate for the effect of the opening, two reinforcement methods, using reinforcement rib and thickening the sample, were also investigated in this study. It is concluded that thickening the sample can more effectively improve the buckling stability and strength performance of beam web structure and hence has relatively higher structural reinforcement efficiency.

Dominant coral-associated Endozoicomonasbacteria species are hypothesized to play a role in the coral sulfur cycle by metabolizing dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) into dimethylsulfide (DMS); however, no sequenced genome to date harbors genes for this process. In this study, we assembled high-quality (>95% complete) draft genomes of strains of the recently added species Endozoicomonas acroporae(Acr-14T, Acr-1, and Acr-5) isolated from the coral Acropora sp. and performed a comparative genomic analysis on the genus Endozoicomonas. We identified DMSP CoA-transferase/lyase—a dddDgene homolog in all sequenced genomes of E. acroporaestrains—and functionally characterized bacteria capable of metabolizing DMSP into DMS via the DddD cleavage pathway using RT-qPCR and gas chromatography (GC). Furthermore, we demonstrated that E. acroporaestrains can use DMSP as a carbon source and have genes arranged in an operon-like manner to link DMSP metabolism to the central carbon cycle. This study confirms the role of Endozoicomonasin the coral sulfur cycle.

A simple, direct, and highly enantioselective synthesis of spiro-oxindole piperidin-2-one derivatives was achieved through an aza-Michael/Michael cyclization cascade sequence using a squaramide catalyst. The desired products were obtained in excellent yields (up to 99%) and good to high stereoselectivities (up to >20:1 dr and up to 99% ee) under mild conditions.

ε-Poly-l-lysine (ε-PL) consists of 25–35 lysine residues which are linked by an isopeptide bond formed by dehydration condensation of α-carboxyl and ε-amino groups and has good antibacterial activity and broad-spectrum inhibition range. However, there is no clear conclusion about the structure and antibacterial mechanism of ε-PL in aqueous solution. Herein, a high purity of ε-PL was prepared using Amberlite IRC-50 ion-exchange resin. Membrane filtration and dynamic light scattering were used to study the variations of ε-PL aggregation in aqueous solution with pH value. The conformational changes and antibacterial activities of ε-PL and carbamoylated ε-PL in different water environments were studied with circular dichroism (CD) and inhibition zone. The structural changes during the spray-drying process were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that the side chain amino charge played a decisive role in the ε-PL conformation and aggregation. ε-PL exhibited the properties of a β-sheet during spray drying from acidic liquids to solids. The cation enhanced the antibacterial activity of ε-PL but did not play a key role. Instead, the backbone of ε-PL might determine the mechanism of ε-PL antibacterial.

Large eddy simulation (LES) explicitly calculates the large-scale vortex field and parameterizes the small-scale vortices. In this study, LES and κ-εmodels were developed for a specific geometrical configuration of backward-facing step (BFS). The simulation results were validated with particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements and direct numerical simulation (DNS). This LES simulation was carried out with a Reynolds number of 9000 in a pressurized water tunnel with an expansion ratio of 2.00. The results indicate that the LES model can reveal large-scale vortex motion although with a larger grid-cell size. However, the LES model tends to overestimate the top wall separation and the Reynolds stress components for the BFS flow simulation without a sufficiently fine grid. Overall, LES is a potential tool for simulating separated flow controlled by large-scale vortices.

A novel network of “broadcast-star” constituted by a few of injection semiconductor laser cells and its synchronization in chaos are presented to apply in logic gates. Chaotic “broadcast-star” synchronization network is achieved in numerical simulation, where a broadcast using an injected laser drives three response systems with three injected lasers as three “stars” to achieve synchronization between the broadcast and stars while the “stars” obtain synchronization between themselves. The synchronization network model and equation are demonstrated. And logic controlling principle and equation are deduced. We create theoretically the constructions of fundamental gates based on the synchronization network in the “stars” and define their computational principle. Logic gate cell or logic computation can be implemented via controlling logic input and output to the system to synchronize or desynchronize appropriately the chaotic states of twin stars. We present and emulate a lot of all-optical XNOR, NOR, NOT, optoelectronic and combinational optoelectronic logic gates via the optical or optoelectronic modulation while we introduce these logic computational methods. Finally, we analyzed effects of resynchronization and desynchronization on logic detection in a practical implementation of the system. Results show the feasibility of the method.

Early invasive growth along specific anatomical structures, especially the white matter tract, is regarded as one of the main causes of poor therapeutic outcome of people with gliomas. We show that some glioma stem cells (GSCs) are preferentially located along white matter tracts, which exhibit a demyelinated phenotype, at the invasive frontier of glioma tissues. These GSCs are CD133+Notch1+, whereas the nerve fibers express the Notch ligand Jagged1. The Notch-induced transcription factor Sox9 promotes the transcription of SOX2and the methylation level of the NOTCH1promoter is attenuated by the upregulation of SOX2to reinforce NOTCH1expression in GSCs. This positive-feedback loop in a cohort of glioma subjects is correlated with a poor prognosis. Inhibition of Notch signaling attenuates the white-matter-tract tropism of GSCs. These findings provide evidence indicating that the NOTCH1-SOX2positive-feedback loop controls GSC invasion along white matter tracts.

A Toffoli gate plays a critical role in many quantum algorithms due to its function as a building block, which is a fundamental element for feasible large-scale quantum computation. With the help of polarization, spatial, and temporal degrees of freedom (DOFs), a construction scheme of a nearly deterministic polarization Toffoli gate is proposed, where only two two-photon gates are required. The simple construction circuit together with available techniques and optical elements facilitate the realization of the scheme presented here. This construction scheme can be utilized as a reference for multiqubit quantum gates with multiple DOFs.

A facile scalable synthesis of hierarchical Sb/C micro-/nanohybrid has been addressed in this work, which possesses the advantages of both micrometer and nanometer scale structures as lithium-ion battery anode. Difunctional methacrylate monomers are used as solvent and carbon source as well. Liquid precursor of antimony(III) n-butoxide is dissolved in the resin monomer solution, and further incorporated into the cross-linking polymer network via photo polymerization. Through calcination in argon/hydrogen atmosphere, antimony nanoparticles are in situ formed by carbothermal reduction, and homogeneously embedded in the in situ formed micrometer sized carbon matrix. The morphology, structure, crystallinity, spatial dispersion, composition, and electrochemical performance of the Sb/C micro-/nanohybrid are systematically investigated. The cyclic and rate performance of the Sb/C micro-/nanohybrid anode have been effectively improved compared to the pure carbon anode. A reversible capacity of 362 mAh g−1is achieved with a reasonable mass loading density after 300 cycles at 66 mA g−1, corresponding to capacity retention of 79%. With reducing mass loading density, the reversible capacity reaches 793 mAh g−1after 100 cycles. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of Sb/C micro-/nanohybrid as sodium-ion battery anode is also investigated in this study. Sb/C hierarchical micro-/nanohybrid lithium-ion battery anode with good cyclic stability is synthesized in a scalable way using difunctional methacrylate monomers as solvent and carbon source, where a reversible capacity of 362 mAh g−1is achieved after 300 cycles with a reasonable mass loading density, corresponding to capacity retention of 79%

Controlling chaotic dual-ring erbium-doped fiber laser and the produced dynamics are studied by modulating or shifting the laser loss while the control model is presented to pressure behavior of the laser to a periodic state or multi-periodic states by a periodic signal perturbing or shifting the loss. When the loss of one ring of the laser is modulated via a sinusoidal signal, chaotic behaviors of the dual-ring can be pressured in two single-periodic states while two rings emit cyclic pulses. It indicates that chaotic dual-ring erbium-doped fiber laser is effectively controlled. When another sinusoidal signal is taken to perform on the loss, the laser can be educe to present a period-2 or period-3 state. When the loss is shifted between two different levels, the dual-ring can be deduced to a period-4, a period-6 and other multi-periodic state. The results indicate that controlling chaotic dual-ring erbium-doped fiber laser can be realized via the chaos-control method.

Clinical chorioamnionitis at term (TCC) is the most common obstetrical infliction diagnosed in labor and delivery units worldwide and is associated with a substantial increase in maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. This obstetrical complication is a heterogeneous condition, as only half of patients have detectable microorganisms in the amniotic cavity. Because bioactive lipids play a key role in the initiation and resolution of an inflammatory response, we aimed to characterize the amniotic fluid lipidome in patients with TCC. We studied the amniotic fluid of patients in the following groups: 1) spontaneous labor at term without clinical chorioamnionitis (TLB) and 2) spontaneous labor at term with clinical chorioamnionitis (TCC). The TCC group was subdivided into a) those with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (TCC-MIAC) and b) those without microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (TCC-noMIAC). The amniotic fluid concentration of proinflammatory lipid mediators did not differ between patients in TLB with TCC. In contrast, concentration of lipids with anti-inflammatory/proresolution properties was significantly lower in all patients with TCC than in those with TLB. These results suggest that while proinflammatory lipid mediators are involved in infection-driven intra-amniotic inflammation, a relative deficiency of anti-inflammatory/proresolution lipid mediator biosynthesis is a characteristic of TCC.

Steroid hormones, such as androgens, are common surface-water contaminants. However, literature on the ecophysiological relevance of steroid-degrading organisms in the environment, particularly in anoxic ecosystems, is extremely limited. We previously reported that Steroidobacter denitrificans anaerobically degrades androgens through the 2,3-seco pathway. In this study, the genome of Sdo. denitrificans was completely sequenced. Transcriptomic data revealed gene clusters that were distinctly expressed during anaerobic growth on testosterone. We isolated and characterized the bifunctional 1-testosterone hydratase/dehydrogenase, which is essential for anaerobic degradation of steroid A-ring. Because of apparent substrate preference of this molybdoenzyme, corresponding genes, along with the signature metabolites of the 2,3-seco pathway, were used as biomarkers to investigate androgen biodegradation in the largest sewage treatment plant in Taipei, Taiwan. Androgen metabolite analysis indicated that denitrifying bacteria in anoxic sewage use the 2,3-seco pathway to degrade androgens. Metagenomic analysis and PCR-based functional assays showed androgen degradation in anoxic sewage by Thauera spp. through the action of 1-testosterone hydratase/dehydrogenase. Our integrative ‘omics’ approach can be used for culture-independent investigations of the microbial degradation of structurally complex compounds where isotope-labeled substrates are not easily available.

AbstractWe investigated how the lack of usual winter and spring monsoons, effectively representing consecutive drought events, affected the dynamics of ecosystem metabolism in a shallow mesotrophic seepage lake in northeastern Taiwan. An instrumented buoy provided high-frequency free-water dissolved oxygen measurements, water temperature profiles, and meteorological data, which we used to estimate daily values of gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R), and net ecosystem production (NEP). Results revealed that the disappearance of monsoons decreased lake level and volume, concentrated dissolved nutrients, stimulated the development of algal biomass, promoted stratification, and resulted in a major shift in lake metabolism. Offshore GPP and R were both initially stimulated but then decreased due to shallower mixing depths in the water column. The lake rapidly shifted from a heterotrophic state to a highly autotrophic status when the water level dropped to the lowest level. A return to autotrophy was caused by a greater decline in R than an increase in GPP. This study demonstrates the dramatic effect that drought events can have on lake ecosystem function and suggests that nutrient control may be important in mitigating the effects of a predicted warmer and drier climate and increased water withdrawal in this region.

In order to separate wool from cashmere efficiently, an identification method based on texture analysis was proposed in this paper. The microscopic images captured by CCD digital camera were preprocessed as the texture image. Improved Tamura texture feature were employed to analyzing the final texture images and to attaining the texture parameters. Through a large number of samples, the mathematical modeling was completed by using neural network. Experiment results indicate that texture analysis can be a feasible method to identify cashmere and wool.

Cu-Al catalysts were synthesized by the co-precipitation method to study hydrolysis of hydrogen cyanide. During the synthesis, the impact of Cu/Al molar ratio, pH value and calcination temperature was investigated and the best synthesis condition was found. The results indicate that the remove of hydrogen cyanide first increases and then decreases with increasing Cu/Al molar ratio, pH value and calcination temperature, which reaches the maxima and remains above 95% at 360 min when Cu/Al molar ratio is 2:1, pH value is approximately 8.0 and calcination temperature is 400°C around. The analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows that Cu content is the main influence factor at Cu/Al molar ratio below 2:1 whereas crystallinity of catalysts is the key factor at Cu/Al molar ratio above 2:1.

Due to the expansion of the energy storage market, the demand for lead-acid batteries is also increasing. In order to improve the discharge specific capacity of lead-acid batteries, this paper uses graphene oxide (GO), Pb(Ac)2·3H2O, urea and other raw materials in the reactor. The PbCO3/N-rGO nanocomposite was prepared by a hydrothermal method as a positive electrode additive for lead-acid batteries. The material was characterized by XRD, STM, SEM, Raman, etc., and was doped into a simulated battery positive plate. The positive plate exhibits excellent electrochemical performance when the addition amount of the PbCO3/N-rGO nanocomposite in the positive plate is 1 wt%. In the simulated battery test, the initial discharge specific capacity reaches 166 mAh g−1, which is 52% higher than that of the blank control group, and a 2-fold improvement in HPRSoC cycle life at 1 C rate. The PbCO3/N-rGO enabled the battery to have a higher discharge specific capacity and the longest charge/discharge cycle life, this is due to the nanostructure and good electrical conductivity of the PbCO3/N-rGO nanocomposite improving the utilization of the positive active material (PAM).

AbstractWe study dynamics in an opto-electronic delayed feedback two-section semiconductor laser. We predict theoretically that the system can result in bistability and bifurcation. We analyze numerically the route to chaos from stability to bifurcation by varying the delayed time, feedback strength and two in-currents. The system displays the four distinct types or modes of stable, periodic pulsed or self-pulsing, undamped oscillating or beating, and chaos. The frequency and intensity varying with the delayed time in the self-pulsation regions are discussed detailedly to find that the pulsing frequency is reduced with the long delayed time while the pulsing intensity is added. And the chaotic pulsing frequency is increased with the large in-current Ja. The laser relaxation oscillation frequency is decreased with the large in-current Jb. One in-current characterize dynamics in the laser to conduce to stable, periodic pulsed, beating and chaotic states by altering its values. The other in-current characterize dynamics in the chaotic laser to be controlled to a stable state after a road to quasi-period by adding the values.

Montmorillonite pillared by mixing Fe, Fe-Cr, Al-Fe and Cu-Al complexes was investigated for their catalytic activities for Water Gas Shift Reaction (WGSR). Element chemical analysis showed that the content of Fe, Fe-Cr, Al-Fe catalysts were 26.93%, 31.03%, 28.20%, respectively. Compared with the traditional shift catalyst, in the same shift condition, we can use the PILC catalysts to substitute. Using PILC catalysts can accurately control the constitution of synthesis gas over changing shift rate.

A system of “master-slave-parallel” chaotic synchronization in class-C lasers is presented. Lasing from a chaotic class-C laser as a master is changed to photon-electricity to drive to modulate the pumps of two parallel of slave class-C lasers so that the two slave lasers can be controlled to the chaotic state of the master laser. “Master-slave” chaotic synchronization can be achieved. At the same time, chaotic synchronization is gradually achieved between the two slave lasers after a few desynchronous oscillations. Lastly, “master-slave-parallel” chaotic synchronization is achieved. Chaotic synchronization process is analyzed in detail. Synchronization principle of the three chaotic lasers is deduced.

In this study, simulation model on combustion process of a diesel engine was developed and the results were validated by experiments. Then the compression ignition was switched into PCCI (Premixed Charge Compression Ignition) in order to understand the effects of individual parameters on PCCI combustion and provide the reference for the further studies of testing and simulation. The results illustrate that the lower compression ratio extends the ignition delay and enhances fuel-air mixing and improves PCCI combustion. In addition, the oxygen concentration in cylinder is highly diluted as the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) rate increases and the NOx (Oxides of nitrogen) emissions are effectively depressed as EGR rate over 30%. Moreover, the reduction of main injection fuel quantity results in a decrease reactivity and peak heat release rate in combustion.

Waste heat utilization reduces thermal pollution and fosters energy conservation. Based on the investigation and research work on potential usages of waste heat from cooling water, the preliminary study on the eco-design of comprehensive utilization scheme of waste heat was carried out, with the application of ecological engineering theory and philosophy of eco-design. The feasibility analysis showed that the industrial use and district heating of waste heat have better environmental and economic benefits. The evaluation indexes system was established based on the positioning of final result of the ecological design of cooling water waste heat utilization scheme for a nuclear power plant.

The effect of fuel auto-ignition quality on particle size distribution and particulates morphology were investigated for the purpose of revealing the relationship between cetane number and particles emission. Experiments were conducted on common-rail direct injection engine under steady-state operating condition. Two basic diesel-like fuels were used in this study, hydrogenation diesel and straight-run diesel. The test fuels which have various cetane number were made up of these two basic ones. The results indicate that with increasing the fuel cetane number, a significant decrease of nucleation mode particles is found. For particle number size classification, the percentage of SOF has the same trend as the number of nucleation mode particles which size below 22nm and similar result is found between the percentage of dry soot and particles above 50nm.

We propose an efficient measurement-driven sequential Monte Carlo multi-Bernoulli (SMC-MB) filter for multi-target filtering in the presence of clutter and missing detection. The survival and birth measurements are distinguished from the original measurements using the gating technique. Then the survival measurements are used to update both survival and birth targets, and the birth measurements are used to update only the birth targets. Since most clutter measurements do not participate in the update step, the computing time is reduced significantly. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach improves the real-time performance without degradation of filtering performance.

Corrosion of reinforced concrete structure in the marine environment is easily happened because of the influence of chloride ion, and the corrosion in the splash zone is the most serious. Cathode protection is the most common and effective way in anticorrosion method. For simple steel structure, anticorrosion technology has been basically mature[1].But for some complex marine engineering structures, many key technologies have not been resolved, which constraints the design and construction of such facilities. In this paper, combined the experiments and the research of the model piles of the coal wharf of Rizhao Port, the sacrificial anode protection technology has been introduced and some problems have been solved, such as the relevant operation technologies, parameter design, material selection and so on.

Invasion and metastasis are the major cause of deaths in patients with esophageal cancer. In this study, we isolated cancer stem-like cells from an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line EC109 based on aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1), and found that ALDH1A1highcells possessed the capacities of self-renewal, differentiation and tumor initiation, indications of stem cell properties. To support their stemness, ALDH1A1highcells exhibited increased potential of invasion and metastasis as compared with ALDH1A1lowcells. ALDH1A1highesophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells expressed increased levels of mRNA for vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase 2, 7 and 9 (MMP2, MMP7 and MMP9), but decreased the level of E-cadherin mRNA, suggesting that epithelial–mesenchymal transition and secretary MMPs may be attributed to the high invasive and metastatic capabilities of ALDH1A1highcells. Furthermore, we examined esophageal squamous cell carcinoma specimens from 165 patients and found that ALDH1A1highcells were associated with esophageal squamous dysplasia and the grades, differentiation and invasion depth, lymph node metastasis and UICC stage of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, as well as poor prognosis of patients. Our results provide the strong evidence that ALDH1A1highcancer stem-like cells contribute to the invasion, metastasis and poor outcome of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

This paper first describes the defects of operation terminal in smart home, Then the feasibility that voice activated technology is applied in the operation terminal of smart home is proposed,and the lack that voice activated technology is applied in the operation terminal of smart home is researched, Finally, a method is proposed to improve the voice activated technologyapplied in smart home.

Cyclic pulse and chaos are produced in an erbium doped fiber laser via modulating the pump in numerical simulation. Cyclic pulsing shows under the case of different conditions. Chaos and dual-cycle are studied. And a route is found from cyclic pulse to chaos with the modulation variable. Effects of the modulation level and frequency, pump, Er-doping concentration and photon lifetime are analyzed on cyclic pulse, respectively. We find three regions of periodic pulsing, unstable periodic pulsing and chaotic pulsing.

Ion chromatography (IC) method was applied to detection of fluorine in the atmosphere calm wind conditions at the area around the yellow phosphorus enterprise. The results indicated that the recovery of standard addition of Fluroide is 96.7%~100.6%. It gives a linear response of chromatographic peak height with respect to the fluoride in the range of 1~25 μg/mL, and the coefficient correlations R value is 0.9994. The concentration of Fluorine in the surrounding of yellow phosphorus enterprise ranging from 100~1500 m varies from 0.641~0.070 mg/m3. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of this method is between 2.10%~0.50%. This method is sensitivity and selectivity, low disturbance, and it is considered as a promising method for the detection of Fluorine surrounded yellow phosphorus enterprise.

The thin wall stainless steel castings is difference to ordinary steel castings in foundry technology. This paper discussed the problems of thin wall stainless steel castings which appearing in the flow controlling board for warm-air pipe, and put forward the foundry technology of this stainless steel castings based on the principle of directional solidification and fast pouring mechanism. According to the theory, twin gating system has been designed for the controlling board castings, and two ladles are pouring into the open twin gating system at the same time. The shrinkage of finally congealing part was fed by two risers. The practice has shown that the design is feasible, there is not cold shut, misrun, scab, and oxidizing for the castings, and the requirements of mechanical properties can be met.