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Background: The clinicopathological features, outcomes, and pathogenesis of lupus nephritis with scanty immune deposits in the kidney biopsy remain unclear. Methods: Four hundred ninety-eight biopsy-proven lupus nephritis patients were included, and clinical and pathological data were collected. The primary endpoint was mortality, while the secondary endpoint was doubling baseline serum creatinine or end-stage renal disease. Associations between scanty immune deposits lupus nephritis and adverse outcomes were analyzed by Cox regression models. Results: Among 498 lupus nephritis patients, 81 were diagnosed with scanty immune deposits. Patients with scanty immune deposits had significantly higher serum albumin and serum complement C4 than those with immune complex deposits. The proportion of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies was similar between the two groups. In addition, patients with scanty immune deposits showed less proliferative features at kidney biopsy and lower activity index score, accompanied by milder mesangial cell and matrix hyperplasia, endothelial cell hyperplasia, nuclear fragmentation, and glomerular leukocyte infiltration. Patients in this group also had a milder degree of foot process fusion. Overall, renal survival and patient survival showed no significant difference between the two groups. 24-h proteinuria and chronicity index were significant risk factors for renal survival, and 24-h proteinuria and positive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies were risk factors for patient survival in scanty immune deposits lupus nephritis patients. Conclusions: Compared with other lupus nephritis patients, scanty immune deposits lupus nephritis patients had significantly lower activity features on kidney biopsy, but have similar outcomes. Positive anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies may be a risk factor for patient survival in scanty immune deposits lupus nephritis patients. Graphical abstract:

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic importance of sex in lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: A retrospective cohort of 1048 biopsy-confirmed LN patients, diagnosed between January 1, 1996, and December 31, 2018, was analyzed. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, and renal pathology were assessed. The primary outcome was mortality, and the secondary outcomes included doubling of serum creatinine and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Sex-associated risks were evaluated using Cox regression models. Results: Among the1048 patients, 178 (17%) were male and 870 (83%) were female. Male patients exhibited more aggressive features: higher blood pressure, earlier disease onset, and elevated levels of serum creatinine (Scr), uric acid, blood urea nitrogen. Intriguingly, male patients also displayed more severe histopathological alterations, such as more total crescents, cellular crescents formations, higher level of glomerular leukocyte infiltration and Activity Index (AI), even when overall renal pathology was comparable between sexes. During a median follow-up of 112 months, mortality was registered in 141 patients (15.3%). Mortality rates were conspicuously higher in males (24.2% males vs. 13.4% females, p= 0.0029). Secondary outcomes did not show significant sex differences. Cox regression analysis highlighted male, age of renal biopsy, eGFR, and Chronicity Index (CI) as independent risk factors for survival in LN patients. Notably, infections emerged as the leading cause of mortality among LN patients, with a significant higher rate in male patients. Conclusion: In our cohort with LN, there was a higher rate of all-cause mortality and proportion of infection-related death in male. Recognizing and further exploring these sex disparities is crucial for optimized LN patients care. Graphical Abstract:

To investigate the hydraulic fracture extension pattern of single-hole shale during hydraulic fracturing under fluid–solid coupling, this paper utilizes seepage–stress–damage coupling software to establish a mechanical model of hydraulic fracture initiation in single-hole shale under different pore pressure increments in seven groups. The results reveal that under the action of a single-hole pressure gradient, shale is destabilized and destroyed by shale instability after two damage degradations under the coupled action of hydraulic and peripheral pressures, the fracture network is fully developed, and the stress decreases sharply. The final damage pattern of the hydraulic fracture distribution is categorized into two types: “X” and “Y”. The hydraulic gradient under hydraulic fracturing is distributed as a closed-loop strip, the hydraulic gradient decreases layer by layer from the inside to the outside, the seepage field and stress field interact with each other, and the pore water pressure and stress are coupled with each other, resulting in increasingly complete fracture development.

Introduction:The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of peripheral eosinophil (EOS) count with disease activity and kidney outcomes in lupus nephritis (LN) patients. Methods:A total of 453 hospitalized and biopsy-proven LN patients at our hospital from 2006 to 2013 were enrolled, of which 388 patients had repeated measurements of EOS. Relationships were explored between average EOS and disease activity at baseline, using the systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity (SLEDAI) and activity index (AI) on kidney biopsy. Follow-up data were available through December 2016. The primary outcome measure was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine and end-stage kidney disease after a median follow-up of 51 months. Results:The mean age of the enrolled 388 LN patients was 33.1 ± 10.8 years old, and 335 (86%) were female. The median average peripheral EOS count was 0.033 (0.015–0.057) ×109/L. Mean AI and SLEDAI score were 6.8 ± 2.5 and 14.9 ± 5.4, respectively. Logistic regression models showed that decreased average EOS was independently associated with higher AI (≥6) and higher SLEDAI (≥15) (odds ratio [OR] 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90–0.97; and OR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.93–0.99, respectively). There was a parabolic relationship between average EOS and the primary outcome, with hazard ratio (HR) > 1 for both levels ≤0.033 and >0.16 × 109/L. Conclusion:Lower EOS count was independently associated with severe disease activity and kidney progression in LN.

Provincial port integration (PPI) is the mainstream trend of China's regional port reform and upgrading, which influences the entire port system. The synthetic control method (SCM) is first used in this study to analyze the effect of PPI on port container throughput (PCT) that signals port development to some extent in Zhejiang Province, with nine other provinces that have not implemented PPI from 2004 to 2018 as the control objects. Further, to identify the transmission mechanism by which PPI affects PCT, datasets related to port development spanning 2004–2020 are collected from 16 provincial administrative regions in China. On this basis a mediation effect model including both the parallel and serial mediations is developed. Results show that PPI has contributed to the significant improvement of PCT in Zhejiang, increasing its contributions over time. The exploration of the transmission mechanism indicates that PPI can indirectly promote port development mainly through the compound mediating effect of port efficiency improvement, industrial structure upgrading and foreign trade growth. The findings may provide productive guidelines for the integration and coordinated development of regional port clusters and can also be generalizable to other countries or maritime ranges worldwide.

Aim:The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3)-205 in renal inflammation and fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Materials and Methods:lncRNA microarray profiling was used to examine differentially expressed lncRNAs of kidney tissues in db/db mice compared to db/m mice. Mouse mesangial cells (mMCs) were cultured in vitro with advanced glycation end products (AGEs) via transfection with lncRNA MEG3-205 siRNAs or plasmids. The role of lncRNA MEG3-205 in vivo was examined in db/db mice treated with long-acting lncRNA MEG3-205 siRNA. The interaction between lncRNA MEG3-205 and let-7a was investigated using luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Results:lncRNA MEG3-205 was markedly upregulated in renal tissues of db/db mice, DN patients, and AGEs-treated mesangial cells. Overexpression of lncRNA MEG3-205 promoted the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins in mesangial cells. Both lncRNA MEG3-205 and myeloid differentiation primary-response protein 88 (MyD88) could bind to let-7a, and lncRNA MEG3-205 overexpression can significantly rescue the silencing effect of let-7a on MyD88 protein expression in mMCs. Mechanistically, we identified that lncRNA MEG3-205 could act as a competing endogenous RNA by binding with let-7a and thus regulate MyD88. Knockdown of lncRNA MEG3-205 alleviated albuminuria and attenuated renal inflammation and fibrosis in db/db mice. Conclusion:These findings indicated an important role of the lncRNA MEG3-205/let-7a/MyD88 axis in regulating renal inflammation and fibrosis in DN. Targeting lncRNA MEG3-205 might present a promising therapeutic strategy for DN.

•Nonlinear responses are generated when the conical flame is perturbed by the dual-frequency excitation.•The nonlinear heat release rate fluctuation is aligned with the flame front fluctuation for both excitation frequency and interaction frequency.•The third-order expansion of G-equation can reveal the nonlinear response characteristics.

Standard randomization-based inference conditions on the data in the population and makes inference with respect to the repeating sampling properties of the sampling indicators. In some settings these estimators can be quite unstable; Bayesian model-based approaches focus on the posterior predictive distribution of population quantities, potentially providing a better balance between bias correction and efficiency. Previous work in this area has focused on estimation of means and linear and generalized linear regression parameters; these methods do not allow for a general estimation of distributional functions such as quantile or quantile regression parameters. Here we adapt an extended Dirichlet Process Mixture model that allows the DP prior to be a mixture of DP random basis measures that are a function of covariates. These models allow many mixture components when necessary to accommodate the sample design, but can shrink to few components for more efficient estimation when the data allow. We provide an application to the estimation of relationships between serum dioxin levels and age in the US population, either at the mean level (via linear regression) or across the dioxin distribution (via quantile regression) using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Few studies evaluated over 5-year outcomes of dialysis patients. This study examined 10-year all-cause mortality and death-censored technique failure in a cohort of incident peritoneal dialysis (PD) individuals.Methods: Five hundred and thirty-three incident PD individuals from 2006 to 2008 were prospectively followed up for more than 10 years until 2018. Clinical characteristics at PD initiation were collected. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcome was death-censored technique failure. Cox hazards models were fit using clinical characteristics at PD initiation.Results: The mean age starting PD for these participants was 48 ± 16 years; 130 (24%) patients had diabetic nephropathy. During follow-up, 208 patients died, and 84 patients experienced technique failures. The 1, 3, 5, and 10 years’ survival rates for incident PD patients were 93%, 81%, 64%, and 36%, respectively, and the technical survival rates were 98%, 93%, 85%, and 62%, respectively. Mortality risk was much higher after 3 years on PD. The peritonitis rate was 0.19 episodes per patient-year, and 7 (1.3%) patients had encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) giving an incidence rate of 3.1 of 1000 patient-years. The main causes of death were cardiovascular events (97 of 208, 47%), and technique failure was mainly due to peritonitis (41 of 84, 49%). Older age, higher Charlson comorbidity index, and lower level of education were strongly associated with mortality, and diabetic nephropathy was an independent risk factor for technique failure.Conclusions: The 10-year’s survival and technique survival rates of incident PD patients were 36% and 62%. Long-term PD can be continued successfully with improved outcomes and low risk for EPS.

Few studies have investigated the short-term effect of personal temperature exposure on blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). We conducted this longitudinal panel study with real-time monitoring of SpO2and environmental exposure for 3 continuous days for 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 20 healthy volunteers in Hong Kong, to explore the time course (from minutes to hours) of change in SpO2in response to temperature in elderly people. We employed a generalized additive mixed model to evaluate the acute effects of personal temperature exposure on changes in SpO2and risk of oxygen desaturation while adjusting for seasonality, environmental co-exposures, and personal characteristics. We observed a concurrent decline in SpO2by 0.27% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22–0.32%) and an increase in the risk of oxygen desaturation by an OR of 1.14 (95% CI, 1.10–1.18) associated with a 1 °C increase in personal temperature, and the association lasted over several hours. Results showed that the decline in SpO2in elderly people was associated with an increase in personal temperature exposure within minutes to hours, particularly in women and male patients with COPD. Temperature-induced oxygen desaturation may play a pivotal role in COPD exacerbation.

Helicid is a specific Chinese natural drug. Helicid, its congeners, and its derivatives exhibit pronounced biological activities, among which its hypnotic effects stand out. The well-documented sedation and analgesic activity and low side effects of helicid have drawn more and more attention from scientists. Moreover, its clinical success and intriguing mechanism of action have stimulated great interest in further modification of helicid for improving its hypnotic activity. The 4-formyl group has been a major target for structural derivatization aimed at either producing more potent compounds or overcoming drug disadvantages. Accordingly, numerous helicid derivatives have been prepared via molecular docking and hemisynthesis. Although neither systematic nor comprehensive, there are two excellent reviews on the distribution, sources, applications, synthesis, and pharmacological activity of helicid that have been published in Chinese. In the present review, we attempt to compile and discuss the key data available in the literature on the multiple biological activities of helicid derivatives. This compilation of 102 references may be helpful in understanding the diverse biological properties of helicid while providing insights into its mechanism of action. This may direct future research in the synthesis of new derivatives and the exploration of other biological activities.

In reproductive age women, the pool of primordial follicles is continuously depleted through the process of cyclic recruitment. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) both inhibits the initial recruitment of primordial follicles into the growing pool and modulates the sensitivity of growing follicles to follicle stimulating hormone. Thus, AMH may be an important modulator of female infertility and ovarian reserve; however, the mechanisms regulating AMH remain unclear.To evaluate AMH levels in the absence of H19 lncRNA, H19 knockout (H19KO) mice were evaluated for analysis of ovarian AMH gene expression, protein production, and reproductive function, including assessment of follicle numbers and litter size analysis. To further investigate regulation of AMH by the H19/let-7 axis, let-7 binding sites on AMH were predicted, and in vitro studies of the effect of H19 knockdown/overexpression with let-7 rescue were performed. Lastly, response to superovulation was assessed via oocyte counts and estradiol measurements.The H19KO mouse demonstrates subfertility and accelerated follicular recruitment with increased spontaneous development of secondary, preantral, and antral follicles. Ovaries of H19KO mice have decreased AMH mRNA and protein, and AMH mRNA has a functional let-7 binding site, suggesting a plausible ncRNA-mediated mechanism for AMH regulation by H19/let-7. Lastly, in the absence of H19, superovulation results in higher estradiol and more oocytes, suggesting that H19 functions to limit the number of follicles that mature, produce estradiol, and ovulate. Thus, AMH’s inhibitory actions are regulated at least in part by H19, likely via let-7, marking this ncRNA pair as important regulators of the establishment and maintenance of the follicular pool.The long noncoding RNA H19 regulates AMH via let-7.

When analyzing data sampled with unequal inclusion probabilities, correlations between the probability of selection and the sampled data can induce bias if the inclusion probabilities are ignored in the analysis. Weights equal to the inverse of the probability of inclusion are commonly used to correct possible bias. When weights are uncorrelated with the descriptive or model estimators of interest, highly disproportional sample designs resulting in large weights can introduce unnecessary variability, leading to an overall larger mean square error compared to unweighted methods.

Transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue is a novel technique to restore endocrine function and fertility especially for cancer patients. However, the main obstacle of the technique is massive follicle loss as a result of ischemia in the process of transplantation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been acknowledged to play an important role in supporting angiogenesis and stabilizing long-lasting blood vessel networks through release of angiogenic factors and differentiation into pericytes and endothelial cells. This study is aimed to investigate whether MSCs could be applied to overcome the above obstacle to support the ovarian tissue survival in the transplantation. Here we show that human MSCs could enhance the expression level of VEGF, FGF2, and especially the level of angiogenin, significantly stimulate neovascularization, and increase blood perfusion of the grafts in the cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplantation. Further studies reveal that MSCs could notably reduce the apoptotic rates of primordial follicles and decrease follicle loss in the grafted ovarian tissues. In summary, our findings demonstrate a previously unrecognized function of MSCs in improving human ovarian tissue transplantation and provide a useful strategy to optimize fertility preservation and restoration.

Objective To explore the effect of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and albumin-corrected glycated serum proteins (Alb-GSP) on the mortality of diabetic patients receiving continuous peritoneal dialysis (PD).Methods In this single-center retrospective cohort study, incident diabetic PD patients from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010, were recruited, and followed up until December 31, 2011. The effect of HbA1c and Alb-GSP on mortality was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models.Results A total of 200 patients (60% male, mean age 60.3 ± 10.6 years) with a mean follow-up of 29.0 months (range: 4.3 - 71.5 months) were recruited. Sixty-four patients died during the follow-up period, of whom 21 died of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Mean values for HbA1c, GSP and Alb-GSP were 6.7% (range: 4.1 - 12.5%), 202 μmol/L (range: 69 - 459 μmol/L), and 5.78 μmol/g (range: 2.16 - 14.98 μmol/g), respectively. The concentrations of GSP and Alb-GSP were closely correlated with HbA1c (r= 0.41, p< 0.001 and r= 0.45, p< 0.001, respectively). In multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, patients with HbA1c ≥8% were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06 - 4.96, p= 0.04), but no increased mortality in patients with 6.0% ≤ HbA1c ≤ 7.9%. Patients with Alb-GSP ≤ 4.50 μmol/g had increased all-cause and non-cardiovascular mortality (HR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.13 - 5.19, p= 0.02; and HR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.05 - 8.48, p= 0.04 respectively).Conclusions Increased HbA1c and decreased Alb-GSP may be associated with poorer survival in diabetic PD patients, with a non-significant trend observed for poorer survival with the highest level of Alb-GSP.

The aim was to investigate the efficacy and safety of erythropoietin (EPO) to prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with critical illness or perioperative care.

Antimicrobial peptides are molecules of innate immunity. Cathelicidin-BF is the first cathelicidin peptide found in reptiles. However, the immunoregulatory and epithelial barrier protective properties of C-BF have not been reported. Inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, can lead to colon cancer, the third most common malignant tumor. The objective is to develop the new found cathelicidin-BF as a therapeutic to patients of ulcerative colitis. The morphology of the colon epithelium was observed by H&E staining; apoptosis index and infiltration of inflammatory cells in colonic epithelium were measured by TUNEL and immunohistochemistry; the expression level of endogenous mCRAMP was analyzed by immunofluorescence; and phosphorylation of the transcription factors c-jun and NF-κB in colon were analyzed by Western blot. Our results showed that the morphology of the colon epithelium in the C-BF+DSS group was improved compared with the DSS group. Apoptosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells in colonic epithelium were also significantly attenuated in the C-BF+DSS group compared with the DSS group, and the expression level of endogenous mCRAMP in the DSS group was significantly higher than other groups. DSS-induced phosphorylation level of c-jun and NF-κB while C-BF effectively inhibited phosphorylation of NF-κB (p65). The barrier protective effect of C-BF was still excellent. In conclusion, C-BF effectively attenuated inflammation and improved disrupted barrier function. Notably, this is the first report to demonstrate that C-BF attenuates DSS-induced UC both through the regulation of intestinal immune and retention of barrier function, and the exact pathway was through NF-κB.

To explore the influence of the fusion of different features on recognition, this paper took the electromyogram (EMG) signals of rectus femoris under different motions (walk, step, ramp, squat, and sitting) as signals, linear features (time-domain features (variance (VAR) and root mean square (RMS)), frequency-domain features (mean frequency (MF) and mean power frequency (MPF)), and nonlinear features (EMD) of the signals were extracted. Two feature fusion algorithms, the series splicing method and complex vector method, were designed, which were verified by a double hidden layer error back propagation (BP) neural network. Results show that with the increase of the types and complexity of feature fusions, the recognition rate of the EMG signal to actions is gradually improved. When the EMG signal is used in the series splicing method, the recognition rate of time-domain ​+ ​frequency-domain ​+ ​empirical mode decomposition (TD ​+ ​FD ​+ ​EMD) splicing is the highest, and the average recognition rate is 92.32%. And this value is raised to 96.1% by using the complex vector method, and the variance of the BP system is also reduced.

Campylobacter jejuni, an important foodborne microorganism, poses severe and emergent threats to human health as antibiotic resistance becomes increasingly prevalent. The mechanisms of drug resistance are hard to decipher, and little is known at the metabolic level. Here we apply metabolomic profiling to discover metabolic changes associated with amphenicol (chloramphenicol and florfenicol) resistance mutations of Campylobacter jejuni.An optimized sample preparation method was combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–TOF/MS) and pattern recognition for the analysis of small-molecule biomarkers of drug resistance. UHPLC–triple quadrupole MS operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for quantitative analysis of metabolic features from UHPLC–TOF/MS profiling. Up to 41 differential metabolites involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism were observed in a chloramphenicol-resistant mutant strain of Campylobacter jejuni. A panel of 40 features was identified in florfenicol-resistant mutants, demonstrating changes in glycerophospholipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism. This study shows that the UHPLC–MS-based metabolomics platform is a promising and valuable tool to generate new insights into the drug-resistant mechanism of Campylobacter jejuni.

In order to enhance the quality of iron concentrate from magnetic separation, reverse-flotation technology is often applied in iron ore dressing plant. However, this technology has disadvantages in operating cost, energy consumption and environmental protection (Zhao Chunfu, Wu Jianghua &Wang Hui ,2005). Developing innovative equipment to process magnetite ore more-effectively is a way to get rid of these disadvantages of reverse flotation and improve the quality of iron concentrate. This paper describes the development of Complex Flashing-Field Magnetic Cleaner, a new kind of equipment based on the principle of combination of separation in magnetic field and separation in gravity field (Hao Shuhua & Jiang Wenli,2002). This innovative equipment possesses a tailor-made magnetic system and has the characteristics of a magnetic field which can strengthen the formation of magnetic agglomerations and the dispersion of gangue minerals to improve the quality of separation. The automatic control system developed specifically for this equipment can further increase the accuracy of separation and stabilize the process. Test results showed that this equipment is reliable in operation, economically beneficial and it has large potential of application.

Although serum uric acid level appears to be associated with mortality in individuals treated with hemodialysis, the relationship between serum uric acid level and death is uncertain in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) gives couples who have a high risk of transmitting genetic disorders to their baby the chance to have a healthy offspring through embryo genetic analysis and selection. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is an effective method to select euploid embryos that may prevent repeated implantation failure or miscarriage. However, how and to whom PGS should be provided is a controversial topic. The first successful case of PGD of a human being was reported in 1990, and there have been tremendous improvements in this technology since then. Both embryo biopsy and genetic technologies have been improved dramatically, which increase the accuracy and expand the indications of PGD/PGS.

Syncytin-1 is a protein coded by a human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) gene of the HERV-W family (HERVWE1). Syncytin- 1 mediates formation of syncytiotrophoblasts through fusion of cytotrophoblasts, a hallmark of terminal differentiation of placental trophoblast linage. Syncytin-1 also possesses nonfusogenic functions and regulates cell cycle progression. While decreased syncytin-1 expression and syncytium deficiency are considered important pathological changes in preeclampsia, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying syncytin-1 downregulation remains unclear. In this study, we confirmed that expression levels of syncytin-1 mRNA and protein were significantly lower in preeclamptic placentas compared to normal controls. Human chorionic somatomammotropin expression, a marker for syncytium function, was also decreased in preeclamptic placentas. The mRNA levels of ASCT2, the syncytin-1 receptor involved in cell fusion process, and GCMa, a transcriptional factor known to regulate syncytin-1 expression, were not significantly altered. Methylation in the 5’LTR of syncytin-1 promoter was quantified by COBRA, methylation-specific PCR, and DNA sequencing. Results from all three assays indicated significantly hypermethylated syncytin-1 promoter in preeclamptic placentas compared to normal controls. Methylation levels were inversely correlated with syncytin-1 mRNA levels, suggesting that hypermethylation may lead to syncytin-1 downregulation. Further experiments indicated that DNMT1 and DNMT3B3 mRNA and protein levels were increased in preeclamptic placentas, suggesting that higher DNA methyltransferase activity may contribute to the hypermethylation of syncytin-1 in preeclamptic placentas. These results indicated that aberrant hypermethylation is involved in downregulation of syncytin-1, and epigenetic alterations may play a significant role in the development of preeclampsia.

The berth and quay crane in port are scarce resources. The scheduling optimization of them affects the ship's operating costs directly. In this paper we build an integration optimization model of berth allocation and quay crane scheduling to minimize the operating costs of quay crane and operating costs of the ships. A new genetic and ant colony algorithm is designed to solve this model.

In this study, a kind of uncertain network design problem, network design problem under uncertain construction cost, is researched.The discrete network design problem under uncertain construction costs deals with the selection of links to be added to the existing network, so as to minimize the total travel costs in the network. It is assumed that the value of the demand between each pair of origin and destination is a constant and the construction costs of each potential link addition follow a certain stochastic distribution. In this paper, a bi-level and stochastic programming model for the discrete network design problem is proposed. The construction costs of potential links are assumed as random variables and mutually independent with each other in this model. The upper-level model is a chance constrain model with the objective function of minimizing the total travel costs in the network, and the lower-level model is a user equilibrium model. The stochastic model is then transformed into a deterministic one. A branch-and-bound solution algorithm is designed to solve the deterministic model in an efficient way. At last, a computational experiment is conducted to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the approach proposed in this paper. The results show that the stochastic model is more flexible and practical compared with the deterministic one.

The transportation network construction takes place over a quite long time span and need enough budget. The budget is from the allocation of funds in phases and the construction cost change in the process of the construction. The general static transportation network design problems ignores the problems above. So the optimal solution obtained by the static model is best in short time, and it is may be unfeasible in the actual situation. Based on the actual situation and the shortage of the static model, the time-dependent transport network design is proposed in this study. The plan horizon is divided into N intervals and a bi-level model is built to describe the problem. The objective of the upper-level is to minimize the total cost of the whole stages. the lower-level model is a user equilibrium model. Then the branch and bound (B-B) algorithm is designed to solve the model. It is obvious that the solution of the time-dependent simulation model is more feasible than the solution of the static sequential design.

In this paper, the continuous transportation network design problem with demand and cost uncertainties is studied while the generated trip between each origin-destination pair is deterministic. Propose a bi-level uncertain model with robust optimizations. In the upper-level problem, the costs of expansion are uncertain by adding random variables to the cost function coefficients. Every random variable belongs to [0,1]. In the lower-level problem, the demand between each origin-destination pair is uncertain and belongs to a bounded interval and an ellipsoid. Then apply a genetic algorithm combined with the Frank-Wolfe algorithm to solve the model. Numerical examples suggest that the robust model with uncertain data has the advantage of operability and stability over the deterministic model.

A systematic cutting test was conducted turning normalized AISI1045 carbon steel with two kinds of Ti (C, N)-based cermet cutters, which were made with micron and nanometer TiC powders. And the cutting performance and abrasion mechanism was discussed in the article. The effect of tool orthogonal clearance on tool life was also researched in this paper. Results showed that: The tool life was affected seriously by tool orthogonal clearance angle, and the optimum tool orthogonal clearance angle of Ti (C, N)-based cermet cutter was 5°when cutting normalized AISI1045 steel. The cutting Performance of Ti (C, N)-based cermet cutters which were made with nanoTiC powders was better than the ones which were made with micron TiC powders obviously. And the primary wear behaviors were wear.

A competitive indirect chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CL-ELISA) for florfenicol (FF) and its major metabolite florfenicol amine (FFA) residues in chicken muscle has been developed and validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC criteria. The IC50value of the method was 0.153 μg kg−1for FFA with a cross-reactivity of 74.3% for FF under optimum conditions, in which FFA–F–BSA (FFA–formaldehyde–BSA) and FF–G–OVA (FF–glutaric anhydride–OVA) were used as an immunogen and a coating antigen, respectively. FFA and FF were easily extracted from chicken muscle with a 40 : 1 ethyl acetate–ammonia mixture, obtaining recoveries of 70.3–100% (FFA) and 71.8–102.0% (FF). Accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ) and detection capability (CCβ) of the assay have been assessed during the validation process. LOD values in chicken muscle were 0.353 μg kg−1for FFA and 0.526 μg kg−1for FF (10-fold dilution) and 0.453 μg kg−1for FFA and 0.657 μg kg−1for FF (100-fold dilution). Furthermore, the CL-ELISA method gave CCβ values of 1.0 μg kg−1for FFA and FF. Finally, real chicken muscle samples were analyzed with the CL-ELISA method, traditional ELISA and a previously reported gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and results confirmed the utility of this new CL-ELISA for trace determination of FF and FFA, simultaneously.

A graphene oxide/polyaniline composite was synthesized by an in situ polymerization process. This product was simply prepared in an ethylene glycol medium, using ammonium persulfate as oxidant in ice bath. The composite was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical test. The composite material showed a good electrochemical performance.

The method of “cutting instead of grinding” on hardened steel is always attractive to engineers. To gain this aim the tool material must first be found. C3N4 is a new kind of super hard material and has comparable properties with diamond in high hardness, wear-resistance, low friction coefficient and thermal conductivity. A number of dry-cutting tests were carried out by C3N4-film coated tool on hardened steel, proved the coating tool is suitable for hard dry cutting.

The two cutting tools obtained from ultra-fine grade Ti (C,N)-based cermets were tested in the dry cutting of a medium carbon steel (AISI1045). Microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. Wear mechanisms (mainly diffusion and oxidation) were investigated in detail and compared each other in order to better understand key aspects due to thermal wear mechanisms. Comparing tool A with B, under the adopted cutting conditions, the tool A has a better resistance to oxidation deformation in machining medium carbon steel due to the higher hardness, although tool B has higher bending strength and fracture toughness.

We investigate the dependence of material and electrical properties on the growth temperature of in situ SiNxon InAlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Degradation of the interface between SiNxand InAlGaN layer was observed when growth temperature is below 900 °C or above 1100 °C. With the optimized SiNxgrowth temperature, the high-quality SiNxand low interface trap density can be realized. Thus, the double-sweep capacitance–voltage measurement showed a sharp transition from charge accumulation to depletion with low hysteresis of 0.09 V. A small threshold-voltage shift after gate bias stress (1001 s) was also characterized by I–Vmeasurement.

This paper describes a new gas chromatographic method for the compositional analysis of algal galactans containing 3,6-anhydrogalactose, which is readily destroyed in usual acid hydrolysis and methanolysis. Mercaptolysis of galactans was carried out under an anhydrous condition using the newly developed solvent system, an ethanethiolic HCl solution which had been prepared by blowing dry HCl gas into ethanethiol. By heating galactans in 0.5 N HCl/ethanethiol at 60°C for 12 h, component sugars including 3,6-anhydrogalactose were released quantitatively as their diethyl mercaptals. The monosaccharide diethyl mercaptals were trimethylsilylated and analyzed by gas–liquid chromatography. Each component monosaccharide was detected as a single peak since neither anomeric nor structural isomers can be produced by mercaptolysis. Furthermore, the solvent system was improved by the addition of methanol in a ratio (2/1, v/v) of ethanethiol to methanol. Heating of galactans at 60°C in 0.5 N HCl/[ethanethiol:methanol (2/1, v/v)] released more rapidly and quantitatively monosaccharide diethyl mercaptals without any formation of monosaccharide methyl glycosides. The present method was applicable to not only algal galactans but also algal powders.

Objective Schizophrenia is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex genetic and environmental etiology. The gene encoding EF-hand domain-containing protein D2 (EFHD2) may be a genetic risk locus for schizophrenia.Methods We genotyped four EFHD2single-nucleotide polymorphisms (281 schizophrenia cases [SCZ], 321 controls) from northern Chinese Han individuals using Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Differences existed in genotype, allele, and haplotype frequency distributions between SCZ and control groups.Results The rs2473357 genotype and allele frequency distributions differed between SCZ and controls; however, this difference disappeared after Bonferroni correction. Differences in rs2473357 genotype and allele frequency distributions between SCZ and controls were more pronounced in men than in women. The G allele increased schizophrenia risk (odds ratio = 1.807, 95% confidence interval = 1.164–2.803). Among six haplotypes (G–, A–, G-insC, A-C, G-C, and G-T), the G– haplotype frequency distribution differed between SCZ and controls in women; the A-C and G-C haplotype frequency distributions differed between SCZ and controls in men.Conclusions EFHD2may be involved in schizophrenia. Sex differences in EFHD2genotype and allele frequency distributions existed among schizophrenia patients. Further research is needed to determine the role of EFHD2in schizophrenia.

The gate leakage mechanism for InAlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) is systematically studied using temperature‐dependent gate current–voltage characteristics. The electric field across the barrier layer is calculated through the extracted polarization charge and dielectric constant of the InAlGaN/GaN HEMT. The gate current of the InAlGaN/GaN HEMT is analyzed by fitting the experimental data using Themionic Emission (TE), Poole–Frenkel (PF), and Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling. The results show that 1) reverse leakage current in the thin InAlGaN barrier layer is dominated by FN tunneling due to triangular barrier formation; 2) for thicker barrier layer, the reverse leakage current at low electric field (<2.23 MV cm−1) is dominated by PF emission; 3) at high electric field near the threshold voltage the FN tunneling dominates. Extraction of effective barrier height by fitting the experimental data with models leads to the suggestion for the improvement of the device leakage current. The gate leakage mechanism for InAlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMTs SBD with different barrier layer thickness is studied using current–voltage–temperature characteristics. As seen in the figure, at room temperature devices with thicker barrier layer has a higher leakage current in comparison to that of the thinner barrier layer. The possible mechanism is investigated and discussed systematically.

This paper presents an optimized control which makes LLC resonant converters operate with a wider load range and provides good closed-loop performance. The proposed control employs two paralleled digital compensations to guarantee the good closed-loop performance in a wide load range during the steady state, an optimized trajectory control will take over to change the gate-driving signals immediately at the load transients. Finally, the proposed control has been implemented and tested on a 150W 200kHz 400V/24V LLC resonant converter and the result validates the proposed method.

Gonadotropins have been widely used in human-assisted reproduction and animal science for the past four decades. However, the effects of gonadotropins on oocyte maturation at the molecular and biochemical levels are poorly understood. To determine the effects of gonadotropins (recombinant follicle stimulating hormone and urinary human menopausal gonadotropin) on oocyte maturation, we used the bovine oocyte in vitro maturation model. First, we studied the effects of increasing gonadotropin concentrations on nuclear maturation and mitochondrial function in oocytes. Gonadotropins at concentrations of 0.075 and 0.75 IU/ml improved nuclear maturation and increased inner mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels; however, there were no beneficial effects at concentrations of 7.5 and 75 IU/ml. Second, we studied the effects of increasing gonadotropin concentrations on the status of methylation in matured (MII) oocytes. Aberrant methylation and demethylation of H19, SNRPN, and PEG3genes were observed in MII oocytes at all concentrations except 0.075 IU/ml. The expression of genes that function in spindle formation, cell cycle control, and methylation was also downregulated by high gonadotropin concentrations. In conclusion, we established the optimal gonadotropin concentration (i.e., 0.075 IU/ml) to be used for bovine oocyte in vitro maturation studies. These results may provide a guide for clinical stimulation protocols and help to reduce the risks associated with gonadotropin administration during in vitro fertilization treatment.

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