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This paper considers a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multicasting system aided by the intelligent reflecting surface (IRS). We aim to maximize the sum information rate via jointly designing the transmit precoding matrix and the reflecting coefficient (RC) matrix, subject to the transmit power constrains of the Tx and IRS. To tackle the nonconvex problem, we recast the original problem into an equivalent formulation by using some important facts about matrices and proposed a block coordinate descent (BCD) method to optimize the variables. Finally, simulation results validate the effectiveness of active IRS in enhancing the rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For thousands of years, corn silk has been widely used as an antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic and for other effects, but there is a lack of studies that correlate the extracts of flavonoid composition with their biological activities. Thus, the objectives of this study were to optimize the conditions for extracting flavonoids, identify flavonoids, and correlate the flavonoid composition with the biological activities in corn silk. The response surface experiments showed that the highest flavonoid content was predicted at 45.321 min, 57.349°C, 26.089 mL/g, and 71.269%, respectively. The verification experiment results under these optimized conditions showed an ultrasonic time of 45 min, an ultrasonic temperature of 57°C, a liquid-to-material ratio of 26, and an ethanol volume fraction of 70%. No significant differences (the relative error is 4.378%) were observed between the theoretical and experimental TFC values, indicating that the developed models were accurate. Under these optimum extraction conditions, 20 major compounds were identified and quantified by UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS. Furthermore, these optimum ethanol extracts of corn silk are effective against Bacillus subtilis and hypoglycemic activity compared with the traditional heating reflux extraction method. Six corn silk components seem to be the main contributors to the inhibitory effect against Bacillus subtilis and hyperglycemia activities. These results are useful for the application of corn silk in the food or pharmaceutical industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the secrecy transmission design in a simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) system, where an active reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is utilized to enhance the secure information transmission as well as the wireless energy transmission. Specifically, we studied the fairness secrecy rate maximization by jointly optimizing the transmit beamformer and the reflecting coefficients, subject to the transmit power constraint and the nonlinear energy harvesting constraint. To solve the formulated nonconvex problem, we utilize the successive convex approximation to reformulate the problem and then propose an alternating optimization to address the approximated problem. The simulation result showed the performance of the proposed design as well as the superiority of active RIS when compared with other benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phlorotannins, polyphenolic compounds that exist only in brown algae, have an effect on T2DM. However, the structure of phlorotannins is complex and diverse, and the complex role of therapeutic targets and active compounds has not been revealed. In this study, the potential targets and pharmacological effects of phlorotannins in the treatment of T2DM were identified based on network pharmacology and enzyme activity inhibition experiment. In total, 15 phlorotannins and 53 associated targets were yielded. Among them, SRC, ESR1, AKT1, HSP90AB1, and AR were defined as core targets. 527 GO biological processes items and 101 KEGG pathways were obtained, including EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, AGE‐RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, and VEGF signaling pathway. Phlorotannins could enable resistance against T2DM by inflammatory, survival, gene transcription, proliferation, apoptosis, and atherosclerosis. Finally, α‐glucosidase inhibition assay and molecular docking proved the effect of selected phlorotannins on T2DM. Practical applications: Phlorotannins are a kind of polyphenol compounds that only exists in brown algae. Its structure is polymerized by aromatic precursors phloroglucinol (1,3,5‐trihydroxybenzene). They have aroused great interest due to their excellent and valuable biological activities. However, the structure of phlorotannins is complex and diverse, and the complex role of therapeutic targets and active compounds has not been revealed. In this study, the potential targets and pharmacological effects of phlorotannins in the treatment of T2DM were determined basis on network pharmacology and enzyme activity inhibition experiment. In conclusion, the results showed the value of phlorotannins treating on T2DM. Moreover, this study has great significance for improving the medicinal value of phlorotannins and screening natural products for the treatment of T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate the feasibility and correlation of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) fat fraction (FF) and R2 ∗ as markers of bone metabolism in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods. 75 AS patients were classified into an early active group (EA), late active group (LA), and inactive group (IA). Additionally, 54 matched healthy individuals were selected to be part of the normal control group (NC). All participants underwent chemical shift encoded based MRI (IDEAL-IQ) and routine clinical SIJ MRI at 3.0 T. FF and R2 ∗ were measured in subchondral bone, bone marrow edema (BME), and fat metaplasia (FM). Out of the participants, 39 with BME lesions (15 from EA, 16 from LA, 8 from IA) and 39 with FM lesions (9 from EA, 17 from LA, 13 from IA) were included. Differences in FF, R2 ∗ value for subchondral bone of all participants and for BME, FM lesions were evaluated. Subsequently, different stages of BME and FM in patient groups were compared, and the relationship between FF and R2 ∗ was analyzed. Results. A significant difference in FF was demonstrated among the BME, FM and the normal bone marrow (p < 0.001), meanwhile, the difference of R2 ∗ value in FM was significantly lower (p = 0.034 , 0.012) than that of BME and that of normal bone marrow. At lever of different lesions, only the FF for BME was significantly different among 3 patient groups (p = 0.001), while there was no significantly different FF for FM among 3 patient groups. Unlike in BME lesions, the FF in FM lesions had a negative correlation with R2 ∗ (p < 0.001 , r = − 0.488). Conclusion. FF and R2 ∗ measurements help to quantitatively analyze the bone marrow fat composition and bony trabecular microstructure changes in AS, providing a noninvasive and accurate assessment basis for AS bone metabolism abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To assess the clinical efficacy of cyclosporine (0.05%) combined with diclofenac sodium eye drops (0.1%) in the treatment of dry eye disease. Methods. A prospective analysis was performed on clinical information of 128 patients diagnosed with dry eye at the ophthalmic clinic of the General Hospital of Xinjiang Military Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army from August 2020 to August 2021. Specifically, patients were randomly divided into a control group and a study group. In addition to conventional treatment, patients in the control group were treated with cyclosporine (0.05%) eye drops; while in the study group, patients received cyclosporine (0.05%) combined with diclofenac sodium eye drops (0.1%). Subsequently, comparisons and analysis were performed before and after treatment between the two groups in the clinical symptom questionnaire score of dry eye disease, the corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, determination of tear film break-up time (BUT), Schirmer I test (SIT) score, and curative effect. Results. After treatment, the clinical symptom scores and CFS scores were decreased while the BUT and SIT scores were increased in both groups; besides, compared with the control group, the clinical symptom scores and CFS scores were much lower while the BUT and SIT scores were higher in the study group. Moreover, the overall response rate in the study group (96.9%) was much better than that in the control group (79.7%); and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion. The combination of cyclosporine (0.05%) and diclofenac sodium eye drops (0.1%) based on conventional treatment can be applied to the clinical treatment of dry eye disease due to its good clinical effects on relieving dry eye symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic noncommunicable disease, the main manifestation of which is the long-term high blood sugar level in patients due to metabolic disorders. However, due to excessive reliance on the clinical experience of ophthalmologists, our diagnosis takes a long time, and it is prone to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. In recent years, with the development of deep learning, its application in the auxiliary diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy has become possible. How to use the powerful feature extraction ability of deep learning algorithm to realize the mining of massive medical data is of great significance. Therefore, under the action of computer-aided technology, this paper processes and analyzes the retinal images of the fundus through traditional image processing and convolutional neural network-related methods, so as to achieve the role of assisting clinical treatment. Based on the admission records of diabetic patients after data analysis and feature processing, this paper uses an improved convolutional neural network algorithm to establish a model for predicting changes in diabetic conditions. The model can assist doctors to judge the patient's treatment effect by using it based on the case records of inpatient diagnosis and treatment and to predict the risk of readmission of inpatients after discharge. It also can help to judge the effectiveness of the treatment plan. The results of the study show that the model proposed in this paper has a lower probability of misjudging patients with poor recovery as good recovery, and the prediction is more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical disease, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases cause great damage to the human body. In view of the problem that the existing models failed to describe and represent the characteristics of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular indicators, convolution neural network was used to analyze the metabolic factors of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular. Based on convolutional neural network theory, feature extraction was carried out on the relevant parameters of the model, and the change trend of different cardiovascular and cerebrovascular indicators was studied by model optimization, theoretical analysis, and experimental verification. Relevant studies show that the value of neurons increases slowly at first and then rapidly with the increase of bias term b. And with the increase of computing time, the corresponding nonlinear characteristics are gradually reflected; so, the influence of computing time on neuron results should be considered when selecting bias term b. The gradient changes under different functions have typical symmetry, which indicates that the effects of functions on model parameters have certain cyclic characteristics. Among them, ReLU function has the largest variation range, tanh function has a relatively small curve variation range, and sigmoid function has the smallest variation range. Five indicators are selected to describe the metabolic characteristics of the disease through characteristic analysis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The onset signs have the greatest impact on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, while the corresponding metabolic characteristics have the least impact on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The study showed that the influence of different indicators on the model had typical stage characteristics, and relevant data were used to verify the accuracy of the model. Finally, the optimization model based on convolutional neural network was used to predict the metabolic characteristics of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Relevant studies show that the optimization model can better analyze the metabolic characteristics of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This research can provide theoretical support for the application of convolutional neural networks in other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical treatment of mitral valve diseases has become minimally invasive. This study analyzed the follow-up results of patients after mitral valve repairs (MVRep) using the da Vinci robot. The clinical data of patients who underwent minimally invasive MVRep using the da Vinci robot between January 2016 and June 2021 and completed follow-ups were prospectively collected. All operations were performed by the same surgeon and assistants. The data of a total of 120 patients were available for analysis, including 78 males (65%) and 42 females aged 49.9 ± 12.1 years (range, 19–73 years). Among them, there were 30 cases (25%) of mitral valve prolapse, 87 cases (72.5%) of mitral regurgitation, and 40 cases of combined tricuspid regurgitation. Edwards Physio II annuloplasty rings were implanted intraoperatively, followed by continuous sutures. The intraoperative cardiopulmonary bypass time was 152.32 ± 45.77 min, and the aortic occlusion time was 95.13 ± 5.64 min. After surgery, patients were followed up regularly with echocardiography with a follow-up period of 3–57 months postoperatively. One patient died in the early stage, and five patients required sternotomy due to postoperative bleeding. Follow-up transesophageal echocardiography showed that the end-systolic diameter, end-diastolic diameter, and ejection fraction of the left ventricular all improved after surgery. Among Chinese patients, MVRep using the da Vinci robot is a safe and effective surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mounting body of evidence suggests that prenatal inflammation may enhance the rate of age-associated cognitive decline and may involve aberrant amounts of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus, including synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1) and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc). However, little is known about the specific impact of adolescent environmental enrichment (EE) on age-associated cognitive decline and the changes in synaptic proteins caused by prenatal inflammation. In this study, CD-1 mice in late pregnancy were given intraperitoneal doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 50 μg/kg) or normal saline. Offspring arising from LPS dams were divided into a LPS group and a LPS plus EE (LPS-E) group. The LPS-E mice were exposed to EE from 2 months of age until the end of the experiment (3 or 15 months old). The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess the spatial learning and memory capacities of experimental mice, while western blotting and RNA-scope were used to determine the expression levels of Arc and Syt1 in the hippocampus at the protein and mRNA levels, respectively. Analysis revealed that at 15 months of age, the control mice experienced a reduction in cognitive ability and elevated expression levels of Arc and Syt1 genes when compared to control mice at 3 months of age. The LPS-E group exhibited better cognition and lower protein and mRNA levels of Arc and Syt1 than mice in the LPS group of the same age. However, the enriched environment mitigated but did not counteract, the effects of prenatal inflammation on cognitive and synaptic proteins when tested at either 3 or 15 months of age. Our findings revealed that long-term environmental enrichment improved the expression levels of synaptic proteins in CD-1 mice and that this effect was linked to the dysfunctional cognition caused by prenatal inflammation; this process may also be involved in the reduction of hippocampal Arc and Syt1 gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigated the microbial community in Kantuan‐sliced chicken during retail storage at different temperatures (4 ± 1°C and 25 ± 1°C). Compared with the samples stored at 25°C, a lower storage temperature (4°C) could prolong the shelf life of Kantuan‐sliced chicken, as revealed by a lower change rate in pH value, total volatile basic nitrogen, and total viable counts. For the freshly prepared chicken sample, the microbial community was mainly dominated by the genus of Psychrobacter (71.67%), which is a member of Moraxellaceae family. During refrigerated storage, the genus of Brochothrix (belonging to Listeriaceae family) occupied the dominant position with a relative abundance at a level of ≥50% throughout the whole storage period, accompanied by the phenomenon that Psychromonas ranged from 12.32% to 22.54%. In the 25°C group, the samples presented rich microbial diversity. Enterococcus, Fusobacterium, Maccoroccus, and Lactococcus were the main components of the microbial community in the middle and late stages of storage. The microbial community of Kantuan‐sliced chicken was quite sensitive to storage temperature. The results indicated that the spoilage bacteria of refrigerated samples were mainly composed of Gram‐positive bacteria when compared to the samples stored at 25°C. It seems that the combination of low storage temperature with preservatives for Gram‐positive bacteria would be useful for Kantuan‐sliced chicken. Novelty impact statement: Kantuan‐sliced chicken is a popular food product (ready‐to‐eat food) in middle China, which is easy to deteriorate. This study clarified the microbial community diversity and dynamics in the Kantuan‐sliced chicken during storage at 4°C and 25°C to solve the unclear spoilage process. Our results extend the understanding of microbial spoilage of Kantuan‐sliced chicken and provide valuable microbial management information for both researchers and the food industry, which is helpful for further improving product quality management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To deeply understand the role expectation of clinical teachers for nursing master's degree graduates and use the crowd portrait intelligent data analysis system to assist in enrollment. Methods. Retrospective analysis was used to group nursing postgraduates and observe and statistically analyze the passing rate of basic course examination, subject achievement, graduation thesis, and graduation passing rate within three years. Results. The passing rates of the observation indexes of the double compliance group, the compliance system group, the compliance teacher group, and the double noncompliance group decreased in turn. It can be said that the system design can provide effective suggestions for the enrollment of nursing postgraduates. If the enrollment is carried out according to the system suggestions, the overall level of postgraduates can be improved, and their role expectations can be met. Conclusion. This paper was aimed at studying the advantages of using intelligent data systems to assist in enrollment, which can not only improve the overall level of nursing graduate students but also meet the role expectations of clinical teachers, systematically arrange practical teaching, and promote the development of relevant software systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slow reading speed is a common problem among Chinese college students' English learning, limiting the amount of reading done and thus directly affecting English-level improvement. Teachers in English classes place a premium on improving students' reading skills but the results are not immediately apparent. Even if many students have strong vocabulary and grammar skills, they will never be able to read English fluently. Teachers should prioritize not only students' knowledge acquisition and intelligence development but also the development of students' interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence in order to maximize their potential. This paper uses multimedia technology to investigate the role of multimedia technology in improving college English-reading efficiency and analyzes how teachers and students can play a positive role in improving the efficiency of college multimedia teaching using data mining technology, which shows that students' predictive reading skills can help them improve their reading efficiency. Teachers can also supervise and ask questions about students' learning progress via computers, communicate effectively with students, and provide timely feedback on students' learning results using multimedia technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. High-normal blood pressure has been suggested to associate with target organ damage and higher left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Our aim is to find the association between people with high-normal blood pressure and their left ventricular mass index. Materials and Methods. Given a total of 181 people with office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, 35 of them are normotensive (BP < 130/85 mm Hg), and 146 people with high-normal blood pressure (BP 130–139/85–89 mm Hg), divide the high-normal blood pressure group into dipper and nondipper according to their ABPM in 24 hours. All of them were performed with echocardiography to calculate LVMI. Results. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, mean systolic blood pressure (BP) of the nondipper group is (119 + 9) mmHg in 24 h, which is significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the dipper group (116 + 11) mmHg, indicating the mean systolic BP is associated with the dipper type (p < 0.05); furthermore, the higher nocturnal blood pressure is associated with the nondipper group significantly (p < 0.05), and LVMI ((121 ± 11) g/m2) of the nondipper group is also significantly higher than in the dipper group's LVMI ((108 ± 12) g/m2) (p < 0.05). The multivariate linear regression analyses revealed significant and independent associations of LVMI with these factors: triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), and coefficient of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in 24 hours. Conclusion. After multiple relevant clinical confounding factors were adjusted, patients with dipper and nondipper high-normal blood pressure had higher LVMI. Abnormalities in circadian blood pressure variability may be associated with the left ventricular hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the analysis and research of the multimedia teaching platform system based on computer Internet technology, this paper proposes constructing a network multimedia teaching platform system based on streaming transmission to realize the sharing of excellent teaching resources in colleges and universities and the development of education and teaching. The design and development of each module of the teaching platform are completed, and the realization technology of each module function is explained. We completed the design and implementation of some auxiliary functions of the teaching platform, including the system usage help module, resource search module, and online on-demand playback functions. After the experiment, we compare the changes of students' English anxiety before and after the experiment and conduct interviews with them. The results show that the application of the Internet-based scaffolding teaching model in college English reading teaching can alleviate students' English learning anxiety. Through interviews to understand students' feedback and evaluation of the new teaching model, it was found that most students hold positive evaluations of the Internet-based scaffolding teaching model, believing that the new teaching model can stimulate students' English learning enthusiasm and increase confidence in English learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver disease is a severe health problem that endangers human health worldwide. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is a novel treatment for patients with different liver diseases due to its vast expansion potential and distinctive immunomodulatory properties. Despite several preclinical trials having confirmed the considerable efficacy of MSC therapy in liver diseases, the questionable safety and efficacy still limit its application. As a precursor cell, MSCs can adjust their characteristics in response to the surrounding microenvironment. The microenvironment provides physical and chemical factors essential for stem cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the mechanisms are still not completely understood. We, therefore, summarized the mechanisms underlying the MSC immune response, especially the interaction between MSCs and the liver microenvironment, discussing how to achieve better therapeutic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. To observe the clinical effect of Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe combined with labetalol hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate in the treatment of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Methods. A total of 126 patients with PIH diagnosed in our hospital from January 2016 to May 2018 were randomly divided into the control group and the experimental group, with 63 cases in each group. The control group was treated with labetalol combined with magnesium sulfate. On the basis of the control group, the experimental group was treated with Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe. Clinical efficacy, blood pressure, renal function, and biochemical indexes were compared between the two groups. Moreover, pregnancy outcomes and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results. After treatment, the total effective rate in the experimental group was higher than in the control group. Blood pressure and mean arterial pressure in the experimental group were more significantly downregulated than the control group. Renal function indexes and biochemical indexes in the experimental group were more significant than those in the control group. The incidence of cesarean section, preterm birth, and abnormal fetal heart rate in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. There was no difference in the incidence of fetal distress, postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal asphyxia, and adverse reactions between the two groups. Conclusion. Pinggan Yiqi Yangshen recipe combined with labetalol hydrochloride and magnesium sulfate can effectively reduce the blood pressure of patients with PIH, help patients to return to normal levels of biochemical indexes and renal function indexes, and improve pregnancy outcomes with high safety, which is worthy of further promotion and application in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the application of an automatic scoring system to all kinds of oral English tests at all levels, the efficiency of test implementation has been greatly improved. The traditional speech signal processing method only focuses on the extraction of scoring features, which could not ensure the accuracy of the scoring algorithm. Aiming at the reliability of the automatic scoring system, based on the principle of sequence matching, this paper adopts the spoken speech feature extraction method to extract the features of spoken English test pronunciation and establishes a dynamic optimized spoken English pronunciation signal model based on sequence matching, which could maintain good dynamic selection and clustering ability in a strong interference environment. According to the comprehensive experiment, the automatic scoring result of the system is much higher than that of the traditional method, which greatly improves the recognition ability of oral pronunciation, solves the difference between the automatic scoring of the system and the manual scoring, and promotes the computer automatic scoring system to replace or partially replace the manual marking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging evidence suggests video-assisted health education being an effective way in promoting rehabilitation. The present study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of video-assisted health education in promoting rehabilitation training in postoperative OA patients and at comparing it with oral education. This study was a noncontemporaneous control study involving 179 patients who underwent TKA. For the intervention group, a bedside interactive system that recorded a series of educational videos showing a rehabilitation training program was established. For the control group, oral education having the same content as that in the videos for the intervention group was provided. After education, clinical outcomes such as occurrence of complications, circulating biomarkers of inflammation, and rehabilitation progress of the patients were obtained. Furthermore, job stress and burnout in nurses who participated in the present study were assessed. Results showed that C-reactive protein levels of patients were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (84.54 ± 36.09 vs. 99.45 ± 31.73 mg / L , P = 0.004). Faster achievement of postoperative knee flexion to 90 degrees (21.31 ± 5.83 vs. 35.72 ± 9.93 h , P < 0.001) and first ambulation (19.91 ± 4.57 vs. 50.15 ± 7.00 h , P < 0.001), reduced number of postoperative complications such as postoperative orthostatic intolerance (7 vs. 19, P = 0.008) and constipation (10 vs. 23, P = 0.009), and reduced length of hospital stay (7.51 ± 1.79 vs. 8.21 ± 2.15 days , P = 0.019) in the intervention group in comparison to the control group were noted. Emotional exhaustion and burnout of nurses were reduced significantly in the intervention group than in the control group (21.00 ± 8.04 vs. 36.50 ± 11.22 , P = 0.002 ; 55.90 ± 11.57 vs. 85.50 ± 6.80 , P < 0.001 , respectively). Reduced personal accomplishments in nurses were improved significantly in the intervention group when compared with the control group (41.90 ± 4.91 vs. 32.80 ± 7.07 , P = 0.004). We concluded that video-assisted health education may promote TKA patient recovery and reduce burnout and stress in nurses when compared with oral education. Video-assisted health education could be helpful in situation where manpower of nurse is in shortage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt is an important molybdenum resource base in Xinjiang and is characterized by large-scale porphyry Mo deposits formed during the Triassic. The Tieling Cu-Mo porphyry deposit, which is situated in the western part of the eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt, was recently recognized as being related to Carboniferous granite porphyry. Three stages of hydrothermal mineralization were identified, including quartz+K-feldspar+pyrite±molybdenite±magnetite (stage I), quartz+molybdenite+pyrite+chalcopyrite (stage II), and quartz+pyrite±molybdenite±epidote (stage III). Fluid inclusion petrography and microthermometry analyses indicate the presence of gas-liquid inclusions with a H2O-NaCl composition. The ore-forming fluids have a characteristic temperature ranging from 157 to 262°C under stage II and 135 to 173°C under stage III, which correspond to salinities of 7.2-17.2 wt% NaCl equiv. and 5.9 to 9.6 wt% NaCl equiv., respectively. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope data indicate that the ore-forming fluids of the Tieling deposit were originally derived from magmatic hydrothermal fluids and then mixed with meteoric water. The sulfur isotope compositions indicate that the ore-forming materials were mainly derived from the Late Carboniferous felsic magma. Furthermore, zircon U-Pb analysis of ore-bearing granite porphyry yields a concordant age of 298.4 ± 0.7 Ma , indicating that the Tieling Cu-Mo deposit formed during the Late Carboniferous and differed from that processed under pre-Early Carboniferous and Triassic mineralization in the eastern Tianshan metallogenic belt. These results also indicate that the Tieling porphyry deposit was formed in the transition condition between subduction-related accretion and postcollisional orogeny, and it should be given more attention in prospect evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morels (Morchella spp.) are a genus of edible fungi with important economic and medicinal value. In this study, a novel peptide (MIPP) was extracted from the fruiting bodies of Morchella importuna using gel filtration chromatography. Structural analysis showed that the molecular mass of MIPP is 831 Da, and it has a simple amino acid sequence: Ser-Leu-Ser-Leu-Ser-Val-Ala-Arg. To explore the antitumor activity of MIPP, the effect of MIPP on HeLa cell apoptosis and the underlying preventative mechanisms were investigated. Results showed that MIPP reduced the viability of HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner. TUNEL analysis and flow cytometric examination showed that MIPP decreased cell proliferation via a mitochondrial-dependent pathway, as manifested by downregulation of Bcl-2/Bax, promotion of the movement of cytochrome C from the mitochondria to the cytoplasm, and triggering of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Therefore, MIPP may be a promising tumor-preventive agent, especially in human cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in plants are crucial for understanding biological processes. Although high-throughput techniques produced valuable information to identify PPIs in plants, they are usually expensive, inefficient, and extremely time-consuming. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop novel computational methods to predict PPIs in plants. In this article, we proposed a novel approach to predict PPIs in plants only using the information of protein sequences. Specifically, plants' protein sequences are first converted as position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM); then, the fast Walsh–Hadamard transform (FWHT) algorithm is used to extract feature vectors from PSSM to obtain evolutionary information of plant proteins. Lastly, the rotation forest (RF) classifier is trained for prediction and produced a series of evaluation results. In this work, we named this approach FWHT-RF because FWHT and RF are used for feature extraction and classification, respectively. When applying FWHT-RF on three plants' PPI datasets Maize, Rice, and Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), the average accuracies of FWHT-RF using 5-fold cross validation were achieved as high as 95.20%, 94.42%, and 83.85%, respectively. To further evaluate the predictive power of FWHT-RF, we compared it with the state-of-art support vector machine (SVM) and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier in different aspects. The experimental results demonstrated that FWHT-RF can be a useful supplementary method to predict potential PPIs in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doxorubicin is a cornerstone chemotherapeutic drug widely used to treat various cancers; its dose-dependent cardiomyopathy, however, is one of the leading causes of treatment-associated mortality in cancer survivors. Patients' threshold doses leading to doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC) and heart failure are highly variable, mostly due to genetic variations in individuals' genomes. However, genetic susceptibility to DIC remains largely unidentified. Here, we combined a genetic approach in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) animal model with a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in humans to identify genetic susceptibility to DIC and heart failure. We firstly reported the cardiac and skeletal muscle-specific expression and sarcomeric localization of the microtubule-associated protein 7 domain-containing protein 1b (Map7d1b) in zebrafish, followed by expression validation in mice. We then revealed that disruption of the map7d1b gene function exaggerated DIC effects in adult zebrafish. Mechanistically, the exacerbated DIC are likely conveyed by impaired autophagic degradation and elevated protein aggregation. Lastly, we identified 2 MAP7D1 gene variants associated with cardiac functional decline and heart failure in cancer patients who received doxorubicin therapy. Together, this study identifies MAP7D1 as a clinically relevant susceptibility gene to DIC and heart failure, providing useful information to stratify cancer patients with a high risk of incurring severe cardiomyopathy and heart failure after receiving chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this research was to explore both older adults' and health care professionals' experience and views of sialorrhoea management practices in older adult residential care settings. Background: Sialorrhoea is quite a bothersome symptom among patients with certain neurological conditions. The complexity of sialorrhoea and its complications can be quite challenging for health care professionals. In the management of sialorrhoea, a multidisciplinary approach is proposed as an effective way of sialorrhoea management. Methods: Thematic analysis of collected data via semi‐structured qualitative interviews with five focus groups involving 28 multidisciplinary health care members and 1 patient. Results: The older adult and multidisciplinary health care professionals' view of the management of sialorrhoea in residential care settings were established under three main themes: 1) 'Sialorrhoea compromising patient's dignity', 2) 'Ad hoc local management' and 3) 'Further integration of care required'. Conclusion: At present, there have been no comprehensive multidisciplinary sialorrhoea management strategies to meet the various needs of older adults with sialorrhoea. Implication for Nursing Management: It is important to minimize the negative impact of sialorrhoea on the patients. The recognition of issues associated with sialorrhoea provides constructive scope for the health care professionals to further investigate and develop more effective integrated sialorrhoea care protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a standard clinical treatment, platelet transfusion has been employed to prevent hemorrhage in patients with thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunctions. Platelets also show therapeutic potential for aiding liver regeneration and bone healing and regeneration and for treating dermatological conditions. However, the supply of platelets rarely meets the rising clinical demand. Other issues, including short shelf life, strict storage temperature, and allogeneic immunity caused by frequent platelet transfusions, have become serious challenges that require the development of high-yielding alternative sources of platelets. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are an unlimited substitution source for regenerative medicine, and patient-derived iPSCs can provide novel research models to explore the pathogenesis of some diseases. Many studies have focused on establishing and modifying protocols for generating functional induced platelets (iPlatelets) from hPSCs. To reach high efficiency production and eliminate the exogenous antigens, media supplements and matrix have been optimized. In addition, the introduction of some critical transgenes, such as c-MYC, BMI1, and BCL-XL, can also significantly increase hPSC-derived platelet production; however, this may pose some safety concerns. Furthermore, many novel culture systems have been developed to scale up the production of iPlatelets, including 2D flow systems, 3D rotary systems, and vertical reciprocal motion liquid culture bioreactors. The development of new gene-editing techniques, such as CRISPR/Cas9, can be used to solve allogeneic immunity of platelet transfusions by knocking out the expression of B2M. Additionally, the functions of iPlatelets were also evaluated from multiple aspects, including but not limited to morphology, structure, cytoskeletal organization, granule content, DNA content, and gene expression. Although the production and functions of iPlatelets are close to meeting clinical application requirements in both quantity and quality, there is still a long way to go for their large-scale production and clinical application. Here, we summarize the diverse methods of platelet production and update the progresses of iPlatelets. Furthermore, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of key transcription factors or molecules that determine the platelet differentiation direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquatic organisms are affected by both water temperature fluctuation and the waterborne pollutants such as heavy metals. In this study, we investigated the effects of water temperature and/or mercury (Hg) on antioxidant parameters (SOD, superoxide dismutase; CAT, catalase; MDA, malondialdehyde; TAOC, total antioxidant capacity), the stress proteins (HSP70, heat shock protein 70; MTs, metallothionein) and the stress hormone (COR, cortisol hormone), as well as the related genes expression of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella. Fish (45.37 ± 3.58 g) were acclimated to 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35°C and co‐exposed to 0.0 or 0.039 mg/L HgCl2 for 4 weeks in triplicates. Three‐way ANOVA revealed that all variables were significantly affected by water temperature, Hg exposure, exposure time and their interactions. The activities of antioxidant enzymes increased significantly by increasing water temperature up to 30°C, after which they decreased significantly at 35°C. The levels of HSP70 and MTs increased with increasing water temperature up to 35°C, but Hg‐exposed fish showed lower levels of two stress proteins as compared to Hg‐free fish groups. Additional, the cortisol content was not positively correlated with temperature. Our data provide evidences that warmer temperatures can potentiate Hg toxicity. Due to the complex mechanism of the toxicity of temperature coupled pollutants on aquatic organisms, more detailed experiments in laboratory need to be performed before these parameters are used as special biomarkers for monitoring aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. There is still no effective treatment of neuropathic pain. Sanguinarine is a natural plant medicine with anti-inflammatory effects, but its effect on neuropathic pain remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the potential of sanguinarine to attenuate neuropathic pain. Methods. Neuropathic pain was induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Rats were randomly divided into several groups: sham, CCI, CCI+SG (1.00 mg/kg), CCI+SG (2.50 mg/kg), and CCI+SG (6.25 mg/kg). SG was injected intraperitoneally from the day of surgery every three days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were recorded before surgery and on days 1, 3, 7, and 14 after surgery. The microglia in the spinal dorsal horn were examined by immunofluorescence. p38 MAPK expression in the spinal dorsal horn was detected by PCR and Western blot analysis. Cytokine levels in the spinal dorsal horn were measured by ELISA. Results. MWT and TWL were significantly reduced in the CCI group, but sanguinarine recovered MWT and TWL in the CCI group. In addition, sanguinarine inhibited the activation of microglia and decreased the expression of p-p38 and TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the spinal dorsal horn of the CCI group in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions. Our results suggest that sanguinarine can attenuate neuropathic pain via inhibiting the activation of microglia and the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran is the country in Western Asia most impacted by the COVID‐19 outbreak. A survey was conducted among the general public in Iran aimed at investigating psychobehavioural issues related to the COVID‐19 outbreak, namely (a) barriers to preventive measures against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection; (b) negative emotions towards SARS‐CoV‐2 infection; and (c) anxiety levels among the general public in Iran. A cross‐sectional, web‐based survey using an online questionnaire was carried out between 16 March and 1 April 2020. The six‐item version of the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI‐6) was used to assess anxiety levels. A total of 1,789 complete responses were received. Nearly 60% reported having difficulty in wearing a face mask to protect against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The mean and standard deviation (SD) for the total prevention barrier score was 35.8 (SD ± 7.1; range 18–68) out of a possible score of 72. Male respondents [odds ratio (OR) = 1.25; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.51] and respondents who perceived their health status as poor/fair (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.31–1.82) were predictors of high prevention barriers. Negative emotions such as fear (74.6%) followed by depression (43.4%) and stigma (23.0%) associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were reported. Respondents who perceived their health as poor/fair (OR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.57–3.04) reported a higher likelihood of having higher negative emotions. Findings on anxiety level revealed 68.0% (95% CI 65.8–70.1) reported moderate to severe anxiety. Respondents who perceived their health as poor/fair (OR = 3.46; 95% CI 12.22–5.40) and who were females (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.55–2.36) were predictors of moderate to severe anxiety. In conclusion, psychobehavioural interventions are needed to facilitate management and control of the COVID‐19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the feasibility of using a single device to close multiple atrial septal defects (ASDs) under the guidance of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and with the aid of three-dimensional (3D) printing models.Methods: Sixty-two patients with multiple ASDs were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty of these patients underwent TTE-guided closure (3D printing and TTE group) after a simulation of occlusion in 3D printing models. The remaining 32 patients underwent ASD closure under fluoroscopic guidance (conventional group). Closure status was assessed immediately and at 6 months after device closure.Results: Successful transcatheter closure with a single device was achieved in 26 patients in the 3D printing and TTE group and 27 patients in the conventional group. Gender, age [18.8 ± 15.9 (3-51) years in the 3D printing and TTE group; 14.0 ± 11.6 (3-50) years in the conventional group], mean maximum distance between defects, prevalence of 3 atrial defects and large defect distance (defined as distance ≥7 mm), and occluder size used were similarly distributed between groups. However, the 3D printing and TTE group had lower frequency of occluder replacement (3.8% vs 59.3%, p < 0.0001), prevalence of mild residual shunts (defined as <5 mm) immediately (19.2% vs 44.4%, p < 0.05) and at 6 months (7.7% vs 29.6%, p < 0.05) after the procedure, and cost (32960.8 ± 2018.7 CNY vs 41019.9 ± 13758.2 CNY, p < 0.01).Conclusion: The combination of the 3D printing technology and ultrasound-guided interventional procedure provides a reliable new therapeutic approach for multiple ASDs, especially for challenging cases with large defect distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. The current study aims to examine the effects of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile in the kidney tissues of rats. Methods. Wistar rats were randomly divided into three equal experiment groups: the AGE group, the RSA group, and the control group. The rats in the AGE group and the RSA group were administered with advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and rat serum albumin (RSA) via the tail vein, respectively, whereas the control group received PBS. Total RNA was prepared from the rat kidney tissues, and the miRNA expression profiles in different experiment groups were compared by microarray analysis. The expression levels of selected differential miRNAs were verified by RT-qPCR. Target gene prediction was conducted using algorithms such as TargetScan, miRanda, and PICTar. Functional analysis was performed to determine the putative biological roles of the validated miRNAs. Results. The microarray study revealed 451 upregulated and 320 downregulated miRNAs in the AGE group compared with the RSA group (p < 0.05). Seven miRNAs, including miR-21-5p, miR-92b-3p, miR-140-3p, miR-196a-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-186-5p, and miR-192-5p, were screened and verified using RT-qPCR, of which, the change of miR-92b-3p was the most obvious according to the miRNA expression different multiple and p value. Furthermore, the expression trend of miR-92b-3p measured by RT-qPCR was shown to be consistent with the microarray results. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay identified Smad7 was a direct target of miR-92b-3p. Both immunohistochemical and western blotting showed that Smad7 expression was significantly suppressed in the kidney tissues from the AGE group compared with the control and RSA groups. Conclusion. The results of the current study suggested that miR-92b-3p could mediate AGE-induced development of renal abnormalities through targeting Smad7 in rats with DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) is a key constitutive relationship for studying unsaturated soil, and as is known, microstructure of the soil has great influence on the mechanical behaviour of the soil. In this study, the wetting and drying soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) of loess compacted at three different water contents were measured using the filter paper method. And microproperties of compacted loess were obtained by the mercury intrusion method (MIP) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the compaction water contents have significant influence on the SWCC and microstructure. The pore size distribution (PSD) curves have great differences in macropore range and are similar in micropore range. Loess compacted at optimum and dry of optimum are generally connected, while there are certain number of nonintruded pores in loess compacted at wet of optimum. The SWCC curves vary significantly in low suction ( u a − u w < 1000 kPa) and tend to converge together in high suction ( u a − u w ≥ 1000 kPa). Hysteresis in the SWCCs is more obvious for loess compacted at optimum and dry of optimum in the matric suction of 0∼100 kPa; however, there is a pronounced hysteresis for loess compacted at wet of optimum in full matric suction range. The characteristic of the SWCCs including their hysteresis can be well interpreted from the loess microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell-based tissue engineering in treating intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is promising. An appropriate cell scaffold can maintain the viability and function of transplanted cells. Injectable hydrogel has the potential to be an appropriate cell scaffold as it can mimic the condition of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) of nucleus pulposus (NP) and provide binding sites for cells. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of injectable hydrogel-loaded NP-derived mesenchymal stem cells (NPMSC) for the treatment of IVD degeneration (IDD) in rats. In this study, we selected injectable 3D-RGD peptide-modified polysaccharide hydrogel as a cell transplantation scaffold. In vitro, the biocompatibility, microstructure, and induced differentiation effect on NPMSC of the hydrogel were studied. In vivo, the regenerative effect of hydrogel-loaded NPMSC on degenerated NP in a rat model was evaluated. The results showed that NPMSC was biocompatible and able to induce differentiation in hydrogel in vivo. The disc height index (almost 87%) and MRI index (3313.83±227.79) of the hydrogel-loaded NPMSC group were significantly higher than those of other groups at 8 weeks after injection. Histological staining and immunofluorescence showed that the hydrogel-loaded NPMSC also partly restored the structure and ECM content of degenerated NP after 8 weeks. Moreover, the hydrogel could support long-term NPMSC survival and decrease cell apoptosis rate of the rat IVD. In conclusion, injectable hydrogel-loaded NPMSC transplantation can delay the level of IDD and promote the regeneration of the degenerative IVD in the rat model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security of engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae is becoming more focused on industrial production in consideration of the public concern regarding genetically modified organisms. In this work, a rapid and highly efficient system for seamless gene deletion in S. cerevisiae was developed through two-step integration protocol combined with endonuclease I-SCEI expression. The factors affecting the frequency of the second homologous recombination were optimized, and studies indicated that the mutant strains with 500 bp direct repeats and that have been incubating in galactose (0.5 g/100 mL) medium at 30°C and 180 r/min for 24 h permit high frequency (6.86 × 10−4) of the second homologous recombination. Furthermore, DNA sequence assays showed only self-DNA in native location without any foreign genes after deletion using this method. The seamless gene deletion method was applied to the construction of the engineering strains with BAT2 (encoding aminotransferase) deletion and ATF1 (alcohol acetyltransferases) overexpression. The mutants exhibited significant effects on higher alcohol reduction and ester improvement after Baijiu fermentation. The engineered strains can be used in industrial production in security, thereby meeting the requirements of modern science and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature to evaluate the different outcomes of microRNAs (miRNAs) in diabetic nephropathy (DN), including urinary albumin excretion rates, urinary albumin creatinine rates, glomerular filtration rate, HbAc1, and creatinine. Methods. Electronic databases including PUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched for eligible publications to July 2018. The following comparisons between treatment groups were included: normal group versus DN group; control group versus micro/macroalbuminuria group. Results. Twelve eligible studies that included 2500 participants were finally recruited in this meta-analysis. Fifteen miRNAs (miRNA-21, miRNA-181b, miRNA-194, miRNA-30, miRNA-215, and others) were upregulated whereas seven miRNAs (miRNA-26a, miRNA-126, miRNA-424, miRNA-574-3p, miR-223, miR-155, and miR-192) were downregulated in the DN group compared with control groups. The miR-133b, miR-342, miR-30, miR-192, miR-194, and miR-215 were significantly correlated in urinary albumin excretion rates (r=0.33, 95% CI= 0.26-0.39). miR-192, miR-217, miR-15b, miR-34a, and miR-636 were correlated with urinary albumin creatinine rates (r=0.69; 95% CI=0.12-0.92), while miR-133b, miR-345, miR-33, miR-326, miR-574-3p, miR-126, miR-217, miR-15b, miR-34a, and miR-636 were significantly correlated with HbAc1 (r =0.23, 95% CI = 0.15-0.31). There were twelve miRNAs that were closely related to the glomerular filtration rate (r=0.28, 95% CI =0.21-0.34). Creatinine (r=0.33, 95% CI = 0.22-0.40) was significantly different between normal and DN groups. Conclusions. The meta-analysis acquired the correlations between miRNAs and outcomes including UAER, UACR, eGFR, HbAc1, and creatinine in DN. It suggested that miRNAs may participate in the pathogenesis of DN process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the effect of temperature and pH on the early hydration rate of alkali-activated slag (AAS), NaOH was used as alkali activator, and the nonevaporable water (NEW) content of the slag paste at different temperatures (5, 20 and 35°C) and pH (12.10, 12.55, 13.02, and 13.58) was measured. On the basis of the Arrhenius formula, the hydration rate of slag was characterized by the content of nonevaporative water, and the apparent activation energy of slag hydration at different pH was also obtained. The early hydration rate of slag was significantly affected by temperature and pH of activator solution. The apparent activation energy Ea of slag decreased with the increase of pH, and there was a good linear relationship between them. When pH was less than 13.02, increasing the temperature can accelerate the hydration rate of slag. However, under the condition of high pH (pH = 13.58), the hydration rate of slag was negatively correlated with temperature, which was related to the "shell forming" phenomenon of slag hydration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study aims to determine differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) using a microarray. Methods. We downloaded the microarray data GSE6613 from the Gene Expression Omnibus, which included 105 samples. We selected 72 samples comprising 22 healthy control blood samples and 50 PD blood samples for further analysis. Later, we used Limma to screen DEGs and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and estimated their functions by the Gene Ontology (GO). Besides, the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, including microRNAs, lncRNAs, and mRNAs, was constructed to elucidate the regulatory mechanism. Furthermore, we performed the KEGG pathway enrichment with mRNAs in the ceRNA regulatory network and constructed a final network, including pathways, mRNAs, microRNAs, and lncRNAs. Results. Overall, we obtained 394 DEGs, including 207 upregulated DEGs and 187 downregulated DEGs, and 7 DElncRNAs, including 2 upregulated DElncRNAs and 5 downregulated DElncRNAs. Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) was considerably enriched in the endocytosis pathway. In the ceRNA regulation network, IGF1R was the target of hsa-miR-133b and lncRNAs of XIST, and PART1 could also be the target of hsa-miR-133b. While the upregulated DEGs were enriched in the GO terms of the cytoskeleton, cytoskeletal part, and microtubule cytoskeleton, the downregulated DEGs were enriched in the immune response. PRKACA was markedly enriched in numerous pathways, including the MAPK and insulin signaling pathways. Conclusions. IGF1R, PRKACA, and lncRNA-XIST could be potentially involved in PD, and these diverse molecular mechanisms could support the development of the similar treatment for PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The objective of this study was to describe the morphology and ultrastructure of Acipenser dabryanus spermatozoa using both scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy. The spermatozoon was consisted of an elongated head with a distinct acrosome, nucleus, mid‐piece, and a flagellum. The total length of the acrosome, nucleus, and mid‐piece was 7.98 ± 0.64 μm and the mean length of flagellum was 55.42 ± 3.46 μm. The mean length of the whole spermatozoon was 63.40 ± 4.11 μm. The acrosome was consisted of eleven posterolateral projections and a sub‐acrosome. There were three endonuclear canals in the center of nucleus in a helical arrangement. The mid‐piece contained a proximal centriole, distal centriole, several mitochondria, and a cytoplasmic sheath. Axoneme was the main structure of the flagellum, which came from the sytoplasmic canal. Side fins were located around most areas of the flagellum. This description would be useful to supplement the existing knowledge of spermatozoa of the chondrostean fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the thermodynamic property of charged AdS black holes is studied in rainbow gravity. By the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle and the modified dispersion relation, we obtain deformed temperature. Moreover, in rainbow gravity we calculate the heat capacity in a fixed charge and discuss the thermal stability. We also obtain a similar behaviour with the liquid-gas system in extending phase space (including P and r) and study its critical behavior with the pressure given by the cosmological constant and with a fixed black hole charge Q. Furthermore, we study the Gibbs function and find its characteristic swallow tail behavior, which indicates the phase transition. We also find that there is a special value about the mass of test particle which would lead the black hole to zero temperature and a diverging heat capacity with a fixed charge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at introducing a method for individual agreement evaluation to identify the discordant raters from the experts’ group. We exclude those experts and decide the best experts selection method, so as to improve the reliability of the constructed tongue image database based on experts’ opinions. Fifty experienced experts from the TCM diagnostic field all over China were invited to give ratings for 300 randomly selected tongue images. Gwet’s AC1 (first-order agreement coefficient) was used to calculate the interrater and intrarater agreement. The optimization of the interrater agreement and the disagreement score were put forward to evaluate the external consistency for individual expert. The proposed method could successfully optimize the interrater agreement. By comparing three experts’ selection methods, the interrater agreement was, respectively, increased from 0.53 [0.32-0.75] for original one to 0.64 [0.39-0.80] using method A (inclusion of experts whose intrarater agreement>0.6), 0.69 [0.63-0.81] using method B (inclusion of experts whose disagreement score=“0”), and 0.76 [0.67-0.83] using method C (inclusion of experts whose intrarater agreement>0.6& disagreement score=“0”). In this study, we provide an estimate of external consistency for individual expert, and the comprehensive consideration of both the internal consistency and the external consistency for each expert would be superior to either one in the tongue image construction based on expert opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In active sensing systems, unimodular sequences with low autocorrelation sidelobes are widely adopted as modulation sequences to improve the distance resolution and antijamming performance. In this paper, in order to meet the requirements of specific practical engineering applications such as suppressing certain correlation coefficients and finite phase, we propose a new algorithm to design both continuous phase and finite phase unimodular sequences with a low periodic weighted integrated sidelobe level (WISL). With the help of the transformation matrix, such an algorithm decomposes the N-dimensional optimization problem into N one-dimensional optimization problems and then uses the iterative method to search the optimal solutions of the N one-dimensional optimization problems directly. Numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and the convergence property of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose stochastic convex semidefinite programs (SCSDPs) to handle uncertain data in applications. For these models, we design an efficient inexact stochastic approximation (SA) method and prove the convergence, complexity, and robust treatment of the algorithm. We apply the inexact method for solving SCSDPs where the subproblem in each iteration is only solved approximately and show that it enjoys the similar iteration complexity as the exact counterpart if the subproblems are progressively solved to sufficient accuracy. Numerical experiments show that the method we proposed was effective for uncertain problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotions important for survival and social interaction have received wide and deep investigations. The application of the fMRI technique into emotion processing has obtained overwhelming achievements with respect to the localization of emotion processes. The ERP method, which possesses highly temporal resolution compared to fMRI, can be employed to investigate the time course of emotion processing. The emotional modulation of the ERP component has been verified across numerous researches. Emotions, described as dynamically developing along with the growing age, have the possibility to be enhanced through learning (or training) or to be damaged due to disturbances in growth, which is underlain by the neural plasticity of emotion-relevant nervous systems. And mood disorders with typical symptoms of emotion discordance probably have been caused by the dysfunctional neural plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the etiology and risk factors of neonatal sepsis. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 192 patients with sepsis from August 2013 to March 2015. One hundred and six healthy neonates were used as the control group. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors and ROC curve analysis performed in laboratory which indicated a significant correlation. The results of univariate analysis showed that postnatal age, body weight, and parity were significantly related to neonatal sepsis (P<0.5). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that postnatal age and parity are independent risk factors for neonatal sepsis (OR were 1.176 and 0.692, resp., P<0.001). The maximum area underneath the curve (ROCAUC) of soluble CD14 (sCD14-ST), which was the most indicative biomarker of sepsis diagnostically, was 0.953 with sensitivity and specificity of 93.8% and 84.9%, respectively. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae were the main bacterial strains causing neonatal sepsis, while postnatal age was an independent risk factor for the onset of disease. sCD14-ST could be a potential useful diagnostic marker for pediatric sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the stability of drugs is important to ensure accurate and reliable results of drug concentrations. This study evaluated the stability of ten new psychoactive substances (NPSs) in urine and methanol/water at different storage temperatures. Quantitative analyses were performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Three replicates of each storage condition were analyzed at day 0 and after 7, 14-, 30-, 60-, and 90 days with storage at +25°C, +4°C, and −20°C. For each analyte, the percent difference at each time interval from day 0 was calculated for each storage condition. Para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA), deschloroketamine (DCK), and 2-fluorodeschloroketamine (2-FDCK) were stable in urine, even when stored for 90-day periods at various temperatures. For synthetic cathinones, the concentrations declined over time at room temperature (+25°C) in urine but were relatively stable in methanol solvent with 0.1% formic acid. The significant degradation was found at +25°C, and the most excellent stability was shown by samples stored at −20°C. Phenethylamines (PMA and PMMA) and ketamine substitutes (DCK and 2-FDCK) were relatively more stable than synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, butylone, pentylone, ephylone, 4-MEAPP, and eutylone). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust H∞ consensus control problem is investigated for multiagent systems. Each agent is tackled in a more generalized form, which includes parameter uncertainties, external disturbances, nonidentical time-varying state, and input delays. Firstly, a distributed control protocol based on state feedback of neighbors is designed. By a decoupling method, H∞ consensus control problem for multiagent systems is transformed into H∞ control problem for the decoupling subsystems. Then employing Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional and free-weighting matrices, a lower conservative bounded real lemma (BRL) is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) such that a class of time-delay system is guaranteed to be globally asymptotically stable with the desired H∞ performance index. Extending BRL, a sufficient delay-dependent condition of lower complexity in terms of the matrix inequalities is obtained to make all agents asymptotically reach consensus with the desired H∞ performance index. Furthermore, an algorithm is elaborately designed to get feasible solution to this condition. Extending this algorithm, an optimization algorithm for control protocol parameter is proposed to improve the disturbance attenuation capacity or allowable delay bounds. Finally, simulation results are provided to illustrate the correctness of the theoretical results and the effectiveness of the algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Ginsenoside Rg3 is one of the ginsenosides which are the main constituents isolated from Panax ginseng. Previous study demonstrated that ginsenoside Rg3 had a protective effect against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion- (I/R-) induced injury. Objective. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of ginsenoside Rg3 on cardiac function impairment induced by myocardial I/R in rats. Methods. Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to myocardial I/R. Echocardiographic and hemodynamic parameters and histopathological examination were carried out. The expressions of P53, Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in the left ventricles were measured. Results. Ginsenoside Rg3 increased a left ventricular fractional shortening and left ventricular ejection fraction. Treatment with ginsenoside Rg3 also alleviated increases of left ventricular end diastolic pressure and decreases of left ventricular systolic pressure and ±dp/dt in myocardial I/R-rats. Ginsenoside Rg3 decreased apoptosis cells through inhibiting the activation of caspase-3. Ginsenoside Rg3 also caused significant reductions of the contents of TNF-α and IL-1β in left ventricles of myocardial I/R-rats. Conclusion. The findings suggested that ginsenoside Rg3 possessed the effect of improving myocardial I/R-induced cardiac function impairment and that the mechanism of pharmacological action of ginsenoside Rg3 was related to its properties of antiapoptosis and anti-inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method based on a Bayesian network (BN) combined with stochastic Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is used in this research to calculate the probability and analyze the risk of a single reservoir dam overtopping and two reservoirs collapsing under the combined action of flood and landslide surge. Two adjacent cascade reservoirs on the Dadu River are selected for risk calculation and analysis. The results show that the conditional probability of a dam overtopping due to flooding in a single reservoir is relatively small; the conditional probability of a dam overtopping due to landslide surge in a single reservoir is relatively large; a combination of flooding and landslide surge greatly increases the risk of the dam overtopping. The conditional probability that the dam in (downstream) Changheba reservoir overtops as a result of a dam-break flood from (upstream) Houziyan reservoir is greater than 0.8 when the water in Changheba reservoir is at its normal level. Under the combined action of flooding and landslide surges, the joint probability that the two cascade reservoirs collapse in a variety of typical situations is very small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Goal. The application of digital image processing techniques and machine learning methods in tongue image classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely studied nowadays. However, it is difficult for the outcomes to generalize because of lack of color reproducibility and image standardization. Our study aims at the exploration of tongue colors classification with a standardized tongue image acquisition process and color correction. Methods. Three traditional Chinese medical experts are chosen to identify the selected tongue pictures taken by the TDA-1 tongue imaging device in TIFF format through ICC profile correction. Then we compare the mean value of L*a*b* of different tongue colors and evaluate the effect of the tongue color classification by machine learning methods. Results. The L*a*b* values of the five tongue colors are statistically different. Random forest method has a better performance than SVM in classification. SMOTE algorithm can increase classification accuracy by solving the imbalance of the varied color samples. Conclusions. At the premise of standardized tongue acquisition and color reproduction, preliminary objectification of tongue color classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With respect to multicriteria supplier selection problems with interval 2-tuple linguistic information, a new decision making approach that uses distance measures is proposed. Motivated by the ordered weighted distance (OWD) measures, in this paper, we develop some interval 2-tuple linguistic distance operators such as the interval 2-tuple weighted distance (ITWD), the interval 2-tuple ordered weighted distance (ITOWD), and the interval 2-tuple hybrid weighted distance (ITHWD) operators. These aggregation operators are very useful for the treatment of input data in the form of interval 2-tuple linguistic variables. We study some desirable properties of the ITOWD operator and further generalize it by using the generalized and the quasi-arithmetic means. Finally, the new approach is utilized to complete a supplier selection study for an actual hospital from the healthcare industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury is a devastating disease which disrupts the connections between the brain and spinal cord, often resulting in the loss of sensory and motor function below the lesion site. Most injured neurons fail to regenerate in the central nervous system after injury. Multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to the general failure of axonal regeneration after injury. MicroRNAs can modulate multiple genes’ expression and are tightly controlled during nerve development or the injury process. Evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs and their signaling pathways play important roles in mediating axon regeneration and glial scar formation after spinal cord injury. This article reviews the role and mechanism of differentially expressed microRNAs in regulating axon regeneration and glial scar formation after spinal cord injury, as well as their therapeutic potential for promoting axonal regeneration and repair of the injured spinal cord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]