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This study aimed to evaluate the correlation of plasma deoxycholic acid (DCA) levels with clinical and hemodynamic parameters in acute pulmonary embolism (APE) patients. Total 149 APE adult patients were prospectively recruited. Plasma DCA levels were measured using rapid resolution liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Baseline clinical and hemodynamic parameters were evaluated according to plasma DCA levels. The plasma DCA levels were significantly lower in APE patients than in those without APE (P < 0.001). APE patients with adverse events had lower plasma DCA levels (P < 0.001). Low DCA group patients presented more adverse cardiac function, higher NT-proBNP levels (P = 0.010), and higher WHO functional class levels (P = 0.023). Low DCA group also presented with an adverse hemodynamic status, with higher pulmonary vascular resistance levels (P = 0.027) and lower cardiac index levels (P = 0.024). Both cardiac function and hemodynamic parameters correlated well with plasma DCA levels. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrated that APE patients with lower plasma DCA levels had a significantly higher event rate (P = 0.009). In the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, the plasma DCA level was an independent predictor of clinical worsening events after adjusting for age, sex, WHO functional class, NT-proBNP level, pulmonary vascular resistance, and cardiac index (HR 0.370, 95% CI 0.161, 0.852; P = 0.019). Low plasma DCA levels predicted adverse cardiac function and hemodynamic collapse. A low DCA level was correlated with a higher clinical worsening event rate and could be an independent predictor of clinical outcomes in multivariate analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A micro fluidized bed reactor was used to study the self-sustaining catalytic combustion of carbon monoxide (CO). The Cu1−xCexOy catalyst, as well as the pure CuO and CeO2, are used to investigate the contributing mechanism of different active sites including dispersed CuO and Cu—Ce solid solutions. The ignition temperature (Ti) of CO over these catalysts at a flow rate of 2000 mL/min followed the order: 74 °C (Cu0.5Ce0.5Oy) < 75 °C (Cu0.25Ce0.75Oy) < 84 °C (Cu0.75Ce0.25Oy) < 105 °C (CuO) < 500 °C (CeO2). Furthermore, the lean combustion limits (equivalence ratio ϕ) over these catalysts under the flow rates of 750–3000 mL/min (through fixed, bubbling, and fluidized bed) were also measured, which are Cu0.5Ce0.5Oy < Cu0.25Ce0.75Oy < Cu0.75Ce0.25Oy < CuO < CeO2. The fluidized bed was simulated using the Eulerian two-fluid model (TFM) coupled with a diffusion/kinetic-limited reaction model to evaluate the influence of operation conditions on the self-sustained combustion of CO. The predicted maximum temperature agreed with the experimental measurements, demonstrating the validity of the kinetic model and simulation parameters. The results of catalytic combustion with increasing CO concentrations suggest that the catalytic combustion reaction could co-exist with the flamed combustion. When a high concentration of CO is used, a blue-purple flame caused by CO combustion appears in the upper part of the fluidized bed, indicating that the range of CO-containing exhaust gas purification could be expanded to a larger range using the fluidized-bed catalytic combustion technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Trophinin-associated protein (TROAP) mediates embryonic transfer, regulates microtubules, and is associated with the biological behavior of various cancers. However, there is limited information on the role of TROAP in glioma. Methods and results: We obtained clinical information on 1948 patients with glioma from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas. Basal assays were used to measure changes in TROAP expression levels in high-grade glioma cell lines and in normal human astrocytes. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays showed that TROAP expression was higher in glioma cell lines than in normal astrocytes. The expression level of TROAP in 749 glioma was significantly higher than that in 228 normal brain tissues using Student's t test. The expression of TROAP has a positive relationship with the clinical characteristics of poor prognosis, such as WHO grade, age and has negatively correlated with the indicators of beneficial prognosis, such as IDH mutation and 1p19q co-deletion. Kaplan–Meier survival curves, single multifactor analysis were used to analyze correlations between TROAP and clinical features and prognosis of gliomas. In addition, TROAP overexpression was an independent risk factor for glioma and was associated with reduced overall survival of patients with glioma particularly in patients with WHO grade III and grade IV glioma. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that homologous recombination, cell cycle, and p53 signaling pathways were enriched in samples overexpressing TROAP. Conclusion: TROAP is a potential risk factor associated with poor prognosis in patients with glioma and may act as a highly specific biomarker, offering the possibility of individualized glioma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural reconstruction of nanomaterials offers a fantastic way to regulate the electronic structure of active sites and promote their catalytic activities. However, how to properly facilitate surface reconstruction to overcome large overpotential that stimulate the surface reconstruction has remained elusive. Herein, we adopt a facile approach to activate surface reconstruction on Ni(OH)2 by incorporating F anions to achieve electro-derived structural oxidation process and further boost its oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity. Ex situ Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy studies indicate that F ions incorporation facilitated surface reconstruction and promotes the original Ni(OH)2 transformed into a mesoporous and amorphous F-NiOOH layer during the electrochemical process. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that this self-reconstructed NiOOH induces a space-charge effect on the p-n junction interface, which not only promotes the absorption of intermediates species (*OH, *O, and *OOH) and charge-transfer process during catalysis, but also leads to a strong interaction of the p-n junction interface to stabilize the materials. This work opens up a new possibility to regulate the electronic structure of active sites and promote their catalytic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain a further understanding of Freeze-Thaw weathering effect on the damage of sandstone from the perspective of energy analysis, uniaxial static compression tests were conducted on sandstone samples that suffered 0, 20, 60, 100 and 140 freezing-thawing cycles. Then total input strain energy, releasable elastic strain energy, dissipated energy and freezing-thawing induced damage of samples under uniaxial static compression tests were calculated and analyzed. In the mean time, the energy absorption of sandstone under dynamic loading tests (SHPB (Split-Hopkinson pressure bar) experiments) were cited and made a contrast with the dissipated energy of samples under uniaxial static compression tests. The results show that the tangent modulus, total input strain energy, releasable elastic strain energy and dissipated energy of samples decrease with Freezing-Thawing cycles go on, while the freezing-thawing induced damage grow with freezing-thawing cycles increase. In term of energy used for destroying rock samples in different test modes, less energy is needed for destroying samples in uniaxial static compression tests and it decreases with F-T cycles increase, while more energy is needed for destroying samples in dynamic impact loading and it increases with F-T cycles increase. In addition, the number of fragments of broken sample increase with the F-T cycles both in uniaxial static compression tests and dynamic loading tests, and sample under dynamic loading tests is more broken than sample under uniaxial static compression tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cold-inducible protein RBM3 mediates hypothermic neuroprotection against nitric oxide (NO)-induced cell death. Meanwhile, it is well-known that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is upregulated by RBM3 in several types of cells; however, it is still unclear whether COX-2 contributes to the neuroprotective effects of mild hypothermia/RBM3 against NO-induced cell death. Using human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, it was revealed that NO remarkably downregulates the expression of COX-2 at both mRNA and protein levels. When COX-2 was silenced using siRNA technique, cells became more sensitive to NO-induced cell death. Conversely, the overexpression of COX-2 significantly prevented NO-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells, indicating a pro-survival role of COX-2. Upon mild hypothermia pre-treatment, COX-2 was notably induced at both mRNA and protein levels; however, COX-2 silencing abrogated hypothermia-related neuroprotection against NO-induced cell death. Furthermore, it was revealed that either silencing or overexpression of RBM3 had no effects on the expression of COX-2 in SH-SY5Y cells. These findings suggest that mild hypothermia could protect neuroblastoma cells against NO-induced cell death by inducing COX-2 in a RBM3-independent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we have investigated nematicidal effects against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and inhibition potential, molecular docking of 43 harmine derivatives on acetylcholinesterase in vitro and in vivo. Among them, harmine quaternary ammonium derivatives 10, 11, 12 and 13 displayed promising nematicidal effects with 48 h LC50 values of 1.63, 1.63, 1.75 and 1.44 μg/mL, respectively and remarkable inhibition effects on acetylcholinesterase (IC50 values are 0.92, 0.90, 0.82, 0.07 μg/mL in vitro and 17.16, 14.56, 13.63, 3.06 μg/mL in vivo, respectively). The structure-activity analysis indicated that the presence of the methyl group in 1-position, the electron-donating substituents in 2-and 9-positions, bromine in 6-position, and the electron-withdrawing substituents in 7-position of carboline ring, could enhance the nematicidal effect and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Moreover, a molecular model was provided for the binding between compound 13 and the active site of acetylcholinesterase based on the computational docking results and helps us to optimize these new leading compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cold climate regions, rock engineering structures are subjected to repeated processes of freeze-thaw weathering and consequently the integrity of these structures will gradually deteriorate. The resulted reduction in rock strength makes the structures become increasingly more vulnerable to external loads, particularly to dynamic loads such as blasting or earthquakes, even when these loads are below the original designed capacity. In this work, the reductions in static and dynamic strengths of sandstones after they are treated with different number of freeze-thaw cycles were studied using conventional UCS experiments and impact tests with split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. Based on the experimental results, a decay model was used to describe the reduction of rock strength with the increasing number of freeze-thaw weathering cycles. For the prediction of the degradation of dynamic rock strength corresponding to freeze-thaw weathering, a model describing the dynamic increase factor for the dynamic rock strength corresponding to different strain rates and specimen sizes was proposed and its parameters are obtained by regression analysis of published experimental data. These two models were then combined into a unified model which can be used to describe the reduction in the dynamic strength of rocks when they are subjected to repeated freeze-thaw weathering processes. Though only tested on sandstones, the proposed unified model, with different parameters, is expected to be applicable to other types of rocks as long as the rocks undergo the same or similar damage mechanism when they are subjected to freeze-thaw weathering processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional electron systems have attracted attention as thermoelectric materials, which can directly convert waste heat into electricity. It has been theoretically predicted that thermoelectric power factor can be largely enhanced when the two-dimensional electron layer is far narrower than the de Broglie wavelength. Although many studies have been made, the effectiveness has not been experimentally clarified thus far. Here we experimentally clarify that an enhanced two-dimensionality is efficient to enhance thermoelectric power factor. We fabricated superlattices of [N unit cell SrTi1-xNb x O3|11 unit cell SrTiO3]10-there are two different de Broglie wavelength in the SrTi1-xNb x O3 system. The maximum power factor of the superlattice composed of the longer de Broglie wavelength SrTi1-xNb x O3 exceeded ∼5 mW m-1 K-2, which doubles the value of optimized bulk SrTi1-xNb x O3. The present approach-use of longer de Broglie wavelength-is epoch-making and is fruitful to design good thermoelectric materials showing high power factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-flame coal is a typical low-ranked coal that is not fully utilized and has a huge global reserve. High-content oxygen is a significant negative factor for low-rank coal utilization. The TG–FTIR–GC/MS method was applied to investigate the migration behavior of oxygen and the variation in the properties of Chinese long-flame coal during low-temperature pyrolysis. It was found that the oxygen migration ratios in long-flame coal toward gas and tar were 47.7 and 5.2%, respectively, at 550 °C, that the initial oxygen migration temperatures of hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonyl and ether bonds were 500, 200, 300 and 350 °C, respectively, that the decomposition rates were 8.2, 90, 99.2 and 86% at 550 °C, respectively, that the oxygen in gas existed mainly in the form of CO2 and CO, and that the oxygen in tar existed mainly in the form of phenolic compounds. The further removal of oxygen was due to the decomposition of hydroxyl and a small amount of stable ether bonds. Furthermore, deoxygenation suggested that the decrease in oxygen had a positive effect on coal liquefaction and resulted in a decrease in its hydrophilicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is a prevalent malignant primary brain tumor in adults, the treatment for which remains a challenge due to its high infiltration and recurrence. Hence, treatments that lead to the suppression of glioma cell migration and invasion may be used in addition to surgery to increase the therapeutic outcome. In this study, we aimed to construct a multifunctional protein that would exert an effect on glioma cell proliferation and migration. The protein is named GL1-P53C-11R and it consists of the glioma-targeting peptide GL1 (G), the P53 C terminus (Pc) and the cell-penetrating peptide arginine (R). GL1-P53C-R was expressed with the fusion protein ZZ and immunofluorescence analysis showed effective delivery of the fused ZZ-GL1-P53C-R protein represented as ZZ-GPcR. The ZZ-GPcR exhibited an inhibitory effect on the proliferation, migration and invasion of U87AEGFR cells. Western blotting results indicated that it caused significant changes in the expression levels of cell cycle and apoptotic proteins. Flow cytometric analysis showed increase apoptosis. Our findings suggest that the P53C in the fusion protein ZZ-GPcR can enter into glioma cells to exert its inhibitory effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), a key member of the immunoglobulin-like CAM family, was reported to regulate the migration of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). However, the detailed cellular behaviors including lamellipodia formation in the initial step of directional migration remain largely unknown. In the present study, we reported that NCAM affects the lamellipodia formation of BMSCs. Using BMSCs from Ncam knockout mice we found that Ncam deficiency significantly impaired the migration and the directional lamellipodia formation of BMSCs. Further studies revealed that Ncam knockout decreased the activity of cofilin, an actin-cleaving protein, which was involved in directional protrusions. To explore the molecular mechanisms involved, we examined protein tyrosine phosphorylation levels in Ncam knockout BMSCs by phosphotyrosine peptide array analyses, and found that the tyrosine phosphorylation level of β1 integrin, a protein upstream of cofilin, was greatly upregulated in Ncam-deficient BMSCs. Notably, by blocking the function of β1 integrin with RGD peptide or ROCK inhibitor, the cofilin activity and directional lamellipodia formation of Ncam knockout BMSCs could be rescued. Finally, we found that the effect of NCAM on tyrosine phosphorylation of β1 integrin was independent of the fibroblast growth factor receptor. These results indicated that NCAM regulates directional lamellipodia formation of BMSCs through β1 integrin signal-mediated cofilin activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid optimization approach combining a particle swarm algorithm, a genetic algorithm, and a heuristic inter-leaving algorithm is proposed for scheduling tasks in the multifunction phased array radar. By optimizing parameters using chaos theory, designing the dynamic inertia weight for the particle swarm algorithm as well as introducing crossover operation and mutation operation of the genetic algorithm, both the efficiency and exploration ability of the hybrid algorithm are improved. Under the frame of the intelligence algorithm, the heuristic interleaving scheduling algorithm is presented to further use the time resource of the task waiting duration. A large-scale simulation demonstrates that the proposed algorithm is more robust and efficient than existing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induced by hypothermia, cold-inducible protein RBM3 (RNA-binding protein motif 3), has been implicated in neuroprotection against various toxic insults such as hypoxia and ischemia. However, whether mild hypothermia and RBM3 prevent neural cells from UV irradiation-elicited apoptosis is unclear. In the present study, human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y was used as a cell model for neural cell death, and it was demonstrated that mild hypothermia protects SH-SY5Y cells from UV irradiation-induced apoptosis. However, the protective effect of mild hypothermia was abrogated when RBM3 was silenced. Conversely, the overexpression of RBM3 rescued SH-SY5Y cells from UV-induced apoptosis, as indicated by the decreased levels of cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, and increased cell survival. The analysis on the mechanism underlying RBM3-mediated neuroprotection against UV insult showed that RBM3 could substantially block the activation of p38 and JNK signaling pathways. In addition, the overexpression of RBM3 reduced the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad, leaving the pro-survival protein Bcl-2 unaffected. In conclusion, RBM3 is the key mediator of mild hypothermia-related protection against UV in neuroblastoma cells, and the neuroprotective effect might be exerted through interfering with pro-apoptotic signaling pathways p38 and JNK and regulating pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network fault management is crucial for a wireless sensor network (WSN) to maintain a normal running state because faults (e.g., link failures) often occur. The existing lossy link localization (LLL) approach usually infers the most probable failed link set first, and then gives the fault hypothesis set. However, the inferred failed link set contains many possible failures that do not actually occur. That quantity of redundant information in the inferred set can pose a high computational burden on fault hy-pothesis inference, and consequently decreases the evaluation accuracy and increases the failure localization time. To address the issue, we propose the conditional information entropy based redundancy elimination (CIERE), a redundant lossy link elimination approach, which can eliminate most redundant information while reserving the important information. Specifically, we develop a probabilistically correlated failure model that can accurately reflect the correlation between link failures and model the nonde-terministic fault propagation. Through several rounds of mathematical derivations, the LLL problem is transformed to a set-covering problem. A heuristic algorithm is proposed to deduce the failure hypothesis set. We compare the performance of the proposed approach with those of existing LLL methods in simulation and on a real WSN, and validate the efficiency and effec-tiveness of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve tracking accuracy when initial estimate is inaccurate or outliers exist, a bearings-only tracking approach called the robust range-parameterized cubature Kalman filter (RRPCKF) was proposed. Firstly, the robust extremal rule based on the pollution distribution was introduced to the cubature Kalman filter (CKF) framework. The improved Turkey weight function was subsequently constructed to identify the outliers whose weights were reduced by establishing equivalent innovation covariance matrix in the CKF. Furthermore, the improved range-parameterize (RP) strategy which divides the filter into some weighted robust CKFs each with a different initial estimate was utilized to solve the fuzzy initial estimation problem efficiently. Simulations show that the result of the RRPCKF is more accurate and more robust whether outliers exist or not, whereas that of the conventional algorithms becomes distorted seriously when outliers appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is the source of occurrence, aggravation, and recurrence of lung cancer. Accordingly, targeting killing the lung CSCs has been suggested to be an effective approach for lung cancer treatment. In this study, we showed that rapamycin inhibited the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal transduction in A549 cells and improved the sensitivity to cisplatin (DDP). The mechanisms involve inhibition of the SOX2 expression, cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, and sphere formation. Interestingly, knocked down SOX2 was a similar effect with rapamycin in A549 sphere. Furthermore, we showed that ectopic expression of Sox2 in A549 cells was sufficient to render them more resistant to rapamycin treatment in vitro. These data suggested that rapamycin inhibited the function of lung CSCs via SOX2. It will be of great interest to further explore the therapeutic strategies of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The soft palate in normal individuals exhibits morphological variety on cephalometry. The purpose of the present study was to explore its causes and investigate its possible effects in clinical practice. Methods: Cephalometric and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) data for 30 subjects were collected. The morphology of the soft palate on cephalometry was classified into two main types, eyebrow shape and spoon shape. Comparisons between these two types on both cephalometric and CBCT images were made. Results: Comparing these two types, there was a significant difference in the distance between the tip of the uvula and the palatopharyngeus ( p < 0.01) as well as in the angle between the uvula and the palatopharyngeus ( p < 0.01). The velar length on CBCT imaging was longer than that on cephalometry for the spoon-shape group ( p < 0.01) and the overall subjects ( p < 0.01). Conclusions: Based on the present results, we speculate that overlapping of the palatopharyngeus and the uvula, which is mainly determined by their relative positions, contributes to the contour of the soft palate on cephalometry. This overlapping phenomenon partly explains the morphological variety of the soft palate on cephalometry, and should be considered during measurement and evaluation of the soft palate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dhole ( Cuon alpinus), a canid, is categorized as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and is listed as a category II protected species in China. Presence-absence data are extremely rare in western China, and possible existence of remnant populations of dholes is not clear. Here, we document new records of dhole in a protected area in an arid region of the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang Autonomous Region in western China. From a total of 4517 camera-trap days at ten water sites between 2011 and 2013, we obtained seven independent records of dhole at three sites. Additionally, another reserve in Gansu Province which is located near Altun Mountains also recorded the species through camera-trap surveys. Our results indicate that dhole populations exist in the vast arid region of the Altun Mountains, and the current distribution of the dhole might be widespread in western China. We suggest that conservation efforts in this region should focus on minimizing the persecution and poaching of both dholes and their prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new compounds, impecylone ( 1), deacetylimpecyloside ( 2), seguinoside K 4-methylether ( 3) and impecylenolide ( 4), were isolated from Imperata cylindrica along with two known compounds, impecyloside ( 5) and seguinoside K ( 6). Their structures were elucidated mainly by spectroscopic analyses including 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, and the absolute configuration of 1 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. In calcium assay, the result indicated that compounds 1, 2, 4 and 5 cannot obviously inhibit the calcium peak value compared with the negative control, and suggested that the four compounds could not have anti-inflammatory activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we studied the expression of T-bet, a key marker for type 1 immune responses, within the tumor microenvironment of gastric cancer, and analyzed its association with clinicopathological parameters. One hundred and fifty-two archival paraffin-embedded gastric tumor tissues were collected, and the expression of T-bet in these cancer tissue specimens was examined by immunohistochemistry. T-bet tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in some gastric cancer tissues were further characterized by flow cytometric analysis. The density of T-bet TILs in gastric cancer tissues in relation to patient's clinicopathological parameters and postoperative prognosis has been analyzed. Herein, we have found significant increases in T-bet lymphocytes in tumor tissues as compared with normal stomach tissues, gastritis tissues or gastric polyp specimens. T-bet cells mainly consisted of CD4, CD8 and CD56 TILs. In addition, lower numbers of T-bet TILs were associated with poor clinicopathological parameters such as invasion to muscular layer, larger tumor size and advanced cancer stages. Moreover, patients with higher numbers of T-bet TILs have longer disease-free survival and overall survival. Thus, our study supports the idea that tumor growth elicits spontaneous type 1 cellular immune responses and tumor progression is associated with suppression of antitumor immunity. T-bet expression within tumor can serve as a prognostic indicator for gastric cancer and a potential biomarker for immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopsy-proven renal complications of Castleman's disease (CD) are rare and current knowledge is largely based on sporadic case reports. We reported two more cases, both of which were multicentric CD with hyaline-vascular pathological pattern and presented with chronic renal failure. Case 1 was multicentric CD with renal mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis complications, and case 2 was multicentric CD with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis-like complications. Although both were eventually administered corticosteroids combined with cytotoxic drugs, both behaved in an aggressive and relapsing manner. We then made an analysis of 75 cases of biopsy-proven renal complications of CD (including our two cases) which were reported in 51 English literatures from January 1954 to March 2011. We found that the clinical and histological findings of renal complications of CD were heterogeneous. Death was observed in 17% patients after a median follow-up time of 22 months (0-204 months) since histological diagnosis of renal complications. The estimated 5-year cumulative survival rate was 75%. Better understanding and therapeutic interventions are required in further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

retrospective cohort study including 112 patients suffering from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was performed to investigate the expression of B7-H4 in ESCC and determine its association with patient's clinicopathological parameters and survival. Expression levels of B7-H4 on tumor cells and densities of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the surgical specimens of ESCC tissues were characterized using immunohistochemical assays. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of B7-H4 expression levels and densities of TILs in tumor sections. Positive B7-H4 immunostaining was observed in 107 of 112 (95.5%) of ESCC tissue sections. We further divided all patients into two major subgroups, a lower B7-H4 expression group with 46 patients and a higher B7-H4 expression group with 66 patients. We found that expression levels of B7-H4 on tumor cells were significantly correlated with patient's gender ( P = 0.0288), distant metastasis ( P = 0.0500), and TNM stage ( P = 0.0258). Moreover, tumor cell B7-H4 expression was inversely correlated with densities of CD3 T cells in tumor nest ( P = 0.0424) and CD8 T cells in tumor stroma ( P = 0.0229). The overall survival rate of the patients with higher B7-H4 expression was significantly worse than that of the patients with lower B7-H4 expression ( P = 0.0105, Hazard Ratio: 1.854, 95%CI:1.152-2.902). Markers of cell-mediated immune responses such as CD3, CD8, and T-bet were associated with better patient survival. The present study demonstrated that B7-H4 expression in human ESCC is associated with cancer progression, reduced tumor immunosurveillance and worse patient outcomes. B7-H4 can serve as a novel prognostic predictor for human ESCC and a potential target for the immune therapy against this malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B7-H3, a member of the B7-family molecules, plays an important role in adaptive immune responses, and was shown to either promote or inhibit T-cell responses in various experimental systems. B7-H3 was expressed in some human cancers and correlated with poor outcome of cancer patients. However, its exact role in cancer is not known. In the present study, we studied the expression of B7-H3 in the pathologic specimens of 102 patients treated for colorectal carcinoma (CRC) by immunohistochemistry. Strong B7-H3 expression was found in cancer tissues from 54.3% CRC patients, while minimal expression was found in adjacent normal colorectal tissues. Higher B7-H3 expression in tumor positively correlated with a more advanced tumor grade. In addition, consistent with a role of B7-H3 in suppressing tumor immune surveillance, the expression of B7-H3 in cancer cells negatively correlated with the intensity of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes in both tumor nest and tumor stroma. Furthermore, we found that the level of soluble B7-H3 in sera from CRC patients was higher than healthy donors. TNF-α, an important cancer-promoting inflammatory molecule, was subsequently found to significantly increase the release of soluble B7-H3 in colon cancer cell lines. Therefore, our data suggest that both soluble and membranous B7-H3 proteins are involved in colon cancer progression and evasion of cancer immune surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The effects of salt stress on the activity of antioxidant enzymes in oilseed rape seedlings (Brassica napus L.) were studied. The results showed that the relative water content in leaves of oilseed rape seedlings was gradually decreased and the electrical conductivity was increased after 24 h under 0, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mmol L−1 NaCl. The activity of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) was gradually increased under salt stress. After 24 h, the activity of POD and SOD was both maximal under 200 mmol L−1, but that of CAT was maximal under 150 mmol L−1. Subsequently, the activity of these antioxidant enzymes was all decreased. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that they were salt-inducible genes and their transcript levels were gradually increased with the increase of salt concentration. As the same as the change of POD and SOD activity, the transcript levels of POD and SOD was most abundant after 24 h treatment with 200 mmol L−1 sodium chloride, but that of CAT was most abundant under 150 mmol L−1. Therefore, these results from above indicated that the expression of POD, SOD and CAT genes was induced by salt (such as NaCl) and their activities were positively correlated with expression of their genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) current sensor with temperature compensation has been proposed. The fiber Bragg grating is glued on the surface of an isosceles triangle cantilever beam, which has a step thickness along the beam axis. Due to the electromagnetic force created by a solenoid and a permanent magnet mounted on the top of the beam, a step strain is applied on the fiber Bragg grating. The change of the electric current in the solenoid makes the spectrum of the fiber Bragg grating split. By monitoring the shift difference of the two split center wavelengths, which is related to the electric current in the solenoid, a current sensor with temperature compensation is obtained. The test range of 0–400 mA is achieved. The experimental results also show that the relationship between the shift difference of the two split center wavelengths of the FBG and the electric current has a linearity of 0.9937, and the sensitivity is about 2.64 nm/A; the test results are independent of the temperature, so the cross sensitive problem is solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this study, the fed-batch fermentation technique was applied to improve the yield of l-threonine produced by Escherichia coli TRFC. Various fermentation substrates and conditions were investigated to identify the optimal carbon source, its concentration and C/N ratio in the production of l-threonine. Sucrose was found to be the optimal initial carbon source and its optimal concentration was determined to be 70 g/L based on the results of fermentations conducted in a 5-L jar fermentor using a series of fed-batch cultures of E. coli TRFC. The effects of glucose concentration and three different feeding methods on the production of l-threonine were also investigated in this work. Our results showed that the production of l-threonine by E. coli was enhanced when glucose concentration varied between 5 and 20 g/L with DO-control pulse fed-batch method. Furthermore, the C/N ratio was a more predominant factor than nitrogen concentration for l-threonine overproduction and the optimal ratio of ammonium sulfate to sucrose (g/g) was 30. Under the optimal conditions, a final l-threonine concentration of 118 g/L was achieved after 38 h with the productivity of 3.1 g/L/h (46% conversion ratio from glucose to threonine). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic properties of solar cell based on the blends of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV), fullerene (C60), and ZnCdTe-alloyed nanocrystals were investigated. Comparing the spectral response of photocurrent of the MEH-PPV:C60 (+ZnCdTe) nanocomposite device with that of the devices based on MEH-PPV:C60 and pristine MEH-PPV, one can find that the nanocomposite device exhibits an enhanced photocurrent. In comparing the composite devices with different ZnCdTe:[MEH-PPV + C60] weight ratios of 10 wt% (D1–1), 20 wt% (D1–2), 40 wt% (D1–3), and 70 wt% (D1–4), it was found that the device D1–3 exhibits the best performance. The power conversion efficiency ( η) is improved doubly compared with that of the MEH-PPV:C60 device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death in China. In the present study, proteins in tumors and adjacent normal esophageal tissues from 41 patients with ESCC were extracted, and two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed using the pH 3–10 and 4–7 immobilized pH gradient strips. The protein spots expressed differentially between tumors and normal tissues were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and liquid chromatography electrospray/ionization ion trap mass spectrometry. A total of 22 proteins differentially expressed between ESCC and normal esophageal tissues were identified, in which 17 proteins were upregulated and 5 downregulated in tumors. Biological functions of these proteins are related to cell signal transduction, cell proliferation, cell motility, glycolysis, regulation of transcription, oxidative stress processes, and protein folding. Some of the proteins obtained were confirmed by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining. We showed that high expression of calreticulin and 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) were correlated with poor prognosis by Kaplan–Meier analysis and log rank analysis. Zinc finger protein 410, annexin V, similar to the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 variant 1 isoform c, mutant hemoglobin beta chain, TPM4–ALK fusion oncoprotein type 2, similar to heat shock congnate 71-kDa protein, GRP78, and pyruvate kinase M2 (M2–PK) were for the first time observed to be dysregulated in human ESCC tissues. The proteins here identified will contribute to the understanding of the tumorigenesis and progression of Chinese ESCC and may potentially provide useful markers for diagnosis or targets for therapeutic intervention and drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly rearranged and mutated cancer genomes present major challenges in the identification of pathogenetic events driving the neoplastic transformation process. Here we engineered lymphoma-prone mice with chromosomal instability to assess the usefulness of mouse models in cancer gene discovery and the extent of cross-species overlap in cancer-associated copy number aberrations. Along with targeted re-sequencing, our comparative oncogenomic studies identified FBXW7 and PTEN to be commonly deleted both in murine lymphomas and in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia/lymphoma (T-ALL). The murine cancers acquire widespread recurrent amplifications and deletions targeting loci syntenic to those not only in human T-ALL but also in diverse human haematopoietic, mesenchymal and epithelial tumours. These results indicate that murine and human tumours experience common biological processes driven by orthologous genetic events in their malignant evolution. The highly concordant nature of genomic events encourages the use of genomically unstable murine cancer models in the discovery of biological driver events in the human oncogenome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract??Oligochitosan has a variety of biological activities. To understand its mechanism, DDRT-PCR, reverse Northern blot and quantitative relative RT-PCR were used to identify and isolate genes whose transcription were altered in culturedNicotiana tabacum(var. Samsun NN) plants that were treated with oligochitosan. Three genes whose mRNA levels significantly changed in response to oligochitosan were isolated and identified. One gene is up-regulated, and two genes are down-regulated. These genes encode a DNAJ heat shock N-terminal domain-containing protein, a histone H1 gene and a hypothetical protein, whose function is unknown. The results suggest that the usefulness of mRNA differential display technique for the detection of plant metabolic pathways affected by oligochitosan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate, comprehensive finite element model of the human ear can provide better understanding of sound transmission, and can be used for assessing the influence of diseases on hearing and the treatment of hearing loss. In this study, we proposed a three-dimensional finite element model of the human ear that included the external ear canal, tympanic membrane (eardrum), ossicular bones, middle ear suspensory ligaments/muscles, and middle ear cavity. This model was constructed based on a complete set of histological section images of a left ear temporal bone. The finite element (FE) model of the human ear was validated by comparing model-predicted ossicular movements at the stapes footplate and tympanic membrane with published experimental measurements on human temporal bones. The FE model was employed to predict the effects of eardrum thickness and stiffness, incudostapedial joint material, and cochlear load on acoustic-mechanical transmission through the human ossicular chain. The acoustic-structural coupled FE analysis between the ear canal air column and middle ear ossicles was also conducted and the results revealed that the peak responses of both tympanic membrane and stapes footplate occurred between 3000 and 4000 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc sulfide nanoflowers are synthesized by the composite-hydroxide-mediated (CHM) method, using molten composite hydroxides as a reaction solvent, sodium sulfide and zinc nitrate hexahydrate as reactants at temperature of 200 °C in the absence of organic dispersant or capping agents. The XRD spectrum of the as-synthesized sample indicates a cubic ZnS with lattice group $F\bar{4}3m[216]$ and lattice constant a=5.318 Å. The scan electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy display its good crystallization and flower shape with diameter of 800–1000 nm. The photoluminescence results reveal that the ZnS nanocrystal has a band gap of 3.4 eV. The strong blue emission centered at 440 nm demonstrates the existence of defect states. This CHM approach provides a useful route for the synthesis of ZnS crystals, which may be extended to synthesize other II–VI semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectra of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in inhomogeneous strain fields are distorted due to its inhomogeneity of both the periods and the effective refractive index. The couple mode theory and the Runge-Kutta method can be employed for exact simulation of the spectrum of Bragg grating in such field, but the convergence speed is slow. On the other hand, although the transfer matrix method could be used with higher convergence speed, the precision is poor because of the neglect of the grads of strain change. By improving the FBG equivalent period, a novel simulation method based on a modified transfer matrix method is proposed, which has the advantage of quick-convergence as well as good accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO)-induced apoptosis in neurons is an important cause of neurodegenerative disease in humans. The cold-inducible protein RBM3 mediates the protective effects of cooling on apoptosis induced by various insults. However, whether RBM3 protects neural cells from NO-induced apoptosis is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of RBM3 on NO-induced apoptosis in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Firstly, we demonstrated that mild hypothermia (32 °C) induces RBM3 expression and confers a potent neuroprotective effect on NO-induced apoptosis, which was substantially diminished when RBM3 was silenced by siRNA. Moreover, overexpression of RBM3 exhibited a strong protective effect against NO-induced apoptosis. Signaling pathway screening demonstrated that only p38 inhibition by RBM3 provided neuroprotective effect, although RBM3 overexpression could affect the activation of p38, JNK, ERK, and AKT signaling in response to NO stimuli. Notably, RBM3 overexpression also blocked the activation of p38 signaling induced by transforming growth factor-β1. Furthermore, both RBM3 overexpression and mild hypothermia abolished the induction of miR-143 by NO, which was shown to mediate the cytotoxicity of NO in a p38-dependent way. These findings suggest that RBM3 protects neuroblastoma cells from NO-induced apoptosis by suppressing p38 signaling, which mediates apoptosis through miR-143 induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lumped parametric model of the human auditoria peripherals consisting of six masses suspended with six springs and ten dashpots was proposed. This model will provide the quantitative basis for the construction of a physical model of the human middle ear. The lumped model parameters were first identified using published anatomical data, and then determined through a parameter optimization process. The transfer function of the middle ear obtained from human temporal bone experiments with laser Doppler interferometers was used for creating the target function during the optimization process. It was found that, among 14 spring and dashpot parameters, there were five parameters which had pronounced effects on the dynamic behaviors of the model. The detailed discussion on the sensitivity of those parameters was provided with appropriate applications for sound transmission in the ear. We expect that the methods for characterizing the lumped model of the human ear and the model parameters will be useful for theoretical modeling of the ear function and construction of the ear physical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]