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The linear complementarity problem arising from a free boundary problem can be equivalently reformulated as a fixed-point equation. We present a modified modulus-based multigrid method to solve this fixed-point equation. This modified method is a full approximation scheme using the modulus-based splitting iteration method as the smoother and avoids the transformation between the auxiliary and the original functions which was necessary in the existing modulus-based multigrid method. We predict its asymptotic convergence factor by applying local Fourier analysis to the corresponding two-grid case. Numerical results show that the W-cycle possesses an h-independent convergence rate and a linear elapsed CPU time, and the convergence rate of the V-cycle can be improved by increasing the smoothing steps. Compared with the existing modulus-based multigrid method, the modified method is more straightforward and is a standard full approximation scheme, which makes it more convenient and efficient in practical applications.

Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of the fire needling with the three-edged needle and the cupping on popliteal cyst. Methods A total of 60 patients of popliteal cyst were divided into two groups, 30 cases in each one according to the random number table. In the fire needling group, the burnt-red three-edged needle was inserted to the deep layer of the cyst. After the fluid was squeezed out, the cupping was exerted. The treatment was given 1 to 2 times a week, for 4 weeks totally. In the western medication group, prednisolone acetate 25 mg was injected in the cyst capsule, once a week, for 4 weeks totally. The effective rate, recurrence rate and Rauschning–Lindgren grading were evaluated before and after treatment. Results The total effective rate was 80.0% in the fire needling group and was 83.3% in the western medication group, without statistical significance in comparison (P > 0.05). The recurrence rate was 6.7% in the fire needling group and was 30% in the western medication group. The recurrence rate in the fire needling group was lower than that in the western medication group, indicating the statistical significance (P Conclusion The combined treatment with the fire needling combined with cupping therapy achieves the satisfactory effect on popliteal cyst and the very low recurrence rate and it is easy in operation and deserves to be promoted in primary care.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a worldwide malignancy with high morbidity and mortality. Translation initiation factor 4A1 (eIF4A1), which is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase as a part of eIF4F complex, has been linked to malignant transformation and progression, and a variety of cancers display dysregulation of this enzyme. However, its role in ccRCC remains unclear. In our study, we examined its potential effects in ccRCC.Based on Proteomic data, TCGA and ONCOMINE database, RCC cell lines and tissues, the expression of eIF4A1 between ccRCC and normal tissues were investigated. A correlation was evaluated between the prognostic model for OS and ccRCC progression. Analysis of functional enrichment and PPI network were performed. After examining differentially expressed genes between the eIF4A1 high and low-expression groups, we performed GSEA analysis. Furthermore, we investigated immune cell infiltration of eIF4A1. Then we determined eIF4A1 functions in the establishment and maintenance of cell viability, migration and invasion of cell lines. Flow cytometry was utilized to detect cell cycle.The eIF4A1 was up-regulated in ccRCC tissues and cell lines. An increased level of eIF4A1 was linked to lower survival rates and impaired immunity. Depletion of eIF4A1 could arrest tumor cells in G1 phase, so as to seriously limit cell proliferation and weaken the capacity of cell migration.ccRCC patients with high eIF4A1 expression are at increased risk of poor prognosis, furthermore eIF4A1 plays a prominent role in facilitating tumor cell proliferation and migration which may further be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

In this study, the mechanisms by which ferric iron promotes bioleaching of arsenopyrite by the moderately thermoacidophilic strain Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans YN-22 was evaluated for the first time by integrating Fe L-edge and As/S K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the leaching parameters were also determined. The results showed that the addition of Fe3+ (6 g/L) significantly promoted bioleaching of arsenopyrite by enhancing the cell growth and the (bio)degradation of elemental sulfur (S0) and orpiment (As2S3) intermediates on the mineral surface. In addition, an increased formation of loose particulate structures containing the Fe(III)-containing products jarosite (mainly ammoniojarosite), scorodite (ferric arsenate) and schwertmannite was observed.

Background: Understanding the long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on cognitive function is essential for the prevention of cognitive decline in elderly population. This study aims to assess cognitive status and longitudinal decline at 6 months post-infection in elderly patients recovered from COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 1013 COVID-19 inpatients aged over 60 years who were discharged from three COVID-19-designated hospitals in Wuhan, China, from February 10 to March 13, 2020. In total, 262 uninfected living spouses of COVID-19 patients were selected as controls. Subjects were examined for their current cognitive status using a Chinese version of the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status-40 (TICS-40) and longitudinal cognitive decline using an Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Cognitive assessments were performed 6 months after patient discharge. Findings: COVID-19 patients had significantly lower TICS-40 scores (patients: 29.73±6.13; controls: 30.74±5.95, p=0.016) and higher IQCODE scores (patients: 3.40±0.81; controls: 3.15±0.39, p

The aggregation characteristics of wheat globulin induced by heating and edible salts were systematically investigated using SDS-PAGE, SE-HPLC, disulfide bonds analysis, and fluorescence and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that heating induced the formation of macro-molecular globulin aggregates through disulfide bonds, similar changes occurring when heating with neutral salt. Meanwhile, the surface hydrophobicity increased and protein conformation changed from β-turns to β-sheets. Whereas heating with alkali salt induced the reduction of disulfide bonds, and non-reducible aggregation could be produced when at higher temperatures. Additionally, both the β-turns and β-sheets increased at the expense of α-helixes and random coins, and the surface hydrophobicity was overall lower than that of heat treatment alone, which further confirmed the massive aggregation of globulin. Furthermore, it was found that globulin addition could change the pasting properties as well as the quality of noodles. In particular, after heating with alkali salt, the viscosity and setback value decreased significantly, and the pasting temperature increased; moreover, the hardness and springiness of cooked noodles increased remarkably. These changes observed could attributed to the globulin aggregation analyzed above, which contributed to further strengthen the protein network structure and improve its functional characteristics during flour processing.

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is a cancer of cotton which affects cotton quality and yield in China. In our previous study, a novel anti-Verticillium dahliae protein TUBP1 was obtained from Bacillus axarquiensis. Then, we have systematically studied the anti-V. dahliae activity and the pore formation action of TUBP1 protein on V. dahliae membrane. In present study, we provide detailed whether TUBP1 protein induced mitochondrial damaged and mitochondria-mediated apoptotic cell death in V. dahliae. In V. dahliae cells exposed to the TUBP1 protein, the mitochondrial dehydrogenases, F0F1-ATPase, malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activities were reduced and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is a major cause of apoptosis, were increased. The results demonstrated that mitochondria dysfunction and ROS-induced oxidative stress caused the release of apoptotic factors. The following cellular changes, which are characteristic of apoptosis, were measured including mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), Cytochrome c (Cyt C) release, metacaspase activation, phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, and DNA condensation and fragmentation. The results showed that an important feature of apoptosis, MMP, was caused by ROS. Significantly, cyt c was released, which is a factor in metacaspase activity after treatment with the TUBP1 protein. Number of stained cells with activated intracellular metacaspases exposed to TUBP1 protein was increased in a concentration-dependent manner. We also showed that in the early and late stages of apoptosis, the effects of the TUBP1 protein were mediated by PS and DNA fragmentation and condensation in the plasma membrane, respectively. There turned out that the TUBP1 protein led to mitochondria-mediated apoptotic cell death in V.dahliae. The results of this investigation indicated that TUBP1 stain or protein is a potent candidate against V.dahliae infections in crop species.

Background In our previous study, the novel anti-Verticillium dahliae protein TUBP1 was isolated from Bacillus axarquiensis, and the anti-V. dahliae effect was investigated. In the present study, the membrane-active action of the TUBP1 protein on V. dahliae was evaluated. Result Experiments were conducted to examine plasma membrane lesions and membrane depolarization, which were dyed using propidium iodide (PI) and 3,3`-dipropylthiacarbocyanine [DiSC3(5)], respectively. The results showed perturbation of the plasma membrane of the spores and the hyphae of V. dahliae when they were treated with the TUBP1 protein. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was used to analyze the K+ concentration. The results showed that through releasing K+, the TUBP1 protein induced membrane damage and depolarization. FITC-labeled TUBP1 protein influx, calcein leakage from liposomes, and pore size of the spores and hyphae of V. dahliae experiments were performed with FITC-labeled TUBP1 protein, calcein-encapsulating large unilamellar vesicles (LUV), and edextran (FD) loaded LUVs, respectively. The results demonstrated that the negative effect of the TUBP1 protein on spores and hyphae plasma membranes of V. dahliae was apparent in the formation of pores with radii from 1.4 to 2.3 nm. Finally, further morphological changes in V. dahliae spores and hyphae induced by the TUBP1 protein were observed in the results of flow cytometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Conclusion These results showed that in three-dimensional flow cytometric contour plots, cell sizes were reduced by the pore-forming action of TUBP1 protein.

The pharaoh cuttlefish Sepia pharaonis is particularly sensitive to environmental changes in its breeding environment. The breeding of S. pharaonis larvae was carried out in different salinities for 48h, and the changes in survival rate, histological structure, energy metabolism, and anti-oxidative stress parameters were investigated and correlated with arginine kinase (AK) expression changes in muscle and liver tissues. The suitable salinity for larvae cultivation ranged from 24 to 30‰, and the survival rate showed a significant decline at 21‰ salinity. Histological observations of muscle and liver showed that changes in salinity and osmotic pressure had an adverse effect on tissue structure. Measurements of glycogen and lactic acid levels suggested that S. pharaonis could dynamically adjust energy metabolism to provide additional energy under unsuitable salinity. The protein levels and enzyme activities of AK in muscle significantly increased at 21‰ salinity. The results were consistent with prompt replenishment of phosphoarginine stores during salinity stress to maintain a dynamic ATP balance, suggesting that AK plays an important role in the regulation of energy metabolism. This study provides insight into metabolic changes during salinity stress and sheds light on the functional role of AK in S. pharaonis.

There are three main classes of iterative methods for the solution of the linear complementarity problem (LCP). In order of appearance these classes are: the “projected iterative methods”, the “(block) modulus algorithms” and the “modulus-based matrix splitting iterative methods”. Which of the three classes of methods is the “best” one to use for the solution of a certain problem is more or less an “open” question despite the fact that the “best” method within each class is known. It is pointed out that by “best” we mean the minimal upper bound of the norm of the matrix operator of the absolute error vector at any iteration step with respect to the norm of the absolute initial error vector. Note that the first and the third classes of methods are iterative ones while the second one is iterative but needs outer ( ≤ n ) and unknown number of inner iteration steps to terminate. One of the main objectives of this work is to consider the solution of the LCP with an H + -matrix and compare and decide, theoretically if possible otherwise by numerical experiments, as to which of the three “best” methods is the “best” one to use in practice.

Two methods of sterilization—ultra-high pressure (UHP) and irradiation —are mainly used in meat flavor production. In this study, we investigated the effects of the sterilization methods on the taste compositions of sweet and sour spare ribs flavor (SSSRF). The contents of amino acids, nucleotides, and organic acids before and after UHP and irradiation sterilization (IS) were analyzed systematically by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results demonstrated an increased content of taste and tasteless amino acids and reduced bitter amino acids content by UHP sterilization. Additionally, UHP demonstrated a lower rate of loss of nucleotides than IS and reduced content of organic acids, consequently improving the overall taste of SSSRF. This research could help the strategic development of sterilization techniques to obtain meat flavors.

When the modified modulus-based multigrid method is applied to solve free boundary problems, the V-cycle does not show a grid-independence convergence rate. To improve the convergence rate of the V-cycle, we consider a modified V-cycle which is a combination of the V-cycle on coarser grids and the W-cycle on finer grids. We also consider the F-cycle. The computational works of these multigrid cycles are given to show their numerical efficiency. Numerical results show that both the modified V-cycle and the F-cycle can achieve the grid-independence convergence rate compared with the V-cycle and can reduce the computing time compared with the W-cycle.

In this study, a novel hyperbranched benzoxazine (HB-PED230) was synthesized from the reaction of Jeffamine D230, 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane and paraformaldehyde through the simple one-step Mannich condensation reaction. The characteristic structure of oxazine ring in HB-PED230 was confirmed by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR and the corresponding degree of branching (DB) was calculated to be 0.51. The effects of HB-PED230 on the copolymerization behavior, thermal stability and mechanical properties of epoxy resin were studied. Compared with the neat epoxy resin, the flexural modulus of modified thermosets decreased obviously by increasing the amount of HB-PED230, indicating that the HB-PED230 had plasticization effect on epoxy resin and reduced its brittleness. Simultaneously, the flexural strength of copolymer was enhanced. More importantly, the impact strength of modified thermoset with the incorporation of 12 wt% HB-PED230 was improved by 247.4%, implying the great improvement of toughness for epoxy resin. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imagines showed that no phase separation appeared in the thermosets, also revealing the evidence of increased toughness after addition of HB-PED230.

Background There has been no effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who presented to the Emergency Department > 4.5 h without a visible arterial occlusion on the neurovascular imaging studies. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether intravenous antiplatelet agent tirofiban was safe and potentially effective in AIS patients who had no visible arterial occlusion and was outside of treatment window for Alteplase. The goal of this study was to collect preliminary data to plan a future phase II study. Method Twenty-five patients received intravenous tirofiban therapy. The safety outcomes were assessed by the incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), systematic bleeding and mortality. Efficacy outcomes were evaluated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at day 7 (or discharge) and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days. Outcomes for these patients were compared with a historical age-gender-admission-NIHSS matched cohort treated with aspirin and/or clopidogrel. Results The rate of intracerebral hemorrhage, systematic bleedings, and death were not found in both groups. At day 7 or discharge, the neurological function improved significantly in both treatment groups. However, the NIHSS score was lower in tirofiban group compared with the control group (2 vs.3, p = 0.045). At 3 months, more patients in tirofiban group had favorable outcomes (mRS 0–1) compared with control group (84% vs. 52%; adjusted odds ratio: 10.57; 95% CI: 1.54–72.33; p = 0.016). Conclusions Intravenous tirofiban appears to be safe and potentially effective for the ischemic stroke patients with no artery occlusion on neurovascular imaging studies and being out of the window for thrombolytic therapy. A next logic step is to plan for a phase II study.

Al-ITQ-13 zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios were synthesized by using seeds in the gel and characterized by XRD, SEM, N2 physisorption, MAS NMR and NH3-TPD. The effect of SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio on the catalytic performance of Al-ITQ-13 in the conversion of methanol to propene (MTP) was investigated in a fixed-bed micro-reactor. The results showed that the Al-ITQ-13 zeolites with different SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios are similar in their textural properties; however, the amount and strength of acid sites decrease with the increase of SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio. Moreover, the SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio has a significant influence on the catalytic behavior of Al-ITQ-13 in MTP. As the hydrogen transfer and aromatization reactions were suppressed over the Al-ITQ-13 zeolite with high SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio, with the increase of SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio, the selectivity to propene and butene is increased at the expense of the selectivity to propene; that is, with the increase of SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio from 137 to 309, the selectivity to propene is increased from 46.04% to 55.52% and meanwhile, the propene/ethene ratio is increased from 3.39 to 6.57.

Most reported fluorescent probes have limitations in practical applications in living systems due to the strong autofluorescence background, construction of probes with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence emission is an accessible approach for addressing this challenge. We here designed a NIR fluorescent probe for monitoring the endogenous production of H2S in living cells. The designed probe showed significant NIR fluorescence turn-on response to H2S with high selectivity, enabling the sensitive detection H2S. Importantly, the probe could be applied in monitoring the endogenous production of H2S in raw264.7 macrophages. This study showed that fluvastatin can promote the activity of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) for generation H2S.

SIRT2 is involved in the development of a variety of cancers. Shikonin is a natural compound that is known to have antitumor effects. This study aims to assess the effects of shikonin on the development and metastatic progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) through regulation of SIRT2 expression and whether this effect is related to the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs). The results demonstrated that SIRT2 is downregulated in CRC biopsy samples (n=31) compared with the adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCT, n=26). Furthermore, CRC metastases were positive for SIRT2 despite a lack of expression in the primary tumor. In addition, data from an in vitro assay revealed that overexpression of SIRT2 inhibited the proliferation and metastatic progression of SW480 cells while blocking of SIRT2 expression induced the proliferation and metastatic progression of HT29 cells. Shikonin inhibited the viability, migration and invasion of SW480 cells and it also inhibited the tumor growth in the nude mice model; while AGK2 (a specific inhibitor of SIRT2) reversed these effects. Epidermal growth factor (EGF, an activator of ERK) and ERK-overexpression inhibited the effects of shikonin on SIRT2 expression, proliferation and metastasis in SW480 cells. However, this proliferative effect of EGF was reversed by SIRT2 overexpression. In conclusion, these results suggest that SIRT2 is a new therapeutic target for the treatment of CRC. The antitumor effects of shikonin on CRC seem to be mediated by SIRT2 upregulation via phospho-ERK inhibition.

To overcome the dependence of the convergence rate on the grid size in the existing modulus-based method, we present a modulus-based multigrid method to efficiently solve the nonlinear complementarity problems. In this paper, the nonlinear complementarity problems under consideration arise from free boundary problems with nonlinear source terms. The two-grid local Fourier analysis is given to predict the asymptotic convergence factor and the optimal relaxation parameter of the presented modulus-based multigrid method, and the predictions are agreement with the experimental results. Numerical results also show that both W- and F-cycles significantly outperform the existing modulus-based method and achieve asymptotic optimality in terms of grid-independent convergence rate and linear CPU time when the grid is refined.

In this paper, a novel series of tetra-functional fluorene-based benzoxazine monomers (SAMFB) were obtained by o-hydroxy-benzylamine method combining with Mannich condensation reaction. Compared with the traditional three-step method, the synthesis of asymmetric benzoxazine reduced the treatment process of the intermediate product, greatly shortened the reaction time and experimental period, improved the yield of the intermediate product, and reduced the production cost. In the traditional three-step synthesis method, the double bond reduction process took 8–12 h, but in this paper, it only took 15 min to complete this process. The curing characteristics, kinetics, thermal stabilities, and thermomechanical properties of SAMFB monomers and their polymers were analyzed. Non-isothermal curing kinetics studies showed that the polymerization process of SAMFB monomers was an autocatalytic reaction. The introduction of fluorene rings and polymerizable groups and the increase of oxazine rings in the polymer network structure can result in an obvious increase in the crosslinking density of polymers. Therefore, SAMFB polymers (poly(SAMFB)) exhibited higher glass transition temperature (Tg, 314–317 °C) and better thermal stability properties, higher than that of traditional bisphenol A-aniline-based and reported bifunctional fluorene-based polybenzoxazine resins. The TGA results showed that the T5 and T10of poly(SAMFB)were 334−368 °C and 370−414 °C, respectively, and Yc at 800 °C was 45.7–61.6 %. Moreover, the toughness of poly(SAMFB) was greatly improved due to the introduction of the flexible alkyl chain.

Despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the morbidity and mortality of CVDs are still rising. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease contributing to multiple CVDs. Considering the complexity and severity of atherosclerosis, it is apparent that exploring the mechanisms of atherosclerotic formation and seeking new therapies for patients with atherosclerosis are required to overcome the heavy burden of CVDs on the quality and length of life of the global population. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a dominant role in functional and structural changes of the arterial walls in response to atherogenic factors. Therefore, improvement of VSMC functions will slow down the development of atherosclerosis to a large extent. Given its protective performances on regulation of cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory responses, SIRT1 has long been known as an anti-atherosclerosis factor. In this review, we focus on the effects of SIRT1 on VSMC functions and thereby the development of atherosclerosis.

Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese health-promoting exercise. It has been shown to enhance mental health and improve psychological condition.We aimed to assess the effectiveness of Tai Chi exercise for cancer-related fatigue in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.We conducted a randomized trial of Tai Chi exercise as compared with low-impact exercise as a control intervention. Exercises were practiced every other day, a one-hour session for 12 weeks for each of the study groups. The primary end point was a change in total score of the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF). Secondary end points were changes in five subscale scores of the MFSI-SF. All assessments were repeated at three time points, T0: before first course of chemotherapy; T1: before third course of chemotherapy; and T2: at the end of the fourth course of chemotherapy.Between January 2012 and December 2014, 96 patients were enrolled in this trial. At six and 12 weeks, the Tai Chi group had a lower MFSI-SF total score compared with the control group (59.5 ± 11.3 vs. 66.8 ± 11.9, P 0.05; 53.3 ± 11.8 vs. 59.3 ± 12.2, P 0.05). At six weeks, the Tai Chi group had lower MFSI-SF general subscale scores (18.1 ± 4.6 vs. 20.4 ± 4.5, P 0.05) and physical subscale scores (17.5 ± 4.4 vs. 19.1 ± 4.5, P 0.05), and higher MFSI-SF vigor subscale scores (14.5 ± 3.3 vs. 11.6 ± 3.4, P 0.05), compared with the control group. But no significant differences were found in emotional subscale (20.2 ± 3.6 vs. 20.0 ± 3.5, P 0.05) and mental subscale (18.2 ± 4.0 vs. 18.9 ± 3.9, P 0.05) scores between the Tai Chi group and the control group. At 12 weeks, the MFSI-SF subscale scores showed the same trends as at six weeks.Tai Chi is an effective intervention for managing cancer-related fatigue in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy, especially for decreasing general fatigue and physical fatigue, and increasing vigor.

A novel fluorescent probe for discriminating cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) has been developed inspired by chemical ligation. The probe is able to react rapidly with Cys or GSH by nucleophilic aromatic substitution. In the case of Cys, the first produced sulfur-substituted BODIPY is unstable and undergoes a subsequent intramolecular displacement affording an amino-substituted BODIPY through a five membered cyclic transition stat. This irreversible aromatic hydrocarbon transfer from sulfur to nitrogen atoms is mostly like the well-known chemical ligation process. In comparison, the bulkiness of GSH sharply hinders such an aromatic hydrocarbon transfer process. Based on these reactions, the distinct fluorescence responses to Cys and GSH were achieved, and the probe can be used for the detection of Cys over GSH in living cells.

The fine granular area (FGA) plays a crucial role in the VHCF regime. However, so far, the uniform understanding or conclusion about the formation mechanism of FGA has not been drawn. In view of the significance of FGA, the current studies on FGA, i.e. , the FGA size, the stress intensity factor range at the periphery of FGA, the crack initiation and growth process in FGA, and the formation mechanisms of FGA, are reviewed in the present paper. The role of internal hydrogen in the VHCF regime is further discussed. In the end, two important definite conclusions are drawn based on the present investigations.

The role of progesterone on the cardiovascular system is controversial. Our present research is to specify the effect of progesterone on arterial endothelial cells in response to oxidative stress. Our result showed that H2O2 (150 μM and 300 μM) induced cellular antioxidant response. Glutathione (GSH) production and the activity of Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were increased in H2O2-treated group. The expression of glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) and modifier subunit (GCLM) was induced in response to H2O2. However, progesterone absolutely abolished the antioxidant response through increasing ROS level, inhibiting the activity of Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), decreasing GSH level and reducing expression of GClC and GCLM. In our study, H2O2 induced nitrogen monoxide (NO) production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression, and progesterone promoted H2O2-induced NO production. Progesterone increased H2O2-induced expression of hypoxia inducible factor-α (HIFα) which in turn regulated eNOS expression and NO synthesis. Further study demonstrated that progesterone increased H2O2 concentration of culture medium which may contribute to NO synthesis. Exogenous GSH decreased the content of H2O2 of culture medium pretreated by progesterone combined with H2O2 or progesterone alone. GSH also inhibited expression of HIFα and eNOS, and abolished NO synthesis. Collectively, our study demonstrated for the first time that progesterone inhibited cellular antioxidant effect and increased oxidative stress, promoted NO production of arterial endothelial cells, which may be due to the increasing H2O2 concentration and amplified oxidative stress signal.

Cardiovascular diseases are associated with proliferation and phenotypic switch. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is a major initiating factor for proliferative vascular diseases, such as neointimal lesion formation, restenosis after angioplasty, and atherosclerosis. Ruxolitinib, a potent Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and 2 inhibitor, has been reported to significantly block the proliferation-related signaling pathway of JAK2/signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) and harbor a broad spectrum of anti-cancer activities, including proliferation inhibition, apoptosis induction, and anti-inflammation. However, the role of ruxolitinib in regulating PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation remains to be elucidated. Thus, this study investigates the role of ruxolitinib in regulating PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation and its underlying mechanisms.In vivo, the medial thickness of the carotid artery was evaluated using a mouse carotid ligation model, ruxolitinib was administered orally to the mice every other day, and the mice were euthanized on day 28 to evaluate the therapeutic effects of ruxolitinib. Cell proliferation markers were measured using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. In vitro, VSMCs were treated with ruxolitinib with or without PDGF-BB at an indicated time and concentration. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, MTS assays and flow cytometry. The JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway involved in the effects of ruxolitinib on VSMCs was detected by western blotting with the specific pathway inhibitor AG490.In vivo, ruxolitinib significantly decreased the ratio-of-intima ratio (I/M ratio) by inhibiting the expression of PCNA and cyclinD1 (p 0.05). In vitro, ruxolitinib inhibited PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation compared with the PDGF-BB treatment group (p 0.05). In addition, ruxolitinib inhibited the PDGF-BB-induced activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and decreased the expression of proliferation related-proteins cyclinD1 and PCNA in VSMCs (p 0.05).Our findings suggest that ruxolitinib inhibits VSMC proliferation in vivo and in vitro by suppressing the activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Therefore, ruxolitinib has a therapeutic potential for proliferative vascular diseases.

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was developed with carboxylated graphene-loaded Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and inductive coupling plasma (ICP) were applied to characterizing COOH-G/Au@Ag nanocomposites. Electrochemical performance of the nanocomposites was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Based on ECL experimental results, we can find COOH-G/@Au@Ag nanocomposites have good electrocatalytic ability for glucose, so we construct a glucose electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor. When the glucose concentration range is from 0.005 to 1500 μM, the linear response of ECL intensity to glucose concentration was valid with detection limit of 0.02 μM. In addition, the developed sensor not only has good stability, repeatability and sensitivity for the detection of glucose, but also can be successfully used for glucose monitoring in human serum samples.

In vivo measurement of abnormal β-galactosidase (β-gal) in living cells and tissues is urgently required for early diagnosis and treatment of primary ovarian cancer. Herein, a FRET-based ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe FTR-βgal with a large emission shift, rapid response and low cytotoxicity was developed for sensitively detecting β-gal activity in vivo. FTR-βgal was designed with a naphthalene derivative as the energy donor and a rhodol derivative as the energy acceptor, which provided an efficient FRET strategy. Remarkably, FTR-βgal was successfully applied in TP imaging of β-gal with the ratio signal rapidly transform from 0.15 to 5.9 (∼40-fold) between 540 nm and 450 nm. Furthermore, FTR-βgal was used to visualize β-gal levels in tumor upon tissue penetration of 30–150 μm achieved. Therefore, FTR-βgal was applicable for clinical detection in living cells and tissues as a promising strategy for diagnosis of various associated cancers.

Carbonate weathering, coupled with sulfuric acid, derived from the oxidative weathering of pyrite (OWP), has been suggested to compensate for the CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering over the Cenozoic. However, the above compensation had not been well documented because of the lack of evidence of OWP and the failure to differentiate between sulfide-derived and gypsum-derived sulfate. In this study, monthly sampling campaigns from July 2012 to June 2014 were conducted at Tangnaihai station in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) to demonstrate the behavior of sulfide-derived sulfate and its effect on the local atmospheric CO2 balance. Sulfur and triple oxygen isotopes of sulfate were employed to discern OWP, and sulfur isotope was used to calculate the precise contributions of sulfide-derived sulfate. The results revealed that fractions of riverine sulfate from OWP ranged from 2% to 99% with a mean value of 61%. The corresponding annual CO2 release flux by carbonate weathering coupled with sulfuric acid (CSW) ranged from 0.005 Tmol /yr to 0.015 Tmol /yr with average values of 0.012 Tmol /yr and 0.007 Tmol /yr in 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, respectively, while the annual CO2 consumption flux by silicate weathering coupled with carbonic acid (SCW) varied from 0.003 Tmol /yr to 0.015 Tmol /yr with average annual values of 0.008 Tmol /yr and 0.010 Tmol /yr in 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, respectively. These results indicated that CO2 release by CSW exceeded CO2 consumption by SCW in 2012–2013, but not in 2013–2014. In the uplifting mountain areas, the pyrite oxidation and produced CO2 release sometimes could not balance the CO2 consumption by SCW, and its roles in long term climate change are uncertain. In future research, the role of sulfide oxidation coupled to carbonate weathering should be reestimated to clarify for present and past global climate change.

An accurate forecast of daily meteorological factors throughout the year is not only of great significance for the study of climate trends in a certain area but also enables the prediction of crop growth stages. Moreover, the prediction of crop growth stages is related to the scheduling of planting and tillage, the determination of machine harvest time, and the prediction of crop yield. However, highly complex dynamics cause large volatility in meteorological factors, so it is very challenging to predict the crop growth stage accurately, based on weather data. To solve this problem, we propose a data-driven encoder-decoder model, using long short-term memory (LSTM) and convolutional LSTM (ConvLSTM), which can be applied to forecast daily sunshine duration, cumulative precipitation, and average temperature for the coming year. To further test the performance of the ConvLSTM-based model, it is compared with the conventional LSTM encoder-decoder model and the convolutional neural network (CNN)-LSTM encoder-decoder model. The results demonstrate that, the ConvLSTM-based model is more accurate than the others for forecasting temperature (MAE = 2.602 °C, RMSE = 3.456 °C), precipitation (MAE = 3.878 mm, RMSE = 10.503 mm), and sunshine hours (MAE = 3.445 h, RMSE = 4.172 h) in 2014–2016. Furthermore, precise forecasting of meteorological factors allows us to develop a hybrid model and a data-driven model for the prediction of each growth stage separately. The hybrid model combines the ConvLSTM encoder-decoder model with empirical models, whereas the data-driven model comprises the ConvLSTM encoder-decoder model and traditional neural network structures. Finally, we compared the two types of models on a real-world dataset from Dandong, and concluded that the data-driven model is more accurate than the hybrid model for prediction of maize growth stages, with R 2 in the range of 0.755–0.883, MAE 0.588–2.205 days, and RMSE 0.978–2.729 days. In the future, these models can also be used to predict the growth stages of other crops.

River sulfate flux is a major input into the ocean reservoir and plays a critical role in the global sulfur cycle. Constrained riverine sulfate isotope compositions are useful in gaining a better understanding of the secular changes in the sulfur isotopic value (δ34SSO4) of the ocean. The sulfate flux from rivers flowing through arid areas is often ignored due to their low water discharge, but these rivers generally contain large amounts of sulfate duo to water condensation, gypsum dissolution and anthropogenic effluents. Hence, their effects on the global sulfur cycle are still unclear. The Yellow River (YR) flows across the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) and arid Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) with a length of 5464 km. As one typical large river flowing across arid climate areas coupled with extensive human activities in the world, the YR is an ideal site to illustrate this problem. The riverine sulfate sources in the different reaches of the YR were determined by δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4 values, and sulfur cycling concept model in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) was established to explain the natural and anthropogenic effects on sulfate flux coupled with δ34SSO4 values from the YR to the ocean. Our data showed that gypsum-derived sulfate controls the δ34SSO4 of the YR and its contribution increased from 30% to 90% downstream with mean values of 71%, 84%, and 87% for the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the river, respectively. The annual sulfate flux to the ocean ranges from 0.026 Tmol/yr to 0.043 Tmol/yr with an average of 0.036 Tmol/yr in this century, and the average flux-weighted δ34SSO4 value was +8.5‰. Compared with the natural global riverine sulfate flux to the ocean, the YR contributes nearly 1.1% of the sulfate flux. This combined with its positive δ34SSO4 value makes this arid area an important contributor to the sulfate flux and the global sulfur cycle.

Ultrasound shear wave elastography (USWE) enables us to quantitatively characterize the mechanical properties of solid tumors and is of clinical importance in differentiating malignant tumors from benign ones. However, limited by the resolution of USWE, it remains challenging in evaluating the elastic properties of tumors with small dimensions. Here we study the size effect in USWE of tumors via phantom experiments. Gelatin phantoms consisted of spherical inclusions and softer matrix were fabricated to model the tumors embedded in surrounding soft tissues. Our results show that elastic moduli E of the phantom tumors measured with conventional USWE are highly related to their diameters d (r > 0.96, P

A newly developed nonenzymatic eletrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for the determination of glucose using the Au-HS/SO3H-PMO (Et) nanocomposites is demonstrated. Introduction of Au in periodic mesoporous organosilic (PMO) leads to the strengthening of electrocatalytic performance. As a new platform in glucose analysis, the resultant sensor shows a linear range from 0.10 μM to 1.0 mM (R = 0.9999) with a detection limit of 2.5 × 10− 8 M and a sensitivity of 6.45 × 102 μA mM− 1 cm− 2. Moreover, the proposed sensor exhibited the excellent reproducibility, stability, and selectivity for the detection of glucose. Furthermore, it is successfully utilized for the determination of glucose in human serum samples with good application potential in biological electrochemistry.

This paper studies the location–allocation–configuration problem of emergency resources in a maritime emergency system and it proposes a discrete nonlinear integer-programming model, which integrates the location, allocation and the configuration problem. The model is converted into a two-stage model keeping the calculation logic. It designs a hybrid heuristic algorithm and a genetic algorithm. The test results show that the hybrid heuristic algorithm is more efficient than the genetic algorithm, the sensitivity analysis studies the influence of some parameters to the final solution and the Uncertainty–Sensitivity justification tool is used to evaluate the assumptions.

Stable microtubules (MTs) is involved the mechanism of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is induced by acetylation of α-tubulin. The present study investigated whether SIRT2, a deacetylase, regulates MT stability through α-tubulin deacetylation in DCM and whether the receptor of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) signaling pathway is involved in this effect. Type 1 diabetic mellitus (T1DM) rats model was established by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 65 mg/kg), and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were also cultured. Heart function was detected by Doppler. MT stability was elevated by β-tubulin expression density. The protein expression of SIRT2, acetylated α-tubulin and AGEs receptor were detected by immunohistochemistry or Western blots. The interaction of SIRT2 and acetylated α-tubulin was detected by Co-immunoprecipitation. In an animal model of T1DM, Western blots and immunohistochemistry revealed downregulation of SIRT2 but upregulation of the acetylated α-tubulin protein. These effects were reduced by treatment of aminoguanidine, an inhibitor of AGEs production. HDAC6 expression did not regulated in heart. In primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, the AGEs treatment impaired the SIRT2/acetylated α-tubulin signaling pathway, and SIRT2-overexpression reversed the function of AGEs on cardiomyocytes. In addition, gene silencing of AGEs receptor alleviated the impairment effect of AGEs on cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that AGEs/AGEs receptor promote MT stabilization via the suppression of the SIRT2/acetylated α-tubulin signaling pathway in DCM development.

Modulus-based synchronous multisplitting iteration methods were recently proposed for solving linear complementarity problems. We give a much simpler approach to prove the convergence of these iteration methods when the system matrix is an H + -matrix. Moreover, this idea can also be applied to prove the convergence of two-step modulus-based synchronous multisplitting iteration methods, which avoids the construction of the irreducible system matrix and the introduction of the infinite norm.

Cement is a widely used construction material in the world. The quality and durability of aged cement pastes have a strong relationship with the water contained in it. The translational and rotational dynamics of water in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) pastes cured for 7, 14 and 30 days were studied by analyzing Quasi-elastic Neutron Scattering (QENS) data. The effect of a new super-plasticizer (SP) additive was also studied by comparing the samples with and without the additive. By fitting the QENS spectra with the Jump-diffusion and Rotation-diffusion Model (JRM), six important parameters including the bound water index (BWI), the self-diffusion coefficient, D t , the average residence time, τ 0 , the rotational diffusion constant, D r , the rotational residence time, τ r , and the mean squared displacement (MSD), 〈 u 2 〉, were obtained. From these parameters, we can quantitatively follow the evolution of the bound water fraction (BWI). We can clearly see the different time ranges for the translational and rotational dynamics of water contained in the OPC pastes by τ 0 and τ r . From the MSD values compared with those of molecular dynamics simulation, we can distinguish between immobile water (mainly bound water) and mobile water, which includes confined water and ultraconfined water. Furthermore, by the fitted parameters’ values and their change of slopes with increasing setting time for cement pastes with and without additive SP, it becomes clear that the effect of additive SP is to make the mobile water more confined and induce a more uniform the aging process during the evolution of the OPC pastes.

A series of tertamethoxyresorcinarene functionalized Schiff bases were conveniently prepared by the reaction of resorcinarene ester derivatives with excess of ethylenediamine and then condensation with salicylaldehyde. The single crystal analysis of five products shows that tetramethoxyresorcinarenes existed in chair conformation. The complexing properties of these polydentated ligands to transition metal ions were studied by UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that these polydentated ligands are more efficient for recognition of Zn2+ in preference to other metal ions, accompanying a remarkable fluorescence intensity enhancement. Taking 4a as an example, it exhibits a 13-fold fluorescence enhancement upon the addition of 3 equiv. of Zn2+ in CH3OH/CH3CN (1:9 v/v) solution.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the interactions of ellagic acid (EA) and oleuropein (OLE) with human serum albumin (HSA). Plasma protein binding model prediction and molecular modeling suggest that EA binds to HSA stronger than OLE, and that both interact with the binding pocket of HSA subdomain IIA. Furthermore, fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed that EA has a stronger HSA binding affinity than OLE. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and CD spectroscopy, analyzed using DichroWeb, showed that the binding of EA and OLE to HSA induce conformational changes.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the interactions of human serum albumin (HSA) with peimine (PE) and peiminine (PEN) in physiological conditions by fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and molecular modeling. PE and PEN were isolated from Bulbus Fritillariae thunbergii miq. The binding constants Ka and the number of binding sites n were calculated at different temperatures. Enthalpy change (ΔH), entropy change (ΔS), and Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) were also determined. The results suggested that quenching of HSA fluorescence by PE and PEN is a static process. Three-dimensional fluorescence, FT-IR, CD, and Raman spectra showed that the binding of PE and PEN to HSA can induce conformational changes in the latter. Moreover, important differences in binding ability were observed between PE and PEN, and PE showed stronger binding affinity to HSA than PEN.

Herein, we have designed and synthesized two series of novel hyperbranched benzoxazines (HBs), namely HB-TA6, HB-TA12, HB-TAF6 and HB-TAF12, derived from Jeffamine T-403, bisphenol-A/bisphenol-AF, and p-formaldehyde via the simple one-step Mannich condensation reaction. Their feature structures (ArCH2N and OCH2N) were characterized using the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton, and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR and 13C NMR) analyses. The number-average molecular weights (Mn) and weight-average molecular weights (Mw) of HBs were in the range of 4700–6000 and 9700–11700 Da, respectively, which showed good solubility in common organic solvents at room temperature. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to investigate the polymerization behavior and curing kinetics of these new HBs, and the obtained results indicated that all the HBs performed the lower temperature of exothermic peaks and activation energy values compared with the conventional phenol-aniline based benzoxazine (P-a). The thermal properties of cured polymers were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showing the char yield (Yc) and glass transition temperature (Tg) in the range of 18.6–30.5% and 157–164 °C, respectively.

The objective of the study is to construct a stimuli responsive membrane on the electrode and regulate the bioelectrocatalysis of hydrogen peroxide by temperature stimulation. Fe3O4-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgels (Fe3O4-PNIPAM microgels) were prepared and developed as temperature-controlled nonenzymatic electrochemical switchable hydrogen peroxide biosensors in this study. The microgels were fabricated through a two-step way and characterizations such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to prove the microgels. Then, Fe3O4-PNIPAM microgels were assembled to the electrode surface and the switchable electrochemical function relating to temperature stimuli was illustrated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) study showed a switchable electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation process of H2O2 between 26.0 and 37.0 °C due to peroxidase-like behaviour of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) and temperature-sensitive properties of PNIPAM. On the basis of concept, we constructed a switchable biosensor for the detection of H2O2. Under optimal conditions, we successfully detected H2O2 as low as 0.005 μM at 26.0 °C and 0.01 μM at 32.0 °C. By using Fe3O4 NPs instead of enzyme to construct the switchable biosensor in the experiment, the operation is simple and the strategy meets the demands of switchable biosensors when used in bioscience and biotechnology, which broadens the applications of electrochemical switching biosensors.

In this case study, the failure cause of the tyre valves of trucks was investigated. Higher content sulphur and oxygen were detected by analyzing the corrosion products. The intergranular cracking morphologies were observed by SEM. The branch cracks were shown by metallographical and SEM observations. Residual stress was verified by hardness testing. Synthesizing all the experimental results the failed air valves were considered to be caused by sulphur dioxide SCC. The three necessary conditions for SCC were satisfied in this case study: susceptible brass alloy, corrosive media (SO2) contained in the surrounding environment, and sufficient tensile stress. In the end, some important suggestions were proposed to prevent the similar failures in the future.

Increasing epidemiological studies have focused on the associations between interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene -174G>C polymorphism and atherosclerotic diseases, but the results are still controversial. This meta-analysis was designed to identify whether this association exists. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane database, Clinicaltrials.gov and Current Controlled Trials, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, CBMdisc, CNKI and Google Scholar were searched to get the genetic association studies. The crude odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the association between the IL-6 gene -174G>C polymorphism and atherosclerosis ( AS ) risk. The subgroup analyses were made on the following: ethnicity, atherosclerotic diseases and source of controls. Finally, 50 studies (15,029 cases and 18,485 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant association was found between the IL-6 gene -174G>C polymorphism and AS risk (for C allele vs. G allele: OR=1.02, 95% CI=0.94-1.11, p=0.64; for C/C vs. G/G: OR=1.01, 95% CI=0.85-1.21, p=0.88; for C/C vs. C/G+G/G: OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.84-1.12, p=0.68; for C/C+C/G vs. G/G: OR=1.07, 95% CI=0.97-1.17, p=0.18). In the subgroup analyses, significant associations were found between the IL-6 gene -174G>C polymorphism and AS in non-Caucasian group (for CC+CG vs. GG: OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.06-1.41, p=0.005), other atherosclerotic diseases group (for C allele vs. G allele: OR =0.75, 95% CI=0.61-0.93, p=0.008; for C/C vs. G/G: OR=0.56, 95% CI=0.38-0.81, p=0.002; for C/C vs. C/G+G/G: OR=0.60, 95% CI=0.45-0.79, p=0.0004) and population-based group (for C allele vs. G allele: OR=1.09, 95% CI=1.00-1.18, p=0.04; for CC+CG vs. GG: OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.04-1.27, p=0.005). In summary, the present meta-analysis suggests that the IL-6 gene -174G C polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to AS. However, due to the high heterogeneity in the meta-analysis, the results should be interpreted with caution.