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Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common malignancy whose prognosis and treatment outcome are influenced by many factors. Some studies have found that tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in cancer may contribute to prognosis and the prediction of immunotherapy efficacy However, the combined role of TLSs in NSCLC remains unclear. We accessed The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to obtain mRNA sequencing data and clinical information as the TCGA cohort, and used our own sample of 53 advanced NSCLC as a study cohort. The samples were divided into TLS+ and TLS- groups by pathological tissue sections. Patients of the TLS+ group had a better OS (p = 0.022), PFS (p = 0.042), and DSS (p = 0.004) in the TCGA cohort, and the results were confirmed by the study cohort (PFS, p = 0.012). Furthermore, our result showed that the count and size of TLSs are closely associated with the efficacy of immunotherapy. In addition, the TLS+ group was associated with better immune status and lower tumor mutation load. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), the expression levels of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells of different phenotypes were associated with TLSs. Overall, TLSs are a strong predictor of survival and immunotherapeutic efficacy in advanced NSCLC, and T cell-rich TLSs suggest a more ordered and active immune response site, which aids in the decision-making and application of immunotherapy in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-associated high endothelial venules (TA-HEVs) mediate lymphocyte entry into tumors. Therefore, combined anti-angiogenesis therapy and programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors might stimulate tumor immunity. This study will explore the TA-HEVs and real-world data of the combination therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Firstly, we found a certain relationship between HEVs and immune effector cells by multiple immunofluorescence staining. We then analyzed the efficacy of immunotherapy combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy in advanced NSCLC patients by collecting real-world clinical data. Finally, we explored the predictive value of HEVs in combination therapy by analyzing pre-treatment pathological slides of patients with multiple immunofluorescence and RNA sequencing. Immunofluorescence staining of high endothelial venules (PNAd+) reveals that the frequency of HEVs is positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating stem-like CD8+ T cells (TCF-1+PD-1+) in the TME of advanced NSCLC patients (P = 0.0221). We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of 96 patients with advanced NSCLC who received PD-1 inhibitors combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy in the real-world. The median PFS of patients combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy was longer than that of patients without anti-angiogenesis therapy (9.7 vs 8.6 months, P = 0.041). Multiple immunofluorescence staining of tumor biopsies before treatment from 14 patients with advanced NSCLC reveals that PNAd+ is predictive of better response and survival upon PD-1 inhibitors combined with anti-angiogenesis therapy (P = 0.0274). In addition, we collected peripheral blood from an effective group of patients for RNA sequencing and found that immune cells activation-related gene expression scores were higher. Combined anti-angiogenic and anti-PD-1 therapy stimulates tumor immunity through TA-HEVs formation. TA-HEVs not only mediate immune cell entry into tumors, but also are associated with the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors and anti-angiogenesis therapy in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a clinically symptomatic entity arising from the spinal cord compression by degenerative diseases. Although endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been commonly observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, the relationship between ER stress and CSM remains unknown. Shikonin is known to protect PC12 by inhibiting apoptosis in vitro. This study hypothesised that ER stress was vital in neuronal apoptosis in CSM. Shikonin might inhibit such responses by regulating ER stress through the protein kinase-like ER kinase-eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 α-subunit-C/EBP homologous protein (PERK-eIF2α-CHOP) signalling pathway. Thus, the aim of this study was evaluating the neuroprotective effect of shikonin in rats with double-level chronic cervical cord compression, as well as primary rat cortical neurons with glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. The result showed that ER stress–related upregulation of PERK-eIF2α-CHOP resulted in rat neuronal apoptosis after chronic cervical cord compression; then, shikonin promoted motor recovery and inhibited neuronal apoptosis by attenuating PERK-eIF2α-CHOP and prevented Bax translocation from cytoplasm to mitochondrion induced by CHOP of neurons in rats with chronic compression. Also, it was found that shikonin could protect rat primary cortical neuron against glutamate toxicity by regulating ER stress through the PERK-eIF2α-CHOP pathway in vitro. In conclusion, shikonin might inhibit neuronal apoptosis by regulating ER stress through attenuating the activation of PERK-eIF2α-CHOP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a sovereign default network by employing high-dimensional vector autoregressions obtained by analyzing connectedness in sovereign credit default swap markets. We develop four measures of centrality, namely, degree, betweenness, closeness, and eigenvector centralities, to detect whether network properties drive the currency risk premia. We observe that closeness and betweenness centralities can negatively drive currency excess returns but do not exhibit a relationship with forward spread. Thus, our developed network centralities are independent of an unconditional carry trade risk factor. Based on our findings, we develop a trading strategy by taking a long position on peripheral countries' currencies and a short position on core countries' currencies. The aforementioned strategy generates a higher Sharpe ratio than the currency momentum strategy. Our proposed strategy is robust to foreign exchange regimes and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterized by recurrent upper airway disturbances during sleep leading to episodes of hypopnea or apnea, followed by hypoxemia and subsequent reoxygenation. It is believed that this reoxygenation/reperfusion stage leads to oxidative stress, which then leads to inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. The treatments of patient with OSAHS include surgical and non-surgical therapies with various side effects and common complaints. Therefore, it is important to develop a new, safe, and effective therapeutic treatment. As a small-molecule multifunctional protein, thioredoxin (TRX) has antioxidant and redox regulatory functions at the active site Cys-Gly-Pro. TRX prevents inflammation by suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines rather than suppressing the immune response. Methods: We review the papers on the pathophysiological process of OSAHS and the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of TRX. Results: TRX may play a role in OSAHS by scavenging ROS, blocking the production of inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting the migration and activation of neutrophils, and controlling the activation of ROS-dependent inflammatory signals by regulating the redox state of intracellular target particles. Furthermore, TRX regulates the synthesis, stability, and activity of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). TRX also has an inhibitory effect on endoplasmic reticulum- and mitochondria-induced apoptosis by regulating the expression of BAX, BCL2, p53, and ASK1. Conclusion: Understanding the function of TRX may be useful for the treatment of OSAHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The turtle has survived for over several hundred million years and evolved excellent shell structure to resist high-stress repeated impact by stone and predators. Based on the impact resistance performance of turtle shell, a new bionic composite coating (BCC) was proposed and prepared, which is composed of porous micro-arc oxidation (MAO) inner layer, Si transition middle layer, and different-element (H, Si, and Cr)-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) outer layer. This study aims to investigate the impact response, energy absorption, and damage characteristics of BCC in low-speed impact conditions. Results indicate that the impact behavior of BCC is superior to substrate and the BCC presents a lower peak force and higher energy absorption. Thus, the outer DLC layer could resist the impact force to reduce damage. The porous structure in MAO layer could act as a buffer and deform to absorb energy. The BCC-Si shows the best impact resistance with the lowest wear volume due to the Si-DLC layer with a good balance of toughness and hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help doctors and patients evaluate lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) accurately and efficiently, we propose a segmentation network and a quantitation method for IVDD from T2MRI. A semantic segmentation network (BianqueNet) composed of three innovative modules achieves high-precision segmentation of IVDD-related regions. A quantitative method is used to calculate the signal intensity and geometric features of IVDD. Manual measurements have excellent agreement with automatic calculations, but the latter have better repeatability and efficiency. We investigate the relationship between IVDD parameters and demographic information (age, gender, position and IVDD grade) in a large population. Considering these parameters present strong correlation with IVDD grade, we establish a quantitative criterion for IVDD. This fully automated quantitation system for IVDD may provide more precise information for clinical practice, clinical trials, and mechanism investigation. It also would increase the number of patients that can be monitored. Globally, as a major public health problem, low back pain has been the leading cause of disability worldwide for the past 30 years. Here, the authors propose a segmentation network and a quantitative method lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Multislice spiral CT (MSCT) was used to investigate the anatomical characteristics of sternal development, and to provide anatomical basis for sternal puncture in children. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the thoracic MSCT data of 600 children who received thoracic MSCT from January to June 2020 with their age ranging from 1 month to 19 years. The distribution of sternal ossification centers and adjacent tissues and organs was observed. Subcutaneous soft tissue thickness and the distance between the skin and the posterior margin of the sternum were measured in the central areas of sternal manubrium and mesosternum (segments I and II), and the correlation between the two was calculated using linear correlation. Results: A total of 600 patients were enrolled, the mean age was 9.87 years and the standard deviation was 8.28 years. The sternal manubrium and ossification centers at the I and II segments of the mesosternum were visible in all cases (100%). There was no ossification in segment III of the mesosternum in 15 cases (2.5%), including 12 cases (80%) adjacent to the posterior pericardium and 7 cases (46.7%) of lung tissue. There were 274 cases (45.7%) of segment IV without ossification, including 204 cases (74.5%) of adjacent pericardium and 95 cases (32.8%) of lung tissue. The xiphoid process was not ossified in 258 cases (43%), including 190 cases (73.6%) adjacent to the pericardium and 97 cases (37.6%) adjacent to the lung tissue. Correspondingly, the thickness of subcutaneous soft tissue of the sternal manubrium and the central region of the I and II segments of the mesosternum had a low positive correlation with age (P < 0.001), the distance between the skin and the posterior margin of the sternum showed a moderate positive correlation with age (P < 0.001), and the distance between the skin and the posterior margin of the sternum showed a high positive correlation with the thickness of subcutaneous soft tissue (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Nonossification of the sternal ossification center usually occurs below segment III of the mesosternum and is usually adjacent to heart and lung tissue. Pediatric sternal puncture should be performed at the sternal manubrium and the mesosternum of segments I and II. However, attention should be paid to the space between multiple ossification centers. The thickness of subcutaneous soft tissue is a critical factor that determines the depth of the puncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vaginal and uterine microbiota play important roles in the health of the female reproductive system. However, the interactions among the microbes in these two niches and their effects on uterine health remain unclear. Here we profile the vaginal and uterine microbial samples of 145 women, and combine with deep mining of public data and animal experiments to characterize the microbial translocation in the female reproductive tract and its role in modulating uterine health. Synchronous variation and increasing convergence of the uterine and vaginal microbiome with advancing age are shown. We also find that transplanting certain strains of vaginal bacteria into the vagina of rats induces or reduces endometritis-like symptoms, and verify the damaging or protective effects of certain vaginal bacteria on endometrium. This study clarifies the interdependent relationship of vaginal bacterial translocation with uterine microecology and endometrial health, which will undoubtedly increase our understanding of female reproductive health. Here, the authors present a comparative analyses on vaginal and uterine microbiota in 1223 samples derived from 655 women with chronic endometritis, which, combined with animal experiments, characterize the microbial translocation in the female reproductive tract and its role in modulating uterine health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective strategy for the chemoselective synthesis of β-enaminones is described by aza-Michael addition of aminoalkyl-, phenol- and thio-anilines to ynones under metal-free conditions. Diverse structural β-enaminones were obtained in up to 99% yield for 31 examples. The novel dual-1,5-disubstituted triazole scaffold was synthesized subsequently from β-enaminone. This strategy is highly efficient, highly chemoselective and metal-free. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of its high flooding tolerance, in recent years, mulberry has become a tree species that is used in plant restoration in impact zones in reservoir areas. Therefore, 3-year-old potted forage mulberry seedlings were used to investigate the mechanism of mulberry adaptation to flooding stress. An indoor simulated flooding method was adopted to study the morphology of mulberry seedling leaves and the changes in leaf chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and fluorescence imaging under different flooding times and depths. The results showed that the leaves of mulberry seedlings treated with shallow submergence remained healthy during the flooding period, while the leaves of mulberry seedlings treated with half submergence and full submergence showed different degrees of waterlogging symptoms in the middle and late flooding periods and formed adventitious roots at the base of the stem. Most of the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters decreased at the beginning of flooding, but the steady-state degree of closure of PS II reaction centres (1-qP_Lss) increased significantly. In the later stage of flooding, the fluorescence parameters showed relatively stable trends. Based on these results, we conclude that mulberry has high flooding tolerance due to a combination of morphological and physiological responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Qishe Pill (芪麝丸) on neck pain in real-world clinical practice. Methods: A multi-center, prospective, observational surveillance in 8 hospitals across Shanghai was conducted. During patients receiving 4-week Qishe Pill medication, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) assessments have been used to assess their pain and function, while safety monitoring have been observed after 2 and 4 weeks. Results: Results from 2,023 patients (mean age 54.5 years) suggest that the drug exposure per unit of body mass was estimated at 3.41 ± 0.62 g/kg. About 8.5% (172/2,023) of all participants experienced adverse events (AEs), while 3.8% (78/2,023) of all participants experienced adverse reaction. The most common AEs were gastrointestinal events and respiratory events. The VAS score (pain) and NDI score (function) significantly decreased after 4-week treatment. An effect-quantitative analysis was also conducted to show that the normal clinical dosage may be consider as 3–4 g/kg, at which dosage the satisfactory pain-relief effect may achieve by 40-mm reduction in VAS. Conclusion: These findings showed that patients with cervical radiculopathy who received Qishe Pill experienced significant improvement on pain and function. (Registration No. NCT01875562) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other metabolic diseases. We intended to compare three different anthropometric indicators of obesity, in predicting the incidence of cardiovascular events in Chinese type 2 diabetes. Beijing Community Diabetes Study was a prospective multi-center study conducted in Beijing community health centers. Type 2 diabetes patients from fourteen community health centers were enrolled at baseline. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular events. The upper quartile of neck circumference (NC) was set as greater NC. A total of 3299 diabetes patients were enrolled. In which, 941 (28.52%) had cardiovascular disease at baseline. Logistic analysis showed that central obesity (waist circumference (WC) above 90 cm in men and 85 cm in women) and greater NC were all related to baseline cardiovascular disease (adjusted OR = 1.49, and 1.55). After 10-year follow-up, 340 (10.31%) had cardiovascular events. Compared with patients without cardiovascular events, those having cardiovascular events had higher BMI, larger WC and NC. Cox regression analysis showed that greater WC and NC were all associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular events (adjusted HR = 1.41, and 1.38). A higher NC and WC might increase the risk of cardiovascular events by about 40% in type 2 diabetes patients in Beijing communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispersal ability is important for the introduction, establishment, and spread of alien plant species. Therefore, determination of the geographical distribution of the dispersal ability of such species, and the relationship between dispersal ability and socio-climatic factors are essential to elucidate the invasion strategies of the alien plant species. Analytic hierarchy process and inventory, risk rank, and dispersal mode data available on Chinese alien plant species were used to determine their dispersal ability, the geographical distribution thereof, and the relationship between socio-climatic factors and dispersal ability. High-risk alien plant species had a higher natural dispersal ability (or several natural dispersal modes) but a lower anthropogenic dispersal ability (or few anthropogenic dispersal modes) than low-risk alien plant species. The geographical distribution of the dispersal ability of the alien plant species showed an inverse relationship with species density. Alien plant species with low dispersal ability (i.e., with fewer dispersal modes and distribution in the southeast) showed a tendency to adapt to environments with mild climates, while those with high dispersal ability (i.e., with more disposal nodes and distribution in the northwest) showed a tendency to adapt to harsh environments. It is essential for land managers and policy makers to understand the geographical distribution of the dispersal ability of alien plant species and their socio-climatic control factors to formulate strategies to control the natural and anthropogenic dispersal of such plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infiltration of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells into lymphoid organs correlates with disease severity. CXCL12 is a key chemotactic factor for the trafficking of CLL. Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a serine protease inhibitor and plays a role in CXCL12-mediated hematopoietic stem cell homing. We aim to explore the role of TFPI in CXCL12-mediated migration of CLL cells. In this study, plasma TFPI concentrations were measured by ELISA. CLL cells were isolated from patients and used for trans-endothelial migration (TEM) assays. Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of CXCR7, CXCR4 and β-catenin. Immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation was used to detect the binding of TFPI and glypican-3 (GPC3). We found that plasma TFPI levels in CLL patients were higher than in healthy controls, particularly in the patients with advanced disease. TFPI enhanced CXCL12-mediated TEM of CLL cells by increasing the expression of the CXCL12 receptor CXCR7, but not of the CXCL12 receptor CXCR4. The effect of TFPI on TEM was abolished by the CXCR7 inhibitor, CCX771, while the CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 strongly increased TEM. TFPI co-localized with GPC3 on the cell surface. An antibody to GPC3, HS20, decreased CXCR7 expression and abolished the effect of TFPI on TEM. TFPI activated β-catenin and the Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor IWP4 repressed the effect of TFPI on CXCR7 expression and TEM. We conclude that TFPI may contribute to organ infiltration in CLL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the potential benefits of acarbose therapy on cardiovascular events (CVD) in Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in an urban community over 10-year follow-up. The study population of Beijing Community Diabetes Study (BCDS) were type 2 diabetes (T2DM) living in 21 communities in Beijing. All patients received comprehensive intervention in accordance with the Chinese guidelines for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Professors in endocrinology from top tier hospitals regularly visited the communities for consultations, which was a feature of this study. A total of 1797 T2DM in BCDS study had complete screening data, including blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid profiles and acarbose continuous therapy. After 10-year follow-up, the risks of CVD outcomes were assessed according to whether patients had received acarbose therapy or not. All patients were followed-up to assess the long-term effects of the multifactorial interventions. At baseline, compared with the acarbose therapy free in T2DM, there was no significant difference in achieving the joint target control in patients with acarbose therapy. From the beginning of 8th year follow-up, the joint target control rate in patients with acarbose therapy was significantly higher than that of acarbose therapy free. During the 10-year follow-up, a total of 446 endpoint events occurred, including all-cause death, cardiovascular events, cerebrovascular events. The incidences of myocardial infarction (from the 4th year of follow-up) and all-cause death (from the 2nd year of follow-up) in patients who received acarbose therapy were significantly lower than that of acarbose therapy free respectively. In Cox multivariate analyses, there were significant differences in incidences of myocardial infarction and all-cause death between afore two groups during the 10-year follow-up, and the adjusted HRs were 0.50 and 0.52, respectively. After multifactorial interventions, T2DM with acarbose therapy revealed significant reductions of myocardial infarction and all-cause death. The long-term effects of with acarbose therapy on improving joint target control might be one of the main reasons of myocardial infarction and all-cause death reduction. Trial Registration: ChiCTR-TRC-13003978, ChiCTR-OOC-15006090. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate and convenient method is essential for measuring the terminal velocity of seeds dispersed by wind. Systematic and random errors produced by existing methods lower the accuracy and convenience in determining seed terminal velocity. In this study, a video camera was used to record the falling process of forty-one species of wind-borne seed with eight appendage structures and seven aerodynamic behaviors in a settling tower at a speed of 50 frames per second (fps). The videos were analyzed by Quick Time Player to determine seed acceleration height, acceleration time, and terminal velocity. The results showed that acceleration height and time, terminal velocity, and the difference between terminal velocity and descent velocity (DTD) increased with wing loading. Compared with dropping methods, the camera recording method eliminated the effect of acceleration and corrected seed terminal velocity. Based on wing loading, release heights were determined for accurate measurement of terminal velocity of different seeds. This method, due to its inexpensive equipment, high accuracy, easy observation and operation, can be applied to measure the terminal velocity of wind dispersed seeds, and provides a promising method in exploring the dispersal process of seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a key neuropeptide of the reproductive system. However, little is known about the role of GnRH in the spotted scat (Scatophagus argus). Here, three GnRH subtypes (cGnRH-II, sGnRH, and sbGnRH) were identified in the spotted scat. cGnRH-II and sGnRH were only expressed in the brains and gonads of both male and female fish, exhibiting a tissue-specific expression pattern, while sbGnRH was expressed at different transcription levels in all examined tissues. During ovarian maturation, hypothalamus-associated sbGnRH was upregulated, while the expression of sGnRH was variable and cGnRH-II first increased and then decreased. In vivo experiments showed that sbGnRH significantly promoted the expression of fsh and lh genes in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited a desensitization effect on lh expression at high concentrations. For sGnRH and cGnRH-II, only high concentrations could induce fsh and lh expression. Furthermore, treatment with highly concentrated sbGnRH peptide also induced fsh and lh expression, whereas the sGnRH and cGnRH-II peptides only induced fsh expression in vitro. 17β-Estradiol (E2) significantly inhibited the expression of sbGnRH mRNA in a dose-dependent manner and did not impact sGnRH and cGnRH-II mRNA levels in vivo or in vitro. The inhibitory effect of E2 on sbGnRH expression was attenuated by the estrogen receptor (ER) broad-spectrum antagonist (fulvestrant) and the ERα-specific antagonist (methyl-piperidinopyrazole), respectively, implying that the feedback regulation on sbGnRH is mediated via ERα. This study provides a theoretical basis for the reproductive endocrinology of the spotted scat by studying GnRH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sleep disturbances are common in cancer patients, but little is known about preoperative insomnia and its associated factors in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between preoperative insomnia and its associated factors (i.e., pain, anxiety, self-esteem, and coping styles) in CRC patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive CRC inpatients (N = 434), who were required to complete the questionnaires about insomnia, pain, anxiety, self-esteem, and coping styles (acceptance/resignation, confrontation, avoidance) before the day of surgery. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between preoperative anxiety and its associated factors.Results: Based on the cutoff value of Athens Insomnia Scale (scores ≥ 6) in Chinese cancer patients, the prevalence of insomnia was 38.2% before surgery. Pain (β = 0.087, p = 0.015) and anxiety (β = 0.372, p < 0.001) were positively associated with preoperative insomnia, while self-esteem (β = - 0.479, p < 0.001) and confrontation coping (β = - 0.124, p = 0.003) showed protective effects on preoperative insomnia when putting them together into hierarchical regression. The associated factors together accounted for an additional variance of preoperative insomnia (47.6%).Conclusions: In line with previous findings, the detrimental effects of pain and anxiety on preoperative insomnia were also observed in our study. More importantly, our main new findings were that self-esteem and confrontation coping played important roles in alleviating preoperative insomnia among CRC patients. Clinicians should take these results into account when developing cancer care management to relieve preoperative insomnia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing of high temperature oil wells and steam ones, the traditional sands control filter cannot be used in those wells. Therefore, based on the conditions, using particle compact method, round quartz sands with a certain particle size and an inorganic polymer (geopolymer) material with good heat resistance is selected to prepare a heat-resistant filter with suitable pore diameter. By adjusting the contents of water-glass, water, sand and thickening agent of the geopolymer-based sand control filters, open space structure is built by low-cost geopolymer slurry and sand. When the size of quartz sand is mainly of 450–600 µm, and the volume ratio of quartz sand to slurry is 4.3:1, the compressive strength and permeability of this sand control filter reach 10.33 MPa and 18 D, respectively. Thermal gravimetry and calcination experiments show heat-resistance up to 736 °C. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the sand particles are wrapped by the geopolymer slurry and that pore sizes of 170–210 µm are present between the particles. Mercury intrusion porosimetry measurement finds the pore size distribution to be close to 150–280 µm. Measurement of sand retaining precision indicates that the filter can intercept particles larger than 45 µm and allow clay particles to pass through. Deformation measurements confirm no significant deformation occurred for up to 210 days and durability of the filter. In measurement of chemical resistance, the compressive strength decreases in the acid solution, and no significant changes in the compressive strength are observed in air, water, diesel oil and salt solutions. Therefore, compared to the approach of improving the heat-resistance of a resin sand control filter, the use of the geopolymer-based sand control filter should be a better choice in many cases due to its heat resistance, ease of preparation and minor deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the trabecular bone structure, a porous micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating and a MAO/Al composite coating were fabricated on AZ31D Mg alloy. Surface morphology, cross-section morphology, coating composition, and coating thickness were observed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and x-ray diffraction. Then, force-dampening and energy-absorbing effects of the coatings were explored by a constant kinetic energy impact experiment, to explore their dampening stress and reducing vibration values applying in engineering structure subjected to impact or vibration stress. Results show that large plastic deformation and cracks formed in the AZ31D Mg alloy after impact, and the MAO coating hindered the formation of the defects due to its higher stiffness. In addition, MAO enhanced the energy-absorbing ability of the Mg alloy, which is beneficial for vibration reduction. However, the MAO coating had a rough and brittle surface, and when Al was used to protect it, its force-dampening effect, energy-absorbing effect, and plastic deformation resistance had the evolution trend approaching the Mg alloy substrate but with improved crack resistance. MAO can be an optimization method for enhancing the plastic deformation resistance and vibration reduction effect of Mg alloy as structure material, and Al can be used to enhance its crack resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scatophagus argus is a new emerging aquaculture fish in East and Southeast Asia. To date, research on reproductive development and regulation in S. argus is lacking. Additionally, genetic and genomic information about reproduction, such as gonadal transcriptome data, is also lacking. Herein, we report the first gonadal transcriptomes of S. argus and identify genes potentially involved in reproduction and gonadal development. A total of 136,561 unigenes were obtained by sequencing of testes (n = 3) and ovaries (n = 3) at stage III. Genes upregulated in males and females known to be involved in gonadal development and gametogenesis were identified, including male-biased dmrt1, amh, gsdf, wt1a, sox9b, and nanos2, and female-biased foxl2, gdf9, bmp15, sox3, zar1, and figla. Serum estradiol-17β and 11-ketotestosterone levels were biased in female and male fish, respectively. Sexual dimorphism of serum steroid hormone levels were interpreted after expression analysis of 20 steroidogenesis-related genes, including cyp19a1a and cyp11b2. This gonadal transcript dataset will help investigate functional genes related to reproduction in S. argus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize and critically assess the inhibitory effects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on tumor volume and tumor weight for the treatment of osteosarcoma (OS) in mouse models. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and Chinese BioMedical (CBM) were searched since their inception dates to March 10, 2016. Two reviewers independently selected the controlled studies estimating effects of CHM on mouse OS by administration in vivo. A pair-wise meta-analysis was performed. Twenty-five studies with adequate randomization were included in the systematic review. Results: CHM may significantly inhibit OS growth in mice, as assessed using the tumor weight [20 studies, n=443; 290 for CHM and 153 for the control: pooled mean difference (MD)=-2.90; 95% confidence interval (Cl): −3.50 to −2.31: P<0.01], tumor volume (16 studies, n=382; 257 for CHM and 125 for the control; pooled MD =−2.57; 95% Cl: −3.33 to −1.80; P<0.01) and tumor growth inhibition rate. Conclusion: CHM could significantly inhibit the growth of OS in mouse models, which might be supportive for the design of preclinical and clinical trials in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the protection against corrosion and wear afforded to AZ91D Mg alloy by coatings of hydrogen-free and low-Cr-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. The microstructure and corrosion resistance were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, polarization curves, and neutral salt spraying tests. Wear tests were performed to investigate the friction and wear behaviors of the samples against 9Cr18 in humid air, deionized water, and 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution using a reciprocating sliding test in the ball-on-disk mode. The results showed that the more compact Cr-H-DLC film improved the corrosion resistance of the Mg alloy, whereas the Cr-DLC film accelerated the corrosion in the 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. All Mg alloy samples coated with DLC films exhibited low coefficient of friction (COF) values and smaller wear volumes compared with those of bare substrate in air, water, or NaCl solution. The Cr-DLC film presented the lowest COF and wear rate in air, but the worst corrosion protection in air and NaCl solution, whereas the converse was found for the Cr-H-DLC film. Unfortunately, all coated samples showed limited protection ability because of pore defects in the films, high galvanic potential between the substrate and the buffer layer or film, and high electrical conductivity, which caused severe tribocorrosion of the Mg alloy during the wear tests in NaCl solution. The corrosion protection ability of DLC films is key to the wear resistance protection of Mg alloys in water or NaCl solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide application of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) has raised great concerns on their side-effects on human health. PFAAs have been shown to accumulate mainly in the liver and cause hepatotoxicity. However, PFAAs can also deposit in lung tissues through air-borne particles and cause serious pulmonary toxicity. But the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Autophagy is a type of programmed cell death parallel to necrosis and apoptosis, and may be involved in the lung toxicity of PFAAs. In this study, lung cancer cells, A549, were employed as the model to investigate the effects of three PFAAs with different carbon chain lengths on cell autophagy. Through Western blot analysis on LC3-I/II ratio of cells exposed to non-cytotoxic concentration (200 µM) and cytotoxic concentration (350 µM), we found concentration-dependent increase of autophagosomes in cells, which was further confirmed by TEM examination on ultra-thin section of cells and fluorescence imaging on autophagosomes in live cells. The abundance of p62 increased with the PFAAs concentration indicating the blockage of autophagy flux. Furthermore, we identified the mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) and endoplasmic reticulum autophagy (ER-phagy) morphologically as the major types of autophagy, suggesting the disruption on mitochondria and ERs. These organelle damages were confirmed by the overgeneration of ROS, hyperpolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, as well as the up-regulation of ER-stress-related proteins, ATF4 and p-IRE1. Further analysis on the signaling pathways showed that PFAAs activated the MAPK pathways and inhibited the PI3K/Akt pathway, with potencies following the order of PFDA > PFNA > PFOA. Anti-oxidant (NAC) treatment did not rescue cells from death, indicating that oxidative stress is not the reason of cytotoxicity. Inhibition of autophagy by Atg5 siRNA and chloroquine even increased the toxicity of PFAAs, suggesting that PFAAs-autophagy was induced as the secondary effects of organelle damages and played a protective role during cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To summarize and critically assess the effificacy of Eastern and Western manipulative therapies for the treatment of neck pain in adults. Methods: A search of PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, etc. from their inception date to January 2014 with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean databases. Two reviewers independently selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with negative control or blank control, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. Meta-analysis and levels of evidence were performed by Revman5.1 and Grades of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results: Nineteen clinical trials with adequate randomization were included in this review, 11 of them had a low risk of bias. The primary outcome for short-term pain had no significant differences, however, the secondary outcome, only the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score of intermediate-term [ n=916, pooled mean differences (MD) =-0.29, P=0.02], the Neck Disability Index (NDI) score of short-term ( n=1,145, pooled MD=-2.10, P<0.01), and intermediate-term ( n=987, pooled MD=-1.45, P=0.01) were signifificantly reduced with moderate quality evidence. However, it supported the minimally clinically important difference (MCID) of the Visual Analogue Scale and NPRS pain score to be 13 mm, while NDI was 3.5 points. The meta-analysis only suggested a trend in favor of manipulative therapy rather than clinical signifificance. Conclusions: The results do not support the existing evidences for the clinical value of Eastern or Western manipulative therapy for neck pain of short-term follow-up according to MCIDs. The limitations of our review related to blinding, allocation concealment and small sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) for the Chinese language, and to evaluate its psychometric properties. The SPADI was translated and cross-culturally adapted for the Chinese language according to established guidelines. Participants completed the SPADI questionnaire, a visual analogue scale (VAS), and the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36), and were assessed using the Constant-Murley shoulder outcome score. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the latent dimensions, and Cronbach's α to measure internal consistency. The construct validity was tested by Pearson correlations with the Constant-Murley score, VAS, and SF-36, while intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to assess the test-retest reliability of the Chinese SPADI. The floor and ceiling effects were calculated by the proportion of participants who obtained the highest (100) and lowest (0) possible score on the baseline questionnaires. We tested its psychometric properties with 120 participants (55 men and 65 women, age: 55.64 ± 9.49 years, duration: 62.75 ± 15.96 weeks) with shoulder pain. And 58 participants completed the SPADI again within 7 days of the first completion to test the test-retest reliability. The Chinese version of the SPADI displayed high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.91). Test-retest reliability was high with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.87. A very good correlation was observed between the SPADI and the Constant-Murley score ( r = 0.69), a good correlation between the SPADI and the VAS ( r = 0.40), and a fair correlation between the SPADI and the SF-36 ( r = 0.36). There were no significant floor and ceiling effects in the total Chinese SPADI. The Chinese version of the SPADI is a valid and reliable tool that could be used to measure the degree of pain and disability in Chinese-speaking patients with shoulder pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale-8 (ASES-8) is a valid tool to measure patients' arthritis-specific self-efficacy. However, evidence about reliability and validity of the ASES-8 in Chinese arthritis patients is lacking. This study aimed to culturally adapt and test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the ASES-8. Chinese ASES-8 was translated from original English version using translation and back-translation procedures. Validation survey was then conducted in a university-affiliated hospital by a set of questionnaires comprised Chinese ASES-8, pain-VAS, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue (FACIT-F), and Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) physical functioning subscale. A convenience sample of 134 patients with rheumatoid arthritis was recruited from the department of rheumatology. Validity was assessed by Pearson's correlation analysis and exploratory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis extracted one dimension that explained of the 71.35% variation. Significant negative correlations were found between the ASES-8 and pain-VAS, HADS-D, HADS-A scores ( r −0.487 to −0.656, p < 0.01), while positive correlations were found between the ASES-8 and SF-36 PH ( r = 0.561, p < 0.01), FACIT-F ( r = 0.660, p < 0.01). Excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.98) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.942) were demonstrated. The Chinese version of the ASES-8 had statistically acceptable levels of reliability and validity for assessing self-efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This disease-specific scale is particularly valuable for use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis from the Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sika deer is of great commercial value because their antlers are used in tonics and alternative medicine and their meat is healthy and delicious. The goal of this study was to generate transcript sequences from sika deer for functional genomic analyses and to identify the transcripts that demonstrate tissue-specific, age-dependent differential expression patterns. These sequences could enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sika deer growth and development. In the present study, we performed de novo transcriptome assembly and profiling analysis across ten tissue types and four developmental stages (juvenile, adolescent, adult, and aged) of sika deer, using Illumina paired-end tag (PET) sequencing technology. A total of 1,752,253 contigs with an average length of 799 bp were generated, from which 1,348,618 unigenes with an average length of 590 bp were defined. Approximately 33.2 % of these (447,931 unigenes) were then annotated in public protein databases. Many sika deer tissue-specific, age-dependent unigenes were identified. The testes have the largest number of tissue-enriched unigenes, and some of them were prone to develop new functions for other tissues. Additionally, our transcriptome revealed that the juvenile-adolescent transition was the most complex and important stage of the sika deer life cycle. The present work represents the first multiple tissue transcriptome analysis of sika deer across four developmental stages. The generated data not only provide a functional genomics resource for future biological research on sika deer but also guide the selection and manipulation of genes controlling growth and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The organic nitrogen source is one of the key factors affecting Mortierella alpina cell growth as well as arachidonic acid (ARA) production. The aim of the present work is to achieve an optimized recipe of organic nitrogen source for ARA production by M. alpina by testing four organic nitrogen sources. Results: In the flasks, the results showed yeast extract or corn steep liquor were the most suitable sole nitrogen sources for biomass and ARA yield. In the bioreactor, a biomass of 17.5 g L and an ARA yield of 2.7 g L were achieved when using sole yeast extract, while cell autolysis was induced when using sole corn steep liquor; When using the combined nitrogen source with corn steep liquor and yeast extract at a 3:7 weight ratio, the biomass and ARA yield were significantly improved to 37 and 7.8 g L, respectively. Conclusions: This work evaluated whether using a mix of organic nitrogen sources could improve ARA production when scaling up from a flask to a bioreactor culture. The 3:7 ratio of corn steep liquor to yeast extract was quite favourable for large-scale ARA production, and as a result, this combination has great potential for improving fungal cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superplasticity of Al-6Mg-0.4Mn-0.25Sc-0.12Zr and Al-6Mg-0.4Mn-0.25Er-0.12Zr (mass fraction, %) alloys sheet was investigated, and the effect of Sc and Er was discussed. The results show that the superplastic ductilities of Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy was higher than that of Al-Mg-Mn-Er-Zr alloy at a wide temperature range of 400-540 °C and high strain rate range of 1.67×10-1.67×10 s. A maximum elongation 673% is obtained at 520 °C and 1.67×10 s in the Sc-containing alloy; while the Er-containing alloy only gets a maximum elongation 253% at 520 °C and 1.67×10 s. Moreover, the average stress exponent of Sc-containing alloy is about 2.84, which is smaller than that of Er-containing alloy (3.64). Besides, the activation energies of the Sc-containing and Er-containing alloy are 84.8 kJ/mol and 87.2 kJ/mol, respectively. It is indicated that grain boundary sliding is the dominant mechanism during tensile deformation. According to microstructure examination, the better superplasticity of Sc-containing alloy may be attributed to the presence of Al(Sc, Zr) dispersoids, which can inhibit recrystallization and grain growth effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface water samples were taken from the Huanghe River estuary in May and September 2009. Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, As and Hg in dissolved and particulate phase, and physicochemical indexes of the water were determined to study the transport of metals. The results show that dissolved metals in river water increased significantly in 2009 compared to late 1980, and metal content in suspended particulate matter in the river is still low compared to the world river average. At the estuary, the levels of particulate heavy metals decrease seaward with increasing salinity and have significant positive correlation with suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels. The concentrations of dissolved Pb, Cu, Zn and As decrease as salinity levels increase, but the levels of dissolved Cd and Hg increase seaward with increasing salinity. The correlation analysis shows that SPM, salinity and DO are the important factors that controlled the spatial distribution of heavy metals. There is inverse linear relationship between metals’ log (KD) for Pb, Cu, and Zn values and SPM. This relationship may be caused by Particle Concentration Effect (increased colloid concentration in the filtered fraction in proportion to the quantity of suspended particles). SPM, salinity, pH and DO have significant (p < 0.01) correlation with KD (partitioning coefficient) of Pb and Cu. SPM has also significant (p < 0.05) correlation with KD of Zn and Hg, and salinity has significant (p < 0.05) correlation with KD of Zn and As. However, the KD of Cd has no relation to the physicochemical indexes which means the behavior of Cd in estuary is different. SPM and salinity are main parameters affecting the variance of KD in the estuary. Pollution and decrease of SPM in the upper reaches of the Huanghe have affected the transport behavior of trace elements at the estuary compared 1980. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subterranean herbivores affect the plant community by plant consumption and burrowing activities. However, diet selection of subterranean herbivores has not been studied in detail in complex natural fields, mainly for lack of an accurate method to determine diet species, frequency, and biomass. Plateau zokors' ( Eospalax baileyi) caching habit for the long inclement winter makes it possible to solve this problem. We studied the diet composition and biomass in caches and vicinity of plateau zokors' burrow systems. We found that plateau zokors are dietary generalist but show a significant selection among the available food items, plant parts, functional groups, organ types, and habitats. These results suggested that plateau zokors strictly selected their diet and were able to adjust their foraging strategy according to the different conditions of food abundance and quality. Plateau zokors' selective foraging can directly reduce the proportion of toxicity forbs; plateau zokors can be recognized as an important element to influence the alpine meadow plant community and cattle husbandry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the methanogen structure from sika deer ( Cervus nippon) in China may be beneficial to methane mitigation. In the present preliminary study, we investigated the methanogen community in the rumen of domesticated sika deer fed either tannin-rich plants (oak leaf, OL group) or corn stalk (CS group) using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Overall, we obtained 197 clone sequences, revealing 146 unique phylotypes, which were assigned to 36 operational taxonomic units at the species level (98 % identity). Methanogens related to the genus Methanobrevibacter were the predominant phylotypes representing 83.9 % (OL library) and 85.9 % (CS library) of the clones. Methanobrevibacter millerae was the most abundant species in both libraries, but the proportion of M. millerae-related clones in the CS library was higher than in the OL library (69.5 and 51.4 %, respectively). Moreover, Methanobrevibacter wolinii-related clones (32.5 %) were predominant in the OL library. Methanobrevibacter smithii-related clones and Methanobrevibacter ruminantium-related clones accounted for 6.5 and 6.6 % in the CS library, respectively. However, these clones were absent from the OL library. The concentrations of butyrate and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were significantly higher in the OL group, but the concentrations of acetate, propionate, and valerate and the acetate to propionate ratio in the OL group were not significantly different between the two groups. Tannin-rich plants may have affected the distribution of genus Methanobrevibacter phylotypes at the species level and the concentration and composition of SCFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meridian essence has been investigated through anatomy, electrophysiology, biophysics, and biochemistry. Various hypotheses of meridian essence exist, but no hypothesis can truly reflect the internal character of Chinese medicine (CM). The research of meridian essence requires a holistic viewpoint and innovative awareness. Initially, any hypothesis regarding meridian essence should begin with observation of the human body. Secondly, the research should arise from the meridians' physical functions and pathological changes, so as to maintain the fundamental nature of the meridians themselves. Thirdly, the research should be based upon the theory of CM, yet coupled with the integration of modern techniques to deepen our understanding of the scientific contents of meridians. Fourthly, theoretical research should be combined closely with clinical practice, in order to test the achievements in actual conditions. Lastly, more attention should be given to negative results in studies to more accurately discover the real essence of meridians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel attack for the improved multiparty quantum secret sharing protocol. In this attack, all of Alice's secret messages may be obtained by Bob without the helps of the other agents. Compared with the presented joint attack, this attack has the merit of bigger attack scope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a method of detecting movable paths during visual navigation for a robot operating in an unknown structured environment. The proposed approach detects and segments the floor by computing plane normals from motion fields in image sequences. A floor is a useful object for mobile robots in structured environments, because it presents traversable paths if existing static or dynamic objects are removed effectively. In spite of this advantage, it cannot be easily detected from 2D image. In this paper, some geometric features observed in the scene and assumptions about images are exploited so that a plane normal can be employed as an effective clue to separate the floor from the scene. In order to use the plane normal, two methods are proposed and integrated with a designed iterative refinement process. Then, the floor can be accurately detected even when mismatched point correspondences are obtained. The results of preliminary experiments on real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of nutritional route on tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in burned rats was examined. Scald burns covering about 30% of the whole body surface area were inflicted on 43 male Wistar rats weighing about 200 g. The animals were divided into three groups: CHOW ( n = 10), total parenteral nutrition (TPN) ( n = 22), and total enteral nutrition (TEN) ( n = 11), continuously given a chow diet, TPN solution, or an enteral diet, respectively, for 7 days after the burn injury. The rate of detection of TNF-α in plasma on day 7 was significantly higher in the TPN group than in the CHOW or TEN groups. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of TNF-α was significantly increased in the spleen, lungs, liver, and ileum of the rats receiving TPN compared with the CHOW and TEN rats. On the other hand, the expression of TNF-α mRNA was markedly decreased in the thymus of the TPN group compared with the CHOW group. The mortality rate in the TPN group (63.6%) was higher than that in the CHOW (0.0%) or TEN (27.3%) groups on day 7 after burn injury. These data suggest that TPN increases the expression of TNF-α mRNA in organ tissues and systemic TNF-α production, and reduces the survival rate of rats after thermal injury, but TEN does not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal decomposition of the mixed-ligand complex of iron(III) with 2-[( o-hydroxy benzylidene)amino] phenol and pyridine-[Fe2O(OC6H4CH=NC6H4O)2(C5H5N)4]·2H2O and its non-isothermal kinetics were studied by TG and DTG techniques. The non-isothermal kinetic data were analyzed and the kinetic parameters for the first and second steps of the thermal decomposition were evaluated by two different methods, the Achar and Coats-Redfern methods. Steps 1 and 2 are both second-order chemical reactions. Their kinetic equations can be expressed as: dα/ dt= Ae−E/RT(1- α)2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials have recently been identified as a promising light absorber for solar cells. In the efficient solar cells, the perovskite active layer has generally been fabricated by either vapor deposition or two-step sequential deposition process. Herein, electrochemically deposited PbO film is in situ converted into CH3NH3PbI3 through solid-state reaction with adjacent CH3NH3I layer, exhibiting a large-scale flat and uniform thin film with fully substrate coverage. The resultant planar heterojunction photovoltaic device yields a best power conversion efficiency of 14.59% and an average power conversion efficiency of 13.12 ± 1.08% under standard AM 1.5 conditions. This technique affords a facile and environment-friendly method for the fabrication of the perovskite based solar cells with high reproducibility, paving the way for the practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]