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The recent outbreak of mpox epidemic, caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), poses a new threat to global public health. Here, we initially assessed the preexisting antibody level to the MPXV B6 protein in vaccinia vaccinees born before the end of the immunization program and then identified two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), hMB621 and hMB668, targeting distinct epitopes on B6, from one vaccinee. Binding assays demonstrate that both MAbs exhibit broad binding abilities to B6 and its orthologs in vaccinia (VACV), variola (VARV) and cowpox viruses (CPXV). Neutralizing assays reveal that the two MAbs showed potent neutralization against VACV. Animal experiments using a BALB/c female mouse model indicate that the two MAbs showed effective protection against VACV via intraperitoneal injection. Additionally, we determined the complex structure of B6 and hMB668, revealing the structural feature of B6 and the epitope of hMB668. Collectively, our study provides two promising antibody candidates for the treatment of orthopoxvirus infections, including mpox. There are limited therapeutics available for treatment of mpox. In this study, the authors identify two non-competing human neutralizing monoclonal antibodies with protective effects against orthopoxvirus infection in a mouse model and structurally resolve the targeted epitope within the MPXV B6 protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple infections are a key component of HPV pathogenesis and have a direct impact on how an infection turns out. It's crucial to look at the associations between HPV multiple infections and both age and HPV genotypes in the Chinese population, searching for the causative factors of multiple infections with a view to providing new ideas for the treatment and prevention of multiple infections. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data of HPV infections among outpatients from the 2019 year to the 2021 year of Shandong Maternal and Child Health Hospital. Analyzed the correlation between HPV multiple infections and age using logistic regression. Differences in the percentage of multiple infections between age groups were compared using the chi-square test. The chi-square test compared the differences in the distribution of 15 common HPV genotypes in mono- versus multiple infections. A two-dimensional matrix presented the frequency of HPV genotype combinations. Logistics regression analysis showed that age was significantly associated with the occurrence of multiple infections, with a dominance ratio OR 1.026 (95% CI 1.02–1.04). Interestingly, the proportion of HPV multiple infections among HPV-positive individuals increases with age in people older than 30 years of age. The chi-square test showed there was a difference in the distribution of HPV genotypes between multiple infections and mono- HPV infection (χ2 = 76.4; p = 0.000), a difference in the composition of HPV genotypes for dual versus single infections (χ2 = 90.6; p = 0.000) and a difference in HPV genotypes for triple versus single infections (χ2 = 56.7; p = 0.000). A 2 × 2 matrix showed that the combination of HPV52/HPV58 (30; 6.4%) was the combination of the highest frequency of infection for dual infections; The HPV52/HPV58 (21; 4.8%) combination was the highest frequency of HPV triple infection combination. HPV multiple infections were positively correlated with age; increasing age was positively correlated with the proportion of HPV multiple infections in the total infected population; the distribution of the 15 common genotypes of HPV differed between multiple infections and single infections; and HPV52:58 was a common type of infection combination in the Shandong population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Robotic-assisted pancreatectomy has been widely used. Organ-preserving pancreatectomy (OPP) and parenchymal-sparing pancreatectomy (PSP) has been gradually adopted for pancreatic benign or low-grade malignant tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of robotic-assisted OPP/PSP in our institute. Methods: Patients undergoing robotic-assisted OPS/PSP at First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between July 2015 and October 2021 were included in this study. The short-term and long-term outcomes of patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Seventy-two patients were enrolled, including spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy, central pancreatectomy, duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection, and enucleation. Patients included were more likely to be young female (female: 46/72, median age: 47 years old). The median intraoperative blood loss and operation time was 50 ml and 255 min, respectively. Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula was 20.8% (grade B: 15/72, 20.8%; no grade C). The overall complication rate was 22.2% with the median postoperative length-of-stay of 8 days. At a median follow-up time of 28.5 months, the 5-year overall survival and recurrence-free survival rate were 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively. Conclusion: The short-term and long-term outcomes of patients receiving robotic-assisted OPP/PSP were acceptable. Robotic-assisted OPP/PSP was a feasible and safe technique for pancreatic benign or low-grade malignant lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial amount of evidence suggests a close relationship between osteoporosis (OP) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), but the mechanisms involved remain unknown. Therefore, we conducted this study with the aim of screening for hub genes common to both diseases and conducting a preliminary exploration of common regulatory mechanisms. In the present study, we first screened genes significantly associated with OP and T2DM by the univariate logistic regression algorithm. And then, based on cross-analysis and random forest algorithm, we obtained three hub genes (ACAA2, GATAD2A, and VPS35) and validated the critical roles and predictive performance of the three genes in both diseases by differential expression analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and genome wide association study (GWAS) analysis. Finally, based on gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and the construction of the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, we conducted a preliminary exploration of the co-regulatory mechanisms of three hub genes in two diseases. In conclusion, this study provides promising biomarkers for predicting and treating both diseases and offers novel directions for exploring the common regulatory mechanisms of both diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The application of index of biotic integrity (IBI) to evaluate river health can be an essential method for river ecosystem management. However, these types of methods were developed in small, low-order streams, and are therefore, infrequently applied to large rivers. To that end, phytoplankton communities and environmental variables were monitored in 30 sampling segments of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China during the wet (July–August) and dry (November–December) seasons in 2017–2018. We developed a phytoplankton-based index of biotic integrity (P-IBI) and used the index to assess the ecological health of the Yangtze River. Relationships among P-IBI, its component metrics, and environmental factors were analyzed across different seasons. Results: Results obtained from the P-IBI indicated that the phytoplankton-based ecological health of the Yangtze River was rated as "good" during both seasons, with an overall better condition in the dry season. During the wet season, there were scattered river segments with P-IBI ratings of "fair" or below. Water quality and land use appeared to shape the patterns of P-IBI. In the wet season, P-IBI negatively correlated with total phosphorus, nitrate, total suspended solids, turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. In the dry season, P-IBI positively correlated with total nitrogen, ammonium, and nitrite, and negatively correlated with water temperature. Conclusions: The ecological health of the Yangtze River as reflected by the P-IBI exhibited spatial and temporal variability, with the effect of water quality being greater than that of local land use. This study indicated the importance of considering seasonal effects in detecting large river ecological health. These findings enhanced our understanding of the ecological health and characterized potential benchmarks for management of the Yangtze River. These findings also may be applicable to other large rivers elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the dynamic mechanical properties of weathered granite under high strain rates using dynamic compression tests conducted with the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) method. The objective is to comprehensively understand the behavior of weathered granite, including its failure mechanisms and energy dissipation characteristics. The test results show that the dynamic compression strength of weathered granite increases from 87.95 MPa to 192.51 MPa, as the strain rate is increased from 43.69 s–1 to 137.08 s–1, the dynamic strength increase factor (DIF) has a linear relationship with the strain rate. The obtained dynamic stress-strain curves during impact loading exhibit distinct stages, namely elastic behavior, crack expansion, and plastic deformation up to failure. Cracks propagate directionally along the principal stress direction, resulting in tensile failure and progressive fracture from edges to interior. Furthermore, the absorption energy, transmission energy, and reflection energy of weathered granite samples exhibit distinct relationships with incident energy, following linear, logarithmic, and quadratic patterns, respectively. The extent of fracture significantly affects important parameters such as wave impedance, reflection coefficient, and transmission coefficient. Using energy theory and statistical damage theory, a dynamic statistical damage constitutive model for weathered granite was developed. The model was validated by comparing the theoretical results with the test curves. The obtained results contribute valuable insights into the dynamic mechanical properties and constitutive model of subsea rock, providing theoretical support for marine engineering construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Postmenopausal patients with osteoporosis who have a recent fracture are at very high risk of fracture, and this study finds that stratified treatment based on fracture risk would be a cost-effective treatment option for this population. Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of four anti-osteoporosis medications (denosumab, zoledronate, teriparatide, and alendronate) for postmenopausal osteoporotic women in mainland China, using a stratified treatment strategy recommended by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American College of Endocrinology (AACE/ACE). Methods: A microsimulation Markov model was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of the four treatments in postmenopausal osteoporotic patients of different ages (65, 70, 75, and 80 years), with a recent fracture from the Chinese healthcare perspective. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which represent the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) obtained. One-way deterministic sensitivity analysis (DSA) and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) were performed to assess the robustness of model findings. Results: Alendronate was dominated by denosumab-to-alendronate and zoledronate at all ages examined, indicating that the costs of the two drugs were lower, but QALYs was greater. However, teriparatide-to-alendronate yielded an ICER of $76,432.07/ QALY, compared with alendronate at age 65, which exceeded the pre-determined willingness-to-pay threshold of $37,653/ QALY. The results were similar at other ages. The DSA showed that the most sensitive parameters were drug efficacy for vertebral and wrist fractures, the relative risk of vertebral fractures, and the persistence of the drugs. The PSA showed that zoledronate had a 100% probability of being the most cost-effective treatment, with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $37,653/ QALY. Conclusion: Stratified treatment based on very high fracture risk is more cost-effective than conventional pills in mainland China. Among the stratified treatments, zoledronate is the optimal option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In earthquake engineering, loading strain rate has an important influence on the mechanical properties of rock. A systematical experimental study is conducted to investigate the strain rate effect of limestone, obtained from a post-earthquake Hongshiyan landslide area in southwest China. Basic mechanical parameters, deformation failure patterns, and energy characteristics are studied. The results show that an increase in the strain rate leads to an exponential increase in the peak stress and a logarithmic increase in the elastic modulus. Rock failure patterns, including axial splitting failure, combined shear-split failure, and shear failure, are dominantly controlled by the influence of confining pressure. Energy curves can be divided into four stages: initial compression, elastic, yield, and post-peak stage. The proportion of elastic energy and dissipated energy increase and decrease with the increase of strain rate, respectively. An obvious threshold divided the stress-strain curve of pre-peak period into the stable part and rapid growth part. A full-range strain rate model is proposed to fit the dynamic increasing factor, and the controlling parameters can be obtained directly, which overcomes the problem of discontinuity at the junction of middle strain rate and high strain rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil-rock mixture (SRM) slopes are widely distributed in mountainous regions, where slope stability is an important issue. This paper presents a novel method to evaluate the stability of the SRM slopes that is different from the traditional method. Through a generation system of irregular rock and digital image processing, the SRM slope model is established for stability analysis through pyBIMstab, an automated failure path identification program. The results show that failure path with a 45° inclination angle is the most smooth and dangerous, similar to the finite difference method (FDM) results. Two tortuous indexes including tortuous length ratio (TLR) and the average tortuous width (ATW) are introduced to evaluate potential failure path tortuosity. The biggest enclosed area is 4.94 m2 with an inclination angle of 90°, followed by 4.49 m2 with an inclination angle 135°, which means an inclination angle perpendicular to the slope surface can improve stability. The influence of groundwater can weaken the parameter strength of soil and cause a reduction in the safety factor, leading to instability on the SRM slope. The minimum safety factor with groundwater is 1.341, compared with 1.489 for natural condition. Although this study has limitations to some extent, it provides a reference for the stability evaluation of SRM slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusion has been increasingly recognised as a global common goal in education. In China, inclusive education for children with special educational needs and disabilities is currently practised as 'Learning in Regular Classrooms' (LRC). However, not only has the inclusion policy frequently been criticised as failing to provide clear, systematic, or consistent strategies, but also the actual practices of LRC have also been found to merely concern children's physical integration into the mainstream settings. This discussion paper explores key structural barriers to inclusive education through reviewing policies within the wider education ecosystem that are relevant to the theme of inclusion but outside the LRC policy itself. The analysis illustrates how the complex and interlocked structural barriers embedded within the wider context of current education policies pose persisting constraints for inclusion to progress in China, and how these structural barriers unique to the Chinese education system also reflect the common 'wicked problems' for practising inclusive education globally. The paper discusses five main education structures: neo-liberal education policies, national college entrance examination system, teacher evaluation system, staffing quota system and the 'combine medicine and education' policy. The conclusion illustrates the complexity and main issues facing future inclusion policy reforms and highlights key objectives for policy change. It indicates that, for inclusion reforms to be effective, broader changes are needed within the wider education ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solvothermal reactions via the self-assemble approach produced two new metal–organic compounds, i.e., [Zn(4-cptpy)(HCOO)(H2O)]n·(DMF)n (1) and [Cd3(btc)2(4-cptpyH)(DMF)(H2O)3]n (2) (DMF is N,Nʹ-dimethylformamide, H3btc is benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, and 4-Hcptpy is 4-[2,6-bis(pyridine-4-yl)pyridine-4-yl]benzoic acid). Furthermore, the compounds' luminescent performances have also been studied. Their application values against postoperative infectious endophthalmitis (PIE) were assessed and the related mechanism was explored at the same time. First of all, the activation levels of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κb) signaling pathway was measured with real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. In addition to this, the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detection kit was further conducted and the and the content of inflammatory cytokines released after the cataract surgery was determined. The cytotoxicity of the compounds was also detected with CCK-8 assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Untangling relationships between landscape patterns shaped by human stressors and related response of fish communities is important for identifying biodiversity patterns and conservation targets, yet in large rivers this knowledge is extremely limited. Objectives: Our study focuses on how human stressors within a riparian landscape zone, including both riparian land use and in-channel stressors, explained the fish community structure in a large river. Methods: We studied fish community patterns along the upstream-downstream gradient of the Yangtze River, China. The curve estimation was used to test correlations between fish metrics and the distance from the estuary. We linked human stressors to fish metrics by multivariate generalized linear models. Results: We collected a total of 63 freshwater fish species from 6,147 specimens. Limnophilic species had the highest richness, represented by 30 specie. The predominant riparian land uses in the studied reaches were cropland (65.3% ± 13.1%) and urban land (19.7% ± 13.6%). There were strong negative correlations between riparian land use (e.g., urban land) and in-channel stressors (e.g., shoreline modification, navigation, and fishing pressure) and fish assemblages, especially limnophilic fish abundance, biomass, and richness. Conclusions: These results demonstrate influences of both riparian land use and in-channel stressors on fish communities, and highlight the use of landscape descriptors as a valuable approach to assess linkages between human pressures and fish diversity in large river systems. Management recommendations include: establishing or rehabilitating riparian buffers, improving commercial navigation management, implementing shoreline protection measures, and reinforcing fishing laws and regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the underlying mechanism remains unknown, Rubus chingii var. suavissimus (S. K. Lee) L. T. Lu or Rubus suavissimus S. Lee (RS), a sweet plant distributed in southwest of China, has been used as beverage and folk medicine. Pharmacological studies indicated the potential of RS improving the obesity phenotype and hyperlipidemia. The mechanism is still not yet to be put forward. To verify the substantial effects of RS on lipid metabolism, a Syrian golden hamster model was adopted. The physiological and pathological evaluation of experimental animals demonstrated that RS can relieve the lipid metabolism disorder induced by high-fat diet and alleviated liver injury. RS upregulation the expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), PPARγ and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα), as well as adipocyte-specific genes, glucose transporter 4 (Glut4), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid binding protein 4 (aP2). On the other side, RS suppressed the sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and downstream acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1), stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) and fatty acid synthase (FAS). In conclusion, RS alleviated lipid metabolism disorder symptoms caused by high-fat diet accompanied with 8 weeks of treatment, involving enhanced β-oxidation, increased adipogenesis and decreased the metabolism of fatty acids, via modulation of the PPARs/SREBP pathway in Syrian golden hamsters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective inclusive education is key in promoting the long-term outcomes of children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). However, no concrete consensus exists to guide teacher-student interactions in the classroom. In this work, we explore the potential of artificial intelligence as an approach in autism education to assist teachers in effective practice in developing social and educational outcomes for children with ASC. We form a protocol to systematically capture such interactions, and conduct a statistical analysis to uncover basic patterns in the collected observations, including the longer-term effect of specific teacher communication strategies on student response. In addition, we deploy machine learning techniques to predict student response given the form of communication used by teachers under specific classroom conditions and in relation to specified student attributes. Our analysis, drawn on a sample of 5460 coded interactions between teachers and seven students, sheds light on the varying effectiveness of different communication strategies and demonstrates the potential of this approach in making a contribution to autism education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phospholipases play vital roles in immune and inflammatory responses in mammals and plants; however, knowledge of phospholipase functions in fungi is limited. In this study, we investigated the effects of deleting predicted phospholipase genes on cellulase and xylanase production, and morphological phenotype, in Penicillium oxalicum. Individual deletion of nine of the ten predicted phospholipase genes resulted in alteration of cellulase and xylanase production, and the morphological phenotypes, to various degrees. The mutant ∆POX07277 lost 22.5 to 82.8% of cellulase (i.e., filter paper cellulase, carboxymethylcellulase, and p-nitrophenyl-β-cellobiosidase) and xylanase production, whereas p-nitrophenyl-β-glucopyranosidase production increased by 5.8–127.8 fold. POX07277 (P. oxalicum gene No. 07277) was predicted to encode phospholipase A2 and was found to negatively affect the sporulation of P. oxalicum. Comparative transcriptomic and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that POX07277 dynamically affected the expression of cellulase and xylanase genes and the regulatory genes for fungal sporulation, under micro-crystalline cellulose induction. POX07277 was required for the expression of the known regulatory gene PoxCxrB (cellulolytic and xylanolytic regulator B in P. oxalicum), which is involved in cellulase and xylanase gene expression in P. oxalicum. Conversely, POX07277 expression was regulated by PoxCxrB. These findings will aid the understanding of phospholipase functions and provide novel insights into the mechanism of fungal cellulase and xylanase gene expression. Key points: • The roles of phospholipases were investigated in Penicillium oxalicum. • POX07277 (PLA2) is required for the expression of cellulase and xylanase genes. • PoxCxrB dynamically regulated POX07277 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Accurately predicting the WHO classification of thymomas is urgently needed to optimize individualized therapeutic strategies. We aimed to develop and validate a combined radiomics nomogram for personalized prediction of histologic subtypes in patients with thymomas. Methods: A total of 182 thymoma patients were divided into training (n = 128) and test (n = 54) cohorts. Radiomics features were extracted from T2-weighted, T2-weighted fat suppression, and diffusion-weighted images to establish a radiomics signature in the training cohort. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop a combined radiomics nomogram that incorporated clinical, conventional MR imaging variables, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value, and radiomics signature. The efficacy of clinical, conventional MR imaging, or ADC model was also evaluated respectively. The performances of different models were compared by receiver operating characteristic analysis and Delong test. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the combined radiomics nomogram were assessed. Results: The radiomics signature, consisting of 14 features, achieved favorable predictive efficacy in differentiating low-risk from high-risk thymomas, outperforming clinical, conventional MR imaging, and ADC models. The combined radiomics nomogram incorporating tumor shape, ADC value, and radiomics signature yielded the best performance (training cohort: area under the curve [AUC] = 0.946, test cohort: AUC = 0.878). The calibration curve and decision curve analysis indicated the clinical utility of the combined radiomics nomogram. Conclusions: The radiomics signature is a useful tool that can be used to predict histologic subtypes of thymomas. The combined radiomics nomogram improved the individualized subtype prediction in patients with thymomas. Key Points: • Fourteen robust features were selected to develop a radiomics signature for preoperative prediction of thymoma subtype. • MRI-based radiomics signature can differentiate low-risk thymomas from high-risk thymomas with favorable predictive efficacy compared with clinical, conventional MR imaging, and ADC models. • Combined radiomics nomogram based on tumor shape, ADC value, and radiomics signature could improve the individualized subtype prediction in patients with thymomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to provide an effective method for risk prediction and disaster control of earthquake-induced landslides. The Hongshiyan landslide induced by Ludian earthquake (Mw6.5) on August 3, 2014, in Ludian County, Yunnan Province, China, is studied. The sliding process and the mechanism of instability are investigated through numerical simulations using the particle flow codes (PFC). The characteristics of velocity and displacement and features of deposit are studied. It is found that the maximum average velocity of all particles of 23.43 m/s occurs at 7.11 s. The maximum displacement is closely related to elevation, and the sliding time of the rear edge of the sliding body is the longest. The numerical results of the landslide dam deposit morphology, with a height of 116.1 m and a length of 1001.1 m, are in good agreement with the field investigations. A series of numerical experiments on parameter sensitivity are also performed to study the influence of amplification factor and coefficient of friction on the features of the deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal has been regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for high-energy-density batteries due to its extremely high theoretical gravimetric capacity of 3860 mAh·g−1 along with its low electrochemical potential of − 3.04 V. Unfortunately, uncontrollable Li dendrite growth and repetitive destruction/formation of the solid electrolyte interphase layer lead to poor safety and low Coulombic efficiencies (CEs) for long-term utilization, which largely restricts the practical applications of lithium metal anode. In this review, we comprehensively summarized important progresses achieved to date in suppressing Li dendrite growth. Strategies for protection of Li metal anodes include designing porous structured hosts, fabricating artificial solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layers, introducing electrolyte additives, using solid-state electrolytes and applying external fields. The protection of Li metal anodes can be achieved by regulating the stripping and deposition behaviours of Li ions. Finally, the challenges remaining for lithium metal battery systems and future perspectives for Li metal anodes in practical applications are outlined, which are expected to shed light on future research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uni-nullnorms generalize both uninorms and nullnorms. In this paper, residual implications derived from uni-nullnorms are investigated. First, properties of residual implications derived from uni-nullnorms and left-continuous uni-nullnorms are studied. Then, it is characterized for which uni-nullnorms the residuated operations are fuzzy implications. Finally, an axiomatic characterization of residual implications derived from left-continuous uni-nullnorms is given and the mutual independence of the properties in this characterization is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has over 1320 freshwater fish species, 877 of which are endemic. In recent decades, over-exploitation and landscape pressures have threatened them and led to a severe aquatic biodiversity crisis. In response, large-scale fishing bans have been promulgated to protect freshwater biodiversity in major Chinese rivers since the early 1980s. Here, we present the historical background and current challenges to the fishing bans. Implementing large-scale fishing bans may help improve China's current freshwater biological resources and biodiversity to some extent. But implementing fishing bans alone is not sufficient to solve the crisis because of shortcomings of the current bans and expanding human pressures in most river basins. Thus, we recommend regulating other anthropogenic pressures, expanding duration and extent of current fishing regulations, establishing a comprehensive monitoring program, and initiating basin-scale ecological rehabilitation. These programs are also needed in other developing countries facing similar biodiversity crises and human pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Pot-cover effect' refers to the phenomenon of moisture accumulation beneath the pavement under condensation or desublimation because the vapor transfer in the soil is blocked by the pavement. To study this phenomenon in the laboratory, we have developed the pot-cover effect apparatus with freezing-thawing cycles (PEAFC), which consists of three parts, namely, the vapor transfer system, the temperature control system, and the temperature and water content monitoring system. The major functions of this apparatus include: simulation of both vapor transfer and freezing-thawing cycling in the soil, real-time monitoring of the temperature and the water content in soil samples, and one-dimensional heat and moisture transfer in the samples. The FDR (frequency domain reflectometry) sensors of the apparatus are calibrated and a calibration formula is proposed to eliminate the water content measurement errors induced by temperature changes. Constant temperature difference tests and a freezing-thawing cycling test are conducted with the apparatus. Results indicate that the apparatus can control the water replenishment in the soil samples, monitor the vapor transfer in the samples in real time, and simulate the vapor transfer process under the condition of the freezing-thawing cycling in the soil. These tests verify the effectiveness and reliability of the apparatus, which indicates that the development purpose is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite type LaFeO3 have now been successfully synthesized by a sol-gel process based on an ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)-complexing method. The structure and morphology of the products were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Based on the experimental results, the average crystallite size of the LaFeO3 nanostructures can be increased from 20.0 nm to 34.1 nm as the calcination temperature of the precursor increased, ranging from 500°C to 800°C. When the molar ratio of EDTA:total metal ions reaches 1.2:1, the prepared LaFeO3 seems to have a nearly spherical morphology, and the sample has a relatively uniform particle size distribution with an average size of about 40 nm. After comprehensive analysis, gas sensor research shows that LaFeO3 nanostructure-based sensors have potential applications in acetone gas monitoring. When exposed to 100 ppm acetone, the response of LaFeO3 nanostructures at 250°C was 11.7, the response time was 9 s, and the recovery time was 15 s. Thus, the facile synthesis route used in this study for synthesizing LaFeO3 nanoparticles could be expected to be extended for the preparation of binary metal oxide gas-sensing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain the maximum angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, the protein hydrolysis conditions of the jellyfish Rhopilema hispidum were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Trypsin was selected to produce R. hispidum protein hydrolysates (RPH) with ACE inhibitory activity. The optimal parameters for producing protein hydrolysates with the highest ACE inhibitory activity were as follows: hydrolysis time 5 h, hydrolysis temperature 50°C, and the enzyme-to-substrate ratio 6%. Under these conditions, the ACE inhibitory rate of RPH could reach 64.28% ± 5.72%. In addition, RPH contained high levels of Gly, Glu, Pro, Ala, Asp and Arg, with a molecular weight distribution range of 0.32-6.84 kDa. The following three novel ACE inhibitory peptides were isolated and identified: Ile-Gly-Glu-Thr-Gly-Pro, Gly-Ala-Thr-Gly-Pro-Ala-Gly-Tyr-Val and Gly-Ala-Phe-Gly-Pro-Gly-Gly-Leu-Val-Gly-Arg-Pro. The IC50 values of the ACE inhibitory activity of these three purified peptides were 19.07, 27.42 and 31.26 μmol L−1, respectively. These results suggested that proteins and peptides isolated from R. hispidum could be utilized as antihypertensive functional food sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) is a tumor suppressor, and there is a very high proportion of LKB1 mutation in lung adenocarcinoma. The function of LKB1 is closely related to that of ubiquitin related genes. Our objective is to analyze the changes in ubiquitin-related genes in LKB1 mutant lung adenocarcinoma. We searched The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and obtained gene expression profiles from 230 lung adenocarcinoma patients, which were then analyzed using R software. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression were applied to estimate survival. Real-time reverse transcription PCR was used to verify gene expression. Gene function was explored by gene set enrichment analysis. There were significantly expressed differences in the ubiquitin-related gene SH3RF1 between the LKB1 mutant and wild-type lung adenocarcinoma patients (p = 9.78013E-05). Patients with LKB1 mutation and high expression of SH3RF1 had a better prognosis than the low expression group (HR 0.356, 95% CI 0.136–0.929, p = 0.035). SH3RF1 can influence cell cycle, apoptosis, DNA replication and the p53 signaling pathway. SH3RF1 might have great clinical value act as a diagnostic biomarker and indicator to evaluate the prognosis of LKB1 mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients. This gene also can become a new treatment target for LKB1 mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: F-box proteins, as components of the Skp1-Cullin 1-F-box protein (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase, can specifically bind to substrates and regulate multiple tumor behaviors. However, the role of F-box proteins in squamous-cell lung carcinoma (SqCLC) has not been established.Methods: We identified the differentially expressed F-box protein-encoding genes in SqCLC by analyzing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Prognosis data were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier (KM) plotter website. The FBXO5 and FBXO45 mRNA levels were analyzed by real time RT-PCR. The impact of the inhibition of these genes with si-RNA on apoptosis and migration was also investigated.Results: The FBXO45 and FBXO5 genes were significantly up-regulated in SqCLC compared with normal lung (p values = 0.002 and 0.025, respectively). FBXO45 was significantly elevated in each tumorigenic step, including dysplasia, in situ and SqCLC. The RT-PCR analysis results showed that FBXO5 and FBXO45 were elevated in cancer tissues (p values = 0.024 and 0.004, respectively). Overexpression of FBXO5 and FBXO45 was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in the SqCLC patients from the K-M plotter database [FBXO5 HR: 1.53 (1.03-2.28), p = 0.036]; [FBXO45 HR: 1.47 (1.03-2.08), p = 0.030]. The GO and KEGG pathway analysis showed that FBXO5 and FBXO45 were associated with cell cycle and adhesion, respectively. Knockdown of FBXO5 leads to increased apoptosis, while knockdown of FBXO45 facilitates the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that FBXO45 and FBXO5 may play a key role in tumorigenesis and prognosis of SqCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classic hydraulic resistance formulas, such as those in the Darcy-Weisbach methods, perform well in the hydraulic design with the characteristic roughness height ks smaller than the flow depth, which can be linked with the momentum roughness height based on the turbulent boundary-layer theory with the log-law formulation. However, when the roughness scale is of the same order as the flow depth, the traditional log-law formulation cannot provide satisfactory results because the flow structure is complicated and the vortices in different layers are dominated by various principles, such as the Karman streets near the channel bed, the mixing layer near the vegetation top, and a canonical turbulent boundary layer above the vegetation layer. Thus, the distribution of the streamwise velocity in the vegetated flow is a combination of the velocity profile linked with the dominant vortex and shows significant differences as compared with the traditional log-law distribution. This paper proposes a new characteristic roughness height of vegetation kv by linking vegetation attributes, especially the characteristics of the cross section in the flow within the vegetation. The power law resistance formula is derived based on a large amount of experimental data. Results show that the new formula is applicable to shallow flows with vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We characterized fetal and placental growth and uterine and placental inflammation in pregnant C3H/HeOuJ and C57BL/6J mice (strains with different sensitivities to metabolic and circulatory pathologies), using different uterine ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) protocols, to establish and refine a murine model of I/R-induced fetal growth restriction (FGR). Pregnant C3H/HeOuJ mice on gestation day 15 were subjected to unilateral uterine I/R by (1) total blood flow restriction (TFR) by occlusion of the right ovarian and uterine arteries for 30 minutes, (2) partial flow restriction (PFR) by occlusion of only the right ovarian artery for 30 minutes, or (3) sham surgery. Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were treated the same, but on gestation day 14 and with TFR for only 5 minutes due to high sensitivity of C57BL/6J mice to I/R. Four days post-I/R, the animals were euthanized to determine fetal and placental weight and fetal loss and to assay placental myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. In C3H/HeOuJ mice, TFR/30 minutes induced significantly (P < .05) lower fetal and placental weights and higher placental MPO activity, compared to controls. The PFR/30 minutes produced the same effects except placental weights were not reduced. In contrast, in C57BL/6J mice, TFR for only 5 minutes was sufficient to induce FGR and increase fetal loss; while PFR/30 minutes lowered fetal but not placental weights and increased fetal loss but not placental MPO activity. In summary, we present the first published model of I/R-induced FGR in mice. We find that mice of different strains have differing sensitivities to uterine I/R, therefore differing I/R response mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic functional constipation is a kind of common intestinal disease that occurs in children, adults and elderly people. This disease not only causes great influence to physiological function, but also results in varying degrees of psychological barriers. At present, constipation treatments continue to rely on traditional methods such as purgative therapy and surgery. However, these approaches can disrupt intestinal function. Recent research between intestinal diseases and gut microbiota has gradually revealed a connection between constipation and intestinal flora disturbance, providing a theoretical basis for microbial treatment in chronic constipation. Microbial treatment mainly includes probiotic preparations such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Due to its safety, convenience and curative effect, probiotic preparations have been widely accepted, especially gradually developed FMT with higher curative effects. Microbial treatment improves clinical symptoms, promotes the recovery of intestinal flora, and has no complications during the treatment process. Compared with traditional treatments, microbial treatment in chronic constipation has advantages, and is worthy of further promotion from clinical research to clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, rod-flower like ZnO hierarchical microstructures with high uniformity are synthesized from the thermal decomposition of Zn(NH3)42+ precursors, which are prepared via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal process. The as-synthesized hierarchical ZnO microstructure is assembled from columnar nanorods, and the measured length to diameter ratio of the nanorod is about 20. The morphology of the hierarchical ZnO microstructure can be tailored by varying hydrothermal conditions, e.g., hydrothermal temperature, reaction time, concentration of Zn2+ and zinc salts. Moreover, based on the experimental results, the possible reaction mechanism for the growth of the as-synthesized hierarchical ZnO microstructures is also discussed in detail,and the Zn2+ concentration was found to be a crucial role in the formation and nucleation of the rod flower-like microstructures. In addition, the gas sensing test demonstrates that the sensors based on hierarchical ZnO microstructures exhibits excellent gas sensing properties due to its unique architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodispersed ZnO composite microspheres were successfully prepared by a facile ultrasound irradiation method. Then, the uniform core-shell structured composites were synthesized through the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate on the surface of the ZnO composite microspheres. Microstructural studies of the as-obtained powders were carried out using the techniques of the x-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The results show that the pink ZnO composite powders as the core were spherical structures with the size of approximately 100 nm, and the SiO shell was fully coated on the surface of the core. On the basis of these results, the effect of SiO content on the thickness of the synthesized composites and microstructure, as well as the electrical properties of the ZnO varistors sintered in air at 1150°C for 2 h, were fully studied. In particular, the ZnO varistor prepared with the appropriate amount of the SiO coating (∼40 nm) leads to a superior electrical performance with the high breakdown voltage of 418 V mm and an excellent nonlinear coefficient of 70.7, compared with the varistors obtained without the SiO coating. The high performance is attributed to the smaller and more homogeneous ZnO grains obtained via the SiO coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) flower-like ZnO hierarchical microstructures with high uniformity were fabricated from the decomposition of Zn(OH) precursor, which were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal reaction. XRD, FESEM and TEM were employed to characterize the morphology and structure of the products. The as-prepared flower-like ZnO microstructures with an average diameter of about 2 μm are assembled by large amounts of nanosheets, which have a thickness of ~43 nm. The morphology of the ZnO architectures can be tailored by changing hydrothermal conditions, e.g., hydrothermal temperature, reaction time, and concentration of Zn. On the basis of experimental results, the possible formation mechanism of the flower-like ZnO microstructures was also proposed, and the Zn concentration was found to be a vital role in the growth and crystallzation of the flower-like microstructures. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement shows that the 3D flower-like ZnO hierarchical microstructures possess a specific surface area of about 34.86 m/g. Most significantly, the gas sensing test reveals that the sensor made from 3D flower-like ZnO hierarchical microstructures exhibits outstanding gas sensing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern energy-saving replication storage systems, a primary group of disks is always powered up to serve incoming requests while other disks are often spun down to save energy during slack periods. However, since new writes cannot be immediately synchronized into all disks, system reliability is degraded. In this paper, we develop a high-reliability and energy-efficient replication storage system, named RERAID, based on RAID10. RERAID employs part of the free space in the primary disk group and uses erasure coding to construct a code cache at the front end to absorb new writes. Since code cache supports failure recovery of two or more disks by using erasure coding, RERAID guarantees a reliability comparable with that of the RAID10 storage system. In addition, we develop an algorithm, called erasure coding write (ECW), to buffer many small random writes into a few large writes, which are then written to the code cache in a parallel fashion sequentially to improve the write performance. Experimental results show that RERAID significantly improves write performance and saves more energy than existing solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnCoPrO (x = 0, 0.005, 0.015 and 0.020) nanoparticles for varistor application have been synthesized by sol-gel method. The phase and microstructure of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectra. The results reveal that the samples exhibited hexagonal zinc oxide (ZnO) lattice structure without secondary phases and were well crystallized with preferential orientation towards (101) direction. The calculated average crystalline size decreases from 39.9312 to 39.3605 nm when Pr content increased from 0 to 2 at.%. The microstructure of ZnCoPrO (x = 0.02) varistors ceramics consisted of ZnO grain as a primary phase and Pr-rich phase (PrO) and spinel phase (PrCoO) as minor secondary phase. The breakdown field increased over a wide range from 2332 to 7845 V/cm with the Pr content increasing. The varistors doped with 1.5 at.% Pr exhibited the highest nonlinear coefficient of 17.9. Further increase caused nonlinear coefficient decreased to 15.4 at 2 at.%. The current-voltage (E-J) characteristics curves indicated the Pr-Co co-doped ZnO varistors showed good electrical properties and could be a promising material to replace ZnO-BiO varistors which is appreciable for the fabrication of voltage switching devices in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer/metal composite segmental Janus nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized by sequential growth against poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) crosslinked cP4VP-PS Janus NPs. A Janus cluster of poly(4-vinylpyridine)-block-polystyrene (P4VP- b-PS) diblock copolymer is self-organized after absorption onto a silica patchy sphere via hydrogen bonding. Selective crosslinking of P4VP leads to the formation of robust cP4VP-PS Janus NPs. Within the cP4VP domain, functional species such as metals are preferentially grown by in situ reduction. Other thiol-capped polymers, for example, thiol-capped poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM-SH), can be conjugated onto the opposite side to form polymer/metal triple segmental Janus NPs. The hyperthermia effect of Au NP of PNIPAM-Au@cP4VP-PS by near infrared (NIR) irradiation can trigger a fast transition from amphiphilic to hydrophobic of the Janus NPs at low surrounding temperature. De-stabilization of the emulsion is NIR triggered although the system temperature is below LCST (~32 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IGF1R (insulin-like growth factor receptor-1) was confirmed to play a significant role in the development of cancer. Cezanne-1 overexpression was considered to be associated with enhancement of EGFR signaling pathway and reduced degeneration of EGFR. There was a close relationship between EGFR and IGFR as previous study showed. Dynamic balance between receptor ubiquitination and deubiquitination was critical in the process of termination of IGF signaling pathway. So we conducted an IHC staining to initially prove the correlation. Cezanne-1 and IGF1R expressions were evaluated in 103 patients with lung adenocarcinoma using immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. The relationship between expressions of cezanne-1 and IGF1R were analyzed by χ2 test. Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate the survival curve, and the statistical difference was calculated by log-rank test. We also used data in R2 system to verify the relationship between IGF1R and cezanne-1. R2 system showed there was a close correlation between IGF1R and cezanne-1. Positive expression of cezanne-1 was detected in 64.1% patients. A significant association was shown between cezanne-1 and IGF1R expression (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed that both cezanne-1 and IGF1R expressions were independent prognostic factors for OS. (HR 2.96, 95% CI 1.090-8.060, p = 0.033; HR 2.273, 95% CI 1.016-5.085, p = 0.046, respectively). Our findings indicated both cezanne-1 and IGF1R expressions were negative independent predictive factors for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, respectively. There was a close positive interrelationship between cezanne-1 and IGF1R expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastomes of Fabaceae show both significant structural and size variation; however, most published plastomes are from subfamily Papilionoideae and only a few are from the other two subfamilies. In order to address the plastome structural and size variation of subfamily Mimosoideae, we integrated 11 newly sequenced plastomes from representing genera with three previously published ones. Each mimosoid plastome presented a typical quadripartite structure and contained 111 unique genes. Their inverted repeats (IRs) experienced multiple expansion/contraction; a ca. 13-kb IR expansion into small single copy (SSC) was detected in plastomes of a clade formed by tribe Ingeae and Acacia sensu stricto (s.s.), and a ca. 1.7-kb IR expansion into and a ca. 1.9-kb contraction out of large single copy (LSC) were found in Pithecellobium flexicaule and Acacia dealbata, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed decreased synonymous substitution rates of genes relocating from SSC into IR. A loss of both introns of clpP occurred in A. dealbata and Faidherbia albida, and a duplicated clpP copy was detected in A. dealbata. Furthermore, a 421-bp inversion that containing rps18 was found in A. dealbata. The size of mimosoid plastomes was found significantly affected by a IR-SC boundary shift, and also associated with repeat content. Plastome coding and noncoding regions with variable sequence divergence may supply valuable markers for molecular evolutionary and phylogenetic studies at different taxonomic levels. Plastid phylogenomics well resolved relationships among sampled mimosoid species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic analysis of a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) in random wave is investigated by considering the set-down of a floating body. The nonlinear restoring stiffness is derived with the set-down motion of a floating body and the coupled motion of the tension leg and platform and the differential equations of the motion are established. The study focuses on the influence of the set-down motion on the nonlinear response of the platform. By considering different significant wave heights and currents, motion responses of the platform are calculated and compared. The analysis shows that the set-down motion significantly increases the heave motion with low frequency and the equilibrium position of the heave motion with the set-down motion is much lower than that without set-down motion. The results in this paper indicate that the set-down motion has a major impact on the safety of the platform inproduction operation, and it is also a threat to the strength of tension legs and risers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures and electrical properties of 95 at.%ZnO + xVO + (5−x)MnO varistors (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 at.%) sintering at 900 °C were investigated. The microstructure of all the samples consisted of ZnO grain with β-Zn(VO) and γ-Zn(VO) as minority secondary phases. The average grain size decreased from 10.4 to 4.5 μm with the decrease of VO mol fraction and it is attributed that ZnO grains could probably grow rapidly in the presence of a rich liquid phases related to VO concentrations. The breakdown voltage increases from 6444 to 1446 V/cm with increase of VO mol fraction due to the decrease of the average grain size. The samples containing 2 at.% VO and 3 at.% MnO varistors exhibited the best nonlinear properties, with present nonlinear coefficient (20.8). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The native North American western red cedar, Thuja plicata, is of high economic and ornamental value. It is listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List. In this study we report the complete plastome of T. plicata, which was found to be 131,118 bp in length and encodes 118 genes, including 84 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNAs and 30 transfer RNAs. Seven protein-coding genes contained one intron each and two genes (rps12 and ycf3) contained two introns each. Phylogenetic analysis recovered T. plicata as sister to T. standishii with strong support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Section 3.6 of Fuzzy relation equations and their applications to knowledge engineering. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston (), Di Nola et al. presented a procedure to find a minimal solution from a fixed solution of a system of fuzzy relation equations over complete infinitely distributive lattices, and put the question: is the minimal solution found by the procedure unique or not? In this paper, we give a negative answer to the question and make some further remarks. We not only give a necessary and sufficient condition for the uniqueness of such minimal solutions, but also characterize the existence of the least solution and a unique solution of a system of fuzzy relation equations over complete infinitely distributive lattices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Ramucirumab is a fully immunoglobulin G (lgG) monoclonal antibody targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor type 2 (VEGFR2). Previous clinical trials suggested ramucirumab could improve the survival and increase the risk of adverse effects. Here, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ramucirumab in the treatment of advanced solid tumors. Methods: Publications were searched from Pubmed, Embase database and clinicaltrials.gov. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) were calculated to evaluate efficacy, and the risk ratio (RR) for adverse effects. Results: Ten relevant studies were included. Ramucirumab resulted in significant benefit in overall survival [OS, HR and 95 % CI 0.87 (0.82-0.93), I: 0.0 %] and progression-free survival [PFS, HR and 95 % CI 0.74 (0.66-0.82), I: 67.4 %]. Also the difference of time to progression (TTP) and objective response rate (ORR) between two groups were also significant [0.70 (0.57-0.88) and 1.78 (1.40-2.25), respectively]. Ramucirumab could increase the risk of total adverse effects (TAEs, of any grade) by 1 % (from 0 to 2 %) and severe adverse effects (SAEs, grade > 2) by 17 % (from 9 to 26 %). The most frequently occurring TAEs were fatigue (54.71 %), neutropenia (42.74 %), bleeding (37.55 %), nausea (34.63 %) and stomatitis (33.74 %). Most frequently occurring SAEs (grade ≥3) were neutropenia (33.43 %), fatigue (12.08 %), leukopenia (10.59 %), hypertension (8.99 %) and liver injury (8.74 %). Conclusion: Ramucirumab could improve OS and PFS for patients suffering from advanced solid tumors. Ramucirumab could increase the risk of TAEs and SAEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal quenching behaviors of the temperature sensitivity paints (TSP) composed of europium(III) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (EuTTA) and Eu-phenanthrene complex (Eu-2) in polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and epoxy resin (EP) were investigated. It is found that both the emission intensity and temperature sensitivity were not only affected by the luminescence probes, but also by the polymer matrix. The interaction between probes and matrix results in the alteration of both the non-radiation decay rate and the activation energy of the non-radiative process for the thermal quenching process, i.e. larger activation energy of the non-radiative process shows higher temperature sensitivity and less emission intensity. Therefore, it was confirmed that the temperature sensitivity and luminescent intensity of TSP depended not only on the luminescence probes but also on the polymer matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]