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Alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare soft tissue tumor with a broad morphologic differential diagnosis. While histology and immunohistochemistry can be suggestive, diagnosis often requires exclusion of other entities followed by confirmatory molecular analysis for its characteristic ASPSCR1-TFE3 fusion. Current stain-based biomarkers (such as immunohistochemistry for cathepsin K and TFE3) show relatively high sensitivity but may lack specificity, often showing staining in multiple other entities under diagnostic consideration. Given the discovery of RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) for TRIM63 as a sensitive and specific marker of MiTF-family aberration renal cell carcinomas, we sought to evaluate its utility in the workup of ASPS. TRIM63 RNA-ISH demonstrated high levels (H-score greater than 200) of expression in 19/20 (95%) cases of ASPS (average H-score 330) and was weak or negative in cases of paraganglioma, clear cell sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, malignant epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, as well as hepatocellular and adrenal cortical carcinomas. Staining was also identified in tumors with known subsets characterized by TFE3 alterations such as perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasm (PEComa, average H-score 228), while tumors known to exhibit overexpression of TFE3 protein without cytogenetic alterations, such as melanoma and granular cell tumor, generally showed less TRIM63 ISH staining (average H-scores 147 and 96, respectively). Quantitative assessment of TRIM63 staining by RNA-ISH is potentially a helpful biomarker for tumors with molecular TFE3 alterations such as ASPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frailty syndrome denotes a decreased capacity of the body to maintain the homeostasis and stress of the internal environment, which simultaneously increases the risk of adverse health outcomes in older adults, including disability, hospitalization, falls, and death. To promote healthy aging, we should find strategies to cope with frailty. However, the pathogenesis of frailty syndrome is not yet clear. Recent studies have shown that the diversity, composition, and metabolites of gut microbiota significantly changed in older adults with frailty. In addition, several frailty symptoms were alleviated by adjusting gut microbiota with prebiotics, probiotics, and symbiosis. Therefore, we attempt to explore the pathogenesis of frailty syndrome in older people from gut microbiota and summarize the existing interventions for frailty syndrome targeting gut microbiota, with the aim of providing timely and necessary interventions and assistance for older adults with frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese Folk Drum music is an excellent traditional cultural resource, it has brilliant historical and cultural heritage and excellent traditional cultural connotation. However, the survey found that the social and cultural values, tourism economic values, and national self-confidence embodied in folk drum music, such as Xi'an drum music, are far from being released, and even its own inheritance and development are facing difficulties. The research focuses on the automatic generation of Xi'an drum music, with the aim of further inheriting, developing, and utilizing this exceptional traditional cultural resource. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) music generation has gained popularity in recent years, most platforms primarily focus on modern music rather than Chinese folk music. To address these issues and the unique challenges faced by Xi'an drum music, this paper proposes a Bi-LSTM network-based deep reinforcement learning model. The model incorporates the distinctive characteristics of ancient Chinese music, such as pitch, chord, and mode, and utilizes the Actor-Critic algorithm in reinforcement learning. During the simulation generation stage, an improved method of generating strategies through reward and punishment scores is introduced. Additionally, the model takes into account abstract concept constraints, such as chord progression and music theory rules, which are translated into computer language. By constructing a chord reward mechanism and a music principle reward mechanism, the model achieves harmony constraints and enables the systematic generation of drum music. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model, based on Bi-LSTM deep reinforcement learning, can generate Xi'an drum music with high quality and artistic aesthetics. This research contributes to the preservation, development, and utilization of Xi'an drum music, leveraging advancements in AI music generation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to search for an effective novel TiO2 nanomaterial catalyst system to facilitate the selective catalytic treatment of nitrogen oxides within diesel vehicle exhaust, in order to reduce the NO levels in truck exhaust. Three distinct metal mixed oxides were synthesized by sol–gel (SG) method and used as catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 (NH3-SCR). The physicochemical properties of the prepared catalysts were investigated by N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). All the catalysts are anatase-type crystals with mesoporous structure. Most notably, the catalyst denoted as 1.5%Mn-TiO2 exhibited superlative NO conversion activity, achieving an exceptional NO conversion rate of nearly 100% at 300 °C. In addition, 1.5%Mn-TiO2 showed an expanded catalytic activity range, achieving a NO conversion rate of over 80% at 250 ~ 400 °C. These results substantiate the superior catalytic activity of the Mn-based catalyst, with not only a higher NO conversion rate but also a broader catalytic activity range compared to the other two metal oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the study of higher-order soliton solutions and some hybrid behaviours between them in the ( 2 + 1 )-dimensional Kadomtsev–Petviashvili–Benjamin–Bona–Mahony (KP-BBM) equation. Firstly, we obtain a new lump solution by studying the degenerate behaviour of the breathers. Secondly, we focus on studying the N-soliton solutions, higher-order breathers and higher-order lump solutions by using the long-wave limit method. Some novel higher-hybrid behaviours are studied to show the effect of the superposition of different solitons on the structure of the solution, such as the hybrid behaviours between the m-lump solution and n-soliton, the hybrid behaviours between the 1-breather solution and n-soliton. Finally, many three-dimensional images and density projections of spatial structures are displayed to reflect the evolutionary behaviour of the higher-order soliton solutions with the increase of order number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to improve students' problem-solving skills and creativity and adapt them to the new situation of the twenty-first century is a rather important educational objective at present, and is expected to be for a long time to come. Project-based learning (PBL) is considered to be an approach that can develop students' higher-order thinking skills, while peer assessment is a strategy that helps students to interact and reflect. To improve the quality of peer assessment in PBL and to further promote learning by using the feedback of peer assessment, this study proposes an online progressive peer assessment (OPPA)-based PBL approach using constructivism as the theoretical framework for instructional design. The aim of the proposed approach is to organise progressive peer-assessment activities for students as they complete the project, thereby promoting high-quality peer evaluations and continuous reflective improvement of the project. To test the effect of the OPPA-based PBL approach, a quasi-experiment was carried out in an educational game development course with 49 university students from two classes. Students in the experimental group used the OPPA-based PBL approach to develop their game projects, while students in the control group used the conventional PBL approach to develop their game projects. The findings show that the OPPA-based PBL approach significantly improved students' learning achievement, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, problem-solving, and creativity awareness, while also reducing their anxiety levels compared to the conventional PBL approach. The results of this study provide a reference for improving project-based learning, and further demonstrate the importance and validity of constructivist learning theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a novel Bonwill⁃Hawley method (Bonwill⁃Hawley arch form based on CBCT image) for the assessment of dental crowding, and to investigate and compare the accuracy and eligibility with the conventional brass wire and caliper methods under different crowding conditions. Material and methods: Sixty patients with the pair of plaster casts and CBCT data were collected. All the casts were marked and transformed into digital models using iTero scanner, and imported into OrthoCAD software to measure the required space. Using the conventional brass wire (M1) and caliper methods (M2), the available space and dental crowding were measured and calculated basing on digital models, respectively. Correspondingly, the axial planes in the level of dental arches were oriented and captured from the CBCT images to draw the Bonwill⁃Hawley arch forms (M3), which were used to measure and calculate the available space and dental crowding. For each method, intra and inter-examiner reliabilities were evaluated with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs). Wilcoxon test and Kruskal–Wallis test were performed for statistically analyzing the discrepancy among different groups. Results: Both intra- and inter-examiner reliability were generally excellent for all parameters obtained by the three methods, except for the dental crowding measured using M1(ICC: 0.473/0.261). The dental crowding measured using M2 were significantly increased in mild, moderate and severe-crowding groups compared with M1. However, no significant difference was detected between M1 and M3 in severe-crowding group (maxilla, p = 0.108 > 0.05; mandible, p = 0.074 > 0.05). With the deterioration of crowding condition, the discrepancy of dental crowding between M1 and M2, or M1 and M3 were significantly decreased (maxilla, M2-M1, mild VS serve, p = 0.003 < 0.05; maxilla, M3-M1, mild VS serve, p = 0.003 < 0.05; mandible, M2-M1, mild VS serve, p = 0.000 < 0.001; mandible, M3-M1, mild VS serve, p = 0.043 < 0.05). Conclusion: Dental crowding measured using the novel Bonwill⁃Hawley method was relatively greater than the caliper method, but not exceeding the brass wire method, which wound gradually come close to the brass wire method with the deterioration of crowding condition. Clinical relevance: The Bonwill⁃Hawley method basing on CBCT image proved to be a reliable and acceptable choice for orthodontists to analyze the dental crowding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To study the soil consolidation effect of shrub plant roots on tailings soil and to explore the frictional characteristics of plant roots on tailings soil, three experimental conditions of the root–soil interface were established by using a modified indoor direct shear instrument with binders such as liquid sodium silicate and cyanoacrylate to conduct direct shear frictional tests at the root–soil interface using the roots of the typical slope protection plant Amorpha fruticosa. The Gompertz improved curve model was established by using the relationship between shear stress and shear displacement and the trend of the root–soil interface parameter index. The results were compared between the improved Gompertz curve model and the Clough–Duncan hyperbolic model, and a two-factor coupled improved Gompertz interfacial intrinsic structure model with normal stress and cohesive strength factor was established. The results showed that the interface shear stress and shear displacement showed strain hardening characteristics at different normal pressures for cohesive strength ratios of 1.5 and 1.7 at the root–tailing soil interface. At a cohesive strength ratio of 1.6, strain-softening was observed from 100 to 300 kPa and strain hardening was observed at 400 kPa. The improved Gompertz curve model predicts the shear stress and shear displacement curves at the root–soil interface with different cohesive strengths more reasonably than the Clough–Duncan hyperbolic model, and the maximum accuracy can be improved by nearly 40%. The two-factor coupled improved Gompertz curve model can fit the shear stress versus shear displacement relationship at the A. fruticosa root–tailing soil interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landslide caused a huge disaster to the living environment and seriously threatened the lives and property safety of nearby residents. Assess or predict landslide-susceptible the landslide displacement through monitoring are great beneficial to guide landslide control and mitigate these hazards by taking appropriate preparatory measures. In this paper, a new water cycle algorithm optimization BP neural network (BPNN) dynamic prediction model (WCA-BPNN) was established to make up for the shortcoming of BPNN convergence speed. A typical step-wise landslide——Langshuwan Landslide happened in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China is taken as a case, and the displacement monitoring data of 4 years was used for time series analysis and modeling. The long-term creep effect of the landslide and the short-term acceleration effect of the climate are considered in the model, and the accumulative displacement is divided into two kinds of trend displacement and periodic displacement. The key influencing factors of landslide periodic displacement were screened by gray relational grade analysis method, and then used as learning data. In addition to comparing the predicted value of the model with the measured value, it also compares the accuracy of the three models of BPNN, support vector machine, extreme learning machine under the training conditions of the same learning data set. The results show that the WAC-BPNN model has faster convergence speed and higher prediction accuracy than the traditional BPNN model, and it is also the most accurate of the four models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Panic disorder (PD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder but its neurobiology remains poorly understood. It has been proposed that the pathophysiology of PD is related to an abnormality in a particular neural network. However, most studies investigating resting-state functional connectivity (FC) have relied on a priori restrictions of seed regions, which may bias observations. This study investigated changes in intra and internetwork FC in the whole brain of patients with PD using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. A voxel-wise data-driven independent component analysis was performed on 26 PD patients and 27 healthy controls (HCs).We compared the differences in the intra and internetwork FC between the two groups of subjects using statistical parametric mapping with two-sample t-tests. PD patients exhibited decreased intra-network FC in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the anterior default mode network, the left precentral and postcentral gyrus of the sensorimotor network, the right lobule V/VI, the cerebellum vermis, and the left lobule VI of the cerebellum network compared with the HCs. The intra-network FC in the right ACC was negatively correlated with symptom severity. None of the pairs of resting state networks showed significant differences in functional network connectivity between the two groups. These results suggest that the brain networks associated with emotion regulation, interoceptive awareness, and fear and somatosensory processing may play an important role in the pathophysiology of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both KRAS and EGFR are essential mediators of pancreatic cancer development and interact with Argonaute 2 (AGO2) to perturb its function. Here, in a mouse model of mutant KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer, loss of AGO2 allows precursor lesion (PanIN) formation yet prevents progression to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Precursor lesions with AGO2 ablation undergo oncogene-induced senescence with altered microRNA expression and EGFR/RAS signaling, bypassed by loss of p53. In mouse and human pancreatic tissues, PDAC progression is associated with increased plasma membrane localization of RAS/AGO2. Furthermore, phosphorylation of AGO2Y393 disrupts both the wild-type and oncogenic KRAS-AGO2 interaction, albeit under different conditions. ARS-1620 (G12C-specific inhibitor) disrupts the KRASG12C-AGO2 interaction, suggesting that the interaction is targetable. Altogether, our study supports a biphasic model of pancreatic cancer development: an AGO2-independent early phase of PanIN formation reliant on EGFR-RAS signaling, and an AGO2-dependent phase wherein the mutant KRAS-AGO2 interaction is critical for PDAC progression. Argonaute 2 (AGO2) binds RAS and is required for cellular transformation. Here, the authors establish a KRAS-driven mouse model of pancreatic cancer with conditional loss of AGO2 and show that the early phase of neoplastic lesion initiation is dependent on EGFR/RAS but not AGO2, while AGO2 is required for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression and metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The loss of muscle mass, strength and function associated with increasing age has various health ramifications, including the elevated risk for falls, fractures, frailty, poor quality of life, and mortality. Several studies have confirmed the effects of protein supplementation and RT (resistance training) for this age-related change independently, but whether a combination of the two produces a stronger effect remains controversial. Objective: This study aims to explore whether a combination of protein supplementation and RT leads to reduction of muscle mass, strength and function in the elderly. Methods: We retrieved RCTs (randomized controlled trials) reporting the effects of protein supplementation combined with RT on muscle mass, strength and function in the elderly, published before May 2018 through PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and manual searches. Results: Twenty-one RCTs were included, involving 1,249 participants. The results showed that protein supplementation combine with RT significantly enhances the muscle mass and strength of the older adults, where FFM (fat-free mass) increased by 0.23 kg (95% CI: 0.09, 0.38; P=0.002), ASMM (appendicular skeletal muscle mass) by 0.39 kg (95% CI: 0.14, 0.64; P=0.002), handgrip strength by 0.29 kg (95% CI: 0.08, 0.50; P=0.008), knee extension strength by 0.27 kg (95% CI: 0.06, 0.47; P=0.013), leg press strength by 0.33 kg (95% CI: 0.01, 0.64; P=0.04), but no significant effects were seen on muscle function. Conclusion: Compared to simple RT, protein supplementation combine with RT is more effective in enhancing the muscle mass and strength in the elderly, and the findings do not support the benefit of combination treatment for muscle function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the antipyretic mechanism of Herba Ephedrae (Eph)-Ramulus Cinnamomi (RC) herb pair on yeast-induced pyrexia in rats.Methods: Totally 30 qualified male SD rats were randomly assigned to the normal control (NC) group, the pyrexia model (model) group, the Eph, RC and Eph-RC treatment groups by a random digital table, 6 rats in each group. Each rat received a 20% aqueous suspension of yeast (10 mL/kg) except the NC group. The 3 treatment groups were administered 8.1, 5.4 and 13.5 g/kg Eph, RC and Eph-RC respectively at 5 and 12 h after yeast injection, the NC group and the model groups were administered equal volume of distilled water. Rectal temperatures were measured at 0, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 24 and 30 h and urine was collected prior to yeast injection and at 6, 10, 18, 24, 30, and 36 h after yeast injection. Then urine metabolomic profiling by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, coupled with multivariate statistical analysis and pattern recognition techniques were used to explore the antipyretic effects of Eph-RC. Partial least squares discriminate analysis was used to analyze the metabolomics dataset including classification and regression in metabolomics plot profiling.Results: Compared with the NC group, rectal temperatures were significantly higher in the model group (P<0.01), while 3 treatment groups decreased significantly compared with the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Rectal temperatures of Eph-RC-treated rats started to go down at 6 h, and markedly decreased at 8, 12, 15, 18 and 24 h (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while those of the Eph and RC groups had decreased firstly at 8 h and were markedly lower at 12 h (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Seventeen potential biomarkers related to pyrexia were confirmed and identified, including pyruvic acid, L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine, phenylacetic acid, hippuric acid, succinic acid, citrate and so on. Eight potential alterations of metabolic pathways including phenylalanine metabolism, citrate cycle, tryptophan metabolism, biosynthesis of valine, leucine and isoleucine, were identified in relation to the antipyretic effects of Eph-RC using MetPA software.Conclusion: The antipyretic effect of Eph-RC herb pair on yeast-induced pyrexia in rats involved correction of perturbed amino acid, fatty acid, and carbohydrate metabolism according to the metabolic pathway analysis with MetPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of podophyllotoxin derivatives (M1–M16) that were selectively acylated by various phenoxy acids at the C-4 position of podophyllotoxin were synthesized, and their biological activities were also evaluated. Among them, compound M4 showed the most potent anti-cancer activity against HeLa cells with an IC50 value of 1.64 ± 0.41 μM. Additionally, flow cytometry analysis results indicated that it could cause a remarkable cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, but the effect on apoptosis inducing was not significant. Moreover, the expression of cell cycle relative protein CDK1 was up regulated while cyclin B1 and Cdc25C, two proteins required for mitotic initiation were down regulated. Furthermore, the confocal assay and extracellular polymerized tubulin expression analysis also demonstrated that M4 was a potent tubulin polymerization inhibitor and the effect was comparable to that of colchicine. Finally, docking simulation results showed that M4 could nicely bind to the colchicine binding site of tubulin which further comfirmed the tubulin inhibiton activity of M4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical data have shown women are more susceptible to depression. This study was performed to identify differentially regulated proteins from hippocampus in chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)-exposed male and female young rats. After 7 weeks of CUMS, depressed male (M-D) and female rats (F-D) and unstressed male (M-C) and female controls (F-C) were studied. By proteomics analysis, 74 differential proteins in F-C/M-C, 79 in F-D/M-D, 77 in F-D/F-C, and 32 in M-D/M-C were found. Further, the synapse-related proteins, cytoskeleton protein tau, and stress-related kinases in hippocampus were assayed by Western blotting. F-C rats were found to have lower levels of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) and mGluR2 and higher levels of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B (NR2B), synapsin1, total tau, and dephosphorylated tau than M-C rats. Both F-D and M-D rats had lower levels of glutamate transporter SLC1α2, mGluR1, and mGluR2, and higher levels of total tau and phosphorylated tau than their controls. Compared with their controls, M-D rats had lower NR1 and higher NR2B, and F-D rats had lower NR2A, NR2B, PSD95, and synapsin1. F-C rats had higher JNK and lower phosphorylation levels of ERK at Thr202/Thr204, JNK at Thr183/Thr185, and GSK-3β at Ser9 than M-C ones. Both M-D and F-D rats had decreased phosphorylation of ERK at Thr202/Thr204 and GSK-3β at Ser9, and increased JNK phosphorylation at Thr183/Thr185 compared with their controls. All these data illustrate the biochemical complexity behind the genders, and may also aid in the development of more accurate treatment strategies for depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer programming is a subject that requires problem-solving strategies and involves a great number of programming logic activities which pose challenges for learners. Therefore, providing learning support and guidance is important. Collaborative learning is widely believed to be an effective teaching approach; it can enhance learners' social interaction and offer a learning environment which provides rich learning experiences. However, the social interaction in collaborative learning does not occur automatically. Without proper guidance strategies or supporting tools for collaborative learning, the learning effects can be disappointing. To solve such a problem, a problem posing-based practicing strategy was proposed to support the development of a collaborative learning activity in a computer programming practice course. The students were guided to raise computer programming problems to boost the discussion among team members. The problems raised in each team were then exchanged and solved by another team to examine the coding and to provide feedback. To investigate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was conducted in a C# programming course. Two classes of students from a university participated in the experiment. One class with 25 students was randomly assigned as the experimental group, and learned with a collaborative learning activity using the problem posing-based practicing strategy; the other class with 28 students was the control group, which learned with a conventional collaborative learning activity. The results show that the proposed strategy benefited the students in terms of improving their learning achievement, in particular, their programming skills. Moreover, it was found that the students who learned with the proposed approach had higher self-efficacy and lower cognitive load than those who learned with the conventional collaborative learning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The DC microgrid is connected to the AC utility by parallel bidirectional power converters (BPCs) to import/export large power, whose control directly affects the performance of the grid-connected DC microgrid. Much work has focused on the hierarchical control of the DC, AC, and hybrid microgrids, but little has considered the hierarchical control of multiple parallel BPCs that directly connect the DC microgrid to the AC utility. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical control for parallel BPCs of a grid-connected DC microgrid. To suppress the potential zero-sequence circulating current in the AC side among the parallel BPCs and realize feedback linearization of the voltage control, a d- q-0 control scheme instead of a conventional d- q control scheme is proposed in the inner current loop, and the square of the DC voltage is adopted in the inner voltage loop. DC side droop control is applied to realize DC current sharing among multiple BPCs at the primary control level, and this induces DC bus voltage deviation. The quantified relationship between the current sharing error and DC voltage deviation is derived, indicating that there is a trade-off between the DC voltage deviation and current sharing error. To eliminate the current sharing error and DC voltage deviation simultaneously, slope-adjusting and voltage-shifting approaches are adopted at the secondary control level. The proposed tertiary control realizes precise active and reactive power exchange through parallel BPCs for economical operation. The proposed hierarchical control is applied for parallel BPCs of a grid-connected DC microgrid and can operate coordinately with the control for controllable/uncontrollable distributional generation. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified by corresponding simulation tests based on Matlab/Simulink, and the performance of the hierarchical control is evaluated for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SMA pseudo-elastic hysteresis with tension-compression asymmetry at finite deformation may be simulated by finite elastoplastic J-flow models with nonlinear combined hardening, in a direct, explicit sense with no reference to any phase variables. To this goal, a novel method of treating tension-compression asymmetry is proposed, and the hardening moduli are determined directly from any two given pairs of single-variable functions shaping non-symmetric hysteresis loops in uniaxial tension and compression so that the combined hardening model thus established can automatically exactly give rise to any given shapes of non-symmetric hysteresis loops. Numerical examples show good agreement with test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stalk rots are destructive diseases in maize around the world, and are most often caused by the pathogen Pythium, Fusarium and other fungi. The most efficient management for controlling stalk rots is to breed resistant cultivars. Pythium stalk rot can cause serious yield loss on maize, and to find the resistance genes from the existing germplasm is the basis to develop Pythium-resistance hybrid lines. In this study, we investigated the genetic resistance to Pythium stalk rot in inbred line Qi319 using F and F population, and found that the resistance to Pythium inflatum in Qi319 was conferred by two independently inherited dominant genes, RpiQI319-1 and RpiQI319-2. Linkage analysis uncovered that the RpiQI319- 1 co-segregated with markers bnlg1203, and bnlg2057 on chromosome 1, and that the RpiQI319- 2 locus co-segregated with markers umc2069 and bnlg1716 on chromosome 10. The RpiQI319- 1 locus was further mapped into a ~500-kb interval flanked by markers SSRZ33 and SSRZ47. These results will facilitate marker-assisted selection of Pythium stalk rot-resistant cultivars in maize breeding. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the resistance to P. inflatum in the inbred line Qi319, and is also the first description of two independently inherited dominant genes conferring the resistance of Pythium stalk rot in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the complexity and uncertainty of system, both the state performances and state probabilities of multi-state components can be expressed by interval numbers. The belief function theory is used to characterize the uncertainty caused by various factors. A modified Markov model is proposed to obtain the state probabilities of components at any given moment and subsequently the mass function is used to represent the precise belief degree of state probabilities. Based on the primary studies of universal generating function (UGF) method, a belief UGF (BUGF) method is utilized to analyze the reliability and the uncertainty of excavator rectifier feedback system. This paper provides an available method to evaluate the reliability of multi-state systems (MSSs) with interval state performances and state probabilities, and also avoid the interval expansion problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vibro-acoustic responses and sound absorption characteristics of two kinds of periodically stiffened micro-perforated plates are analyzed theoretically. The connected periodical structures of the stiffened plates can be ribs or block-like structures. Based on fundamental acoustic formulas of the micro-perforated plate of Maa and Takahashi, semi-analytical models of the vibrating stiffened plates are developed in this paper. Approaches like the space harmonicmethod, Fourier transforms and finite elementmethod (FEM) are adopted to investigate both kinds of the stiffened plates. In the present work, the vibro-acoustic responses of micro-perforated stiffened plates in the wavenumber space are expressed as functions of plate displacement amplitudes. After approximate numerical solutions of the amplitudes, the vibration equations and sound absorption coefficients of the two kinds of stiffened plates in the physical space are then derived by employing the Fourier inverse transform. In numerical examples, the effects of some physical parameters, such as the perforation ratio, incident angles and periodical distances etc., on the sound absorption performance are examined. The proposed approaches are also validated by comparing the present results with solutions of Takahashi and previous studies of stiffened plates. Numerical results indicate that the flexural vibration of the plate has a significant effect on the sound absorption coefficient in the water but has little influence in the air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemic stroke is considered to be a complex disease consisting of a group of heterogeneous disorders with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. MicroRNAs participated in various physiopathological processes; common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pre-miRNAs have been shown to be associated with susceptibility to several human diseases. We evaluated the associations of the hsa-mir-196-a2/rs11614913 T/C, hsa-mir-146a/rs2910164 C/G, and hsa-mir-499/rs3746444 A/G polymorphisms in pre-miRNAs with the risk of ischemic stroke in a Chinese population. The three polymorphisms were identified in 296 ischemic stroke patients and 391 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The frequency of the allele G of hsa-mir-499/rs3746444 A/G showed significant association with ischemic stroke when compared with controls (OR = 1.509, 95%CI = 1.151-1.978, P = 0.003). Increased ischemic stroke risks were associated with rs3746444 A/G genotypes in different genetic model (homozygote comparison: P = 0.045, OR = 2.084, 95%CI = 1.019-4.262; heterozygote comparison: P = 0.024, OR = 1.489, 95%CI = 1.063-2.087; dominant genetic model: P = 0.007, OR = 1.563, 95%CI = 1.135-2.153). Similar results were obtained by adjusted fully risk factors. However, we failed to find any association between the alleles and genotypes of rs2910164 C/G and rs11614913 T/C SNPs and ischemic stroke, respectively ( p > 0.05). The present study provided evidence that hsa-mir-499/rs3746444 A/G polymorphism might be associated with a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke in a Chinese population, indicating that the common genetic polymorphism in pre-microRNAs contributed to the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass graphene sheets were obtained by a re-expansion and exfoliation method which uses the commercially available graphite intercalation compounds as the starting materials. The as-prepared samples have been characterized by scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer spectroscopies, and Raman microscope. Using high resolution transmission electron microscopy on 60 samples, it was shown that the final samples exhibit 8 % monolayer, 19 % bilayer, and 77 % less than or equal to five layers, and the sheets are largely free of defects and chemical functional groups after thermal reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a novel approach based on certain logarithmic invariants, we demonstrate that a multi-axial elastic potential for incompressible, isotropic rubber-like materials may be obtained directly from two one-dimensional elastic potentials for uniaxial case and simple shear case, in a sense of exactly matching finite strain data for four benchmark tests, including uniaxial extension, simple shear, bi-axial extension, and plane-strain extension. As such, determination of multi-axial elastic potentials may be reduced to that of two one-dimensional elastic potentials. We further demonstrate that the latter two may be obtained by means of rational interpolating procedures for uniaxial data and shear data displaying strain-stiffening effects. Numerical examples are presented in fitting Treloar's data and other data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently identified as adiponectin (APN) paralogs, C1q/TNF-related proteins (CTRPs) share similar metabolic regulatory functions as APN. The current study determined cardiac expression of CTRPs, their potential cardioprotective function, and investigated whether and how diabetes may regulate cardiac CTRP expression. Several CTRPs are expressed in the heart at levels significantly greater than APN. Most notably, cardiac expression of CTRP9, the closest paralog of APN, exceeds APN by >100-fold. Cardiac CTRP9 expression was significantly reduced in high-fat diet-induced diabetic mice. In H9c2 cells, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) strongly inhibited CTRP9 expression (>60 %), and significantly reduced peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ), a known transcription factor promoting adiponectin expression. The inhibitory effect of TNF-α on PPARγ and CTRP9 was reversed by Tiron or rosiglitazone. CTRP9 knockdown significantly enhanced, whereas CTRP9 overexpression significantly attenuated simulated ischemia/reperfusion injury in H9c2 cells. In vivo CTRP9 administration to diabetic mice significantly attenuated NADPH oxidase expression and superoxide generation, reduced infarct size, and improved cardiac function. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study providing evidence that downregulation of CTRP9, an abundantly expressed and novel cell survival molecule in the heart, by TNF-α-initiated oxidative PPARγ suppression contributes to exacerbated diabetic cardiac injury. Preservation of CTRP9 expression or augmentation of CTRP9-initiated signaling mechanisms may be the potential avenues for ameliorating ischemic diabetic cardiac injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) play a key role in the process of asthma airway remodeling. Urotensin II (UII) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β are potent mitogens for ASMCs proliferation. The study was aimed to determine whether UII-upregulated TGF-β-mediated ASMCs proliferation and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was required for such an effect. OVA-sensitized rats were challenged to induce asthma. Lung morphology and airway dynamic parameters were monitored. ASMCs from control and asthma rats were purified for the measurement of UII and TGF-β1 expression. In vitro experiments were conducted to determine the direct effect of UII on TGF-β1 expression by ASMCs. Finally, U0126, an ERK inhibitor was used to examine the role of ERK pathway in UII mediated TGF-β1 upregulation. We found that both UII and TGF-β1 were upregulated in asthma lung tissues. In vitro study on ASMCs further revealed that UII may render its effect on ASMCs cells through the upregulation of TGF-β1. Data also supported the conclusion that ERK pathway was required, but not sufficient in UII-induced TGF-β1 upregulation. The current study provides new evidence that UII is involved in the TGF-β mediated mitogenic effect on ASMCs. UII, at least partially, uses ERK pathway to render such effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PETREL, a winged hybrid-driven underwater glider is a novel and practical marine survey platform which combines the features of legacy underwater glider and conventional AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle). It can be treated as a multi-rigid-body system with a floating base and a particular hydrodynamic profile. In this paper, theorems on linear and angular momentum are used to establish the dynamic equations of motion of each rigid body and the effect of translational and rotational motion of internal masses on the attitude control are taken into consideration. In addition, due to the unique external shape with fixed wings and deflectable rudders and the dual-drive operation in thrust and glide modes, the approaches of building dynamic model of conventional AUV and hydrodynamic model of submarine are introduced, and the tailored dynamic equations of the hybrid glider are formulated. Moreover, the behaviors of motion in glide and thrust operation are analyzed based on the simulation and the feasibility of the dynamic model is validated by data from lake field trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium ear rot is a prevalent disease in maize, reducing grain yields and quality. Resistance breeding is an efficient way to minimize losses caused by the disease. In this study, 187 lines from a RIL population along with the resistant (87-1) and susceptible (Zong 3) parents were planted in Zhengzhou and Beijing with three replications in years 2004 and 2006. Each line was artificially inoculated using the nail-punch method. Significant genotypic variation in response to Fusarium ear rot was detected in both years. Based on a genetic map containing 246 polymorphic SSR markers with average genetic distances of 9.1 cM, the ear-rot resistance QTL were firstly analyzed by composite interval mapping (CIM). Three QTL were detected in both Zhengzhou and Beijing in 2004; and three and four QTL, respectively, were identified in 2006. The resistant parent contributed all resistance QTL. By using composite interval mapping and a mixed model (MCIM), significant epistatic effects on Fusarium ear rot as well as interactions between mapped loci and environments were observed across environments. Two QTL on chromosome 3 (3.04 bin) were consistently identified across all environments by the two methods. The major resistant QTL with the largest effect was flanked by markers umc1025 and umc1742 on chromosome 3 (3.04 bin), explaining 13–22% of the phenotypic variation. The SSR markers closely flanking the major resistance QTL will facilitate marker-assisted selection (MAS) of resistance to Fusarium ear rot in maize breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (HPLC–DAD) was employed for the determination of 14 major constituents in traditional Chinese herbal formula ‘Luan-Pao-Prescription’. Two different chromatographic determinations for the 14 constituents were carried out to control the quality of this herbal formula. The sample was extracted under ultrasonic extraction with 75% methanol at the frequency of 42 kHz for 45 min at room temperature. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Zorbax SB-C18. The mobile phase was linear gradient elution of water with 0.5% ( v/v) acetic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B) column with linear gradient elution procedure. The flow rate was set at 1.0 mL min−1 and the column temperature was kept at 30 °C. The calibration curve for the determination of all the analytes showed good linearity over the investigated ranges ( R 2 > 0.999). The intra- and inter-day assay precision (RSD) of 14 analytes were in the range of 0.2–3.9% and the recoveries were between 92.4 and 104.4%. The validated method was successfully applied to the determination of 14 major constituents in LPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the safety, feasibility and short-term efficacy of early post-operational intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC) combined with Salviae miltiorrhizae (SM) in treating patients with gastric cancer. Methods: The 136 patients enrolled were divided into 3 groups: the EPIC group, the EPVC group and the control group. The former two groups were treated with SM plus 5-FU started from the second or third day after operation for 5 continuous days by intraperitoneal infusion or intravenous dripping respectively, and the control group was untreated but conventional chemotherapy was given 3 weeks after surgical operation. Toxic and adverse effects of chemotherapy, post-operational complications, short-term survival rate and intra-abdominal tumor recurrence rate were observed and compared. Results: (1) Toxic adverse effects of chemotherapy that occurred in the EPIC group were less than those in the EPVC group significantly ( P<0.05-0.01). (2) Occurrence of serious complications in the EPIC group was not higher than that in the other two groups. (3) The 1- and 2-year survival rate in the EPIC group was higher than those in the other two groups respectively ( P<0.01), while the post-operational intra-abdominal recurrence rate in EPIC group was significantly lower than that in the other two groups ( P<0. 05) Conclusions: Combined therapy of SM and 5-FU in treating patients with gastric cancer by intraperitoneal infusion is not only safe and feasible with mild toxic and side effect, but also produces a more beneficial effects, including less intra-abdominal recurrence and satisfactory short-term survival rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which investigated the correlation of Glut-1 glucose transporter expression with ...F2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake in non-small cell lung cancer. Materials and methods used in the study; Results and discussion.

Ethylene-responsive transcription factors (ERFs) belonging to the AP2/ERF family have diverse functions in plants. However, the functions of LeERF-1, a member of ERF family from the medicinal plant Lithospermum erythrorhizon, remain unclear. In this study, by cloning the promoter of LeERF-1, we found that the promoter region contained a number of potential regulatory motifs related to drought and pathogen resistances. Further transgenic studies showed that the heterologous overexpression of LeERF-1 in Arabidopsis displayed phenotypes of higher survival ratio, lower root inhibition rate, slow water loss in leaf discs, and smaller stomatal apertures under drought stress, compared with wild type (WT) of Arabidopsis. LeERF-1 transgenic Arabidopsis also displayed fewer chlorotic symptoms, lower incidence rates, and lower levels of bacterial proliferation on leaves after the inoculation of bacterial pathogen compared with WT. These results suggested that LeERF-1 can also confer drought and pathogen resistances. Our work provided a candidate gene with remarkable potential use in genetic engineering for stress resistance improvement in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the effect of Jiangqian granule (JQG) in treating children attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its mechanism. Methods: Eighty children with ADHD were randomly divided into two groups, the treated group treated with JQG and the control group treated with Ritalin. Blood lead concentration and Conners scoring were measured before and after 3 months treatment and the therapeutic effects were assessed. Besides, blood lead concentration and Conners scoring in 60 healthy children were also determined for control. Results: The total effective rate in the treated group and the control group was 92.5% and 72.5% respectively, significant difference existed between the two groups. Blood lead level and Conners scores in ADHD patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy control ( P<0.01). The two parameters decreased after treatment in both groups, but the lowering was more significant in the treated group ( P<0.05, P <0.01). Conclusion: Blood lead concentration raised in ADHD patients, JQG could enhance the clinical therapeutic effect by means of reducing the blood lead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]